Colorful years

Grandma's three large wooden houses with tiled roofs are right in front of us, sincerely waiting for the grandfather and grandson to visit.

"Oh my, father-in-law, what brings you two here today?" Grandma greeted them with a beaming smile upon hearing that there were guests.

“Mother-in-law, Congcong and I went to Shentang Bay yesterday to check on Zhong’er who was digging for gourds there. We just got back from Shentang Bay and were thinking of staying here for the night,” Grandpa quickly replied.

"Grandma, I missed you so much!" Congcong was overjoyed when he saw his grandma and rushed into her arms.

Grandma gently stroked Congcong's little head and said happily, "Congcong, it's been half a year since I last saw you, and you've grown quite a bit taller."

Congcong nestled obediently in her grandmother's arms, fully enjoying her warmth and love.

He tilted his head back, blinked his bright, sparkling eyes, and said with a grin, "Grandma, I missed you so much! This time I'm coming, I'm going to spend a few days playing with you!"

Grandma beamed, gently patting Congcong's back, and said tenderly, "Oh, my little darling. Grandma is so happy you came to visit! I'll cook you some delicious food these next few days, okay?"

Congcong nodded excitedly, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. He hugged his grandmother tightly, feeling the deep affection between them.

Meanwhile, the grandfather, watching the affectionate interaction between his grandfather and grandson, beamed with joy.

Just then, my maternal grandfather, Shi Bangjie, arrived at the door, holding a long pipe in his hand. He leisurely took a puff and then slowly exhaled a total of thirty-six smoke rings.

Then, with a kind smile on his face, Grandpa called out to Congcong, "Congcong, my good grandson, come here and let Grandpa take a good look at you."

"Grandpa, I missed you so much!" As soon as Congcong heard his grandfather's voice, he immediately broke free from his grandmother's warm embrace and ran to his grandfather like a little rabbit.

"Congcong, what happened to your forehead?" The grandfather looked Congcong over carefully and was surprised to find a scar on his forehead.

"Grandpa, it's alright. I accidentally got bitten by a piece of wood a month ago, but it's almost healed now," Congcong said, his tone tinged with humor.

"Oh, poor Congcong, it's been so hard on us. Oh well, let bygones be bygones." Grandpa said, gently stroking Congcong's forehead with heartache. Then he continued, "Grandpa will go and catch the old hen we keep at home and kill it. I'll have your grandma cook you a good meal to help you recover."

As soon as he finished speaking, Grandpa let go of Congcong, turned around and ran happily towards the yard, ready to catch a chicken!

Grandpa's movements as he caught the chicken were incredibly nimble, just like when he was young. He tiptoed closer to the old hen that was leisurely foraging for food, his eyes filled with affection, as if he were looking at his own child.

The old hen seemed to sense something and flapped its wings, trying to run away, but Grandpa was quick and grabbed its wing in an instant, easily lifting it up.

This old hen is almost two years old, which is considered "old" for a chicken. We've never been able to bring ourselves to kill her for meat, mainly because she lays so many eggs—up to 300 a year! And she even helped my grandma's family incubate two broods of chicks.

Back then, three eggs could be exchanged for a pound of salt, so farmers wouldn't easily kill a hen! Usually, they would kill the roosters that didn't lay eggs, since hens were the family's "cash cow"!

Therefore, every household in the countryside raises an old hen, which can lay eggs to sell for money and hatch chicks. How wonderful! The Zhang family is no exception. Their old hen is two and a half years old. In the past two years, she has laid a lot of eggs and hatched three broods of chicks. She has really done a great job!

Because the old hen has always been free-range, it has spent a lot of time roaming outside and has absorbed a lot of the essence of the sun and moon, making its meat incredibly tender. Whether stewed or stir-fried, it has an irresistible aroma that makes people's mouths water.

In addition, this soup, carefully simmered from an old hen, is extremely nutritious. For this reason, people often choose to use this soup to supplement the nutrients needed by mothers in their postpartum period, as well as patients who need to recuperate after illness or injury.

A month ago, the news that Zhang Cong had suffered a head injury came as a devastating blow, causing his parents immense grief. In order to help their son recover as quickly as possible, they decided without hesitation to slaughter their poultry to nourish him. Thus, their two robust and imposing roosters became their first choice.

However, faced with the hen that had always worked so hard and made such a great contribution, they couldn't bear to do it and hesitated to do so.

It's important to understand that the Zhang family is large, and their financial burden is quite heavy. Despite the parents' tireless work from dawn till dusk, ensuring the family's basic needs are met remains a significant challenge. Therefore, this hen holds extraordinary importance for the entire Zhang family.

However, today, when Zhang Cong's maternal grandparents learned that their beloved grandson had suffered a severe head injury, the two elderly people were so heartbroken that tears almost welled up in their eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, they slaughtered the old hen that they usually regarded as a precious gem.

This incident clearly shows how important Zhang Cong is in his grandparents' hearts!

"Grandpa, let me help you!" Seeing his elderly grandfather slowly stand up to catch chickens, the sensible Congcong immediately ran over happily, eager to lend a helping hand and contribute his own strength.