Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 9

Zhao Da'e ate the dishes on the table with great care and refinement, chewing slowly and carefully with rice, and he ate quite comfortably.

More customers gradually arrived at the restaurant, and Mr. and Mrs. Zhang went to serve the remaining guests, occasionally coming over to ask, "Niece, are you still hungry? I'll make you two more dishes."

Zhao Da'e always smiles and says that he's almost full from eating.

After several rounds of tea and five courses of food, Zhao Da'e, who didn't like fruit juices, preferred tea. Who knows what was added to that water that'd been sitting for a year and a half to keep it from expiring?

Drinking tea is still more comfortable; at least you know the water you're drinking is well water, freshly boiled. It makes you feel better. However, Zhao Da'e only drinks tea; he doesn't particularly like or understand the spirit of tea ceremony or anything like that.

For Zhao Da'e, she was just an ordinary citizen; simply being alive was the best thing. Having three meals a day was enough to survive. A hot meal was happiness. A cup or two of hot tea after a meal was enjoying this hard-won life.

In this remote northern region, most people toil in the fields, their faces to the earth and their backs to the sky. They cannot see the outside world, and the outside world cannot see them. People live as if in a vast well, watching the stars in the sky, watching the crops planted in spring and harvested in autumn, watching the fish in the river struggle desperately, watching the seasons cycle, and witnessing birth, aging, sickness, and death.

In her previous life, Zhao Da'e lived a very tiring life, taking a detached view of things that were insignificant. She believed that life was nothing more than birth, aging, sickness, and death. It was fate, and changing that fate was extremely difficult. Reborn, Zhao Da'e wanted to defy destiny and create a new life for her mother and sister.

Destiny?

Zhao Da'e no longer believes in fate; she only believes that human will can overcome destiny.

After a while, the number of guests gradually decreased, and Zhang Ruisong's wife sat down to chat with Zhao Da'e again. She asked, "Niece, I was a bit busy just now and forgot to ask, did you come out by yourself? Where are your family members?"

Zhao Da'e sighed, his expression somewhat forlorn, and replied in a low voice, "Third Aunt, to tell you the truth, my mother is in the hospital. She gave birth to my younger sister, Zhao Xiaojuan, a few days ago, and then her health deteriorated. She was saved with great difficulty, but I've always felt that my mother's health is very poor."

My dad is very busy, and something happened to my grandparents; they need someone there. So I stayed at the hospital to take care of my mom. My mom is a very strong person; even though she's in pain, she doesn't want me to tell anyone. So, I didn't tell anyone about my mom's hospitalization, not even my uncles.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruisong's wife immediately showed a surprised expression and asked nervously, "Can your mother walk now? She has no one to take care of her; what will she do? And your father... he's like that too. His wife is giving birth, and he's pretending to be busy with other things. He's truly loyal to his parents, but he's really not good to your family. If I run into your father later, I'll have to give him a good talking to. What kind of person doesn't take care of their wife when she's giving birth? What kind of mess is this?"

“Niece, your mother hasn’t eaten either. She can’t even get out of bed and needs someone to take care of her. She seems to be quite ill. How about this, I’ll have your third uncle cook two more dishes for you to take back to your mother.”

"No, Third Aunt, if my mom knew I was eating here for free, she'd feel embarrassed. She's very shy. If she knew you not only didn't charge me for my meals, but also brought her food for free, she definitely wouldn't eat it even if she went hungry," Zhao Da'e said somewhat awkwardly. "I was just tired of being in the hospital, feeling cooped up inside, and my mood wasn't great. I came out for a stroll, and then I just happened to pass by and decided to check it out. Seeing that your business is so thriving, Third Aunt, actually makes me quite happy."

Third Aunt even treated me to a big meal; the food was really good. I felt so bad about it. My mom doesn't know about this yet, and I dare not bring any food back with me. If she asks, she'll say I'm useless.

Zhang Ruisong's wife said gently and calmly, "Niece, don't worry. Just say that your third aunt forced you to accept it, and that if you don't want it, your third aunt will tear off her own face to give it to you. Let's see if she'll eat it then."

Zhao Da'e looked embarrassed: "This..."

The middle-aged woman stopped arguing and said directly to the kitchen, "Honey, our niece's mother is still in the hospital. Make a few more light and nutritious dishes, and cook a few bowls of millet porridge with ginger. We'll send them to our brother's wife and sister-in-law later."

"No, no, Third Sister, please don't trouble yourself..." Zhao Da'e quickly refused.

The middle-aged woman interrupted Zhao Da'e, saying, "Niece, when you came in, I felt we were destined to meet. We're mother and daughter, we're connected. And I could tell you were in trouble. But I didn't expect it was your mother who was hospitalized."

Everyone has difficult times; life is unpredictable. Everyone wants smooth sailing, but smooth sailing is never truly guaranteed. Now your mother is hospitalized, and you're so young to be taking care of her—it's truly remarkable. When your great-uncle was your age, he was still wearing open-crotch pants and raiding bird nests. You've managed to come to the hospital alone and take care of your mother; you're destined for greatness. With that kind of courage, I simply don't believe you won't achieve great things.”

Zhang Ruisong also came out from the kitchen and said, "From today onwards, you and your mother can stay in the hospital in peace. I'll deliver the meals to you directly. Your mother just gave birth and needs someone to take care of her. Uncle San isn't very skilled; he can only cook a little. Besides, it's our own restaurant, so the costs are low and it won't cost much. Don't make excuses. Otherwise, how can I face your Zhao family again if I need anything?"

Upon hearing what Zhang Ruisong and his wife had said, Zhao Dage felt it would be disrespectful to refuse them any further.

In no time, Zhang Ruisong had cooked several more dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables: bok choy with fresh mushrooms, chicken and potato stir-fry, scrambled eggs with garlic sprouts, and shredded pork with eggs. He also made a lot of millet porridge with ginger and packed it in two lunchboxes to send to Zhao Da'e.

Zhao Da'e was extremely happy, but also a little embarrassed. Her original intention was just to earn a living, but she didn't expect the couple to be so enthusiastic, which made Zhao Da'e feel a bit awkward.

Before leaving, Zhang Ruisong took out two hundred yuan and stuffed it into Zhao Da'e's pocket. Zhao Da'e, holding a lunchbox and several plastic bags of vegetables, had no choice but to accept it. Although he tried to refuse, Zhang Ruisong and his wife were adamant that Zhao Da'e should accept the two hundred yuan as a gift from the couple.

Zhao Da'e felt a little embarrassed, but since she had just been reborn and hadn't earned any money yet, these two hundred yuan would be some start-up capital, making things easier in the future. At the moment, Zhao Da'e's family was destitute, so she accepted the money, thinking that when she became successful, she would never forget the kindness of her third aunt and third uncle.