Together with the previously fried green vegetables and the cabbage, tofu and vermicelli stew, there are a total of six dishes, which is almost enough for us to eat!
The staple food was corn grits porridge, but Bai Rong added some rice for fear that it would not be enough.
The two of them brought the prepared food to the table in the main room.
"Xiao Nian and Xiao Kai, stop working, wash your hands and eat!"
"Okay, auntie, I'll be right there!"
Tian Kai piled up the last bundle of firewood in his hand, then clapped his hands and walked towards the washbasin in the yard.
"Um!"
Zhang Sinian just nodded lightly.
He put down the axe, stood up, scooped a few large ladles of water from the large vat in the kitchen, and poured them into the washbasin.
The two took turns washing their hands and faces before entering the main room.
The house was filled with the aroma of food, and the two were indeed hungry after running for a few days.
"What are you standing there for? Sit down quickly. Are you hungry?"
Bai Rong quickly asked the two to sit down and took out chopsticks to distribute food to them.
"Hey hey hey....good auntie, it smells so good!"
Tian Kai sniffed the aroma of food that filled the room.
"Xiao Kai, this is your first time at our house. I don't know what you like to eat, so I just made something. I don't know if it suits your taste. Please try it..."
As he spoke, he handed over a large bowl of white rice.
"It looks good, and it must taste delicious. This is your cooking skill, Auntie!"
Tian Kai took the rice with a smile, raised his thumb, and praised it generously, which made Bai Rong laugh.
"Eat it first. If you run out later, there's more in the pot!"
Bai Rong gave Tian Kai some advice.
"Okay, thank you, auntie!"
Then he scooped out a large bowl of white rice and handed it to his son Zhang Sinian.
"Xiao Nian, this is yours. Eat more. Look how thin you've become!"
When it was finally the mother and daughter's turn, Bai Rong served each of them a bowl of corn porridge.
Seeing this, the two people opposite stopped eating and stared at the mother and daughter, feeling a little ashamed.
How could these two grown men have the nerve to eat rice and let two women drink porridge?
"Mom, is there no rice at home?"
Zhang Sinian frowned and asked the first question.
He was away from home all year round and didn't know the situation at home, so he sent back the allowances and subsidies he usually received.
He originally thought that life would be easier for the mother and daughter, but given the current situation, he was no longer sure.
"Eat it quickly! It won't taste good if it gets cold! This corn porridge is Xinxin and I's favorite!"
Bai Rong did not answer his question directly, but changed the subject.
"Mom, is there something wrong at home?"
Zhang Sinian continued to ask.
Looking at the wound on his little sister's head, he guessed that something must have happened at home and his mother didn't want him to worry, so she kept it a secret.
Bai Rong paused. She couldn't hide anything from her son. Not knowing where to start, she fell into deep thought and sat there without saying a word.
"Mom, if you don't tell me, I won't eat it either!"
They are all family, and Zhang Sinian couldn't bear to eat rice while his mother and sister ate corn porridge.
"Auntie, are you in trouble?"
Tian Kai took a mouthful of rice and asked.
"Hey! It's a long story! Let's eat first, and we'll talk after dinner!"
Bai Rong finally sighed, said nothing more, picked up the corn grits porridge and started eating.
After dinner, Zhang Xinxin and Bai Rong cleaned up the dishes together. Tian Kai and Zhang Sinian wanted to help, but Bai Rong didn't let them.
Bai Rong has a special feeling for soldiers, including Zhang Weiguo, Zhang Sinian, and Tian Kai.
A soldier's hands are used to protect the people and defend the country on the battlefield. She couldn't bear to let her son worry about these little things.
After the two of them cleaned all the pots, pans, and spoons, the family sat together and talked about what had happened recently.
"Your grandmother and aunt are still making trouble even when you're not home. You know their morals. They often come to your house to cause trouble and steal things and money!"
Family disgrace should not be made public. Tian Kai was still alive. Although Bai Rong didn't want to talk about it, she still slowly told the story of the Zhang family's dirty deeds.
"A few days ago, they heard from somewhere that your allowances and subsidies in the army had increased, and they insisted on forcing me to increase their pensions."
Zhang Sinian also knew about the disgusting appearance of the family in the old house. He did not doubt what Bai Rong said at all.
"Your father has not been home for so many years, and I have been providing him with pension money and taking care of the old couple."
From a very young age, he knew that his mother had been enduring. If she had not been waiting for his father to come back, she would have taken them away long ago.
"They're still not satisfied and want to raise the price from five yuan to ten yuan."
As she spoke, Bai Rong's eyes were filled with hatred.
If it wasn't for the two children and waiting for Zhang Weiguo to come back, what was the point of her staying here?
"A dozen dollars is not a dollar. Are we going to have nothing to eat or drink?"
She still has to save money for her two children! Will her son marry without money? Or will her daughter marry without saving a dowry?
Besides, they have already taken away most of her husband’s pension, what else does she want?
"Just because I didn't give her money, she ran into the house to steal it!"
Bai Ren gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger, his eyes slightly red.
"Not only did your grandmother hit you, but your aunt also tried to do something behind your back. Luckily, Xinxin saw it and blocked it. The poor kid got a hole in his head..."
Having said that, the three of them looked at Zhang Xinxin's head at the same time.
"Does it still hurt, Xinxin?"
Bai Rong pulled Zhang Xinxin over with tears on her face and asked with concern.
"Mom, it doesn't hurt anymore, it's much better, don't cry anymore, crying too much is bad for your eyes!"
Zhang Xinxin quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her red eyes and whispered a few words of comfort to her.
Zhang Sinian sat there and listened to everything. He didn't show it on his face, but he was actually gritting his teeth with hatred.
He felt a little regretful. At that time, he was only concerned with finding his father and was anxious to join the army, and did not consider the situation of his mother and sister.
As a result, they have been living in dire straits and suffering in recent years. Alas...
Yu Lanhua, Lihua, and Zhang Baoguo's family really deserve to die...
He planned to secretly visit his grandparents and his uncle and aunt's family in the evening.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that Zhang Xinxin had already dealt with them.
Recently, it was because of Zhang Xinxin that they had no time to come and cause trouble.
"How can these people be so vicious! They bully you and your daughter while Brother Nian is not at home. How despicable!"
Even Tian Kai who was standing by couldn't stand it anymore.
The pitiful look of the little girl opposite him made him feel distressed.
A teenage girl must feel very uncomfortable after being hurt like this by her relatives!
"Let's not talk about this anymore. I heard that they seem to have suffered retribution recently. It's spreading all over the village!"
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