Chapter 195 Getting to Know Each Other
I thought for a moment about how to tell him: "You can eat at our house, and we'll have enough salt for the time being."
I can't let Mancang know I have a lot of salt, so I'll just say it's enough for the short term.
After hearing this, Mancang smiled and picked up the remaining half of the pickled vegetables in the bowl, threw it into his mouth, and chewed it with a crunching sound, as if he were eating a delicacy. He even shook his head slightly.
After all, he's just a 9-year-old child, and he's still very happy to eat something delicious.
He ate a bowl of porridge and two egg pancakes. I don't know if Mancang was full, but he refused to eat anymore.
The remaining porridge was fed to the dog and Tiedan. Mancang watched them eat, slightly lost in thought.
"Aunt Cheng, when the weather gets warmer, I want to plant more crops."
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
I was a little stunned by Mancang's inexplicable remark.
Mancang seemed to have encountered a world problem, and replied with a frown: "Raising so many dogs, and also supporting me, is too difficult. I need to prepare more food for you."
I smiled and squinted. This guy is already starting to worry about me; whether he can stay with me is still an unknown.
"Then you'd better get your health back before you can grow more food."
Mancang was very happy to hear me say that, and nodded vigorously.
"Aunt Cheng, what are dogs used for? I've seen dogs before when I went to the exchange market, but it was the first time I'd ever seen one, and it startled me."
Mancang was still curiously looking the dog up and down, his eyes full of inquiry.
He has lived in the apocalypse since he can remember, so if he didn't live in the base, the probability of him seeing the dog would indeed be very small.
I patiently explained to him: "A dog is a pet. It can help guard the house, but it doesn't necessarily have to be used for any particular purpose. It's enough for it to accompany us like a family member."
Mancang stared wide-eyed in surprise: "A pet?"
"Yes, pets. Have your third uncle and the others ever caught any small animals for your cousin to play with?"
"Oh, I caught a little bird in the spring, but later the bird got so tired from playing with it that it couldn't move anymore, so my third uncle cooked it over a fire and gave it to my cousin to eat."
Explaining the word "pet" to Mancang was really difficult; I never expected that the little bird would be killed and then eaten.
I struggled to explain: "Uh, more or less... but you can play with your pet, but you can't hurt it, and you definitely can't eat it."
Mancang grinned after hearing this: "Aunt Cheng, I understand. Your dogs can eat the same food as us, so they are our family. They accompany us, so we should treat them well. That's what pets are all about."
Mancang's little brain is really sharp; her summary is spot on, much better than mine. I was so annoyed by my own deteriorating language skills that I laughed.
I smiled and nodded at Mancang: "Yes! That's exactly what I meant!"
Mancang then pointed to Tiedan, who was right next to me, and asked, "Then what's this? Why can it sit on the kang (heated brick bed) but the dog can't?"
I scooped up Tiedan and held it in my arms, stroking its fur as I replied, "This is called a cat, and it's also my pet. It doesn't guard the house, but it can catch mice."
Mancang looked at Tiedan with admiration: "Wow! It's so amazing, such a good animal! Whenever there are rats in my house, my third uncle scolds us all night long, saying that they're ruining the grain. But now that we have a cat, does that mean rats can't ruin the grain anymore?"
"Yes, cats are the natural enemy of mice."
"Aunt Cheng, you're amazing! There are such incredible animals!"
I never expected that Mancang wouldn't recognize a cat. I moved Tiedan closer and said, "Touch it, it's cute and soft."
Mancang tentatively touched Tiedan's head with his fingertip, and Tiedan put his little ears back and seemed to enjoy it.
Seeing this, Mancang looked at me with bright eyes and a face full of joy. He gently touched Tiedan and his breathing became lighter.
He seems to be a good child who likes animals.
Suddenly remembering their shared name, she suppressed a laugh and asked Mancang, "Do you know what it's called?"
Mancang shook his head, waiting for my answer.
"Its name is Iron Egg!"
Man Cang gaped in astonishment, his face filled with disbelief: "What?! You have the same name as me? No wonder Aunt Cheng wanted me to change my name."
"Haha, this is fate! Maybe you two will become very good friends."
I'm certainly happy to see Mancang get along well with my cats and dogs.
Hearing that they shared the same name, Mancang relaxed considerably and moved even closer, stroking Tiedan's fur.
Tie Dan has always been very well-behaved and doesn't mind being around Man Cang, which makes people feel at ease.
I got up to add firewood to the stove, no longer sitting with Mancang. Looking at the few oddly shaped dogs on the ground (excluding Xiaodi, of course), I said to Mancang, "You can also get along well with these dogs. They are very lively and easy to get along with."
Mancang shrank back as he looked at the dog on the ground, appearing quite frightened.
"Aunt Cheng, they've grown so big, and their mouths are huge too. I'm a little scared."
Just as Mancang was saying that the four dogs had big mouths, I turned around and saw Xiaogua's wide-open mouth. I couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Then take it slow, no rush."
There's a pack of wolves outside the door; they'll have to train their courage eventually.
When I was alone, time passed very slowly; I could finish my work in the morning and then take a nap.
Today I was with Mancang. It felt like we had just finished breakfast and chatted for a while before it was already noon.
The child has been drinking porridge for two days now; it's time for him to eat some normal food.
He kept talking about chicken yesterday, which made me really upset. It's good that his thin little body needs some nourishment, so I'll stew a chicken for him today. He can have one of the two chicken legs.
Take out a frozen domestic chicken and soak it in warm water.
Go to the bookshelf in the small west room and find a few books that are full of books to read.
The secondhand books I bought before were a mess, but I actually managed to find a few with pictures.
"You should rest and recover. If you're bored, read a book. Don't run around and tear your wound. Aunt Cheng will make you something nice to eat."
I placed the book next to his pillow, not caring whether I could understand it or not, and went to the back room to chop chicken pieces.
When Mancang received the book, a faint exclamation of surprise came from inside the room, and I felt a surge of joy upon hearing it.
I have to say, it was both interesting and fulfilling to suddenly find a pitiful child for me to rescue.
Chop the chicken into small pieces and divide it into two parts.
Chicken wings, chicken legs, and other delicious meats are used to stew with mushrooms, while the remaining chicken ribs and necks are used to make soup.
This child is too thin, like a little paper doll. He needs to be fed more good food and allowed to grow.
Boil water in a large iron pot, then pour in the two portions of chicken pieces separately to blanch them, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.
Don't waste the water used to blanch the chicken in the pot; just ladle it out and let it cool. My younger brother and son really enjoy drinking this chicken soup.
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