Chapter 18 A Bowl of Rice Shared Among the Whole Family
During lunch, Wang Yuqing was moved to tears again.
She sat around the stone table with Grandma Ji, Ji Xuening, and Ji Daming, while Ji Xiaoming and Ji Meimei stood beside them eating with their bowls and chopsticks.
There were three dishes on the table: stir-fried radish with cured pork, boiled cabbage, and eggplant. The eggplant was probably just boiled in water with a little salt and chopped green onions and mixed in.
From the children's eyes, Wang Yuqing could tell that these three dishes were a very generous meal for them, especially Ji Meimei who said with a grin, "Oh yeah, we have lunch!"
In those days, farmers who were extremely poor did not eat lunch. From this statement, Wang Yuqing could tell that the Ji family probably rarely ate lunch.
Ji Xiaoming happily added, "It's not just wild vegetables and pickled vegetables, there's meat in it."
As for the food, she had a large bowl of fragrant rice in front of her, while Ji Xuening and Grandma Ji had porridge made from cornmeal in front of them, and the three children also had small bowls of rice made from cornmeal in their bowls.
Grandma Ji placed the radish and cured meat in front of her, her face full of kindness: "Try the fourth brother's cooking. He even added the seasonings you bought today. It smells delicious."
Ji Xiaoming stared longingly at the few pieces of cured meat inside the radish. Just as he reached for his chopsticks, Ji Daming scolded, "Xiaoming!"
He was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his hand.
Ji Meimei said softly, "The meat is for Mom, not for us, Second Brother."
These words made Wang Yuqing's throat feel sore and dry. She didn't touch her chopsticks. Grandma Ji next to her asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Is it not to your liking? We're sorry, we can't offer you anything good since it's your first time here."
After saying that, she rubbed her thumb against the chopsticks, feeling extremely ashamed.
Wang Yuqing suddenly picked up the rice in front of her and poured some into Grandma Ji's bowl, saying, "Grandma, I can't eat rice by myself. We should share it as a family."
"No, you eat it, you eat it."
Grandma Ji panicked and groped to grab Wang Yuqing's hand.
Everyone looked at Wang Yuqing in surprise. Wang Yuqing said, "Why not, Grandma? Aren't we family? If we're family, why should we have different levels of treatment? I'll eat the good stuff, and you guys will eat the bad stuff?"
Grandma Ji said, "It's not like you'll always be the one eating well from now on. To be honest, we're lucky if we can even get enough to eat. But since this is your first time visiting, you definitely need to eat something nice, especially since you've come all this way."
"That won't work either."
Wang Yuqing refused, then said seriously, "If you're not going to eat, then I won't eat either. I'll just go hungry."
In this day and age, farmers rarely get to eat decent meals throughout the year. The little bit of rice distributed by the team is saved for the New Year, while they get a big bowl of it as soon as they arrive.
This small amount of cured meat is probably something the whole family is saving for the New Year, something they can't bear to eat themselves.
If this family had treated her even slightly worse, she would have finished the whole bowl without hesitation. But, this family was just too good to her.
Grandma Ji didn't refuse anymore, and as she smiled, tears streamed down her face again.
Wang Yuqing also shared some with Ji Xiaoming and Ji Meimei. When she was sharing with Ji Daming, Ji Daming took the bowl away and lowered his head, saying, "I... I don't need it. I don't like rice."
Wang Yuqing found it amusing; this child couldn't even lie properly. She carefully examined Ji Daming, who was twelve years old, tall and thin, with delicate features. He was a bit shy, but also thoughtful, kind, and sensible.
In particular, when he got home from work, he would run excitedly to Wang Yuqing with a pen in his hand and bow deeply, saying, "Thank you, I will study hard and repay you."
After saying that, he used a slate to write a line of beautiful words on the stone: Not hitting others is a sign of good manners, and not being bullied by others is a sign of strength.
