All of the money for Zhuang Qinghe's dowry had gone down the drain...
"I really didn't expect her to run away..." Mrs. Song continued, her eyes welling up with tears.
Already chubby with a face full of fat, crying her eyes out only made her look hideous. This made Zhuang Ruman grow increasingly unhappy, "You're too old to cry like this. If crying could bring her back, cry your heart out."
"At this point, we need to think quickly about what to do!"
"Head of the house, what should we do?" Mrs. Song dried her tears with her sleeve and asked.
"What else can we do? We have to find them!" Zhuang Ruman replied, "Those two girls don't have any identification on them. They surely haven't gone far from the village. Someone must have seen them leaving, so we should be able to find them by following the village roads."
"Yes, yes exactly what the head of the house said." Mrs. Song nodded rapidly, "I'm leaving to look for them right away."
"Once I find those two mischievous girls, see how I will deal with them!"
They'd made her suffer a scolding from Zhuang Ruman, almost leading her to disown them. Those girls are truly wicked! They need to be turned into a bloody pulp before they understand what they should and shouldn't do. Ideally, they'd beat the daringness out of them for good!
Zhuang Ruman looked at Mrs. Song's disarray and his face darkened.
"How did I end up with such a stupid wife?"
"If you keep acting like this, would anyone who saw her tell you? They'd probably rather help her hide from you. When you find them, control your anger, treat them nicely, and talk to them."
"Put the right people in the right jobs and if you want to save food then serve them less, but stop constantly screaming and beating. Don't provide an opportunity for others to criticize you for being disrespectful to your nieces."
"I will remember..." Mrs. Song nodded again.
However, Zhuang Ruman could tell from her fiery eyes that even if she agreed now, she'd probably revert to shouting and beating the moment she gets hold of Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui.
He didn't know how he, being so smart, ended up with such a foolish wife like Mrs. Song.
Zhuang Ruman felt both helpless and impatient, "If you know what to do, then why are you still standing there? Go find them."
"Alright, I'm off." Mrs. Song replied, turning her hefty body around, and hurried off.
Zhuang Ruman got dressed properly and followed her out.
"Qinghe, cook some breakfast." Before leaving, he didn't forget to instruct Zhuang Qinghe.
"Oh," Zhuang Qinghe sulked, looking disgruntled.
Normally, this was Zhuang Qingning's job, but now it had fallen to her. It was frustrating.
They were both such pests, our family was nice enough to not mind your bad luck and keep you, but you are so ungrateful and ran away. You will starve to death out there!
Also, my father was right about that issue. My mother was indeed too harsh normally. She frequently beat them until their faces were bruised, anyone that wasn't blind could see it.
According to me, if these two didn't listen, they deserved to be pricked with a needle on their fingers. Prick them until their bones go soft, then would they dare to run again?
"Sister, hurry up and cook. I'm starving," the eight-year-old Zhuang Yuanzhong rubbed his stomach.
"If you're so hungry, why don't you cook? Why do I have to do it?" Zhuang Qinghe, who was already in a bad mood, got even angrier when rushed.
"Didn't father say you should do it?" Zhuang Yuanzhong nudged Zhuang Qinghe's arm, "Sister, I believe that it would be much better for you if they didn't come back."
"What do you mean?" Zhuang Qinghe was a bit surprised.
"Think about it, if they left, wouldn't you be the prettiest one at home? Shouldn't you be happy about that?" Zhuang Yuanzhong squinted his already small eyes, smiling as he spoke.
"It seems like that's the case…" Upon hearing this, a smile crept onto Zhuang Qinghe's face.
Zhuang Qingning, that damn girl, no matter how much she tanned or worked, always looked fairer and younger than her. When they stood together, she was also a bit taller. People always said Zhuang Qingning is more beautiful. This made Zhuang Qinghe very unhappy.
Good that she'd left. Now she'd be the prettiest in the house.
In the future, Brother Chengwen's gaze could focus more on her.
Zhuang Qinghe immediately felt delighted, "I'll start cooking right away, Yuanzhong, tell me what you'd like to eat?"
"I haven't had scrambled eggs for a long time. Sister, can you make me some scrambled eggs? There are plenty of eggs at home, and since it's just the two of us, even if we have three or four, nobody will know." A glint appeared in Zhuang Yuanzhong's eyes.
"Deal, I'll make scrambled eggs!" Having fixed the last strand of her hair, Zhuang Qinghe rushed to cook, a joyous look on her face.
Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui had been working non-stop since they entered the courtyard.
After trimming the grass in the yard and using it to make brooms, they cleaned up the thick dust accumulated in the house. The items in the house were sorted, washed and tidied up accordingly.
The two worked till mid-day, washing down the cornbread they'd stolen from their aunt's house with some water. After a brief rest, they continued straight till sundown, finally bringing the house and the yard to an acceptable state.
There were two rooms: a hall and a bedroom in the East. The hall was fully furnished with tables and benches. The bedroom contained a bed and cupboards, all thoroughly cleaned.
All the personal items of Butcher Hua and his wife were buried with them, when Zhuang Jingye led the funeral. The remaining valuables were sold to pay for the funeral expenses. All that remained in the house were empty bed frames and several empty boxes.
Given that it is spring, they would take some wheat straws from the stack in the yard and spread them on the bed to make it softer and warmer. They were still wearing their worn-out winter clothes which would serve as covers at night.
Although the kitchen doesn't have any pans or dishes, the stove is still intact. The tank might be cracked up top, but most of it could still hold water. After cleaning up and fetching water, it could serve for three or four days. The chopping board and rolling pin were in poor shape, but still usable.