Farming with Taobao - C2
Chapter II Poverty-stricken Two White Three Mouth (2)
Black Bean held the mixed looking bag, and was at a loss on the stove. The amount of the powder in his hand was only about three pounds. Other than the leftover wild herbs in the pot, he could not find anything else to eat. It was freezing cold outside. The snow had sealed off the mountains, and there were no roots of wild vegetables to be dug out. If he ate a little more, he would be able to survive for another ten to fifteen days to half a month.
However, Er Niu had just woken up. Her body was the fault of being hungry. If she didn’t give Er Niu some food now … He gritted his teeth and gave up on making the Clear Broth Noodle Soup. He poured half a bag of mixed noodles into a cold water pot, picked up a branch and slowly stirred the mixed flour paste while saying to the small wooden bed, “Er Niu, don’t worry. Big bro will make you some soup now. We’ll have something to eat when the water is boiled.”
If he did not say that Li Yannian had not felt it, but when it came to eating, it was like his stomach was being grinded dry, causing his stomach to throb in pain. This kind of strange yet familiar hunger that seemed to be able to swallow everything Li Yannian had never experienced before.
If it was in the past, when someone told her that you would cry from hunger one day, Li Yannian would definitely treat that person as a lunatic and leave him with a cold smile. Not to mention that she was an online shopper, her house was always filled with stored rations, and it was not difficult for her to get snacks and local specialties from all over the place. She could buy them from any treasure, even if the water and electricity were cut off for a week or two.
Besides, society was so prosperous these days. He could brush anywhere he went out with a phone, even if he didn’t have money in his pocket. To give an extreme example, even if he went to the hospital alone for surgery, he would still be able to order takeout using his phone when he woke up with an anesthetic. These days, he had only seen people who overate themselves to death, but he had never heard of anyone who starved to death without eating anything.
But now, she was personally experiencing the pain of living a life worse than death. Li Yannian reckoned that if she was able to bite the wooden board, she would be able to eat the bed.
Fortunately the tofu was burning hot, and the sauce in the wok quickly ripened. The small room immediately emitted a sweet smell of food, attracting Li Yannian’s drool.
Black Bean carefully scooped up the top layer of the meat and scooped up half a bowl of it. After blowing until the bowl wasn’t scalding hot enough, he handed it over to his little sister.
Black Bean was afraid that she would be injured from eating, hence he warned her repeatedly, “Er Niu, eat at a slower pace. You have been hungry for quite a few days, so you shouldn’t eat too much in one go. “Don’t worry, there’s still a lot left in the pot. I’ve cooked a big pot, enough for us to eat twice. When you’ve recovered, I’ll serve it to you.”
Li Yannian had also heard this phrase from the older generation. Knowing that he said it for her own good, she squeezed out a smile and said, “Un, big bro, don’t just stand there with Mao Dou. Eat it while it’s hot.”
However, Black Bean and Mao Dou stood there without moving. The little one watched her as she took small sips of the porridge. No matter how bad the light in the room was, Li Yannian could understand the desire in Mao Dou’s eyes.
She finally remembered that only the broken bowl was left in her hands and couldn’t help but sigh. She waved at Mao Dou and said, “Dou’er, come over here. Big Sis isn’t hungry anymore. Take the bowl to the pot and scoop some meat.”
Mao Dou shook his head. “Big sis, I’m not hungry. I’ll eat again after you’re done eating.”
To tell the truth, this wild vegetable noodle soup truly wasn’t tasty. The wild vegetables were old and astringent, the mixed noodles were coarse and scraping at the throat, making Li Yannian, who was used to eating good food, feel extremely bitter. After taking the first bite, she closed his eyes and swallowed them. She knew very well that this was not the time to be hypocritical. Being shunned by her as a mixed blemish was already a rare delicacy for the two brothers.
With that in mind, Li Yannian precious drank the last mouthful. Her stomach finally felt a little full, and even her frozen limbs warmed up a lot.
Black Bean, who was waiting at the side, saw that she had finished her soup, so he went up and took the bowl. He first poured a bowl for his younger brother Mao Dou, and only drank it himself in the end.
