Song Yun looked at the table where He Tiantian and the others were eating their food politely, while Wang Dazhuang's bowl was piled high with food and he kept shoveling it into his mouth.
When he had eaten most of his fill, he finally had a moment to ask, "Sister He, what is this dish made of?"
He wants to continue eating tomorrow...
Upon hearing this, He Tiantian looked up. Thinking that someone as wealthy as Director Song must have never eaten offal, she explained, "It's not really a dish, just some pig intestines, pig heart, pig lungs, and the like."
Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhuang paused for a moment while eating.
Good heavens, he had eaten all of these things before, but he remembered that they all had a strong porky smell and were not tasty.
Today's meal completely overturned his understanding of pig offal.
The four children ate with gusto, their mouths brimming with oil. Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi thought their mother was amazing. Even the simplest food tasted delicious as long as their mother made it!
After hearing this, Song Yun didn't ask any more questions. He didn't care how disgusting the pig offal looked; as long as it tasted good, that was all that mattered.
Before leaving, He Tiantian specifically instructed that her meals for the next two days be delivered to the mine. This would save Director Song the trouble of making multiple trips.
Before leaving, Song Yun said many words of thanks. Yulan's mother and He Tiantian stood at the entrance of the dilapidated temple and watched Song Yun walk away until he was out of sight.
Yulan's mother sighed and said, "I used to think that all those officials were not to be trifled with, but after seeing Director Song today, I think he is a good person."
He Tiantian smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you can't tell if someone is a good person just by looking at them. But this Director Song is indeed different from other officials."
In ancient times, the class system was so rigid that officials were arrogant and disdainful of poor people like them.
The next day was Lunar New Year's Eve. Early in the morning, He Tiantian was awakened by the sound of bamboo stalks moving in and out of the village.
At that time, there were no firecrackers or fireworks; every household would go to the back mountain to cut bamboo and light it.
Bamboo makes a crackling sound when it burns, which is not only a festive activity during the Lunar New Year, but also a way to drive away bad luck and bring good fortune.
Sister-in-law Yulan had already gotten up, and water was boiling on the stove.
The four children were still asleep. When she saw He Tiantian about to get up, she stopped her and said, "Wanzi's mother, you're pregnant, you should rest a little longer. I'll call you after I've made breakfast."
If it weren't for Sister-in-law Yulan's reminder, He Tiantian would sometimes forget that she was pregnant.
She's dressed warmly in winter, so no one can tell she's pregnant yet. But by next spring, her belly will probably be quite big.
He Tiantian nodded, lay down, and immediately fell asleep.
When I woke up again, the children were already up.
Sister-in-law Yulan had already prepared breakfast and called the children to wash their hands and go eat.
For breakfast, we had a few fried pancakes and some white rice porridge. In this year of famine, such a breakfast was considered a luxury.
The children couldn't stay at home. After gulping down their rice porridge, each grabbed a fried pancake and skipped out the door.
The village was bustling with activity. Although every household was poor these days, they were still full of hope for the new year.
Zhao Tingzhang squatted at his doorstep, holding a large bowl in one hand, and drank some white flour porridge.
People passing by would come up to greet him, "Chief, are you eating?"
"Yes, have you eaten? Where are you going?" Zhao Tingzhang glanced at Zhao San's nonchalant attitude and wanted to say something to him, but in the end he held back.
Never mind, it's Chinese New Year.
Zhao San was taken aback by the village head's question; he had never given him a second glance before. He stammered, "I... well... I was just strolling around the village."
After Zhao San finished speaking, he took off running away.
On this day, every household was busy preparing for the New Year. The men chopped firewood in the yard, while the women started working at the stove after breakfast.
The children have all disappeared; there's no sign of them.
After gathering firewood for a while, Cheng felt increasingly agitated. Having exhausted all the nearby firewood, she had to travel to farther places.
But now that she's finished gathering firewood in the farthest places, she'll have to go to even farther places! These days, she's been going out early and returning late every day with the other women in the village, all for that small bundle of firewood.
Cheng had been holding her anger in for a long time, but had no outlet for it.
Tao, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhao family, was busy at the stove, while Zhao Xiaocao, the daughter of the Cheng family, was tending the fire in the house.
Zhao Xiaocao felt wronged. Her brothers had all gone out to play and didn't have to do any chores. But her grandmother had been making her do chores since early morning, and now she was being asked to tend the fire.
She also wants to go out and play...
Zhao Xiaocao was very dissatisfied, so she picked up a large piece of wood and threw it into the stove.
That wretched grandmother, that wretched grandmother! She hated her to death.
"Oh, you brat, you did this on purpose, didn't you?" Madam Cheng watched as her daughter, Zhao Xiaocao, threw in such a large piece of wood, ignoring the chopped pieces next to it and insisting on taking the unchopped ones.
If the wood doesn't burn properly, wouldn't all her hard work be wasted? So Cheng pinched Zhao Xiaocao's arm to vent her dissatisfaction.
"Do you know how hard it was for me to gather this firewood? I walked more than ten miles! My soles are all blistered, do you know that? Do you know that?!" Cheng shouted loudly, deliberately speaking so that Old Lady Zhao, who was sitting in the main room, could hear.
Zhao Xiaocao was already in a bad mood, and then she was hit by her own mother, so she was definitely resentful.
"Mother, why are you taking your anger out on me? If you're so capable, go find Grandma and ask her to give you an easier job." Zhao Xiaocao had to listen to her own mother's nagging every night, all of which were curses against her Grandma.
She was so annoyed by what she heard. Her mother asked her father to make a decision for her, but her father was indecisive and only listened to her grandmother.
“You…” Cheng Shi was so angry that she hit Zhao Xiaocao on the back twice when her thoughts were exposed. “You brat, you think you’re the only one with a temper? You’re such a cowardly, unfilial son!”
"Enough! Why are you hitting the child for no reason?" Zhao Xiangnan walked in carrying a bundle of chopped firewood.
He threw the firewood under the stove, then took out a bundle of unchopped firewood.
Zhao Xiaocao had originally hoped that his father would say something, but to his surprise, he didn't say anything at all.
She felt a pang of disappointment. Oh well, she didn't expect her father to do anything for her anyway.
Tao was busy washing and chopping vegetables when she heard this, and she weakly advised, "Third daughter-in-law, don't be angry during the New Year. Mother will be unhappy if she sees this later."
Cheng muttered resentfully: If she's unhappy, she's unhappy. This woman has never been happy with her!
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