Old Mrs. Zhang felt constrained by Zhang Fang. Although she was pained to see so much meat, she comforted herself with the thought that better days were coming and tried to adapt to this new lifestyle.
Zhang Erlang and Zhang Sanlang had long hidden away, while Zhang San’s wife observed the situation and, seeing that Zhang Fang had already settled things, hurried off to notify them to come home.
“Fourth brother, impressive!” Zhang Erlang was envious of Zhang Silang for receiving such favoritism from their parents. In the past, he would have complained behind his back, but since Zhang Fang was serving them meat tonight, he felt indifferent. He even felt fortunate that having a fourth brother helped quell their parents’ anger; otherwise, they really couldn’t handle the consequences!
The noodles hadn’t boiled yet, but the aroma of chicken soup was already enticing.
Even Old Man Zhang had come out of the house and was sitting in the yard, waiting for the chicken noodle soup to be ready.
Usually, the Zhang family finished their dinner before dark, but tonight it was delayed because Zhang Fang was writing.
A fire pit provided light in the yard. Old Mrs. Zhang first served a bowl with lots of meat to Zhang Fang. Then it was Old Man Zhang’s turn, his bowl also had several pieces of meat. When it came time to distribute noodles to the other sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren, Old Mrs. Zhang was stingy, not putting even a piece of meat in their bowls, and the noodles were scant as well.
Zhang Fang couldn’t stand this and personally took charge of dividing the meat and noodles.
Since Zhang Silang started studying, he no longer entered the kitchen, citing the saying that a gentleman avoids the kitchen. But tonight, Zhang Fang entered the kitchen multiple times, even taking the ladle to divide the meat and noodles. Old Mrs. Zhang was stunned and momentarily didn’t try to stop him.
When Old Mrs. Zhang saw how much meat Zhang Fang distributed, she snapped back to reality and hurriedly reached for the ladle to take it back.
“Fourth son! This meat is reserved for you to eat tomorrow! You’re weak, just out of prison, having suffered so much; you need to nourish yourself!”
Zhang Fang refused to hand over the ladle, continuing to serve the meat, smiling as he responded, “Mother, I have an appointment tomorrow and will be eating out. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a good meal at home, so let me divide the food tonight!”
“Didn’t you say that a gentleman avoids the kitchen?” Old Mrs. Zhang remembered Zhang Silang had repeated this saying many times.
“The principles in books are complex. Mother, I’ll explain it to you later. Just eat!” Zhang Fang had finished distributing. He took half of his meat and placed it into another bowl, adding plenty of noodles as well. Zhang Fang then handed the bowl to Old Mrs. Zhang, gently saying, “Mother, eat up!”
Tears welled up in Old Mrs. Zhang’s eyes as she glanced outside. Old Man Zhang was lowering his head, enjoying the meat, while the other three sons were also eagerly eating. The three daughters-in-law were distributing meat and noodles to their children. Only Zhang Fang was giving her meat from his own bowl.
With tears in her eyes, Old Mrs. Zhang sniffed and tried to push the meat back into Zhang Fang’s bowl, but he stopped her.
“Mother, you’re not well. You need to eat well. In the future, I’ll work hard to earn money so you can have meat every meal. You always need to take care of yourself first; don’t worry about us.”
For the first time, someone spoke to her like this, and Old Mrs. Zhang stared blankly at Zhang Fang.
When she was young, food at home was reserved for the family head first, then the male members, and only then for the girls. After becoming a mother, Old Mrs. Zhang did as her elders used to, prioritizing food for the family head and boys, and leaving the leftovers for herself and the women at home.
But now, someone was telling her to take care of herself first instead of others…
“Mother, eat up. After you’re full, rest well. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the city.” Zhang Fang wanted to take Old Mrs. Zhang to check her eyes.
Old Mrs. Zhang’s attention was diverted, and she asked, “I can go to the city with you?”
For some reason, she felt a bit anxious.
“Yes. Hurry and eat!” Zhang Fang urged Old Mrs. Zhang to eat.
Holding the bowl, Old Mrs. Zhang stared at the meat with tears streaming down her face. Turning away from Zhang Fang, she began eating heartily.
Who wouldn’t want a good meal, but she didn’t have the resources! With food in front of her, Old Mrs. Zhang was reluctant to let herself eat. She felt she had to save it for her husband and beloved children, letting them eat first.
Tears mixed with the savory chicken and noodles in her mouth, and Old Mrs. Zhang felt surreal, as if dreaming a beautiful dream. This dream was too wonderful!
This was the happiest day for the Zhang family.
Of course, killing the chicken had made Old Man Zhang a bit unhappy. However, after enjoying the chicken meat and counting the money Zhang Fang had given him before bed, he decided that the day had turned out to be quite joyful!
The next day, the Zhang family no longer heard the rooster crowing. They woke up later than usual.
Zhang Fang had risen early, going to the mountains to watch the sunrise.
The morning fog had not yet dissipated, and there was dew on Zhang Fang’s head. The morning light illuminated the earth. The white mist gradually cleared, revealing the scenery. The brilliant morning sun, lush forests, and fresh air were refreshing.
When the sun was high in the sky, Zhang Fang returned home.
Zhang Dalang was chopping firewood, Zhang Dazhang was doing laundry, and Zhang Dayao was helping to tidy up the firewood.
Seeing Zhang Fang return from outside, the whole family was surprised.
“Fourth brother, you went out?” Zhang Dalang asked without putting down the axe and standing at attention.
“Yeah. If Mother wakes up, let me know.”
Zhang Fang went back inside to continue writing.
All the food was kept in the elder couple’s room, so if Old Mrs. Zhang didn’t wake up, there was nothing to eat at home.
After Zhang Ersao got up, missing the delicious chicken from yesterday, she took out the leftover bones from yesterday to gnaw on. She planned to boil some water today to make a light chicken soup with the bones.
Zhang Sansao specially jumped into the water and then woke Zhang Sanlang, urging him to get ready. When Zhang Fang woke up, she wanted to be seen doing the laundry.
Old Man Zhang, hearing the sounds outside, opened his eyes and looked a bit dazed.
Yesterday was too happy; it felt like a dream. He touched his clothes, which were old.
Hastily, he got up to rummage through the boxes and, seeing the two new outfits and new shoes, his brow finally relaxed.