Chapter 5: From Bad to Worse

be filled with resentment.Last summer, there was a heavy rainstorm and the dyke broke. The floodwaters wouldn't have reached us anyway. But that scoundrel, Liu Gen'er, had to go rescue a child who was...Wu Cuifang also jumped out and scolded, “Those ungrateful things, they ate the fish from our family last night, yet when we needed help, they wouldn't even lend a hand.”

Li Lao Si glared coldly at her, refusing to answer.

The third sister-in-law also knew how to look after the luggage and her children, this second sister-in-law would appear when there were benefits, but she would hide when something happened.

If it weren't for his second brother, he really wanted to slap her until her teeth were scattered on the ground.

When Li Laotai and the others returned, hearing that the food had been stolen, their faces also turned grim.

Wu Cuifua jumped up and down, as if she had just exerted herself to protect the grain.

Li Laotai, with a bang of her tobacco pouch, whacked it over.

"Shut your mouth! Everyone in this family knows what you're like. If you dare to talk more, don't expect dinner tonight."

"There's no food left, what are we supposed to eat!"

Wu Cuifang dodged the smoking pipe pot and mumbled a sentence, causing the whole family to glare at her.

Li Laotai took the swaddle, looking at her granddaughter's bright eyes and feeling relieved.

"Grandma's little Fu Niu, are you alright Grandma's back, we're not afraid now, eh"

Jia Yin blew her a bubble, wanting to comfort the old woman with a few words, but all that came out was gibberish.

This, in turn, made Old Lady Li even happier. “Fine, if the grain is gone, it’s gone. It’s enough that my whole family is safe and well. Besides, we still have Little Fú, following her around brings some good fortune, she won't starve.”

Wu Cuiflower pursed her lips, wanting to say something more hurtful, but she was pulled back by Li Laoer.

"Let's tidy up things, we need to be on our way."

Wu Cuifang rolled her eyes, but didn't dare say anything back.

Jiayin lay in her mother's arms and then got back on her father's tricycle.

Her small eyebrows furrowed as she tried hard to figure out how to be both impressive and genuinely helpful to her family.

Unfortunately, her little brain wasn't fully developed yet, and she couldn't come up with a solution. She fell asleep instead...

When Jia Yin woke up again, it was already midday break.

The sun was blazing at the moment, Tao Hongying worried that her daughter would get sunburnt, so she told Jiaxi and Jiansan to pick up a few sticks and tie them together with cloth strips.

Covered himself with Li Laosi's large linen coat, he made a makeshift awning for shade.

Wu Cuifang would occasionally glance back at Jiayin, muttering to herself in an unintelligible way. It wasn't likely to be anything nice either.

The food was looted, and now there is only half a bag of millet left on the cart, along with the sweet potatoes we dug up before.

The whole family, including those half-grown children, can't hold out for long with just this.

Old Li puffed on her cigarette pot, two puffs in quick succession. Her eyes, a little clouded, were filled with worry.

"Lao Si, you can keep the millet and sweet potatoes for now. Go up the mountain and see if you can find some food."

Li Laotai turned her head to look at her granddaughter. Her eyes were still closed, seemingly asleep. Her voice lowered a few tones.

Li Lao Si readily agreed, shouldered his bow and arrow and headed up the mountain.

Several boys wanted to follow, but they were driven back by Old Li Four.

A large crowd actually makes hunting worse, they're all jumpy and anxious, even a wild chicken or rabbit would be scared away by them.

Jia Yin heard Li Lao Tai's words and opened her eyes to look. She only saw her father's sturdy back, feeling a little worried.

In such a famine year, even people didn't have enough to eat, how could wild animals survive

Without her by his side, there's no way her father could catch any game!

Jia Yin hurriedly stretched out her small hand towards Li Laosi's direction, babbling incoherently, trying to call her father back.

Tao Hongying thought Jiayin was hungry, so she quickly hugged her and fed her breast milk.

Jia Yin suddenly had a mouthful of breast milk, and the baby's nature made her instinctively start swallowing.

