Chapter 264

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Dinner was eaten rather perfunctorily.

Chai Zhongxiao only ate those three meat dumplings. Wang Huirong, on the other hand, made a large basin of Chinese cabbage dumplings.

Although there was no oil or fat to speak of, they had endured bitter days before; this bit of hardship didn't count as too terrible.

At least they could still eat their fill.

After finishing the meal, they simply tidied up the chopsticks a bit, and that was the end of it.

After all, the family didn't even have bowls anymore.

It saved an extreme amount of trouble.

Chai Zhongxiao still smoked, puff puff. Amid the smoky and fiery air, Chai Zhongxiao wore a face full of worry.

The famine is too severe; it can't be repaid.

The several sons seem to hold no hope; of the several daughters, one died, one doesn't associate with the family, the only one left is Chai Chunwei...

Chai Zhongxiao secretly called her, but Chai Chunwei started cursing first, saying it was just because she returned home for a trip that her husband lost his job...

She cursed in an especially ugly way.

Chai Zhongxiao couldn't get a word in edgewise, so the matter of borrowing money was dropped.

Now, Chai Zhongxiao felt he had become a solitary ruler with no kin — no money when he needed money, nothing when he needed anything.

So, Chai Zhongxiao felt very dejected.

"Hubby, wash your feet?"

"It's the height of summer, wash what the hell feet? Is the firewood at home free? Can you gather firewood or pick up chicken manure? If you burn up all the firewood, I'll chop you up and burn you!" Chai Zhongxiao immediately let loose a torrent of abuse.

Wang Huirong didn't dare talk back, sitting silently at the Kang Tou.

She was just saying it casually.

After all, the family not only had almost no firewood left, even the basin for washing feet had long since been smashed by Chai Zhongxiao.

The current Laozhai, to describe it with the phrase 'home with four bare walls' — even that phrase feels a bit deliberately made difficult.

Chai Zhongxiao smoked, cursing Wang Huirong from time to time.

Wang Huirong just endured it.

After all, Chai Zhongxiao is the family's mainstay; with Chai Zhongxiao around, Wang Huirong can at least eat; if Chai Zhongxiao were gone, Wang Huirong would starve to death.

As mentioned earlier, Wang Huirong is still a foot-bound Old Man; she can't do a single bit of work in the crop fields.

She only knows how to cook.

In the past, all the family's work was done by Chai Mi's parents — Chai Youqing and Su Wan.

Spring planting, autumn harvest, going up the mountain and down to the river — all the work was done by Chai Mi's parents.

Chai Zhongxiao only needed to lie at home, and the grain would come.

You could say Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong only needed to plant one grain of millet in spring, and the autumn harvest was guaranteed.

Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong only needed to provide the seed; afterward, come autumn, the Courtyard of the Laozhai would be piled full of corn, sorghum, and grain.

Just like it came for no reason at all.

So the two of them didn't know the hardship of plowing.

Even more, they didn't know that this money comes by no easy means.

Now, not only is there no money, they've even pulled a famine.

There's no one to do the family's work anymore.

The crops in the fields are about to dry up and die, but Chai Youqing only watered his own land.

Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong, who had originally hoped for a harvest in autumn, now feel the sky has fallen.

With a famine, repayment can be avoided.

But if there's no harvest in autumn, how will they get through next year?

They'll starve to death.

Given Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong's current state of zero integrity, borrowing money is impossible — no one would lend to them.

Once the family's remaining surplus grain is eaten up, they'll really have to drink the northwest wind and eat dust storms.

"Want some tea water?" Wang Huirong asked.

"Drink."

"There's no tea leaves left."

"Then why did you mention that stinky ozone layer thing?"

After a few simple exchanges, the Wu Zi fell into silence again.

Days passing to this state, it's also hard to find a reference boyfriend.

People often say, 'comparing upward is insufficient, comparing downward leaves a surplus.'

Now Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong want to compare downward and have a surplus, but they can't even find that 'downward'...

"How about I go borrow some tea leaves?" Wang Huirong asked tentatively.

Chai Zhongxiao sighed, turned, ran to the Kang East side, lifted the Kang mat, and underneath there was ten-some Yuan/Dollar.

This money was hidden by Che Lianyun's second son Chai Erwei...

Because Chai Erwei often stayed in Chai Zhongxiao's room at the Laozhai, this money was just placed here.

Chai Zhongxiao took out three yuan with some shame and handed it to Wang Huirong: "Go buy a catty of tea leaves."

Wang Huirong stared greedily at the remaining few yuan and asked: "Want to buy some oil too?"

"How can you be so shameless? That greedy?" Chai Zhongxiao cursed grumpily: "You already stole the eldest grandson's pocket money, what more do you want?"

Wang Huirong had to give up; taking advantage that the sky wasn't completely dark yet, she took the three yuan and went to the small shop.

However, very quickly, Wang Huirong came back.

