Rebirth of the 90s: Dear Cub
Chapter 9: going too far
The rising sun fog.
The sound of birds singing.
Waking up in the morning in the countryside.
A new day begins.
On the riverbank at the entrance of Taoxi Village, a group of women who had come to wash clothes gathered, and the sound of batons and hammers kept coming and going.
A duck downstream of the river swims freely in the water while squawking.
Across the river bank are also seen some large buffalo scattered, burying the head to eat fresh grass, and occasionally moaning.
When Zhang Xifeng arrived with Qiqi, the large stone slab specially made for washing on the river bank was almost full.
Qiqi's sharp eyes saw there was still a distance between the two old ladies, "Mother-in-law, this!"
When the laundry women heard the voice, they all turned their heads and turned their heads. As their eyes were fixed on Qi Qi, they were watching him well.
The little boy was wearing a buttoned shirt, with short yellow hair tied into a small bun. Although he was small and skinny, his appearance was so delicate that the big man had never seen him before.
“She, Auntie Zhang, is this the baby you took two days ago? He looks very handsome, and he is also smart.” On top of the large stone board, an old woman with the same gray hair smiled and stepped back.Slightly, going There was a larger space in the middle for Zhang Xifeng, "Come here and squeeze, there will be more people, it will be difficult to occupy a good place."
Zhang Xifeng was a cheerful and disrespectful person.
Every day in this village, the river is full of people who come to wash clothes.
More people will surely be crowded, and the big guys will take care of each other humbly, chatting while washing clothes, talking about family matters, etc, it could be considered as a bit of free time for women like them.
Qi Qi was praised by her strange mother-in-law, a little shy, her little face flushed red.
It works very neatly.
Squat beside Zhang Xifeng, take out the dirty clothes from the wooden bucket and put them in the water, lift them up, soap them, rub the handcuffs and neck and other dirty parts, he said, then grabbed a wooden stick and hammer with two small hands and shook his clothes, turned them over, and shook them again.
Zhang Xifeng never had a chance to do anything.
"..." - ".The women next to him were dumbfounded.
Although children in farming families had to help out with some work at a young age, it was also simple and light, such as collecting firewood, herding livestock, and herding ducks.
There was hardly anyone in the village who helped wash clothes at such a young age as Qi Qi.
And judging from her infant stature, she was as adept and agile as these women, and she was clearly trained by doing this job often.
“Aunt Zhang, how old is this child?”
Zhang Xifeng pursed his lips, "Four and a half years."
The cheerful smile on his face had faded, and anger and pity were stifled in his eyes.
Only those who wait to grind their children will force their children to do hard work.
Originally, he had only thought that Qi Qi suffered greatly while wandering, but it seemed that the truth was more than that.
"Qiqi, let the mother-in-law do the laundry. You are still young, playing next to me, just a few clothes, and the mother-in-law will wash them in a moment," Zhang Xifeng reached out and picked up Palu.
The hammers used for washing in farmhouses are all made of solid wood, thicker than the combined arms of both babies, and very heavy.
It takes a lot of effort for an adult, let alone a baby.
The clothes were shaken with water and washed with river water. When the dirt is gone, the clothes become clean and clear.
There were four or five pieces of clothing for the old and the young, all of them lightweight summer shirts, and quick to wash.
With Qi Qi as his little helper, Zhang Xifeng finished washing clothes, saving almost half the time and effort as usual.
The sun had risen by this time, golden sunlight evaporated the morning mist, and splashed onto people's bodies until it was hot but not burnt.
The baby washed the soap box and hammer then put it in a bucket, wiped the sweat on his face casually using his small hands, raised his head in the sun, and smiled with narrow eyes.
“Grandma, let's go home, the baby hasn't been fed.”
“OK, let's go home and feed the little piglet.” Zhang Xifeng carried a bucket in one hand and a small baby in the other, said something to the women around him, and brought the baby home.
One was old and one was young, their backs were skinny and skinny in the sun.
The two walked a bit slowly, but occasionally there was laughter, and the atmosphere was both harmonious and warm.
The sound of the mace on the banks of the river weakened for a moment and then rhymed again, and the topic of women and wives themselves turned to that place.
"Aunt Zhang has been widowed for decades and has no children. Maybe it's worth finding a wise little doll now."
"Right, Qi Qi is working very neatly, I'm afraid my three Xi girls can't keep up with it. With his help in fieldwork at home, Auntie Zhang could also relax."
"I don't think it's easy.Raising a baby takes money. Where did the Zhang family get the money? Relying on two pigs a year and a vegetable garden? Relying on two acres of sweet potato fields? He used to live alone. Still tight, now. oh."
"I said so too. Her baby was still too small to tell, but when she grew up, could she really be devoted to Zhang's mother-in-law? If his parents are old and turn around and go, where are you going? ?" Sighs?"
The atmosphere became a little serious, and someone changed the subject, "Didn't you say that the people from Xizhong Village will come today and will report the price of melons and fruits? Quickly wash your clothes, and we'll go to the village chief's house to check it out later." 'Let's see how much we can get this year.
"Hey, I almost forgot about this, get it cleaned up!"
…
Zhang Xifeng and Qiqi returned home, drying clothes, and the temperature of the pot containing the boiled pork in the morning dropped exactly.
Little Piggy didn't have diarrhea that night, and it was a great relief.
While feeding the pigs, he turned his head and looked back. Xiao Qiqi really could not rest for a moment. He was already holding a bamboo broom higher than her and started cleaning the courtyard.
“Qiqi, let's take a break from the meeting. After breakfast, let's go to the old village chief's house.”
“Grandma, what will you do?”
“People from the next village want to come to our village to make an offer today, and they will collect what we plant in our fields. My mother-in-law owns two acres of sweet potatoes, and they harvested them the year before. year." Zhang Xifeng explained seriously without further ado, "Let's go and see if we can sell it this year. How much is it."
If the price could be better, Zhang Xifeng planned to bring the baby to the city to go to the market and buy some items for him.
Regardless of whether the baby will stay or not in the end, she wants to treat him better and love him more.
Qi Qi blinked her eyes, not knowing what her mother-in-law was thinking, but the way her mother-in-law looked at her made her feel sour.
It's like she's a baby doll.
Old and young went to the village chief's house after a simple breakfast. When they arrived, many people had already come to the courtyard, and the scene was boisterous and boisterous.
Qiqi heard angry questions from the crowd.
"In previous years, it was okay to lower our prices by 30%, and everyone gritted their teeth to get through it. This year, it will be reduced by half. This obviously makes the oil boil with our bones! Xizhong Village, you are also a crowd bully! "