This sudden interruption sent Li Lao Si far away.

Jia Yin sighed silently, "Oh well, never mind. Next time, she'll go with them again."

Half an hour later, without any good news, Heishou secretly took things out from the space beside her. It goes without saying that Li Laosi returned empty-handed.

There are many people living nearby. On the mountain, there is no sign of wild game, not even tree bark remains. There are no wild fruits or vegetables to be found anywhere.

When everyone saw that Li Laosì came back empty-handed, although they had mentally prepared themselves, thinking about the little bit of food left, they still felt a bit downhearted.

Li Laoliu looked at his younger brother's dark face, which seemed to carry a hint of guilt. He raised his hand and patted his shoulder lightly, joking.

“You see, things just don’t work without our little Fu Niu around, do they”

"Honestly, you should have hugged Fu Niu before you left. You might have caught a chicken or rabbit by now!"

His words brought a laugh, and dispelled some of the gloom that had been hanging over the Li family. Everyone chuckled along.

Jia Yin quite agreed with Li Lao Er's words. She opened her mouth wide, her toothless gums grinding back and forth, and she also hummed in response.

Li Laotai, seeing her like this, smiled even more happily. She reached out to tease her granddaughter and swung the pouch hanging beneath the bottom of her pipe bowl in front of her face.

Jia Yin's face darkened, this action resembled teasing a puppy.

Though she thought so in her heart, she still desperately reached out with her small hand, causing Li Laotai and the others to burst into laughter once more.

"Sister is not only a lucky charm but also a source of joy!"

Jiā'ān laughed until his gums were showing, clapping his hands and saying.

Although the Li family didn't find anything good on the mountain, they couldn't go hungry.

Old Lady Li grabbed a handful of millet and picked two medium-sized sweet potatoes, giving them to her daughter-in-law San'er, asking her to cook them into a porridge.

Zhao Yuru carefully held the sweet potatoes and millet in her hands, placing them in a pot and then carrying it to the riverbank to rinse them.

Wu Cuiflower strained her neck to look at the half bag of sweet potatoes, then at Jia Yin's breast-feeding and the two brothers, Jia He and Jia An, who were squeezing goat's milk. Her eyes rolled back and forth, she didn't know what she was thinking about.

When Zhao Yuru returned with the pot, Wu Cuifang lazily started helping out.

"Well, I guess the youngest daughter-in-law's milk supply is pretty good now, huh" Wu Cuifang and Zhao Yuru leaned in together and whispered to her.

Zhao Yuru was cutting sweet potatoes into small pieces. Hearing Wu Cuifang's question, she paused her movements and looked at her with suspicion.

"What are you doing this for"

Wu Cuifang had never really cared about Tao Hongying. Now, suddenly asking if she had enough breast milk felt insincere.

"I'll just ask."

Wu Cuiflower felt a little guilty. She raised her hand and wiped her nose, continuing to help Zhao Yuru with the work.

A handful of millet, two sweet potatoes, and most of the pot of water were added. In the end, everyone got a bowl of thin and watery sweet potato millet porridge.

Zhao Yuru had sharp eyes and spotted a small clump of green-yellow wild vegetables by the river. She added them to the porridge, which gave it a bit more flavor.

Several big men and half-grown boys gulped down a bowl of gruel, without even feeling half full.

Zhao Yuru drank half a bowl, her face calm as she poured the rest in her bowl into Li Lao San's.

In this time of famine and chaos, their entire family relies on these old men to survive.

It's fine if she eats a little less, the important thing is that her husband eats more.

Li Laosan looked at his wife with guilt and heartache, then finally raised his head and drank the gruel.

Wu Cuifang, however, seemed not to have seen Zhao Yuru's movements and finished her porridge in a few gulps.

She gave Old Lady Li a sly glance with her eyes, seeing that the old woman's expression was still amiable, so she finally mustered the courage to speak.s of silver to buy a set for his father.Li La Er held it in his hand, his eyes red with excitement. This was the first time his son had been filial and given him such a good thing.Either I've grown up...