A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1410 Humanity, Catching Fish! (Please Subscribe!)

When Zhuang Chaoying heard Li Yiming call Hua Twelfth Brother, the smile on her face suddenly froze.

He blinked, wondering if he had misheard:

"Yiming, what...what did you call him?"

Li Yiming forced himself to repeat it, then quickly explained:

"Um, Mr. Zhuang, we played a few games of chess this afternoon, and I lost. According to the rules, I should call you 'brother'."

He spoke incoherently, his face growing increasingly red.

Zhuang Chaoying looked at the innocent-looking Hua Shier, then at the flushed Li Yiming, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he shook his head, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"Alright, alright, you kids, hurry home and have dinner."

On the way home, Zhuang Chaoying hesitated several times before speaking.

Hua Shier was quite frank, saying, "I played with the kids in the alley this afternoon, and everyone was very friendly."

"So friendly that Yiming calls you brother?" Zhuang Chaoying couldn't help but ask.

"It was just a friendly spar; Yiming was letting me win."

Hua Shier spoke modestly, but the smile in his eyes was unmistakable.

Zhuang Chaoying felt that something was off about what he said, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She could only tell Hua Shier to go home.

As usual, the Zhuang and Lin families put their tables together in the yard to eat dinner.

This is a habit of the two families. They live in the same courtyard. In the summer, the house is stuffy and hot, but the courtyard is breezy. Neighbors share a table to eat, which is both cool and lively.

Huang Ling made braised eggplant, stir-fried greens, and sugar-coated persimmons. Song Ying made a big bowl of steamed egg custard to supplement the children's nutrition, and also brought over a plate of homemade salted duck eggs. The oily yolks looked very tempting when cut open.

The adults chatted about things at the factory, while the children ate their meals with their heads down.

Lin Dongzhe ate a few mouthfuls of rice, then suddenly remembered something, looked up, and said with a smug look:

"Dad, Mom, do you know what? My brother Pengfei is really amazing now!"

"Oh? How impressive are you?" Lin Wufeng asked casually with a smile.

Lin Dongzhe immediately perked up and chattered on about what happened that afternoon: how he won the race, how fancy his shuttlecock kicking was, and how he won three games in a row against Li Yiming in chess.

Although Lin Dongzhe was mischievous, he was articulate and spoke vividly, even imitating Li Yiming's awkward expression when he called him "Brother Pengfei".

The adults at the table listened with varying expressions.

It was only then that Zhuang Chaoying realized what Hua Shier meant by "friendly." So all the kids in the alley were calling you "brother," which meant they were being friendly to you.

Song Ying was the first to burst out laughing, giggling so hard she almost fell over:

"My goodness, I know Yiming well, he's got a lot of pride. To get him to willingly call you 'brother,' Pengfei, you're really something!"

Lin Wufeng nodded repeatedly, smiling with an appreciative tone:
"That's really impressive. Running fast might be a talent, but things like kicking shuttlecock and playing chess require a lot of practice. Pengfei, did you learn all of these in Guizhou?"

Hua Shier nodded: "Just messing around."

"This level of skill can't be achieved by just messing around."

Lin Wufeng, an engineer, views things rationally: "Especially in chess, at your age, being able to beat Yiming means you're at least an amateur expert. Yiming is famously good at chess in our area."

Huang Ling looked surprised and subconsciously said, "This child is quite talented!"

Zhuang Chaoying said speechlessly, "Is that the point?"

He addressed Hua Twelve solemnly:
"Pengfei, stop messing around. Yiming is so much older than you. It's very impolite of you to ask him to call you 'brother'! And what's with this talk about Guizhou customs? I've never heard of such a custom in Guizhou."

Zhuang Chaoying, being a teacher, immediately fell silent when she adopted a serious expression, causing Zhuang Tunan, Zhuang Xiaoting, and Lin Dongzhe to fall silent as well.

Hua Shier remained completely unaffected, saying as he ate:
"I'm not being ridiculous; this is actually the rule for scholars!"

