Chapter Sixteen: Sneaky Actions

  "Mom, we're back." Several children's voices echoed in the courtyard. Zhao heard and put down her work, quickly walking out of the house, seeing her little daughter on her father's back happily winking at her.

  "You little lazy pig, I told you not to go but you still went, and now you're just causing trouble for others?" Chen Tianfa asked with concern: "Are you tired? Put Xi Mei down, who spoiled you so much that you became this lazy? There's water in the kitchen, go drink some quickly."

  Xi Mei was twisting on Chen Tianfa's back, wanting to get down. Chen Tianfa let go and Xi Mei slid down like she was sliding down a slide. Zhang Zishang looked on with envy, why had his dad never played with him like that? He felt sad...

  Xi Mei was about to run out when Zhao Shi stopped her: "You just came back and now you want to go crazy again. Come back quickly."

  "Mother, I won't go far, I'll be at Second Uncle's house. I'm going to tell my cousin that I saw a little rabbit in the mountain today. The little rabbit is so cute, and Cousin Juan has never seen a rabbit before." Xi Mei said with a pout.

  "You can go, just come back early. Don't eat at your second aunt's house." Zhao thought that Jixia had gone to show off something she had seen and didn't think much of it. Turning around, she saw the wild vegetables her two daughters had dug up, and thinking there was still some white flour left in the jar, they would have dumplings instead.

  Turned around and beckoned Xi Ju Xi Mei to come and help.

  Sister Xi ran out of the yard and, relying on her memory of accompanying Xiao Bao Wang to chase dogs during the day, arrived at Er Bo's house. Taking a closer look, she saw that Er Bo's family was much better off than her own. The yard wasn't covered with thatch like her own home, but instead had a roof made of yellow mud bricks and tiles. Moreover, Er Bo's wife was diligent and the yard was spotlessly clean.

  He pushed open the door, and the people inside heard the noise and came out. His second uncle saw that it was her and happily picked her up. He affectionately scratched her small face with his beard, "Hey, how did you get here by yourself? Do your parents know?"

  "I know, I know, Second Uncle, Xi Mei has come this time to borrow something."

  "Oh? Borrow something? What thing? Your sister's hairpin?" In a place where her second uncle couldn't see, she rolled her eyes slightly. Is she really such a superficial person? Why does everyone think she's a vain person?

  "No, Second Uncle, I've come to borrow some lime. My dad said it can be used for building houses and I want to build one for our little chicken too."

  After listening, Chen Tianwang burst out laughing, "I thought it was something precious that made you embarrassed to ask for it, but it's just slaked lime? There's plenty of it at my second uncle's house. Wait for your second uncle to bring you a bag later, and take as much as you want." The hearty laughter of Chen Jia's second uncle.

  Xi Mei was overjoyed, her eyes shining with delight. "Then thank you, Second Aunt! You're really the best!" She lavished praise on her, not caring what others thought, as long as her Second Aunt was pleased.

  She took a small basket of lime from her second aunt's house and refused her second aunt's kind offer to send her home. The little girl carried the basket back home by herself, swaying as she walked.

  Jokingly, when she goes home, her second uncle and his wife will scold her, saying that her little butt is going to be in trouble. Although her mother spoils her, if she makes a mistake, she treats her like an enemy, sweeping away the fallen leaves with autumn wind.

  With great difficulty, she carefully placed a small basket of quicklime behind the chicken coop. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and then sneaked into the kitchen, avoiding the mother and daughters who were busy kneading dough and making fillings. Quietly climbing onto a stool, she stole out the four eggs that her mother had saved for two days.

  In the middle, because her hand was too small, she almost dropped an egg, scaring her into a cold sweat. When her mother saw that she had stolen eggs and broken them, if she didn't spank her own butt, it wouldn't be over.

  Bent over and walked into the chicken coop, carefully putting down the eggs. Worried again, this light has only eggshells, not enough, still need to use salt, grass ash, a container for something. What to do, what to do?

  Just as they were at a loss for what to do next, seeing the two people playing energetically in the courtyard suddenly gave them an idea.

  "Brother, Shang brother, come quickly. Let's play catching cicadas. I saw several people playing at the village entrance, it looks like so much fun, can we play too?"

