CHAPTER 86: CHAPTER 86: FIVE COPPER COINS EACH

On the other side, the sleepy Da Wa and Er Ni, who were still a little drowsy, were instantly refreshed as soon as they stepped outside and felt the wind. When they smelled the aroma of wontons, what drowsiness? It’s time to eat!

"Boss, four more bowls of wontons, please." Jiang Hu held Iron Egg with one hand and poured several bowls of hot water for them to hold and drink to warm up.

"Are you here? Is your fellow villager’s wife all right?" Although Jiang Hu rarely brought his wife and children to town, from time to time, he would buy a few portions of raw wontons to take home and cook.

So the boss is quite familiar with Jiang Hu.

"She should be fine now. By the way, boss, I told him about your place. He’ll bring the bowls to you later."

The boss waved his hand, "No problem, no rush. It’s rare to see you bring your family to town. Are you here to buy New Year’s goods?"

Besides the children, Jiang Hu also carried an empty basket, convenient for shopping later.

Jiang Hu smiled and replied, "Our village is too far from the town. Usually, my wife stays at home with the kids, so today we came specifically to have a look."

It was still early, and there weren’t many customers. The boss chatted with Jiang Hu while making the wontons. Before long, the fragrant wontons were served, and he even brought an extra empty bowl.

"Your two little ones can eat now, right? The wontons are hot; you can cool them down for the kids."

"Thank you, for making you take the trouble to wash more bowls," Jiang Hu promptly thanked him.

"No worries. Before, when you bought raw wontons, I didn’t have to wash any bowls at all." The boss laughed heartily and then got busy as other customers arrived.

Little Mi and Iron Egg could indeed eat a little now, as long as it’s soft, but not too much.

Er Ni and Jiang Hu each took out a small wonton, followed by Da Wa and Er Ni putting one in their small bowls.

Er Ni: "Okay, it’s enough for brother and sister, so you should eat quickly too."

Cooking one bowl separately would be too much for them to finish, but taking one out each made it enough for Little Mi and Iron Egg, and the others wouldn’t go hungry either.

The wontons were small, only about the size of a thumb, but Er Ni used chopsticks to break them into small pieces and fed two to Little Mi first. In no time, Jiang Hu had already quickly finished his bowl.

"Alright, Er Ni, you should eat too. I’ll feed Iron Egg."

Jiang Hu took the small bowl over. There were two left, and he mimicked Er Ni, using chopsticks to break them into small pieces and feed Iron Egg a bit at a time. He even drank a little wonton soup afterward.

Little Mi smacked her lips; the wontons were truly fragrant. It’s worth noting that pork that hasn’t been fed with feed tastes much more flavorful.

Comparing this, she didn’t seem to care much about the food in her space anymore.

She wondered if there would be a chance to bring back a couple of piglets, raise them in space, and when they grew up, the pork would definitely taste even better!

Just thinking about it made her drool, didn’t it?

Having eaten and drunk to their fill, warmed up, Jiang Hu paid the money, and, holding one in each arm, went shopping with his family.

After nearly a year of recuperation, his body was much stronger than before, and not just his; everyone in the family was like this.

They were surprised themselves that their diet wasn’t much different from before, with coarse cereals, millet crushed into porridge with sorghum, and eating more vegetables than staples. After harvesting sweet potatoes, they would eat them mixed into every meal.

Even when it came to meat, they only ate it two or three times a month, yet they still worked hard. Strictly speaking, they even had more fields than before.

But whether in spirit or physical condition, everyone was much better off than others in the village.

Puzzled, everyone attributed the reason to Little Mi, the Little Lucky Star, believing she brought luck. Besides, not worrying about livelihood naturally broadened their hearts and improved their spirits.

Jiang Hu: "There should be people at the market by now. Let’s check the market first to see if there’s anything to buy. This should be our last visit to town this year."

Er Ni: "Okay, by the way, Hu Ge, should we tell Uncle Ding about today?"

What Er Ni referred to was the ox cart taking Liu Yang and Wang Xiang to town.

Although it was for a reason, it still violated the original agreement of Old Master Ding.

Jiang Hu shook his head, "No worries, I already told Little Ding earlier. Didn’t you just say the doctor asked Liu Yang and his wife to stay in town for a day? I’ll personally explain to Uncle Ding after I take them back tomorrow."

Er Ni thought it made sense and didn’t bring it up again.

By now, the town was bustling with people for the market, with many buying things. Just entering the twelfth lunar month, there was already a New Year’s atmosphere.

Jiang Hu, being strong, didn’t mind carrying Little Mi and Iron Egg. With the basket on his back, he let Er Ni rest assured to choose items.

Er Ni wasn’t timid, but she was of a relatively quiet nature, especially outside, always holding her mother’s hand and staying close to her.

But Da Wa, being a boy after all, was lively and curious, constantly weaving through different stalls.

There were many things at the market, but after looking around, they didn’t seem to need anything special. In the end, they only bought a pound of lard.

They’d use lard for cooking, which should last until New Year’s.

Their two pigs had already been reserved, to be delivered to the Tongfu Restaurant on the twentieth of the lunar month, where Shopkeeper Liu would find someone to slaughter them. Jiang Hu would keep twenty pounds of meat for the New Year, and the rest would be sold to the restaurant.

Seeing Da Wa running to a street stall again for some fun, Er Ni suddenly called out, "Da Wa, come here."

Da Wa hurriedly jogged back, "Mom, what’s wrong?"

Er Ni took out a handkerchief where money was wrapped, counting out five copper coins, "Take these, buy whatever you want."

Da Wa, holding the copper coins with both hands, was extremely excited, "Really? Mom, is this for me? I can spend it however I like?"

It was his first time being able to have money of his own to buy things he liked!

Er Ni counted five more for Er Ni, too, "Of course, it’s been hard for you both this year, buy something you like."

Er Ni was impulsive. She just thought that everyone in the family had worked hard this year, and life was getting better day by day.

Both Da Wa and Er Ni have been especially understanding and diligent, helping the family a lot, so they deserved some rewards.

"Thank you, Mom!" Da Wa and Er Ni said in unison, their faces unable to hide their excitement; their eyes even turned into crescent moons from smiling.

Er Ni put the money-wrapped handkerchief back in her chest and didn’t forget to tell Little Mi and Iron Egg, "Little Mi and Iron Egg will have theirs too. After we get home, Mom will put it separately for you. When you grow up, you can use it yourselves."

Little Mi had just been watching, and upon hearing this, she was momentarily stunned, then she smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Mom."

Her mom was really nice, even giving money to both her and Iron Egg, who were so young.

Iron Egg didn’t understand what it meant, but still followed his sister’s tone, calling out naively, "Mom!"