Zhou Xiaoyun’s Happy Life

Chapter 8 Six-year-old Zhou Xiaoyun (2)

 After returning home, as expected, she was scolded by Zhao Yuzhen and ordered to feed the chickens and ducks.

Zhou Xiaoyun glanced at Erya, who was held in Zhao Yuzhen's arms, with itching teeth, feeling that at least half of the darkness in his childhood was caused by her.

Erya, who was still young, didn't know what her sister was thinking, so she lay contentedly in Zhao Yuzhen's arms and giggled. Zhao Yuzhen felt very sorry for this youngest child and coaxed her like a precious child.

 The free-range chickens and ducks have been put into simple sheds. Everyone lives in thatched houses, and there is nothing special about sheds. It's a low thatched shed. There are more than a dozen chickens in one room, more than 20 ducks in another room, and the largest room has two pigs that are not fat.

The eggs laid by these chickens and ducks are taken to the market and sold to make some money to provide the family with daily expenses. The annual crop of pigs is an important source of income for the family. Therefore, in the Zhou family, feeding these animals has always been more important than feeding the children.

Zhou Xiaoyun naturally knew how important it was to feed chickens and ducks, so he spread the chicken food prepared by Zhao Yuzhen into the shed.

More than a dozen hens swarmed up and grabbed the chicken food, which was made of corn flour and grass plus some wheat grains.

Since the family's income mainly depends on these dozen hens, in order to make these chickens lay more eggs, Zhao Yuzhen is willing to feed the chickens something good. In addition to catching insects and pecking pebbles in front of and behind the house every day, he was fed three times a day in the morning, noon and evening, which was more punctual than Zhou Xiaoyun's brother and sister.

The family has raised more than 40 ducks in the beginning, and now there are only 20 ducks left. Ducks are not as expensive as chicken essence. Because duck eggs have an earthy smell, fewer people buy them and the price is cheaper, so the quality of feeding is poor. They only feed them once a day and then rush to a nearby pond to stock them.

Herding ducks has been Zhou Xiaoyun's job since she was a child. Dabao would at most accompany her to the pond and then disappear without a trace. Xiaobao was not in good health and Erya was too young, so this important responsibility fell on Zhou Xiaoyun without hesitation.

After feeding the chickens, before Zhao Yuzhen could say anything, Zhou Xiaoyun automatically and consciously drove the ducks out of the pen with a long bamboo pole. For a time, ducks were flying, ducks were jumping, ducks were quacking, and ducks were making a fuss.

 Zhao Yuzhen looked at Zhou Xiaoyun with admiration and joy, thinking that she was finally sensible, and she would have to train Daya to do housework in the future.

If Zhou Xiaoyun knew what Zhao Yuzhen was thinking, she would be so angry that she would vomit blood. Now she is walking towards the ancient pond with a nostalgic attitude.

There were a bunch of lively ducks in front of them, and Zhou Xiaoyun followed leisurely behind them. Occasionally, there would be ducks running around, and they would move forward naturally if they were caught with a bamboo pole. Fortunately, the ducks are used to herding, so it feels more like a familiar road than a heavy job.

 After walking for about eight or nine minutes, we arrived at the pond at the west end of the village. The ducks don't need to be chased, they automatically flop into the water and stick their heads into the water to look for small fish and shrimps.

This pond is very large, covering an area of ​​several acres. There are many small fish and shrimps in the pond. Occasionally, some people have caught fish weighing more than three kilograms from the pond. Many people keep ducks in this pond for a long time.

There is a large forest around. Zhou Xiaoyun still remembers that he loved playing in the woods since he was a child. There are many unknown wild fruits in the woods that make greedy children linger.

The naughty and courageous boys like to climb trees to dig out bird eggs, shoot birds with homemade slingshots, and occasionally shoot down a small sparrow, which makes the children ecstatic. They have a delicious meal and become heroes in the eyes of other children.

In the distance is a crop field. At this time, the rice has grown tall and dense. When the wind blows, it rises and falls like waves.

Looking at the clear water, green aquatic plants, unknown red and blue wildflowers, clear sky, and lush bushes, Zhou Xiaoyun couldn't help but sigh: What a beautiful era without pollution!

More than twenty years later, this place has been replaced by a factory building, and the green pond has been filled in without a trace.

Zhou Xiaoyun was used to living in a bad environment where the air was filled with car exhaust and the ground was filled with domestic garbage and there were no flowers or grass, only small trees as thick as a finger. Zhou Xiaoyun was moved and felt as if he had arrived in heaven.

 Zhou Xiaoyun sat by the pond, enjoying the freedom and comfort that he had never experienced in his life. She spent the first half of her life taking care of her children, cooking, washing dishes, mopping the floor, washing clothes, and going to work. It had been a long time since she had sat down and rested like this.

At this moment, there is no hard life, no heavy burden, just herself.

Since the current situation was like this, she decided not to think about things she couldn't do anything about.

 I'm sorry, Niuniu, mom didn't mean to abandon you. Mom doesn’t mean to forget you. Mom will never forget you from the bottom of her heart. She will never stop loving you or missing you.

　　However, crying all day long will not help the reality, and regretting all day long will not change the fact of rebirth.

People can't live in self-pity and sorrow all the time. People can't just live in memories and pain. No matter what, they have to face the current life.

 I, who died after the car accident, somehow got a chance to live again, so let myself face a new life bravely.

Zhou Xiaoyun secretly vowed to himself: He would live a different and wonderful life and never make the same mistakes again! And a new life will begin with the new semester starting in two months!

 She has to go to school early. In her previous life, she took her younger siblings to herd ducks at home until she was eight years old. If she could go to school two years earlier, she would be able to catch up with the good years when she has work assignments!

 A careful analysis shows that the first thing she has to deal with is her parents. Only with their permission can she take the first step in a better life!

 I have decided that I will mention school when I get home today. No matter how much my parents object, I must find ways to achieve my wish.

 (End of this chapter)