"What are you doing? Come and help me get my bowl!"
Reflexively, the three children ran towards the kitchen.
Simple was busy and sweating profusely. Tiger, being the eldest, took the small basket containing the flatbread.
Xiao Hua took a bowl, Hei Dan took chopsticks, glanced at them briefly, and thought, "Hmm, that's good, they've both washed their hands."
Simple carried the dishes and followed behind. The table in the yard was also made by Liu Guangming. Since there was no room inside, he simply put it under the window. The table wasn't very high, so he put a few small stools on it. It was very convenient for people to rest, pick or wash vegetables, or play with the dog.
She then directed Tiger to move the food to a shady spot, put down the bowls and chopsticks, and also put down the dishes.
"Find a stool yourself, eat your food, oh dear, I'm starving."
It was a mixed stew, but all the seasonings were sourced from the farm, and it tasted pretty good.
A plate of sliced watermelon, plus a basket of flatbread, made the three children hesitate to touch it.
Jian Dan calculated the time; she'd eaten watermelon half a day ago, and it was all water, which would be gone in a pee. Her stomach was about full by now, so Jian Dan grabbed a large flatbread.
"Quick, let's eat! I'm starving, aren't you guys hungry?"
They swallowed hard, but no one touched their food. Jian Dan sighed inwardly. Before they even used their chopsticks, she filled each person's bowl with half a bowl, containing both meat and vegetables.
"Eat your food, don't leave any leftovers, eat it all."
Tiger swallowed hard, barely eight years old. At a time when everyone was starving, it was already quite impressive that he could refuse for so long. He kept his eyes glued to the bowl, his voice dry as he tried to refuse.
"Sister Jane, let's...let's go home,"
“I already told them that I didn’t bring any food from home for you.”
"ah?"
The children then realized, "Really? It's already noon, a time for rest. Why hasn't anyone called them home for lunch?"
She subtly curled the corners of her mouth; a child this young isn't easy to fool.
"Alright, let's eat. If you don't eat, I won't call you guys next time there's work."
When traveling, the younger ones still tend to follow the older ones, and Black Egg is no exception; Uncle Tiger's words always carry weight.
Tiger thought for a moment, then thought, "What should I say when I eat someone else's food?"
"Thank you, Sister Jane!"
The two little parrots mimicked what they heard and then picked up their chopsticks.
Just in case they were too shy, Jian Dan kept putting food on their plates.
"Don't rush, it's all yours. But don't overeat. If you overeat and hurt your stomach, you won't be able to eat meat anymore."
Rural children don't understand much, but they only understood one sentence: "We can't eat meat anymore." That slowed them down, but they ate with their heads down and eyes closed, and there was no fighting. Tiger would occasionally take care of the two younger children next to him, which made Jian Dan very happy. She was glad that she had good judgment. She couldn't stand those unreasonable brats at all.
They don't usually eat meat, so they didn't dare put too much oil in this dish. They even watched them eat half a flatbread before letting them eat meat. After they finished eating, they were specifically told not to drink cold water today. The children's mouths are now full of the taste of meat, but they don't say anything. They are reluctant to drink water to wash away the meaty taste.
It's often said that a half-grown boy can bankrupt his father, but that's a saying that comes too late.
Tiger is definitely in the category of half-grown boys; even six-year-old Black Egg has quite an appetite.
Jian Dan ate two of the large flatbreads and half a bowl of vegetables. The rest were devoured by the three children. They even wiped the last bowl of vegetables clean with the flatbreads. If Jian Dan hadn't set aside some for Da Hei beforehand, Da Hei would probably have had to watch it eat.
The bowl was clean. To be honest, my first reaction was to be nervous. What if she meant well but did something wrong and hurt the child?
"Does your stomach hurt? Are you feeling full?"
The three children stood up. Well, Xiaohua had eaten two big pancakes, and her tummy was slightly bulging. Huzi and Heidan's tummy had only gone from being flat to slightly bulging. They were very curious.
Where did you all go to eat?
"Sister Jane, have we eaten too much?"
"Ah, no, no,"
Black Egg was about to cry, "I wasn't full, so I... I ate it all!"
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm not worried about you eating too much. I'm worried that you'll overeat and hurt your stomachs. If you overeat, you won't be able to eat any good food in the future!"
"No, I'm not full. I just finished eating."
It was simple to learn something new, but now it's difficult. Even other kids know to lie about how much they eat to save food for their families.
"Okay, as long as you're not too full, you can't drink cold water or run right after eating. You can sit and rest for a while, or walk slowly, but you're not allowed to run."
The children helped her put the dishes in the kitchen. When they came out, they heard two boys whispering to each other.
"Uncle Tiger, Sister Jane's cooking is so delicious!"
Tiger also has a big personality.
"Are you full now?"
Black Egg chuckled and even let out a burp.
"I'm full, I'm full now, Uncle Tiger. Is this what it's like to be full? It's really satisfying."
"That's right, it's warm and cozy when you sleep, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I'm so sleepy. I'm sure I'll sleep better now."
"Wait a minute, how can you just eat and leave? There are still watermelons to harvest. You only do that little bit of work, but you're making so much meat. Sister Jian will have to compensate you a lot, won't she?"
Black Egg nodded seriously.
"It seems so. I heard my grandpa say that Little Jian is still growing. Uncle Hu, Sister Jian is already so big, why does she still need to grow?"
This was a bit beyond the scope of the curriculum, and even Tiger was confused.
"Now they're young educated youth, but maybe when they grow up they'll become older educated youth?"
Jian Dan almost choked on her drink behind the door. What kind of logic is this? Is this how you use "big" and "small"?
"When will she grow up? Will we have to call her Big Sister Jian then? And who will become Little Sister Jian then?"
Tiger felt that there seemed to be something wrong with this logic, but as an eight-year-old, he was still confused by the meat he had eaten, and his mind was still in a slow state from before.
"Then there will definitely be another Sister Jian, but I wonder if the new Sister Jian will be as good?"
Black Egg clenched its little fists, its eyes filled with terror.
"I can't be like those people in the compound. Last time they pushed me and I fell over, and my leg was bleeding."
Jian Dan's face darkened. There were such shameless people in the educated youth compound, bullying such a young child?
Tiger was disappointed in his son.
"You're so stupid!"
If you can't beat her, run away or call for help. There are other people around here. If anyone comes out of their house, she won't dare to make a move. They'll all be scared away.
"Ugh, you're such a coward. Don't tell anyone you're my underling when you get out of here."
Black Egg slumped its shoulders timidly.
"Uncle Tiger, you are my uncle, not your brother."
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