Chickens and dogs fly in chaos and rebirth

Chapter 5

Grandma quickly patted him and coaxed, "Oh dear, really? My grandson is so good! Here, Grandma will give you some candy!"

Xia Lin didn't run away after getting the candy. Instead, she walked up to Shang Lin and happily counted, "One, two, three, four, five, five candies in total. Three for my sister; two for me!"

The adults stared in astonishment, their mouths agape in disbelief.

Let alone someone as mischievous as him, even the younger children, which one doesn't eat alone?

Xia Lin is petty and calculating. Shang Lin is different from before, drastically different. Not only does he know many things that his parents don't, but he can also write, draw, and fold origami cranes. Besides, he's long been tired of the candy his grandmother gives him, so he doesn't mind giving her one more.

He's quite clever; he knows how to curry favor with Shanglin!

Shang Lin smiled slightly, patted his head, and said, "Be good, keep it for yourself!"

Firstly, she doesn't like sweets; secondly, having just come from modern society, she hasn't yet escaped the comforts of a life of luxury, so she wouldn't even look at such coarse and inferior candies!

Grandma was startled again, and her gaze towards Shanglin changed. She beckoned her to come into her arms, stroked the pigtails, and asked, "Shanglin is such a good girl! These pigtails are so pretty, did Mommy do them?"

Shanglin washed her hair last night, and this morning she combed it clean and smooth with water. She also found two pieces of blue jade-patterned cloth, folded them into butterfly shapes, and tied them to her braids, making her look both refreshing and beautiful.

Zhang Hongwei smiled and said, "I don't have such skillful hands. It was your niece who figured it out herself!"

He turned his head to show her: "Mom, look at my head, she forced it on me!"

Zhang Hongwei wore a purple headscarf with two butterfly-shaped wings that swayed up and down with her movements. Grandma exclaimed, "Bought it? Expensive, right!"

She thought it was a hair accessory she had bought specially!

Zhang Hongwei laughed, took it down, and unfolded it to show her: "It's an ordinary handkerchief!"

Grandma clicked her tongue in delight: "Such skillful hands, such a good girl!"

Shanglin secretly rolled his eyes. All he could say was, "So good!"

Being a good girl? She didn't want to be a good girl! Being a good girl meant being ignored, being bullied by Qiu Xialin, watching her parents divorce, and watching Qiu Xialin go astray!

The adults, unaware of her thoughts, exchanged a few jokes and changed the subject, chatting endlessly about everyday matters. Just then, her eldest uncle, who had gone to the market to buy groceries, returned. Everyone stood up to greet him, and Shanglin pressed Xialin's neck, telling him to obediently greet his uncle.

Xia Lin, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted the basket his aunt had taken and whispered to his sister, "Uncle bought meat in his basket!"

The eldest uncle, with his sharp ears, burst into laughter upon hearing this: "That's right! I heard from the old man at the village entrance that you'd come to the village, so I quickly changed my clothes and went to the market. I bought a few pounds of meat, so I'll stew some for you today!"

Xia Lin was overjoyed.

Zhang Hongwei scolded, "It's worth it! Why are you so greedy? It's not like we can't get it all the time!"

The eldest uncle waved his hand: "Hey, it's your choice to eat at home, but you can't go back to your parents' home and not even be able to afford a piece of meat! Besides, things are different now than before. We have some spare money at home, so we can afford to treat my brother-in-law to a meat meal!"

Zhang Hongwei raised all of them, and they had a deep affection for her.

The men sat down to talk, while the women flocked to the kitchen to wash pots and pans, start the fire, and cook. That's how it is when people go back to their parents' home—it's all about eating and drinking. The older women are always worried that their children might be suffering or not eating well outside, so they go to great lengths to prepare good things for them when they return home!

Xia Lin and his cousins, who had returned after hearing the news, ran off to play. Shang Lin chased after them, shouting, "Don't cause trouble, and don't go to the pond!" He then ignored them and enthusiastically followed them to the kitchen to help start the fire.

Several of her aunts kept praising her for being sensible. Shanglin felt ashamed; she wasn't really that sensible, but she had come to help because she enjoyed the feeling of burning firewood and cooking in a large pot.

