Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Bacon and Roast Chicken Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Bacon and Roast Chicken The sunset’s afterglow falls on the eaves of the Zheng Family, and water is sprinkled in front of the gate to suppress the dusk’s dust, also bringing a hint of coolness.
Directly opposite the main gate, next to a small table, three members of the Zheng Family are having dinner.
“Manager Wang’s son was beaten forty times by the Lady, nearly to death, and was carried back home.”
Holding chopsticks, Zheng Fa listened to his mother relay the gossip from the village.
His younger sister Zheng Shan sat beside him, half her body leaning on Zheng Fa, both hands holding a rice bowl as big as her head, her whole face buried in it, eating with relish.
Hearing the gossip from Mrs.
Zheng, the little sister lifted her small head and asked, “Wang Gui?
Weren’t they favored by the Lady and chosen to be the Attendant Student for the Seventh Young Master?
Zheng Fa glanced at his sister, saw her round, bright eyes and upturned lips still stained with dark green vegetable juice.
This little face exuded schadenfreude, such a mischievous kid!
Don’t look at the little sister as just six years old; she is also aware that their family’s relationship with Manager Wang’s family isn’t good.
Both families are tenant farmers on the Zhao Family’s land, but the disparity between them is huge.
In earlier years, when Zheng Fa’s father was the manager of the farmland, the Zheng Family had decent days and lived better than Manager Wang’s family.
But five years ago during a Demon Beast upheaval, Zheng Fa’s father died tragically while hurrying to harvest the crops.
With the pillar of the family gone and the position of manager lost, the Zheng Family’s fortunes fell drastically.
Zheng Fa’s mother, raising a son and a daughter, had to look after both the children and the farmland, making life extremely difficult.
On the other hand, the Wang family took over the position of manager that Zheng Fa’s father left behind, and their conditions have been improving day by day.
On usual days, Manager Wang, wary of Zheng Fa as the former manager’s son, subtly isolated the Zheng Family.
Other families in the village could see this, but with one side being orphans and a widow, and the other side being a manager favored by those above, with people’s hearts gravitating towards benefit and away from harm, the Zheng Family’s days became even lonelier.
The conflicts between adults, although not necessarily understood by children, manifest in even more malicious bullying in behavior and words.
Wang Gui, as Manager Wang’s only son, was implicitly the leader of the children in the village; he often led in bullying Zheng Fa and his younger sister Zheng Shan.
Zheng Fa was less of a concern; tall and sturdy since young, with a stable personality, he commanded a certain respect from other children in the village, and even Wang Gui did not dare to go too far.
Little sister Zheng Shan, lively and playful, suffered quite a few grievances because of her nature.
Now, hearing of the adversary’s misfortune, her happiness was quite normal.
“What are you behaving so oddly for?” Mrs.
Zheng glared at her daughter: “It’s said that Wang Gui has a rebellious nature, he led the Seventh Young Master astray, and when the Lady saw this, she had him whipped to teach him a lesson in manners.
If the Lady saw you , she would beat you too!”
Zheng Shan, with her small mouth agape, blankly said, “I’m not as bad as Wang Gui!
Besides, I can’t become an Attendant Student.
When Wang Gui was chosen by the Lady, he boasted about it all over the village, nobody else had that chance!”
Zheng Fa secretly shook his head, he had long seen through Wang Gui’s character, someone who bullies the weak and fears the strong, arrogant in the face of his family.
But he didn’t believe that Wang Gui had the guts to lead the Seventh Young Master astray.
At this time, actually, it was still early, but the Zheng Family ate dinner at this time to take advantage of the fading daylight and save some lamp oil.
Peasant families all had two meals a day, not just Zheng Fa’s family, even Manager Wang’s family did the same.
On the wooden small dining table, there were only two dishes, one plate was of green pig grass leaves, commonly used as pig feed in the village, but also eaten by less affluent families.
Zheng Family often ate this, boiling a large pot of leaves almost without any oil or salt, which was really hard to swallow.
The other dish was different, it was a plate of tender bamboo shoots picked early in the morning by Mrs.
Zheng from the mountains, atop the slender shoots were two bright red, glossy–
Two slices of cured meat!
Zheng Shan’s mouth, stuffed full of pig grass leaves, cheeks bulging, yet her large eyes were fixed intently on those two slices of cured meat.
