Ah Jiu has amazing hearing. When she heard her grandmother's voice coming back, she wanted to open the door as soon as possible, but the door was still locked. She quickly called out.
"Grandma, Grandma, open the door quickly! Ah Jiu is hungry!"
When Grandma Tao heard that her granddaughter was hungry, she ignored the old woman and took out her key to open the door.
"Yingzi, say something! My daughter is waiting for money to save her life!"
Grandma, carrying a kettle and a sickle, was about to slam the door shut, but after thinking about it, she turned back and spoke to Old Lady Zhang.
“I’m telling you, sister, I can’t take on such a big responsibility. What do you mean by saying that my family’s money is enough to save your daughter’s life? There are more than ten people in my family. How can I decide on this money by myself? You didn’t even ask and you’ve already put such a big label on me. To be honest, I can’t bear this responsibility.”
"No, Yingzi, that's not what I meant. I really can't borrow it. Please, have pity on my daughter. If she hadn't married the wrong person, she wouldn't have suffered this misfortune. That damned Niu Dadan!"
Grandma Tao really didn't want to listen to her nagging anymore. All she did was complain and curse. Staying with someone like that for a long time would corrupt her too. Thinking of this, she couldn't take it anymore and slammed the door shut.
No matter how much the old woman outside yelled, and even cursed at their family, she didn't bother to respond.
Grandma even thought the old woman's cursing was too filthy, so she took the small bottle of wine directly to the backyard.
"Little Jiu, from now on, stay far away from her."
"Xiao Jiu knows she's bad. That day, Niu Dadan originally wanted to take Zhang Li home, but the two of them kept arguing and their words got worse and worse, which angered him and caused the incident. Actually, Niu Dadan was the unlucky one."
As soon as Xiao Jiu finished speaking, she realized something was wrong and quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. Under her grandmother's surprised gaze, she chuckled awkwardly.
"So you really saw it? I knew it! With your love for getting involved in everything, how could you not have seen it?"
To be able to relay it so clearly, hitting the core of the matter, this child's articulation is beyond ordinary. At least this child has a very positive outlook, can distinguish right from wrong, and has very good analytical skills in language structure. My goodness, could this really be their family's little lucky star?
“Grandma, I think you did the right thing. We shouldn’t lend them money, and besides, I don’t think her hand can be reattached.”
It's been so long. If she really wanted to borrow money for her daughter, she wouldn't have come here to argue. Asking for money with such an arrogant attitude, who the hell would lend money to someone like that? Wouldn't that just make enemies?
Therefore, Zhang Li's severed hand and becoming disabled was her inevitable fate.
According to the laws of that era, without a defense lawyer, Niu Dadan would be guilty of intentional injury and would face at least five years in prison, if not eight or ten.
It's somewhat unfair, but the love-hate relationship in marriage is something outsiders really can't interfere with.
When Grandma Tao came to her senses, she could smell the aroma of food filling the air.
"Oh, my little wine is cooking for us again?"
There were two large iron pots in the kitchen. One was used to boil mung bean water, and the other was used to stew vegetables. Rice was scooped out on top, and the leftover rice water was covered with bamboo strips next to it. It had already cooled down and was very thirst-quenching. She made the best use of the pots and did not waste firewood or space.
The old lady's eyes welled up with tears at the sight of such a complete meal. She was only two years old, yet she could do so much for them.
"How did you manage to pour water into the pot so many times, and how did you manage to control the amount for our whole family?"
Grandma, her voice hoarse and tears welling in her eyes, gently stroked Xiaojiu's face, her heart filled with love and tenderness for the child.
How could there be such a sensible child in the world? The key is that the child stayed by her side. How could she not be glad that she made the wise decision back then?
"Grandma, I don't know if it's enough, so I kneaded some more dough. If it's not enough, you can make pancakes for my brothers."
Grandma Tao lifted the basin, and sure enough, she saw smooth dough balls placed one after another in the basin.
Perhaps because she's not strong enough to knead a large dough ball, she only kneaded it into small dough balls. The key is that despite her small size, she managed to make the dough balls and the bowl smooth. Judging from this, Xiao Jiu's hands must not have had much dough left. She's truly a thrifty little helper!
Grandma Tao was at a loss for words to express her shock, and then asked about the ingredients for the rice with wine.
I was shocked again when I learned that she first soaked the corn grits and sorghum, which are difficult to cook.
"What were you thinking? You're such a clever little thing, Grandma can't even find the right words to praise you."
Xiao Jiu was a little embarrassed by the praise. "Grandma, you forgot? We always soak the cornmeal for a while longer when we cook it. Sorghum rice isn't very tasty, so soaking it longer makes it a little softer when cooking. Rice and millet are easier to steam and don't need to be soaked."
This can all be observed from everyday cooking. It's nothing special; anyone with a keen eye can tell. However, the fact that this happened to a two-year-old child, and to a rice dish made by cooking so many different kinds of grains together, inevitably shocked adults.
"That's enough, that's enough. My little one has prepared more than enough. But since you've kneaded the dough, Grandma will make a few scallion pancakes for your parents to take with them this afternoon. They can have a snack if they get hungry."
Then the old lady went to wash her hands and prepare to cook. When she saw the melons in the basin, she was stunned. She remembered that they did not grow melons!
Who delivered it?
"Grandma, it was Brother Yue who brought this. There are also persimmons and cucumbers. How about we make some cucumbers later? They look so fresh, they're even a little prickly!"
"Okay, it's nothing much. It's just that your Grandma Zhou is being too polite with us. She's been through a lot of hardship and doesn't want to owe us too much."
"That's right, I offered Brother Yue some preserved eggs and duck eggs as a return gift, but he refused them all."
"It's alright. Once we become neighbors, the goodwill will gradually build up. If we can get along with this family, we'll visit each other more often."
At first, the old lady was worried that Xiao Jiu wouldn't understand interpersonal relationships, but when she heard that Xiao Jiu even knew to return the favor, she couldn't help but smile and pat her head, and sighed again.
"It seems I need to be more careful about what I say in front of the child in the future. This little rascal is much smarter than anyone could have imagined."
Little Jiu was unaware that because of her precociousness, she was deprived of many family meetings that other children couldn't attend. Naturally, she didn't have the opportunity to know about some things in the Tao family in advance.
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