Chapter 8: Starving in the Middle of the Night

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  Yang Kaidi couldn't help but shed tears of joy, and said with a smile: "Yulin, you've grown up! You've grown up! Eldest Fourth Brother, your son has grown up! Can you see that? You can rest assured and go now, Yulin has grown up!"

  These words triggered even more tears.

  Tears of joy had already gathered in Yang Yingwan's eyes, with a hint of bitter sweetness.

  Yang Rui Feng is the eldest son of the Yang family, and over the years, he has experienced a lot of hardship. He, who usually doesn't talk much, held his bowl of fish head soup, completely unaware that his tears had already fallen into it. These were also tears of joy after suffering.

  Zhang Zhun also felt his nose a bit sour, and he managed to hold back his tears. In a low voice, he said: "Everyone, don't cry. The difficult days are slowly passing. Later on, our lives will gradually get better. Really, our future lives will gradually get better. One day, we'll be able to eat pork often, and our clothes won't need patches anymore!

  Hao Zi once again displayed his acting talent, and then Zhang Zhun excitedly said: "Right! Brother Yu Lin is right! Our future days will be better! We can also eat meat, we can wear good clothes! Brother will also marry a good wife! Xiao Yan...Xiao Yan will also have a good home!"

  Yang Yinghua's face suddenly turned red, and she hastily lowered her head to drink the soup. Unintentionally, a crystal clear teardrop fell from the corner of her eye, landing right in the fish head soup.

  Yang Kaidi was reminded by Haozi, suddenly thought of something, and said to Zhang Zhun: "Yulin, at the beginning I and your father... Old Fourth brother said good... you and Xiaohua..."

  Yang Ying's face suddenly turned even redder, the back of her ears were completely red, and her eyes were so charming that they seemed to be dripping with water, yet she couldn't bear to leave.

  "Uncle, you have treated me with great kindness, I will follow all your arrangements, including matters of marriage. As long as you don't despise me, that's all that matters."

  Yang Yinghua hastily got up and went to serve the meal.

  Yang Kaidi's old face relaxed and he said with relief: "Don't worry, don't worry. This matter, when the right day comes, I'll discuss it with her mother again, no rush, no rush."

  Zhang nodded and said, "Yes."

  Hao Zi smiled and called out in a low voice: "Brother-in-law?"

  Zhang Zhun stretched out his hand and gave him an elbow.

  The mouse cried out loudly.

  Huang said with a smile: "You deserve it! Your sister will beat you up in a moment!"

  The little rabbit said innocently and resentfully: "I didn't call out wrongly, why should I be beaten?"

  Huang said: "No reason, just should be beaten."

  Yang Rui Feng nodded and said: "Deserves a beating."

  The little mouse didn't dare make a sound anymore.

  Yang Yingwa brought up a plate of dry vegetable rice, then brought two large basins of braised fish pieces, this is the formal dinner.

  I don't know what kind of vegetable dish it is, but the vegetables are more than three times the amount of rice. All I can see is vegetables and no rice. And there's no oil, so it tastes dry and rough like hay. The braised fish cubes are completely different, with a fragrant aroma that's appetizing. What's even better is that the fish oil from the braised fish cubes is extremely fragrant and becomes a sought-after item immediately.

  Such a meal, Zhang Zhun really couldn't get used to it, but he had no choice, he had to force himself to eat. Fish head soup supplemented nutrition, but couldn't fully meet the body's needs. Besides, after urinating a few times, the fish head soup would be gone, and going to bed on an empty stomach was a very uncomfortable thing. Moreover, it was now the first month, and the weather was still very cold.

  Zhang Quan forced himself to eat two bowls of dry vegetable rice and then ate three large pieces of braised fish, finally feeling full. The two large basins of braised fish were not finished in the end, as everyone was really full, after all it was a big fish weighing over 10 kilograms.

  At night, there was no entertainment, and everyone got used to going to bed early. After dinner, they cleaned up the dishes, washed their feet, and went to sleep on the kang. Even the energetic mouse had gone to sleep early. Zhang Quan could only return to his own doghouse, wash his feet, and go to bed, but he couldn't fall asleep no matter what. After all, this was still his first night after crossing over into the Ming Dynasty.

  Liaodong, Tartar, Manchu...

  Shaanxi, civil unrest, uprising...

  The West, Fleet, Taiwan...

  Chongzhen, Huang Taiji, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong...

  Overthrow, change the course of history, father, wife, daughter...

  All sorts of thoughts flooded into Zhang Zhun's mind, making him more and more unable to sleep.

  The fish head soup took effect soon after a sleepless night.

  One evening, Zhang Quan went out of the house several times to urinate into the stinky ditch. Everyone did it this way; only women used the toilet. Men would just pee in front of or behind the house, and if they had diarrhea, they'd run a bit further away. Anyway, there was no land that belonged to anyone, and fertilizer from human waste was useless.

  After running three laps around the house, Zhang Zhun felt his stomach growling loudly.

  I'm starving!

  I'm really hungry!

  I clearly ate three pieces of braised fish, and at the time I felt full, but unexpectedly it didn't work out that way. I really don't know what's going on with myself. Is my body like a fool's, with an unusually large appetite and fast digestion?