Zhuang Chaoying was taken aback: "The rules of scholars? What rules of scholars!"

“Confucius!” Hua Twelve said in a very serious tone.

Lin Wufeng couldn't help but laugh; he knew what Hua Shier was going to say.

Song Ying asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Lin Wufeng pointed at Hua Shier:
“I know what Pengfei is going to say. And you know what, this is actually a rule set by Confucius. There is no order of precedence in learning, but the accomplished are first. Pengfei, are you going to talk about the story of ‘becoming Confucius’s teacher at the age of seven’?”

Hua Shierchao Lin Wufeng gave a thumbs up: "Uncle Lin is amazing! That's exactly the story of Confucius and Xiang Tuo!"

Zhuang Chaoying then realized, "Pengfei, you really are something else! You've impressed me so many times!"

The others didn't understand what they were talking about, so Huang Ling and Song Ying quickly asked. Lin Wufeng smiled and said to Zhuang Chaoying:

"Teacher Zhuang, you're a teacher, why don't you give everyone a lesson?"

Zhuang Chaoying nodded with a wry smile, thinking, "Just consider it telling a story to the children."
"This is actually a story from the Three Character Classic: 'In the past, Confucius learned from Xiang Tuo; even ancient sages and worthies were diligent in their studies.'"

Legend has it that when Confucius was traveling through various states, he encountered some children building a city out of mud on the road. Confucius asked the children to make way for him, but one of the children said, "Since ancient times, only carriages have yielded to cities, how can a city yield to a carriage?"

Confucius thought the child was right, so he had the carriage go around him. Then, he felt that the child was different from others, so he got out of the carriage and talked with the child. They agreed that each of them would ask the other a question, and the winner would become the teacher. In the end, the child answered Confucius' question, but Confucius could not answer the child's question. This child was Xiang Tuo!

Zhuang Tunan, Zhuang Xiaoting, and Lin Dongzhe were all curious and asked what questions Confucius and Xiang Tuo asked each other. Zhuang Chaoying recounted the details again, and the children and adults listened with great interest.

After he finished speaking, Hua Shier had just finished eating. He put down his chopsticks and smiled, "Uncle, look, Confucius did the same thing. You can't say I'm wrong, can you? Besides, when Confucius became a disciple, he was a generation lower. I only asked Yiming to call me 'brother' because he was once your student. The generation hasn't changed. See how humble I am!"

Zhuang Chaoying:
Lin Wufeng and Song Ying burst into laughter, and Huang Lingyi couldn't help but smile.

Zhuang Chao's tone was somewhat complicated: "Pengfei, it's good that you have these talents, but..."

Before he could speak, Song Ying interrupted:

"Teacher Zhuang, please don't say 'but.' It's normal for kids to win or lose when they're playing. We're not going to put ourselves in a position of authority. Maybe Yiming will win it back someday."

As she spoke, she scooped a large piece of steamed egg custard into Hua Shier's bowl with a spoon:

"Pengfei, eat more. Come to Auntie's house often in the future. Teach Dongzhe to play chess. That brat can't sit still for three minutes."

"Thank you, Auntie," Hua Shier said obediently.

Lin Dongzhe muttered from the side, "Mom, how could I not sit still?"

"You haven't done it yet?" Song Ying glared at her son. "Last time I asked you to do your homework, you did it for ten minutes and then said your butt hurt and ran all over the yard."

Lin Wufeng also said, "You'd better teach my Lin Dongzhe how to play properly, instead of him just crawling around on the ground like a bug all day, getting covered in mud!"

Everyone laughed, and Lin Dongzhe wasn't angry at all. He just chuckled along, showing an incredibly good attitude!
After dinner, Hua Shier volunteered to wash the dishes. Huang Ling initially objected, but couldn't resist him, so she let him do it. Of course, he didn't just wash them himself; he also called on his underlings, namely Zhuang Tunan, Lin Dongzhe, and Zhuang Xiaoting, to wash them together, ostensibly to 'teach them how to eat'.

