The big one and the small one finally dared to believe that the bowls full of rice in front of them were truly for them.
The fragrant white rice, combined with the aroma of the stir-fried shredded potatoes, made both of their stomachs growl at the same time.
Seeing their nervousness, Qu Qing couldn’t help but smile slightly. He said, “If you’re hungry, then hurry up and eat.”
Seeing that the two of them still hadn’t moved, their gazes fixed on him, he immediately understood that they were waiting for him to start eating first. So, Qu Qing picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. Only then did the big one and the small one begin to eat hungrily.
Qu Qing was also hungry, but he felt that compared to the two in front of him, they were much hungrier, making him suspect that they hadn’t eaten anything for an entire day.
Seeing the two of them devouring their food, Qu Qing noticed that Mao’er, being small, had some difficulty holding the bowl and using chopsticks to pick up the vegetables. So, he picked up a few more pieces for Mao’er, stopping when he felt it was enough for the little one. Mao’er happily accepted the food, and while eating, his dangling legs swayed joyfully in the air.
When Gou’er caught a glimpse of Qu Qing’s actions out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly choked up, his eyes grew warm, nearly brimming with tears, and his eating slowed down.
He felt so happy that it seemed like a dream. Here, no one scolded him for being ugly, no one called Mao’er a little monster, and no one hit or berated them. They even had delicious food to eat.
Seeing Gou’er focused solely on eating from his own bowl and seemingly reluctant to move his chopsticks, Qu Qing also picked up a generous portion of shredded potatoes for him.
Seeing the two of them happily enjoying their food, Qu Qing had the illusion that he was taking care of two children. However, to be honest, he didn’t mind this feeling at all. Although Gou’er wasn’t very good-looking, at least it was comfortable to be around him. Mao’er was also a pitiful little one, and raising them didn’t seem like a bad thing. In the future, he wouldn’t be lonely and could seek help from these locals. If it weren’t for Gou’er today, he might not have been able to enjoy this warm meal at all.
As he continued to pick up more vegetables for Gou’er, Qu Qing suddenly noticed that Gou’er had stopped eating and had lowered his head even further.
“What’s wrong?” Qu Qing turned his head to look at him and found that he was shedding tears into his bowl. He stopped eating and leaned over to gently pat his shoulder. “Why are you crying? Is it not good?”
Hearing this, Gou’er raised his head and shook it vigorously in response, “No, no, it’s very delicious, very delicious! This is the… best meal I’ve ever had.”
Mao’er beside him looked up and said softly, “I think it’s the best meal too.” “Then why are you crying?” Qu Qing genuinely didn’t understand.
Gou’er hugged his bowl, sobbing and choking on his words, “I’m… afraid that I won’t be able to eat such delicious food again. You let us have this good meal, are you going to chase us away afterward?”
Last night, his mother also made him take a bath, gave him a full meal, and then today, without mercy, sent him and Mao’er here.
“I won’t chase you away, so don’t worry. From now on…” He wanted to say that they would never go hungry again, but then he suddenly remembered that this was a barren ancient time, and he couldn’t even guarantee his own meals in the future. Making such promises without certainty felt too false and irresponsible. So, he changed his words, “From now on, every day you are here, as long as I have something to eat, you will also have something to eat.”
When Gou’er heard him say “you” instead of “you two,” he was 100% sure that Qu Qing was willing to let Mao’er stay. He couldn’t quite describe his feelings, he wanted to cry, wanted to laugh, but was also afraid that it was all just an illusion or a lie. He wanted to ask why the other person was being so good to them, but the words caught in his throat and he couldn’t say them.
“Go on and eat, or the food will get cold,” Qu Qing said.
So, Gou’er and Mao’er picked up their bowls and continued eating.
Gou’er thought, ‘let it be’. Whether it’s real or a lie, no matter what tomorrow holds, this is good enough. At least… the feeling of fullness and happiness at this moment is not a lie.
Qu Qing was about 70% full. Seeing how hungry the two of them looked, he decided to give most of the dishes to them. He quietly watched as they ate, and in the end, the bowls were completely clean, with not a single grain of rice left.
Qu Qing looked at the clean plates and thought that the “clean plate policy[1]“clean plate policy” refers to the idea or practice of finishing all the food on one’s plate during a meal. It encourages people not to waste food and to consume everything served … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3527583_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3527583_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });” could definitely be implemented thoroughly at home in the future. Seeing the two of them rubbing their bellies, he figured they must be full. Being full was all that mattered.
Gou’er took the initiative to wash the dishes, and Mao’er followed closely behind him. Qu Qing stood up and walked to the courtyard, watching as the sky began to darken. He thought to himself that there were no candles or any light sources at home, let alone any nighttime entertainment. Once it was completely dark, it would definitely be pitch black here, and it seemed that sleeping would be the best choice.
He went over and locked the courtyard gate, then closed the doors and windows of the room next to it where the seeds were stored. Those were the essentials for his survival in the future. If they were stolen, he wouldn’t even know where to cry.
After inspecting the courtyard again, he thought about how he would need to renovate it properly since it would be his home for a long time. While turning around, he unexpectedly discovered a pleasant surprise, he found a whetstone in the corner. He picked up the stone, added a little water, and took out the rusty sickle and the dull kitchen knife to sharpen them for a while.
