pertwk Chapter 170: Food Shortage in Ye Family Village
Chapter 170: Food Shortage in Ye Family Village
Soon, the whole family was up and running. Some were bleeding, some were skinning, and some were cutting meat. The yard was a scene of bustling activity. The children were running around excitedly.
Amidst the bustling crowd, Zhang Lei noticed that Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua's faces were flushed, like ripe apples. He walked over and asked with some confusion, "Shuqin, what's wrong? Why are your faces so red?"
When Ye Shuqin and the other two saw Zhang Lei, their eyes darted away. They quickly shook their heads and said softly, "No...it's nothing, sir."
Zhang Lei was stunned for a moment, then a thought struck him, and he realized that they must be missing home so much after not seeing each other for so long, and that's why they were a little emotional.
Soon, these chickens, rabbits, deer, and pigs were transformed into tempting dishes. Spicy rabbit heads, stir-fried rabbit meat, braised pork, pork belly stewed with cabbage, spicy venison, spicy chicken... one dish after another was served, the aroma filling the air.
Looking at the table laden with delicious dishes, the happiest people were undoubtedly the children in the family. The seven children sat around one table, while the adults sat at another, and they began to eat in a lively atmosphere.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, it was late at night. Ye Zhenshan glanced at Zhang Lei and said with a smile, "Zhang Lei, you've taken very good care of the three girls, Shuqin, Shuqi, and Shuhua. On their behalf, I thank you."
Upon hearing Ye Zhenshan's words, Zhang Lei quickly stood up and respectfully said, "Grandpa, those three are my wives, it's only right that I take care of them. You're being a bit too harsh. Let me toast you instead, wishing you boundless happiness and longevity."
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhenshan repeatedly said, "Good, good, good!" Then he tilted his head back and took a big gulp.
At the dinner table, everyone praised Zhang Lei, commending his abilities and filial piety. Zhang Lei was very happy to hear these words. His eldest, second, and third brothers kept pulling him to drink, and after a few drinks, he quickly became slightly drunk.
The family dinner ended quickly, and Zhang Lei was helped to a room in the backyard by Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua. The three women stayed by Zhang Lei's side.
Zhang Lei looked at them with some curiosity and asked, "You guys...?"
Ye Shuqin lowered her head and said shyly in a low voice, "Honey, Mom is urging us today... to have a baby."
Looking at the three women's slightly flushed cheeks, Zhang Lei immediately understood his mother's meaning. He smiled and said firmly, "Alright, since Mom is anxious and you all want children, then let's try our best. Let's have more children to continue the Zhang family line."
After saying this, he blew out the candlelight on the table. Instantly, the room was filled with warmth, and a tender scene of one dragon playing with three phoenixes unfolded.
(18,000 words omitted here…………………………)
The next morning, Zhang Lei woke up refreshed and, seeing the three women still lying in bed, realized he was back at the Ye family home. If he hadn't had a few extra drinks the night before, he really wouldn't have been able to let loose.
After washing up, the four of them left the room together.
Second sister-in-law Zhao Chunyan happened to come out of the kitchen. Seeing them, she smiled and said, "Oh, why are you up so early? Why not sleep a little longer?"
Zhang Lei looked at Zhao Chunyan and said with a smile, "Good morning, Second Sister-in-law. You've sobered up, so you got up."
Zhao Chunyan looked at Zhang Lei and said with a smile, "Breakfast is ready, have something to eat."
Zhang Lei walked into the living room and saw that a hot breakfast had already been laid out on the table.
Meanwhile, Zhao Chunyan pulled Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua aside. Zhao Chunyan leaned closer to them, lowered her voice, and said with a wicked smile, "Shuqin, I finally understood last night, Zhang Lei is really strong."
Upon hearing Zhao Chunyan's words, the three women blushed with embarrassment.
Ye Shuqi was extremely embarrassed and whispered, "Second sister-in-law, what did you say?"
Seeing Ye Shuqi's shyness, Zhao Chunyan laughed even harder: "Yesterday I accidentally walked into the backyard and heard someone shouting. The shouting was so loud that it almost deafened me."
Teased by Zhao Chunyan, Ye Shuqi blushed and ran away, saying as she ran, "I'm going to eat breakfast, I'm not talking to you anymore."
Ye Shuhua looked at Zhao Chunyan and said helplessly, "Second sister-in-law, you're too wicked. And... why do you still have the habit of eavesdropping?"
Zhang Lei sat at the table, eating breakfast, and noticed that Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua had unnatural blushes on their faces and looked away somewhat. He put down his chopsticks and asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you? Why are your faces so red?"
Ye Shuqin's heart skipped a beat. She quickly lowered her head, pretending to blow on the porridge in the bowl, and whispered, "No...nothing, husband, it's just...it's just that the porridge is a little hot."
Ye Shuqi quickly smoothed things over, chiming in, "Yes, this bowl of food was just served, it's too hot. Just blow on it and it'll be fine."
Zhang Lei listened without giving it much thought, simply nodding and saying with concern, "Alright then, Shuqin, drink slowly, don't rush, be careful not to burn your mouth."
After saying that, he continued eating his breakfast, completely unaware of the little incident that had just happened in the backyard.
After finishing his meal, Zhang Lei had just stepped into the courtyard when he saw a group of people gathered in front of the Ye family's house, each carrying a bamboo basket and a hoe, looking like they were about to go on a long journey.
Zhang Lei walked over, looked at Ye Jianjun, the eldest brother standing at the front, and asked, "Brother, where are you all going?"
Ye Jianjun was taken aback when he saw Zhang Lei, and quickly said, "Zhang Lei, what brings you here?"
Zhang Lei asked again, "Brother, what are you guys doing here?"
Ye Jianjun sighed and said in a low voice, "Well, things are getting harder and harder these days. We're almost starving. We're planning to go deeper into the mountains together to see if we can bring back some more food to help support our families."
Hearing Ye Jianjun say this, Zhang Lei's heart tightened. He quickly pulled Ye Jianjun aside and asked, "Brother, is Ye Family Village also starting to experience food shortages?"
Ye Jianjun nodded, his face full of worry: "Yes...yes, it started some time ago. If it weren't for everyone being able to hunt some wild game and dig up some wild vegetables, we really wouldn't have been able to survive."
Zhang Lei looked at Ye Jianjun, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Brother, didn't you think of using these prey to barter for food?"
Ye Jianjun shook his head with a wry smile and said, "I have thought about it, of course I have. But in this world, every household and every village is in this situation. Everyone is short of money, so where would we find extra grain to exchange? Unless we go to a more distant town or county, but the journey there and back is long and dangerous."
After listening to Ye Jianjun's words, Zhang Lei nodded silently. He knew in his heart that this meant the overall situation had deteriorated very seriously.
He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: he still had so much food stored in his space, enough to sustain Ye Family Village for quite some time. Moreover, he hadn't yet claimed his monthly system sign-in reward; perhaps he could get some more good items from it.