Sanwang pouted, “Grandmother, this- this is simply inedible. Even the poorest and laziest people of the village didn’t have to eat this.”
These were basically food for the pigs, weren’t they?
He ate two mouthfuls of the cornbread in his hand before proceeding to stuff it into his pocket, intending to bring it back to feed the ducklings.
Old Lady Han said angrily, “You guys don’t live here, but do you know that firewood, rice, oil, and salt are expensive? What else do you know besides eating? The family is about to live in shambles— are you aware of that?”
After such a scolding, no one spoke.
When Lin Lan heard Han Qingsong’s footsteps entering the yard, she asked the old lady, “Mother, Xiaowang had diarrhea for the past two days; can I make some soup noodles for him?”
Old Lady Han slapped her chopsticks on the table harshly, “Why are there so many problems? Why can’t you just live according to the standards that you are? We’re all poor and lowly peasants, so why are you trying to eat like the wealthy rich landlords?”
Lin Lan pretended to be aggrieved and said, “I’m not asking for it daily; I just want him to eat it when he’s sick. He can’t digest the cornbread properly with a weak stomach.”
Han Qingsong walked in, washed his hands and came to eat; he knew what was going on as soon as he heard it.
He asked Erwang, “Did you tell your grandmother about it?”
Erwang pouted and said aggrievedly, “Of course I did, father, I said it several times even.”
Old Lady Han spoke angrily, “And do you think that the world will bend to your will once you say it many times? We don’t have fine noodles here, so even the Gods can’t help you. If you want to eat that, we’ll talk about it later..”
Wheat was only distributed in summer, hence, it was impossible to say that there was no fine flour.
Han Qingsong, “If you don’t have any noodles, you can make eggs. Never mind, I’ll make them.”
“What are you trying to do?!” Old Lady Han became angry, “There are only a few chickens in total and more than half of them still don’t lay eggs. You’re not earning any money now and we don’t have any cash at home, so other than those chicken’s eggs, how else do you expect us to earn a living? If you eat them now, what do I exchange for kerosene and salt?”
Erwang pouted and whispered, “Just keep it for the youngest aunt and uncle to eat.”
Han Qingsong glanced at the dining table. Xiaowang was languishing as the little girl Maisui was nibbling on the black and hard cornbread discontentedly. Lin Lan was wearing a dress that was obviously patched over and repaired numerous times, which was many times more shabby than the dress of the second sister-in-law who sat across from her.
He had an indescribable feeling in his heart— it was sour and a little tingling, but his chest was suffocating.
“An egg is three or four cents,” Han Qingsong insisted.
“What’s the matter, you want to settle accounts with your mother? When you were making money, you were away from home all day long. Now that you’re home, not treating your parents with filial piety and you’re unemployed, I haven’t even gotten some financial subsidy from you while you were living under my roof! You haven’t gotten a cent of your money back this quarter and you want to eat the eggs? Where else would I find such ungrateful-“
“Alright already, it’s just an egg!” Old Man Han didn’t say a word all along, but he couldn’t take it anymore, “Make one for the child; he’s already so sick. Look at his thin and tiny figure!”