When the pears are green

Chapter 221 Chicken

Song Li opened the gate and looked at the Song family members in front of her with curved brows. Just as she was about to say hello, her eyes turned red and she sobbed and couldn't speak.

Zhang hurried over and hugged Song Li and asked, "My silly girl, what happened? Did you have a fight with Qingzhou?"

Song Li lay in Zhang's arms, shook her head, and said in a low voice with sobs that she felt uncomfortable.

"Silly child, I was like this when I was pregnant with you three, especially when I was pregnant with Xiaoxing. I vomited almost every day, but it got better after a while. Have you eaten? Where do you feel uncomfortable?" Zhang asked, holding Song Li's shoulders with one hand and her hands with the other.

Song Li wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve and answered, "I'm eating. I was sleepy before, but now I feel uncomfortable eating and not eating these days. I want to vomit but can't."

"Our Xiaoli has suffered a lot. Xiaoyue and I will go to have dinner with you. Ask your father to kill a chicken and make soup for you." After Zhang said this, she turned around and motioned to Song Changhe and Song Xing to go and kill the chicken quickly. This was last year's hen, and it would take a long time to stew it.

Song Yue and Zhang sat on either side of Song Li, and they tried their best to coax Song Li to eat the fried mustard greens and noodle soup on the table.

Song Li felt her stomach churning and she lay on Zhang's legs in discomfort, retching continuously.

Zhang hurriedly patted Song Li's back and told Song Yue, who was standing there in a daze, to pour some water for Song Li.

"Mom, I don't want to drink. It will make me feel worse." Song Li pushed away the bowl handed to her by Song Yue, puffed up her cheeks and turned her head away.

Zhang had no choice but to let Song Yue put the bowl on the wooden table first, and then she ruffled Song Li's hair and asked, "Where did Qingzhou and Qingye go?"

"They went to the restaurant to deliver the goods." Just as Song Li finished speaking, she heard the sound of bells coming from outside the courtyard gate and the shouts of a vendor selling chicks.

Song Li suddenly felt that the discomfort in her stomach was no longer there, and she smiled and asked Zhang and Song Yue to accompany her to buy chicks.

"Okay, okay." Zhang held Song Li in one hand and Song Yue in the other and walked out of the yard to look for the vendor selling chicks.

The three of them turned from the new house into the north-south alley and saw many villagers and children gathering in front of baskets to select chicks.

Zhang Ying was there too. When she saw Song Li, she smiled and told Song Li and the other two to come over quickly.

When Song Li and the other two came to Zhang Ying, Zhang Ying quickly looked at Song Yue and Zhang Shi, and said to Song Li with a smile, "Sister-in-law, this is your aunt and sister, right? You two look like a family."

Song Li nodded slightly, and then introduced Zhang Ying to Zhang and Song Yue: "Mother, Yueyue, this is our second sister-in-law who lives next door. Second brother and Mingde were classmates in the county school."

Zhang Ying only knew that Wu Mingde and Song Li were from the same village. When she noticed that Song Li addressed Wu Mingde in a very affectionate way, she curiously asked about the relationship between the Song and Wu families.

"Second sister-in-law, Mingde is my sister's fiancé." Song Li's words made several women stop looking at Song Yue. They originally thought that Song Yue was beautiful, dignified and generous, so they wanted to take the opportunity to ask Song Li about Song Yue's marriage situation.

After hearing this, Zhang Ying couldn't help but take a closer look at Song Yue. He saw this girl in a pink top and sky blue skirt squatting in front of a basket, carefully selecting chicks. She politely asked the vendor to put the chicks she liked into the reed pen, her eyes shining as she looked around.

Seeing Zhang Ying staring at Song Yue, Song Li asked in confusion, "Second sister-in-law, is there anything on my sister?"

"No, no, I've picked everything. I'll go back first. You guys take your time to choose." Zhang Ying stretched out his hand to smooth out the wrinkled corners of his light blue shirt. After paying the bill with the vendor with a dry laugh, he hurried home.

