The three little kids from Jianghehu were truly surprised that they could have such a good lunch.
The first meal after the family split up was delicious; my mother said it was to celebrate moving into the new house.
There was breakfast the next day, because there were leftover flatbreads from the previous day;
The lunch included meat, eggs, and rice because my maternal grandfather had brought people to help build the house.
Dinner, needless to say, was also served.
But there wasn't much this morning. My mother still had my older sister cook millet porridge, and lunch still included meat and eggs!
"Mother, this food is so good!" Fan Jiang swallowed hard and asked hesitantly.
Shui Qing retorted directly, "Just tell me if you like it or not?"
Not only Fan Jiang, but Fan He and Fan Hu also nodded at the same time, the three brothers nodding their heads like chickens pecking at rice.
Shui Qing chuckled.
Fan Jin looked at her and smiled, a slight curve appearing at the corners of his lips.
After Shui Qing finished laughing, she instructed, "Go get a bowl and serve the rice. Some villagers will probably come to deliver chicken head rice later."
Yan Qiuxing quickly responded with a "yes". The five children lined up in an orderly fashion to get bowls, rice, and soup. Fan Hu was too small, so Yan Qiuxing was afraid he would get burned, so she also served him his portion.
Fan Hu was young, so he took the chopsticks for his older brothers and sisters and handed them to them one by one.
The older ones help the younger ones, and the younger ones do what they can, without any worries for Shui Qing.
During the meal, when the conversation turned to Wang Mazi and his men's plan to force their way into the thatched hut, Shui Qing sighed, "It seems I need to earn enough money as soon as possible to build a courtyard house."
There was a high wall, and the wall was covered with a dense array of iron nails, which was more than enough to keep people out.
Fan Jin gave a soft "hmm," his voice low and deep, clearly feeling that he was the one who had dragged the team down.
Unable to engage in business and repeatedly failing the imperial examinations, if it weren't for Shui Qing, their family's life would have been...
He looked at his children, whose complexions were noticeably rosier after a few good meals. Without Shui Qing, his family probably wouldn't even be able to afford millet porridge or cornmeal mush, let alone rice, meat, or eggs.
They had to carefully count the rice they ate each day.
Of the five children, the eldest understood this principle, while the youngest, though not yet fully aware, knew that following their mother meant good food!
"Mother, let's go get some chicken rice cakes this afternoon and peel them too," Xinghui announced during a break from eating.
"Yes, we agreed this morning when we were planting vegetables that my second sister and I would go harvest them, my eldest sister would peel them at home, and the other two would plant the vegetables," Fan Jiang added.
Fan Jin chuckled and shook his head to stop them: "No need, it's dangerous by the water, and you're all too young."
They don't take advantage of mountains, but they take advantage of water. In places with a lot of water, they pay great attention to going into the water. Other families send adults or older children to retrieve the items.
"Father, it's alright. I've known how to swim for a long time. It doesn't matter if I fall into the water," Fan Jiang continued to plead.
One pound of water chestnuts is equivalent to two and a half pounds of rice. If they peel an extra pound themselves, wouldn't they still earn two and a half pounds of rice?
They had calculated everything very clearly that morning, but they also knew that the vegetable garden was very important, so after much discussion, they reached a division of labor.
Anyway, they all belong to their family.
"Yes, Father, please let us give it a try."
"We promise to be careful!"
Shui Qing looked at the children and slowly asked, "You know that we make a profit by exchanging water chestnuts, right?"
The five children, of varying heights, nodded in unison.
"The amount of chicken rice cakes in the lake and pond is limited. Do you think the village can harvest them all?"
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