Chapter 1668: Unreasonable Adults

In the end, everyone chose to salt the duck eggs.

There was no other reason; it was mainly because they couldn't waste the yellow mud that the men had spent so much effort digging up. Plus, there wasn't much time left, and playing with the remaining activities wouldn't be satisfying enough (that was the fundamental factor).

In short, hearing that the large yellow dog was one of the treasures Song Tan had picked up shortly after returning to her hometown last year, even Yun Feng drooled with envy:

Why were the stray dogs he encountered always short-legged mutts?

Lu Chuan thought for a moment: "This kind of large dog can't be kept in the city anyway, so it's even harder for you to encounter one."

"This is our local native dog! It makes no sense to ban them!"

Among all those pet dogs, which one could compare to their native dogs in terms of being sturdy and easy to raise? They didn't pick at leftovers, were loyal to their masters, and didn't tear up the house...

Everyone lamented!

But living in the city was hard, and the tiny bit of space at home, combined with their inverted schedules and children full of energy, meant they weren't considering adding the difficulty of raising a pet for the time being.

So, after taking a few more regretful looks and taking pictures with their phones, they finally decided to go salt the duck eggs.

Back at the Song family home, once the duck eggs reached a certain scale, they would collect them for a few days and tidy them up at the factory, so they hadn't salted them themselves for a long time.

Until Wu Lan busied herself for a while before getting the tools ready, pondering: "They're even interested in salting duck eggs. Should I teach them how to make soybean paste later?"

Song Tan thought for a moment: "The temperature is too high now, and there's still plenty of paste, so no rush—let Qiaoqiao take them to make rice wine and dry eggplants later."

Those were simple and easy to operate. Making paste involved steaming, boiling, drying, and fermenting, and the time span was long, not to mention that some steps required watching the children, which was exhausting.

"Okay."

Until Wu Lan agreed readily, and said happily: "There are no children back in the village. It's so lively seeing them all here; how cute!"

After thinking about it, she added: "That one called He Tuoluo is no good. It's fortunate he's not my child; it's truly unbearable at his age."

She clicked her tongue: "If he were in the village, he'd definitely get a good beating. Let's see if he remembers the lesson then..."

Song Tan vaguely remembered He Kuang holding a rope and wanting to whip him; it didn't look like he hadn't beaten him before.

But beating children was risky; if they were beaten too hard and developed a fever, the adults and children would have to rush to the hospital in the middle of the night!

If they were beaten lightly, looking at He He Tuoluo's attitude, he probably wouldn't remember the pain.

Besides—

Song Tan asked curiously: "Mom, are there children who don't change even after being beaten?"

Of course there were!

"Zhou Zhou Shunshui's child almost drowned in the pond when he was little. After he was finally saved and recovered, the family gave him a good beating—you didn't see it, it was brutal. They grabbed him by the ears, took him to the pond, and whipped him with a leather belt. The kid wailed, and then he got a fever..."

"It was useless. The second time, he almost drowned again. It was lucky he was saved by someone..."

Otherwise, how could that couple have endured it!

Song Tan vaguely remembered Zhou Zhou Shunshui's son, whom she had met during the New Year. He now had a mediocre job in the city, and the couple was paying off a mortgage and raising a child, living a tight life.

But he seemed quite reliable when doing things, and it was hard to imagine he had been so unruly when he was little.

In short, thank goodness their Qiaoqiao was a thoughtful treasure.

The freshly dug yellow mud had been drying all afternoon and was thoroughly dry, and the high temperature had killed many germs and insect eggs. When they arrived at the Song family home, Until Wu Lan had prepared several large sieves:

"Come, sift the leaves and stones out of this yellow mud—men, do it? Your hair is short and easy to wash. This stuff is dusty; don't get it all over your face and body."

As she spoke, she handed over several masks.

The men:... Do it!

Their hair was indeed short and easy to wash. They took root outside the courtyard and started working.

In the courtyard, Until Wu Lan moved several stools out: "I boiled the cool water and let it sit all afternoon. Let's wash the duck eggs first."

Everyone took a piece of loofah and gently scrubbed the duck eggs. After scrubbing one clean, they wiped it and left it on a winnowing basket to dry.

It was still over 30 degrees, so after letting them sit for a while, they could be used directly once the yellow mud was mixed.

Adults and children could all do this work, but the duck eggs were large, and children were prone to not holding them firmly or using uneven force and breaking them, so they were assigned a more important task—

Preparing the yellow mud.

