farmhouse ditty

Chapter 109
Wen Shi sat on the edge of the bed, watched Chu Fu bring in the food, it smelled good, "What are we eating Chu Fu today, it smells pretty good."

Chu Fu filled the bowl full of porridge, holding the mouth and bottom of the bowl with both hands, blowing air while walking, and he switched hands when it was so hot, "Daughter-in-law, hiss, let's drink porridge today, hiss, meat porridge."

Wen Shi straightened up and asked Chu Fu to put the porridge on the high stool in front of him, and then called him to light another oil lamp.

Chu Fu put down the bowl, grabbed his ears with both hands, and said, "Daughter-in-law, isn't there a light in the room..."

Wen Shi pursed her lips and looked at Chu Fu, "It's lit, but isn't it too dark?"

Chu Fu looked at her with some embarrassment, "Daughter-in-law, there are only two oil lamps at home, one is used by us, and the other is used by the second brother, you...how about making do with it first..."

Wen frowned, and gave him a look, "I want to make do with it, but I can't see clearly with my stomach, and if I hold the bowl for a while, it will burn my hands."

Chu Fu pondered for a while, walked to the wooden cabinet, picked out the wick, then turned and said to Wen, "Daughter-in-law, how about I brighten the lamp for you... What do you think?"

Wen Shi looked at it and nodded, she smiled at Chu Fu, "Well, this is much better." Anyway, this will consume the money of the second family.

Chu Fu looked at Wen Shi and said something before going out, "Hey, then, daughter-in-law, you eat first, and call me if you have something to do."

After Chu Ge finished washing his hands, he poured water into the sink, just in time to see Chu Fu come out, and the two brothers sat down at the dining table while talking, and Xiu Niang served them two bowls of porridge.

The lights in Wen's house were on this time, and all of them shone into the yard through the door. The wind blew the flames and swayed, and even the yard was flickering.

Shen took a few mouthfuls of porridge, glanced at the main room, and muttered dissatisfiedly, "Chu Fu, what are you doing with the lights in the room so bright!"

Chu Fu picked up the bowl, and said dumbly, "Mother, Juan'er said she can't see clearly, it's a bit dark..."

Shen snorted and poked him with chopsticks, "Just pamper your daughter-in-law, you won't be able to eat this meal in your nose, you make the lamp so bright, it's a waste!"

Chu Fu didn't say anything after hearing this, Chu Ge looked at it and smoothed things over, "Mother, half an hour at this point won't take much gas."

Shen pursed her lips, "It doesn't cost much oil, how much is it? This half of a coin is not money, it's still a big one in your family, it won't be less if it's messed up!"

Father Chu took a sip from the side of the bowl, listened to Shen's nagging, and said "tsk", "It's done, just keep nagging about this little thing, and eat and eat."

Seeing that Father Chu had spoken, she didn't say anything else, she just glanced at Xiu Niang, sneered, and said to Chu Ge, "Hmph, anyway, it's your family's money, so it's none of my business. !"

Xiuniang didn't answer from the beginning to the end. She knew that Shen's saying this was not because she felt sorry for Chu Ge's pocketbook, but because she wanted to provoke her and want her to quarrel with Wen's.

After all, in this room, she and Wen Shi fought, and only Shen Shi, the mother-in-law, was the happiest. Who told her to dislike these two daughters-in-law the most? of……

Xiu Niang gave Chu Ge a piece of pickled vegetables, and smiled, "Chu Ge, how about trying my pickled kohlrabi?"

Chu Ge responded, and took a few mouthfuls of pickles in the bowl, "Yeah."

Seeing that Xiuniang was so tepid, Mrs. Shen was even yelled at by Father Chu just now, but she became even more angry, and her teeth itch from anger.

Chu Fu ate half a bowl, suddenly remembered something, raised his eyes and said, "Father, mother, I will go to work in the rice noodle warehouse tomorrow, and I will make an agreement with Lao Liu at noon."

Father Chu nodded, "Well, it's good, it's better than staying at home."
Xiu Niang took a sip of gruel and said, "Brother, when do you plan to leave tomorrow?"

Chu Fu thought about it and said, "Here, it's better to go earlier, why don't you carry a few more sacks?"

Xiu Niang responded, and said to Chu Ge, "Chu Ge, let's go to the town tomorrow, because there is no rice at home." And the Erbao vine that she has been drying in the sun for the past few days should also be obtained. The town came to change some money.

Chu Ge nodded, holding a bowl and said, "Well, then I'll go up the mountain tomorrow morning to see what I can catch, and then go to the town, so let's get big brother to go with me."

Xiu Niang smiled, "Well, don't be in a hurry to go back after you go up the mountain, I'll bake some pancakes for elder brother, let's get on the road in a while."

Chu Fu burst into a smile when he heard this, "Hey, it's so kind, brothers, sisters, thank you."

Father Chu began to teach Chu Fu some working skills, "Fuwazi, remember, carrying sacks is different from carrying furniture. You can't tell how heavy or light the bag is at a glance. It can hold a bag, you, grab the corner to test the weight before moving it, and then lift it up..."

Chu Fu nodded while listening, "Got it, Dad, got it..."

Shen curled her lips, glared at Chu Fu, and muttered in her heart, this silly boy, what is this little woman doing, she was just saying to let Chu Ge go up the mountain to find prey without worrying about rushing back. Pancakes for your lunch...