Song Yue looked back at Zhang Ying who was running away, thought to herself that it was strange, and then continued to pick chicks with Zhang and Song Li.

The Jiang family’s newly built chicken coop was very large, and it was impossible to raise all the chicks. After Song Li thought about it in her mind, she finally bought sixty chicks and eight goslings.

The vendor was very happy. He not only helped deliver the chicks to the family, but also gave five more chicks.

Jiang Qingzhou, who had just returned home, put the chicks into the chicken coop and paid the bill to the vendor waiting on the side. The goose chicks were seven cents each, and the price of the chicken chicks was the same as last year, five cents for two.

Jiang Qingye asked Song Li in confusion: "Sister-in-law, if you buy so many, can the chicken coop keep them all?"

"Don't think that there are so many now. It's good enough if forty of them can survive." After hearing this, Song Changhe answered Jiang Qingye's question on behalf of Song Li, while touching the donkey cart parked at the door with curiosity.

Zhang came over and patted Song Changhe on the shoulder. Song Changhe quickly said, "Xiangxiang, don't worry, the chicken is already stewed."

After Jiang Qingzhou left, Zhang led everyone to the kitchen to make dumplings. Song Changhe was chopping the meat filling, Song Xing and Jiang Qingye went to wash shepherd's purse, Zhang kneaded the dough, Song Yue sat in front of the stove and made a fire, and Song Li sat at the wooden table with her head propped up to answer Song Changhe's questions about donkeys.

"Xiangxiang, when we have money, let's buy a donkey or a mule. Then we won't have to do the hard labor when planting and harvesting crops in the future." Song Changhe said as he looked at Zhang with eager eyes. After each harvest, Zhang's waist would hurt for half a month.

Zhang put the dough into the pottery basin, turned around and said to Song Changhe: "Since the boss said so, let's buy it. Mules are more expensive than donkeys. Let's save up five or six taels to buy a donkey."

Song Changhe nodded happily and continued to chop the meat diligently.

When Jiang Qingzhou came back from selling tofu and bean sprouts, the fragrant stewed chicken and hot dumplings were already ready. The family gathered around the wooden table, talking and laughing while eating.

At this moment, Song Li temporarily forgot about the discomfort in her stomach. After eating a few bites, she leaned on Zhang's shoulder and listened to Song Changhe and Jiang Qingzhou chatting about family matters.

Because the study starts tomorrow, Song Xing stayed at the Jiang family.

Jiang Qingzhou wanted to send Song Changhe and the other two back to Wuzhuang Village, but was rejected by Song Changhe and Zhang. They had no choice but to send Song Changhe and the other two to the village entrance, and watched Song Changhe, Zhang and Song Yue set off on their way home in the warm spring breeze in the afternoon.

Song Li handed the amulet in her hand to Jiang Qingzhou. After Jiang Qingzhou took it, he smiled and asked where he got it from.

"Yueyue just stuffed it into my hand. She said that Mingde got it from the Taoist temple in the county and gave it to her. Now she gives it to me, hoping that it can bless me and my child." Song Li said in a hoarse voice, ignoring the villagers coming and going at the entrance of the village, and lying on Jiang Qingzhou's shoulder.

Jiang Qingzhou put the amulet back into Song Li's palm and comforted her softly: "You will be safe and everything will be fine. If you are afraid, we can also not have this child."

Song Li suddenly raised her head, and with red eyes, she patted Jiang Qingzhou's arm, chattering as she patted, "I told you not to talk nonsense, I told you not to talk nonsense."

Jiang Qingzhou looked at Song Li with a smile, and only when Song Li's anger subsided did he take Song Li's hand and walk home.

Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou met Jiang Qian, who had just returned from the county school, at the doorstep of Jiang Ping's house. The three of them briefly greeted each other.

After returning home, Song Li told Jiang Qingzhou that Zhang Ying was pregnant again. Jiang Qingzhou frowned and held Song Li's hand, repeatedly assuring him that he would not follow Jiang Qian's example.

"I believe you." Song Li hugged Jiang Qingzhou and said softly.