Seeing that Zhang Jinlin refused to move, Li Baoying walked over and snatched the bowl from his hands. "There’s still an hour before school starts. Even if you feed the chickens, you’ll have plenty of time to eat, and it only takes a few minutes to walk to school from here. What’s the rush?"
"Look at your two older brothers. Aren't they both more diligent than you? They’re always fighting to help out around the house. Even Xiaohua knows how to catch grasshoppers in the field. And you? What have you contributed to this family?"
"From now on, these chicks are your responsibility. If they get thin or die, don't bother going to school—you’ll be coming home to do manual labor!"
When Zhang Jinlin saw how serious his mother was, he immediately lost his nerve, though he still felt a bit disgruntled. "I wasn't the one who asked to feed them. You said you wanted to build up Big Brother’s strength, so he should be the one feeding them."
"Mom, let me do it. It won't take long." Zhang Jinhe, already feeling ashamed, stepped forward immediately upon seeing his mother scolding his younger brother.
"Jinhe, stay put. Go back and eat. After you're done, go join your father for work. Today, and every day from now on, these chickens are your brother’s job!"
"Jinlin, are you going or not? If you don't go, I’m heading to your school right now to withdraw you!"
Li Baoying stared sternly at her youngest son, her gaze sharp enough to pierce right through him.
Terrified, Zhang Jinlin immediately stood up and said, "I’ll go! I’ll go feed the chickens! Mom, please, don’t withdraw me from school."
Only then did Li Baoying sit down to eat. Eating pickled radishes every morning wasn't healthy, and she planned to mix some cucumbers tomorrow morning to change things up.
Zhang Jinlin carefully chopped up wild vegetables and grass for the chicks, mixed in a tiny bit of cornmeal as his mother had instructed, and placed the feed on a broken roof tile she had picked up that morning.
The chicks ate even more heartily than before. Watching them, Zhang Jinlin felt a pang of distress, terrified that one of them might not get enough to eat, grow thin, and die.
After the meal, everyone went off to school or work.
That evening, when work ended, the children did their homework and Xiaohua watched the chicks. Li Baoying and her husband tidied up the courtyard and cleared a patch of land to grow vegetables; the crops from their private plot weren't enough, and with this extra bit, things should improve.
They also cleared a small space to build a coop once the chickens grew larger, so they could move around and lay eggs. Later, they would find some tree branches to fence off the vegetable patch so the chickens wouldn't eat the plants.
Once the soil was turned and the seeds were sown, the children had already finished their homework.
Feeling a bit hungry, Li Baoying drank a bowl of water and went to bed. Zhang Jiandan did the same.
The next morning, as usual, their eldest son was waiting in the courtyard early.
"Jintian, you can sleep a bit longer. I’ll get up and wake you," Li Baoying said, her heart aching for him.
"Mom, I don't believe you’ll wake me. Don’t worry, I’ve had enough sleep. I’m not tired; I wake up exactly when it’s time," Zhang Jintian said with a smile.
"You child... you don't actually have to get up this early to dig wild vegetables with me just to exercise. Just getting up a little early and walking around outside is enough," Li Baoying said helplessly.
"I don't want to. I want to spend more time with Mom," Zhang Jintian said, picking up a sack and heading out.
Every day, the wild vegetables they dug were washed and dried, so they could just be chopped and tossed into the pot when needed. Because they could trade the vegetables from their private plot for ration coupons or money at the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Baoying’s family, like most in the village, frequently ate wild vegetables.
Li Baoying felt a warmth in her heart at her son’s words; she, too, wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. The pain of losing her eldest son in her past life still left her heart shattered; the two years she had spent insane in that life were both an escape and a way to cope. She couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't lose her mind again if she saw her son in danger, but she was determined to work hard to change their lives and give him a better future.
There was only a year left until the day he had died in her previous life, and she was determined to make sure he lived it happily.
The autumn harvest ended quickly, and the small vegetable patch began to turn green. Zhang Jiandan and Zhang Jinhe went off to work on the roads and dams to earn work points, while Li Baoying took Xiaohua out to dig for wild vegetables and catch insects.
