Chapter 6: Mother and Son Starved Like Dogs

The Chen family lived not far from the clinic, about a mile away.

Li Xinyue carried her son, Gou’er, and reached home in about fifteen minutes.

As soon as she entered the courtyard of the Chen family, she found it quiet, with no one around.

It seemed everyone had gone to work in the production team.

In the era of work points, no work meant no money.

Without money, they would be in trouble when they went to the production team to request grain rations.

Of course, this couldn’t be blamed on the people in the production team. If no one went to work, who would farm the land?

“Mom, I’m hungry.”

Li Xinyue was even hungrier. She kissed her son’s little face: “Okay, Mom will make you some food, just hold on for a little while.”

“Okay!”

Although Gou’er’s fever had subsided, he was still weak.

He lay on Li Xinyue’s shoulder, obediently responding.

What a good son!

Li Xinyue’s heart softened again.

However, when they entered the kitchen, they discovered that the pot was cleaner than a dog’s tongue.

The entire kitchen, except for a water jar and the salt jar in the corner of the stove, was empty!

Gou’er immediately started to cry: “Mom, they ate all the food, we have no food to eat.”

It wasn’t that they ate all the food, but that they hid it!

Li Xinyue’s heart ached, and she was furious.

However, she couldn’t get angry in front of her son!

She put down her child and led him out of the kitchen.

Li Xinyue looked at the tightly closed door of the Chen family, then walked towards the backyard.

“Cluck, cluck, cluck…”

Luckily, she heard a rooster crowing as soon as she reached the backyard.

“Baby, Mom will cook you an egg.”

Cook an egg?

Gou’er couldn’t remember when he last ate an egg. For a moment, his dull eyes lit up!

However, thinking of his grandmother’s fierce appearance, his eyes dimmed again…

“Mom, I don’t need to eat eggs, I can just eat potato starch porridge!”

Potato starch porridge?

In her memory, this mother and son almost lived on this kind of food, no wonder they were so thin!

Why!

The original owner was like an old ox in this family, even more so than an old ox.

She slept later than a dog and woke up earlier than a chicken, but she couldn’t even get decent clothes or food!

And her husband still sent back twenty-five yuan every month.

You know, a private teacher’s salary was only 20 yuan a month!

She earned the work points, she raised the chickens and ducks, why did she and her son have to eat potato starch porridge?

Gritting her teeth, Li Xinyue had made up her mind!

“Baby, we won’t eat potato starch porridge today!”

“We’ll eat egg soup first, and then Mom will kill a duck for you to eat later!”

You can’t eat chicken soup when you have a cold, so eat duck soup!

Hearing this, Gou’er was scared!

“Mom, you can’t, you can’t!”

“Grandma will beat you to death, I don’t want you to die, I don’t want you to die!”

The mournful cry like a kitten pierced Li Xinyue’s heart, making it feel like it was being gouged out with a knife.

She tightly hugged her son, who she had just put down, as if swearing: “Baby, Mom won’t be beaten to death by her!”

“Mom promises you, she will live well!”

“Live to see you grow up, get married, and have children!”

Gou’er couldn’t think that far ahead; he only knew that as long as his mother wasn’t beaten to death by his grandmother, that would be enough.

“Really? Mom, Grandma really won’t beat you to death?”

Li Xinyue nodded firmly: “Don’t worry, Mom won’t lie to you, a god gave me supernatural powers last night!”

“From now on, whoever bullies us, I’ll deal with them!”

“You sit here, Mom will cook you an egg first.”

My goodness!

Mom has a god’s help?

Gou’er’s big eyes lit up again, and he obediently agreed.

He really wanted to eat an egg!

He had only eaten an egg once, and it was truly delicious!

There was indeed an egg in the chicken coop, laid by an old hen with feathered legs.

The autumn harvest season was approaching, and the farm’s chickens and ducks couldn’t be let out, so they were all kept in cages.

After searching, she only found one.

One egg was simply not enough to fill their stomachs.

After starting a fire, Li Xinyue instructed her son to be careful with the flames and went to the vegetable garden to pick a handful of greens. She cooked a simple soup with the egg and greens.

There was no oil, but the salt jar was in the corner of the stove.

They were so hungry that the salted egg and vegetable soup filled the boy’s eyes with light.

“Mom, the egg soup is so good!”

Looking at the boy’s bright face, Li Xinyue’s heart ached.

The original owner truly didn’t deserve to be a mother!

Didn’t she know that a mother would do anything for her child?

For her child, no matter how disappointed she was, she couldn’t continue living like this.

And this name…

This child would be her son from now on, and this nickname would make him feel inferior later on!

Her son would never be a laborer!

“Baby, Mom will give you a new name. From now on, you’ll be called… Chen Yiheng, nicknamed Yiyi.”

“When you’re older, Mom will teach you how to write.”

“Do you like it?”

Of course, he liked it!

Every day, the boy was called “Little Donkey” and “Mangy Dog,” and he had hated those names.

But his cousins said he was the dog of the Chen family, so he could only be called that!

But now, he could have a new name!

“Mom, this name sounds so good, I like it!”

Although the boy didn’t know what the three characters “Chen Yiheng” meant, he knew it was a new name his mother had given him.

From now on, he wouldn’t be “Little Donkey” or “Mangy Dog” anymore!

His mom was so good now, he really liked her, he really liked her!

This child was truly heartbreaking, but just a new name made him so happy.

Li Xinyue felt a lump in her throat.

She tightened her grip on the boy.

“If you like it, then that’s good. From now on, if anyone calls you “Dog,” you tell them your name is Chen Yiheng.”

“Yi means ‘standing firm,’ like a strong and upright person, someone who doesn’t bend to pressure and doesn’t get knocked down.”

“Heng means forever, forever standing tall, do you understand?”

“If they insist on calling you ‘Dog,’ just ignore them.”

The boy nodded vigorously: “Mom, I remember, my name is Chen Yiheng!”

“Yi means standing firm, and Heng means forever! I will stand tall, and no one will knock me down!”

This child was so smart!

Li Xinyuegave the boy a thumbs up: “That’s right, that’s the idea. From now on, we will learn our skills, and no one can bully us!”

Yes, he would learn skills, he wouldn’t be bullied anymore!

The boy’s eyes lit up, his lips puffed out, and his face was filled with determination!

However, he still couldn’t believe it.

“Mom, can I really go to school from now on?”

“Like my brothers Fu Gui and Fu Qiang, go to school?”

Fu Gui was the son of the eldest Chen, and Fu Qiang was the son of the second Chen.

One was ten years old, and the other was eight, both were Chen Yiheng’s cousins.

Li Xinyue nodded: “Of course, you can. You’ll not only go to school, but you’ll also go to university in the capital city.”

“As long as you study hard, wherever you want to go to university, Mom will send you there!”

Wow, that’s great!

He could go to school!

Chen Yiheng was truly happy.

Although he didn’t know what “university” meant, nor where the capital city was.

But he was happy that he could go to school.