Back home, Old Sun handed Zhang Mei a cotton-padded coat and a quilt.
The brothers next to him picked it up and touched it again and again, cherishing it.
"Brother..." Old Man Sun hadn't finished speaking.
"Meizi, give one of the cotton-padded jackets to Xiaohu. And alter the other one into a cotton-padded jacket and trousers for the child."
"Okay. Little Tiger, quickly thank... Dad."
Zhang Mei smiled and urged Sun Xiaohu to change his address. However, she still avoided looking at the Sun brothers with a hint of unease.
Sun Xiaohu, who was standing next to him, had his eyes practically glued to the new cotton-padded coat, but he didn't do anything.
He didn't want to call them Dad...
She changed her name to settle down here. Now she has to call them "Dad"!
What about my father, who was kicked out and might be dead now...?
It has to be said that time is a powerful tool; the boys of the past are completely different from those of today.
I used to only care about myself.
Now I'm thinking of other people.
"Hurry up!" Zhang Mei nudged Sun Xiaohu again, urging him to call for help.
If everyone's in a good mood now and they start calling him "Dad," based on Zhang Mei's understanding of them, her son won't starve at all while staying with the Sun family.
"No! No way!" Sun Xiaohu suddenly shouted twice and ran out.
"Ha! An ungrateful wretch who can't be tamed." Old Man Sun retorted.
"Alright! If you don't want to call me that, then don't. Meizi, go and collect the clothes, and change Xiaohu's tattered cotton-padded jacket every day."
Don't worry. If we do more work, we'll get our new cotton-padded coats back soon! Everyone will have some to wear!
We'll see if we can get some cotton seeds later. We'll plant our own in the spring!
"You can wear as many cotton-padded coats as you want then."
"Hmm. Big brother... Xiao Hu didn't mean it just now. He's probably just not used to it..." Zhang Mei explained weakly.
"Alright. Can we adults really hold a grudge against a child?"
Besides, I see that Xiaohu is quite efficient at his work now.
You don't need to worry about anything else. Since you've come with us and given us children, raising a son for you is no problem at all.
"good."
Sun Laoda knew that Zhang Mei was trying to curry favor with them.
They didn't care whether Sun Xiaohu called them "Dad" or not. They just needed food to eat.
"By the way, you guys should think of a name for our daughter these next couple of days," Sun said, turning to the other men.
"Big brother, your name is Sun Meimei. Or Sun Pretty."
"Fourth brother, you'd better stop using your brain."
"What's wrong? Meimei, pretty, how lovely! Look at our daughter, so fair-skinned!"
"Fair skin covers up three flaws!"
“You’re the ugly one!” Old Man Sun retorted defiantly.
"Sun Haohao. I hope our lives get better and better." Sun Lao Er, who doesn't talk much, seriously started choosing a name.
"Well done, Second Brother, it has to be you!" Old Master Sun praised the other party.
"Sun Haohao... is just average," Sun Laosan said, frowning. However, he didn't object.
In the end, everyone agreed that the daughter's name would be Sun Haohao.
Sun Xiaohu immediately regretted it as soon as he ran out of the house.
Nobody's coming after him... And what if they stop taking care of him...?
As they walked, they arrived at the open space in front of Feng Ran's house.
I saw a lot of people digging in the ground, and everyone was smiling.
Sun Xiaohu felt even worse.
It was winter, and everyone was relatively free. Several families had time, so they started planting mushroom spawn together in the open space in front of Feng Ran's house.
When they dig up the mushroom spawn, they dig up some soil or dead leaves from beneath it, spread a layer of soil and dead leaves on the ground, then bury the mushroom spawn, and then cover it with another layer of soil and dead leaves. This is how it takes shape.
Sun Xiaohu stood at a distance and watched for a while, then silently went home. As soon as he got home, Zhang Mei stopped him. After much persuasion, she finally pulled him into the room. Once the door was closed, she started rummaging through the new cotton-padded coat, thinking of putting it on Sun Xiaohu.
"Hurry up, take off your old cotton-padded coat."
"My uncle said, 'This new cotton-padded coat is for you to wear.'" Zhang Mei smiled happily.
"Mom... are you happy?"
"What……"
Zhang Mei couldn't believe that her son would ask such a question.
"Dad's gone. You now..."
"Second son... Mom is very happy now."
Do you know?
I had some good days in the first few years after I married your father.
Later, when you got pregnant, your father had some trouble at work, and your mother was often beaten.
My mother was about to give birth at that time.
I was going to try to endure it, but then I was beaten so badly that I went into premature labor.
When you were born, your father cried and begged me not to leave, saying that children without mothers are pitiful.
I was thinking, maybe he'll change now that he has a son...
No.
A dog will always eat shit.
Later, I just kept enduring it all.
But they survived until the end of the world...
You saw it too. Your uncles, although they look fierce, never hit me, and they took such good care of me during my pregnancy.
Now that they're willing to give you a new cotton-padded coat, does that mean they're starting to accept you?
I know your dad is probably dead, and you might resent everyone, but... Mom is free now.
"A father like that, and you still... Come to think of it, your dad wasn't so bad to you. Never mind... never mind, if you don't want to change your address, no one will force you. But from now on, you'll have to work hard for your five uncles, not for others, but for your own sake."
"Um."
Seeing Sun Xiaohu's reluctant expression, Zhang Mei reluctantly hugged her son, who had grown into a young man.
"Alright. Put on your cotton-padded coat. Mom will wash the old one. Go out and help everyone with the work."
"good."
The land below the gate has been planted with fungi. The area around it has been fenced off with tree branches.
Each family got a plot of land. Even Qi Xie joined in.
Feng Ran still receives wild mushrooms from the Sun family, but they no longer provide cotton-padded coats and quilts.
It's still an ungrateful wolf; there's no need to be too enthusiastic.
For Fengran, exchanging a meter of cotton cloth for a large basket of wild mushrooms every day was a profitable trade.
"Sister Fengran, these mushrooms have really grown!" Wang Xiaosi had been looking at the wild mushroom field for a long time before finally finding a few large mushrooms.
"Yes. There will probably be even more tomorrow. We can pick them and eat them then."
"Very good!"
"Spray it with water again using a spray bottle."
"Okay, I'll do it."
The two went home after spraying water on themselves.
The aroma of the old hen soup that Feng Ran's family was simmering was already wafting out.
It smells so good it's intoxicating.
The next day, Boss Sun came over again with a basket. The wild mushrooms had decreased considerably.
"It's practically impossible to find them now."
"Okay. Give it to me. I'll go inside and get your things."
"Thanks."
This time, Feng Ran handed him a packet of salt.
Boss Sun's eyes lit up!
The coarse salt they eat now was specially sourced by themselves and their third brother from the beach.
Now that we have fine salt, we can use it when my daughter grows up and starts eating solid food!
"This...is it really for me?"
"Hmm. However, you delivered relatively few mushrooms today, so you definitely won't be able to exchange them for this bag."
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