If eyes could eat, she would have already devoured those slices of meat.
She remembered the cured meat was made during the New Year, with only a tiny strip salted, and Mrs.
Zheng, cutting two slices every ten days or half a month, ate it very sparingly.
The last time they ate cured meat was a month ago.
Zheng Shan wasn’t greedy; out of the two slices of cured meat, one for her brother and one for her was enough…
No, mom had to eat too, then she would eat half a slice…
One bite would make her very happy!
Zheng’s chopsticks reached for the two slices of cured meat.
Zheng Shan’s eyes followed the movement of the chopsticks, her small head also moved slightly.
The first slice of meat, mother placed in her brother’s bowl.
Hmm, as it should be.
The second slice of meat, Zheng Shan watched as her mother’s hand paused in front of her.
In the end, the meat still landed in brother’s bowl.
Zheng Shan blinked her eyes, feeling a bit aggrieved in her heart, yet she comforted herself: Brother needs to work every day, he needs to eat more meat.
Pig grass leaves are delicious too!
She lowered her head, not looking at the meat in her brother’s bowl, but instead chewed the leaves harder with her cheeks, as if she were eating meat.
A pair of chopsticks fell from above her head.
The chopsticks holding meat were so close to her, and the scent of the meat seemed to slap her face.
Zheng Shan suddenly raised her head and saw Zheng Fa smiling as he placed a slice of cured meat into her bowl.
“Brother!” she grinned at Zheng Fa, happiness bubbling from her missing tooth.
“Eat meat.” Zheng Fa patted her little head.
“Mm!” She picked up the cured meat and nibbled at it in small bites, utterly contented.
Off to the side, Mrs.
Zheng watched silently.
To her, her daughter was also a piece of flesh that fell from her body.
Naturally, she didn’t wish to slight her.
The reason she favored her son was not without cause.
Heavy work in the fields required men.
Simply put, having a man in the family changes one’s status in the village.
If her husband had passed away and Zheng Fa had not been there, life for the two of them would have been even harder.
Zheng’s heart, it was her son Zheng Fa who upheld the reputation of the Zheng family.
Her son being close to and taking care of his sister made her happy too.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Fa picked up another piece of cured meat and placed it in Mrs.
Zheng looked up at her son and felt a taste in her heart she couldn’t describe.
After her husband passed away, she felt like the sky had collapsed and wished she could die as well.
Never did she expect her own son to become more sensible by the day, making her reluctant to leave this world and giving her hope for the future.
“Mom’s old, there’s no use in eating meat, and I don’t even like it.
You’re the one growing…”
“Your son is already tall enough.”
Zheng looked at her son, who was already taller than seven feet, almost eight, and she was unable to argue.
Her heart was also amazed; despite the lack of food and clothing at home over the years, her son grew taller day by day.
At the age of seventeen or eighteen, he was already a half head taller than anyone else in the village.
Despite the hardships at home, her son was the finest in the whole village.
Which kept the other villagers from daring to insult them,
At night, Zheng Fa lay in bed, the roof above him patched with blue tiles and the stars peeping through.
Sounds of his sleeping sister smacking her lips in her dreams in the next room and of their mother turning in bed reached his ears.
The cotton blanket on him was old, thin in some places, thick in others.
Where it was thin, it felt empty, and where it was thick, it had clumped together, making it uncomfortable and not very warm.
He closed his eyes and plunged into a deep sleep full of anticipation.
When he opened his eyes, the world before him had changed.
Sunlight shone on the simple white ceiling above, and the sound of car horns blared from the streets outside the window.
The down comforter gently embraced his body.
As gentle as the blanket was, Zheng Fa had not an ounce of attachment to it.
Barefooted, he jumped out of bed, slipped on his slippers, dashed out of his room, opened the refrigerator, picked up an entire chicken and four buns he bought at the market the day before, and placed them in the microwave.
The aroma of the chicken gradually filled the entire room from the microwave.
Zheng Fa took out the newly warmed roast chicken, the skin sizzling with golden fat, and the heat and aroma tantalizingly teasing his taste buds.
Ignoring that the chicken was burning his hands, he tore off a drumstick and stuffed it into his mouth.
The deliciously hot chicken warmed its way from his mouth to his stomach, then traveled up his spine, transforming into a sigh of bliss.