Chapter 4 Eating Chicken

Pu Xiangren was still in a trance. Everything in front of her was strange and yet familiar. She lived to be 65 years old, and she seemed to remember some people and things from her youth, but when she thought about them carefully, they seemed like old yellowed photos, blurry and unclear.

But when I was in it, all the memories came back to me all at once.

This is her home, where she and Shi Dafu have lived for more than 20 years since they got married.

I lived there until my son went to college and the village was demolished, so I moved out of the house and lived in the later residential area.

Actually, she didn't live in the later neighborhood as long as she did here.

A few years after the house in the community was built, her son found a job in another place, so she bought a house for him and helped with the decoration. When her son got married, her daughter-in-law was already pregnant, so she was asked to take care of her during the confinement period and help look after the child, so she settled down in Haishi.

Pu Xiang lived in Shi Dafu's rural home for nearly 20 years, from the time she got married at the age of 20 until her son went to college.

"Wow, you are not allowed to eat the chicken! This is for Daddy, you are not allowed to eat it! Wow!"

The child's sharp voice quickly called Pu Xiang's soul back to its original place.

Marble eight-immortal table.

On the left and right are the parents-in-law, and opposite is the son Shi Jiajie.

A child who looked only five or six years old was crying with his mouth open, with a large mouthful of chicken leg stuffed in his mouth that he had not swallowed.

For a moment, the change of scene surprised Pu Xiang so much that she couldn't immediately figure out what was going on.

And because she didn't move, the little "Shi Jiajie" on the opposite side started crying and directly gave her a strengthened "gear".

"You are not allowed to eat chicken! You are not allowed to eat it!"

The crying was so heartbreaking that it made people's heads buzz. Then he swung his hand and threw the chopsticks at Pu Xiang.

Pu Xiang didn't have time to react and try to dodge, as a chopstick hit her in the face, and rice grains mixed with saliva flew all over her face, almost poking her eyes.

The little boy, who was about five or six years old, played wildly in the fields all day long. He was very strong at all. The distance was also very close, so Pu Xiang felt a stinging pain on the face when he was hit.

"Oh, brother, don't cry. Don't eat. Don't eat. I won't give it to your mother! Stop crying. Your throat will hurt if you keep crying!"

In this era, the wealthy old ladies, who are rare in rural areas, will go to coax the children first.

In Shijia Village, children are differentiated by their gender. Girls are called sisters, boys are called brothers, and sons and grandsons, their own children, and other people's children are all called the same name.

The mother-in-law went to coax the child, and the father-in-law sat there eating, as if he saw nothing and nothing happened.

Pu Xiang watched this scene and felt it was becoming more and more familiar.

She couldn't figure out who was dead and who was alive for a moment, but she remembered that this was really happening.

That year was 1990. She was 25 years old and Shi Jiajie was 5 years old and had just started kindergarten. That year, she worked hard on the farm and was exhausted. Because she ate a piece of chicken, her son had a big fight, rolled around and had a swollen throat for two days. Shi Dafu, that bastard, said she was worthless because of this.

"You are such a person, but you are still a mother. If I marry you, you can't even take care of a child."

"I didn't expect you to do anything big. The sixth sister next door can take good care of her children. You are not even as good as her!"

"Other women are teachers and doctors, but you are just a farm girl. I was really blind and unlucky to marry you."

…

As unpleasant as those words could be, the sixth sister next door in Shi Dafu's words was half-idiot. She could take care of herself, cook and work, but as long as you talked to her for a few words, you would know that she had some intellectual problems.

Pu Xiang was still angry at that time, but in the following decades, she was no longer angry. Although Liu Mei was a fool, the man who married her treated her as a human being. Every year after the busy farming season, he would take her to the street for a good meal.

Fortunately, from the perspective of future generations, this is just a small restaurant in the town, but looking at the whole village, who is as lucky as her?

There are also women in my village who work hard all their lives, but when they are in their sixties or seventies, they still have to deal with things like their husbands being caught for adultery.

There are also more than one or two women who cheat on their wives and turn a blind eye to it for the sake of their children.

Although the sixth sister's husband was not very smart and his best outcome in life was to stay in the village, at least he did not visit prostitutes or gamble, and spent his whole life with this half-stupid wife. Later, when the house was demolished, he had a little money from his pension and bought her a gold necklace, which he wore every day. I don't know how many old ladies of the same generation were jealous of him.

Pu Xiang thought that sometimes she envied such a fool and felt sorry for herself.

Shi Dafu was unhappy with her because of the child's crying. Although her father-in-law didn't say anything, her mother-in-law gave her a cold look for several days.

Pu Xiang was used to it. Her mother-in-law was in poor health and didn't do much work, so she had a lot of free time. With more space, she also had more time to find fault with her.

But these days, whose mother-in-law isn’t like this?

What's more, her parents-in-law still control the family money and the power of the household. A young daughter-in-law like her has no say and no status.

Whose daughter-in-law isn’t like this?

Pu Xiang quickly went through all the things in her mind. Now, looking at her son Shi Jiajie who had fallen off the stool and was rolling on the ground, she no longer felt the helplessness and grievance she had at that time.

What flashed through her mind was that it turns out that the ungrateful person did not suddenly become ungrateful, but has had this nature since childhood.

At that time, she might have thought that her child was still young and immature, but in fact, in the child's heart, mother is still the most important.

But across several decades, when 65-year-old Pu Xiang saw this scene, she felt not only sad but also heartbroken.

