Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

As dawn broke, a layer of grayish, cold air still hung over the courtyard.

Lin Xiu got up early and went to the kitchen to wash the rice, preparing to cook a pot of hot porridge.

The fire had just been lit, and the water in the pot had only been bubbling twice when she chopped some pickled vegetables, thinking that she could give Zhao Shanhe a bite to eat when he got up.

But when she came out of the kitchen, she looked up and stopped in her tracks.

Zhao Shanhe was sitting on the old armchair at the entrance of the main room.

He was wearing a black cotton-padded coat, his head was down, and it was unclear how long he had been sitting there.

On the small table next to it, cigarette butts were piled up to the top, and the ashtray was long overloaded. Scattered cigarette ash was also found on the table and the floor.

Lin Xiu looked at the table full of cigarette butts and her heart clenched.

She walked over quietly, her voice lowering as she went: "Mountains and Rivers."

"You didn't sleep all night?"

Zhao Shanhe raised his eyes, his eyes a little red, and his voice hoarse: "I didn't sleep much."

Lin Xiu felt even worse upon hearing this, and stopped in front of him with a frown: "How can that be?"

"Staying up all night and smoking so much, how can your body handle it?"

"Sit still and don't move. I'll go cook the porridge now and also poach two eggs for you. Have a bite first, then go back to your room and take a nap."

Zhao Shanhe shook his head: "I'm not that hungry."

Lin Xiu became a little anxious upon hearing this, but seeing his expression, she couldn't bear to rush him. She simply softened her tone and said, "You have to eat even if you're not hungry."

"You were up all day yesterday and didn't sleep a wink until the wee hours. If you keep going like this, even a person made of iron won't be able to keep going."

"No matter how important the matter is, you must take care of your health first."

As she spoke, she gently placed her hand on Zhao Shanhe's shoulder, her voice softening, "Shanhe, listen to me."

"Eat something first, then go and take a nap on the kang (heated brick bed)."

Zhao Shanhe did not respond immediately.

He kept his head down, the cigarette in his hand had burned down to the very end and was burning his fingers, before he seemed to come to his senses and stubbed it out in the ashtray.

Lin Xiu looked at him, her heart tightening. She didn't urge him any further, but sat down on the small stool next to him and kept him company in silence for a while before softly asking, "Shanhe, you have something on your mind, right?"

Zhao Shanhe remained silent for a long time. A morning breeze blew in from the courtyard gate, carrying a hint of chill, gently ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in a low voice: "Xiuer."

"I don't want to be the factory manager anymore."

Lin Xiu was stunned.

She looked at Zhao Shanhe and asked softly:

"Is it because of this mess at home?"

Zhao Shanhe lowered his head and spoke after a long while:

"more than."

"My trip to the factory was a terrible experience."

"One thing after another, nothing goes smoothly."

"My brothers Dazhuang and Jianmin, who followed me, also suffered injuries to varying degrees."

"I had just left when someone broke into my house."

"You and your child lived in constant fear at home, almost having a gun pointed at your face."

"I fought my way to this position outside, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't protect my brothers or my family."

As he said this, he ground his finger hard against the edge of the ashtray, his voice growing deeper: "Xiuer, just thinking about this makes my heart ache."

"What's the point of me staying as this lousy factory manager?"

The courtyard fell silent.

A morning breeze blew through the doorway, carrying a slightly cool and damp scent, causing the layer of cigarette ash on the table to shift gently.

Lin Xiu didn't reply immediately. She just sat quietly for a while, then gently placed her hand in Zhao Shanhe's palm.

Zhao Shanhe's hands were ice-cold, but his knuckles were taut.

Lin Xiu gently took his hand in hers, her voice very soft:

"Mountains and Rivers".

"If you really don't want to be one, then don't be one."

I don't want you to be an official.

I just want you to be safe and sound.

"Our family being together is the best thing."

"If you really feel like this position is suffocating you, then we're not going to hold on any longer."

"Whether we go back to the village or go somewhere else, as long as I'm with you, I feel at ease." The courtyard was quiet for a while.

Zhao Shanhe remained silent, sitting with his head down, his palms icy cold, but the veins on the back of his hands taut.

