Zhang Liunian released Jiang Qingqing, gently cupped her chapped hands, his eyes reddening as he said, "Qingqing, I'm not taking the exam anymore. I'm serious.
Don't hide it from me. I know we don't have a single grain of rice in the house, and you and Huabao have gone hungry all day.
With our home in this state, what right do I have to cling to my college dream?
I have only one thought now: to earn money and give you a better life."
Hearing Zhang Liunian's words, Jiang Qingqing was deeply touched. The tears she had just managed to stop began to flow again uncontrollably. "Liunian, I can do it. I'm still alright, I can hold on for a long time.
Don't give up on your dream so easily. I believe you'll get in."
"My dream is to give my wife and child a good life. It doesn't necessarily have to be through college. Your good life is my true dream."
"Liunian... *sob*..." Jiang Qingqing, after hearing this, threw herself into Zhang Liunian's arms.
Zhang Liunian held the woman he had known for forty years, stroking her dry, yellow hair, his eyes involuntarily filling with moisture.
He tilted his head back, forcing the tears back.
When he lowered his gaze again, he saw his five-year-old daughter stumbling towards them. "Mommy, Huabao dreamed of eating meat just now."
Her voice was already weak and listless.
Zhang Liunian's heart clenched fiercely. He quickly released Jiang Qingqing and stood up to cook fish for them.
"Qingqing, Huabao, wait a moment. I'll go cook some fish soup for you right now." After saying this, Zhang Liunian picked up the two grass carp on the ground and rushed into the kitchen.
He dared not look any longer, fearing that any further delay would be detrimental to his wife and daughter's health due to starvation.
Jiang Qingqing saw his hurried steps and opened her mouth to ask where he got the fish. Just then, she saw a woven bag on the ground, from which a red object was crawling out.
It was quite large, likely only found in Daming Lake, so was he catching fish from Daming Lake?
The things in Daming Lake were the common property of the production team. If he were discovered, he would be criticized.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qingqing grew anxious. She tried to get up from the stool, but before she could straighten up, her vision blackened, and she sank back onto the small stool.
So hungry! She felt so, so hungry!
"Is there fish soup? Huabao wants to eat, wants to eat. Daddy, Mommy wants to eat too." After processing Zhang Liunian's words, Huabao's dark eyes radiated intense longing.
"Huabao, sit with Mommy and wait. Daddy will be done soon," Zhang Liunian said towards the kitchen doorway, afraid his daughter might fall if she walked into the kitchen.
"Okay, Huabao will be good and stay with Mommy." Huabao patted her small chest, indicating she was a good child. After saying this, she genuinely sat down in front of Jiang Qingqing.
In his previous life, Zhang Liunian had made a fortune by making preserved foods, so he had some skill in cooking.
However, even the cleverest cook cannot cook without ingredients. At home, apart from salt, there was nothing else.
In the end, he really just cooked a pot of fish soup.
The fish soup was served and placed before Jiang Qingqing and Huabao. The latter, ignoring the heat, began to drink it.
Jiang Qingqing swallowed, suppressing the urge to gulp down the entire pot, and asked, "Liunian, are these fish from Daming Lake?"
Zhang Liunian nodded. "Yes, Daming Lake is the only place around here with fish this big!"
"If the team leader and the others find out you've stolen fish, you'll definitely be criticized and lose work points. No, you might even lose money." Jiang Qingqing corrected herself midway, realizing that the collective had been disbanded, and there were no work points to deduct.
Zhang Liunian smiled and reached out to smooth a strand of stray hair from her forehead. "Don't worry. I helped them catch lobsters – that's the red thing on the ground – and this is my reward.
We even signed a contract on paper, so eat with peace of mind!
I'll be here for the family from now on."
Hearing Zhang Liunian say this, Jiang Qingqing's uneasy heart finally settled. After drinking a large bowl of fish soup, she felt much better.
"Daddy, I want more." Huabao, having finished her bowl of fish soup, picked up the bowl and licked it clean, indicating she wanted more.
Zhang Liunian's heart ached. He ruffled the three strands of yellow hair on his daughter's head. "Daddy will serve you more. I'll pick out some meat for you later."
"Daddy is so good." Huabao had never felt her father was so good before.
Previously, her father had been oblivious to the outside world and uninterested in anything, making her feel as if his presence or absence made no difference.
But now it was different. Her father made fish soup for her and even picked out the meat.
So, having a father wasn't so bad.
"Daddy will be even better to you from now on."
As Zhang Liunian spoke, he began picking out the meat, serving both his wife and daughter.
After his wife and daughter had finished eating, Zhang Liunian began to process the red-skinned lobsters. He intended to stir-fry all the meat to prevent it from being easily recognized for what it was.
If the circumstances allowed, he would have even coated them in flour. He could consider that after he made some money tomorrow.
Jiang Qingqing watched Zhang Liunian busy himself, asking in confusion, "Liunian, what are you planning to do?"
This thing is poisonous. What's the use of peeling it?
"I want to stir-fry this and sell it in the county town," Zhang Liunian replied verbally, his hands never stopping.
"Sell it? These are poisonous creatures. They can't be eaten."
Zhang Liunian's movements paused. He then remembered that it was currently 1981, and no one in the entire village, or perhaps even the entire county, knew that lobsters could be eaten.
They had a deep misunderstanding of lobsters, considering them alien species and harmful creatures.
Zhang Liunian explained seriously, "Qingqing, these are not poisonous creatures."
"They are poisonous insects and cannot be eaten."
Jiang Qingqing became anxious. Selling such poisonous things would be harmful to others!
These things absolutely should not be sold!
Seeing her emotional state escalating, Zhang Liunian put down the lobsters, quickly hugged her, and patiently explained, "Qingqing, don't be anxious. Listen to me first."
Seeing his calm demeanor, Jiang Qingqing could only force herself to be patient and wait for his explanation.
"Our Daming Lake is the fish supply lake for Datang County. The entire county relies on this lake for its fish.
We've been eating from it for so many years, and haven't we heard of anyone getting sick?
These lobsters live in the same lake. There's no reason why only they should be poisonous!
And if they were poisonous, I would have died long ago. I ate them many times when I was hungry before."
The last sentence was fabricated by Zhang Liunian. He only wanted to make Jiang Qingqing believe that lobsters were not poisonous.
Others would certainly not believe this.
But Jiang Qingqing would! She had never doubted his words.
"You ate them before? Why didn't you ever tell us?" Jiang Qingqing, hearing that Zhang Liunian had eaten these things before, hugged him with concern, feeling that her husband had suffered too much in the past, otherwise, he wouldn't have tested poison himself.
Zhang Liunian, the "poison tester," breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jiang Qingqing believed him. "It's nothing glorious, nothing worth mentioning."
"Liunian, you've suffered."
"..."
Why did this sound a little off?
What suffering had he endured?
Ever since he married Jiang Qingqing, he had been enjoying a good life. He hadn't suffered at all.
"Qingqing, you must not tell anyone that lobsters are edible. We can talk about it after we've paid off our family's debts."
There was no other way. He had to earn his first pot of gold first.
Prioritize the family, then the community.
If he couldn't even take care of his own family, there was no point in talking about the community.
Jiang Qingqing blinked in surprise and lightly punched Zhang Liunian's chest with her small fist. "I'm not that foolish. Our family is starving to death. Why would I tell anyone?"