The grateful village chief had long forgotten how much he used to dislike this scoundrel who had caused chaos throughout the village.
On the contrary, the more he looked at Lai Zi, the more pleasing he became.
Jiang Nuan opened the earthenware jar, and instantly, an enticing aroma wafted out.
Jiang Nuan scooped out half a bowl of meat and vegetables with a spoon and handed it to her second son, saying, "Second son, take this bowl to Ji Quan and the others."
The people in Jijia Village are in a much worse situation than Huang Shan and his group.
Jiang Nuan estimated that Ji Quan had lost about seven or eight pounds. He wasn't fat to begin with, and now he's so thin he looks like skin and bones.
Jiang Nuan herself particularly liked the pitiful children in Jijia Village.
She had learned about the situation. Of those who came to perform corvée labor, only Ji Quan was the only son in his family and had no choice but to come. The others had other options, but they chose to sacrifice themselves.
This sacrifice, though somewhat forced and insignificant, is nonetheless deeply moving.
"Alright," Huang Lao Er picked up the basin, "Mother, is there anything else you want to tell Brother Ji Quan?"
"No, just come back for dinner."
On the other side, Ji Quan stared longingly at the earthenware jar containing the rice.
"Brother Quan, can you smell it? It smells like goose." Ji Qin sniffed with delight.
"You've ever eaten goose meat?" Ji Quan smacked his lips. "I've never even known what goose tastes like in my life."
His parents treated his two geese like royalty; they would frantically search for them if they couldn't find them for a moment, and he couldn't even find a chance to kill them and eat them.
“I’ve eaten it,” Ji Qin said, extending her index finger and shaking it. “Just once, when my goose was killed by a falling tree, and we had no choice but to stew it. I must say, I still remember the taste.”
As he spoke, he couldn't help but lick his lips.
Although the meat was a bit tough, it was irresistibly fragrant and fatty; once you bit into it, you could practically swallow your tongue.
"Don't think too much about it. It's good enough that there's soup to drink," Ji Quan patted Ji Qin's arm. "It's also because your aunt has a good personality and doesn't look down on us kids. If it were someone else, they would be lucky if they didn't chase us away with a stick, let alone give us soup."
Every time Ji Quan thinks of this, he feels a warmth in his heart.
After finishing his work, he could eat two steamed buns made from mixed grains with meat soup.
It's not that I don't envy the person on the other side, it's just that one should be content. He doesn't have that kind of luck; being able to benefit from it and have a taste of its benefits is already quite good.
I heard from others that because of the heavy corvée labor this year, some people have fallen ill from exhaustion and have no choice but to grit their teeth and continue working.
If they hold on for a few more days, people from the village will come to replace them. At least they can save their lives, and that's enough.
"Brother Quan," Huang Lao Er called out from afar, "I've come to deliver some vegetables to you. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"No," Ji Quan quickly stood up, "I was just waiting for you to finish eating so I could get the soup. I haven't had a chance to eat it yet."
"That's great," Huang Lao Er handed over the basin, "It's all meat, but there's not much. You can divide it as you see fit."
Half a pot of food was shared among more than thirty people, with each person only getting a single bite. Huang Lao Er felt quite embarrassed.
Jiang Nuan wanted to fill the bowl more, but there were too many people today, so she could only empty half the bowl. If she filled it any more, there wouldn't be enough for her.
"Really for us?" Ji Qin took the basin in disbelief. "There's even goose meat? Is that enough for you?"
He swallowed hard, closed his eyes, and continued, "If you don't have enough, take it away. We've prepared our own food."
Today, his mother specially prepared six slices of fatty meat for him, so he can have meat to eat too.
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