It was already late when Zhang Guoqing left the uphill brigade. He declined the Jiang family's offer of a meal and rode away on his bicycle, carrying a basket filled with twenty eggs and fresh vegetables.
Zhang Guoqing was exhausted for those twenty eggs. He didn't mind spending ten cents apiece. Yes, ten cents apiece, it was still a bargain, considering Jiang Lizhi's mother's popularity.
He was worried that if he accidentally broke it, people would surround him and call him a spendthrift.
This is no joke. He's experienced it himself!
At the beginning of spring, after more than half a year of renovation, the canteens in the rural areas were disbanded, and many families started raising chickens and ducklings as they had private plots of land.
After waiting for a long time for the ice and snow to melt, he had a break from class. On his way home with his wife, he saw someone stealthily carrying a basket covered with black cloth in a corner not far from the small bus station.
Hey... Zhang Guoqing was too familiar with this scene. Out of curiosity, he pulled Zhou Jiao forward and saw five white and tender little eggs with blood streaks.
They were indeed small eggs, one of which had a soft shell. This was clearly the chick's first litter.
Zhang Guoqing, thinking it was fun, bought all the eggs for one dollar, considering the price the little girl paid for one small egg, which was two cents.
The five eggs were originally in Zhou Jiao's hands, squeezing through the train and stepping into the city from the outskirts. When Zhang Guoqing boarded the bus, he took them from his wife, but unexpectedly, he wasn't paying attention and an accident happened...
The soft-shell car was crushed by someone when the car suddenly braked. Zhang Guoqing, who was so focused on Zhou Jiao, saw that she was fine and threw it on the side of the road without paying attention when he got out of the car...
It was terrible. All the pedestrians waiting for the bus on the road stared at him. There was even an old lady whose hands were shaking. She was so excited that she kept saying "you...you..." and couldn't say a word.
Fortunately, a sharp-tongued lady came out and asked him if he didn't want it anymore.
Zhang Guoqing nodded, and saw the aunt with a pointed mouth grinning, quickly taking out the lunch box, squatting on the ground, and using chopsticks to scrape the scattered egg yolk and white, along with the dirt, into the lunch box.
At that time, Zhang Guoqing was so scared that he grabbed his wife and ran away... It was so terrible, he was really condemned by everyone!
If the twenty eggs were broken, Zhang Guoqing was absolutely sure that he would not be able to return to the city. He returned to the city slowly and carefully, as if he was serving his ancestors.
Soon after entering the compound, I was spotted by Old Man Yi, who grabbed two and said they were for his granddaughter's nutrition. Well... who told me to steal the good wine from his house?
Zhang Guoqing asked him with a smile if he wanted to take two more, as he had more at home.
Old Master Yi smiled at him mysteriously and left quickly.
Zhang Guoqing was completely bewildered. After walking for a while, he was just near a small park when he heard loud laughter from inside. He suddenly realized what was going on, but it was too late...
Well, fair enough, two eggs for each baby. Finally, Zhang Guoqing looked at the four eggs in the basket, bewildered, their bodies tossed in the wind.
Where’s the courtesy you promised?
Zhang Guoqing would never admit that he would go to the old men's homes to eat and drink for free when he had nothing to do, and occasionally steal some good tea to take home.
As soon as I entered the yard, a cannonball rushed over and said, "Dad, where have you been? Grandpa said he would wait for you to come home and have dinner together. My stomach is flat."
Zhang Guoqing held a cart in one hand and a basket in the other, shouting, "Son, eggs..."
When Zhou Jiao came out, she was overjoyed to see him.
"Dad, you should say son, here are eggs. Not son eggs. I am your son Ping An, not an egg."
Zhang Guoqing put his bicycle away with a smile and picked him up. "Yes, not Dan's son. How about we go find Grandma Chen to cook two vegetable dishes?"
"Okay. Dad, you haven't told me where you're going. Did you pick the vegetables yourself? Why don't you take me with you to such a fun thing? Let me tell you, I'm really good at it. I can even empty the bird eggs from the trees."