She was stunned for a moment, and said to Xiu Niang, "Hey, what are you going to do? Let Chu Ge take Chu Fu there. If you leave tomorrow, are you thinking about letting me cook lunch?"

Xiu Niang smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, don't worry, I have already planned all this. There is still some dough left in the stove. I will chop it up and spread it out to dry. The remaining meat will be fried and salted to make it." Luzi, at noon tomorrow, you serve the noodles, just heat the stew and pour it over, and I can wash the bowl when I come back.”

Father Chu waved his hand, "Hey, the second child, what are you supposed to do, don't you just have a meal, your mother-in-law and I can handle it by ourselves."

Xiu Niang listened and responded. She saw that there was some porridge left in the basin, and said something to get up, "Grandfather and mother-in-law, you eat first, and I will serve some more out."

Chu Ge also finished eating now, he stopped Xiu Niang, "Xiu Niang, you eat, I'll serve it."

Xiu Niang smiled and pushed his hand away, "Hey, no need, you sit down, I'll stop by to see Tang... Hey, Chu Ge, what's wrong with your hand?"

Chu Ge knew that there was a gash on the back of his hand. It was scratched on the mountain earlier. Fortunately, the wound was not deep. He just wanted to tell Xiu Niang that it was nothing, and told her not to worry, but...

Xiu Niang put down the soup bowl, grabbed Chu Ge's hand, and pulled it closer to look at it carefully. Her light white fingers traced along the wound carefully, her fingertips intentionally or unintentionally avoiding the red and swollen scratch.

She complained to Chu Ge distressedly, "You idiot, why are you so careless? Didn't I tell you not to go in that dense forest? That piece is mostly thorny. Don't touch the water for a while and go back to the house." I'll give you some more medicine, you know."

Chu Ge looked at Xiu Niang's angry and delicate look, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up, his heart was warm, but when Xiu Niang accidentally touched his wound, the instant pain made him draw his attention away.

He felt the gentle caress on the back of his hand, soft and itchy, and because Xiu Niang was too close, the warm breath brushed over the back of his hand, scratching him once and for all. my heart...

His face burned, and he quickly withdrew his hand, "Xiu, Xiu Niang, I, I'm fine, let's serve the rice first."

Only then did Xiuniang remember that both Father Chu's and Mrs. Shen's bowls were still empty, so she hurriedly carried the soup bowl to the kitchen.

Chu Ge sat down with a sullen face, and said nothing in silence. Old Chu and Chu Fu beside him were chattering happily and didn't pay attention to Chu Ge.

But Shen took the scene just now into her eyes. She looked at Chu Ge and Xiu Niang, her eyes flashed, as if she was thinking about something...

After finishing his meal, Father Chu fumbled for a bag of dry tobacco, chattering about the past with Brother Chu Fu excitedly.

Xiu Niang packed up the dishes and went to the stove by herself, put them in the pot to store water, then walked to another stove, lifted the lid of the pot and took a look to see how the bone soup cooked earlier was.

She put some salt in it, stirred it with a copper spoon, scooped up the bone soup that boiled in the middle, and tried the taste by herself, um, yes, neither salty nor bland, just right.

Xiu Niang drank the remaining soup in the spoon, but when she turned around, she was shocked. She blinked her eyes holding her breath, and looked at the expressionless Shen who stood behind her at some point, "Mother, mother-in-law."

With a sullen face, Shen looked at the copper spoon in her hand, then at the pot beside her, and then at her.

Xiu Niang looked at putting the copper spoon aside, then wiped her mouth with her hand, "Grandma, why... you came in."

Shen Shi pursed her lips, and muttered softly and loudly, "If I don't come in, this pot of soup will go into someone else's stomach."

As she spoke, she glanced at Xiu Niang again, then walked around her to the side of the pot, and looked at the thick white soup boiled with "gurgling".

Xiu Niang smiled to herself, and went to the front to wash the dishes, she said, "Grandmother, this bone soup is almost ready, I just adjusted the saltiness, I just finished eating, I'll take it out later. "

Shen Shi didn't reply after hearing this, but stayed by the pot all the time, as if she was really afraid that Xiu Niang would drink the pot of bone soup.

Xiu Niang didn't care, and continued to work. After she finished washing the bowl, she poured out the washing water, and then put the chopsticks in the wooden cabinet, leaving the bowl of porridge just now.

Shen looked at the coolness and said, "It's done, let's take out the soup now, I ate porridge at night, my stomach is already empty, now hurry up and drink it together, don't be the same as before, I'm going to sleep Only then did he yell for us to drink, and he was tired to death."

Xiu Niang set up her chopsticks, responded obediently, walked to the pot and started scooping out the soup, and when she came out with a soup pot, she said, "Grandmother, you stand here and keep the pot of soup for such a long time." It’s been a long time, if you’re not tired, you’re thirsty, I’ll scoop up a big bowl for you, and you’ll be full forever.”

Shen Shi was still intimidated by Xiu Niang's appearance, but after hearing what she said later, she became angry again, "You little woman, do you mean that I am full!"

Xiu Niang looked at her and smiled, "Grandmother, I didn't say that, I was afraid that I would drink it up soon and you would never be able to catch it."

Shen stared, and looked at Xiu Niang who went to the wooden cabinet to get a spoon with her hands on her hips. She thought about it and sneered, leaning closer to Xiu Niang, "Hmph, little woman, my baby hasn't touched you yet... "

(End of this chapter)