"Zhenzi, please stay at home for dinner tonight." Old Mrs. Miao shouted from outside.
Although Miao Sanfeng did not pay as much attention to this daughter as she did to her two sons, her feelings for her must be much deeper than those for her granddaughters. Moreover, this daughter married well, which made the old lady proud in the village, so naturally, old lady Miao was willing to treat her better.
Jiang Dazhen's husband Meng Chuanping is a worker in the county machinery factory. He is also a senior fourth-level worker with a monthly salary of 52.8 yuan. In this era, workers with the same income are much more popular than cadres. You know, cadres' wages are settled on a monthly basis, while workers' wages are settled on a daily basis. As long as you work 25 days a month, you can get the full salary for that month. For the remaining days, if you are willing to work hard and work for a full month, you can earn more money.
Meng Pingchuan's parents are also workers in the county. The family has high salaries, and they have ample supplies of rice, flour, grain and oil. They don't have to worry about food and clothing, and they can even help their relatives in the countryside.
Meng Pingchuan had a wife before, but unfortunately she died during childbirth, leaving behind a daughter who is ten years old this year.
Jiang Dazhen graduated from junior high school and worked as a temporary worker in the textile factory where Meng Pingchuan's mother worked. His mother felt that it was not a big deal for her son to be single for so many years. Seeing that Jiang Dazhen was enthusiastic, hardworking and in good health, she did not mind that the Jiang family was from the countryside, and she brought her and her son together.
Apart from the fact that he was a little older and had a child, Meng Chuanping was really a good match. Jiang Dazhen agreed without even thinking about it. In the second year of their marriage, she gave birth to a son, which made the old man and old lady of the Meng family very happy. She completely established her foothold in the Meng family. Even though the old couple knew that their daughter-in-law sometimes sent gifts to her parents' home, they turned a blind eye.
"No, I'm just here to deliver some food today. Meng Xue is still young and needs someone to be with him."
Jiang Dazhen knew the situation at home. The production team distributed grain once in the middle of the year and again at the end of the year. Now there was more than a month left before the mid-year distribution, and it was the time when food was most scarce at home. I'm afraid the whole family was still waiting for her father's subsidy next month. If she stayed, her little nieces might not have enough food to eat.
"It's getting late. I should go too." Jiang Dazhen kissed her nephew in her arms and put him in her sister-in-law's arms. "Remember what I just told you. Think more about Dani and the others."
After saying that, he got off the kang, patted his butt, carefully straightened the folds of his clothes, lifted the curtain and walked out.
Jiang Lai Di watched her aunt leave and reached out to grab her.
"Oh, my dear nephew can't bear to leave his aunt. It's okay. Aunt will come to see you another day." Jiang Dazhen looked at the soft little hands of her nephew reaching out to her. She felt so soft-hearted. This nephew was indeed destined to be with her. He was much more likable than the two from her second brother's family.
After all, Jiang Lai Di was young and weak, so she had no way of dragging Jiang Da Zhen back, and could only watch her leave.
Gu Dongmei was a little puzzled. Why did her baby son seem to lose his energy after her sister-in-law left? He lay listlessly on her, not moving at all.
"Is he sleepy?" Gu Dongmei muttered to herself in a strange way: "Why not coax him to sleep first, otherwise when Dani and the others come back, they will probably wake him up again."
Sister! Jiang Lai Di's eyes lit up. He had been feeling groggy these past few days since his rebirth, and hadn't had a good look at his four sisters. He didn't know how they were doing now.
As the night gradually darkens, people who have been busy outside all day come back.
Because Gu Dongmei gave birth to a son, Miao Sanfeng was merciful enough to go to the production team and ask for half a month's leave for her to take good care of herself after giving birth. In fact, people of that era were not so pretentious. Many people went to work in the fields two or three days after giving birth. After all, work points were related to the family's food rations. Working a few days less meant going hungry for a few more days. They could only grit their teeth and go on.