Zhang Guoqing handed the basket to Aunt Chen and praised her, "You can climb trees now, that's amazing. But can we make a deal? Climbing trees is too dangerous. Can we not climb them next time?"
Ping An hesitated for a moment. "Next time, I won't go up if it's too high. I won't climb a tree before I'm fully aware of the situation. Is that okay?"
Zhang Guoqing patted the child's head and said, "Dad doesn't object to you climbing trees and going down to the river. But you are still young, so you must be accompanied by an adult. Danger is everywhere, so be careful."
"Then you stay with me."
"Okay, write it on the slip."
Zhou Jiao didn't ask him how it was going, but just listened happily to the conversation between the father and son.
"Dad, I don't have work tomorrow. Do you want to have a drink?"
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled and nodded, "Just in time, your cousin is home. They'll come over to drink with us later."
"Grandpa, I want the Arctic Ocean."
"Only one small cup."
"No problem, I can even give you a sip."
Zhang Guoqing asked him curiously, "Do you want to taste it more the more I don't give it to you?"
Ping An smiled slyly and said, "No, I don't. I just want to have a drink with you and Grandpa. When I grow up, I won't need soda to drink with you guys anymore."
When Mr. Cheng and his family came over, they heard Xiao Ping'an bragging about what he would do when he grew up. Everyone laughed to themselves.
"You forgot that there's still one thing you can do when you grow up, and that's getting married."
Ping An smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll find a wife after I have a son. Uncle Fang said that marrying a wife is a losing proposition. You have to hand in your salary and report where you go. You have to comfort her when she cries and when she gets angry. You can't just slap her. Life is never peaceful."
Everyone laughed out loud at his amusement.
Old Madam Cheng ordered him, "Don't tell these things to your Aunt Fang, understand?"
Ping An blinked his big eyes, "Grandma, Aunt Fang heard it all. She said she felt even more wronged. She had to wash clothes for two people and cook for two people, and she didn't dare spend her salary even if she had one."
Zhou Jiao explained, "Fang Fei and his wife were joking in front of us, and he heard it."
The old lady smiled and nodded. "These young couple seem to get along well. They've been married for a while now, so it's time for them to have a child, right?"
Ping An leaned over to the old lady's ear and whispered, "Uncle Fang said the seeds have sprouted. My dad said Uncle Fang will be a father next year. We can't let anyone know now, for fear that the baby will run away."
The old lady immediately understood that it was less than three months old. Seeing all the men sitting at the table drinking, she whispered to him, "Did you say you wanted a brother or sister?"
Ping An glanced at Zhou Jiao, who was not far away, and giggled like a mouse that had found oil. After a while, he leaned over to the old lady's ear and said, "Grandma, please keep it a secret. My father promised me that I will have a brother soon."
“Well done!”
"My father said that I am the eldest, and the younger ones must listen to me from now on." Ping An said happily with a smile on his face.
The old lady murmured in agreement, "That's right. Ping'an is such a smart child. He must be stupid not to listen to you. Grandma still likes Ping'an the most."
"My dad also said that he likes me the most. He didn't want a baby, but I'm too lonely alone, so he has to give me a brother so that he can play with me.
Forget about my younger sister, I still have to protect her, which is too tiring. I raised her with great difficulty and now she has to marry someone else, which is not a good deal. I also think that a younger brother is better, as he can marry a wife instead of marrying out.
Old Mrs. Cheng was so happy that she covered her mouth and laughed. This child is really good at calculating, no wonder she is so happy. But, can she tell the child that it is not up to your father to have a boy or a girl?
She wanted to see how Xiaowu would explain to his son if a girl was born. How could this silly boy be so sure it would be a son?
"Aren't you worried that your mother and the others won't love you anymore now that they have a younger brother?"
Ping An raised his chin and said proudly, "Impossible! I am smart, sensible, and obedient. There is no other child as good as me."
The old lady covered her mouth and laughed. This mysterious self-confidence was just like his father's. Who knew where it came from? They were indeed father and son.
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