Washing, chopping, and mincing vegetables, the eldest uncle was overjoyed that his sister had brought her husband and children back to her parents' home, having bought a lot of pork belly and some rare vegetables. Seeing the pot boil, the eldest aunt deftly added the meat, potatoes, vermicelli, and cabbage, and then placed a steamer rack on top of the pot, with freshly kneaded white dough buns on it. Meanwhile, Zhang Hongwei was chatting and laughing with his second aunt as they vigorously minced meat, preparing to make dumplings.

He stuffed in a piece of wood, puffed out his cheeks, and blew on the not-so-strong fire in the furnace. The flames were agitated by the outside air and suddenly burst into bright sparks. Shang Lin was startled and reflexively leaned his upper body back. However, he forgot that he was not sitting properly because he was stuffing wood, but was half-squatting. Losing his balance, he cried out and fell backward to the ground.

When the adults turned around, they were all amused by her embarrassing situation and burst into laughter.

Her aunt helped her up, brushing the dry leaves off her clothes: "Does it hurt? Did you fall?"

Shang Lin gave an awkward smile: "It's nothing, it's nothing."

Fortunately, there was a pile of firewood behind me, so it wasn't uncomfortable to lie on.

Auntie said with a smile, "It's only been a few days since I last saw Shanglin, and she's grown into a beautiful young lady! Xialin has also made a lot of progress. Eldest sister, I've always said that these two children's names are too difficult to pronounce. Shanglin and Xialin, how could they have given such strange names!"

Zhang Hongwei smiled, pursing his lips. His eldest aunt had married into the family earlier than his second aunt and was familiar with all the family affairs. Hearing this, he turned his head and smiled, "To be honest, it's also my brother-in-law's fault for being so careless! He's clearly a cultured man, but he didn't put much thought into naming the children. There's a forest in my eldest sister's village, you know. When Shanglin was about to be born, my eldest sister and brother-in-law were even catching monkeys in the forest to supplement my eldest sister's nutrition! Later, when they took the baby to the hospital, they asked my brother-in-law what his name should be. He thought for a moment and said, 'Since it was born in the forest, let's call it 'Shanglin'! And now, when the second child was born, they asked him what his name should be, and he didn't even bother with a joke, he just said, 'Since we already have Shanglin, let's call it 'Xialin'! You hear that? It's convenient! It's just that it doesn't sound very good!"

My second aunt has dark skin, but she's quite pretty. She hasn't been married long, and the heavy housework hasn't yet dulled her beauty. She's always been eloquent, and upon hearing this, she smiled:

"I think it's better than mine! When asked what his child's name was, he thought for three days and said 'Zhang Weiguo'! My dad gave him a good scolding. The uncle next door's full name is also 'Zhang Weiguo,' and they said he was delusional and trying to usurp the family name! He thought for another three days and said he'd just call him 'Gousheng' (Dog Leftover), and my mom scolded him again—not counting the kids in our village, just in our neighborhood, there are three kids named Gousheng! They play together all the time, and when it's time to eat, you have to go door to door looking for Gousheng, and when you call out 'Gousheng,' three kids come running out!"

This is a custom among villagers. Fearing that the child would be difficult to raise, they give him a humble name, but everyone knows it's just a nickname. It will still need to be changed when registering the household and enrolling in school. However, this has a side effect: even if the person grows up to be seventy or eighty years old, or becomes very successful, unless he never sets foot in the village again, he will still be treated badly when he does.

Imagine someone who shines brightly in a town or city, and is thriving in officialdom, gets out of a Hongqi limousine. Before he can even take in his hometown with boundless ambition, a white-haired, toothless old man by the roadside will scrutinize him closely, perhaps even chuckling with his gums.

"Gousheng is back!"

In less than ten minutes, the news that Gousheng, a promising young man from a certain family, is coming back to visit relatives will spread throughout the entire village. Immediately, everyone will flock to watch. There will inevitably be childhood friends among them, and elders among them, right? Those elders who have watched you grow up, with their white hair and frail old age, will squint their eyes, affectionately call you Gousheng, and reminisce about your glorious childhood deeds. Will you agree or not?

There was a leader in the company where Shanglin later worked. He was very powerful and had a great presence. Once, Shanglin and others accompanied him through his hometown. The leader was thinking of returning home in glory. He drove his car into the village, and before he could even get home, someone recognized him and greeted him warmly from the rooftop: "Hey, Laizi is back!"

As he spoke, he tossed a cigarette to the leader, who hurriedly caught it. It was a cheap cigarette that he would never even glance at normally. In front of all his subordinates, he was incredibly embarrassed.