Many women suffer from postpartum diseases because of this. When they get older, they feel worse than death when they get sick.
This was Gu Dongmei's first time to have confinement after childbirth, and even though it was only half a month, it was enough for her to be grateful.
"She's back. Zhenzi came back today and brought some things." Miao Sanfeng saw her old man and son coming back carrying hoes, covered in sweat, and said as she placed the chopsticks on the table.
"Da Ni and Er Ni, go get some clean clothes for your dad and grandpa." Miao Sanfeng still had to look after the stove, so she instructed her granddaughters who followed closely behind them.
Jiang Dani and Jiang Erni responded hurriedly, went back to their room, put four-year-old Sanni and two-year-old Sini on the kang, and asked their mother to take care of them.
Jiang Lai Di looked at his elder sister greedily. When Jiang Dani died, the family conditions were still very poor, and they never took a photo until her death. Over the years, he almost forgot what his elder sister looked like.
The gentle eldest sister, the hot-tempered second sister, the greedy third sister, and the silly fourth sister. Jiang Laidie looked at the fourth sister who was drooling at him. Now the fourth sister was still a child just like him.
"Give it to my brother." Sanni took out a black wild fruit from the small pocket on the front of her clothes. Maybe because it was squeezed, the wild fruit had cracked, and the black juice stained her hand. She stretched out her hand and wanted to stuff the fruit into her brother's mouth.
Jiang Lai Di almost cried when watching this scene.
It has always been like this, because he is the youngest sister, and the older sisters want to give him any good things they have. Even the third sister, who is the most protective of food, always saves her favorite food and shares it with him.
Seeing Sanni's painful expression but still determined to share the delicious food with her brother, Gu Dongmei couldn't help but laugh.
"My brother is still young and can't eat these. Sanni, just eat them by yourself." She was very pleased that her daughters did not hate her brother for the unusual treatment he received. Harmony between siblings was what she wanted to see most.
San Ni didn't know why her brother couldn't eat this delicious fruit. She looked at her fourth sister who was drooling, and cut the small fruit into two halves and stuffed one half into Si Ni's mouth. The sweet taste made both of them smile. They squinted their eyes and looked savoring the taste.
Seeing how happy they were, Dani and Erni found their father and grandfather's spare clothes from the closet and quickly delivered them over.
Jiang Cheng usually does not go to work because of his lame leg, but now his eldest son has given him a grandson, which makes him feel that he has the motivation he had when he was young again. He wants to earn more money while he still has some strength and save it for his grandson to get married.
These days, he goes to work with his son every day, doing some lighter work and earning some work points.
The two men took off their shirts, leaving only their shorts, drew a bucket of water from the well in the yard, and took a quick shower. It was summer now, and the villagers found it troublesome, so they just took a shower directly with the well water.
The two changed into clean clothes and walked to the main room. Jiang Cheng didn't see his daughter and asked in confusion, "Why didn't you invite Zhenzi to dinner?" He saw a basin of large bones on the table and was surprised again, "Zhenzi sent large bones over?"
Jiangcheng has a supply of half a pound of meat coupons every month, but these days, even with a meat coupon you may not be able to buy meat. It has been three or four months since my family last tasted meat.
"Why should we eat meat? Give it all to Dongmei. If she eats well, my grandson won't starve." Jiang Cheng frowned. In his heart, his precious grandson came first, and everyone else had to stand back.
"Do I need you to tell me?" Miao Sanfeng rolled her eyes at her old man. "I've already prepared it for Dongmei. I've carefully shaved the meat off the bones and left it for Dongmei. You two can just gnaw on the bones and satisfy your craving."
People nowadays think that meat is the best thing, and bones and other things without fat are not satisfying to eat.
"Mom, is the child asleep? I missed him so much because I haven't held him for a day." Now that Jiang Dahai has a son, he can finally hold his head up in front of his brothers from the same village. These past two days, he has been walking with a breeze.
Jiang Cheng didn't say anything, looking serious and old-fashioned, but his eyes revealed the same expectation as his son.