She came back empty-handed.

"Why are you back again?" Chai Zhongxiao asked with a frown.

"That damn Da Lao Song, he won't sell!!! I gave him money, and he still won't sell!!!" Wang Huirong said viciously: "Da Lao Song said: Wang Huirong, our two families, we'll have nothing to do with each other till death. From now on you walk your single-plank bridge, I'll cross my Yangguan Pass. You gave money alright, but I just won't sell... what can you do to me?"

Chai Zhongxiao: "..."

Forget it.

At worst, we just don't drink tea.

But, not drinking tea, no energy.

Rural people do heavy physical labor; most of the time, to relieve fatigue, they drink some black tea.

Chai Zhongxiao is no exception; he also drinks some tea. Although he doesn't do much work, he's been drinking tea for a long time and gotten used to it; suddenly missing a couple of meals without it would also be extremely uncomfortable.

Chai Zhongxiao held the tea bowl, drinking scalding plain boiled water, and couldn't help feeling life was miserable.

Wang Huirong saw this and said with what looked like heartache: "Husband, can you drink this? How about... I go out and borrow some tea leaves?"

Chai Zhongxiao made no sound, just threw away his cigarette and stopped smoking...

But after a moment, he lit another one, puffing away, the smoky haze numbing himself.

After a long while, Chai Zhongxiao finally said slowly: "How about... we sell the land?"

"Sell the land?" Wang Huirong widened her eyes, looking at Chai Zhongxiao with some disbelief.

"Our ancestors left a dying wish: starve to death, but never sell the land. Besides, the land isn't ours now anyway; it belongs to the state, how can we sell it?"

"When the land was allocated, it was thirty years unchanged; we can just rent it out..."

On the other side, Chai Xiu ran back home with quick little steps, thief-fast; in a few steps she was back.

But Chai Xiu, back home, didn't go claim credit from Chai Mi; instead she continued silently tending the fire.

After all, the dishes weren't done stir-frying yet.

Chai Mi quickly finished stir-frying the dishes too, carrying them to the table.

The whole family eating dumplings together neatly happened often, but a time as happy as today was truly rare.

"Xiu'er, Grandpa and Grandma didn't praise you?" Chai Mi asked with a smile.

"They did. Praised me for having a good sister." Chai Xiu hehe'd with a grin, revealing a mouthful of little white teeth.

"Silly girl, eat more dumplings, grow tall. Grow tall and strong, then when you go out you can beat whoever hits you." Chai Mi said with a smile.

Su Wan frowned, thinking this Chai Mi really gave her little sister no good ideas; how could she teach Chai Xiu to hit people?

The dumplings were very hot; several people ate with great gusto.

Chai Mi even took a bottle of wine and handed it to Chai Youqing, signaling he could drink a little today.

Chai Youqing poured himself a small cup and drank on his own.

After a while, Chai Youqing finally couldn't hold back and asked: "That... just now Xiu'er took those three dumplings and went to the front courtyard?"

"Mm." Chai Xiu nodded.

Chai Youqing froze for a moment, then couldn't help a wry laugh.

Chai Youqing had actually already given up on Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong, feeling these parents were truly outrageous; from the family split to now, they were outrageous beyond measure.

He had grown cold-hearted toward the two of them.

But thinking Chai Xiu was still young and shouldn't learn from Chai Mi, he said: "Xiu'er, adults' business. You're still small; don't meddle in the future."

Chai Xiu nodded obediently again.

"Dad, I think you're overthinking. Everyone knows perfectly well what the old house is like now. Grandma sits in the room with nothing to do but scold me; am I supposed to just listen? I didn't provoke her; isn't she just picking a fight? No matter how you put it, their days going badly has not a cent to do with me. I follow one principle: whoever provokes me, I'll deal with them."

"Sigh... your grandparents are like this now. There's no need to kick them while they're down, right?" Chai Youqing said with a sigh.

Chai Mi was in a good mood today and couldn't be bothered to argue with Chai Youqing over this. She picked up a dumpling with chopsticks and put it in Song Qiushui's bowl: "Eat more. Later you can help me and my grandma fight."

Song Qiushui hehehe'd with a grin: "Don't worry, sister; not to mention other things, I won't do good deeds, but bad deeds I don't need to be taught — self-taught talent. Right, can I also have a couple sips?"

"Forget it; in a bit you won't have to go tend the steamer baskets?"

"Go go go."

Chai Mi ate very slowly; she always chewed slowly and thoroughly, but Song Qiushui ate thief-fast; when eating happily she'd gulp down water in big mouthfuls while babbling on her own about another cup.

"Delicious, fragrant."

Song Qiushui alone polished off a small steamer-lid's worth of dumplings, and still hadn't eaten her fill.

And after eating up all the garlic cloves she'd peeled herself, she still didn't care about her image, picked up garlic cloves and started eating them.

The rest of the people didn't eat little either.

