Everyone knew that the Meng family had gone to the city for a wedding banquet.
However, along with this rumor came some gossip and rumors in the countryside.
It was nothing more than saying that Ah Mian was "improperly behaved," but when the listeners inquired in detail, they couldn't get any real answers, so it only circulated in secret.
Meanwhile, Ah Mian had somehow angered Meng Chijian again.
But she forgot about it quickly, and after one night, she had completely forgotten about it.
Now that it's the off-season and the weather is getting warmer, Mengjia's meals have become simpler.
That day, Lu Weiwei saw that A Mian's family seemed to be living a wealthy and comfortable life, but it was actually a complete misunderstanding.
Although the Meng family owned a blacksmith shop, they had accumulated almost no savings over the years.
Unlike those farmers who are frugal in their daily lives to prepare for natural disasters and man-made calamities, Meng Chijian spends almost all of his earnings on the same day, except for the capital to buy raw materials. His life is so simple that if he doesn't work, he won't eat. If he doesn't go to work for three days, the whole Meng family will probably have to start drinking cold porridge with only a handful of grains of rice.
During the hottest season, the blacksmith shop hardly has any business during the day.
It was so hot and scorching inside that Meng Chijian could barely work for two hours after sunset.
Someone with a weaker constitution would probably have caught a heatstroke and fainted long ago!
In terms of food, A-Mian and her group ate pickled vegetables for every meal. Due to the hot weather and lack of preservation methods, goat milk production was also temporarily suspended.
In early spring, A-Mian and Meng-Jing planted a batch of vegetables in their backyard, including cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, celery, and some scallions, ginger, and garlic. Now, these vegetables have become their lifeline.
Every morning when she wakes up, Ah Mian runs to the backyard to see what fruits and vegetables she can pick, so that she can at least make do with food for the day.
The chickens I raised have grown a bit, but they haven't laid any eggs yet.
"Should we kill one to eat?" A-Mian asked, then felt a pang of regret. "Let's wait a few more days. Maybe it will lay an egg soon."
Meng Jing agreed, "It's such a waste to eat now. Besides, it's so hot, we can't eat much anyway..."
Ah Mian didn't think so.
In just a few months, she has grown as tall as half a cucumber.
Meng Chijian also took a stone and used it to measure her height next to the door frame, then carved it on the wooden door.
Nevertheless, Ah Mian would still suddenly kick her legs in the middle of the night, as if she were about to fall into a deep black hole.
After being startled awake from her dream, Ah Mian sometimes feels that her stomach is still like a monster in the mountains, wanting to devour everything in the world.
However, there was only so much food at home, and Ah Mian knew that she didn't do much work and couldn't eat too much, otherwise she would be kicked out.
Another summer night.
There were many mosquitoes. Meng Chijian was lighting mugwort in the corner of the room. Just as he picked up a large palm-leaf fan, he saw A-Mian clutching her stomach with her eyes tightly closed.
"What's wrong?"
Amian didn't know either. Her stomachache was different from the usual feeling of hunger. It felt as if her whole body had been pounded, and her back was covered in cold sweat.
She stammered and couldn't explain clearly. Seeing that her face was turning pale, Meng Chijian simply reached out and touched her forehead.
No fever.
There were bloodstains on the sheets, and Meng Chijian thought it was an external injury, so he frowned deeply. "How did you suddenly get injured?"
He figured it was evening, and he probably wouldn't make it to town in time, so he decided to find the village doctor first.
However, as soon as they arrived in the courtyard and told their mother about A-Mian's situation, the old woman was both amused and exasperated.
“This isn’t an injury or illness, it’s…you wouldn’t understand even if I told you!” Mother Meng fumbled around, “Just remember, it will be about four or five days. At this time, your wife can’t touch cold water and needs to eat some nourishing food to replenish her qi and blood.” She took out some cotton cloth and cotton from the bottom of the box, “I’ll go and talk to her, don’t go around making a fuss.”
Meng Chijian looked embarrassed, his ears turning red.
Ah Mian was struck dumb, first thinking she had a terminal illness, and almost entrusted her savings hidden in the woodshed to Meng Jing.
She vaguely learned that this would have to be done every month from now on. Meng's mother told her a lot with a smile, and she received a new menstrual belt sewn from cotton, which Meng's mother had originally prepared in advance for Meng Jing.
She brought her another bowl of ginger soup and made her drink it. Ah Mian didn't fall asleep until late at night, feeling dizzy.
She was awakened by a fragrant aroma.
The aroma was enticing, and Ah Mian felt that her stomach pain had subsided, so she leaned against the window and gazed longingly into the yard.
"Is it Chinese New Year?"
Meng Jing came over with a grin, "Third Brother looked around at all the chickens we raise, and I offered sixty coins to pick out a rooster for him. We just slaughtered it, and the other half is being used to make soup."
“Such a small rooster, you can’t find this many in the market.” A-Mian’s eyes widened. “Besides, the shop isn’t making any money right now, where did he get the money?”
"If there's no work in the shop, there's always work at the docks... You can make money doing odd jobs."
Ah Mian was inexplicably annoyed. "In this sweltering heat, even laborers who barely have enough to eat don't want to go. How could you ask him to go? What if he gets heatstroke?!"
Meng Jing felt a little wronged after being scolded by her. "I thought you would be happy that I got a good price! Besides, Third Brother is as strong as an ox, what could possibly happen to him! Are you closest to him or to me?!"
This probing question left Ah Mian speechless.
Just as she was racking her brains for a reply, the person in the kitchen came out, glanced at the two of them expressionlessly, and said, "A-Mian, come and eat."
The dishes were simple: a pot of chicken soup with goji berries and red dates, and a plate of stir-fried cucumber.
However, it is quite valuable. Red dates and goji berries are both medicinal materials, so the ingredients for the soup must cost more than sixty coins.
"Where did the money come from?" A-Mian asked.
Meng Chijian said, "Why do children worry so much?"
Amian's heart pounded. "Could it be that I have a terminal illness? Was everything they said last night a lie?"
"..."
Meng Chijian ignored her madness. The soup was for everyone, the chicken legs were given to A Mian, and the rest of the people ate their own.
The town's doctor, Dr. Wen, said this was for women to nourish their bodies, so he only took a few cornbread buns and pickled vegetables and ate them heartily on the side.
Ah Mian hesitated before picking up the bowl and taking a sip of soup.
Then my eyes lit up; the soup's subtle sweetness and the chicken's aroma were just right.
With a rare afternoon rain, the heat finally subsided. Ah Mian, holding her bowl, ate almost half of it herself, like a little pig clinging to the pot.
Perhaps because she had eaten her fill, her complexion improved considerably, and her cheeks became rosy.
While she was dozing in the wooden chair under the shade of a tree, Meng Chijian patted her round belly with a satisfied expression before heading into the city.
No sooner had he left than Ah Mian's overjoyed cry erupted, likely because the departure of her companion had triggered a sense of crisis among the chickens:
"Wow, a five-qian egg has been laid!"
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