After a long while, he finally grasped Lin Xiu's hand, his voice hoarse:

"The more you say that, the more uncomfortable I feel."

"I went through all this trouble because I wanted to make your life and the children's life better."

"In the end, you're the ones who have to worry about me."

As he said this, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice lowered further: "Xiuer."

"What would I have done if something had really happened to you yesterday?"

Lin Xiu gently tightened her fingers and whispered, "I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

"Shanhe, let's not think about things that haven't happened yet."

"As long as you're here, Niu Niu and I will be here too."

That's enough.

After she finished speaking, she moved her body forward a little and placed her other hand on the back of Zhao Shanhe's hand, as if trying to warm up his tense energy little by little.

The courtyard was very quiet.

Over in the kitchen, the water in the pot was boiling, bubbling and steaming out in bursts.

Zhao Shanhe lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, Lin Xiucai said softly, "Let's eat first."

"Eat well, get a good night's sleep, and then think about things."

Zhao Shanhe raised his eyes, glanced at her, and gave a soft "hmm".

Seeing that he agreed, Lin Xiu finally felt a little relieved and got up to go to the kitchen.

The pot was already boiling. She lifted the lid, and white steam immediately filled her face. The fire in the stove was still crackling, and the rice in the pot had already bloomed and the porridge was bubbling, carrying a hot and fragrant aroma.

Lin Xiu stirred the food a couple of times with a spoon, then quickly put the pickled vegetables she had chopped earlier into a small dish. After thinking for a moment, she cracked two eggs into the dish.

As soon as the egg mixture spread, a layer of delicate egg flowers immediately floated to the surface of the pot.

It was very quiet outside the kitchen. So quiet that you could only hear the bubbling of the pot and the occasional crackling of firewood popping.

Lin Xiu filled a large bowl with porridge, then took out the pickled vegetables and eggs and placed them on the small table at the entrance of the main room. She said in a low voice, "Eat quickly, while it's hot."

Zhao Shanhe glanced down, said nothing, and picked up the bowl.

The porridge was very hot. The steam hit my face.

He seemed completely unfazed by the heat, and took a large gulp of the drink.

The hot porridge rolled down my throat, so hot that my stomach clenched.

Lin Xiu sat beside him, watching him eat, without saying a word.

Zhao Shanhe didn't say anything. He just kept his head down and kept putting food into his mouth.

In no time, most of the large bowl of porridge was gone.

Lin Xiu felt even more heartbroken.

She said softly, "Slow down, there's still some in the pot."

Zhao Shanhe hummed in response, but still didn't look up.

He finished the last two mouthfuls of porridge in the bowl, even eating all the pickled vegetables. When he put the bowl down, his forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat from the steam.

Lin Xiu looked at the empty bowl and was about to reach out to take it when Zhao Shanhe pushed the bowl forward first and said in a hoarse voice, "Another bowl, please."

Lin Xiu paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Yes, I'll go get it right away."

She got up and went into the kitchen, her steps quickening slightly.

The porridge in the pot was still hot, with steam rising upwards.

Lin Xiu filled another large bowl, this time adding extra pickled vegetables and scooping out the two eggs from the pot, placing them on the side of the bowl.

When she brought it out again, Zhao Shanhe was still sitting there, his back still slightly tense, but he seemed a bit more lively than before.

He took the bowl and buried his head in his food again.

This time they ate even faster than before.

After the hot porridge was eaten, I bit into the egg, and the aroma of the yolk mixed with the fragrance of rice filled the air. My stomach, which had been empty all night, finally felt a little better.

The sky gradually brightened in the courtyard. The layer of gray-white morning mist at the entrance slowly dissipated, and the snow at the foot of the courtyard wall shone with a cold white hue when the sunlight shone on it.

Zhao Shanhe lowered his head and finished his second bowl.

When he put down the bowl, he seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief. He raised his hand to wipe his mouth, his voice still hoarse, but steadyer than before: "That's enough."

Looking at the two empty bowls, Lin Xiu finally felt a little relieved, as the weight that had been hanging over her heart had finally been lifted off her shoulders.

She was just about to say, "Then come inside and take a nap," when there were two knocks on the gate.

"Tap, tap."

Immediately afterward, someone outside called out in a low voice, "Zhao! It's me."