Chapter 11 Pigeon Eggs

There are eight eggs in total, if they can really be sold at twenty cents each.

That is one hundred and sixty cents.

It’s equivalent to the children and grandchildren carrying four days’ worth of food bags.

One bird egg can be exchanged for four large meat buns.

Zhang Jinlan curled her lips.

The rich people in this town must be fools. Bird eggs are not as delicious as meat buns.

It's really a waste of money to spend so much money and eat these broken bird eggs.

"Just last month, I went to the town to buy food and met an old woman selling bird eggs. I saw her exchange five bird eggs for fifty eggs. I asked her curiously and she said they were pigeon eggs, which were extremely expensive. I remembered them. I saw that the bird eggs picked up by your family were exactly the same as the ones I saw that day, so they must be pigeon eggs."

Ma Chunxia explained slowly.

"Fubao, you are really the lucky star of our Jiang family. Come on, let's go back quickly. We have pigeon eggs, so why bother digging wild vegetables?"

When Zhang Jinlan saw Ma Chunxia staring at the pigeon eggs in her bamboo basket with burning eyes, she quickly asked her daughters-in-law to leave.

"Grandma, let's go pick up pigeon eggs too."

Ma Chunxia's eldest granddaughter Jiang Yongfang was extremely jealous.

"What the hell are you talking about? You've been going up and down the mountain so many times, but when have you ever found anything? To be honest, Fubao is so lucky. She fell into the river and was rescued by her eldest cousin. She wandered around here for a while and found pigeon eggs. I remember there were auspicious clouds in the sky when she was born, so her grandmother named her Fubao. Could she really be the reincarnation of a god?"

The more Ma Chunxia thought about it, the more weird it seemed.

If Jiang Fubao heard this, she would just laugh out loud.

What auspicious clouds.

It's just cloudy weather.

"Grandma, do we have to sell this bird egg? If we sell it, can we ask Dad and the others to buy some meat?" Jiang Fubao's voice sounded helpless.

Grandma is a miser.

Be nice to her though.

But she knew that grandma would not spend the money from selling eggs to buy meat.

Just save the money.

It’s been a long time since anyone in my family has eaten meat.

She wanted to help her family, so she had to improve the food at home first.

"Fubao pork? Sure, if you want to eat it, ask your uncle to cut some meat tomorrow and grandma will make you shredded pork noodles."

Hearing this.

Jiang Fubao knew that this meat would probably be enjoyed by her alone again.

"No, I don't want to eat it alone, Grandma, can you ask Uncle to buy some more so we can eat together?"

"Okay, buy it! If it weren't for Fubao, our family wouldn't be able to get these bird eggs. No matter how expensive they are, grandma will buy them! After selling the bird eggs, let your uncle buy a pound of meat, and we'll come back and fry it!" Seeing the granddaughter's expectant eyes.

Zhang Jinlan gritted her teeth and agreed.

If there is no rain, the land will be dry.

People were not getting enough to eat, let alone pigs, so how could they gain weight? As a result, the weight of pigs was reduced by more than 20% compared to previous years.

Not only have food prices increased, but pork prices have also become ridiculously high.

Years ago, when she went to town to buy meat, it cost thirty cents per pound.

If it weren't for the Chinese New Year, she wouldn't have been willing to buy it.

The little bit of lard in the jar is also made from the fat on the meat.

Occasionally she would scoop a little with chopsticks and put it into the dishes to add some fat and water to her family.

"Mom, we are back——"

evening.

The sun is setting.

Jiang Dahe returned from the town with his younger brother and sons.

His loud voice could be heard throughout the house before he even entered the door.

At this time, Jiang Fubao was sitting on a small bench in the yard in a daze.

Hearing her uncle's voice, her butt immediately moved off the stool.

I saw her running towards the door on her short legs.

He was still shouting, "Uncle, Daddy, I picked up some bird eggs again. Grandma Xia next door said they were pigeon eggs, and one could be exchanged for many eggs. Grandma promised me that you can take the pigeon eggs to the town to sell them, and then buy some meat to eat! Daddy, am I awesome?"

Jiang Fubao raised his chin proudly.

Like a victorious cock.

"Wow, Fubao is so awesome! Where is the bird egg? Daddy, take a look." Seeing his daughter's adorable look of seeking credit, Jiang Siyin picked her up.

He also scratched Jiang Fubao's little nose.

The love in my eyes is about to overflow.

"In the kitchen, grandma put the pigeon eggs in a bamboo basket and put some soft straw under it. Daddy, you and uncle should remember to buy some meat tomorrow. Grandma said she wants to make fried pork slices with salted vegetables for us."

Jiang Fubao licked his lips.

It looks so delicious.

In early spring, the vegetables in the private plots were just planted.

The only sources of vegetables were young sprouts from the mountains or pickled vegetables from last fall.

Because salt is expensive.

So I only pickled a small jar of pickled vegetables.

On weekdays, I can’t bear to eat it at all.

Unless there is no more vegetables, people will take out some and simply stir-fry them to make a side dish to go with the porridge.

"Sister, you are so amazing. How come you picked up bird eggs again? You are so lucky. How about starting from tomorrow, I will take you to the mountain to pick bird eggs. We can definitely sell them for a lot of money, much more than carrying food bags. Dad, I won't go to town tomorrow." After hearing Jiang Fubao's words.

Jiang Tongmu's eyes rolled around.

I immediately thought of ways to make money.

"Go away, stay away. There's no need for Fubao to earn money at home. She's only three years old! I think you just want to be lazy. Tongjin, take your brother to chop the firewood at home. You watch him. You can't eat until you finish chopping! You must not have done your odd jobs well today, otherwise your brain wouldn't be so active."

Seeing that the second son had set his sights on his niece.

Jiang Dahe's face turned dark.

A slap on the son's head.

The force is neither light nor heavy.

It's very well handled, confusing but not brain-damaging.

But Jiang Tongmu was a dramatic person. He gritted his teeth and touched his head, seeming to be in extreme pain.

He said timidly, "I was just joking. Dad, do you have to hit me? Please spare your son. I am so tired from carrying grain bags all day. How can I have the energy to chop wood? I don't know what happened today, but there are many more people looking for odd jobs than yesterday, and the wages are lower."

"What? The wages are too low? How much did you earn today?"

When Zhang Jinlan heard that her salary was reduced, she immediately popped her head out of the kitchen to ask her eldest son without even putting down the spatula in her hand.

"It's indeed too low. The five of us only earned thirty cents." Jiang Yamato's voice was a little muffled.

A full ten cents were missing.

You can buy a bunch of brown rice.

But there is no other way.

There are many people who want to do it.

If he hadn't flattered the foreman yesterday, they wouldn't have been able to get hired today.

"Hey, how come so much money is missing all of a sudden? That's ten cents, two big meat buns are gone. It must be because there was no rain during the spring plowing days, which made them panic, so they went to the town to do odd jobs in advance, hoping to earn more money just in case. It seems that we are not the only one who thinks so. Mother should have guessed it earlier. By the way, did you meet anyone from the village?"

Zhang Jinlan looked a little depressed.

If it doesn't rain.

What should I do then?

Isn't this going to cause a drought?