She actually treats this worthless thing, which no one would even want as a gift, like a treasure?
She could even afford to buy rubber bands that cost two cents each at the supply and marketing cooperative.
The thought that all the money spent was squeezed out of her own pocket made Chen Fengjiao feel waves of heartache!
"Oh dear, Fengjiao, what's wrong? You don't look well. Should we go to the town hospital to get it checked out?"
Chen Fengjiao snapped out of her daze, looked at Chen Yunyun with a complicated expression, and after a long while said, "Yunyun, let me go home with you. There's something I want to tell you."
After saying that, Chen Fengjiao tried to help Chen Yunyun carry the bag in her hand.
Chen Yunyun could easily see through her plan, and said with a smile, "Perfect timing, you're coming to my house for dinner, I'll be cooking something delicious tonight. Oh, and could you go home first and bring some more money? Five yuan is too little, it's really not enough!"
Chen Fengjiao paused. She had indeed secretly hoped to get a free meal from Chen Yunyun's house, but she was unwilling to pay for it.
A sense of annoyance and resentment arose in her heart. "Yunyun, why do you keep talking about money? I just lent you five yuan yesterday, and you've already spent it all."
Chen Yunyun tilted her head, "Feng Jiao, you taught me all of this. Didn't you say that women should spend their money as soon as possible?"
"I think you're absolutely right! I'll borrow from you again when I run out of money! We're friends, after all!"
Chen Fengjiao's face had turned a greenish-blue color, and for the first time she experienced what it felt like to have her own backfire.
"Yunyun, you've changed..." Chen Fengjiao coldly uttered these words, then turned and walked away. Looking at her back, there was a hint of panicked escape in her eyes.
Chen Yunyun stood there shaking her head. How could someone like this be the original owner's best friend? The word "greed" was practically written all over her forehead; only the original owner couldn't see it.
After bringing the children into the house, Chen Yunyun turned around and bolted the door shut.
After placing the sleeping Sanwa on the mattress and covering him with a blanket, Chen Yunyun hurried to the kitchen to get busy.
Ever since Chen Yunyun overheard Aunt Li next door complaining about the smell of meat, she has been paying extra attention.
Every time we cook, we block the chimney and eat in the kitchen so that we can't smell anything outside.
Niu Niu skillfully started a fire, and the branches that Da Wa had collected were placed in the yard to dry. When they were burned by the fire, they made a crisp crackling sound.
Peel off all the green outer shells of the chestnuts you've collected, revealing round, brown fruits. The outer brown layer is the chestnut shell.
While Da Wa was peeling chestnuts, Chen Yunyun used a kitchen knife to make a slit in each chestnut before throwing the slit chestnuts into the fire to roast.
When the chestnuts were handed to her next, Chen Yunyun simply peeled them.
The smooth chestnut flesh is orange-yellow, and each small chestnut looks especially adorable on the porcelain white plate.
Half of yesterday's chicken was left over. Chen Yunyun blanched and stir-fried it, then added water and brought it to a boil. She added chestnuts, covered the pot, and continued to simmer over high heat.
While the chestnut chicken soup was simmering, the chestnuts in the fire were already roasted.
Chen Yunyun used pliers to scoop out the dusty chestnuts, put them in a bamboo sieve, and a sweet chestnut aroma wafted into her nose.
She peeled the chestnuts and gave one to each of Niu Niu and Da Wa. The rich chestnut aroma filled their mouths, and after biting into the chestnuts, the soft and sweet chestnut meat melted on their lips and tongues.
Niu Niu's eyes lit up as she ate, and Da Wa didn't need her to tell him what to do. Once he got the sweet treat, he would peel the shells himself, even if his fingers got burned red.
Worried that the children might have trouble digesting if they ate too much, Chen Yunyun put away the bamboo basket and planned to keep the roasted chestnuts as a snack.
The chicken soup in the iron pot was boiling, and the chicken and chestnuts, after being stewed at high temperature, emitted a rich and tempting aroma.
After Niu Niu finished cooking, Chen Yunyun called her over to wash her hands and face. Seeing her stepmother washing her younger sister's hands, Da Wa fetched some cold water for herself, washed her hands, and sat down at the table.
Steaming hot chestnut chicken soup was served, and Chen Yunyun added white rice to the two children's bowls. This rice was also from the system; she lied to the children and said she bought it from the supply and marketing cooperative.
Before Chen Yunyun mentioned eating, neither of the two children picked up their chopsticks, appearing rather cautious.
The chicken soup was a bit bland on its own, so Chen Yunyun went back to the stove and made a dipping sauce.
A base of green and red chili pepper pieces, topped with garlic juice, minced ginger, and soy sauce, a pinch of coarse salt, and then hot oil poured over it—the bowl sizzles and releases the aroma of the seasonings.
"Try it." Chen Yunyun picked up some chicken, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in the bowls of the two children.
Niu Niu replied sensibly, "Thank you, Mom."
The eldest child remained silent and did not refuse the fragrant piece of chicken.
Since Chen Yunyun's time travel, the only time he called out "Mother" was on the night they encountered the wild boar, when Da Wa tried to attract her attention. After that, he never called her that again.
Even in the original owner's memories, when she hit Da Wa's thin back with a thick wooden stick, he never cried out for his mother or begged for mercy.
She strongly disagreed with Da Wa's approach. Being too hot-blooded at such a young age was not a good thing. After all, extreme rigidity is easily broken, and forcing oneself will only cause one's weakness to suffer.
So after the meal, Da Wa washed the dishes and Niu Niu swept the floor. Then Chen Yunyun called the two children to the main room and luxuriously lit two kerosene lamps, illuminating the mud house brightly.
The two little ones stared intently at Chen Yunyun, as if asking what their stepmother was up to now.
A bowl of water was placed on a wooden table, and the two children sat around it. The table was not high, so the children could see the tabletop clearly.
Chen Yunyun dipped her fingertip in water, and after a few strokes, three large characters appeared on the table.
"Starting today, I will teach you to read."
Both of their little faces were blank.
Xujia Village is very remote and has no school. Every household in the village is illiterate, so when Chen Yunyun told them to learn to read, the two children's minds went blank.
What is literacy? What is its use?
"Learning to read is very useful. Only by reading and learning to read can you have the opportunity to leave the mountains and see the wonders of the outside world. The only way to change your destiny is through reading."
Leaving the mountains and changing one's destiny?
Xu Jingrun had never heard of such a thing before. Could reading and recognizing characters really be so magical?
If he could really leave this place, could he escape his stepmother's control and take his sister to find his father?
Seeing the child's thoughtful expression, Chen Yunyun was somewhat satisfied.
Only by experiencing the vastness of the world can children avoid being confined to their current predicament, and prevent them from becoming extreme, arrogant, and willful.
In the original book, the fates of the young children were not good. They suffered too much from their ignorance of the law and fell into too many pitfalls they should not have, ultimately leading them down an extreme path.
If you study, you'll at least have one more way to protect yourself if you encounter similar situations in the future.
Of course, with her around, she would never let the contents of the book come true.
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