Chapter 467: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 467: Why Are You So Slow!

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

The next day Li Xiulan got up before dawn.

Today she was going to the county town to attend her son's scholarship award ceremony, a joyous and auspicious day.

But no matter how special the day was, the chores at home still could not be neglected.

So she had to get up earlier than usual.

She took the leftover rice, mixed it with rice bran, first fed the chickens, then cooked a large pot of congee, then washed clothes, and after washing the clothes, went to the vegetable garden to water it, picking some vegetables to bring back along the way.

Then she made breakfast and cleaned the house.

Only after breakfast was ready did Wang Zhanggen slowly get out of bed.

The two ate breakfast; Zhang Zhongtian had not yet arrived, so Wang Zhanggen went into the room to change clothes, while Li Xiulan took some of the congee cooked that morning, stirred in extra rice bran congee, and put it in the chicken coop so the chickens would not go hungry at noon.

Going to the county town today would definitely take all day; they would not be back until at least five or six in the afternoon.

Fortunately, they no longer raised pigs or cattle at home, otherwise they would not know how to solve the lunch for those large beasts.

"Hurry up, stop dawdling!"

Li Xiulan was preparing feed for the chickens in the coop when Wang Zhanggen, already dressed in an old suit, walked out of the room and urged her impatiently.

"What are you rushing for? Hasn't Zhang Zhongtian not come yet?"

Li Xiulan rolled her eyes.

Wang Zhanggen continued to accuse her:

"You dawdle at everything. If Mr. Zhang Zhongtian arrives, are you going to make him wait for you? Hurry and wash your hands and feet, then hurry and change clothes, and don't make yourself smell of chicken manure!"

Li Xiulan said unhappily:

"All you do is blame me, and I don't see you coming to help!"

Wang Zhanggen said coldly:

"Is that a man's job?"

He said this with great self-righteousness.

Although he no longer worked as a mud worker because of his illness, he would not do a single chore at home.

These days when Li Xiulan went to the construction site, he would rather go hungry himself than eat until she finished her small worker shift and came back to cook for him.

The meals Li Xiulan hastily cooked could not possibly taste good.

He would then criticize them at length.

Li Xiulan generally pretended not to hear what he said. If Wang Zhanggen said to add more salt, stir-fry over high heat, and not boil in water, she would still use that little salt next time and still make boiled vegetables.

Eat it or not, don't eat it then, cook it yourself if you don't eat it.

"Right, right, right, you're a man, you don't have to do anything. Wait until the day I'm not home, see if you don't starve to death!"

Li Xiulan muttered unhappily.

Wang Zhanggen said:

"If you're not home, I'll go freeload at Zhang Zhongtian's house!"

"Would Mr. Zhang Zhongtian let you freeload food and drink?"

"Why wouldn't he? My son got into Tsinghua University now. If I go to his house for a meal, it's his honor. He'd welcome me before he could even wait! He wouldn't just let me freeload food and drink, he'd treat me to good wine and good dishes! Just like this time, I said not to hold a banquet, but he insisted on taking the initiative to pay for us to hold a banquet!"

Wang Zhanggen said this with even greater self-righteousness.

Li Xiulan was speechless for a moment and had to admit that what Wang Zhanggen said made some sense.

Now that Xiao Hua had gotten into Tsinghua University, Wang Zhanggen's status in Shangou Village was naturally different from before. Since Zhang Zhongtian was so good at socializing, he would naturally give Wang Zhanggen some face.

Just then, a white small sedan drove slowly from the village.

"Changgen, Xiulan, have you eaten breakfast? Can we set off?"

The window beside the driver's seat rolled down, and Zhang Zhongtian's head poked out, shouting with a smile to Wang Zhanggen and Li Xiulan.

Li Xiulan hurriedly said:

"Party Secretary Zhang, good morning. We just ate breakfast. I gave the chickens some rice bran. Please wait a moment, we'll leave soon!"

Zhang Zhongtian said with a happy laugh:

"Fine, fine. Go ahead and busy yourself. No rush, I'll wait."

