Chapter 486 404: Black Tiger Kills a Chicken

To get the three dogs fed quickly and well, Wang Juan even placed the basin of hot cornmeal mush in cold water to cool it down faster.

Then, she found a worn-out basin and a trough, divided the cornmeal mush between them, and fed the three dogs.

But the three dogs had already eaten at home that morning. It wasn't even nine o'clock, so Big Fatty and San Pang had no appetite. Black Tiger, however, devoured his portion and then turned to Zhu Dashan, wagging his tail pitifully.

Zhu Dashan's heart softened, and as a result, Black Tiger polished off all the remaining cornmeal mush himself.

Wang Juan watched with a mix of heartache and worry. She felt pained that good food was all going into a dog's belly, and she was worried Black Tiger would eat himself sick.

But when they saw Black Tiger finish eating, lie on the ground, and start licking his paws, she and Zhu Dashan finally relaxed and went back inside.

At this time, Zhu Dashan's grandson, Zhu Jiang, was still at home. He had been on watch the previous night and hadn't slept a wink, so when he returned that morning, he had flopped onto the kang and hadn't gotten up since.

Zhu Dashan hadn't rested the night before either, so he went back inside and got on the kang to catch up on his sleep. Wang Juan didn't wake the grandfather and grandson until it was time for lunch.

Wang Juan had made stewed green beans and potatoes. She'd placed a steamer rack over the stew, steaming cornbread buns on top so everything cooked in one pot.

As the three of them sat on the kang eating, Zhu Jiang asked Wang Juan, "Mom, today's the Beginning of Autumn. How come you didn't buy a cut of meat to make dumplings?"

"With what money? And you want meat!" Wang Juan retorted, taking a bite of her cornbread bun and speaking through a mouthful. "Don't we have to save all our money for you to get a wife?"

Hearing this, Zhu Jiang fell silent and focused on eating.

Just then, Zhu Dashan put down his chopsticks and picked up his tiny wine cup. He took a small sip, set the cup back down, and picked his chopsticks up again before saying to Wang Juan, "Juan, when you and Aiguo have a moment, you two should go over to the Wang Family's place. It's time to finalize things for the kids."

Seeing Wang Juan nod, Zhu Dashan added, "Look at Zhao Jun and Ma Ling. They decided to settle it, and just like that, it was done."

"Dad," Wang Juan sighed. "How can we compare to them? Look how much money Zhao Jun's family has. They're building a big, five-room, tiled-roof house."

"Exactly," Zhu Jiang chimed in, slurping a green bean into his mouth. He then joked with Zhu Dashan, "Grandpa, if you build me a five-room, tiled-roof house, things with Wang Yanru and me could be settled by tomorrow!"

"Get outta here." Zhu Dashan spoke gruffly, even to his own grandson. "A five-room, tiled-roof house! You could sell my bones to be ground into dust and you still wouldn't have enough for that!"

After snapping at Zhu Jiang, Zhu Dashan turned back to Wang Juan. "It's the Beginning of Autumn, so we have to make dumplings, even without meat. How about this: you can cut some chives later, and we'll make some with chives and egg."

"Alright," Wang Juan nodded. "That's perfect. I've saved up five eggs over the last few days. That's enough for us to make a batch."

Hearing this, Zhu Dashan grumbled, a little annoyed, "Damn it. As soon as the dog days of summer hit, the chickens stop wanting to lay. How many days has it been just to save up five eggs?"

"BUK-BUK-BUK-BA-GAWK!"

The moment the words left Zhu Dashan's mouth, the call of a hen sounded from outside the window.

The three members of the Zhu family perked up. They knew that sound—it was the triumphant cackle of a hen that had just laid an egg.

Roosters crow and hens lay eggs; that's common knowledge. But after laying an egg, a hen lets out a series of loud cries. It's a form of showing off, a case of a mother's status rising along with her offspring's.

"SQUAWK... SQUAWK..."

Suddenly, the hen let out a series of miserable squawks, but the three members of the Zhu Family paid it no mind.

After all, the Zhu Family didn't just have three hens; they also had a large rooster. When a rooster and hen mated, the rooster's actions were violent. It would typically mount the hen while pecking at her.

And once it got a hold with its beak, it wouldn't let go until it dismounted.

With it carrying on like that, the hen would naturally cry out in pain.

But the hen's pained cries vanished quickly, because a rooster is done in three seconds, tops.

Having finished her meal, Wang Juan put down her chopsticks, climbed off the kang, and slipped on her cloth shoes. She smiled at Zhu Dashan and Zhu Jiang, "I can go get another egg. We'll have six eggs for the dumplings tonight!"

Hearing this, both grandfather and grandson, Zhu Dashan and Zhu Jiang, broke into smiles. Life was hard these days. If they couldn't have meat, having eggs was still a fine thing.

Zhu Dashan picked up his small wine cup and tipped the rest of the alcohol into his mouth. But just then, Wang Juan, who had walked into the outer room, let out a piercing scream. "You stupid dog!"

The sudden shriek made Zhu Dashan jump, and the wine he was swallowing went down the wrong pipe, making him choke.

"PFFT—"