After finishing writing, he said, "This is what my dad taught us."
There was a little something hidden in this line of text: it was to prevent Wang Yuqing from misunderstanding that Ji Xiaoming had a bad temper because he got into fights, and it also to tell Wang Yuqing that Ji Xuening was a good father.
Wang Yuqing insisted on giving him a portion of rice, saying, "We should be fair and just as family members."
Ji Daming lowered his head even further, his hand holding the chopsticks awkwardly. He was the eldest child in his family, and he never thought about fairness or justice. In his subconscious, the eldest child should do more work, eat less, and give the best things to his younger siblings.
So, besides going to school, he always volunteered for chores.
After all, that's how it is for the eldest child in every family.
He glanced at Wang Yuqing furtively; her eyes were red and swollen. In his memory, even his own mother couldn't compare to her.
Wang Yuqing planned to share some with Ji Xuening. Ji Xuening noticed that there wasn't much left, so he picked up a piece of cabbage from his bowl, got up, and went to the side to squat down and eat.
Wang Yuqing walked up to him, not only picking out a large clump of rice for him, but also pouring a lot of radish and cured meat into his bowl.
Ji Xuening looked up and stared at her blankly.
Wang Yuqing wore a smile, and her bright eyes seemed to hold a pool of clear water, reflecting intelligence and kindness.
She said, "You're the head of the household, you need to eat more." How can you raise pigs and become a millionaire if you don't eat more and live a good life?
Ji Xuening quickly looked away and shoveled food into his mouth, thinking to himself, "This wife I brought home has such a beautiful smile, she's quite charming..."
Thinking about it, a blush suddenly appeared on his tanned face.
Wang Yuqing enjoyed the meal quite a bit. Firstly, Ji Xuening was a very good cook, and secondly, all the food was all-natural and unprocessed, making her feel safe eating it.
She also saw several women holding rice bowls staring at each other from the opposite high ground, whispering to each other from time to time, but they were too far away to hear what they were saying.
This news spread way too fast, didn't it?
After finishing her meal, she was about to wash the dishes herself, but Ji Daming quickly cleared away the dishes and rushed to the kitchen. Grandma Ji said, "Let Daming wash them. He took the pen you bought, and he's happy. When he's happy, he wants to find something to do."
Yingzi from next door also came out of her house, carrying basins, bowls, and chopsticks, intending to wash them in the river across the river. She glanced over here a few times, then quickly lowered her head.
The production team allowed two hours of rest at noon each day. Everyone in the Ji family had their own tasks. After eating, Ji Xuening would go to the pigsty to clean up pig manure, and then take an axe and a sickle up the mountain.
After washing the dishes, Ji Daming started doing his homework. He was reluctant to use the new pen he had just bought.
Ji Xiaoming also took a sickle to cut pig feed.
Although Grandma Ji is blind, she still sits at the door weaving bamboo baskets, and little Ji Meimei can help her by handing her bamboo.
Grandma Ji asked Wang Yuqing to sit down and chat with her, inquiring about her life at the Wang family's house. After hearing her story, she sighed repeatedly and said with heartache, "Poor child... When you come to our house in the future, Grandma will treat you like her own granddaughter."
Grandma Ji also recounted that Ji Xuening's parents were killed when he was five years old, when a cave-in occurred on the hill behind the mountain.
She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief: "That's the year I started crying my way blind."
After saying that, she took Wang Yuqing's hand and said, "Child, don't worry. We will treat you well when you come to our home. The fourth brother is a kind and gentle child. He will not treat you badly, nor would he dare to. He is not as stupid as his older brothers and sisters. He is smart and quick-witted. He served in the army before and learned a lot. Now he is the captain of our brigade's technical team. He knows a lot of technical skills... He will definitely be successful in the future."
As she spoke, she chuckled and said, "I just want to hold a great-grandparent and a grandchild as soon as possible, but I don't know if I'll live to see that day..."
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