Li Sufen’s mouth twitched at the tone her father-in-law was using to coax the child. Even though she knew “buying cakes” was just a metaphor, her heart still fluttered nervously.
Subconsciously, she felt that if her daughter really said she wanted to buy food, her in-laws would actually do it.
Liu Si Tian sat on her mother’s arm, twiddling her fingers. She thought it through: with her around, the health of her grandparents, parents, and siblings would only get better and better; they wouldn’t need ginseng at all.
If they truly needed it, she would find another opportunity to take some out later.
There was plenty in her space.
What the Old Liu family lacked most right now was money!
And all kinds of ration coupons.
There were simply too many things the family needed to purchase.
So, she tilted her head toward Old Man Liu and said, “Grandpa, will we have a lot of money if we sell it?”
She tried to sound as much like a little child as possible.
“Of course, a lot.”
“Then let’s sell it. We can buy wine for Grandpa to drink, cigarettes for you to smoke, and new shoes. We can buy new clothes for Grandma to wear.
We can also buy a bicycle.
That way, when Big Brother and Second Brother come home for holidays, they won’t have to walk back. We can buy an iron pot, too, so we can separate the cooking for us and the feed for the pigs.
Then Dad won’t have to carry so much water because he won’t have to wash the pot so often.
We can buy new clothes for Mom, too.
And Bao’er wants to eat biscuits and cakes.” To fit the child persona, Liu Si Tian added that last sentence.
Children only know how to eat, drink, and play, after all.
Seeing the incredibly touched expressions on the faces of Old Man Liu and the others, she felt awkward enough to want to curl her toes, but since she had shoes on, she couldn’t, so she just touched the tip of her nose with her small hand.
Her words truly moved the members of the Old Liu family. They always said they doted on her, but how could one not love a child like this?
Look at her—such a tiny thing, yet so filial already.
She was so considerate of the family and knew everything that was going on; such a small person already knew how to worry about them.
She was a hundred, a thousand, a ten-thousand times better than those stinky boys!!!
All the boys of the Liu family: …
The unintentionally slighted Liu Sishu and Liu Siwei returned home from school at noon. Without a moment’s rest, they started gathering firewood and lighting the fire.
The meal always needed at least one hot dish, especially the vegetables; with lard involved, you couldn’t eat it if it wasn’t hot.
Liu Siwei sat on a small stool in front of the stove, striking a match to light the birch bark and putting it into the stove hole.
As he worked, he grumbled, his face full of indignant sorrow, “Grandma really doesn’t love me anymore. She just went up the mountain like that. I’m still just a kid, and I have to cook for myself when I get back from school.”
As he spoke, he added more firewood to the stove.
“Third Brother, do you think Grandpa and Grandma could catch a pheasant or something today?
Maybe they could even bag a wild boar!
If that happens, I’ll forgive Grandma for leaving me behind. I want to eat red-braised pork, cabbage with pork and vermicelli, and pork and cabbage dumplings.”
Liu Sishu, who had originally intended to comfort him: …
Was his heart as big as a pig’s heart?
But seeing his silly younger brother cheering up again, he didn’t say anything. The two chatted aimlessly. “Third Brother, what do you think bear paw tastes like?
Do you think Grandpa and Grandma could…”
“Give it a rest.” Seeing him getting more and more ridiculous, Liu Sishu finally couldn’t help but shout, “With just Grandpa and Dad, two grown men, wanting to fight a bear or a wild boar? I think you look like a wild boar and a bear paw.”
If they really ran into a black bear or a wild boar, would his grandma, mother, and little sister even be alive?
Even his grandpa and dad wouldn’t be doing well.
His brain just didn’t work right.
Thinking this, Liu Sishu rolled his eyes at him again.
The bewildered Liu Siwei said, “I was just thinking about it. People have to have dreams, right?”
“That’s not called a dream; that’s called daydreaming.” After putting his foolish brother in his place and seeing him quiet down, Liu Sishu felt better.
He added water to the pot, put on the iron steamer rack, and set out the leftovers from the morning.