Of course, the yellow mud hadn't been sifted yet, so they first took a bag of salt and let the children stir it into the cool boiled water.

As much yellow mud as was sifted outside was added directly into the basin.

The children had plenty of energy and didn't feel that taking basins of yellow mud back and forth was trivial work; instead, they worked with great enthusiasm.

From the thin, murky yellow mud water to gradually thickening, and then to the stirring becoming increasingly difficult...

Finally, the children were covered in yellow mud on their clothes, arms, faces, hands, and feet, and all the yellow mud had been poured in. In the large basin in front of them, there was only thick, heavy yellow mud paste.

It was thicker than regular mud paste, so it would coat the duck eggs well.

Qiaoqiao carried a pottery jar out of the house and shoveled a small bucket of wood ash.

There were over 100 duck eggs. Each adult was assigned 10, and each child 5. They sat in a loose circle around the materials, with no efficiency to speak of.

But everyone could participate.

Little teacher Qiaoqiao took the lead, solemnly picking up a washed and dried duck egg, rolling it in the basin of rice wine, and then rolling it in the yellow mud basin. The duck egg was immediately coated in yellow mud.

But that wasn't enough.

He reached out to scoop up another thick layer of yellow mud to wrap the duck egg—

"Look! That's it!"

He placed the yellow mud-coated duck egg gently into the jar, which had been lined with wood ash at the bottom.

"Actually, you can just bury them in the yellow mud basin, but that would be a bit difficult to wash later, so since Mom said we'd wash them clean and mail them to you, we'll pack them separately in jars."

He added: "Once you've filled a layer of duck eggs, you have to sprinkle another layer of wood ash!"

But no one was paying attention to this detail; everyone was surprised and embarrassed:

"You're mailing them to us? That's too extravagant."

Song Tan laughed: "Don't be polite, we often send packages, so it's nothing. Besides, you made them with your own hands, don't you want to taste them together? It's not the same meaning if you eat them here."

Oh my!

Although she felt that everything tasted the same, having been with Lu Chuan for a long time, he emphasized a sense of ritual and meaning. Now that she had specifically brought it up, everyone's sense of surprise was instantly filled.

It seemed that some meanings were truly interesting when valued.

Once she said that, men, women, old, and young became even more enthusiastic. Their movements in coating the yellow mud were especially careful, as if a little thicker or thinner would affect the result.

Yun Yun Danqing, who was usually a gentle and obedient little lady, was now covered in mud on her face, hair, and body.

When her mother saw her covered in mud, she pondered that she would have to wash the clothes by hand in a basin tonight before putting them in the washing machine—

Otherwise, it was all muddy water; how could she be embarrassed to put it in the washing machine?

And the yellow-mud little lady asked impatiently: "Then when will these salted duck eggs be ready?"

Qiaoqiao thought for a moment: "It's hot now, so they'll be ready in a month!"

He even calculated the time precisely: "You'll be playing here for half a month, go home and rest for a week, and wait another week, and you'll receive them!"

Qin Qin Beibei asked: "Mom, can we play for a month? Then we can take the duck eggs with us."

Even He He Tuoluo nodded: "I want to take the yellow mud too! I'll share it with my brothers when I get back, and let them see—ouch!"

He's mother slapped the back of his head: "How are you going to take this yellow mud back? If you wash it in the room, what if the sewer gets clogged? How are you going to clean it up?"

"You're so young, and you're already talking about your brothers..."

She was filled with helplessness toward her son, and looked at the salted duck eggs wrapped in thick yellow mud in her hands. She didn't dare to take them back with the mud.

Until Wu Lan also laughed: "That's definitely not possible. In a month, this yellow mud won't be dry. You can't even break it off in one piece; it's really easy to clog the sewer..."

It wasn't very convenient to live in the city. If they hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have thought of it.

Unlike here, where they could just splash a whole basin of yellow mud water on the side of the road.

Everyone only had 10 duck eggs in their hands, so no matter how slow they were, they finished tidying up in no time.

Finally, the wood ash at the bottom of the bucket was poured into the jar, and Qiaoqiao sealed the lid and carried it to the corner of the kitchen without any effort.

Qin Yun watched from the side: the jar was made of pottery and was heavy, and it was filled with yellow mud and duck eggs, but the other party didn't even seem to use much strength in his waist or legs!

"Sigh!" He lamented: "I was this strong when I was young."

His wife looked at him from the side and just smiled without saying a word.

