The old man saw through his granddaughter's idea at a glance: "Eat as much as you want. We can't make sure you eat the best food, but we can make sure you're full." Does his family seem to be struggling financially? Otherwise, how could his granddaughter have come up with this way to save food?
Maybe one day I should take my granddaughter to see the good stuff I've been hiding. Otherwise, she definitely won't eat her fill, and her body won't be able to handle it if she keeps eating like this.
No, I'll go ask Old Zhang later.
After thinking it over, Qian Xiao made a decision: she ate to her heart's content. She had never experienced the feeling of being full in her life. If there was a shortage of food at home in the future, she would eat less.
Everyone stared in disbelief as Qian Xiao ate. It was truly astonishing; a huge bowl of noodles, made with two different kinds of dough, went straight into Erdan's little mouth. And Erdan's belly wasn't even bulging; it was clear he hadn't eaten his fill.
You know, this bowl of rice is enough for Erdan to eat for two days on a normal day. Judging from this, the child probably can't even eat half full normally. This child is really tolerant. How can she bear to eat only a few bites?
The old lady stood up: "Wait here, Grandma will make it for you. Today we must make sure my granddaughter is well-fed."
Qian Xiao quickly pulled her grandmother away: "Grandma, I'm almost full. This is enough. How could I possibly overeat? This is fine."
Qian Jiefang had finished eating long ago and had been watching his daughter eat. His daughter probably ate more than him: "How full are you?"
Qian Xiao touched her stomach, which felt warm and satisfied for the first time: "I'll eat until I'm seven-tenths full. This is just right. It's uncomfortable to eat too much."
Everyone in the room stared wide-eyed. This guy could eat so much! He ate more than any of the strong laborers in the house. No wonder Erdan always controlled his food intake. He was afraid that his family would go hungry. He thought it was enough for him to go hungry himself.
This child, this child is so sweet and charming, how can anyone not like her?
Qian Jiefang patted his daughter: "Okay, eat like this from now on. You can't starve yourself anymore. Dad can still support you. You're not eating for nothing. Your mother said you're strong. If you're strong, you can't do without eating more."
Uncle Er nodded憨憨地: "That's right, Erdan is stronger than me, so he has to be well-fed. Our family can afford to support you."
Uncle San looked distressed and said, "You silly girl, how could you be so foolish? It's so hard to be hungry. If you're hungry, just tell Uncle San. Uncle San will find you more food. It's better than you starving like this."
If it were him, he would eat to his heart's content; he couldn't just let himself go hungry like that. No wonder his niece is always thinking about how to get food to take home.
The two aunts nodded in agreement. The feeling of being hungry was truly unbearable; it felt like your stomach was on fire. They had all experienced that feeling, and they didn't know how Erdan, such a small child, could endure it.
The old man finally made the decision: "From now on, cook according to today's amount. I can't let my Erdan go hungry. Don't worry, I can still support you."
Qian Xiao touched her stomach, which felt full for the first time, and was a little at a loss. Was it really okay for her to eat like this? Her family only had a few acres of land, and they still had to pay grain taxes. They also had seven children to raise. They didn't have much surplus grain each year, not even enough for her to eat for a few days.
The old lady patted her granddaughter affectionately: "Why think so much? Making money is an adult's business. You just need to eat your fill and play every day. Next year, I'll send you to that school. We not only want you to eat your fill, but also to be a well-educated child."
"Ah! I have to go to school? That's so expensive!" She had been in school for more than ten years in her previous life, and she was really fed up with it.
"Of course, our family can afford it. Of course you should go to school. When you get first place, you can bring honor to your grandparents."
Qian Xiao looked up and saw that her family was all looking at her with encouraging eyes, as if she were a naughty child who didn't like going to school. The problem was, she already knew all of them, and she still had to learn one, two, three with a bunch of little brats. Wasn't that embarrassing enough?
However, her refusal doesn't count. Nowadays, parents don't care about their children's opinions, and besides, her opinion isn't reasonable either.
Her father hadn't been back for several years, and it seemed like he had endless things to talk about with his family. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Qian Xiao slipped out of the house, wanting to get some fresh air.
She strolled along the deserted path until she reached the foot of the mountain. She still preferred to venture deeper into the mountains, hoping to catch a pheasant or rabbit and have a taste of meat. Life was truly tough at this time of year.
Only after actually living here did she realize that what was shown on TV was not exaggerated at all; in fact, it was much more difficult. She wanted to change things, but she was willing but unable to do so. Given the current environment, living a low-key life was the best choice.
It's still only the 1950s now, but in another ten years or so, when we reach that decade, those will be the truly difficult times. I hope that parallel universe doesn't have that period of history; it was a tragic decade.
Sitting on a big tree, Qian Xiao looked at the village scene, his mind wandering to all sorts of random thoughts. Having memories of his past life was worse than not having them at all. Not knowing the course of history would allow him to live a more grounded life, and he wouldn't be as restless as he is now.
"Dad, isn't it inappropriate for us to come during the day?"
"Shut up, don't make a sound," the man scolded, glancing around as if he were terrified someone would see them.
Hearing the sounds below, Qian Xiao didn't know what she was thinking, but she suddenly got up and hid, feeling that if she were discovered now, something bad would happen.
Fortunately, the leaves on the tree hadn't all fallen yet, so her little clump was easy to hide from being discovered.
Hearing the footsteps heading into the mountains, Qian Xiao peeked out and looked at the two people carrying her on their backs. The backs of the two people were somewhat familiar, and combined with their voices, Qian Xiao knew who they were.
Isn't this Old Man Wang and his good-for-nothing son, Wang Xuewen's father? What's his name again? I think it's Wang Shun, that's right, that's his name. Everyone in the village calls him Wang Hunzi (Wang the Scoundrel).
What are these two doing in the mountains? And they're going in empty-handed! She's never seen the Wang family father and son go into the mountains before. It's like the men in this family can't do any work. On the contrary, it's the women in the family who are working in the fields, claiming that Old Man Wang is in poor health and can't get out of bed.
Should she follow them and see? She had a feeling that if she did, she would make a great discovery.
But if she were to follow, she really wouldn't have the ability to handle two adult men at once. Wang Shun was alright, but his unsteady gait showed he was a weakling.
That old man Wang gave her a dangerous feeling, could it be...?
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