"Really? Brother Xie, if you can turn these things into money, you'll be our benefactor."
But, benefactor, could you come out of the kitchen and talk to us?
Just craning their necks made them feel tired for him.
Lin Wanwan went over and said, "I'll cook. You talk to everyone."
"Make sure you watch the heat, don't stew the meat too long. Call me if it's not right. And there's rice, it's time to steam it on the bamboo mat..."
"I know how to do it. Stop dawdling."
Lin Wanwan was a little impatient. She didn't know if this guy was good or bad.
"Brother Xie really dotes on his wife."
"Of course. Doting on your wife brings wealth. Haven't you seen anyone who beats their wife and becomes rich?"
Xie Sui chuckled. He didn't feel guilty about saying this, because although he was a scoundrel, he stole from the family and sold their grain, and didn't give his wife and children living expenses, he had never hit his wife or children.
It could be considered his last virtue.
This was something Xie Sui had planned long ago. Earning a living in town was just temporary. To make big money and accumulate capital, he still had to be an intermediary.
The mountains were full of treasures: wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, pheasants, rabbits, and even wild boars. Resources were still abundant at this time, and they hadn't been overexploited like in later generations when wild boars became rare animals.
"Wild pheasants and rabbits are fifty cents a jin. There are the most of these, and they are the easiest to catch. Dried wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms can be two yuan a jin. But be careful not to pick poisonous mushrooms.
Fruits of any kind are acceptable, as long as they are not rotten and ripe, they will be twenty cents a jin. Bring them all to my house. If no one is home, it's the same at Grandpa Wang's next door. I'll tell Grandpa Wang about it later."
"Okay, we'll go home and pick fruit and set traps for wild pheasants. It's just in time for the children's tuition."
Everyone was overjoyed. With household contracting, they could at least make ends meet, and then they started to focus on their children's education. After all, if they wanted to leave the mountains and achieve something, poor children only had education as a way out.
"That's right, you can't be poor in education. Reading can change your destiny. Look at my wife, even her five-year-old child is focused on education. Brother's idea is right. We work hard and suffer, don't we just want our children to have a good future?"
This hit home for everyone. Xie Sui had truly changed. Look at him, he spoke so humanely!
Xie Sui saw them out, and they were already as close as family.
"Xie Sui, it's time to eat. Go find the children."
"Alright, wife, it's just a matter of calling out."
"Doudou, Dingding, come and eat meat."
Lin Wanwan: "..."
Damn it, her fists were clenched. They were eating, why was he shouting about eating meat? Was he afraid others wouldn't know they were eating meat?
If it weren't for gravity pulling him down, he would have floated up to the mountain long ago.
Xie Sui quickly saw his two sons returning, but they were crying.
Their clothes were torn, their bodies were covered in mud, and there were even bloodstains on their lips. He was instantly furious: "Who bullied you? Tell Dad, and Dad will beat him to death!"
"Wow, Mom, the frog is broken. Zhao Xiaoshan stepped on it!"
Lin Wanwan ran out. Dingding handed over the frog, which had turned into a piece of iron, and the pain in his heart was even greater than that on his body.
"That Zhao Xiaoshan? Whose child is he?"
Xie Sui's body was filled with coldness. He had always been the one bullying others. His son was actually bullied by someone else. What a Zhao Xiaoshan!
Lin Wanwan frowned: "He's the grandson of the village chief's elder brother, Zhao Tielin. Someone in their family works in the county. We can't afford to offend them."
Zhao Gang was able to become the village chief because his elder brother Zhao Tielin arranged it. The Zhao family had many members and was a large clan in the village. The village chief alone had four brothers, let alone their sons and grandsons.
The Xie family was also a large clan before, but in recent years, their descendants had decreased, and they had gradually been suppressed by the Zhao family.
This was also why people in the countryside were so keen on having sons. With many sons, they wouldn't be bullied.
Xie Sui gritted his teeth: "So what if he's Zhao Tielin? Our son can't be bullied for nothing!"
"Can you beat them?"
Lin Wanwan glanced at his small frame. She wasn't looking down on her husband, but he was clearly a pretty boy, and his waist was not as thick as their thigh. Su Dan Novel Network
Doudou wiped away his tears and said, "Forget it. I also pushed Zhao Xiaoshan into the mud pit. It's not like I was bullied. It's even."
Xie Sui's emotions were complicated. His eldest son was sensible. He knew how to give his dad a way out. He was truly his son!
"Doudou, do you believe Dad?"
"Heh!"
Doudou forced a smile, a fake smile. You figure it out yourself.
Xie Sui: "..."
"Hey, don't give me that look. Dad promises you that tomorrow Zhao Xiaoshan will cry and beg you for an apology."
"Let's eat. Mom will put some medicine on you. Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt."
If Lin Wanwan had just arrived in the countryside, she would have gone to the Zhao family to demand an explanation, but the hardships of life had taught her to endure, and it was also a surrender to life.
Xie Sui felt very uncomfortable, and he held a grudge against the Zhao family in his heart.
With braised pork and white rice, the children had short memories. After dinner, they forgot their unhappiness and played for a while before going for a nap.
"Wife, give me ten yuan. I have something to do in town."
Lin Wanwan didn't trust him: "Don't do anything foolish. You all live in the same village. Children will inevitably bump into each other. There's no need to fall out with them because of this."
"No, am I that kind of person, your husband? We use our brains. Using brute force is primitive. Humans evolved because they have brains."
Lin Wanwan didn't ask further and gave him the money.
Xie Sui returned very quickly. When the two little ones woke up, he just happened to walk in, "Look what I have here?"
"Soda?"
The children were overjoyed. They had never drunk soda in their lives, and they had never even touched a soda bottle.
"Good Daddy, the best Daddy, Daddy give you a kiss, love you!"
Dingding was already skilled at flattering, which made Xie Sui burst into laughter.
Each of them had a bottle. Xie Sui had protected it well. It was cool but not too cold, just right.
They drank it sip by sip, with happy smiles on their little faces.
"You're happy a bit too early. There's also this..."
Xie Sui took out five tin frogs from his bag. The two boys instantly forgot about the soda. Doudou even wanted to kiss him. Happiness came too suddenly, and the children couldn't handle it!
Lin Wanwan's eyes widened too: "Xie Sui, why did you buy so many? It's a waste of money!"
It was good that he doted on his children, but he shouldn't spoil them like this, or they would become spoiled.
"Hey, you don't understand. This is a matter between us men."
Lin Wanwan was speechless. Doudou and Dingding had already been bought over by him. The three of them put their heads together and whispered about something. In any case, their happy little faces turned into blooming flowers, and even Doudou, who was unusually reserved, hugged him and kissed him.