Is that so, little sister?
Following her example, Tian Er used two evenly sized branches to sandwich the washed wild vegetables in a row, then secured both ends with withered wild grass, and finally roasted them over a fire.
Although it doesn't have much flavor, it's the only thing that can fill my stomach right now.
After the family understood, they praised Tian Sangui for his intelligence, and then joined in, sitting together happily and enjoying their only delicious and satisfying meal.
It was the first time I realized that you could eat without fighting, arguing, or getting scolded, and still get a full meal. For the children, living separately was really a good thing.
In the afternoon, Tian Laosi busied himself filling the roof of the hall with dry grass, removing the rotten bamboo mats and replacing them with new ones. For now, it should be able to block out some wind and light rain without any problems.
Next, they started making the bed. Just a few steps behind the thatched hut was a large bamboo forest, where villagers often came to cut bamboo to make furniture.
Some even hide their machetes under rocks for convenience, and over time everyone in the village finds out. It's convenient and saves trouble; after use, they remember to put them back in their usual spot.
It did them a great favor; otherwise, no matter how skilled Tian Laosi was, it would all be in vain without the right tools.
Tian Sangui and his brothers then roasted wild vegetables, which would be their dinner that evening.
Zhang Shi hovered around Tian Lao Si, occasionally handing him a bamboo strip. The two of them didn't know what to say, but Zhang Shi would smile and blush, her sweetness and liveliness surpassing even that of a young girl.
The bamboo bed was finally finished before midnight, and Tian Laosi carried it into the house and put it there.
When Zhang came over to the children, she saw four or five makeshift wooden frames behind Tian Sangui, each filled with roasted wild vegetables.
Mrs. Zhang smiled and praised her children for being so capable.
"San Gui, we can't finish all these wild vegetables right now. Maybe we can save them for tomorrow?"
Zhang had never seen how to store roasted wild vegetables. If they couldn't be stored, wouldn't that be a huge waste?
"Don't worry, Mom. We'll eat this tonight, and we can put the leftovers on the rack to dry them so they won't spoil."
"It'll be convenient to buy a pot tomorrow and make wild vegetable soup."
Hearing Tian Sangui say this, they felt at ease. They had no grain on hand, and wild vegetables were their only staple food, so they couldn't afford to waste a single bit.
In February, darkness falls quickly, and the cool night wind cuts like a knife on the face. After the family finishes eating, they go to rest in the thatched house.
The bamboo bed was just big enough for the whole family to squeeze into. The only quilt was Zhang's dowry, which the family gave to Tian Sangui.
They covered themselves with all the thick clothes they had brought out and made do with that for the night.
Around four o'clock in the morning, Tian Laosi and Zhang Shi had already gotten up. Zhang Shi followed the children's method from yesterday, built a fire in the yard, took out the dried wild vegetables from yesterday, heated them on the fire, and prepared breakfast for Tian Laosi.
Tian Sangui, who hadn't slept all night, heard the noise outside and quickly got up, dressed, and went out.
She has important business to attend to today and must go to town with Tian Laosi.
Zhang was the first to see her. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things. Tian Sangui was usually the last to get up, so this was the first time she had seen him up so early.
"San Gui? Did your mother disturb you? Let me be gentler. It's cold, so go inside and go to sleep. Get up again when it's light."
As Zhang was speaking, Tian Sangui approached her, took a dried wild vegetable, and placed it on the fire.
"No, Mother, I couldn't sleep, so I got up. I want to go to town with Father."
What? That won't do! There are too many people in town, and Tian Laosi won't have time to take care of San Gui while he's at work.
“No, you’re not well yet. I’ll go with you when you’re better.” Zhang shook her head firmly, refusing to let her go.
Tian Sangui knew it wouldn't be that easy, so he continued to plead.
"Mom, please let me go. I won't run around. I'll just play where Dad works. After Dad gets off work, I'll help you buy cooking utensils. Didn't you say you wanted to show off in the village and make those gossipy women angry?"
That's true. Tian Laosi is a rough man; if you ask him to buy cooking utensils, he definitely won't be able to buy good ones.