The three children were quite obedient and had a strong sense of responsibility; when their eldest brother summoned them, they all came over to help with the work.

Lin Dongzhe asked why washing dishes is considered a skill for making a living, and Hua Shier laughed and said, "If you go to a restaurant and don't have any money, you eat first, and then wash the dishes to pay off your debt!"

Zhuang Chaoying was about to criticize his nephew when Lin Wufeng, Song Ying, and Huang Ling, who were relaxing nearby, burst into laughter, so he swallowed his words of criticism.

After washing the dishes, Hua Shier had the children wash all the clothes they had worn that day. They had been running around and playing all afternoon and were all covered in sweat.

Song Ying and Huang Ling originally said they would wash the clothes, but seeing how enthusiastic the children were, and Lin Wufeng saying it was a good thing for the children to be self-reliant, they let the children wash the clothes themselves.

They watched from the sidelines and were amazed to see that Hua Shier was teaching several children how to wash clothes, and the children were imitating them so well.

In fact, Hua Shier was demonstrating his importance in this courtyard.

The evening breeze blew through the alley, carrying the faint sound of Suzhou storytelling in the distance. Someone's radio was playing an excerpt from "The Red Detachment of Women," the melodious singing drifting through the night.

Song Ying and Huang Ling rested for a while, and when it was almost time, they had to go out for their night shift.

As I was leaving, I saw four children washing clothes around the pool in the yard. Lin Dongzhe was imitating Hua Shier, wringing out the clothes. Although his movements were clumsy, he was surprisingly serious.

"Oh, that's great."

Standing at the courtyard gate, Song Ying couldn't help but turn back to her husband, Huang Ling, and Zhuang Chaoying, who were enjoying the cool air inside, and sighed:

"I never thought my little monkey could be so well-behaved. I wish it could stay this way forever!"

Lin Wufeng fanned himself with a palm leaf fan and laughed, "Pengfei, that kid, really has a way with things."

Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling nodded repeatedly.

Song Ying and Huang Ling left, and the night in the alley gradually quieted down.

In the days that followed, under the guidance of their "elder brother" Hua Shier, the children's lives took on a fixed rhythm.

At 5:30 a.m., just as dawn was breaking and Textile Lane 3 was still asleep, four small figures appeared in the open space at the entrance of the lane.

Hua Shier taught them the simplest morning exercises: stretching their arms and legs, and jogging two laps around the alley. At first, Zhuang Tunan and Lin Dongzhe complained that they had to get up too early.

"This is called sharpening the axe before chopping wood."

While leading them in stretching, Hua Shier said, "Only when you're healthy can you study efficiently."

Sure enough, after running for a few days, the children all noticed that their energy levels were indeed higher during the day and they were able to finish their homework faster.

After breakfast, the four children gathered around the square table in the farmer's house to do their homework.

Hua Shier wrote quickly on his own, and after he finished, he took turns tutoring the other three.

I finished my homework before 10 o'clock, and the rest of the time was free time.

The children would go to the alley to play with other friends, but Hua Shier set rules: they had to go home before lunch, take a nap during the hottest part of the afternoon, and wash the clothes they had changed out of that day before dinner.

The adults from the Zhuang and Lin families felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction as they watched their children become more disciplined and sensible day by day.

Song Ying tells everyone she meets, "Our Dongzhe is so well-behaved now. He gets up by himself in the morning, doesn't need to be reminded to do his homework, and even knows to help me hang up the laundry!"

Huang Ling even smiled, a rare occurrence, while chatting with her coworkers at the factory.

“A nephew came to visit me. He’s very sensible. He’s helping Tu Nan and Xiao Ting learn how to do chores, which makes things much easier for me.”

A week passed peacefully.

That day, Zhuang Chaoying received a notice, went to the school, and returned with a slight frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" Huang Ling asked, turning around as she was cooking.