She has given up.

She should have given up long ago.

People cannot deceive themselves. Other people's lies are easy to expose, but the lies one tells oneself seem to be the most ingenious in the world and cannot be exposed no matter what.

Unless you choose to be sober.

Pu Xiang woke up.

This son of hers was born to her, but he had never kissed her. If you say that his grandparents taught him when he was young, but when he grew up, he didn't appreciate her efforts for him for decades, which was purely a problem of his own character.

Her son didn't treat her as a mother.

Pu Xiang watched all this and realized she couldn't hug and comfort the child as she remembered. She was punched by the naughty child and had to continue to comfort him while enduring the pain.

What is the point of raising children?

She never expected to rely on her child to support her in her old age, but because she gave birth to him, she had the responsibility to raise him.

Because, as a mother, taking care of her children is what she has to do.

It's her instinct.

However, she tried her best for him and devoted her whole life to him, but what did she get in the end?

Treating him like your own eyeball is raising him; giving him food so he doesn't starve to death is also raising him.

Forcing him to study and beating him to make him go to school, so that he can leave the countryside and make a name for himself is supporting him. It doesn't matter whether he likes to study or not. After completing the nine-year education, whether he works on the farm or as a laborer, it is also supporting him.

Pu Xiang is tired.

The child was still making a fuss, and his grandmother couldn't calm him down at all.

"You are still sitting there acting like a bodhisattva, why don't you come and comfort the child!"

Pu Xiang felt a terrible blockage in her heart. She was 65 years old. She had made her whole life a joke when she was 25 years old. But at this moment, all the anger suddenly turned into rage, burning in her chest.

It's just a piece of chicken, what's the matter?

The busy farming season has just ended. The seven acres of rice in the family were mostly worked by her and her father-in-law alone. Her father-in-law is old and his physical strength cannot compare to that of a young man. As his daughter-in-law, she feels sorry for him and just grits her teeth and works harder.

They were busy all the time, harvesting rice, bundling it, carrying it back to the threshing ground, threshing it, stacking firewood, drying the grains, and then transporting them out to sell.

I've lost several pounds from exhaustion. I sweat and get dirty every day, and even I smell bad. Besides, my mother-in-law is in poor health and has asthma, so she can't do any work, so she has to do all the housework at home.

She is as tired as a dog every day. After the busy farming season, the family kills a chicken to make up for the loss. Is she really like a dog who only deserves to eat bones?

She raised this chicken from a chick.

Leave it for dad?

Shi Dafu, this bastard, deserves to eat bone scraps!

During the busy farming season, I would either sprain my ankle or have pain in my heart, liver, spleen, stomach, or kidneys. I would work in the fields for half a minute, then run home groaning, and then lie in bed for half a month.

Pu Xiang's expression was terribly gloomy. Her mother-in-law called her, but she didn't move. She was about to scold her, but before she could open her mouth, Pu Xiang moved.

She reached out and took the plate of stewed chicken that was originally placed in front of her father-in-law, brought it in front of herself, and then opened her mouth and started eating.

It was only the 1990s, and raising chickens in rural areas by feeding them some grass and millet was considered to be a good thing. Basically, they were free-range, allowed to wander around in the fields and dig for worms to eat.

This chicken grows slowly, but the quality of its meat is something you cannot buy even with money in later generations.

The meat is tender and fresh, and the fragrant soup fills your entire mouth when you take a bite.

Pu Xiang, who was only 25 years old, had a taste that was completely different from that of a 65-year-old. Moreover, she had a good appetite despite her young age. In addition, farm work was hard. In that era, although life was getting better, only a few people could eat meat every day.

Most rural families may not be able to eat freely even during the New Year and other festivals.

Being young and strong, he worked hard and was still hungry. Plus, this was a good chicken that he would not be able to buy even if he had money in the future, so Pu Xiang was really popular.

It smells so good!

Even her stomach growled in agreement.

Pu Xiang'e ate voraciously, like a starving ghost.

The mother-in-law Mo Amei, who was about to curse, was dumbfounded. She looked at her with her mouth open, unable to utter a word. The father-in-law Shi Hai also had a look of shock on his face.

No matter how sensible his daughter-in-law was, he always seemed particularly satisfied with her. She was capable and frugal, and things like what happened today had never happened to her before.

Pu Xiang knew what expressions her parents-in-law had on their faces without even looking, but she didn't care and was just going to eat to her heart's content. She had worked like a slave in the Shi family for decades, so she ate this chicken without feeling guilty at all.

Shi Jiajie rolled around on the ground, but his mother did not come to comfort him as expected. He continued to cry loudly, but his eyes were open and he was peeking.

He glanced at his mother—

Not only did his mother not rush to comfort him, she was actually eating! She was eating chicken!

"Waaaaaah! You are not allowed to eat the chicken, you are not allowed to! This is for Daddy!"

Shi Jiajie stopped rolling on the ground and got up. His frail grandmother couldn't hold him back at all. He rushed to Pu Xiang and started beating her with his clenched fists.

Don't be fooled by his young age, he is very strong when hitting her, he is using all his strength to hit her.

After Pu Xiang was hit, she immediately put down her bowl and chopsticks and reached out to catch his second fist.

This was not the end. She grabbed the boy who was jumping like a live loach, pressed him on her legs, and started beating him.

Snap, snap, snap.

Doesn't this kid deserve a spanking?