He Shitou had nowhere to sleep and could only squeeze into a room with his parents.
The three people lay side by side on the ground, the moonlight hanging on the treetops, but none of them could fall asleep.
Stone's mother nudged her husband with her hand and deliberately lowered her voice, "Old man, do you think this is our daughter's house?"
Stone Mother felt like she was dreaming, and was afraid that when she woke up, they would return to reality.
They lived a life where they couldn't get enough water to drink or enough food to eat.
He Chun stroked his beard; to be honest, he hadn't even realized what was happening yet.
If it weren't for the pain in his hand from pricking his hands while shelling beans, he would have thought he was dreaming.
He Shitou let out a smelly fart at just the right moment, then rolled over and grinned foolishly: "Sorry, I couldn't help myself tonight and ate three bowls of rice."
In the pitch-black room, He Chun rolled her eyes at He Shitou.
"I don't know what happened to our daughter. I haven't seen her mother-in-law in this house either," He Chun asked in confusion.
All they knew was that Xiangyang had died; by the time the news reached Peach Blossom Village, their village was already suffering from drought.
If they were to walk all this way to visit their daughter, it would probably take them ten days to half a month.
Moreover, in years of famine, drought is everywhere. They might die of exhaustion and thirst on the way, before they even reach their destination.
Stone's mother sighed, "I wonder how Tiantian is doing now. I saw her little daughter today, she's so cute. It's just that the baby is shy around strangers, I only held her for a little while and she didn't want to stay."
“We’ve just arrived, you can carry me once we get to know each other better. I see there’s a lot of work to do at your house every day, so go to sleep now and get up early tomorrow to help out,” He Chun urged.
Just as Stone's mother was about to urge Zhao Stone on, she turned around and found that the dog was already snoring.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Stone's mother shook the old man and He Stone awake.
She's old and can't sleep for long periods.
But He Shitou is still growing and needs sleep.
Stone's mother had a strong grip, and after a few shakes, He Stone's head was spinning.
"Stone, wake up and get to work. You're staying at your sister's house, so be sensible."
He Shitou was unwilling, his face scrunched up in a frown.
He hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly got up from the ground.
Stone Mother thought she was the first one up, but when she came out of the house, she found that the children had all gotten up one after another.
Meanwhile, Zhao Denglong was already in the yard gathering firewood, preparing to cook.
Stone Mother's original surname was Chen, and when she lived in Peach Blossom Village, everyone called her Sister-in-law Chen.
But once she arrived here, she didn't know how to introduce herself to the villagers.
When Yulan's mother saw Chen, she greeted her with a smile, "Sister-in-law, why are you up so early?"
When Chen saw that Yulan's mother was holding Xiaomingzhu in her arms and had a bottle in her hand, she said that she was going to make milk for her.
She stepped forward hesitantly, "I... is there anything I can help you with?"
Yulan's mother originally wanted Chen to prepare the milk, but after thinking about it, she was afraid that Chen wouldn't do it well. So she took the little pearl in her arms and placed it in Chen's arms instead.
"Little Pearl is about to wake up. Can you hold her while I make her milk?"
Madam Chen held the soft and cuddly little Mingzhu in her arms. The little girl was very clever and charming, and Madam Chen was very happy to see her.
When the bottle was brought to her lips, the little girl didn't even open her eyes before she started gulping down the milk.
"What kind of milk is this? And why is there such a bottle?" Chen had lived most of her life and had never seen this thing before.
Yulan's mother couldn't explain it either, "This is a baby bottle, it's specially for feeding babies." She didn't know anything else.
He Shitou had just finished dressing and came out of the house. Before he could even have a sip of water, Chen ordered him to chop firewood.
Old Man He had already moved a stool and was sitting in the yard shelling beans.
This is grain! We have to finish cooking it quickly, pack it up, and hide it properly. We can't be careless!
Zhao Wanzi led the goat out the door and, as usual, tied it to the bamboo grove in the afternoon. Zhao Xiaolan followed behind, chasing after the goat.
Mrs. Chen stared wide-eyed as they walked past. What? This family raises sheep? That's incredible!
Just then, Liu Yulan and Liu Shuixian came from the backyard carrying a basin.
Liu Yulan proudly boasted, "Mom, the chicks laid a total of twenty eggs today!"
What? Twenty eggs?
He Shitou, who was chopping firewood in the corner, couldn't help but lick his lips, while Chen Shi stared in disbelief at the bowl of eggs.
Goodness, they can collect twenty eggs in one night. How many chickens must they be raising?
The family's breakfast was simple yet nutritious: a boiled egg and a bowl of white rice porridge for each person.
After finishing their meal, Zhao Denglong, Wanzi, Liu Yulan, and Liu Shuixian prepared to go to school.
Before leaving, Zhao Wanzi reminded He Shitou, "Uncle, when I come back from school, remember to go with me to cut grass and feed the rabbits."
He Shitou gulped down a bowl of porridge and nodded vigorously.
Chen and Yulan's mother went to wash the dishes and clean the house.
Zhao Xiaolu went to take care of Zhao Mingzhu, while Zhao Xiaolan took the initiative to wash all her younger sisters' clothes.
He Shitou continued chopping wood, and He Chun continued to pound beans.
He's used to farm work, so he works quickly. He expects to finish threshing the beans soon.
Come to think of it, they also planted beans this year. But after more than half a year of drought, the crops in the fields were so dry that they couldn't even be seen.
When Zhao Wanzi and Zhao Denglong arrived at the Zhao family's school, Zhao Xiaocao had already been there for a long time.
Zhao Yan gives Zhao Xiaocao extra lessons on what she has learned each morning, and he expects to finish in a day or two.
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