Mao Dou’s eyes were sharp as he shouted, “Brother, how can you eat so little?”
Black Bean laughed, “I’m not hungry. Are you hungry enough?
Mao Dou licked his lips and savored the mixed flavor. He shook his head like a rattle drum. “I still need to keep it for tomorrow. I won’t be eating it. After all, I won’t be hungry after I fall asleep.”
Li Yannian was stung by Black Bean and Mao Dou’s understanding, she really couldn’t understand why the uncle and uncle pair would have the heart to be so harsh on his nephew. In the ancient villages, there should have been some people who cared about their nephew as well, even if the Li Clan’s Clan Chief had the ability to sit still and do nothing, allowing the elders of the two families to bully the younger generation.
It was a pity that the original owner was still young and was only nine years old. He had been doted on by his parents to the point that he didn’t have a deep impression of the Li family’s elders. Li Yannian calculated that she could only follow the instructions in her mind and slowly probe Black Bean in the future.
However, he didn’t know which dynasty he was wearing it to. Li Yannian’s history was not good, and had graduated and worked for many years, so it was already good enough for him to remember a few famous people in the dynasty. He didn’t expect that he could be like the other female lords who had experienced the world and relied on their ability “to foresee the future” to stay by the princes’ side to advise them on how to lead a peaceful life.
Perhaps she could go to the town’s art studio and see if she could find some suitable job to do as she pleased. After all, she couldn’t afford to eat wild vegetables mixed together every day … Just as she was losing herself in her thoughts, Black Bean had already went out of the house and used the snow to clean the bowl. Since it was dark, there was no entertainment. After filling his stomach, it was time for him to sleep.
In the room, there was a broken blanket that Black Bean had picked up. The three siblings were lying on the small wooden bed that Li Yannian was recuperating on, on top of a thick layer of straw. She slept, Mao Dou at least slept in the middle, and Black Bean at the outer most. She silently brought the blankets over to them and covered her stomach.
Li Yannian’s throat immediately became choked.
Outside, the snow was still falling in fine pieces. The deeper the snow, the more clear the light of the snow was seeping out from the cracks in the roof. It clearly showed the despicable poverty of this small house.
A farmhouse stove, a gaping pottery bowl, an old raincoat, a crippled chest of drawers, and a small wooden bed with a door board were all the possessions of the Li Family.
Li Yannian suddenly thought of the “brainwashing” phrase that was often seen in the “Pager Ads”: In the beginning, one person and one dog, all of their equipment were picked up from the ground. Her transcending from the start mode looked even worse than a pager.
As she listened to the sound of falling snow, the wild roots that she had just eaten, after briefly satisfying her stomach, which was filled with a spasm of hunger, began to reveal its true appearance. They rolled over and over, burning her to the point where she could no longer sleep. However, his body was stiff and he did not dare to easily flip the quilt. The slightest movement on his bed was like a gust of cold wind blowing from head to toe, dispersing even the hot air that he had saved for a long time.
“Er Niu, can’t you sleep because of hunger?” In the darkness, Li Yannian’s fingers were stiff, and she hadn’t even moved an inch. No one knew how Black Bean found out that she was still awake.
Afraid that Black Bean would climb up to make food for her, Li Yannian immediately clarified: “Brother, it’s not like that. I slept for too long before I couldn’t fall asleep. ”
Black Bean went to sleep at ease. After pondering for a while, he suddenly spoke out, “Er Niu, after the new year, I’ll look for a job in the town, and when I earn money, I’ll take you to see a doctor. You’re just a girl, not like Mao Dou, you’re sick.”
It was as if warmth flowed through his heart, Li Yannian resisted the warmth that was swirling in his eyes, and only spoke one sentence out of every thousand: “Brother, our family will definitely get better in the future, if we don’t get frozen, if we don’t starve, no one will be able to bully us!”
Black Bean remembered the expressions on his Eldest and Third Uncle’s face when they forcibly took over his family’s property. After a moment of silence, he answered resolutely, “En!”