Chen Chunhua took the dead duck back to her home. When she returned, Lin Guoqing was still outside taking care of the children.
After thinking about it, she plucked the duck, bled it, washed it clean, and prepared to put it in the pot.
Liang Shengdi came back from the fields with several other children. She was excited when she smelled the aroma of the stewed duck. She ran in, washed her hands, and opened the lid, wanting to see today's sumptuous dinner.
Then Chen Chunhua told her that half of the duck would be taken to Lin Fuqiang's house, and Liang Shengdi felt distressed.
"One duck is not enough for seven people in our family, and you still want to take it out. You must be living too well lately."
Chen Chunhua smiled and said, "Mom, you know what's going on in their family. When I went to see them a few days ago, their faces were as pale as gold paper, waxy yellow.
His chickens are almost done stewing, and we don’t have anything else to send over, so we’ll just bring a bowl of duck soup. No one has helped us as much as before, and our farm land…”
"Okay, okay, I know! Without Lin Fuqiang's help, the land for the farm can't be approved!" Liang Shengdi curled her lips and pointed at the pot of duck soup that was still stewing.
"No one will get to drink today!" If there is one less person to eat, she can have more meat. This is Lin Shuchao's fault, so he should be punished.
Chen Chunhua coaxed her like a child, "Then he definitely won't get any! Guoqing and I have already vacated our portions, so it's just you and the three kids. Half a duck isn't much, but it will satisfy your craving, right?"
Liang Shengdi then walked out of the kitchen with satisfaction. She wanted to squat at the door, maybe she could see the miserable scene of the third child being beaten on the buttocks by his father.
When Chen Chunhua went to Lin Fuqiang's house with a big bowl of duck soup, it was almost dark. She happened to meet Lin Fuqiang and his son at the door. They had just returned from the fields.
In the past, Lin Fuqiang's mother and Ma Fengjuan also worked in the fields. Even after Ma Fengjuan became pregnant, Mrs. Lin continued to work in the fields. But now, she needs to stay at home to take care of Ma Fengjuan.
Lin Erniu had just gone to the fields for the first time a few days ago. The 12-year-old boy had lost all the flesh on his face in just a few days. Seeing Chen Chunhua, he called out softly,
"Aunt Chunhua."
"Hey, you just came back?" Chen Chunhua sighed silently, and without saying anything else, she pushed the bowl forward.
"My third son poached Master Jia's duck. Not only did he compensate him with a duck, but he also got to drink duck soup tonight. That's too good of a deal for him. Here's half a duck, take it in. Master Jia's wife said it's an old duck, and it would be good for Fengjuan to nourish her body..."
Lin Erniu looked at his father in silence. Lin Fuqiang wiped his sweat and smiled faintly, "Thank you, Chunhua. But you should take this soup back... We've decided to eat vegetarian food since yesterday."
Chen Chunhua opened her mouth blankly, "Vegetarian?"
Lin Fuqiang waved his hand, letting Erniu go in first, and then he sat down on the doorstep. "Yes, I'll be a vegetarian from now on. It can be considered as paying back my debt..."
“…Fengjuan, aren’t you still lying down…” Even if you want to become a monk, you have to take care of your body first.
"She was the one who suggested it." Lin Fuqiang wiped his face again and tried to reach out for a cigarette, but suddenly stopped. He rubbed his hands on his knees and gave Chen Chunhua a wry smile.
"My family... maybe we've committed too many sins. These days, only you and Guoqing have come to visit and show some concern. And Dexiang also came yesterday with a bag of eggs..."
Lin Fuqiang was removed from his position as village party secretary because he attempted to have more children than allowed.
After an investigation by the township government and a vote by the villagers, Ma Dexiang was chosen as the new Party Secretary of Sihe Village.
In fact, if you think about it, Ma Dexiang and Lin Yulan didn't respond to the call for family planning back then, but they figured it out earlier and made it clear they didn't want to have children before the reform and opening up. They also actively cooperated with publicity efforts, so the position of village party secretary naturally passed to him.
With the example of Lin Fuqiang in front of him, Ma Dexiang did not dare to get cocky. Even yesterday, when the official document came down, he came to see the former branch secretary with eggs in his hand. His words and deeds implied that he wanted Lin Fuqiang not to think that he had taken the position, but that he was actually being forced into it.
How could Lin Fuqiang hold such a grudge? This matter was their own family's problem from beginning to end, but he still thanked Ma Dexiang for coming to his house at this time.
His family is not to the point where everyone in the village hates him now. This is also due to the good deeds he has done during his previous tenure. Apart from indulging his wife, he did not do many immoral things.
"My life... is like this. I just pray that Erniu will be better in the future and not be influenced by his parents for his whole life..." Lin Fuqiang wiped his face again. Fortunately, it was dark, otherwise Chen Chunhua would definitely see the mud on his face. After working all day, how could his hands be clean?
"Okay, Chunhua, you should go back and eat early. I'll always remember how much you and Guoqing have taken care of my family... Although I'm a commoner now, if you need me in the future, just let me know."
Lin Fuqiang stood up from the threshold and forced a smile. "Take the duck soup back. I've been listening to your third child crying in the fields all afternoon. It's time to give him a bite of the duck."
…
In the end, Chen Chunhua still couldn't give out the bowl of duck soup. Lin Guoqing just happened to come back with Lin Shuchao. Seeing her return with the duck, he was surprised.
“Why didn’t you send it out?”
Chen Chunhua: "...they said that everyone in their family will be a vegetarian from now on."
"What the hell?" Lin Guoqing frowned. "Isn't Ma Fengjuan still in confinement? That child... that... that big... coming out, didn't you say it would be more detrimental to her health than giving birth? She needs to replenish her energy, right? Why is she eating vegetarian food?"
"Nonsense! That's like walking through the gates of hell!" Chen Chunhua was a little annoyed by the question. "But it was Ma Fengjuan who brought this up. I even went in with the soup and walked around, and they said I had to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures to pay off my sins!"
"They said it was to accumulate merit for the death of her son. Xiuying and Yinling's children were lost due to her sins. They died earlier than her youngest son. If she doesn't practice vegetarianism and chant Buddhist scriptures to accumulate merit, she might not be at peace in the afterlife..."
Liang Shengdi listened for a long time, her eyes rolling up to the rooftop.
"She's thinking about being a vegetarian and chanting Buddhist scriptures now, but what was she doing before? If she had thought about being a good person earlier, her son would have been running around the village in two years, following Li Xiuying and Cai Yinling's children, calling them brother and sister! Isn't that better than being a vegetarian now?"
"Mom..." Lin Guoqing called out softly, "...it's already like this, let's stop talking about people behind their backs."
Lin Shuchao looked around and felt that his father's grip on his collar seemed to have loosened a lot. He tried to sneak into the house, but was kicked in the butt by Lin Guoqing again.
"Behave yourself and be a good person, you know that!"
Lin Shuchao: ...Why am I not a good person?? ! !
Finally, Little Third's dinner consisted of two sweet potatoes. Lin Guoqing told him to remember the good times and take responsibility for his mistakes.
His portion of braised duck ended up in Liang Shengdi's stomach.
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