As a result, Chai Mi had originally planned to send some dumplings to her eldest aunt, but now not a single one was left.

Could only send them next time.

"Qiushui, people say a half-grown boy eats his father poor. I feel, with the way you eat, your family will go bankrupt from feeding you sooner or later." Chai Mi teased.

"Hmph, as if our family isn't bankrupt already."

Chai Mi was speechless.

Now, Song Qiushui's family didn't seem too optimistic either.

In previous years Song Qiushui also spent money, but absolutely not as recklessly as this year; otherwise in the past, she didn't go to the Meng clan's apricot forest much. But this year she actually had to go get apricot kernels to exchange for money.

"That's why I have to rally and work hard to earn money," Song Qiushui declared solemnly.

But even Su Wan, who rarely spoke, didn't quite believe her words.

After all, it sounded a bit too fake.

Whenever Song Qiushui wanted to make an effort and struggle once, the Song Family had to be poor for at least half a month...

Assuming Song Qiushui's frequency of struggling increased, then probably before the year's end, Song Qingshan would be so poor he'd have to go begging...

"Qiu Shui, you're still young. Don't worry about earning money or anything; just take good care of your health. Earning money is men's work; a young lady like you shouldn't think too much," Su Wan said with a smile. "Wait until you're married off, then you can work."

Go ruin your in-laws' family; otherwise, if Song Qingshan goes bankrupt, Chai Mi would still have to lend him money...

"Ah... Aunt, you don't believe me?"

"Stop making trouble; we all believe you. The problem is, whatever you do, you lose money? Catching fish you lost seven or eight hundred, catching scorpions you lost another seven or eight hundred, this time going to catch crabs, how much do you plan to lose?"

Song Qiushui pouted; she also knew that every time she came up short, and this time she had decided to just catch a few crabs to eat, absolutely not entertaining the thought of catching crabs to earn money.

"Let's change the topic..." Song Qiushui shamelessly refused to discuss this anymore: "I heard people say crabs are really delicious. Just how to put it... a delicacy of the human world, incredibly fresh and bright."

Song Qiushui had never eaten crab.

Not only had she never eaten it, she had never even seen a crab.

The local conditions here were really quite harsh; it hadn't rained properly for many days, the river water was almost cut off, and crabs couldn't be bothered staying in this Liaoxi corner.

(Crab: Do you know how bitter my life is? There's no river at all, yet I'm forced to stay! And the damn problem is there's still a bitch who wants to eat me...)

"My mom said, crabs go with alcohol, the more you eat the more you have."

"Hehehe, your mom really knows a lot." Chai Mi laughed too: "But it's true that soaking crabs in baijiu is useful. As for whether they taste good or not, I don't know either."

Chai Mi had eaten crab in her previous life.

But she always felt that thing had no meat, and eating it was too troublesome.

And things like crab roe were very small too; the taste was indeed average.

Of course, this also had something to do with Chai Mi's straitened circumstances; she didn't have money to buy big crabs, and ate only those extremely cheap small crabs.

Not delicious, that was normal.

"Steamed clear or pickled in soup broth, it should be quite tasty. But the key should be that soup broth; you'd need to find someone who knows how to mix it. Anyway, I won't; at most I'll steam a few for you to taste when the time comes." Chai Mi spoke and began preparing to clear the table.

After clearing the table, Song Qiushui still wanted to drink some tea, but was dragged away by Chai Mi to prepare to go set the traps.

"Let's go, what are you spacing out for?" Chai Mi pushed the bicycle, preparing to set off.

Song Qiushui froze for a moment, then slapped her forehead: "Wait, you don't have ground traps?"

"No."

"I don't have any either."

Chai Mi was dumbfounded: "Hey, then why didn't you have your dad weave a few ground traps for you?"

"I thought your family had some."

Chai Mi sighed: Forget it, this guy only knows how to eat, does nothing else.

With no other choice, Chai Mi could only call out to Chai Xiu: "Xiu'er, come out for a bit, weave a few ground traps for us."

Chai Xiu walked out with a blank face, looked at Chai Mi, then at Song Qiushui, and became even more blank: "Eldest Sister, having me deliver dumplings was fine, having me tend the fire was fine, but you want me to weave ground traps? I don't know how."

Chai Xiu really didn't know how.

She had never even seen what a ground trap looked like.

"I know you don't know. But you're smart; I'll explain how to weave this ground trap, and you'll get it..."

Chai Xiu looked utterly hopeless: Look at this, is what my Eldest Sister saying human speech? She obviously knows how to do it, she just wants me to do the work.

Chai Mi gestured with her hands and explained for half a day, finally asking Chai Xiu: "Xiu'er, did you understand?"

"No."

"Do you want to eat crab tomorrow at noon?"

"Eldest Sister, now that you put it that way, I suddenly kind of get it. Seems like it's just two presses one, three presses four, four presses three, two presses three, one presses four, and finally add a rope and it's done."