By the time he finished, the horizon could only be seen with a faint glow at the mountain top, and it wouldn’t be long before it would be completely dark.
He handed the knife to Gou’er to put away and called for him to heat up some water.
Gou’er was puzzled about what they needed hot water for now, but he still obediently did as he was told. Qu Qing went into the room, felt the straw mattress, and after thinking for a moment, he took out a few pieces of clothing that he had washed today and laid them on top. He also used some clothes to make a simple pillow. Once the water was heated, he instructed the two to wash their feet before getting into bed. When Qu Qing saw that there wasn’t enough water left, Gou’er wanted to heat more, but Qu Qing stopped him.
Qu Qing said casually, “Just like that. There isn’t much water at home, so don’t come down and dirty your freshly washed feet again.”
Gou’er watched Qu Qing finish washing and then pour out the foot wash water himself. He suddenly felt restless. His mother had told him to take good care of Qu Qing, serving him tea, fetching water, and massaging his shoulders and back. Yet on his very first day, he had Qu Qing pour out his foot wash water for him. This…
Mao’er also sat on the bed, wiggling his little bottom. Noticing that it was already dark, he didn’t have to worry about strange eyes watching him, so he opened his other eye and curiously explored the new bed. He touched and looked around, then tugged at Gou’er’s sleeve and shook it, his tender voice filled with evident delight: “It’s so soft here, and it smells so good.”
Gou’er casually responded with a few “hmms,” but his mind was still on Qu Qing.
In fact, during the day, he had thought about where he would sleep—whether it would be in the kitchen, the nearby utility room with only a few bags, or perhaps outside in the yard. He considered many possibilities, but he never expected that Qu Qing would actually let him sleep on the only bed in the house.
Qu Qing poured out the foot-washing water, put the basin away, closed the door, and secured it with the door bolt.
The moment the bolt clicked into place, Gou’er’s whole body tensed up involuntarily.
Although he was still inexperienced and didn’t understand much, he vaguely knew that something was supposed to happen on the wedding night—what people called the bridal chamber and wedding night…
Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a bit lost. He had once fantasized about what it would be like when he got married. When his sister got married, she wore a red wedding dress, beautifully adorned as a bride, with many families coming to offer their blessings, and they held a lively banquet. When his brother married, he also married a beautiful bride in a red wedding dress. The house was decorated with red double happiness symbols and red cloth, and everyone celebrated the bride’s arrival, with sweet wedding candies to enjoy.
Because he was just a “ge’er,” on the day of his marriage, his mother sent him off with an angry expression. There was no dowry, no wedding candies, no banquet. The only thing he had was the red ribbon for tying his hair, but now, even that was of no use.
He recalled what the villagers often said: ‘What use is a ‘ge’er’? They don’t have the strength of a man for work, and they can’t compare to women when it comes to bearing children. Some ‘ge’er’ can’t even give birth their entire lives, which is considered a curse. Any man born as a ‘ge’er’ must have committed some sin in their past life to deserve such a fate.’
In fact, it wasn’t just this village, most ‘ge’er’ in other villages weren’t well-regarded either. However, in his case, it was because of his unattractive appearance that he was treated even worse.
That one and only red ribbon, he wouldn’t be able to use it anymore—he no longer had his hair.
Gou’er quietly reached out and clutched the red ribbon he had hidden against his chest, only now realizing how heartbroken he was over the loss of his long hair.
Qu Qing walked over in the dark, and once his eyes adjusted, he could vaguely make out the outlines of the room. He approached the bed and said to the two who hadn’t yet laid down, “Gou’er, sleep on the inside, Mao’er in the middle, and I’ll sleep on the outside. The bed is a bit
small, so we’ll have to squeeze in for now. After a while, I’ll figure out a way to make the bed bigger.”
The two obediently followed instructions, just like soldiers receiving orders, and immediately laid down properly.
Qu Qing took off his shoes, got into bed, and lay on his side under the quilt. Smelling the fresh scent of straw and the faint aroma of sunshine on the bedding, he thought to himself that this place wasn’t so bad after all.
Gou’er scooted further towards the corner and pulled Mao’er closer, seemingly noticing that Qu Qing didn’t have enough space.
Qu Qing didn’t fuss either. After lying down, he tugged the quilt to make sure it covered all three of them before he felt at ease, lying flat and starting to think about tomorrow.
The air suddenly grew quiet. Mao’er soon felt sleepy. He let out a big yawn, and, hugging Gou’er’s arm, fell asleep peacefully.
Qu Qing and Gou’er, however, were both still unable to fall asleep.
It’s unclear how much time passed when Qu Qing heard Gou’er occasionally shifting his body, realizing he hadn’t fallen asleep yet. Suddenly, Qu Qing turned over, startling Gou’er. He nervously wondered if the so-called wedding night ritual was about to happen, especially since Qu Qing had even gone out of his way to heat water for him to bathe earlier today.
Just as he was lost in thought, Qu Qing quietly asked, “Gou’er, can you farm? Like… corn, potatoes, and rice?”
When he heard the mention of farming, Gou’er wondered if this was going to be some other suggestive topic, but after hearing the rest, he realized it was really just about farming…
Instantly, he felt his face flush with embarrassment over his earlier chaotic thoughts. Thankfully, in the darkness of night, nothing could be seen, otherwise, he would have been thoroughly humiliated.
References[+]
waste.
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