C4 A Poorer Home

The next day, early in the morning.

Zhang Xiaohua specially got up early to see if there was anything she could help with. When she got out of the door, she only saw two or three thatched cottages next to each other, the wind was howling as it blew past them. The thatched cottages looked to be on the verge of collapse, as if they were about to be "bald" in the next moment.

"Xiaohua, why are you awake so early?" Madam Ji Su, who was sweeping the floor, turned to see Zhang Xiaohua standing at the door in a daze, dressed in thin clothes, she immediately took off her small flowery coat and draped it over her, "Quickly go inside the house and rest. It's cold outside, the wind is strong today."

When the little floral jacket left her body, the Madam Ji Su's voice trembled. Zhang Xiaohua hurriedly held her ice-cold hand and entered the room, taking off the floral jacket and putting it on her, "Mother, you wear it, I'm not cold."

Madam Ji Su originally wanted to reject it, but Zhang Xiaohua insisted not to so she could only put it on, "My family is poor, I don't have anything good for you. Little Hua, I have wronged you."

From the day they met yesterday, Madam Ji Su had always been talking about "grievances", and this made Zhang Xiaohua's heart ache for her strong mother even more. She had grown up by herself with a sick and weak son with an eccentric personality, how could hardship be something an ordinary person could think of?

"Mom, I'm not feeling wronged." Zhang Xiaohua doted on the old lady, and her voice also became gentle, "Since we are married, we are one family, there is no need to say that we are not feeling wronged. If you have any work to do at home, feel free to ask me. We'll spend our days together. "

Madam Ji Su froze for a moment, without saying anything further, her eyes became red again, "My family's Ergou … "How fortunate. This money is worth it. Little Flower, it's worth it."

Zhang Xiaohua didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and quickly changed the topic, "Mother, didn't we feed the piggies and chicks at home? Or raising cattle and sheep? How many are there? "

This house was too quiet!

Although her Zhang Family couldn't be considered to be very rich, she still had at least a few sows, a nest of lively chickens, and a few wild rabbits …

Every morning she was roused by the crowing of a rooster.

The rural people were mainly farming in order to support themselves. Raising pigs and chickens, in addition to adding oil and water to their own homes, slaughtered pigs and sheep on New Year's Day, and used the town to sell some money in exchange for new year's goods, was the rural people's way of life.

However, in this house, not a single sound of animals could be heard.

Madam Ji Su looked at her embarrassedly, "At home … "Previously, I had three pigs and a group of chickens, and now, I have a big yellow ox plowing the ground. However, in order to collect the betrothal gift, I sold all those animals. Now, all that's left is a rooster …"

After saying that, she looked at Zhang Xiaohua apologetically, "I'm afraid that you'll be annoyed and leave it at the back."

Zhang Xiaohua, "..."

Hence, this family was so poor that only their daughter-in-law and their husbands remained alive, plus the huge rooster that had replaced Wang Ergou to escort the bride yesterday.

Madam Ji Su was afraid that she would despise him, so she quickly said: "Don't worry, when next year's harvest is good, we will buy more pigs and chickens to raise."

Zhang Xiaohua resisted her desire to sigh, she rubbed her stomach that was growling in hunger and stood up, "Mother, then I'll go make breakfast."

"No, I'll go cook. You stay here and rest. I'll bring it in for you." Madam Ji Su's eyes flashed, as though he was afraid that she would follow him to the kitchen, he immediately closed the door and left.

Zhang Xiaohua scratched her head and followed her.

She put on a coat, opened the door and went to stand in the middle of the yard. She looked around and saw the entire house. Other than three or four thatched cottages, there was only a small mound of soil that stood out from the rest of the house.

Zhang Xiaohua walked over and saw a sign in front of the small earth mound — This was her cheap father's grave, it couldn't be any more simple and crude.

Just as she raised her head, she saw a flash of grey from the corner of the hut. "Who is it?"

Zhang Xiaohua jogged over, but she did not see a single person. There was only a rooster flapping its wings inside the bamboo cage, and the red silk around its neck still had not been removed.

A thought flashed in her mind. The one who had peeked at her just now must have been her husband who was afraid of being born, so there was no one else.

Just as she was about to look for someone, Madam Ji Su's voice rang out, "Xiaohua? It's time to eat. "

"It recovered so quickly?" Zhang Xiaohua was extremely hungry, she immediately ran into the house, but what she saw was only a bowl of porridge with only a few grains of rice on it, and a plate of pickled vegetables.

Madam Ji Su rubbed her hands in embarrassment: "There are no more rice at home, I will go next door to borrow some to come back. Don't worry, Mom won't be hungry for you."

Her tone seemed to be trying to curry favor with him, causing Zhang Xiaohua to feel sad for a moment, "Mother, where is your porridge?"

The Madam Ji Su shook her head, "Mother has already eaten."

"You liar." Zhang Xiaohua sighed, "How long has it been since we started? Where did you get the time to eat?"

Based on Madam Ji Su's personality, she would definitely accompany him to eat breakfast if possible.

Zhang Xiaohua turned around and walked out of the door. Madam Ji Su hurriedly followed her, afraid that she would not be able to bear the hardships of the journey and leave, "Little Flower …"

Zhang Xiaohua entered the kitchen and looked at the empty Rice Bowl. She finally knew why Madam Ji Su wouldn't let her enter the kitchen.

She took out a set of chopsticks and brought it out, then looked at Madam Ji Su who had an embarrassed expression, smiling: "Mother, let's eat together."

Madam Ji Su laughed with tears in her eyes, "Hey, okay."

The meal was rather sad.

Zhang Xiaohua cleaned up the tableware, and intentionally asked: "Mother, where is Hubby? Doesn't he eat breakfast? "

There were only these few rooms in the house. She had looked through all of them and hadn't seen a single person.

Madam Ji Su hurriedly said: "He went up the mountain early in the morning, let's see if he can find anything to eat."

Zhang Xiaohua thought for a while, "Mother, I will go up the mountain to gather herbs later, and if I dry it out, I can still sell it for some money in the city."

The Madam Ji Su asked in shock, "You know about medicine?"

"I know a little. I know some herbs." Zhang Xiaohua answered and quickly cleaned up the dishes. She then carried the bamboo basket on her back and prepared to go up the mountain to pick the herbs.

She had only walked a few steps when she felt a little dizzy — so hungry.

From yesterday to today, she hadn't eaten anything, so today's breakfast …

It was the same as nothing.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck …"

Zhang Xiaohua, who was feeling dizzy from starvation, heard a burst of chicken cries. Just as she turned his head, she saw a big rooster with a big red crown on its head swooping towards her with its wings spread out.

Ah!" Zhang Xiaohua was so scared that she started to run, using all her strength into her legs, running at a fast speed, the "gege gege" sound behind her was still hot in hot pursuit. She chased after three Tian Kan before she jumped into the corn to hide herself, only then was she able to shake off the annoying rooster.

"Phew, I'm so tired!" Zhang Xiaohua gasped for breath with her hands on her waist. Through the gaps between the corn stalks, she saw the fierce rooster still circling around the farmlands.

She could see the layers of fat and tender chicken beneath the feathers — plucked and roasted over the fire for an hour before sprinkling salt and cumin …

Squeak ~ ~

Zhang Xiaohua wiped the saliva off the corner of her lips, "It smells good."