Ruan Yingzi also put the meat into Qian Manduo's bowl, and together with Ye Qingqing, they watched her mukbang performance. They ate all the meat, soup, and steamed buns clean, leaving not a single drop.
"belch……"
Qian Manduo let out a satisfied burp, looking energetic, like a withered weed that had suddenly encountered a downpour, a welcome rain after a long drought, instantly hydrating it.
"Are you full?" Ruan Yingzi couldn't help but ask.
Qian Manduo smiled and said honestly, "I don't know what it feels like to be full, but today is the most comfortable meal I've ever had. I've never felt so comfortable before, and I even got to eat meat!"
Ye Qingqing found it strange. It was 1996 now. Even in the countryside, it shouldn't be difficult to eat meat, right?
Ruan Yingzi asked again, "Don't you eat meat at home?"
Qian Manduo nodded. "I've never eaten meat, but I've eaten rat meat, as well as snake, sparrow, toad, cicada, cricket... all of these are delicious."
When they were starving, they would go up the mountain to find food. Anything that flew in the sky, crawled in the grass, or hid in a cave was a good meal. After catching it, they would start a fire on the spot, roast it, and eat it.
So much so that the animals on the mountain behind Qian Manjia's house would automatically avoid her when they saw her going up the mountain. There was nothing they could do; if they couldn't afford to offend her, they could at least avoid her.
With each word Qian Manduo uttered, Ruan Yingzi's expression grew increasingly grim. Having grown up in a grand mansion, she had always eaten meticulously prepared food and didn't even know what a chicken looked like.
When Ruan Yingzi heard Qian Manduo say that he went to the mountains to catch snakes, frogs and insects to eat, she really couldn't stand it. It also refreshed her understanding. How could they be so poor that they couldn't even have enough to eat?
That's incredible!
Ye Qingqing was also surprised. No wonder Qian Manduo wore patched clothes to school. This girl had difficulty even surviving, so how could she care about saving face?
"Where do you live?" Ye Qingqing asked.
Qian Manduo told Ye Qingqing about the region where their village was located. Ye Qingqing had heard of it; it was in the Northwest, where water was severely scarce, and even drinking water was a problem, making life very difficult.
No wonder Qian Manduo made a fool of himself when he first started school. Ye Qingqing was washing clothes in the washroom, leaving the water running freely, which made Qian Manduo very distressed. He even advised Ye Qingqing to conserve water.
Later, Qian Manduo learned that there was no shortage of water in the south and that everyone used water in this way, but she still couldn't bear to turn the tap on full blast. She was very careful with water every time she used it and dared not waste a single drop.
“Our village is poor, and many girls are still naked even when they are seven or eight years old!” Qian Manduo said.
When she was eight or nine years old, she was still naked. Her family didn't have enough cloth to make clothes. Later, her mother altered her old clothes to make them smaller, and that's when she stopped being naked. Those two old clothes were worn out and patched. When she couldn't wear them anymore, she gave them to her younger sister. They were passed down from generation to generation. It would be such a waste to throw them away.
"What does 'bare bottom' mean?" Ruan Yingzi didn't understand.
“It means being naked.” Qian Manduo used colloquial language, which Ruan Yingzi understood instantly, but she found it even more unbelievable.
Girls who are seven or eight years old and still naked, with no privacy at all, how can they live like this?
Ruan Yingzi really couldn't accept it. She felt that the people in Qian Manduo's hometown were living a life worse than pigs and dogs, just enduring every day until they died and were finally free.
Ye Qingqing glanced at Qian Manduo's shirt, which was covered in patches. The original pattern of the shirt was no longer visible, as it was covered with patches, and even patches upon patches. In ten years, it would be impossible to find a shirt like this.
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