Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Chapter 223 Pure and Simple Fool

Zhang Changyao was curious about this matter and couldn't help but ask Yang Deming.

"Changyao, after I gave birth to Xiuqing, I couldn't stand up for my children. Every time I gave birth, they died."

Later, I heard from others that only by refining this dead child could this problem be solved.

Your older brother carried the dead child up the mountain and burned him until only ashes remained. Later, the child, Xiao Suo, actually survived.

The baby was born crooked, and it was impossible to pick it up.

My father heard it from Wang Fengxian: every year, he would take this child to beg for rice from a hundred families and eat meals from a hundred families until he turned eighteen.

When he was a baby, his father would lock him up and carry him from house to house begging for rice to cook for him.

It turned out that everyone was struggling financially; I visited several villages and a hundred households.

The rice bowl was less than half full; every family gave out three or two grains of rice.

Things have changed in recent years; now you have to carry a small flour sack.

Everyone knows this father and son, and they always give each other half a bowl.

After visiting several villages and a hundred households, Xiao Suo's flour sack was almost full, enough to feed himself for a month.

This child was spoiled by his father since he was a child. He is extremely possessive of his food, and he gets angry if anyone even glances at his food.

Xiao Chen and Xiao Ming, these two children, have already gotten used to it.

Unless he absolutely couldn't resist picking up a few grains of rice he'd dropped on the table, he wouldn't be happy even then.

Sometimes I would pick rice grains out of my younger brother's mouth and throw them on the ground, refusing to let them eat them.

"It's all Dad's fault for spoiling him today. He deserved to die from poisoning. No wonder his two younger brothers hate him."

While feeling sorry for Xiao Suo, Wu Fengxia was mostly resentful, blaming Yang Deming for spoiling him.

"Master, listen to what my mother is saying!" She's never been as kind to me as you are.

I saw my mother secretly give several bites of my food to my second and third sons.

I wouldn't even bother arguing with her, and she still accused me of being possessive of my food.

Xiao Suo recovered and was no longer in pain. She snuggled against Yang Deming and acted coquettishly.

"Fengxia, it's not that I, as your father, am saying something's wrong with you."

Xiao Suo's rice from a hundred families is a blessing from a hundred families, meant to help him grow up to be eighteen.

You shared the blessings that protected Xiao Suo with those two big, calf-like Xiao Chen and Xiao Ming.

What can be done about Xiao Suo, who's so skinny he's practically swaying? Who will protect him?

No wonder my grandson was eating sprouted potatoes; the child wasn't getting enough to eat, and his own mother made him starve.

After Xiao Suo finishes cooking the rice, I have to take a look at it.

"From now on, anyone who tries to steal my grandson's good fortune, I'll give them a good thrashing."

Yang Deming turned Xiao Suo's face around, pried open his eyelids, and cleaned his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen stretched out half a hand, pulled down the blanket, and revealed his eyes.

He glared at Yang Deming fiercely, then shrank back inside.

"Dad, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now. I'll bring them over once Zhao Xiulan has everything ready."

Zhang Changyao was about to get up and leave; he knew Yang Wuni's personality.

The longer Wu Ni stayed by herself, the more worried she became about herself.

"Okay! Go back! I have thirty yuan here, take it and give it to Wu Ni."

Yang Deming stretched out one leg, took out the thirty yuan he had prepared in advance from his pants pocket, and handed it to Zhang Changyao.

"Dad, I can't take this money. We have a whole family, and we need money for everything, from food and drink to toileting."

Wu Ni and I are doing quite well now; the money we earn selling popcorn is enough for the New Year.

Zhang Changyao pushed away the money Yang Deming was about to stuff into his shirt pocket, and got up to leave.

"Son-in-law, you stop right there! Let me tell you, this money belongs to Wu Ni, and no one else has the right to spend it."

Wang Fengxian said she would give me all the money she earned.

She has tormented my Wuni for over a decade. The suffering she has endured is something she can't buy back with money.

She has no other choice but to try her best to see more things.

"Make some money for Wu Ni to spend, that will make her feel better."

Yang Deming spoke very seriously, and Zhang Changyao could only accept it and put it in his shirt pocket.

Zhang Kaiju followed Zhao Xiulan the whole time, and Zhao Xiulan looked disgusted but had no choice.

The three drove back to the village, and Zhao Xiulan called Zhang Changyao to go to Zhang Kaiju's house for dinner.

Zhang Changyao dared not take away Zhao Xiulan's livelihood, so he quickly whipped the donkey and fled home.

Zhang Changyao unloaded the truck and went into the house. The first thing he saw was Hu Xianfa sitting next to Liao Zhi and two large packs of ginseng cigarettes on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Village Chief Hu, you have so much free time. Isn't the village busy?" Zhang Changyao greeted him politely.

"Changyao, you're back just in time. I brought you two packs of ginseng cigarettes."

Miao Yu said that since your family often has visitors, she also comes frequently, and she doesn't offer cigarettes to them.

I like to wander around and have a smoke, so I just leave my cigarettes here.

"Serve these cigarettes to whoever comes over. Let me know when you run out and I'll go buy some more."

Hu Xianfa smiled and looked very respectful as he pushed the cigarette in front of Zhang Changyao.

"Village Chief Hu, please take the cigarettes back quickly. We don't have any distinguished guests in our family who can afford to smoke these cigarettes."

Miao Yu said she loves the smell of this smoke, so you should send it to her house.

Besides, Liao Zhi can't stand the smell of smoke. If anyone dares to smoke in front of Liao Zhi, my Wu Ni will sweep them out of the house with a broom.

"It's only because you're the village chief; if it were anyone else, my wife, with her temper, would have already started a fight."

Zhang Changyao frowned when he saw the still-smoking cigarette butt in Hu Xianfa's hand.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Liao Zhi coughed immediately upon hearing Zhang Changyao's words.

"Zhang Changyao, have you been smoking again? You're choking Liao Zhi. I'll sew your mouth shut."

Yang Wuni, who was working in the stove pit in the outer room, cooperated even more quickly and efficiently.

He came into the house with a broom in hand, hands on his hips, pouting, looking like he was about to hit someone.

"Zhang Changyao, I didn't know smoking was prohibited. Your wife and Director Liao's son didn't tell me either. I'm so sorry!"

Hu Xianfa threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out with his toe, touched the top of his head, and looked extremely embarrassed.

"Zhang Changyao, do you never learn? Who told you to buy this piece of junk?"

If you ever dare to bring cigarettes into our house again, I'll chop off your hands.

It will make you, like Zheng Jingren, grow a "three-pronged fork" on your wrist.

Yang Wuni picked up two large packs of ginseng cigarettes from the kang (a heated brick bed), stormed out the door, and threw them out the door with a flick of her wrist.

"Hey! Village Chief Hu, you'd better take your cigarette away quickly, or someone will pick it up."

My wife is a shrew, I can't control her, please forgive her.

Zhang Changyao, with a humble expression, grabbed Hu Xianfa's arm and pulled him out of the house before he could speak.

"Zhang Changyao, you need to explain this matter clearly to Director Miao Yu."

Tell her I brought the cigarettes, and that her wife threw them away.

I've never seen anyone like you in your family. You won't even take things offered to you. You're complete idiots, total fools.

Hu Xianfa was also afraid that the cigarettes would really be lost, so he obediently went out the door.

He bent down, picked up the cigarette, wiped off the dirt, and tucked it under his arm.

"Hey! You there, Mr. Hu, who are you calling an idiot, a complete moron?"