OBS Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Zhao Da'e had no idea why Zhao Tiesheng hadn't gone to the hospital or done any work at home these past two days, and Zhao Da'e didn't want to know.
After hearing what his grandfather Zhao Tingxu had just said, Zhao Da'e knew that it was almost certain that his grandmother Wang Guixiang had sprained her leg.
Of course, it's definitely not that serious.
Wang Guixiang took advantage of this excuse to exaggerate her minor illness, which conveniently provided her with a reason.
Zhao Da'e had his own plans. Since they were all unwilling to make room for his mother, he wouldn't be surprised if he came up with other solutions.
Zhao Tiesheng was rebuked a few times and knew he was wrong. Besides, his daughter had just refused to let him into the house. Now, wanting to put on a show, he immediately grabbed a small axe and some ropes and went into the mountains to chop some firewood.
Zhao Da'e heated the kang (heated brick bed) in the barn, then took out a can of beef, heated it in a pot, and added some leftover steamed buns, the beef pies he hadn't finished eating in the hospital the past two days, and a bag of shumai.
Finally, Zhao Da'e rummaged through the drawers and found two eggs, chopped two pieces of scallion, and made an egg drop soup.
That finished preparing lunch, and then I had lunch with my mother, Cheng Jinxiang.
Even Zhao Da'e, a skilled cook, couldn't cook without rice; she had nothing at home except cornmeal and corn grits. No meat, no vegetables. The situation was so dire it was almost unbearable...
Grandma's house?
After lunch, Zhao Da'e told Cheng Jinxiang to rest, and then he strolled out the door. After walking for a while, he arrived at the village of Juren Zhangzi above.
After wandering around for a while, we arrived at Aunt Cheng Jinxi's house, but Aunt Cheng Jinxi was not home. Only my cousin Zhou Tianfu was home, coaxing his two younger sisters to play in the house.
When his cousin Zhou Tianfu saw Zhao D'e arrive, he quickly got up to greet him: "D'e, come in quickly. Come in quickly."
Zhao Da'e didn't stand on ceremony. He went into the house, sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and asked, "Cousin, where are my aunt and uncle?"
My cousin Zhou Tianfu is seventeen or eighteen years old this year. He didn't get into high school or junior high school, so he stopped studying. He usually stays at home herding cattle, and recently he's been riding his bicycle around collecting scrap.
The other two are also Zhao Da'e's cousins, but they are only twelve or thirteen years old, not very old, and they didn't go to school. After graduating from elementary school, they didn't pass the junior high school entrance exam.
Cousin Zhou Tianfu replied, "The two of them went up the mountain to cut firewood for stepping stones."
There aren't many other things on the nearby mountains, but there's an abundance of firewood. However, the firewood looks like wood, but it's not wood; it's a kind of shrub with thorns, making it awkward to burn as firewood. Farmers generally don't like to burn that, so there's no shortage of it on the mountains.
"Cousin, I'm going to play with my two older cousins for a while. Why don't you go to Grandma's house?"
Cousin Zhou Tianfu asked, "What's the matter at Grandma's house?"
"I told my aunt to come and give a gift after my sister has been waiting for twelve days. Today is the eighth day, so I'll have my aunt come on the day of the Great Snow solar term."
Cousin Zhou Tianfu agreed: "Okay, no problem. I'll go as soon as my mom and dad get back, otherwise, there'll be no one to watch over your cousin and her husband."
Zhao Da'e's other two older cousins were only teenagers, still children.
Zhao Da'e shook his head: "It's alright, leave the child-rearing to me."
Cousin Zhou Tianfu: "..."
"Hey goose, you're not even seven years old yet, are you trying to fool your two older cousins?"
Zhao Da'e was also stunned. She had almost forgotten how old she was. Then she chuckled and said, "Don't worry. Cousin, you go ahead. My two older cousins won't get lost. If they do, it's on me."
Although Zhou Tianfu, the cousin, didn't quite believe Zhao Da'e's nonsense, he didn't hesitate when she said she was going to Grandma's house, and set off on his bicycle.