"I've been looking for you for ages, and here you are." Li Xiuju carried a bucket of water, squatted down on the path next to the house to wash her face, and then poured the water into the ditch below.
Zhou Chenyu smiled and waved the basket in her hand, "I picked some vegetables so you won't have to come to the vegetable garden again later."
Seeing how sensible the child was, Li Xiuju felt a warmth in her heart. "Be careful with your leg. Is it feeling any better?"
Zhou Chenyu felt her face slapping. Last night before going to bed, she had been questioning, "Hmm, it's much better. That folk remedy is quite effective."
Li Xiuju was in a better mood and waved to her, "Come back quickly, the fog in the mountains is toxic, it's not pleasant to smell."
"Okay, I understand."
Little Soybean hopped around in the damp grass, having a great time playing by itself even though there was nothing around, its fur completely soaked.
"Suckling, soybean, let's go home, stop playing." Zhou Chenyu called to it, and it immediately stopped playing and obediently followed her home.
The hens at home lay an egg every day or every other day. A while ago, they were reluctant to eat them, but now they have a whole basket of free-range eggs, which has become a problem.
Li Xiuju counted carefully, and there were nearly thirty eggs. "In a while, the chickens and ducks will all be fully grown, and they will definitely lay a lot of eggs and duck eggs. We have to eat these quickly."
Baoyu cheered, "Great! Mother, can you fry two of them later to eat with porridge? They'll be delicious!"
"Okay, whatever you say." Li Xiuju smiled, took three eggs, and went into the kitchen to make breakfast.
Today's congee is served with fried eggs and stir-fried greens.
Add a little well water to the eggs, mix in the chopped green onions, stir well, heat the whole pan and coat it with lard, then pour the egg mixture with green onions into the pan, spreading it evenly in every corner of the pan. The green onion pancake will quickly solidify and take shape. Then, press the pan firmly to flip it over to the other side and fry for a while before taking it out of the pan.
Stir-frying greens is much easier now. Just add enough lard, sauté minced garlic until fragrant, then add all the greens and stir-fry until they look bright green and delicious.
Li Xiuju carried two plates of steaming hot dishes out of the pot, her joy barely concealed. "It's been so long since our family sat down together for breakfast. These days are so nice, the whole family can stay together and relax. It's wonderful."
No longer needing to rush, Zhou Chenyu's appetite was greatly stimulated. He ate two bowls of porridge and a vegetable bun, filling his belly to the brim. Baoyu was growing stronger and stronger, not to mention his appetite.
After breakfast, Baoyu was given the task of washing the dishes. Li Xiuju carried everyone's clothes to the stream. Zhou Chenyu, now a disabled person, could only stay in the yard quietly to recover from his injuries while holding Huangdou.
"Little guy, you seem to have gained weight?" Zhou Chenyu held the soybean and estimated its weight to be about ten pounds, twice as heavy as when she first brought it back.
Soybeans usually eat and drink with people. When people drink porridge, they drink porridge too, and when people eat rice, they feed them rice as well.
Li Xiuju would occasionally go to the river to catch some small fish and shrimp to dry, adding a little to each meal. She could eat meat at almost every meal, so her body was gaining weight very quickly.
Zhou Chenyu grabbed its two paws, propped it up, stared into its dark eyes, and laughed at it: "Soybean, you need to lose weight, you know? Otherwise, in two or three months, the tender little yellow dog will turn into a greasy big yellow dog."
Li Xiuju had finished hanging up the clothes and fed the chickens and ducks.
There was plenty of shade under the big tree outside the yard, so she simply took a stool and some bamboo and went outside to work.
With nothing else to do, Zhou Chenyu moved the tables and chairs under the tree so that Li Xiuju could have a sip of tea when she was thirsty.
The large tract of rice in front of Zhoujia Village has been mostly harvested, with only two small rice paddies remaining untouched.
Zhou Chenyu leaned back comfortably in her chair, a dog lying at her feet, tea beside her. Compared to others basking in the scorching sun, she was enjoying a very comfortable life under the shade of a tree.
Seeing her comfortably squint her eyes, Li Xiuju asked, "Are you sleepy? Shall I help you inside to sleep?"
Zhou Chenyu sat up straight in fright. "No, no, I'm just too comfortable. If there were a recliner here, I could lie here all afternoon."
"That's easy! Just have your younger brother Baoyu make one." Li Xiuju smiled, and Zhou Chenyu exclaimed with delight, "That's right! How come I didn't think of that? It's settled then!"
Looking through the branches and leaves towards the azure sky, not a single extra cloud could be found. Cicadas and crickets chirped incessantly overhead, and a gentle breeze blew down the clothes hanging on the bamboo poles, which landed right on the dried radishes in the winnowing basket.
Hearing the noise, Li Xiuju got up and went into the yard, picked up the clothes, patted them down, and hung them back up to dry.
Baoyu carried the newly cut bamboo and approached the house. Huangdou saw him, broke free from Zhou Chenyu's arms, and ran to greet him.
Baoyu staggered to the door and took the bamboo pole off.
Li Xiuju saw that his shoulders were red and peeling. "You silly child, didn't I tell you to use less? Why are you so stubborn?"
"I just wanted to get it done quickly so I wouldn't have to make another trip."
Baoyu chuckled, and Zhou Chenyu patted the stool next to him, "There's wild chrysanthemum tea here."
Baoyu scurried over and plopped down, took a sip, and met his sister's eager gaze. He immediately sensed something was wrong. "Sister, why are you looking at me like that? It's creepy."
Zhou Chenyu rested her chin on her fists, blinked at him, and said, "Baoyu, you've drunk my tea and sat on the stool. How about making a reclining chair for your sister?"
"Oh, so you didn't pour me tea out of consideration for my hard work." Baoyu pouted, looking unwilling. "Sister, your sincerity isn't enough. I won't do it."
"Hey, can't you understand what I'm saying?" Zhou Chenyu swung his right foot horizontally, raising it directly in front of him. "This is what happens if you don't kick my foot! Are you in or not?"
Seeing that Zhou Chenyu's legs were immobilized, Baoyu arrogantly raised his chin and said smugly, "Sister, you can't even hit me, so what can you do to me?"
If the hard approach doesn't work, try the soft one; there's always one that works.
Seeing his smug look, Zhou Chenyu suppressed her aggressive demeanor, bit her lower lip pitifully, and walked up to him with a sob.
Baoyu glanced at her sideways and said, "Sister, I've fallen for your self-inflicted injury tricks several times before. I'm not buying it this time."
"How can you be so heartless?" Zhou Chenyu pinched her wound, tears streaming down her face from the pain. "Baoyu, even in this state, are you still my brother?"
Her crying was too much for Baoyu to bear, and he immediately panicked and begged for mercy, "Sister, don't cry, I'll make you a reclining chair."
Zhou Chenyu's lips trembled, and another tear fell. "Really?"
“Really, I’m not lying to you. Don’t cry, or Mother will scold me again.” Baoyu handed her tea, and Zhou Chenyu’s sorrow instantly turned to joy. “Then I’ll sit and wait for your chair.”
Baoyu could only sigh helplessly; he had fallen for the trap again.
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