Chapter 9. The Poor Little Thing Ate Meat, The Poor Little Thing Ate Meat

Cheng Qingzhi’s fingers twisted and curled behind his back, everything happening before his eyes seemed like a dream.

Even the familiar person in front of him seemed to be covered with a layer of hazy light. Although it was the same person, the face that Cheng Qingzhi was so familiar with, at this moment, he seemed to see the shadow of another person on her.

Another person… Cheng Qingzhi dared not think further.

“I, I’ll go make you some food.” He bit his lip tightly, not daring to look at Cheng Songer anymore, almost fleeing from the room as if in a panic.

Cheng Songer had no idea how many thoughts flashed through Cheng Qingzhi’s mind during that brief moment of silence. She just assumed it was the feeling of a child who got something they liked, both happy and shy, and didn’t pay much attention or think too much about it.

It’s good that Cheng Qingzhi went to cook. She would take the opportunity to patch up the tattered window paper in the room.

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Cheng Qingzhi ran out of the room. Without the fragrance from Cheng Songer’s body around him, it was as if the pressure on him had finally lifted, and he could breathe freely.

He looked at the table in the courtyard, full of things. These things were only seen when Mother Cheng was still alive.

His birth father was beautiful and fond of pleasure. He often made many delicious dishes, and Cheng Qingzhi would help him on the side, but when those meals were ready, there was never a share for him.

His birth father would first serve dishes to Mother Cheng, then to Cheng Songer in an almost ingratiating manner, and then to himself. Cheng Qingzhi wasn’t even allowed to sit at the table, he could only shrink in the kitchen, relying on some salted vegetables and steamed buns to get by.

Because his birth father said he was a burden, and it was already fortunate that the Cheng family was willing to take him in and give him food. He shouldn’t have any unrealistic hopes.

He understood… so he never dared to hope for anyone to be kind to him.

But with only one meal a day, sometimes one meal in two days, he was really hungry. That year he was only nine years old, wasn’t he? He was so hungry he couldn’t bear it anymore.

During the day, his birth father fried some butterfish, steamed a piece of cured meat, and stir-fried a few vegetables. The Cheng family couldn’t finish it all, and some leftovers were put in the kitchen.

He was so hungry that he felt dizzy. He secretly took a piece to eat.

He didn’t dare to take the meat, only ate two slices of stir-fried lettuce, but was still discovered.

His birth father was furious, or perhaps wanting to please the Cheng mother and daughter, directly poured a ladle of boiling water on him…

Cheng Qingzhi closed his eyes, forcefully suppressing the past memories, and carried those dishes into the kitchen to prepare the meal.

…

Lin Yuxiu sat in the small courtyard next door, pretending to eat, his eyes never leaving the two people next door.

Both yards were enclosed with fences, allowing a clear view of the opposite side.

When he saw that under the winter clothes in Cheng Songer’s bamboo basket, which already made him envious, there was so much rice and flour, enough for them to eat well for an entire winter, Lin Yuxiu felt extremely uncomfortable, even worse than if he had eaten flies and cockroaches.

When he saw Cheng Qingzhi actually change into that moon-white magnolia embroidered clothes and strut out to show off, the chopsticks in his hand were almost snapped.

“Oh, Qingzhi, you… changed into new clothes! Who bought them for you? Sister Songer?” Xu Shu was also eating, and when he saw Cheng Qingzhi wearing such nice clothes, he spoke instinctively.

It’s worth noting that since Cheng Qingzhi followed his father Xu Lan to remarry into the Cheng village, Cheng Qingzhi had basically never worn any good clothes. Every piece was tattered and patched over and over.

Suddenly changing into such a nice satin garment, which was clearly expensive at a glance, naturally deserved a compliment.

Cheng Qingzhi, holding a large pile of vegetables, thought of the person in the room, and nodded slightly while pursing his lips.

“I knew it, it must be your own sister who cares for her brother and bought it for you. It’s just right for winter, the winter clothes are thick and warm. Look at the satin of this garment, tsk tsk, it’s really beautiful.” Xu Shu continued to praise.

Just then, Cheng Songer walked out of the room with some rattan paper for patching the windows. Xu Shu saw her and paused for a moment.

After all, Xu Shu had seen with his own eyes how Cheng Songer abused and beat Cheng Qingzhi, and he was still a bit afraid.

But soon, Xu Shu’s social boldness recovered. Cheng Songer beat Cheng Qingzhi, what did that have to do with him?

Which woman doesn’t beat her man? It’s just a matter of how much. Besides, the whole Cheng village knew that Cheng Songer beat Cheng Qingzhi, and no one spoke up for him. After all, it was just their ‘family matter’.

In the end, although Xu Shu pitied Cheng Qingzhi for being abused, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. At most, he would criticize Cheng Songer for being too heavy-handed, that’s all.

Moreover, now that Cheng Songer had turned over a new leaf, not only did she stop beating people, but she also started on the right path, knowing how to earn money to support the family. Why keep dwelling on past events?

“Sister Songer, what are you doing?” Xu Shu asked.

Cheng Songer glanced at Xu Shu and said, “Patching the window paper.”

“Oh, that’s right, winter is coming, patching the window paper will keep it warmer. This is why a family needs a woman, women are the pillars of the home, it just doesn’t work without a woman!” Xu Shu praised mindlessly.

“Mm.” Cheng Songer climbed up the ladder with the rattan paper, her gaze casually sweeping over Xu Shu.