The man repairing the house on the roof was oblivious to the situation. He glanced at the man's attire and then at his respectfully following subordinates, and scoffed, "Showing off! Just go home, it's not like we're visiting someone in prison. Why bring so many people?"

The leader was both amused and exasperated, helplessly calling out, "Third Uncle..." He was utterly embarrassed.

Fortunately, Shang Lin was quick-witted and secretly slipped away to the village store. He bought a few packs of mid-range cigarettes, pretended to have just appeared, handed them to the leader, and distributed them to the villagers who had rushed over upon hearing the news. This saved him from disaster.

Back at the company, everyone except Shang Lin who had gone back to the leader's hometown was later framed and either kicked out of the company or sent to a remote subsidiary factory. Only Shang Lin was spared because he didn't witness the leader's embarrassing moment and later avoided gossiping about the leader.

This shows just how important a name is in a person's life!

If I remember correctly, this cousin later passed the national civil service exam and entered the government. The thought of the handsome young man growing up being called "Dog's Leftovers" by the villagers made Shanglin chuckle.

Zhang Leshui = Gou Sheng

Despite her daydreaming about her future cousin's handsome appearance, she couldn't change the fact that the child who was almost called "Dog's Leftovers" was still a baby under one year old! As they were chatting, a baby's cry suddenly came from inside the house. The second aunt quickly put down her work, hurriedly washed her hands, and rushed back to comfort her son who had just woken up.

Auntie lifted the pot lid, and a burst of steam rushed out, carrying the aroma of meat and freshly steamed buns. The aroma made Lin swallow hard, wishing he could grab a bun and devour it.

It wasn't just greed; she'd loved it since she was little—the steamed buns fresh from the big stove, piping hot and scalding to the touch. She'd hold them in her hands, constantly turning them over, like a greedy cat carefully peeling off the skin and stuffing them into her mouth. Even though she was scalded and cried out, she wouldn't let go.

We don't have the means to eat this at home; if we want to, we can only do so at my maternal grandmother's house.

Because the Zhang family's maternal grandparents in Shanglin were still alive, and the grandfather was a man of his word, unlike the Qiu family elders who were not known for their integrity, the family had not yet divided their property and all lived together. Also, because the family was poor, they ate together to save money!

At this time, most households used coal stoves. These were an undeveloped version of the later widely popular honeycomb stoves. The stoves were small and space-saving, fitting in a small area of ground. When cooking, you would light a fire, add coal, and set up a chimney that pointed upwards from a tree. They were versatile, used for boiling water, cooking, and stir-frying!

Since the Qiu family had split up, they ate their own meals to avoid trouble. Each family had a small coal stove, which they would bring out when cooking and put away in a corner after dinner, taking up little space and keeping things clean. Although they also had a large cooking stove, it was only used once or twice during festivals, ancestral worship, and family reunions.

The Zhang family's cooking stove was quite unique. In the brick-walled kitchen, the first thing you saw was a huge stove. Layers of clay mixed with flexible grass stems and leaves were applied, and the area near the firebox was built with bricks, then covered with another layer of clay. This made it resistant to cracking and collapsing. Right next to the large stove, there was a smaller stove connected to it. After the large stove was lit, excess heat could escape through the connection to the smaller stove. This way, the large stove could be used for cooking, while the smaller stove didn't need to be lit to boil water or cook rice, making it very inexpensive.

Because they used wood and branches gathered from the mountains for fuel, the steamed buns and millet porridge they made had an exceptional fragrance that their own coal stove could never replicate.

She was just looking on with longing when her second aunt brought the child out, pushed a wooden stroller outside the kitchen, placed the child on a small mattress, and complained:

"Look, the child is almost a year old, and should have been registered long ago, but his father is still dragging his feet, just calling him 'baby' all the time! The old man wanted to name him, but your brother absolutely refused, saying that the son is his and he can't be deprived of this right. This angered our father so much that he stopped caring about him. What a stubborn temper!"

Shanglin's eyes were still fixed on the large white steamed buns his aunt was picking up, and he unconsciously said, "The benevolent find joy in mountains, the wise find joy in water, isn't Zhang Leshui (meaning 'Zhang who loves water')?"

The adults were taken aback, glancing at the child, then at Shanglin. She snapped out of her reverie at the temptation of the steamed buns, her heart skipped a beat, and she forced a cute smile:

"I was just talking nonsense, just talking nonsense!"