Even though they were only two years apart, unlike the naive Liu Siwei, Liu Sishu was reliable.
He picked up the pig-feed bucket and scooped a full bucket of feed into the trough: “You watch the fire, I’m going out to feed the pigs and the chickens.”
Liu Siwei waved his hand carelessly: “Go ahead. We can’t eat the pork, so I’ll roast two potatoes for us to eat.”
Liu Sishu sighed inwardly. Still thinking about eating, sigh… Thinking about how he would have to bring his silly brother along through elementary, middle, and high school made his heart tired.
But he couldn’t leave him behind, either, as he only knew how to eat and play all day.
Thinking about what the teacher said this morning, Liu Sishu sighed again.
Their homeroom teacher, who taught both of their classes, said that Liu Siwei spent his time in class looking around, not listening, as if his bottom had nails in it, or he was yawning constantly.
But as soon as class ended, he disappeared in an instant.
Full of life and energy.
Either he was digging out mouse holes or taking his slingshot to shoot sparrows. The most speechless thing was that he had actually taken a few classmates to snap corn in a nearby field and roast it in the school woods.
And that was a production team’s field!
Naturally, the wind was strong that day, the smell drifted far, and he almost set the trees on fire.
Thankfully, the teacher had been looking for him and spotted the sparks.
He was simply naughty beyond measure.
Their teacher said if he kept this up, he might fail his final exams and possibly be held back a grade next semester.
It seemed he would have to tell the adults.
Forced to be the mature one, Liu Sishu set his small face and filled the pig trough to the brim.
“Loo-loo-loo-loo~”
Eat up, eat up and grow fat. My brother is crazy for your meat, Liu Sishu recited in his heart.
At this moment, Liu Sishu didn’t know that within two years, he would be liberated, because Liu Siwei’s nemesis, Niohuru·Si Tian, was about to go online.
And she would cause the Old Liu family to fall into a frenzy of “involution” (intense competition), where even he would almost be worked to death.
…
The Zhao Family at the Commune
After school at noon, Liu Siwen and Liu Siwu went to the Zhao family’s house by bicycle after eating.
They were delivering the bicycle and visiting their aunt.
At noon, the Zhao family was all at home eating. After some small talk, Liu Siwen asked, “Auntie, Dad said when he got back that you weren’t feeling well lately. Are you feeling better?”
Before Liu Hong could answer, Zhao Yongsheng asked first, “Hong, you aren’t feeling well? Why didn’t you say anything? Where do you feel unwell?
Come on, let’s go to the hospital and check.”
With that, he didn’t even finish his meal; he got up to get the money to go to the hospital.
Old Lady Zhao also suddenly remembered that her daughter-in-law had indeed been acting a bit strange lately.
The way she looked, it was as if…
Old Lady Zhao slapped her thigh hard: “Hong, are you pregnant again?”
Seeing her father-in-law and two nephews present, Liu Hong blushed and waved her hands, “No, Mother. When I gave birth to Xiaomei…”
“Bah, that doesn’t mean anything.” Old Lady Zhao interrupted her. The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was possible, her face full of joy:
“Back then, the doctor said the chance of you conceiving again was small, but they didn’t say it was impossible! Maybe your health has improved over the last two years.”
(Liu Si Tian: Space meat is a great aid for treating infertility.)
With Old Lady Zhao saying that, Liu Hong’s resolve wavered, and she couldn’t stay firm anymore.
Well, what else was there to say? Let’s go to the hospital.
Zhao Yongsheng rode his bike to take Liu Hong to the hospital, while the Liu Siwen brothers returned to school. Before the afternoon classes were over, Zhao Yongsheng, who was about to become a father again, went to the school to share the good news with them.
“I’m going to ride my bike to tell your grandparents, too.”
He didn’t even finish his shift at work and took a half-day off.
By the time he arrived at the Erhe Brigade, the group led by Old Man Liu had just reached the entrance gate.
“Grandpa, Grandma, it looks like little Uncle-in-law is here.”
Liu Si Tian had sharp eyes.