When the chicken was being slaughtered, no sound was heard from outside. But not long after, Li Qiu came into the house carrying a bowl of chicken blood.
She put the chicken blood on the table and got up to go to the kitchen to boil water.
Yun Qiao poked his head out of the house and saw the chicken on the ground still struggling and running around the yard. He quickly retracted his head.
He Tingjun saw her figure from the corner of his eye, walked to the door of the main room, and asked, "Are you scared?"
Yun Qiao shook his head: "I'm not scared, I just feel a little bit uneasy."
He Tingjun said, "It's okay. Once it's cooked, you won't be so scared anymore."
"It will smell delicious once it's cooked, right?" Yun Qiao joked.
He Tingjun smiled and nodded: "Yes, it's so delicious that I can eat a big bowl."
"You bought some chicken, eat more."
After a while, the chicken outside fell to the ground and finally stopped moving.
Li Qiuqiu boiled some water to pluck the chicken tail. He poked his head out of the kitchen and asked Yun Qiao loudly, "Yun Qiao, do you want the tail from the chicken? I'll make a beautiful chicken tail shuttlecock for you to kick around when you have nothing to do."
The rooster's tail feathers are long and shiny, and they flash with colorful halos, making them the most suitable feathers for making shuttlecocks.
Yun Qiao quickly raised his voice and responded, "I want it."
She said to He Tingjun, "Brother He, please keep an eye on Yuanqing for me. Don't let him touch the thermos. I'm going to go get the chicken."
He Tingjun agreed: "Okay, I'll watch. You go."
Coming out of the house, Yun Qiao heard Li Qiqiu asking Ye Yuanzhang, "Accountant Xu hasn't saved up enough industrial coupons yet?"
Ye Yuanzhang: "No. Accountant Xu's son is dating a girl from the commune, and she's been very persistent. She wants to buy a sewing machine first before they can get married. To buy a sewing machine, you need to save up at least ten industrial coupons. How could he possibly have saved up that much so quickly?"
"That's right. Industrial coupons are hard to collect. They only give one for every ten yuan of salary. Accountant Xu is only a part-time cadre. It would take him nearly a year to collect ten industrial coupons. No wonder his family is willing to exchange them for a big rooster now."
Li Qiqiu said, "Industrial coupons are hard to come by. Black market scalpers can sell one for 1.5 or 2 yuan. We're at a loss if we trade two coupons for a rooster."
"That's not the way to calculate it." Ye Yuanzhang said, "Accountant Xu is not only an accountant, but also the village reporter. It's good for our family to have a good relationship with him. There's no need to be too picky about it."
"That's not what I meant. I just think it's a bit of a waste to use industrial coupons to buy chickens. Chickens can be bought with just money, but industrial coupons sometimes don't even cost money."
Li Qiuqiu whispered, "Kangning has a long way to go to school. Every time you take her there, it takes her ten or ten minutes to walk there. It's a waste of time to make two trips there and back. I'm thinking about saving up a few more industrial coupons and buying a car so you can take her to school more conveniently."
Hearing the conversation between his aunt and uncle, Yun Qiao said, "Aunt, are you short of industrial coupons? If so, I have a few on me. If we pool them together, it's enough to buy a car."
"No need." Ye Yuanzhang flatly refused: "Don't listen to your aunt's nonsense, we don't buy cars."
"Why?"
Seeing his wife and niece's puzzled expressions, Ye Yuanzhang explained in a low voice, "I'm a rightist. Rightist people were sent to the countryside to undergo reform. A bicycle is too conspicuous. There are only a few in a village. Buying one will only bring trouble to our family."
Yun Qiao's face darkened. "Then don't buy it. Safe and sound is the most important thing."
Li Qiqiu's eyes were slightly red, and he lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "I was mistaken. I was so worried about you and my daughter being tired from walking that I forgot that this is the most important thing."
Ye Yuanzhang's face also showed sadness: "Qi Qiu, it's me who has implicated you three."
"Don't say that. I came to Northeast China voluntarily. No matter how difficult the road is, I will accompany you." Li Qiu raised his hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of his eyes, and said with a forced smile: "It's just a bicycle. If you don't want to buy it, then don't buy it. When you are rehabilitated in the future, we can buy as many as you want!"
Ye Yuanzhang was moved and put his arm around Li Qiqiu's shoulders. "Qiqiu, you've been wronged by following me. If such a day ever comes in the future, I will definitely treat you twice as well! Not only a bicycle, but also a car, I will work hard to buy you one."
"With your nonsense, I won't feel wronged." Li Qiu buried her head in Ye Yuanzhang's chest. She saw Yun Qiao's shoes out of the corner of her eye and remembered that Yun Qiao was still there. She struggled out of her arms awkwardly and said awkwardly, "Let me go. We are an old couple. Stop hugging each other. You're making fun of the children."
Yun Qiao covered his eyes and laughed secretly, saying, "Uncle and aunt, you can hug me. I didn't see anything."
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