Zhang's mother looked at the bag in her son's hand and said nothing more. She took out the pig's trotter and put the bag in the main room. Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang's mother asked Zhang Guoqing to go to the kitchen to light the fire while she went to the backyard to pick some vegetables. In the Zhang family, only Zhang Guoqing would go into the kitchen to help with the fire. The men in the Zhang family did not go into the kitchen to help, as they believed that these household chores were women's work. In late autumn, there were not many other vegetables in the yard. In addition to some cabbages, there were also some small green vegetables covered with straw in the field, which were white radishes and sweet potatoes that had not been unearthed. She would check the chicken coop to see if there was any unexpected harvest and pick some yellow green vegetables.
Zhang's mother came in with some vegetables and saw him scratching at the matches one by one, his hands clumsy and feet clenched. Her heart ached. She didn't know if she felt sorry for him or for the matches. After all, a match is money. There's always a fire burning in the stove; just blow hard and it'll work. She couldn't bring herself to scold Zhang Guoqing for wasting money; anyone else would have been spitting blood. She herself was willing to break even a penny and use it sparingly; she hated waste.
The kitchen was bustling with activity. Zhang Guoqing helped her light the fire and chatted with his mother. Mother and son had just finished preparing lunch. The staple food was still steamed bread, usually made with whole grain flour, water, and wild vegetables. This time, it was cornmeal. The Zhang family's most familiar and common dish was steamed bread, and to ensure they were well-fed, they were always large.
Unlike the wild vegetable steamed bread and cornmeal porridge she had in the morning, the four dishes she made were cooked without any oil at all, just plain water. Zhang's mother was reluctant to cook, so she stewed everything she could: a bowl of black pickles, a bowl of pure Chinese cabbage, a bowl of long beans, and a bowl of braised potatoes without any oil.
A whistle blew from the village loudspeaker, signaling the end of work and the return of the families from the fields. Zhang's mother poured some hot water so they could have a drink when they returned.
Father Zhang took his two sons and quickly walked into the kitchen to drink some water. Then he ran to the well to wash and brush off the dirt and dust on his body. Finally, after taking a break, he returned to the main room and took out his long pipe to smoke.
The eldest sister-in-law Huang Cuilan and the second sister-in-law Lin Juhua, wearing patched clothes, came into the gate with their daughters Mai Miao and Mai Sui, talking about trivial matters in the village from time to time. Women were not treated the same as men. They first took the children to wash their hands, and after arranging the children, they hurried to help serve the food and dishes.
Four-year-old Mai Miao was wearing a patched cotton-padded jacket that was washed white. She would dress herself with the hot water her mother had used to wash her. After dressing herself, she would pull the two-year-old Mai Sui into the main room to wait for dinner.
The second girl, Mai Sui, is so thin that her head is big and her body is small, just like an African child. Everyone is used to it and often sees that there are no fat children in the village. Zhang Guoqing is afraid that her neck cannot support her head, so he secretly considers giving the children some milk powder later.
When the food arrived, after Zhang Dad picked up his chopsticks, everyone was busy eating, and no one spoke. Zhang Guoqing had thought that the sore cornmeal and steamed cornbread would be left over, as they were not busy today, so everyone finished it.
He tried hard to ignore the pain in his throat. After finally finishing one, he took a sip of cornmeal porridge and wanted to spit it out. But he didn't have the courage. If he dared to waste food, his father would beat him so hard that even his mother wouldn't recognize him. After finishing the porridge, he refused to stop eating even if beaten to death. Father Zhang kept asking him if it was enough and threatening to give him the steamed bun in his hand. He was about to cry.
Even the salty salt seller devoured all four bowls of food. Everyone ate with relish. Poverty and the struggle for food were no longer a concern for anyone; being able to eat enough was a rare sight in the village.
The only proper meal he'd had since traveling through time was last night's sweet potato rice. Back in the modern world, he and Zhou Jiao often ate this with pastries and whole grains. Even though it was mostly sweet potato, and the sweet potatoes weren't as delicious as they are in later generations, at least they didn't make your throat sore. He wondered what kind of steamed cornbread they'd have tomorrow. The Zhang family had a different steamed cornbread every day of the year, except for New Year's Eve, when they had white flour steamed cornbread with white flour dumplings. He couldn't stand even one meal, let alone a whole year; it was like eating grass.
I don’t know if Jiaojiao thought about the steamed buns. Zhang Guoqing now finally understood why the girl’s face was so pale. She was probably starving because she couldn’t eat it. He didn’t dare to be picky about the new daughter-in-law. Fortunately, they had some stock now.