Zhuang Chaoying took a sip of cool boiled water before saying:
"The higher authorities organized a 'Teaching Reform Experience Exchange Meeting' at Jinling Normal College, which lasted for a week. Because I am a college entrance examination paper grader, the principal specifically asked me to go with them."

Huang Ling turned off the stove, wiped her hands, and came over: "This is good news. When are you leaving?"

"The train is early the day after tomorrow." Zhuang Chaoying paused. "It's...at home."

"I'm here at home."

Huang Ling smiled and said, "It's only been a week. Pengfei is sensible, and Tu Nan and Xiao Ting are obedient now, so it's fine."

Looking at his wife's tired but forced smile, Zhuang Chaoying felt a pang of guilt.

The roar of the textile machine can cause neurasthenia if you listen to it for too long. Huang Ling is always exhausted after working the night shift. If he goes to a meeting, Huang Ling will have to take care of the three children by herself.

"Should I talk to my supervisor and ask them to send someone else?" Zhuang Chaoying hesitated.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Huang Ling glared at him. "The leader values ​​you, that's why he specifically asked you to go. So many people want to go but don't even have the chance. Go ahead, there's really nothing going on at home."

Zhuang Chaoying opened her mouth, but in the end she just nodded.

Two days later, Zhuang Chaoying went to Nanjing carrying an old travel bag.

Before leaving, he specifically called Hua Twelve aside:
"Pengfei, your uncle is away on a business trip for a week. You are more sensible than Tunan and Xiaoting. Can you help your aunt take care of the family a little more?"

Hua Shier nodded earnestly: "Don't worry, Uncle, I'll take care of things at home!" Zhuang Chaoying patted his shoulder, her eyes filled with relief.

For the first two days after Zhuang Chaoying left, everything was normal, but on the third day, problems began to emerge.

Huang Ling felt a little dizzy before going to work that day. She thought it was because of the hot weather and she hadn't slept well, so she didn't take it seriously. However, she fainted at work. Fortunately, she didn't bump into anything and was taken to the hospital by her coworkers.

When Hua Shier and Zhuang Tunan arrived after hearing the news, the doctor told them:
"The patient has some heatstroke, but it's not serious. The serious problem is anemia. He needs to rest, strengthen his nutrition, and it would be best if he could eat more meat and pork liver, which are good for replenishing blood."

Hua Shier and Zhuang Tunan stayed by Huang Ling's bedside all night.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating Huang Ling's pale face. Hua Shier noticed that this woman, who was only in her thirties, already had many fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and a few glaring white hairs could be seen in her hair.

The next morning, Song Ying rushed over after getting off work. At that time, Huang Ling was drinking millet and egg drop porridge that Hua Shier had cooked.

"Your face is frighteningly pale." Song Ying sat on the edge of the bed, holding Huang Ling's hand. "What did the doctor say?"

"Heatstroke, and a bit anemic." Huang Ling forced a smile: "It's nothing, I'll be fine after lying down."

Anemia should not be taken lightly.

Song Ying turned to Lin Wufeng and said, "Old Lin, think of something. We have meat coupons. Go to the supply and marketing cooperative and see if there's any meat there. Save some for Sister Huang."

Huang Ling quickly said no need, but Song Ying said she would listen to her on this matter.

Lin Wufeng nodded: "I'll go ask right away."

But these days, getting meat isn't that easy.
Even with meat coupons, the supply and marketing cooperative still needed to have meat available.

However, Lin Wufeng was an engineer with a wide network of connections, and after running around for a long time, he finally managed to buy some pork belly through connections.

Huang Ling was picked up by Hua Shier, Zhuang Tunan and Song Ying and taken home. Lin Wufeng cooked a pot of meat soup, sprinkled it with chopped green onions and served it to Huang Ling.

"Drink it while it's hot. This soup is rich in oil and will nourish your body."

Huang Ling took the bowl, her eyes welling up with tears: "Song Ying, Engineer Lin, how can I accept this?"

"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Song Ying said reproachfully. "What kind of relationship do our two families have? Drink up, it'll smell fishy when it gets cold."

