"Son, son, absolutely not. How can you eat a cat as cute as Maomao?"
Xie Sui chuckled dryly and quickly snatched it away. He buried it in the ground quickly. Fearing the children would not give up, he dug it out secretly later and simply unfastened his pants and urinated on it.
Now, let's see how you eat it!
Xie Sui secretly smugged. The two children, however, looked at him as if he were an idiot. Other fathers worked to support their families, were strong and capable, while their father was childish and lazy. They had the worst luck in generations to have such a father!
"Dingding, let's go. Brother will take you to the mountain to pick wild fruits to eat. It can also fill our stomachs."
Doudou was the elder brother, only an hour older than his younger brother, but he was mature and steady, like a little adult.
The younger brother was much simpler, like his brother's tail.
The two children were as thin as bean sprouts, with big heads, bulging bellies, and thin necks like beanstalks. They had buzz cuts, and their pair of big, shiny black eyes were exceptionally bright and spirited.
Gurgle, two sounds echoed at the same time, from the children's stomachs.
Xie Sui's eyes welled up with heat, filled with regret. If they weren't so hungry, how could the children not let go of any morsel of food?
It was all his fault as a father for being so irresponsible. He was unworthy of being a father.
"Slap!"
He slapped himself twice fiercely and squatted down, saying, "Doudou, Dingding, Dad will get you something to eat. Come with Dad."
Dingding sniffled, children after all craved father's affection. He said happily, "Really? Thank you, Dad."
Doudou blocked his younger brother, staring at him warily, "Are you planning to sell us for wine?"
Xie Sui: "..."
How much of a failure was he to leave such an impression on his children?
"How could I? You are Dad's most beloved treasures. I would sell anyone but my treasures!"
Dingding's eyes widened, "Are you going to sell Mom?"
"No, you're not allowed to sell Mom, you bad dad, get lost!"
Doudou pushed him away and pulled his brother to run home. They had to protect their mother.
Xie Sui fell to the ground with a thud, his heart filled with sorrow. Alas, gaining the trust of his wife and children was a long and arduous journey.
The most important thing now was to find food and fill their stomachs.
It was early summer, and there was no shortage of food in the mountains and rivers. Xie Sui knew how to climb trees to catch birds and go into the river to catch fish, so he wouldn't go hungry. However, in the past, he only ate by himself and never cared for his wife and children.
Not anymore. The fish in the river were plump. He blocked a levee and set a basket. Then he went into the mountains and found more than a dozen wild eggs, dug up some wild vegetables. Passing by the village chief's house, the peaches were ripe, so he picked some and put them in his clothes.
Zhao Sanshen, the village chief's wife, was furious and scolded, "Xiao Sui, you're stealing my peaches again! We haven't even eaten them ourselves. Are you looking for a beating!"
Xie Sui grinned, "Third Aunt, I'll pay you back with meat later. You have so many peaches, wouldn't it be a shame if they rotted!"
He ran away after speaking. Zhao Sanshen was so angry that she stood with her hands on her hips, gasping for breath. She said to the village chief Zhao Tiegang, who was squatting at the door, "You don't even manage that brat. He's caused trouble all over the village."
Zhao Tiegang took a puff of his dried tobacco and said, "He's been mischievous since he was a child. In all my years, I've never seen such a naughty child. I thought he would be better after getting married, alas, what a shame for such a good girl, what a sin!
It's just a few peaches, can I still go and settle the score with his family?
You know his character. If you confront him, aren't you just asking for trouble?"
Zhao Sanshen was speechless, which showed how much trouble Xie Sui had caused.
He caught three fish from the river, each weighing a little over a pound, enough for lunch.
He picked up a bundle of firewood and carried it on his back, holding the fish in one hand and his clothes in the other, which contained wild vegetables and peaches and eggs. He returned home laden with goods.
"Wife, I'm back. I caught fish. I'll make fish soup for you to drink!"
Dingding happily looked at the still-flapping fish, swallowing his saliva, "Can we really have fish soup?"
"Dad will make it for you."
He gently rubbed the child's little head, and Xie Sui finally felt a sense of truly being alive.
"I'll do it."
"No, no, wife, you rest. I can do it."
Xie Sui was somewhat apprehensive. The shadow cast by Lin Wanwan in his previous life made him wary of anything offered by any woman, which also avoided many troubles.
He didn't even dare to hire a nanny and cooked for himself, honing his culinary skills.
Lin Wanwan tugged at the corner of her mouth. A man who could do nothing but eat, could he cook?
It wasn't that she looked down on him; he simply had no outstanding merits!
If she hadn't been drinking and they had ended up in bed by chance, Lin Wanwan would never have married this utterly useless man.
Xie Sui skillfully scaled and gutted the fish, washed it clean, and started the fire. He was actually doing it with a semblance of competence.
Accustomed to the natural gas stove in his previous life, he still needed to adapt to this kind of earthen stove. Doudou, sensible as he was, helped him stoke the fire, his little face tensed, as serious as an old man.
"Eat a peach first to fill your stomach."
"You stole it from someone, I won't eat it!"
Xie Sui felt ashamed. The children had been taught well by Lin Wanwan and were not like him, stealing and doing bad things from a young age.
"It's a loan. Dad will pay for it. Eat it."
Doudou took it suspiciously, first gave it to Lin Wanwan and his younger brother, and then ate it himself. His dad was unreliable, and this family still had to be supported by him.
The five-year-old child experienced the hardships of life too early, maturing faster than ordinary children.
After eating the peaches, their stomachs were not so hungry. The fish soup was also ready. The environment at that time was not polluted. The natural fish, without any seasoning, tasted very delicious. Sudan Novel Network.
He sprinkled a little wild green onion from the field, added some salt, and the delicious fish soup was ready.
He washed the wild vegetables clean, added a little salt, blanched them, chopped them finely, and mixed them into beaten eggs. He used the last bit of oil from the oil jar to wipe the pot and fried a few egg and wild vegetable cakes. A fragrant lunch was ready.
"Wife, eat quickly and taste my cooking."
Lin Wanwan finally confirmed that he was different from before. She could go hungry, but the children couldn't. She sat down and asked suspiciously, "When did you learn to cook?"
Xie Sui said, "I often went to banquets and learned from the head chefs."
Lin Wanwan: "..."
Alright, this explanation was very much like Xie Sui.
The two little ones, their mouths watering, looked at the egg cakes. They couldn't remember how long it had been since they last ate them.
He gave each of them one, took a bite himself first, and reassured Lin Wanwan, "It's really fragrant, eat quickly."
Lin Wanwan tentatively took a bite, and then, and then she couldn't stop. The egg and wild vegetable cakes were so delicious, and the fish soup was so fresh that she could have bitten off her tongue.
The two children could eat two cakes each, and if the cakes hadn't been limited, they felt they could have eaten more.
Xie Sui dreamed of eating a warm meal with his wife and children. Now that it was finally realized, his eyes felt sore. He lowered his head to drink the fish soup, the steam obscuring the tears in his eyes.