Knowing that he might not have had enough to eat from one bowl, Lin Jianguo gave him his untouched bowl.
"Second brother, you're so kind. I haven't had a proper meal in ages. I'll finish this bowl of rice. Now, please give me the money so I can go buy things tomorrow morning."
Lin Jianguo went into the kitchen, about to ask Jiang's mother for money, when Er Ya, who was in the kitchen, had already overheard the gist of it: "Dad, do you really believe what Uncle said? That they can't afford to eat? Look at his fat body, does he look like someone who can't afford to eat?"
"Maybe it's just bloating. Some people are like that. Didn't you see your uncle? He looked like he hadn't eaten in eight hundred years. He practically licked the plate clean. How could he be lying to me?"
Er Ya was truly defeated by her father's naivety. With just a few words, he had forgotten the bad things he had done to their family before: "Dad, have you forgotten what Aunt and Lin Jinbao did to push Mom? How come you've forgotten the pain once the wound has healed?"
"Wasn't that what they did? It wasn't your uncle who ordered them to do it, and didn't they make your mother lose a lot of food?"
At this moment, Lin Jianqun finished eating his rice in the main room. Seeing that Lin Jianguo still hadn't returned, he shouted loudly:
"Second brother, why are you taking so long to get the money? Don't you even know how to manage the household? You're a grown man, you know. If a woman doesn't listen to you, slap her across the face until she submits."
Upon hearing the urging, Lin Jianguo became anxious: "Honey, that's just how he talks. Give me the money quickly so I can get rid of him."
Jiang's mother had no choice but to count out five yuan from her pocket and hand it to Lin Jianguo: "Just this once, there won't be a next time. Even if he starves to death in the future, it has nothing to do with our family."
Lin Jianguo took the money and said, "You're so kind. Don't worry, there won't be a next time." Hearing Lin Jianqun urging him, he jogged to the main room.
"Second brother, this won't do. Why are you taking so long to get the money? Is your wife unwilling to give it to you?"
Lin Jianguo quickly defended Jiang's mother: "No, it's because the child's mother is cooking hot pot and can't free her hands right now. Here, take this money."
Having eaten and drunk his fill and received the money, Lin Jianqun told Lin Jianguo not to see him off any further and swaggered home.
Seeing that Jiang's mother looked unwell, Lin Jianguo smiled and said, "Honey, I haven't eaten yet. Could you make me some more food?"
Er Ya asked, puzzled, "Dad, didn't you have rice? It was such a big bowl, how come you didn't eat it?"
“Hey, your uncle didn’t eat enough, so I gave him mine too. It’s his first time visiting, so I can’t let him go home only half full.”
Er Ya was speechless. There weren't many entertainment options in the countryside, and most people would just go to bed after eating and cleaning up. He had eaten two big bowls of rice that night, and she wondered if he would be able to sleep well.
Although Jiang's mother was angry that Lin Jianguo lent money to his brother, saying it wasn't much, she knew that for his brother, giving him money was like throwing good money after bad, with no chance of getting it back.
But when she heard that her husband hadn't eaten, she still lit a fire and made him a few fried eggs. He's the pillar of the family; other people might not care, but she does—he's the father of her children.
Big Black barked again at the door. Er Ya's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that it had come back again? Just as she was about to go out to see, she heard a voice say, "Big Black, how many times have I come here? Don't you recognize me? I won't feed you any good food next time."
Big Black whimpered, "Then people must have mistaken me for someone else. They thought it was the same person from before."
It turned out that Li Taohua had returned from washing pig offal. Jiang's mother heard Li Taohua's voice and quickly came out to speak:
"Peach Blossom, look, you've been washing all evening. I don't even know if your family has cooked yet. Wait a minute, I'll pack you some braised meat. Didn't you say that Gou Dan likes it?"
When Li Taohua heard that she was going to get something for her again, she put it down and left: "Sister-in-law, don't take it anymore, I'm going home. I've been out for half a day, and I don't know how my mother-in-law is doing."
By the time Jiang's mother came out with the bowl, Li Taohua had already disappeared. This Taohua is too honest; anyone else might have been hoping you'd give her more.
It's too late today, Er Ya will be going to sleep soon, let Er Ya give her the money tomorrow.
She handed the poached eggs to Lin Jianguo, then busied herself helping Er Ya wash up. After putting Er Ya to sleep, she went to the kitchen and saw that Lin Jianguo had already cleaned everything up. Her heart warmed.
Although this man wasn't very eloquent, he was considerate of her hard work. She was initially a little angry about him borrowing money today, but that anger vanished. After all, he was her older brother, and if it were her, she wouldn't know how to refuse.
Another busy day has begun. Jiang's mother started cooking meat early in the morning. With the ready-made braising liquid, the cooking speed is much faster. Er Ya is also busy skewering meat, half of which is dipped in chili sauce and the other half is simply skewered.
After finishing their work, they hurriedly ate breakfast, locked the door, and went to the market.
Er Ya had already given the house key to Li Taohua in advance. After spending the last few days together, she had come to trust Li Taohua. They had been so busy these past few days that they hadn't even had time to feed the pigs, and the two pigs had visibly lost weight.
Er Ya, feeling sorry for the hungry piglets, came up with this idea. Since Li Taohua had nothing to do at home anyway, she was happy to help feed the pigs. It was just a small favor.
Not to mention that Er Ya insisted on giving her another two cents for washing pig offal, which means she earned four cents yesterday. Isn't that like a windfall? She loudly urged Gou Dan'er to hurry up the mountain to cut pig feed, so that Er Ya's pigs wouldn't go hungry.
When the family arrived at the stall from yesterday, had they gone to the wrong place? To their surprise, a large crowd had already gathered. As soon as they saw them, a group of people surrounded them, bombarding them with questions:
"Boss, why are you so late? I've been waiting for ages."
"Yes, I was here first. Quickly give me five skewers of that pig liver you mentioned. My mother-in-law loves it. She says that since she lost all her teeth, this is the food she likes the most."
“I was here first, give me ten skewers. My grandson didn’t get enough yesterday.”
"I was the first one here, don't try to take it from me. Boss, here's your money, hurry up and give me the pig liver."
"Hey, stop pushing forward! Someone stepped on my foot!"
Looking at the chaotic scene before her, Er Ya shouted, "Everyone, don't rush! There's plenty of braised food today, everyone will get some. Let's line up one by one, okay? If we keep pushing like this, no one will get any!"
Moreover, we made a non-spicy braised meat today, which is convenient for people who can't eat spicy food. The taste is also quite good, and the price is the same.
To be continued!
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