Hua Qingqing slept until noon.
After stretching lazily in the bright sunshine, she headed straight for the kitchen.
On the kitchen table lay a small bowl with two eggs in it. There was nothing else.
Hua Qingqing curled her lips. This little bit of food couldn't fill her up.
But it didn't matter. She could fend for herself. Thinking of this, she squinted and showed an evil smile at the chickens running merrily in the yard.
Hua Qingqing peeled the two eggs and made a cup of malted milk with hot water. A top - notch breakfast in the rural areas of this era was ready.
After breakfast to replenish her strength, Hua Qingqing stood in the chicken coop looking around. Two minutes later, she came out holding a plump chicken.
Granny Fang cherished these five chickens like treasures. Whenever she was free, she would go looking for worms for them. Maybe even the twins of the second branch of the family weren't as important as these chickens in her eyes.
Alas, but what could she do? She was hungry, and when a person was hungry, they craved meat.
Hua Qingqing's movements of killing the chicken were a bit unskilled, but she still remembered the general process. It took her some time to clean the chicken thoroughly inside and out. Then she put it in a pot, added water and two slices of ginger to make a clear chicken soup.
After finishing the last piece of meat, the family members came back. The quiet yard became a bit noisier.
"Mom, one chicken is missing. Could it have run out?"
"Oh, my chickens! Hurry up and look for it! Don't let someone catch it and eat it!"
There was a flurry in the yard, followed by a scream—
"Mom! There's a whole lot of chicken feathers here!"
Granny Fang wailed loudly.
Hua Qingqing, having eaten her fill, clapped her hands and stood up.
Leaning against the door frame, she smiled brightly.
"Grandma, you're back! I left some chicken soup for you. It's still hot. Hurry up and go eat it."
Granny Fang, as if jolted back to life from her sickbed, rushed up to Hua Qingqing with a bunch of chicken feathers in her hands. Her steps were so spry that there was no sign of old age at all.
"You actually killed my chicken! How dare you! How dare you!"
The hen she had raised for so long was killed like this. How many fewer eggs and how much less money would there be in the future?!
Damn Hua Qingqing!
Smelling the aroma of the chicken coming from the kitchen, Granny Fang's cloudy eyes welled up with tears. Wuwuwu.
Hua Qingqing, having eaten and drunk her fill, was in a very stable mood: "I asked you to make two eggs for me, and you really only gave me two eggs? Don't I need to eat? I was hungry, so of course I had to eat something. I just happened to want to eat meat today."
Granny Fang was at a loss for words. Her wrinkled face froze, looking a bit like she wanted to cry but had no tears.
She had indeed deliberately left no other food today. Who asked Hua Qingqing to say she wanted to eat two eggs yesterday? Which girl ate two eggs in the morning! It was a waste!
She had intended to punish the girl, but ended up shooting herself in the foot!
Granny Fang: "You just ate a perfectly good chicken. Do you know how much effort I put into raising it?"
Hua Qingqing's face darkened.
"You'd rather spend so much effort raising livestock than be nice to me, your creditor. So what if I ate the chicken? I fell and hurt my head. Can't I eat something good?"
"If you dare to skimp on my breakfast tomorrow, I'll kill all the chickens and eat to my heart's content! Pay me back the money. I originally wanted to give you three days to prepare, but now I don't even want to give you one day. If I don't see the money today, I'll go to the police, the Women's Federation, and the commune to make a fuss. I'll also drop by the high school to visit your precious grandson!"
"You, you dare!"
Wasn't it said that three days would be given? Why did she suddenly change her mind!
Hua Qingqing pushed past Granny Fang and left a harsh word.
"Just watch if I dare!"
Wan Yindi followed behind Granny Fang and snickered secretly.
"Mom, let me take a look at the chicken soup."
Without waiting for Granny Fang's reaction, she ran in directly. Granny Fang couldn't let her steal a bite, so she followed closely. Then a complete chicken carcass came into their view. There was only a bit of meat left on the chicken neck and chicken butt.
Looking to the side, the chicken offal was cleaned and settled at the bottom of the pot. It was barely a pot of chicken soup.
Granny Fang felt dizzy.
The chicken she had raised was killed, and she didn't even get a bite of the chicken meat!
Just as she was cooking, there was a knock on the door in the yard.
Wan Yindi opened the door and was startled by two policemen in uniforms.
Did Hua Qingqing really call the police?
Hearing the sound, Granny Fang walked to the door with a spatula in her hand. Seeing the people at the door, her legs went weak and the spatula fell to the ground.
"What do you want?"
The two policemen were a man and a woman. The woman had a round face with a gentle aura, so she did most of the communicating.
"Hello, comrades. We're here to find Hua Qingqing. Is she here?"
Granny Fang really wanted to say she wasn't, but she didn't say a word. The small room with the new lock on it suddenly opened. The girl with a bandage on her head rushed out like a dog smelling something, pushing past her.
"Hello, comrades. I'm here!"
Hua Qingqing didn't know what these two policemen wanted from her, but they came at just the right time. They could just scare Granny Fang into paying back the money quickly!
Hua Qingqing's eyes were red, and tears welled up before she even spoke, looking very aggrieved.
Seeing this, the female policeman quickly asked, "Little comrade, what's wrong with you?"
Hua Qingqing pursed her lips and shook her head. Suddenly, she took a step back, bowed, and said seriously, "I just feel so safe when I see you. It's you who drive away the darkness and light up my future path. I'm so grateful to you. When the people call, the police respond. You're my heroes!"
This little comrade's words were really inspiring. The two policemen blushed and felt honored.
The female policeman looked at her seriously: "We're here this time to bring you good news. The educated youth Su Qiang, who committed the crime of indecent assault, confessed his crimes truthfully after interrogation. We learned that you worked farm work for him and got injured because of it. After negotiation, Su Qiang needs to compensate you a part of your medical expenses and wages. Here you are."
The female policeman took out an envelope and handed it over.
Hua Qingqing took it. Pressing it with her finger, she found it quite thick.
She blinked her eyes and cried again.
"Thank you. Fortunately, there are you public servants. Otherwise, I don't know what to do. Without you, I might be a corpse by now. Wuwuwu..."
The female policeman said seriously, "Don't be afraid, little comrade. If you encounter any injustice in the future, you can come and tell us. We serve the people!"
Granny Fang's orange - peel - like face twitched. Afraid that Hua Qingqing would go crazy and expose things, she quickly grabbed her shoulder and eagerly advised, "Qingqing, if you have anything to say, you can also tell grandma. Grandma is your family. Since your mom isn't here, I have to take good care of you. I'll agree to whatever you say!"
Hua Qingqing let out a sob and showed a smile to Granny Fang.
"Grandma, you're so good to me."
After repeated exhortations, the policemen left the Yu family.
As soon as the door closed, it blocked out all the outside affairs.
There were only three people in the yard. Hua Qingqing stuffed the envelope into her pocket, looked at Granny Fang, and held out her hand: "My dear grandma, pay me back the money."