"Sell? What's there to sell? Everyone's been busy and tired these past few days. Even if Mumu hadn't caught a chicken, I was planning to buy a pound of meat to indulge a bit. Now that we have chicken, we'll eat chicken, just saving some money." Madam Chen calmly glanced at her son. She knew her son's little thoughts—after all, he came from her belly.
She was aware that her son had a little stash of private money, but she didn't care as long as he didn't spend it recklessly, since in the end, that money was also spent on the whole family.
"Grandma is right, everyone has worked hard. Grandma, let's split the chicken meat in half, use one half to braise potatoes, and the other half to make soup. I want to drink chicken soup." Xu Mumu, holding onto Madam Chen's hand, said coquettishly.
"Alright, alright. You two, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and deal with the chicken." Madam Chen gave the two daughters-in-law a stern look; they really had no sense of awareness.
Because they were going to eat chicken, Qian Ying and Sun Huiping didn't care about Madam Chen's scolding. This chicken was not small, and they could each get a piece. They hadn't had meat for a long time, and everyone was filled with motivation.
At dinner, Xu Mumu witnessed the good culinary skills of her two aunts. Although the chicken didn't have much salt, it still tasted quite good, especially the chicken soup, which was very delicious.
Everyone had a bowl full of chicken soup. The chicken pieces were distributed by Madam Chen. Other people's bowls had two or three pieces, while Xu Mumu and Xu Minghui each had a small bowl, and Xu Minglei also got quite a bit.
Xu Mumu silently watched this scene. To be honest, when reading novels she thought Madam Chen was quite extreme and biased, but when the bias favored her, she felt happy.
The whole family seemed not to notice the favoritism, probably because they were already used to it.
Since nobody else cared, Xu Mumu couldn't be bothered either and ate happily.
Compared to the delighted Xu Mumu, Xu Xue felt as if she was chewing wax. Although chicken and chicken soup were good things, she didn't get much.
Seeing Madam Chen's bias, Xu Xue's desire to split from the family grew stronger.
After dinner, after washing up, Xu Mumu returned to her room.
Tomorrow she was planning to go to school. Xu Mumu rummaged through her backpack, which didn't have much in it.
Their production team was called Red River Production Team, not far from the county, so Xu Mumu commuted. Boarding would cost a lot, and the Old Xu Family barely had enough to eat, let alone spare money.
There was an aunt and a third uncle in the county, but they had families, so she couldn't stay with them either.
After putting her things away, Xu Mumu lay in bed, thinking about things in the book.
The Old Xu Family should be splitting soon. This time, because of her arrival, Xu Xue didn't succeed in splitting the family. Xu Xue certainly wouldn't let it go.
Actually, living with so many people, Xu Mumu found it inconvenient too. Too many people meant divided hearts, each having their own small schemes.
If the family split, that would be nice too—no more entanglements with Xu Xue and the others.
While thinking, Xu Mumu quickly fell asleep. In the post-apocalyptic world, she didn't dare to sleep soundly. In those times, even if there were no zombies, there were still people, and the human heart was unpredictable. After the apocalypse, rules ceased to exist and they could do anything. The only thing she could do was protect herself.
Now suddenly in a quiet environment, with long-mentally weary Xu Mumu, she fell asleep easily.
Early the next morning, Xu Mumu woke up. Initially a bit bewildered, she instinctively got up and searched for the dagger by her side, finding nothing. Soon, Xu Mumu regained her senses. Where she was now was very safe—there wouldn't be zombies or anyone wishing her harm.
After packing her backpack, Xu Mumu walked out of the room. Everyone in the house woke up early.
Lacking a watch, and unable to tell time, made Xu Mumu feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Sis, why are you up so early?" Seeing Xu Mumu get up so early, Xu Minghui, with his legs crossed, greeted her.
"I have to go to school. If I'm late, I'll be marked absent." Xu Mumu said, looking away from her brother's laid-back demeanor, choosing not to view it—out of sight, out of mind.
Since they hadn't split yet and she wanted to change everyone at home, she didn't want Xu Xue to notice anything unusual yet. After the split, she would consider these things.
"School? Are you dumb? It's Sunday today; you go to school tomorrow." Xu Minghui looked at Xu Mumu speechlessly.
Xu Mumu: ...Hmm, it seems so. The other day when she washed clothes for Xu Xue was precisely when Xu Xue came back during the weekend.
Xu Mumu quietly returned her backpack to her room. Back in the room, she thought about the homework—there actually was some. She decided to do it after breakfast.
Soon, everyone in the house was up, starting their day's busy activities.
Work at the production team was temporarily done, but Xu Xue's task of collecting pigweed needed daily attention. Male workers had to carry dung to fertilize the seeds after sowing, which required people too.
Then, Xu Mumu watched as her second uncle, fourth uncle, and grandfather went to the team to carry dung, while her father, Xu Hai, was lazy in bed. His excuse for not working was that he caught a chill yesterday and didn't feel well today. The family wasn't short of his labor, so he didn't go.
As the favored eldest son, what's Madam Chen to do but continue to spoil him? They still relied on the eldest for their retirement plan.
Oldest son Xu Hai, though sometimes lazy, had a sweet tongue and knew how to sweet-talk people, which was why the old couple willingly spoiled him.
Xu Mumu was at a loss for words. Compared to her second and fourth uncles, Xu Hai was much stronger. If someone said the second or fourth uncle was ill, she might believe it, but Xu Hai—oh, to have such a father was distressing.
Those who worked got breakfast; those who didn't work didn't get to eat breakfast.
Breakfast was still porridge, though with a bit of leftover chicken soup from last night, mixed with a variety of wild vegetables. As the most pampered granddaughter, Xu Mumu was lucky to get a bowl. Honestly, Xu Mumu was getting a bit used to the taste.
After breakfast, Xu Mumu took out her homework. After quickly looking through it, it didn't seem difficult. With that, she was relieved. In a little over an hour, Xu Mumu finished her assignments.
"Minglei, I've come to play with you," Tiedan's voice came from outside the courtyard wall.
"Jiaojiao, go open the door." Xu Minglei, busy fixing his slingshot, casually commanded his little cousin.