Chapter 60: Chapter 61: Worrying
Translator: 549690339
“I’m not going,” Tang Yuxin said, clutching her jar of rice bran. Her wrists ached from the constant stirring, but she couldn’t stop. She felt no need to jump rope, as she was already learning the Five Animal Frolics with Chen Zhong, which was plenty of exercise. Even without jumping rope, she wasn’t going to get fat.
“Come on, come on…” Zhang Yindi came running over and grabbed Tang Yuxin’s sleeve, leaving greasy handprints on it. Tang Yuxin looked at the oily prints on her clothes and felt the urge to push Zhang Yindi to the ground and beat her up.
Zhang Yindi hastily sheathed her talons and wiped her nose.
What else could Tang Yuxin say to that?
Realizing her mistake, Zhang Yindi quickly ran off, quickly forgetting her misdeeds and finding other kids to play with.
Tang Yuxin set the jar of rice bran down and fetched a tub of water. She took off her dirty clothes to wash them. Thankfully it was summer, and her clothes were made of lightweight fabric.
When Tang Zhinian returned home, he found his daughter diligently washing her clothes, a look of seriousness on her young face. As a father, he was filled with mixed emotions — pride in his daughter’s good behavior, but sadness at her premature maturity.
What other child her age would wash her own clothes? She not only washed her own clothes but also those of her father and Zhijun, and she did it as skillfully as an adult.
“Daddy,” Tang Yuxin rushed to greet Tang Zhinian as soon as she saw him. She threw her arms around his leg, dampening his trousers, which he didn’t mind at all.
He chuckled and pulled out a basket from behind him. “Xinxin, look, daddy did some carpentry work for someone today, and they gave me some meat as payment. Should I cook it for you?”
“Alright,” Tang Yuxin’s eyes narrowed into half-moons as she giggled. It wasn’t often that rural families ate meat; most could only enjoy it once a year during the New Year festival, and even then, it had to be carefully rationed and shared.
But in their family, Tang Yuxin was always the one who got to eat the meat.
Tang Zhinian and Tang Zhijun were content sipping mere meat soup.
The tiny lump of meat wasn’t much; even after it was cooked, it only filled a small dish. Despite being plain, just the smell was enough to make anyone swallow involuntarily, especially those who hadn’t had a whiff of meat in months.
Even the most plain dish was a feast under such circumstances.
“Xinxin, come eat the meat.” Tang Zhinian cheerfully scooped all the meat into Tang Yuxin’s bowl as he encouraged her to grow taller.
Without showing any reluctance, Tang Yuxin picked up the meat and eagerly popped it into her mouth. Right now, she had only one goal–to grow up as quickly as possible.
A five-year-old child should just act like a five-year-old and not be silly.
“By the way,” Zhijun said, stuffing his mouth with rice. Regardless of the taste, he gulped it down with gusto, making anyone watching him hungry.
Tang Zhinian occasionally helped his daughter with her meal, but he ate very slowly. All his thoughts were centered on his daughter. He had no idea what he would have become if she weren’t around.
“Brother, what should we plant? The field is ready, but it’s getting colder outside. If we want to plant winter vegetables, we might need to buy a lot of plastic sheets. I don’t think we have enough money left.”