"How could that be! Liu Niang's heart towards us is as clear as the sun and moon!"
Zhu Jiawang blurted out, then leaned closer obsequiously and asked, "When do we eat?"
After fooling the silly child, Liu Yingying pulled Zhao Di into the kitchen, a triumphant smile playing on her lips.
Although Zhu Xiucai worked at the town's school, he only earned enough to feed his family. To think he could save fifty taels of silver was wishful thinking!
Fortunately, none of the children seemed to be very bright.
As long as you can fill your stomach first, logic and such are obviously not very important.
"Take your baskets and go up the mountain behind the village to collect some firewood. Zhaodi, come help me in the kitchen!"
After assigning tasks to the children, Liu Yingying plunged into the kitchen.
“Liu Niang, we need water to cook, but we don’t have a well. The water we got from the village chief’s house last time is all used up.” Zhao Di frowned, looking troubled.
“It’s just water, look what’s over there?” Liu Yingying pointed to the large vat in the corner.
When she changed the bathwater last time, she filled this tub as well, but none of the children noticed.
"Huh!" Zhao Di exclaimed in disbelief, "Where...where did this water come from?"
Now that things have come to this, Liu Yingying has no choice but to continue to lie through her teeth.
"Actually, I also find this strange."
Zhao Di looked at her, puzzled.
"Since the day I woke up after falling into the water, I've always dreamt of your father at night. He said that it's not easy for us, a widow and her orphans, to live like this now, and he's worried about us, wanting to do what he can to help..."
"So...so my dad filled this jar with water?"
Although Zhao Di was illiterate, she said she found it hard to believe.
However, Liu Yingying spoke with such honesty that no one dared to doubt her words.
"Of course, otherwise where would this tank of water have come from?"
Zhao Di was speechless, and nodded in shock; "Okay... alright!"
She believed whatever Liu Niang said because they were family!
Next, Liu Yingying took the lead in cooking, with Zhao Di assisting her. The two worked together harmoniously as always.
Two pots were placed on the stove; one pot was used to cook rice, and the other was used to stir-fry vegetables.
Liu Yingying washed the lean meat, chopped it into minced meat on the cutting board, and while Zhao Di wasn't paying attention, she exchanged a few shiitake mushrooms from the store, added seasonings, and mixed them together.
Add two spoonfuls of water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Squeeze out meatballs from between your thumb and forefinger, and then blanch a baby bok choy torn into strips.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with a delicious aroma.
"It smells so good!" Bao'er had arrived at the kitchen doorway without anyone noticing.
"Come on, Bao'er, try your aunt's cooking first!"
Liu Yingying smiled, picked up a meatball, blew on it to cool it down, and put it into Bao'er's mouth. Zhao Di, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but drool, but she still held back.
How could I possibly compete with a child for food?
Liu Yingying smiled and patted Bao'er's fluffy head. She then took out two bowls, scooped out half a bowl of rice and a bowl of meatball soup, and told Zhao Di to wait for her younger brothers to come back before going to Grandma Zhang's house.
Grandma Zhang felt very embarrassed when she learned that Liu Yingying had brought her food again, and that it was meatballs, something that poor people like them could only afford twice a year.
"Xiao Liu, let's save this meat for the children. I'm an old woman, practically halfway to my grave, don't waste food..."
"Please don't say that. In my opinion, all lives in this world, regardless of age, are equally precious!"
Who says that people should be abandoned by society when they get old?
How can a country or a nation have a future if it has no past?
Grandma Zhang was touched by Liu Yingying's words and stopped refusing.
After all, if one could survive, who would choose to starve to death?
After Grandma Zhang finished eating, Liu Yingying sat and chatted with her for a while.
These are all professional habits!
When she used to go to the countryside to help alleviate poverty, she would always do some psychological counseling with the elderly people left behind in the villages...
"By the way, Grandma Zhang, I'd like to ask you something..."
"What is it? Ask away," Grandma Zhang said readily.
"Chen Niu was forced into labor by the government and died. Logically, there should have been some compensation. How come your family is still living in such hardship?"
According to the laws of the Great Xia Kingdom, the families of anyone who dies or becomes disabled due to an accident while working on a government construction project are entitled to a compensation payment every year.
However, the Zhang family is now on the verge of starving to death, which makes Liu Yingying suspicious.
"Oh! Don't even mention it. Those heartless officials took advantage of the fact that we don't have a man in our family, and they denied everything, saying that there was no such person as Chen Niu on the riverbank at all."
When asked about her son's cause of death, Grandma Zhang choked up several times.
Liu Yingying was silent for a moment, then suddenly thought of something; "No, if it's a project approved by the government, then the name of every laborer involved is recorded. The Great Xia Kingdom is quite open-minded; they allow families to verify the information!"
"It's no use," Grandma Zhang said with a bitter smile. "A-Niu once mentioned it to me, saying that the reservoir project in Changning County was basically built as a water park for the prefect's private enjoyment. To ensure the upstream reservoir is full of water all year round, they even went so far as to cut off the downstream..."
Click!
Liu Yingying clenched her fists tightly.
These corrupt officials, for their own selfish interests, disregard human life and even dare to cut off the river!
If the Luohe River upstream of Furong County had not been cut off, no matter how severe the drought, the people would not have been driven to such a desperate situation!
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