After finally finishing lunch, they watched the women busy clearing away the dishes. Father Zhang, the head of the household, didn't say anything, and the three Zhang Guofu brothers didn't leave either. Seeing that Father Zhang had something to say, they all sat and waited. Father Zhang took out his pipe, lit it, took a few puffs, looked at his three sons, then at his wife, with an expression as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
The three Zhang Guofu brothers looked at each other. It was the eldest brother, Zhang Guofu, who broke the silence first. He looked at his father and said, "Dad, if you have any questions, just tell us. The three of us will never hesitate."
Father Zhang nodded, looked at the three of them with melancholy and said, "It's not a difficult matter. You're all grown up now, and we're old too. This family is like a tree with many branches. Last time I said we'd split up after the New Year, and I figured we should fix the house before winter comes. Otherwise, there will be conflicts after the split, and the brothers' feelings will fade. I don't care what happens to other families. When your grandfather was still alive, he said that the elderly don't want children to split up and stay together. There's no other benefit except that the brothers' feelings will fade, and there will be no peace with too many people and too many gossips.
But now that you have separated, brothers should support each other if there are any problems. Look at your uncles, no one dares to bully our family in Zhangjia Village."
The second son, Zhang Guoqiang, looked at his parents and then at his brothers. He didn't really want to divide the family.
He has two young children and he knows his wife's character. After the family split up, there was no one to take care of the children, and it was very difficult for him to support the whole family by himself.
Besides, the eldest brother and his wife are kind and never argue with him. Even if his wife is lazy and eats a lot, his sister-in-law will just smile. Not to mention that the two children are usually taken care of by several nephews and nieces. Now his son Xiao Shitou is staying with Xizi and the others at his sister-in-law's home.
Even his younger brothers who he envied were lenient and never forgot to treat him well. Even if they had conflicts, they would still fight to the bitter end. When something happened, his younger brothers would always be the first to step forward and stop them. After the family split up, he lived alone.
As for how to divide the property and whether he would suffer a loss, he knew in his heart that the family fortune was saved by his parents and his older brothers and sisters. He had no objection to whether he got more or less. What's more, his father was fair, and his mother would never forget him even if she was partial to her younger brother.
His mother secretly returned the money his younger brother earned from hunting to him in the following years, but the foolish boy desperately bought things to compensate him. He was not convinced by his mother's behavior, but he did not really have any problems with this family.
After thinking about it, it is better not to split up the family. It is better for his brother's wife to stay with her parents. He has to work hard to support the whole family by himself.
"Mom and Dad, why don't we just not split up the family? The three of us brothers are doing just fine together. My eldest sister-in-law gets along well with my wife and Jiaojiao, and we don't quarrel all the time like those families in the village. We have it right under your noses, and you saw it if you wanted us to. If we suddenly split up, I'd be at a loss."
Father Zhang shook his head. He understood the second son's thoughts. That's why he wanted to separate. "Don't try to persuade us. Everyone in the village knows about the separation. Are you letting your parents eat their words? How can I live like this? Look at your cousins in your uncle's family. They separated a long time ago, and it didn't affect their relationship. If there's anything, I'll come out and help you when your uncle calls."
"Stop talking. Your father has made a decision and he won't change it. The second and fifth sons' foundations have also been approved. They're right next to each other. They're close enough so we can hear them if we shout. Besides, you kids are getting married sooner or later. It's decided. Let's talk about building the house first. Your father and I will give you 150 each. We've agreed with the other party on the bluestone, tiles, and wood. You can go back and order them. You can decide how you want to build the yard so you have a better idea of what to do when you go back and talk to your wife. We're building two yards this time. Tonight, your father will go to your uncle's house to ask for a few people to help. We'll finish it before winter. Then you can move in earlier in the spring."
Zhang's father also nodded, agreeing with the child's mother's statement. "What your mother said is exactly what I mean. This house is for the eldest son, and we will live with the eldest son like the elders in the village. I think 150 yuan is enough for such a big yard. Mainly because I don't have time. Otherwise, I will spend some money on tiles and labor to make bluestone myself. Let's use the 150 yuan as the standard. Go back and discuss it with my wife. If you want to build a good one, you can subsidize it yourself if it's not enough, and you don't have to return the excess. I will talk to your uncle and others tonight. We will try to finish it before winter, otherwise everyone will have no time after the busy spring."
The three brothers had no objections. Their father had made up his mind and there was no need to persuade him. He was stubborn. The eldest brother, as the eldest son, had already known for a long time that he would live with his parents in the old house.
As for Zhang Guoqing, he still wanted to separate from the family. Many living habits and personal interests were different, so it was better to separate as soon as possible. Just like his father said, even if the family was separated, brothers were still brothers. They were close enough that they could hear each other when they called out. He had originally wanted to talk to his father about the Zhou family, but now it seemed that he should give the old man some time to rest. Separation is not a pleasant topic. Seeing the children he raised in his family torn apart, each with their own little family, away from their parents, no matter how open-minded the parents were, they would inevitably have many concerns and feel sad.
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