Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 108

Zhao Yongbo then went home in a huff.

Of course, Zhao Yongbo's aggression was limited to his imposing manner; after all, his body, which was only a little over four years old, did not allow him to be particularly assertive.

Zhao Yongbo was wearing a red woolen hat given to him by Zhao Da'e, with two fluffy little balls on the back, which looked very festive.

After entering the courtyard, Zhao Yongbo carefully observed the surroundings, but when he walked to the center of the courtyard, he found that there was no movement at all. It was already past 8:30, and the sun was high in the sky, but the people inside the house did not seem to be awake yet.

Zhao Yongbo remembered what Zhao Da'e had said: "What kind of family do you have? Don't you get up at nine in the morning to work? Even in winter, don't you eat at nine? Even emperors have to attend the morning court. Your grandparents and parents, they don't even touch the grass or thorns, they even let cow dung into the house and don't clean it out. Little brother, do you think you're going to live like this? Aren't you as tough as an iron rod? You're still young, you're only four years old, and you're destined to live a lonely and helpless life? Your older sister feels sorry for you. You'll be a bachelor for seventy or eighty years..." Zhao Yongbo didn't actually know what being a bachelor meant, but seeing that his older sister Zhao Da'e could still go out and have playmates, while he didn't even have a friend to play with, was this how it would always be? Zhao Yongbo couldn't bear it, so he listened to Zhao Da'e even more resolutely.

After all, children are easily fooled, and Zhao Da'e treated Zhao Yongbo to dumplings three times a day, and even bought two small sausages to eat. Zhao Yongbo was overjoyed. It was the first time in his life he had ever eaten sausage, and he felt as comfortable as if he had ascended to heaven. In rural areas, resources are scarce, and novelties like sausages are extremely rare.

Furthermore, Zhao Da'e did some calculations for Zhao Yongbo. A sausage only cost four cents, and Zhao Da'e was going to give Zhao Yongbo two hundred yuan, which would amount to five hundred sausages. If he ate one a day, he could happily eat sausages for a year. As the saying goes, "Man dies for money, birds die for food." Zhao Yongbo was still young, and for this food, he immediately transformed into Zhao Da'e's loyal little brother.

Following his older sister, he gets nine meals a day. Following his mother, Zhang Cuilan, he goes hungry nine times in three days. Even someone as illiterate as Zhao Yongbo knows that it's better to follow Zhao Da'e; at least he'll have enough to eat.

With that thought in mind, Zhao Yongbo went into the main room of the house.

At this moment, Wang Guixiang, wearing a cotton-padded jacket and trousers, was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) groaning, while Zhao Tingxu was lying diagonally at the end of the kang, eating walnuts grown in the mountains.

Although Dongtaizi Village is some distance from the mountains, it's not too far. There are many wild walnuts, mulberries, hazelnuts, cherries, and other edible fruits on the mountains.

Wild walnuts aren't really popular. They have thick shells, very few kernels, and are incredibly difficult to crack open. To get a few kernels, you either need an axe or a hammer. And it's a skill-based activity; too much force crushes the kernel, too little leaves it cracked. So, few people in the surrounding villages like to gather or pick walnuts. Plus, they're practically worthless. In this era of striving for basic sustenance, people prefer to eat more abundant wild fruits like wild hazelnuts or wild dates. Filling one's stomach is the most important thing. Therefore, few families want the walnuts that cover the mountains and fields.

When Zhao Tingxu saw his beloved grandson Zhao Yongbo return home, he excitedly stood up and asked, "Yongbo, why did you leave with your older sister without saying a word? We were all worried sick about you. We were terrified. From now on, when you go out, you must let us know. Don't just run off on your own."

Besides, your older sister Zhao Dage is only six years old, and you two are both children. She can barely take care of herself, let alone children. What if she runs into child traffickers?