She had thought that as her neighbor who was well aware of her ‘evil deeds’ over the years, and given Xu Shu’s good relationship with Cheng Qingzhi, he should at least help him vent some anger and scold Cheng Songer when he saw her.

But in the end, she couldn’t see even a trace of reproach on Xu Shu’s face. His calm demeanor was as if they were just harmonious neighbors.

Thinking back, it wasn’t just Xu Shu, but seemingly everyone in the village, regardless of gender, was the same. They didn’t think domestic violence and beating people was wrong at all.

Even when the original host did something as outrageous as trying to sell Cheng Qingzhi to a brothel, no one stopped her.

She remembered that when she was reading this female-dominated novel, the main storyline was set in a martial arts world, where basic moral standards were in place. How come they didn’t apply in Cheng village?

Could it be because Cheng village was remote and backward?

Cheng Qingzhi was merely implicated by his father, and because he was a bit good-looking, he was abused. Not only did no one care, but he was also poked in the spine every day and called a seducer, suffering both physical and mental torment.

And the original host? She beat people and caused trouble every day, yet it was considered justified. As soon as she did a little good, it was called a prodigal’s return is worth more than gold?

No wonder the original host was so fearless, in such an environment, men weren’t even treated as human beings.

Seeing that Cheng Songer had no intention of chatting with him, Xu Shu cleared away his bowls and chopsticks and went back to his room.

Cheng Songer methodically patched the window paper. Although it was her first time doing it, overall it was quite good. For better insulation, she even pasted three layers of rattan paper inside and out, and then brushed a layer of tung oil on top, which would make the window paper more durable, able to withstand wind and rain.

By the time she finished patching the window paper, a fragrant aroma gradually wafted out from the kitchen.

A pot of crucian carp and radish soup was brought out by Cheng Qingzhi. The well-prepared crucian carp was first fried on both sides with hot oil until cooked through, then hot water was added, and finally sprinkled with sliced radish and boiled. The soup was as white as milk, and the taste was even more exquisite, bringing out the freshness of the fish to the fullest.

Then came a plate of red-braised pork, each piece of meat cut into uniform small cubes. With this kind of seasoning and spices, the aroma could be smelled from ten miles away. Just the smell alone made one’s mouth water. Cheng Songer’s appetite was greatly stimulated. After enduring such hardship for so long, she felt she could eat two big bowls of rice today.

“Brother, come sit down and eat.” Cheng Songer pulled Cheng Qingzhi to sit down.

“I……” It was the first time Cheng Qingzhi sat at a table with such sumptuous dishes. His expression was somewhat awkward, and his body was extremely stiff.

Like a rat that had always lived in the gutter suddenly pulled into the sunlight, he instinctively felt timid. He didn’t deserve to eat these dishes in front of him.

“Don’t ‘you’ and ‘I’, just eat quickly.” Cheng Songer scooped a big bowl of rice for him, even using a wooden spoon to press the rice firmly, filling a full big bowl: “Don’t eat those things anymore, today you must finish this bowl of rice.”

Cheng Qingzhi’s hand holding the chopsticks tightened slightly. He had always been used to being abused, and suddenly feeling someone being kind to him made his heart burn hot.

He tried hard to keep his expression calm, using his chopsticks to pick at the white rice. He just wanted to finish eating quickly and leave this place that made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

“Don’t just eat rice, you need to eat more meat too, look how thin you are.” A piece of red-braised pork fell into his bowl, accompanied by Cheng Songer’s gentle tone.

Cheng Qingzhi looked up, the vague emotions in his moist, bright eyes too complex to discern. He bit his lip: “I’ll just eat rice, I… don’t like eating this.”

Cheng Songer didn’t believe this absurd excuse at all.

She used her chopsticks to draw a dividing line in the red-braised pork dish: “This half is yours, this half is mine, and that crucian carp, one for each of us. You must eat it all for lunch today.”

Cheng Qingzhi was clearly stunned by Cheng Songer’s words.

He had been thinking that even if Cheng Songer had a change of heart and suddenly took pity on him, she would only stop beating and scolding him, and maybe give him the leftover food as charity. That would be merciful enough.

But he had never dared to imagine so boldly that Cheng Songer would give him half of the food, and such good food at that.

He had only seen his birth father and the Cheng mother and daughter eat like this, while he would crouch outside the house, holding a broken bowl eating leftover food from the day before. Sometimes when the smell of meat reached his nostrils and he couldn’t resist, he would grab a handful of snow and swallow it.

But everything before his eyes now seemed too unreal and dreamlike.

He tremblingly raised his eyes and saw Cheng Songer smiling at him, the noon sunlight making her hair tips emit a warm glow.

“But, I…..” He suddenly felt inexplicably afraid, not knowing how to face this sudden enormous kindness.

“There’s no ‘but’, if you keep this up I’ll get angry. Didn’t I tell you we’re going to live well together from now on?” Cheng Songer pretended to be angry.

“No, don’t be angry, I’ll eat, I’ll eat now-” Cheng Qingzhi’s heart suddenly tightened, as if invisible claws were gripping his heart fiercely.

He picked up a piece of red-braised pork with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Tasting meat for the first time in so many years, for a moment, he couldn’t tell what it tasted like.

Although it was better than any food he had eaten before, although it was much softer than the coarse flour buns from the day before, so soft that it seemed to melt in his mouth, he felt as if countless hard objects that pricked his throat were piling up and choking in his throat, choking him to the point of wanting to cry, wanting to have a big cry.