He wanted to slap himself a few times! His cousin in his previous life was named Zhang Leshui, supposedly named by the village primary school principal, meaning "a wise man finds joy in water," and coincidentally, Zhang Leshui belonged to the "Le" generation. He blurted it out in a flash.

The women were mostly elementary school graduates, and their limited time for studying was taken up by the "mass production." In those days, even six-year-old children were mobilized to pick up wheat ears in the fields and deliver water and food. You can imagine how little time they actually had for studying.

Upon hearing this rather cultured remark, and considering the child's generational status, the second aunt was overjoyed and reached out to tease her precious son, who was reaching out and grabbing at his little arms:

"Zhang Leshui, Leshui, little Leshui! Remember your sister from now on, your sister gave you your name!"

She's made up her mind about this name and will never change it!

The eldest aunt chimed in with a smile, "When Le Shui becomes a high-ranking official in the future, he must be filial to your sister."

Strangely enough, Zhang Leshui seemed to understand human speech, calling out in a soft, incoherent way, waving towards Shanglin, and grinning at her.

Shang Lin's heart stirred. She walked out of the kitchen and came to Zhang Leshui's side. Looking down at him, she saw him with his clear, bright eyes, blinking rapidly, waving at her again, and giggling. Children are lovable, especially Zhang Leshui, with his delicate features, big, watery eyes, and chubby rosy cheeks—he was simply irresistible—at least ten times more lovable than that dirty child, Qiu Xia Lin!

Shanglin was pleased and slowly reached out to pick him up, but she didn't dare to hold him too tightly, as she was thin and weak. So she only supported his bottom, her legs still limp on the carriage. Zhang Hongwei had been worried that she wouldn't know how to hold a child and might drop him, so he wanted her to put him down. Seeing this, he didn't stop her.

Hearing her pick him up, Zhang Leshui was even happier, shaking his head and grinning from ear to ear. Shang Lin gently leaned in and kissed his still-smelling little face, her heart softening. Zhang Leshui pouted and snuggled closer to her. His second aunt asked curiously, "Shang Lin, gently pull him into your arms."

Shanglin did as instructed.

When the two got closer, Zhang Leshui reached out to grab her face again. Shang Lin was afraid that he would twist his forearm, so she quickly lowered her face, thinking that even if he grabbed her, with his forearm and weak strength, he couldn't hurt her.

To everyone's surprise, Zhang Leshui didn't intend to scratch her. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her, leaving a spit on her face!

Shanglin was stunned on the spot, while the adults burst into laughter.

Auntie teased, "Oh no, oh no, Zhang Leshui is definitely going to be a little lecher when he grows up! Just because his sister is pretty! Haha!"

After Zhang Leshui finished kissing Shang Lin, he laughed for a while, then started looking around, no longer paying attention to the adults who were laughing like lunatics.

Shanglin stared at Zhang Leshui as if he were a monster, wondering if he had also traveled back in time. He ignored her, looked at her for a while, then reached for his mother. His second aunt took his hand and, just as she did, smacked him in the face, leaving her face covered in drool. Zhang Leshui, his trick succeeding, danced around happily, giggling. The others were both amused and exasperated when suddenly his second aunt cried out in alarm. A trail of water trickled down Zhang Leshui's leg. Oblivious, he continued giggling, then suddenly paused, as if sensing the wetness, and burst into tears.

Shanglin observed carefully and, seeing that he was indeed not acting strangely, was relieved.

Actually, she was overthinking it. Zhang Leshui was just intelligent from a young age and had a strong ability to imitate. There are not that many people in the world who are just like her!

When it came time to make dumplings, Shanglin's performance surprised everyone again. This little girl made dumplings just as well as the adults, quickly and skillfully. Her aunt exclaimed sincerely, "Girls are so good; they're sensible from a young age!"

Zhang Hongwei smiled modestly, remaining silent, but his gaze towards Shang Lin was filled with affection and pride. What parent doesn't love a child who brings them honor? Compared to their peers who only know how to eat and play, his daughter was adept at housework, polite and sensible, able to take care of her younger brother and cherish her parents, quick-witted, and learned everything fast. Then he thought of Xia Lin, who had disappeared without a trace. The two siblings were only a year apart, yet worlds apart; the difference in their abilities was stark!

Even she herself didn't realize that her long-held preference for sons over daughters had been dissolved in just a few minutes. From then on, her daughter became an inseparable part of her heart, just as important as her son—no, perhaps even more important!