While meat broth is delicious, it's not enough to solve the problem of anemia in just one or two meals; it's a drop in the ocean.

Hua Shier called Zhuang Tunan and Zhuang Xiaoting over.

"My aunt's illness requires long-term nutritional supplementation."

He said seriously, "The little bit of meat that Aunt Song gave us isn't enough."

Zhuang Tunan's lips trembled: "Then what should we do?"

Even her older brother didn't notice that Zhuang Xiaoting, at her age, was only responsible for shedding tears, pursing her lips and not knowing what to do.

Hua Shier paused for a moment, then proposed:
"How about we go to Grandpa's house and see if Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle can lend a hand!"

This guy is wicked. He said it on purpose so that Zhuang Tunan and Zhuang Xiaoting would realize in advance what kind of people that family is!
Hua Shier took the two children to the Zhuang family. Zhuang Tunan, with red eyes, explained the situation, but the outcome was exactly what he had expected.

Grandpa Zhuang sighed, "These days, nobody's rich. Your grandma and I can't even afford meat. Zhendong and Zhenbei are both growing up."

Grandma Zhuang, looking displeased, said to the two children:
"That's just how your mom is. Everyone else does the work, so she does too. Why is she the only one being pampered? Do other people eat meat every day? How come they don't get anemia?"

Zhuang Ganmei and his wife even joined in with sarcastic remarks, repeatedly agreeing with Grandma Zhuang's statement.

Zhuang Xiaoting burst into tears. Hua Shier took her hand and beckoned Zhuang Tunan to leave the Zhuang family home.

Once outside, Hua Shier's cold expression softened. He gently wiped away Zhuang Xiaoting's tears and then said to the brother and sister:

"Alright, stop crying. If they won't help, we'll figure it out ourselves."

"How can we figure something out?" Zhuang Tunan choked up. "We have no money and no tickets."

Hua Shier raised his head and looked towards the direction outside the alley: "Do you know where there's a river nearby?"

Suzhou is a water town with crisscrossing waterways. Less than two miles from Textile Lane 3, there is a river that is a branch of the city moat. Locals call it Xiaoqing River. The river is not deep, but it is crystal clear and often has fish and shrimp.

The next afternoon, Hua Shier brought the three children to the riverbank.

"Brother Pengfei, what are we doing here?" Lin Dongzhe asked curiously.

"Let's catch fish," Hua Shier said, taking off his shoes. "My aunt needs nutrition, so let's catch fish ourselves to help her get better."

"Catch fish?" Zhuang Tunan's eyes widened. "You know how to catch fish?"

"You forgot? Didn't I tell you that I used to catch fish for fun when I was in Guizhou?"

Hua Shier had already rolled up his trousers: "Tu Nan, you watch over Dong Zhe and Xiao Ting. Wait on the shore and don't go near the water."

"Brother Pengfei, can you swim?" Zhuang Xiaoting asked worriedly.

"Don't worry." Hua Shier smiled and jumped into the water.

The river water in July was warm and cool. Hua Shier swam for a while before diving in.

He surfaced shortly after, holding up his spoils: "Here you go!"

The three children on the shore were stunned. A grass carp weighing more than ten kilograms was thrown onto the shore, splashing water and shimmering silver in the sunlight, jumping and leaping about.

Lin Dongzhe quickly went up and held the fish down, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter:
"Brother Pengfei, you're amazing!"

Zhuang Tunan came up to help, and Zhuang Xiaoting clapped her hands repeatedly, jumping up and down. She knew that the matter of supplementing her mother's nutrition was settled.

Hua Shier swam back to shore, put on his clothes, and then hooked the fish's gills with his fingers and held it in his hand.

"Let's go home and cook."

Thanks to: 08a, Little Tiger of the Demon Realm, Three Watches and Book 10096, God of Death Li Meng, and Who is Madman for their donations. Thanks also to the brothers who voted for monthly tickets and recommendations. Thank you so much!