  After listening to Xi Mei's words, Rui Hao was worried. Why did Xi Mei suddenly want to play with a snail? It didn't make any sense, but looking at Xi Mei's tearful face when he didn't agree, he didn't know how to refuse her either.

  Forget it, isn't it just a grasshopper? Are you afraid of not being able to find one for Xi Mei to play with? Patting his chest, he said: "Alright, Xi Mei, you stay here, I'll go get the tools to catch grasshoppers for you." This was exactly what Xi Mei wanted.

  "Alright, alright, Second Brother! I want the salt jar that Mother used. You go get it quickly, I'll wait for you here."

  Ruihao went to the single cell and came out after a while, still holding the salt jar she wanted. Xi Mei happily took it over and pointed to her brother, "Brother, you and Shang Gege go catch frogs quickly, I'll wait for you here."

  After the two of them finished walking, Xi Mei hugged the jar in her arms and slipped back to the chicken coop. She put a broken bowl in front of her, added some quicklime, poured water into it, took out the alkaline noodles she had asked her sister for two days ago, and then went to the kitchen stove to grab some ash from the grass and wood.

  Throw the grass ash alkaline surface into it and stir for half a day, remembering that the book said to wait for a day before using it, this is to make the substances inside react well.

  Now looking at the eggs in hand, scolding myself for being stupid and foolish. The eggs are not needed until tomorrow, why did I sneak them out today? Now I don't dare put them back in the chicken coop, or else my sister will think they're newly laid eggs. No choice but to put them back again.

  Sneakily, they brought the eggs back. Zhao's family had almost finished wrapping their dumplings. When Xi Mei came in, Zhao said: "Xi Mei has arrived just in time. Go with your third sister to peel a few heads of garlic. Later, we'll mash some garlic and mix it with vinegar to eat with our dumplings."

  "Alright, got it." Xiaosan Jie took Xi Mei to peel garlic, the distant sunset was slowly setting, and the faint sound of crickets could still be heard in the grass, occasionally, the village would transmit the sound of women scolding children to come home for dinner, accompanied by the sound of children driving cattle back, the lowing of cows, all kinds of sounds intertwined like a unique concert.

  When they finished collecting, Ruihao also brought Zhang Zishang back. As soon as he entered the door, he heard Xiaobao say: "Ji sister, look at all the frogs we brought back, you can choose one. Whichever one you like, I'll give it to you."

  Xi Mei happened to hear it when she was about to call them for dinner, pulled Xi Mei's hand and looked at the frog with disgust. "Such a disgusting thing, Xi Mei doesn't want it, you can keep it yourself if you like, don't bring it near Xi Mei. You're always thinking of eating." After saying that, she gave him a white eye and went back.

  Xiao Ba Wang heard and said to Rui Hao: "Hmph, the master is right. Women and petty people are hard to raise. Your second daughter, even if she's a woman, is also a petty person." After finishing speaking, he saw that no one paid attention to him, so he stomped his foot and followed the footsteps of several people into the house.

  In the house, Zhao's family had already set up the table, and one by one, the dumplings were also placed on the plate. Looking at the small and exquisite dumplings like ingots, not only Xi Mei but also Zhang Zishang couldn't help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

  "What are you looking at? Quickly pick up your chopsticks and eat. Young Master Zhang, you should also have some more." Madam Zhao urged everyone to eat.

  "Don't worry about him, he doesn't consider himself an outsider." Xi Mei continued to tear down his platform. The two of them really didn't know what was going on, and they would quarrel every time they met without any reason.

  Seeing her mother's angry demeanor, Xi Mei quickly picked up a dumpling and swung it back and forth, wanting to feed Zhao Shi. Looking at Xi Mei's comical appearance, Zhao Shi couldn't help but laugh. Scolding her, she said: "You're the only one with such energy, I really don't know who you take after. Alright, hurry up and eat."

  Watching her mother say so, Xi Mei finally sat down and ate her own. To be honest, she was really afraid of her mother getting angry.

  The whole family happily started eating dumplings, and Xi Mei even told a few jokes, making everyone at the table laugh loudly. Through the window, the jumping flames of the oil lamp also seemed to be laughing with their waists bent.