Qin Yun:...

He really was this strong when he was young!

But the work from sifting to washing was just killing time. Now that the sky was gradually darkening, there was no need to ask them; Seventh Uncle had already greeted them decisively:

"Eat here tonight! Come, let's move the tables outside the courtyard, with the large fans blowing..."

As he spoke, Chef Jiang and Chef Chai were already busy in the kitchen.

When it came to cooking fish, everyone used their own skills and full abilities. Even the same dish could be cooked with different flavors, and it didn't take much time.

Except for the stove being a bit cramped when there were many people, it didn't affect anything else.

And He He Tuoluo's stomach was growling. Smelling the rich fragrance in the air that was becoming increasingly irresistible, and looking at his parents who were also staring at the kitchen while rubbing their stomachs, he finally decided to take a roundabout approach.

He looked pitifully at his grandparents:

"Can I eat fish tonight?"

His grandparents looked at their grandson's watery eyes, and thought about how he had been here for so long and had only been able to get a taste, without ever having a proper good meal. They couldn't help but soften.

However, just as they opened their mouths, they heard his mother ask:

"He He Tuoluo, I've told you many times: dangerous behavior makes us worried. As a child who doesn't have the ability to protect yourself and can't be responsible for yourself, it's best not to do it—do you know the lesson now?"

He He Tuoluo thought for a moment: "I know. But, I protected myself from falling, and I was responsible for myself, and I didn't do any dangerous actions!"

The old couple's eyes went black.

Just, grandson, how were you taught to be so bold and so honest?

Looking at his parents again, they both took a deep breath at the same time. The darkness hid their faces, which were about to collapse, and they only said coldly: "Then you can drink a bowl of fish head and tofu soup first, and then I'll send you to the factory canteen."

Drinking a small bowl would allow him to taste the flavor, and sending him to the canteen was to make him remember the lesson...

Oh my!

Was it because they didn't burn incense at the ancestral grave that they raised such a child! He was so young, and he already had to start taking antihypertensive drugs.

But the one who was even more devastated was He He Tuoluo.

Qin Qin Beibei and Yun Yun Danqing had said countless times how delicious the food was and how round their stomachs were!

And he only got a taste every meal before being sent to the canteen.

Although the food in the canteen was even better than what was made at home, it was contrasted by such delicious food!

Adults were simply unreasonable!

Hegemonism!

Where there is oppression, there is resistance!

He would never give in tonight!

He He Tuoluo's nose felt sore, and he held back two tears in his eyes, remaining silent:

He could clearly be responsible for himself...

People were coming and going in the courtyard, everyone passing by with fragrant dishes. Sympathetic glances flashed across He He Tuoluo, and then looked at He Kuang's family with extra complexity:

Sigh.

It was pitiful for the child, but the suffering the parents endured was even worse than the child's!

Even Lu Chuan was full of sympathy: "How about I open a bottle of wine for you tonight?"

"Open it!" Before anyone could answer, Song Song Youde couldn't wait: "The wine Boss Chang sent isn't intoxicating. Let's just have a glass; it won't affect anything!"

That was true.

The wine was fragrant, a contradictory blend of mellowness and clarity. After drinking it, the slightly tipsy state could make people briefly cast aside their troubles...

Song Song Sancheng immediately went into the house to get the wine:

"Come! Everyone have a taste!"

He He Tuoluo stood by, holding his small bowl of fish soup, drinking it in small sips, cherishing it and reluctant to finish it. Looking at this group of adults, he let out a proud snort in his heart!

The teacher said that drinking alcohol was bad!

Adults could irresponsibly drink alcohol, so why did they have to pick on him?

He was clearly responsible, and he didn't get hurt at all.

Thinking of this, he looked at his phone watch again—he had to bring his "high-calorie" hawthorn pill to replenish his energy tonight, and then just keep walking along the main road!

He remembered that the car took this road.

What time should he set it for?

His dad usually worked until two or three in the morning, but he didn't have work yesterday, and today...

He hesitated, deciding to set it for 12 o'clock first to see how things went.

And! Once he ran away, he must not be caught back.

This time, they didn't let him eat good food as punishment; next time, they might not let him eat at all!

He strengthened his conviction again, but felt a furry touch on his ankle.

Looking at Xiao Shi beside him, sigh!

How could he make the dog listen?

Could he hire it with his pocket money?

Ah, here it comes! A 4,000-word chapter! ===== CHAPTER 1669 =====