Chapter 193: Helpers
Shi Tou slapped his forehead. Right, his sister only wanted two free laborers and never thought about paying wages.
He panicked. “Then what about the medicine fee?”
“Put it on account first and make up for it when there’s a chance.” Xiao Huan patted the grass off her skirt hem and stood up, fetched water from the wellside, and changed the water in the garden’s small pond.
The little turtle leisurely lay on the round stone, wagged its head at her friendly.
Evening, colorful clouds filled the sky.
Before dinner, Yu Da took the initiative to go to the kitchen to find Xiao Huan, saying servants had their own rules and couldn’t eat at the same table as the host family; they would eat after the host family finished.
He wanted to do this, and Xiao Huan didn’t stop him, just mentioned it to Shang Wan.
“Sis, should I make some food for them separately?”
“No need.” Shang Wan thought for a moment and shook her head. She didn’t believe Yu Da was truly so principled. Since he wanted to follow the rules, let him; eating leftovers was just right to avoid waste.
So, at dinnertime, only family sat at the table.
The weather was too hot, and everyone had little appetite. Xiao Huan cooked a pot of porridge, cut salted duck eggs in half and arranged them on a plate, and made one meat and one vegetable cold dish.
The salted duck eggs were salty and fragrant with oil flowing, the cold dishes refreshing and tasty—one hot and sour, one salty and crisp—perfect to go with the porridge.
Chu Xu couldn’t eat spicy but insisted on trying the hot and sour one. His little mouth turned bright red from the spice, his cat-like eyes full of tears, holding a cup and gulping down cool water.
Shang Wan worried he would get diarrhea and made him eat the non-spicy one like Yuan Yuan.
Yuan Yuan several times quietly stretched her small hand toward the cold chicken in front of her, but it was always caught by Daddy, not even tasting a bit of the sauce. Her little mouth pouted high in displeasure.
Lu Chengjing pretended not to see and patiently crushed the duck egg yolk, mixed it into the porridge, and fed his daughter.
They ate and chatted, the meal gradually coming to an end.
Shi Tou spat out a chicken bone and glanced at the table.
The salted duck eggs were all eaten, only some soup left in the two vegetable plates. There was still porridge, but it probably wouldn’t be enough to fill two grown men.
Thinking for a moment, he reached out and tugged Xiao Huan’s sleeve, whispering, “If it’s gone, it’s gone. Don’t be kind and cook for them; it’s tiring enough.”
Xiao Huan nodded.
So, Yu Da, waiting for leftovers, ended up with a bowl of porridge.
Yu Da stared blankly at the porridge on the cutting board. How was there still vegetables and meat at noon, but only porridge at night?
This one bowl wasn’t even enough for him alone, let alone for Yu Er, who was injured and hadn’t eaten all day.
He looked around the kitchen, thinking of using ingredients to make something, but found the kitchen spotless—no meat, not even a vegetable leaf in sight.
Yu Da: “…”
Xiao Huan stood by the cutting board kneading dough, preparing to eat noodles in the morning. Seeing him standing there foolishly, she turned her head. “Don’t stand here blocking the light. Are you going to eat or not?”
Yu Da suppressed his anger, picked up the porridge bowl, and returned to the room.
In the side room, Yu Er had woken up. Seeing Yu Da come in with a bowl of porridge, he frowned and asked, “Just this for dinner?”
Yu Da grunted, handing him the porridge bowl and chopsticks together.
Yu Er had just taken medicine, his mouth bitter. He had no appetite for the porridge in front of him and knocked over the bowl with a wave of his hand. “Not eating!”
Yu Da was caught off guard. The porcelain bowl shattered on the floor with a crash, warmish porridge splashing onto his trouser leg, a yellow stain.
Having groveled all day already felt stifling, and seeing the dirt on his trouser leg, the surging anger suddenly couldn’t be held back.
Two fierce arguing voices came from the side room.