Wang Zhanggen hurried over to hand a cigarette to Zhang Zhongtian, smiling as he said:

"Sorry, we have to make Party Secretary Zhang wait for us. This wife of mine is just like this—she dawdles at everything. No choice. I urge her, but I can't urge her to move."

Zhang Zhongtian took the cigarette and responded with a smile:

"It's fine, it's fine. There's still plenty of time."

Wang Zhanggen said:

"Why not go inside for a cup of tea? She hasn't changed clothes yet!"

Zhang Zhongtian nodded quickly:

"That works!"

Then he turned off the car, got out, and went into the house to drink tea and chat.

Li Xiulan was busy outside to the point of her hands smoking, while Wang Zhanggen acted like an old master, doing nothing, drinking tea with Zhang Zhongtian, making her feel very uneasy.

After Li Xiulan finished feeding the chickens, she felt she should bring something down to Wang Xiaohua, so she took a snake skin bag again, picked some sweet potatoes, and took one winter melon and one pumpkin.

Suddenly she thought: should she kill a chicken to bring to Xiao Hua? She was afraid he wouldn't want to spend money on meat in the county town, so bringing some chicken meat down was still very necessary.

But now, if we kill a chicken, time-wise it seems it's already a bit too late.

Because the water hasn't been boiled yet; boiling water takes at least half an hour.

Plucking feathers, gutting, chopping into pieces — that all takes quite a bit of time too.

"Forget it, how about we just take a live chicken down there!"

Li Xiulan muttered this one sentence to herself.

Then she hurried off to find a snake skin bag, used scissors to cut a few small ventilation holes in it, then went to the chicken coop and picked out the biggest, fattest rooster.

When catching the chicken, it let out "cluck cluck" cries, startling Wang Zhanggen who was sitting in the living room with legs crossed drinking tea.

Wang Zhanggen's face was full of displeasure; he walked out and asked coldly:

"What are you up to again! Say you're dawdling and you still won't admit it!"

"I'm catching a chicken to take down to Xiao Hua!"

Li Xiulan explained:

"Chickens in the county town, they're just not as tasty as the ones raised at home!"

Zhang Zhongtian also followed out, laughing heartily as he said:

"Xiao Hua's body is too frail; he really should eat more chicken to supplement himself. No rush, Xiulan, take your time, I'll just wait. My car isn't a bus — doesn't have to leave the minute it's time. You kill the chicken first and we'll set off after, that works too!"

The more tolerant Zhang Zhongtian was, the more Wang Zhanggen felt Li Xiulan was shaming him.

"Hurry up! Making Party Secretary Zhang wait for us — how rude is that!"

Li Xiulan said with a cold face:

"I'm not killing the chicken; taking a live one down is fine!"

Wang Zhanggen wore a long face:

"Won't it shit all over Party Secretary Zhang's car?"

Li Xiulan just said:

"It won't; I've got it in a snake skin bag, and I'll line the bottom with cardboard — definitely won't dirty Party Secretary Zhang's car!"

Zhang Zhongtian, on the other hand, didn't mind:

"No problem; if it gets dirty we'll wash the car. Anyway I haven't washed it in ages; it's due for a wash anyway."

After Li Xiulan got the rooster secured, she then wondered if she should bring some local specialties for Niu Chunsheng too?

After all, he'd helped Xiao Hua out quite a bit.

But Wang Zhanggen kept a stinking face:

"Niu Chunsheng doesn't lack your little bits and pieces; quit dawdling. Dawdle any more and me and Party Secretary Zhang are leaving — we won't take you!"

Li Xiulan hurriedly said:

"I'll catch another chicken, real quick; you guys wait a bit more!"

Li Xiulan hurried off to find another snake skin bag, and caught another rooster.

She put both chickens, plus sweet potatoes, winter melons, pumpkins and other things, all into the trunk.

Li Xiulan hurriedly washed her hands and feet, then rushed back to her room to change into the wedding dress she'd worn over twenty years ago.

After putting on the dress, only then did they hurriedly set off.