Chapter 279 - 212: Home

Chapter 279: Chapter 212: Home

"Third Uncle, we’ve saved up two whole sacks of sparrows! When are we gonna eat them?"

Zhao Shitou gulped as he spoke. Zhao Wendong had previously said they wouldn’t eat any more sparrows they caught, saving them as a special dish for the New Year and his wedding. This meant Zhao Shitou could only secretly roast a couple for himself now and then to satisfy his cravings, so he was really looking forward to this feast.

"Let’s wait for the New Year. We won’t roast them. We’ll deep-fry them."

Zhao Wendong remembered the jar of lard that Yang Wenxue had specially asked the farm to send over when they bought the pig. He decided they would deep-fry a few dishes for the New Year and get some much-needed fat into his family’s diet.

"Really? That’s awesome!"

Zhao Shitou jumped for joy. He’d never had deep-fried food before, but he’d heard Zhao Wendong say it was delicious, and he trusted his third uncle’s word completely. The three of them started plucking the sparrows from the sticky nets, saving the ones that were still alive for last. By the time they got to them, however, they were also frozen stiff. They gathered another full basket, which Zhao Wenwu carried by himself while Zhao Shitou lit the path ahead with a flashlight. An idea suddenly struck Zhao Wendong. ’Sparrows usually like to sleep in places sheltered from the wind at night, like under the eaves or in holes in the walls. When we have time, we can go looking for them. They tend to huddle together in big groups for warmth, so we could definitely catch a huge flock at night.’

"Shitou, during the New Year when we’re not going up the mountain and have some free time, remember to remind me. I’ll take you to catch sparrows at night."

"You got it, Third Uncle."

Zhao Shitou agreed readily; as long as it was fun, he didn’t even mind losing sleep. After dinner, they also took some food to Zhao Ergou’s house and told Er Gou to meet them tomorrow to head into the mountains. Only then did Zhao Wendong’s group of four leisurely stroll back to the shore. As they approached, they saw three figures in the distance. Zhao Wendong pulled out his flashlight and shone it toward them.

"Uncle Weiguo? What are you all doing here?"

It was Zhao Weiguo with his two children, Zhao Xiaoyan and Zhao Xiaowei.

"We were waiting for you, Dongzi. Don’t you like sticky rice buns? We had some left at home, so I brought them for you. Xiaoyan insisted on coming along to thank you, and Xiaowei couldn’t sit still at home and clamored to tag along."

Only then did Zhao Wendong notice a cloth bag by Zhao Weiguo’s feet.

"Oh, Uncle Weiguo, please take them back. You know how my family is; we’re not short on food!"

"Brother San, just take them. Doesn’t Third Sister-in-law like the buns, too? Let her have them."

Before Zhao Weiguo could speak, Zhao Xiaoyan chimed in. Hearing this, Lin Zhiyin smiled at her.

"No, I can’t accept this."

Zhao Wendong was still trying to refuse, but Zhao Weiguo grew impatient.

"Dongzi, you did our family such a huge favor, finding such a good opportunity for Xiaoyan. Are you scorning half a bag of buns because it’s too little? Your Uncle Weiguo isn’t as well-off as you are. If you look down on this little gift, I’ll just carry it back home. And Xiaoyan won’t take the factory spot, either. You can give it to someone else!"

"Alright, alright, alright! I’ll take them, okay? Look at you, getting all worked up over a few words."

Seeing him so worked up, Zhao Wendong had to give in. He took the bag of buns, but Zhao Wenwu immediately took it from him to carry himself. It had become an instinct for Wenwu to lighten his brother’s load, whether it was through manual labor, carrying things, or getting into a fight.

"That’s more like it. Alright, we’re heading off."

"Goodbye, Brother San."

"Thank you, Brother San."

Zhao Xiaowei and Zhao Xiaoyan also waved at Zhao Wendong, then followed Zhao Weiguo home under the moonlight. From the frost clinging to their faces, it was clear the three of them had been waiting for quite a while.

"This is wonderful. If only all the girls could become factory workers."

Lin Zhiyin murmured to herself. At this, Zhao Wendong’s expression flickered. He remembered asking Zhao Weiguo to survey the village earlier that day, so he told Lin Zhiyin about it.

"So that’s the situation. I asked Uncle Weiguo to do a survey first—to see exactly how many girls there are in the village, how many are in each age group, what their current situations are like, and what their families’ attitudes are. Once the survey is done, we’ll see what we can do based on the findings."

"So what do you plan to do?"

Lin Zhiyin stared at Zhao Wendong, her eyes burning with intensity.

"I don’t know yet. I’m drawing a blank. You and Second Sister-in-law should think about it. I have to go into the mountains tomorrow."

"Okay."

This was something Lin Zhiyin had always wanted to do. Though she didn’t have a concrete plan at the moment, she believed they could figure it out as they went. At the very least, they could start by addressing the pressing issue of girls being neglected or even abused. Ensuring a safe environment for them to grow up healthy was the priority; they could slowly work out the rest later.