"Dongmei is feeding her baby, you'd better not go in. It will be troublesome if the baby is scared and chokes on the milk." Miao Sanfeng now dislikes her son with clumsy hands and feet and is afraid that he will cause trouble.
Jiang Dahai was not sad even though he was disliked. He just smiled foolishly and thought that by the time he finished his meal, his son should have finished his milk. Then he would play with his baby son.
Jiang Cheng was extremely jealous of his son. His wife was in confinement after childbirth, and it was not convenient for him, as a father-in-law, to enter their room. The child was still young and was rarely taken out on weekdays. In the past few days since his grandson was born, he had seen him only a few times.
Miao Sanfeng ignored the two of them and walked into the house carrying a bowl of bone soup filled with meat. The bone soup had been simmered for the entire afternoon, and even the bones were crispy. Because it was used to increase lactation, Miao Sanfeng did not add salt to the soup. Even so, it was enough to make them crave it.
"Dongmei, drink this bowl of soup quickly." The hot bone soup was still steaming, and the delicious taste made everyone in the room swallow their saliva.
"You girls are not allowed to drink it. It's for your brother's milk production. If I find out that you drink it secretly, I will beat you to death."
There was porridge still cooking on the stove. Miao Sanfeng couldn't stay there for long, so she pointed at Dani and the others and spoke sternly. The younger Sanni and Sini were frightened and lowered their heads, not daring to even look at the bowl of meat soup.
Miao Sanfeng looked at them, nodded with satisfaction, and turned to leave.
The girls in the family can only sit at the table after the elders in the family have finished their meal, and they eat what is left over.
Jiang Lai Di stared at the bowl of meat soup in her mother's hand, her mind full of thoughts. Is the difference between boys and girls really that big? In her previous life, she was a girl and her grandparents never looked at her with kindness. In this life, she became a boy and her mother even got to drink the meat soup.
He didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
"Big Ni, Second Ni, Third Ni, Fourth Ni, come here." Gu Dongmei saw her mother-in-law go out, stared at the hot broth that night, gritted her teeth, waved her hand, and gently asked them to come over to her.
"Mom, what are you doing? That's for producing milk." Jiang Dani was shocked when she saw her mother pick up a large piece of meat and stuff it into her mouth. She would be in trouble if her grandmother saw it.
"It's such a big bowl, Mom can't finish it, don't you guys want to eat meat?"
Jiang Dani and her friends are still children even though they are mature. How can they resist the temptation of meat?
"Hurry up, grandma should be back soon." Gu Dongmei urged the girls to put the meat in the bowl into each of their daughters' mouths. It was the first time for her to do such a thing behind Grandma Miao's back, and she was very nervous.
Si Ni was too young to chew the shredded meat, so Gu Dongmei scooped some broth for her to drink.
"Is this the taste of meat? It's so delicious. When I grow up, I want to eat meat every day." Sanni chewed the meat in her mouth, covering her mouth for fear that the fragrance would escape, and said happily.
Gu Dongmei was so distressed. Sanni was already four years old, but it was the first time for her to taste meat. What had she, as a mother, done?
"Mom, why don't you feed your brother?" Sanni saw that all the sisters had eaten except her brother, so she stood up for him.
"My brother can only drink milk now. He will be able to eat when he grows up." Gu Dongmei touched Sanni's sparse yellow hair with a sour look.
Sanni thought about it and felt that her brother was too pitiful. He couldn't even eat such delicious meat. She would be nicer to her brother in the future.
A small bowl of broth became the most beautiful memory in the minds of several people. Even Erni, who was usually fierce, couldn't help but soften her brows.
Several people chewed and chewed that small piece of meat, and they were reluctant to swallow it even when the meat flavor was gone.
Jiang Lai Di looked at the thin and yellow cheeks of his sisters. He knew deeply how precious food was in that era. In a few years, when the storm came, how many people would be caught in the vortex of despair.
After being reborn, what can he do to change the fate of his loved ones?
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