The chicks loved the insects, which helped them grow faster. Sometimes, Xiaohua would carry a cardboard box behind Li Baoying. Once they reached the fields, she would release the chicks to forage for bugs and seeds in the grass.
Zhang Jintian no longer had to wake up early to dig for vegetables, and he resumed his old routine. Thanks to Xiaohua’s diligent care, the chicks were fully grown by the time the Lunar New Year approached.
The Li Baoying family received their share of grain, oil, and coarse cloth, and she used the vegetables from their patch to trade for meat coupons. Gritting her teeth, she bought a pound of meat for the New Year.
They hadn't seen meat all year, and the four children went wild with joy at the sight of it. A pound of meat really wasn't enough for a family of six.
Li Baoying also bought red paper and had her eldest son write a pair of spring couplets to hang on their door. Zhang Jintian’s handwriting was as refined as his character; despite his young age, he wrote beautifully, and he had been the one to write their couplets for the past two years.
Soon, neighbors from the alley began bringing red paper to Jintian, asking him to write couplets for them, and he would smile and fulfill every request. As everyone left with their couplets, they would beam with joy, praising Zhang Jiandan for raising such a promising son.
On New Year’s Eve, Li Baoying chopped half a pound of meat to stew with a large head of cabbage, adding a handful of sweet potato vermicelli. She also went to the extraordinary lengths of cooking a pot of white rice.
When the aroma of the meat and rice filled the air, Xiaohua’s mouth began to water. Zhang Jiandan tended the fire, a smile on his face; after a year of hard work, this was the day they had been looking forward to.
Even though the harvest hadn't been great and they hadn't received much grain, as long as they pinched pennies, they would make it through—it was still better than having nothing to eat or drink. There wasn't much oil, either, only enough to scrape by for a few months, but at least the vegetables would have a bit of flavor.
The firelight danced on the children’s faces as Li Baoying served the rice and vegetables to each of them, from oldest to youngest. Zhang Jintian’s bowl had the most, followed by Zhang Jinhe’s, while Zhang Hua and Zhang Jinlin received equal portions.
Zhang Hua said nothing and ate happily. Zhang Jinlin was displeased but didn't dare express it too openly. He just muttered, "Why is mine so small? Big Brother and Second Brother both have more than me."
"Take it or leave it. Do you understand how labor distribution works? Your big brother helped me dig wild vegetables for a long time, your second brother did plenty of work for the team, and Xiaohua caught plenty of bugs for the chicks. What have you done? Tell me, let’s hear it," Li Baoying said, casting him a cold glance.
If she could have, she wouldn't have even wanted to give birth to such an unfilial son!
"Jinlin, here, I’ll share some of mine with you!" Zhang Jintian said hurriedly, seeing his younger brother on the verge of tears.
"Don't you dare! Zhang Jinlin, if you touch a single bit of your big brother’s food, I’ll have you withdrawn from school immediately!" Li Baoying snapped.
Zhang Jinlin immediately pulled his bowl back, terrified that his brother might actually give him some food. After all, he’d much rather stay in school than go to work—everyone knew school was better than manual labor. It was only his second brother, Zhang Jinhe, who was such a fool, choosing to quit his studies to work at home.
"Mother of my children, why are you getting angry on New Year's? Jinlin is still young, it’s no big deal if he's a little greedy. Here, Jinlin, Dad will give you a bit more," Zhang Jiandan said, his heart aching to see his son being scolded on a holiday. He usually let his wife scold the boy, but this was New Year's.
"If you give him more, you have to give the other children more, and then neither of us will get to eat!" Li Baoying retorted indignantly.
They only had half a pound of meat to begin with. Once divided among the children, there was only enough left for the two of them to have a large half-bowl each. Zhang Jiandan fell silent at that. He, too, wanted to have a proper meal for once in the year.
"Jinlin, your mother is right. We can't add any more. Your mom and I haven't eaten yet. You’re small; half a bowl is enough."
Zhang Jinlin’s excitement turned to nothing, and he cursed his old man under his breath for being useless. He’d have been better off if his father hadn't said anything at all.