  I have never felt the taste of hunger in my past life, but now it's a real and tangible feeling. In my throat, it feels like there is a small steel file that keeps rubbing back and forth. That rough feeling is as if it wants to scrape out all my internal organs, chew them up, and then swallow them again.

  The house was empty and bare, with nothing to fill his belly. Not a sound of mice was heard that night, perhaps they had all starved to death. Unable to bear the hunger any longer, he quietly got up, found a rusty axe in the corner of the wall, and then went out the door. He was so hungry that he wanted to go to the seaside to catch some raw fish to eat.

  Out of Yangjiatun, to the nearby bamboo forest, cut a bamboo with a knife, sharpened one end, and used it as a marker gun. The marker gun that day was placed in the mouse's house, so I had to make another one. After walking for several steps, suddenly heard footsteps. Zhang Zhun hurriedly turned his head, and suddenly found Yang Yinghua.

  Yang Yingwa held a torch in her hand, walking towards him with the flickering flame casting a warm glow on her lovely face. She was still wearing the simple dress made of floral print fabric from daytime, looking unadorned yet pure and captivating. This was the most primitive beauty, not requiring any embellishment. She asked anxiously: "Yulin... what are you doing?"

  Zhang Zhun said with a bit of embarrassment: "I'm hungry, get up and make something to eat."

  Yang Yinghua seemed to have guessed it a long time ago and said softly: "I brought you two rice balls, eat them first."

  After saying that, he really took out two rice balls from his bosom.

  The rice balls were wrapped in banana leaves, looking very neat, and should have been left over from dinner.

  Zhang Zhun suddenly felt an indescribable sense of emotion.

  Even a fool can feel her concern for herself. Perhaps, there may be Yang Kaidi's intention to marry her to himself, but being able to pay attention to herself at all times and prepare food in advance is really touching. She is truly good to herself.

  Zhang Zhun said: "I see you're not full either, eat!"

  Yang Yinghua said: "I'm full... I don't eat much. Your fish is delicious, really, I ate two pieces and I'm full."

  Zhang Zhun sharpened the bamboo pole, swinging it back and forth to test its weight, feeling that it was quite suitable. He then said: "Alright... you hold onto the rice balls first, I'll take you to eat raw fish."

  Yang Yinghua asked in confusion: "Fish live? What is that?"

  "Just follow me and you'll know."

  Yang Yinghe obediently held up the torch and followed behind him.

  Two people arrived at the desolate Red Stone Beach, where there was naturally no one else, only a gentle sea breeze constantly blowing, causing the torches to jump continuously. Because it was the 16th of the first month, the moonlight was still quite bright, and the soft moonbeams fell down, covering the beach with a layer of silver. There were also a few twinkling stars, mischievously winking their eyes, as if they were peeking at the movements of the two people. Looking out at the vast ocean, it was a silvery white misty expanse. The waves came rolling in one after another, and the splashing spray, under the moonlight, appeared exceptionally clean and white.

  Zhang Zhun came back and forth to Hongshi Beach several times today, and he was quite familiar with the rocks on Hongshi Beach. The moonlight was very transparent, and his line of sight was good. He quickly found a place with fish, stood in position, and said in a low voice: "Come, give me the torch."

  Yang Yinghua handed over the torch and squatted on the rock to see what he was going to do.

  Zhang Zhun took the torch with his left hand, squatted down, and held it close to the water's surface, slowly swaying it back and forth. His right hand grasped the bamboo spear, intently staring at every tiny movement on the water's surface.

  "Gurgle gurgle!"

  Suddenly, bubbles emerged on the surface of the water one after another.

  "Hah!"

  Zhang Zhun immediately stabbed the spear down.

  "Rustle rustle!"

  The bamboo spear didn't know what fish it had stabbed, but suddenly the water surface was turbulent and splashed with water flowers everywhere.

  Yang Yinghua was caught off guard and stood up subconsciously, wanting to avoid the splash. She thought Zhang Zhun had caught some kind of sea monster or something, judging by his huge reaction. In the end, she couldn't help but smile slightly, continuing to crouch down and watch Zhang Zhun's every move.

  Zhang Zhun swung the bamboo spear in his hand to the right, pulling the big fish swimming at the bottom of the water, then drew an arc and returned to the original starting point. In this way, he dragged the big fish in circles, constantly drawing circles, consuming the big fish's strength.

  The water surface finally calmed down, and faintly visible was the dark red color of the water's surface, which were all the fresh blood sprayed out from the wound by the big fish. Judging from the area and density of the blood distribution, this big fish below wouldn't weigh less than 10 kilograms, this time it really caught a big one.

  Feeling the fire was almost ripe, Zhang Zu slowly raised his bamboo spear, while his left hand plunged into the water and scooped up the big fish.

  "How big!"

  Yang Yinghua cried out in shock.

  Wow, it turns out that it's not a big yellow croaker, but a genuine carp, weighing as much as 15-16 catties and over half a meter in length, equivalent to three big yellow croakers. It seems that under this rock, there is likely to be a freshwater spring, which can effectively dilute the salinity of seawater, otherwise, carp would not appear here.