Crossing the Unknown Country

Tang Dabao readily agreed. As soon as Su He told him the address of the store, he knew it. There was no place in this town that he didn't know. They walked around the streets and alleys every day and knew everything. They were actually young. When they were older and could work, they could earn more money and rent a decent house, and they wouldn't be beggars anymore.

Su He took out twenty coins from his pocket and gave them to him. He also took out ten coins and said, "The twenty coins are for all of you. These ten coins are for you. Go buy some buns for yourself. Only when you are full can you have enough energy to chop wood."

Tang Dabao looked at this girl who was younger than him. Today he knew her name was Su He. What a nice name. He kept nodding and thanking her. He appreciated her kindness and would definitely repay her when he had the chance.

Tang Dabao went straight back to the temple, bought some steamed buns on the way, and returned with twenty coins. The older children in the temple had not returned yet, and only a few little ones stayed there. He took out two steamed buns for them to share.

Several children laughed and shouted: "Brother Dabao is the best. He brought us steamed buns again."

Dabao asked them to eat quickly, otherwise when the older kids came back, some of them would be too bossy and snatch their buns.

There was no other way. Everyone was hungry. They would rush to eat whatever they saw. They would take more of what they wanted, and share what others gave them. They could not eat alone. This was the rule of their temple. These children were always hungry. Dabao would always bring back food when they were not around and let them eat secretly. He did not dare to let the older children know.

When all the children came back later, Dabao handed them the steamed buns he bought and told them what Su He asked them to do. Everyone was willing to do it and said there was no problem at all. They asked for food and did the job at the same time, and they were paid for it. How nice it was.

They asked Dabao to buy some rice in the afternoon, and they cooked porridge in the broken pot. It had been a long time since they had hot porridge. The children, big and small, were very happy. They could get leftovers from the store in the future. It was such a good thing.

A group of children discussed what to say tomorrow, and they must let everyone in the town know that a Su's Tofu Snack Shop had opened in the town.

Su He followed his father back to the shop. Grandpa and uncle had not come back yet, but grandma and aunt had come back. Su He's mother had also packed up. They were sitting on the kang in the back room talking. The bedding had been made, and the children could sleep here tonight. It was time to pick up the four boys, so Su He's father drove the car to pick them up.

At noon, the whole family cooked here. Grandma Su He went into the kitchen and started to light the fire. Su He was cooking at noon today, preparing to make egg stewed noodles. There were always noodles in Su He's car. When Grandma Su He came, she brought a large basket of eggs. The chickens at home are laying eggs now.

After a while, the fragrant stew was ready. The stew was made with eggs squeezed from the sauce. There were a lot of green leafy vegetables brought from home, which were chopped into pieces with water and eaten as side dishes.

At noon, Grandpa and Uncle also came back, and they just arrived at the shop. Over there, Su He's father also came back with Su Pei and his four brothers. They smiled and said that it was so close, and they didn't need to pick them up in the future, and could walk home by themselves.

The four people entered the store, looked around and agreed that this store was really good, clean, bright and in a good location. They were even more satisfied when they walked to the backyard. The four of them lived in two rooms, which were almost the same as their original home. The bedding was all new, which was good. They must study hard in the future. The four people also knew that their family bought the store mainly for them, so that they could study, live and eat conveniently.

The four of them hadn't seen enough when they were called to eat. When the noodles were served, they immediately felt very hungry. The aroma was too tempting. They picked up their bowls and ate them. The rice cooked by my sister was fragrant and delicious. The family drank all the soup and everyone was full.