Zhulan finally understood and came to terms with it, smiling, "I'm fine."
At noon, the Zhou family made cabbage stewed with tofu and pork stewed with potatoes. Some were left at home, and the rest were sent to the fields for the workers to eat.
The four people Zhou Laoer found were all honest and hardworking. They worked all day without taking a break and pulled back most of the dried rice and piled them neatly. They would shell them together after all the rice was harvested.
At dinner time in the evening, the Wang family started making a fuss. Their wailing cries could be heard throughout half the village. Zhulan could hardly eat anymore and sighed in her heart, thinking that this child was destined not to be born.
Zhou Shuren kept his eyes on Zhulan. It was not that he was cold-blooded, but they would not help anyone. This was a problem of their original family.
Dinner ended hastily, and the crying from the Wang family stopped. Zhulan slept very uneasily at night, and Zhou Shuren kept paying attention to her. Finally, he pulled her tightly into his arms and patted her gently. Only then did Zhulan feel at ease. Zhou Shuren chuckled and closed his eyes.
The next morning, Zhulan woke up and didn't see Zhou Shuren. She was stunned for a moment before she remembered to go and look for condoms. After washing up, Zhou Shuren came back with his four sons, looking very happy.
The oldest son, Zhou Changzhi, shouted, "Mom, Dad has caught five pheasants and a rabbit."
Zhulan rarely saw Changzhi being so lively, like a little adult. She also saw pheasants, two males, three females, and a fat gray rabbit. "Are pheasants so easy to catch? Five in one night?"
Zhou Shuren explained, "The pheasants were easily caught in the rice fields these days because they didn't notice the danger. They may not be caught tonight."
Boss Zhou was very sorry, "A few condoms were taken away, otherwise there would be more."
The third son, Zhou Changlian, was at a growing age and was thinking about food. "Mom, can we stew two pheasants tonight so we can have enough to eat?"
Zhulan was very happy. The pheasants were free, so she smiled and said, "Kill the pheasants, and keep the rabbits first. I'll take them to your grandfather's house later."
Boss Zhou was trembling in his heart, distressed, "Mom, five are too many."
Zhulan stretched out her hand to weigh the pheasant, and then touched it. It was fat, but not as big as a domestic chicken. There was not much meat on the pheasant. "Not much. Just do as Changlian said and eat as much as you can today, and gain some weight in the fall."
Zhou Changlian straightened his back and worked. He could now offer suggestions and felt that he was valued. "Thank you, mother."
Zhulan laughed. After all, children want to be valued.
After breakfast, the three workers arrived. The food at Zhulan's house was good. When they entered the yard, they called Zhulan "Auntie" enthusiastically, thanking her for adding meat to the dishes. Zhulan heard from the second brother that they only ate half of the lunch and took the rest home. They were all making trouble because they were poor.
One person, Wang Laosi, was missing. The news of the Wang family's bustle had spread throughout the village. The other three were thinking about introducing their family members when Wang Laosi arrived.
Zhulan was surprised, but still asked politely, "Is your wife okay?"
Wang Laosi didn't sleep well that night, and he was still very worried. "I have to thank my uncle and aunt for saving the child."
Zhulan was puzzled. "Why are you thanking us? We didn't help at all."
Wang Laosi said gratefully: "I saved more than ten cents working at my aunt's house these few days and bought the medicine to preserve the pregnancy, so the baby was saved."
Wang Laosi was very angry. His mother refused to take the money and thought the child was lost. Fortunately, he was unwilling to give up and had some money in his hands, otherwise the child would really be gone.
Zhulan was a little dazed. There was actually such a sudden turn of events. "It's a good thing that the child was saved. You two should be more careful."
After a pause, he followed his heart and said, "Your family has a lot of land, and the girls are suffering from a lot of losses. After all, they are your children, so you should feel sorry for them."
Especially the eldest daughter does the most work, and the teenagers act like they are less than ten years old.
Wang Laosi was filled with hatred. He hated his mother and the brothers who had said such sarcastic things. "Today the girls are not working. The brothers are working in the fields."
Zhulan and Zhou Shuren looked at each other. Wang Laosi had changed, and they didn’t know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.