I have to stay at home and tidy up the house, so I don't have time to buy one. I can rest assured if San Gui comes with me.
After thinking it over, Zhang felt that what she said made sense, but she still gave her some instructions out of concern.
"Then you must listen to your father, don't run around, and wait for him nearby obediently, understand?"
Seeing that Zhang was relenting, he was secretly delighted and nodded his little head like a chick pecking at rice, which amused Zhang.
After wandering around outside for a while, Tian Laosi returned to the courtyard and heard the mother and daughter laughing. He smiled along with them.
"What are you two laughing about so happily? And San Gui, why are you up so early?"
Tian Laosi walked over to them, sat down next to Zhang Shi, and asked Tian Sangui with a smile on his face.
Zhang handed him the heated wild vegetables and mentioned that Tian Sangui wanted to go to town with him.
“Sure, the work area is huge. San Gui can just wander around for a bit, and Dad will be done with work. Let alone buying cooking utensils, I’m really not good at it. San Gui is better than me. The girl is clever and smart, she’ll definitely pick better cooking utensils than I do, hahaha!”
Unlike Zhang Shi, Tian Lao Si had no reservations. He trusted Tian San Gui completely. Even when she was little, he could tell that San Gui was a thoughtful child.
In many matters, Tian Laosi let her have the final say. Even this time when the family was divided, apart from feeling a little upset, Tian Laosi didn't say anything and didn't blame her at all.
Hearing her father say this, Tian Sangui's anxious heart finally calmed down. He was afraid that she would have to come up with a lot of reasons to go to town, just like Zhang Shi did. Just thinking about it made him feel exhausted.
Fortunately, Tian Laosi is a straightforward person who doesn't impose too many restrictions on his children, which makes them even more fond of their father.
After a pleasant breakfast, the father and daughter disappeared into the morning dew, with Zhang giving them some concerned reminders.
The round trip from Tianjia Village to the town takes about an hour by donkey cart and up to two hours by foot for an adult male.
The main problem is the winding mountain road, full of potholes and creases from being pulled by donkey carts, making it very difficult to walk.
This was the first time Tian Sangui had walked such a road. At first, she was fine, but gradually she started sweating and her strength gave out, causing her to fall far behind Tian Laosi.
Old Tian looked back, smiled and shook his head. This girl probably couldn't walk anymore, so he squatted down with his tall body and said to her, "Come on up!"
Seeing that Tian Laosi was going to carry her, Tian Sangui decided not to be coy and used the last bit of strength to run a few steps and jump onto his strong back.
She felt a sense of relief as her feet left the ground.
The mountain roads were really difficult to travel. She had already done her best, but in the end, she still had to rely on Tian Laosi's back to reach the town.
Endurance and physical strength are developed gradually; no one is born with superhuman strength.
Upon arriving at the work site, Tian Laosi placed her in the construction site garden and told her not to go outside the gate, but to wait for him to finish work so he could buy cooking utensils.
To avoid worrying Tian Laosi, Tian Sangui stood aside and obediently agreed. Seeing that she was honest, Tian Laosi reached out and patted her head before turning away to report to the foreman.
Tian Sangui looked around. The construction site was indeed very large, just as Tian Laosi had said. Their job was to carry sacks and load and unload goods onto oxcarts. As for what was inside, Tian Sangui had no idea.
In short, this is an extremely physically demanding job. If you're not in good health, you could die within two or three days here. It's clear that earning a thousand coins a month is practically risking your life; it's incredibly hard to earn.
Just imagine how despicable Yun Shi is. She takes the money her father earned by risking his life and mistreats his wife and children. She doesn't even respect Tian Lao Si. It's as if Tian Lao Si owed her in his past life and he has to repay her with the lives of his whole family in this life.
The more Tian Sangui thought about it, the angrier she became. She seriously doubted whether Tian Laosi was Yun Shi's biological son.
Given Yun's ruthless nature, if Tian Laosi really wasn't her biological son, she would probably treat him even more cruelly than she does now.
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