Chapter 2, Li Zheng

In the end, Chen's mother could not resist Chen Mo and took the half of the small egg to eat.

Since he improved the manure, the crops at home have consistently grown better than those of others. After this year's harvest, in addition to the taxes to be paid and the food needed for his family, there will be a considerable surplus. Chen Mo plans to cultivate a few more acres of land and hire two tenant farmers to help with the work at home. This will surely improve their living conditions, and his mother will no longer have to toil daily at needlework.

Watching Chen Mo's departing figure, the village head's smile carried a hint of affection. In this village, there are sixty-three households, with over thirty children, but his favorite remains Chen Mo. He is sensible, not troublesome, diligent and hardworking, and has his own ideas. Moreover, he is ultimately a member of the Chen family. Although their family circumstances are similar, they are still different in essence. This child may very well achieve great things in the future

Chen Mo responded with a sound, joyfully ran to the stove, lifted the lid of the steamer, and a strong aroma of corn wafted towards him. Chen Mo swallowed, then looked at his mother and said: "Mother, these chicken eggs..."

Not to say that the family is destitute, but it is not much better either. Every winter is very cold. Once this year's harvest is in, I must prioritize renovating the house, so that at least it won't be as unbearably cold in winter as it has been in previous years.

Chen Mo began to eat his own food only after seeing his mother take a bite. Although his family was poor, he was still a branch of the Chen family, which had a lineage of respectable ancestors. From a young age, he was taught more rules than others. Even though he was very hungry at that moment, Chen Mo still chewed slowly and savored each bite.

Although the Chen family has experienced some easing in the past two years, it has not yet reached the point where they can indulge in chicken eggs every few days; being able to have them twice a month is already quite good

My son is growing stronger and stronger now, and he needs to eat more. " Mother Chen said casually while doing needlework.

Chen Mo felt somewhat suspicious. After thinking for a moment, he cracked open the egg, found a piece of thread, and cut the egg in half, handing one half to his mother and saying, "One half for each of us."

"Go eat something." Chen's mother, upon seeing her son, wore a faint smile that carried a hint of heartache. Sometimes, when children are too understanding, it can be considered another form of failure for their parents.

In the end, the village chief sighed and did not continue speaking; sometimes, it is very difficult to change people's perceptions

Mother Chen shook her head and said that the daughter had already eaten

As the sky was about to darken, Chen Mo, after washing up, hurried to the village head's house to express his hope of going to the county town together tomorrow

"My son can eat, I have already eaten," Mother Chen said, shaking her head

Chen Mo felt somewhat conflicted; he was a bit afraid of Uncle Wang, both due to the latter's appearance and the impression he gave off. However, he truly wanted a dog.

If your mother agrees, then it is naturally easy to discuss. You are not going to the county town for the first time. Get up early tomorrow, leave at dawn, and it would be best to return before sunset. The village head nodded with a smile and glanced at his old dog, saying, "There is a butcher named Zheng in the city who has some connections with your Uncle Wang. If you like, ask him to take you there to get a puppy.

"No!" Chen Mu's mother did not think twice and directly refused. Even though Chen Mo had been to the city before, he was still just a child. What mother could feel at ease? With a stern face, she said in a deep voice: "Do not think that having gone once makes you impressive; you have not encountered any villains!"

Good! It is rare for Mother to relent. Chen Mo was overjoyed and immediately responded with a yes, lowering his head to eat.

Mother, I would like to go to the county town with the village head tomorrow" Chen Mo suddenly said

The village head nodded, looking at Chen Mo with a sense of speechlessness, and smiled wryly. After all, he was just a nine-year-old child; what use was there in saying these things to him?

The village head is a middle-aged man around 40 years old. However, in this day and age, it is not unusual for a nine-year-old child to refer to a 40-year-old as "Uncle." Although he is the head of the village, the village head is relatively idle most of the time, aside from assisting the county in tax collection each year. He owns a considerable amount of land and has hired several tenant farmers to help with the cultivation, making him the wealthiest family in the village. He is generally very kind and always has a smile on his face. If someone truly cannot pay their taxes, he does not act like the tyrants of the countryside as described in legends; instead, he often provides some financial assistance. Because of this, he enjoys a high reputation among the villagers, and the children are also eager to be close to him

"Well, my mother said that if I could go with Uncle, she would feel very relieved." Chen Mo nodded in agreement, but his gaze couldn't help but sneak a glance at the large dog in the village chief's house. When he was young, he was chased around by this dog, but later, as they became familiar, he grew quite fond of it. On ordinary days, if he had any leftovers, he would bring them to the dog.

Does your mother agree? The village head looked at Chen Mo with a smile and inquired

Mother Chen simply disagreed, but Chen Mo persisted with soft and hard tactics. In the end, she sighed and frowned, saying: "When you are out, you must listen more to the teachings of the village head and must not stray far from his side"

"Mother, I am back!" Chen Mo said with a happy smile as he placed the backpack down, looking at his mother who was sitting by the window, using the light from outside to do needlework. "The crops are growing well; we should have a good harvest this year"

Oh? Chen's mother asked in confusion: "What is the matter?"

The food reserves at home are sufficient for us until the autumn harvest. The child wants to take some grain to the city to exchange for two chickens, one male and one female, so that we can have chicken eggs every day in the future. Once we have little chicks, we can also make some chicken soup for mother and eat chicken meat. Chen Mo did not dare to tell his mother about the matters concerning the great virtuous teacher and his disciples, as he knew his mother was very averse to such things, saying that one should not speak of strange forces and supernatural phenomena. However, Chen Mo believed that there must be some powers in this world that exceed ordinary understanding; otherwise, how could he explain the mysterious presence in his mind?

Thank you, Master!" Chen Mo quickly bowed respectfully to the village head and took his leave

"No... no need for that." Chen Mo shook his head. Uncle Wang was the most formidable hunter in the village, rumored to have single-handedly hunted wild boars and ferocious tigers. However, he had a rather fierce appearance, enough to scare the village children to tears at the mere sight of him. Although Chen Mo was not like the other children who would cry out of fear, he still felt a bit intimidated when he saw him, as he did not look like a good person at all.

"Think it over and we will discuss it again when we arrive in the city tomorrow," the village chief said, waving his hand.

"Mother, please do not worry, I will be going with Grandfather." Chen Mo felt a degree of impatience towards his mother's distrustful attitude, a feeling as if he were still a child. Although that was indeed the case, Chen Mo believed he was different from other children.

Every day, many must be killed? Chen Mo's focus is clearly not on the latter part of the sentence

"It's just a puppy; Zheng the butcher has to kill many every day, and there isn't much meat to be had. " The village head shook his head and said, "That Zheng the butcher gets along well with your Uncle Wang. Don't be fooled by your Uncle Wang's appearance; he is actually a good person."

After finishing the meal, Chen Mo took the bowl and chopsticks to wash the dishes. The Chen family's house is not in good condition. Although the harvest has improved somewhat in the past two years, Chen Mo has expanded the originally two mu of thin farmland to ten mu. Every year, he has to spend a considerable amount of money to hire someone to treat his mother and buy some medicinal materials, leaving no extra money to renovate the old house

"Mother, you should eat," Chen Mo said as he brought over a bowl and handed the egg to his mother, adding, "You are weak and need to nourish yourself."

"What about the skin? The mother does not eat, and the child does not eat either." Chen Mo was somewhat stubborn; he actually did not want to expose his mother's lie, he just could not bear to see his mother like this