Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 73: Yin Tian Yin Yue (1)

On the small dirt path at the entrance of the village, a group of children were pushing a thin little boy. The boy lost his balance and fell beside a pool of water, in which the reflection of the boy's delicate face was revealed.

"Give it back to me! Give it back to me!" The boy struggled to get up and stretched out his hand to snatch a puppy from another tall and strong boy.

"Hey, I won't give it back. It's just a broken puppy, right? Lend it to me! You stingy guy! You look like a girl, but you're as weak as a girl!" The tall and strong boy made a face and grabbed the puppy tightly with one hand, holding it high up. The puppy whimpered at first, but later he couldn't even whimper anymore and looked like he was about to die. The other children gathered around them and made a noise.

The thin boy was furious, but he held back his grievance and didn't cry: "Give it back to me quickly, it's my birthday present from my sister!"

The little boy was so anxious that he grabbed the older boy's arm, leaving several bloody marks on his arm.

The older boy felt pain and retracted his hand. The younger boy tried to get the puppy back but still failed.

The older boy saw the blood on his arm and became furious. He pushed the younger boy down and kicked him hard in the chest several times. He spat and cursed, "How dare you catch me, you little bastard? It's just a broken dog. Give it to me. I don't want it anymore!"

The big boy picked up the puppy and threw it hard onto the stone road. The puppy's head hit the stone hard and it fainted instantly. Its eyes were closed and it was foaming at the mouth. It was obvious that it was not going to survive.

The little boy burst into tears, crawled over, tremblingly picked up the puppy, and choked out, "Little Potato, don't die... Don't die..."

The older boy in the lead rolled his eyes and said, "You're such a sissy. You cry over the smallest things. It's no fun. Let's go play in the river!"

When the children saw that they had gotten into trouble, they all responded and ran away quickly.

The little boy sat on the ground holding the puppy for a long time, then stood up and wiped his tears and snot with his sleeve. He picked up the puppy and walked back with a limp.

……

A small river runs through the village, dividing it in two. The villagers live along the river, and downstream, a small courtyard stands a short distance from the other houses, seeming out of place. There's no grass growing around the courtyard, and while the grounds are neatly maintained, the thatched hut within is rickety, evidently crumbling. Though repaired, it's clearly not a sturdy structure.

A pale, beautiful, gentle, and serene woman was frying poached eggs at the stove. She dipped a small piece of cloth in rapeseed oil and brushed the bottom of the pot with it. She closed the lid of the oil can. She hesitated, thought for a moment, and then, with a steely determination, opened the can again, dipped the cloth in a little more oil, and brushed the bottom of the pot again. The woman then carefully removed two eggs from the bowl and, waiting for the oil to heat, cracked them into the pot. The eggs sizzled and sizzled, their golden brown hues emitting a fragrant aroma. The woman carefully scooped the eggs out with a spatula and added some water to the pot. Once the water boiled, a layer of oil rose to the surface. She fried the eggs first, then the noodles, saving the oil. She added a handful of noodles and a few green vegetables. Soon, the longevity noodles were ready. The woman placed the noodles in two small bowls, one with a poached egg. The woman wiped her hands on her apron and placed two bowls of noodles on the small wooden table with satisfaction.

At that moment, sobbing voices echoed outside the yard. "Mother... Mother..." The woman quickly put down her work and left. Seeing the boy's face, muddy and wet with tears, his arms covered in scrapes, and the lifeless little white dog in his arms, she knew it was the village kids bullying her little Tian again.

Seeing his mother come out, the little boy felt even more aggrieved and burst into tears. His mother squatted down and hugged the child in her arms, gently patting his back and comforting him. His mother's eyes were slightly sore, but she held back her tears. She took several deep breaths and only let go of the little boy when she saw that he had calmed down a little.

"Be good, little Tian, ​​don't cry. Mother has cooked birthday noodles for you, and there's a fried egg for each of you! Wash your face and hands, and wait for your sister to come back, then we'll eat noodles." Mother said gently.

"Mom, the puppy is going to die! What should we do?" Xiaotian asked with red eyes and a sniff.

"..." A Niang looked at the weak puppy and hesitated. She knew that this was Xiaoyue's birthday gift to Xiaotian that morning. Xiaoyue had carried firewood for the blacksmith at the village entrance for a month, and only then did the blacksmith agree to give Xiaoyue the puppy, which had just turned one month old. When Xiaotian got the dog, he was so happy. Who would have thought that it had only been half a day... As a mother, she could do nothing for her child. Thinking of the white jade jar in the bedside table, A Niang hardened her heart and made up her mind. She stretched out her fingers to wipe Xiaotian's tears, "Don't worry, Xiaotian, A Niang will definitely cure the puppy!"

"Yeah!" Xiaotian then smiled and nodded.

A Niang carefully put the puppy in a wooden box and put it under the bed.

"Mother!" Outside the courtyard gate, a little girl, carrying a large bundle of firewood, taller than her head, was sweating profusely from exhaustion. The girl looked very similar to the boy, but she seemed more heroic and stronger than the boy, yet her features were not as delicate as his. The girl had a boyish appearance, and the two seemed to have been born with a congenital deficiency, making him thinner and more frail.

A'niang hurried over and helped the girl unload the firewood. She frowned and said distressedly, "Didn't I tell you that I'd carry the firewood first? You're still growing, and if you're pressed down by me, you won't grow any taller. What will we do?"

The girl walked to the water tank, scooped a spoonful of cold water, and gulped it down. Then she smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry, I'm strong! Look, I'm half a head taller than Xiaotian! Mother, you're not feeling well, so don't worry about firewood! Take good care of yourself, and when you recover, we'll go to the mountains to pick wild grapes together! I saw a large field of wild grapes today, and they'll be ripe in half a month!"

Xiaotian quickly raised his hand and said, "Sister, I want to go too!"

"Don't worry, I will definitely take you with me! Little greedy cat!" The elder sister said with a proud look on her face.

"Hurry up and wash your hands! Come and eat noodles! Today is your birthday! I even added eggs to the noodles!" Auntie said lovingly, looking at the two children. It turned out that the two children were twins, a boy and a girl.

"I know!" my sister replied happily.