On the platform at the corner, Shang Wan sat enjoying the cool breeze, propping her chin to listen to the commotion.
Chu Xu sat next to her, small hands propping his cheeks, little head tilted as he listened intently.
Shang Wan looked at him. “What do you make of it?”
“The arguing sounds so fake.” Chu Xu pursed his lips, his little face full of disdain.
Shang Wan laughed and reached out to rub his clever little head. “How did you tell?”
Chu Xu said, “There are lots of fights in the military camp. Big men argue a couple sentences and just start fighting. Not like them, arguing like they’re singing opera.”
Shang Wan continued, “Why do you think they’re pretending to argue?”
Chu Xu tilted his little head in thought, his two eyebrows twisting like earthworms. “They want to trick us?”
Shang Wan: “Trick us into what?”
Chu Xu: “Trick us into thinking their brotherly affection is bad.”
Shang Wan: “What good does that do them?”
“Good…” Chu Xu scratched his head, frowning hard in thought. Even after the arguing in the side room quieted, he still hadn’t figured it out.
The child tilted his head and rubbed against Shang Wan’s arm, his cat-like eyes full of curiosity. “Aunt Shang, what good does it do?”
Shang Wan pinched his cheek. “What do they want most?”
“To escape.” After answering, Chu Xu exclaimed “Ah!” “They’re preparing to escape.”
Shang Wan nodded and rubbed his clever little head again.
“Aunt Shang, what should we do?” Chu Xu showed an eager, excited little expression.
Shang Wan lowered her gaze to Yu Da storming out, her lips curving slightly. “Watch and wait.”
·
The next morning, Yu Da got up early, took the initiative to sweep the courtyard clean, and stood at the kitchen doorway awaiting orders.
Xiao Huan remembered Shang Wan’s instructions and didn’t make things hard for him. While cooking noodles, she conveniently boiled a bowl for the two brothers too.
After breakfast, Shi Tou took laborer number one to reclaim land.
Yuan Yuan rode on Xiao Hui’s back, occasionally turning her head to look at Yu Da, her big bright eyes blinking, seemingly a bit curious.
Yu Da dreadfully glanced at the gray wolf. Seeing the little baby girl on the wolf’s back always looking at him, he took the initiative to talk to Yuan Yuan.
Perhaps not often talking to strange uncles, Yuan Yuan was quite willing to chat with him. The big and the small talked as they reached the field.
Yu Da was very aware of being a laborer and shouldered the hoe, proactively asking Shi Tou which plot to work.
Shi Tou waved his hand. “No rush, the helpers haven’t arrived yet.”
Yu Da looked at himself. Wasn’t he here?
The helper Shi Tou mentioned wasn’t him, of course. He gestured to Yuan Yuan.
“Fly!” Yuan Yuan stretched out her small hand and patted the gray wolf beneath her. The gray wolf raised its neck, “Awoo—”
“Awoo—”
“Awoo—”
Three consecutive howls, the wolf howl echoing from above.
A chittering sound suddenly came from the nearby mountain forest. Yu Da looked over to see a group of brown-furred monkeys swinging out from the trees.
He opened his mouth in shock. How did the wolf howl summon monkeys?
No, where did so many monkeys come from?
Just as he wanted to ask Shi Tou what was going on, he suddenly felt a weight on his foot, like something pressing down.
He looked down and instantly met several pairs of black bean eyes.
—Field mice! Piles of field mice!
He wasn’t afraid of such small things, but many ants could kill an elephant, let alone swarms of field mice.
Yu Da instinctively stepped back two steps, warily watching the field mice, ready to swing the hoe at any moment.
“Helpers are here.” Shi Tou stood up and patted the dust off his butt. “Let’s start.”
“What?” Yu Da thought he was talking to him and looked over in surprise.
Shi Tou ignored him and looked at Yuan Yuan.
Yuan Yuan nodded her little head, a spark in her big eyes. She waved her small hand forward. “Go!”
