Widow Zhang's biggest annoyance right now is Zhao Ergou, but as a woman, she can't do anything to this fourteen-year-old boy.
She was seething with hatred inside. "Zhao Ergou, you're usually so quiet in front of everyone. How come you're talking so fluently now? Are you out of your mind?"
As if something had been exposed, Zhao Ergou said fiercely, "You're the one with the problem! Auntie, give me ten coins."
It's perfectly reasonable for them to ask for money.
Widow Zhang's scalp tingled when she heard this, because this wasn't the first time Zhao Ergou had threatened her for money.
The time before last I asked her for ten coins, the time before that I asked her for ten coins again, and now, only ten days later, I'm asking her for ten coins again.
She wants money, does she really think her money grows on trees?
"I don't have any, who can afford to take your demands like this!" Widow Zhang said irritably.
Zhang Ergou wouldn't listen to any of this and immediately tried to snatch the money bag from the widow Zhang.
"That's not up to you. Don't forget that I still have leverage over you."
After a brief argument, Zhao Ergou easily snatched Zhang Widow's money pouch. He counted it; there were fifteen coins in total.
He happily took the money and went down the mountain into the city.
Widow Zhang's face was wet with tears as she slumped helplessly to the ground. She watched Zhao Ergou's departing figure and spat fiercely.
"That damned bastard, may he get hit by a car and die!"
It was late afternoon, and the sky was ablaze with fiery red sunset colors. The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire Changfeng Village, casting long shadows of the villagers busily working within.
The thirty chicks that He Tiantian bought last time have grown a lot, shedding their yellow down and slowly growing white and black feathers.
There was no chicken coop, so the chicks were kept in a circle around a corner of the dilapidated temple after they came back.
It was easier to deal with the chicken droppings before, as there were fewer droppings. But now that the chicks have grown up, there's a lot more droppings. If I don't clean it twice a day, the house smells terrible.
The chicken manure that was processed was carried to the vegetable garden behind the house to fertilize the tomato seedlings and cucumber vines.
Wujin and Yezi have grown a lot, and are almost as tall as He Tiantian's calves.
Previously, they were just mischievously catching rabbits, but now they're curiously trying to catch chicks. In short, they've reached a stage of growth that even dogs find annoying.
If the kids didn't take the two dogs out for long walks every day, the two little guys would probably have even more energy.
"Wanzi's mom, let me help you feed the chickens. We can eat soon." Sister-in-law Yulan put the pot lid back on and ladled a bowl of water to add some water for the chicks.
It's too hot, the chicks need to drink water too.
"Okay, the children should be back soon." The wild vegetables that the chickens eat are all dug up by the children every day from the ridges of the fields and the riverbank.
He Tiantian also promised the four children that once the chicks were old enough to lay eggs, she would make sure each of them ate an egg every day.
After hearing this, the four children unconsciously licked their lips and ate the eggs... That's really great!
"It'll be soon, it'll be soon. Lately, I've been coming back around sunset. By the way, Maruko's mom, you're probably due next month, so remember not to overexert yourself. Also, new mothers don't necessarily have milk right away, so we need to think of ways to help them in advance," Sister-in-law Yulan reminded her.
He Tiantian was stunned. Did they mean there was no breast milk? What should she do?
"If there's no milk, what will the baby drink? Auntie, please let me know if there's anything else we need to prepare," He Tiantian asked.
Sister-in-law Yulan chuckled, "Wanzi's mother, I was just thinking that I was being long-winded. After all, you've had two children, so you should have some experience. But it seems like you don't know anything at all."
He Tiantian thought to herself, "Of course! Neither of them were born to me; I've never experienced childbirth." But she couldn't very well reveal that.
He Tiantian gave an awkward laugh, "It's been too long, how could I remember?"
"If there's no milk, we can make rice porridge. Just cook white rice until it's thick. Of course, goat's milk would be even better." Sister Yulan thought for a moment, realizing she needed to prepare more.
There are so many things needed when a baby is born.
He Tiantian frowned. This is so troublesome... Is it a bit too much to let the child drink rice water?
You must buy sheep!
“Okay, Sister Yulan, I’ll go to the county tomorrow to see if I can buy a sheep,” He Tiantian said.
Sister-in-law Yulan was already used to it, and she had no idea how much money Wanzi's mother had made. That goat wasn't cheap.
“I’m worried about your health, so it’s good that my husband is overseeing the house construction. I’ll go with you tomorrow so he can take care of you on the way.”
"Then why don't we bring the children along? Lantern and Dumpling haven't been to the county yet."
“That works too. My Yulan and Shuixian have never been there before.” Yulan’s sister-in-law nodded with a smile, after all, she had earned some money herself these days.
We can afford the travel expenses. When we get to the county, we'll take the kids to play and broaden their horizons.
The village used to be busy with farming, and now they're busy building houses. It seems like the farmers never have a moment to rest throughout the year.
The six adult men of the Zhao family have been working tirelessly day and night to build the house, and it is now more than halfway done.
Previously, they had all gone to the county to find some work, which involved loading ships for merchants at the docks; it was all physical labor. However, each person could earn twenty coins a day, and if six people worked together, they would earn one hundred and twenty coins a day.
After deducting the cost of the oxcart ride, there was still more than a hundred coins left.
All this money must be handed over to Old Lady Zhao, because she is the head of the household.
Mrs. Cheng watched helplessly as her three children, her husband and son, who did all the manual labor, were exhausted every day, their shoulders chafed raw. Yet, she hadn't seen a single penny earned.
She felt extremely uncomfortable about this.
She had previously gone to the county to look for work, but many clothing shops were unwilling to do embroidery. There was also the option of copying books for a bookstore, but she couldn't read a single character, so that was a job she simply couldn't do.
After four or five days of visits, Cheng returned empty-handed each time.
Old Mrs. Zhao then forbade her from going to the county, saying it would waste travel expenses and would also cause her to wander off.
Women should stay at home to be good wives and mothers. That slut He is always running around the county. Who knows what despicable things she's doing behind people's backs?
Old Mrs. Zhao usually gets up very early in the morning.
She was about to take a walk around the fields to check on the crops. At this time of year, many villagers also have the habit of going to the fields to weed and do other chores.
The rice in the paddy fields is growing well, and at this time the river has plenty of water, so the villagers divert the river water to irrigate the crops.
When Old Lady Zhao went out in the morning, she also took Zhao Xiaocao with her to dig for wild vegetables.
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