"Oh my!"
Sister-in-law Li was really surprised: "How co your little brain is so clever?"
She then asked Gu Ping, who was quietly pouring tea:
"Gu Ping, how’s it going living at your Uncle Shi’s house? And what about the others? Why are it just the two of you?"
The others were at ho too, but they were tidying up in the backyard. That’s the benefit of having a big courtyard—
"The team said we could raise little chicks, Aunt is setting up the coop in the back with them!"
Da Dan showed a simple, honest smile.
...
Only seven chickens, and according to Chu River’s idea, of course you should buy seven and kill them, then buy seven more and kill them, and then buy...
Seven spots, not a single one should be wasted! Strive for 365 days a year, cycling through each day.
Da Dan exclaid, "Whoa!"
"Aunt! Are you burning money or what?"
This ti, all the kids stood on the opposite side of Chu River. Back ho, having a chicken egg was a luxury, but living with Uncle Shi, they could buy chicken every day!
Can ordinary folks really live like this?
Even the chairman doesn’t eat like this!
Without Da Dan’s support, proving this dish couldn’t be made, Chu River could only settle for less: "Then... let’s not save the eggs. Six hens take two or three months to lay eggs, just two a day, which is only 12 eggs. We have seven people, and can’t even have one each morning and night... What’s the point of saving them!"
Even Daya showed disdain for Aunt’s exploitative mindset:
"Aunt, getting one egg a day is good enough, and you want them to lay two every day... Let’s not talk oppression these days!"
Chu River: ...
"This won’t work, that won’t work, since that’s the case, let’s buy more eggs, what’s the point of saving them? Everyone gets one egg a day!"
She educated the kids: "As long as the money is right, whatever you want, others will save it for you. Want to get rich from eggs? Better borrow another 500 years from heaven!"
"Money is ant to be spent!"
Such a typical capitalist brainwashing saying, but in this day and age, not one child would buy into it, thus the kids sighed maturely in unison.
Even the youngest Gu An touched his plastered leg—
Originally, he consulted his brother to save up wages with Aunt, but seeing this, Aunt isn’t good at managing the household!
Forget it.
Money felt more secure when kept with oneself.
It’s just uncertain, if they studied more and got high grades on tests, would Aunt reward them again?
The brothers put their heads together, struggled to use addition and subtraction under 10, to calculate their ssy savings, and were quite confident at the mont.
...
Building chicken coops nowadays marked Chu River admitting defeat in the chicken raising market and egg saving business.
She was sulking, stacking stones to build chicken coops, while complaining:
"It’s so hot, what’s the point of chicken coops?"
Yun Baoni thought for a mont: "Aunt, chickens laying eggs is like adults having babies, they need to be in the mood, maybe once they have a ho they’ll want to produce more."
Chu River thought about it—
There’s so truth to that!
Looking at the girls in the village, before getting married no one wants to have many, but after marriage, one, two, three, four... Having kids is just like laying eggs, isn’t it?
She then set up the racks again.
And Daya gave Yun Baoni a smile of approval, which was t with a very smug smile from her.
Gu An was sitting there with yellow mud—bricks and tiles were precious resources these days, couldn’t be used for chicken coops, so they used mud bricks, then plastered with yellow mud on the outside—
It just needs to look like sothing.
"Aunt, soone seems to be calling you from the front."
Chu River also heard it—"They’re chatting with Da Dan and Gu Ping."
She understood.
After all, having so many kids at ho, Sister-in-law Li has the responsibility to ask more about the kids’ current situation, so she didn’t show up.
Chu River thought, this is the grown-up world!
Complex.
...
The conversation in the front courtyard had indeed reached a new stage.
Sister-in-law Li was shocked to find—
Gu Ping and Da Dan seed a bit rounder!
Then asked about last night’s dinner—what a surprise, braised wild duck with old cucumber, fried eggs with green peppers, and garlic amaranth!
These are all solid dishes!
Captain Shi... does he have such a strong foundation?
Still it was Sister Liu, who ca along, asking more:
"So did you eat cucumbers or did you eat duck?"
Gu Ping had suffered quite a bit before, now he could read adults’ faces well, and at this mont exchanged glances with Da Dan, quickly showing a satisfied smile:
"We ate duck, and cucumber too—used six old cucumbers, stewed till tender, tastes just like at!"
Old cucumbers aren’t like fresh ones, they grow thick, big, and long, usually one or two are enough for stews.
This family, one wild duck with six old cucumbers...
Everyone understood.
How’s that? To let all family mbers taste the flavor of at, you had to put in plenty of ingredients.
Sister-in-law Li’s smile beca even brighter: "Then I guess, your fried eggs with green peppers must have more peppers than eggs."
Da Dan stated the truth: "Thirty big green peppers, five eggs—I can count!"
Understood.
Everyone knew deep down.
Captain Shi is a sincere person, raising kids not on plain porridge and wild vegetables without a touch of oil, but rather creating conditions, to make tasty food for the kids.
As for the chef—no need to ask? Surely it’s Captain Shi’s sister, Teacher Xiao Chu!
