When the four siblings ca back at noon, Little Hong grabbed Second Sister’s hand, "Big brother-in-law and Old Uncle-in-law are back, Grandpa and Grandma brought us at. Big sister, are we eating stir-fried at today?"
Zhao Zhixue chid in, "Big sister, I want to have dumplings."
Zhao Xiaoling nodded, "Sure, we’ll make dumplings tonight. We have exams in the afternoon, so there’s no ti at noon."
The two boys were thrilled to hear they could eat dumplings. "Big sister, add more at, I’ve been craving it," Hai Jun added.
"Alright, more at it is."
In the evening, the five siblings sat at ho making dumplings, while the two boys talked about their exam answers this ti.
"You’ll surely score a hundred this ti. You’ll definitely get praise when you go ho."
The two boys were quite happy. They had never scored a hundred before, sotis missing half a parenthesis simply due to carelessness.
This ti, Zhao Xiaoling really added half a pound of at. All five kids enjoyed their al so much.
"There’s still quite a bit of at, should we each give Aunt and Old Auntie one pound?"
Despite their craving for at, the kids were thoughtful, all nodding in agreent.
"We’ll deliver it tomorrow. Aunt and Old Auntie have helped us a lot."
After having dumplings and sipping the dumpling soup, laying in warm bedcovers, the five kids felt thoroughly satisfied.
Early the next morning, Zhao Xiaoling sent the two boys to deliver the at, while the two sisters stayed ho to cook.
When Zhixue and Hai Jun arrived, Zhao Yanping and Zhao Yanli hadn’t left for work yet.
"Hai Jun, why so early?"
"Auntie, my sister sent so at over. We had dumplings last night."
Zhao Yanping felt touched. A pound of at wasn’t much, but it showed the kids’ thoughtfulness. Although her in-laws had no objections about her managing her nieces and nephews, the kids’ gratitude was definitely sothing to be proud of.
"Alright, Auntie will accept it. By the way, Hai Jun, how did you do on your exam?"
"I feel like I might score full marks this ti. Auntie, we’re heading back now. My sister said we’ll return in a day or two."
"We’ll co over after work tonight."
Hai Jun dashed off, and Zhao Yanping hung the pound of at in the kitchen.
Mrs. Zhang watched from the side, sighing. These kids were taught so well, unafraid to give back. While it was indeed proper for Aunt to help them, their reciprocation ant everything. They hadn’t turned into ungrateful brats after all.
Zhang Fusheng got up as well. "Hai Jun ca by earlier?"
Zhao Yanping nodded, "Yes, he delivered a piece of at. I think we should accept it, and I’ll give back two pounds later. It’s important to cultivate a sense of gratitude."
Zhang Fusheng had no objections; the children had done well.
"The kids want to go back ho in a few days, but I’m worried."
"The farm accountant is here. Today I’ll ask him, and if he’s not planning to return soon, the kids can go together. It’s not too far; as long as Xiao Ling is properly instructed, it should be fine."
"Alright, but will the train run with such heavy snow?"
"I think it should. I’ll ask around. If not, the kids can make paper boxes at ho; the local contact is my classmate’s wife."
Understanding the kids’ concerns, they knew how tough it was to co here to study, with their parents working tirelessly to make money back ho. If the snow blocked their way back, earning money at ho still pleased them.
"Okay, I’ll head to work now, and once back, we’ll go check the situation."
"Yes, go ahead, but let them know. All the food we’re sending ho should go to them if they don’t return."
Zhixue reached Zhao Yanli’s place where she was selling tofu. The neighbors all knew it was Xiao Li’s nephew since everyone ca to exchange tofu regularly.
Knowing the child ca to deliver at, they understood it was a gift from the parents, as each of their families also bought several pounds of at.
Mr. Zhou held Zhixue back, "Take so tofu ho."
"Mr. Zhou, we already have frozen tofu at ho. No need for more." Seeing the crowd, he felt embarrassed to take any.
"Young man, it’s set aside for you, take it."
Zhao Yanli approached with a basin, and Mr. Zhou packed three large blocks of tofu.
"Zhixue, get ho now, we’ll co by after work."
"Thanks, Mr. Zhou, Old Auntie, we’re heading back."
As Zhixue left, everyone praised him, which made Zhao Yanli quite pleased.
Upon seeing the tofu, Zhao Xiaoling didn’t say anything. Though she didn’t want to take advantage, since Old Auntie wasn’t ho, there wasn’t much to say. She thought of sending over all the soybeans they picked to their place.
"Big sister, I want to have cabbage stewed with tofu," Zhixue said with a cheerful smile.
"Alright, we’ll make cornal pancakes with cabbage stewed tofu at noon."
Zhao Xiaoling was quite a competent big sister; she tried to satisfy her siblings’ cravings as much as possible.
Breakfast consisted of stuffed stead buns and wild vegetable soup. Although they usually lacked ti for elaborate als, the vacation provided ti to cook sothing special.
The children relished their al. "Go out and play now; I’ll tidy up the house."
Zhao Xiaole shook his head, "Sis, let’s clear the snow off the roof and clean the yard. Xiao Xiang told their annex roof collapsed under the weight of the snow last year."
"Alright, after breakfast, I’ll get on the roof, and you can stay below."
"Big sister, go with Hai Jun. We two can handle the roof."
Zhao Xiaoling shook her head, "No way, what if one of you slips and falls? Listen, you’ll stay below and pile the snow near the vegetable patch." It wasn’t feasible to clear it away since the area was densely inhabited; piling snow outside might inconvenience others. Keeping it in the yard allowed it to lt and water the plants tomorrow.
After they were full and tidied up, Zhao Xiaoling instructed the youngest sister to light the fire in the main room, while the four older siblings got to work.
Approaching noon, they finished clearing the roof.
The promised cabbage stewed with tofu, including pork fat, awaited them at lunch. The extra flavor made it even more delightful.
After the al, the siblings nestled on the heated Kang bed. "Let’s buy train tickets in the afternoon."
"Sis, Auntie said she’d co by tonight, and we should wait for them. Is Uncle going to deliver fertilizers to the farm?"
Zhao Xiaole pondered, "Such heavy snow likely ans no driving. Also, it’s unsure if trains are running at the station."
"Even if trains haven’t resud service, they’ll likely start in a few days. Since Auntie ntioned it, let’s wait at ho."
Without realizing, the children all sprawled asleep on the Kang bed. In autumn, doing jobs for which they weren’t paid wasn’t an option but they received food, firewood, and so on. Over the past month, they regained so health and no longer appeared so haggard.
Zhao Xiaoling covered her siblings with blankets to prevent them from getting sick, which would incur additional expenses.
User Comments
0 comments from readers