Oh, seeing it this way, apart from the fact that this girl eats a bit too much, she really knows how to manage this household. She’s so virtuous!
For a mont, several sisters-in-law were already calculating in their minds—as soon as the girl becos a bit fairer, maybe we should find her a match?
A 16-year-old girl should start thinking about these things. But she does eat too much, and ordinary families probably can’t afford that. However, well-off worker families would want to choose soone pretty...
Thinking about how Teacher Xiao Chu is now a little fairer, but still appears small and thin...
The sisters-in-law remained suspiciously silent.
As for Captain Shi...
Sister-in-law Li showed a aningful smile.
...
After inquiring about the children’s situation, they noticed that Gu Ping and Da Dan were wearing identical vests and shorts, evidently newly made.
The aunts felt a poignant warmth in their hearts—Captain Shi is indeed a good man!
Thinking back to the sewing machine that was delivered so ti ago, they initially thought Captain Shi ca from a wealthy family, but who would have expected that he was so noble, doing it all for the children?
They were well aware of the situation of the three martyrs’ children. Now, their legs have been treated, new clothes are provided, and their faces have so flesh...
Not bad at all. He’s indeed a first-class good man!
Sister-in-law Li’s smile deepened:
"Da Dan, see if your aunt is done with her work? Let’s chat!"
Another Sister Liu was quicker to speak:
"Gu Ping, from now on, you’ll have an aunt at ho, and your days will be even better!"
Gu Ping was puzzled: "We already call Da Dan’s aunt ’aunt’!"
The sisters-in-law laughed.
"That’s different. That’s just what you call her. When a real aunt cos, it’ll be different."
Da Dan was a bit confused, yet sowhat seed to understand.
—Did they an they were planning to set up Uncle with soone?
Sigh.
Well, set up then.
Uncle only has an average earning ability; they mainly rely on Aunt to support them.
...
Nowadays the weather is too hot, so everyone sat under the shade of the corridor, enjoying a cool breeze that drifted through. Each person sipped a cup of tea while fanning away mosquitoes and adding a refreshing gust of wind...
So delightful!
The children were busy excitedly setting up poles and fastening ropes, while Chu River wrung out the thick, heavy coarse cloth bed sheet and laid it on.
The vegetable plot imdiately felt cool and pleasant.
Da Dan was also quite satisfied—giving the vegetables so breathing room today ant they’d surely grow better tomorrow!
However, as for other chores...
Aunt said it was too hot in the afternoon, so if they didn’t take a nap, they should occupy themselves with learning, reading books.
Learning was out of the question; Little Xuan had just received new clothes and was planning to go back and change.
Without the teacher, who wouldn’t want to procrastinate a bit!
Tracing pictures and polishing chains were a way better use of ti than studying.
While the kids were busy hustling indoors, only Da Dan was diligently learning—helplessly, since the adults weren’t any good at managing the household, the burden would fall to him in the future.
But the problem was, he could only handle adding and subtracting numbers up to 10, while the family account book and deposits all involved three-digit numbers...
He couldn’t calculate any of it!
He could only ask the clever kid, Little Xuan, to teach him so basic arithtic, and now he was tackling the 99 multiplication table with determination.
anwhile, outside, Chu River was surrounded by a group of enthusiastic sisters-in-law, receiving their warm concern.
One grabbed her hand, feeling the rough palms and calluses, as well as the traces of winter cracks, and beca visibly emotional, with tears welling up in her eyes:
"Child, with so many people to feed and take care of at ho every day, can you still manage on your own?"
...
Chu River was montarily confused.
Well... why wouldn’t she be able to manage?
From today on, it seed she had nothing much to do.
Sleeping in, having a hearty al, lounging until mid-afternoon before heading to the shady backyard to stack chicken coops...
Other than that, she didn’t do anything else!
Household chores were all divided and done collaboratively by everyone, and they did them quite well without needing her at all!
Rembering what Shi Suifeng had advised her not to ntion about not doing any work, she replied modestly, "It’s okay, the kids help too, not too tiring..."
Saying it like that made her seem even more honest.
The sisters-in-law looked at her hands and thought: her hands are so rough, truly...
But the child is honest, and the elders can only appreciate that.
Sister-in-law Li smiled with a deeper aning: "Chu River, it’s indeed exhausting for you to always be the only one doing the household chores. Didn’t your brother ntion finding soone to help you share the burden?"
Chu River beca alert.
—Did they want to hire a nanny?
Would this count as exploitation? Were they here to find faults?
She sternly replied, "No, no, I can manage on my own!"
Sister Liu gave Sister Li a glance: "See your bad habit, always speaking so vaguely... you scared the child!"
She was straightforward: "Little He, don’t you want to have a sister-in-law?"
Chu River: ...
Oh.
She got it.
They were there to find a match for Shi Suifeng!
This is a question she knew how to handle! She had experience!
"What kind of match are you introducing? Would any girl be willing?"
It’s fine if another person cos to help with the work, but they must be capable and able to earn money. Otherwise, having to feed another person with the family’s money and food would be quite painful.
Reviews
All reviews (0)