PCJ – Chapter 58 Dividing Rabbit Meat

A wild rabbit was cooked in a pot. Zhang Jiaohua thought he could feast and eat heartily, anticipating several more meals to come.

“Jiaohua, go get three bowls,” Liu Qiaoye lifted the lid of the pot and scooped out a piece for the child.

Despite being small, Zhang Jiaohua had skillful eating techniques. The piece of rabbit meat kept rotating in his mouth, dissipating the heat.

Watching the slightly embarrassed child, Zhang Youping and his wife couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why did you bring three bowls, mother? Isn’t there a big bowl here?” Zhang Jiaohua brought out a large bowl from the cupboard and showed it to Liu Qiaoye.

“Every time your grandparents eat something, they bring you a bowl. Now that you have food, you won’t bring them any? And another bowl is for your uncle’s family,” Liu Qiaoye said reluctantly.

“Why should I bring it to my uncle’s house? He scolded me last time. I’ll just pretend he doesn’t exist,” Zhang Jiaohua refused. He didn’t mind his grandparents, though.

“If you don’t bring a bowl to your uncle’s house, do you think your grandparents can eat?” Liu Qiaoye explained.

“In that case, I won’t bring it to my grandparents either. I’ll just ask them to come over. I’ll go call them,” Zhang Jiaohua said, about to run out the door.

“The old folks go to bed early in the evening. They don’t eat dinner at night,” Liu Qiaoye tried to stop him. But Zhang Jiaohua had already run far away.

Zhang Jiaohua quickly reached his grandparents’ old house, pushed the door open, and shouted loudly, “Grandpa, grandma, mom and dad asked me to call you over for meat!”

Zhang Jiaohua’s sudden arrival caught his grandparents off guard. Grandpa and grandma were busy tidying up, while his cousin Zhang Yuanbao quickly hid a bag of candy in his pants.

“Hey, what are you eating?” Seeing the candy in his cousin’s hand, Zhang Jiaohua’s eyes lit up.

“Jiaohua, did you just say we should go to your house for meat? What meat are we eating?” Zhang Manyin tried to change the subject. This matter wasn’t a big deal anyway. The eldest grandson came over begging for snacks. Originally, the old couple managed to treat all their grandchildren equally. But when Zhang Yuanbao, the eldest grandson, came, they showered him with all their affection. When they first had a grandson, they naturally lavished all their love on Zhang Yuanbao. When there was just one grandson, the old couple put all their love on Zhang Yuanbao. Their affection for Zhang Yuanbao naturally exceeded that for the other grandchildren. So Zhang Yuanbao was more attached than the other grandchildren. The old couple couldn’t resist the persistent demands of their grandson, so they took out the hidden candy at home and gave it to him. Zhang Yuanbao knew the ropes.

“Is it the candy you just had?” Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t easily fooled.

“It’s candy, so what? It’s not for you!” Zhang Yuanbao proudly showed off the candy in his hand. If you don’t show off, you’re not a child. Zhang Yuanbao wanted Zhang Jiaohua to know that his grandparents loved him more.

“These candies were received as gifts when your grandpa went to drink last time. You’ve already had yours, but your brother hasn’t,” Ma Donghua explained.

“Paper-wrapped candy, you didn’t get any!” Zhang Yuanbao took out a piece of paper-wrapped candy from his pocket and waved it in front of Zhang Jiaohua.

“I don’t care! We have meat at home. But I won’t give you any. Grandpa, grandma, my mom asked me to call you over for rabbit meat,” Zhang Jiaohua said and left. He was angry. As for the excuses Zhang Manyin and Ma Donghua made, Zhang Jiaohua didn’t believe them at all. Whenever there was something delicious in his grandparents’ hands, when did his cousin not get his share? If there were fewer things, it would be fewer for Zhang Jiaohua.

As soon as Zhang Jiaohua left, Zhang Yuanbao refused to comply. “I want meat too. Grandpa, grandma, you’re biased. Jiaohua has meat to eat, but I don’t. I also want to go to Jiaohua’s house for meat.”

Ma Donghua couldn’t help but frown. “Now it’s trouble, Yuanbao caused trouble. I told you that when you receive gifts in the future, you should give each of these children a share of the candy.”

“If they have any objections, let them. These things are earned by me. If I don’t eat theirs, I won’t wear theirs. I can give them to whoever I want. They have no say in it,” Zhang Manyin said stubbornly.

“Alas, Zhang Youping asked us to go over for dinner. Are you going or not?” Liu Qiaoye asked.

“If they really want us to eat meat, why didn’t they bring it over?” Zhang Manyin was somewhat dissatisfied.

Ma Donghua glanced at Zhang Yuanbao helplessly and said with a smile, “Even if they bring it over, can you have a bite?”

Zhang Manyin angrily took a puff of dry smoke. It’s true he couldn’t have a bite. This eldest grandson had been spoiled since childhood, he was picky, and he would definitely eat it all if it was brought over. Zhang Manyin suddenly understood why Zhang Youping and his wife didn’t bring food over to serve him. But Zhang Youping and his wife didn’t expect Zhang Yuanbao to be eating alone at the old house at this time.

As soon as he heard there was meat to eat, Zhang Yuanbao’s mouth watered. Four years older than Zhang Jiaohua, Zhang Yuanbao was already in third grade. But his brain wasn’t very sharp, he was spoiled and unreasonable. Zhang Yuanbao watched Zhang Jiaohua leave and began to roll around the room, “I want meat, I want meat!”

Zhang Manyin and his wife had no choice but to say, “We don’t have any meat here, if you want to eat meat, go find your uncle.”

But Zhang Yuanbao had a killer move, he didn’t bother to talk to his grandparents, he just displayed his killer move. He slid to the ground, then began rolling non-stop, rolling back and forth, while crying out, “I don’t care, I don’t care, I want meat, I want meat!”

Zhang Manyin and his wife were completely helpless. Zhang Manyin was furious, “With two more grandchildren like you, I might as well go to the back mountain and bury myself alive.”

Ma Donghua also sighed, “Since Qiaoye also asked us to come over, why don’t we take this troublemaker with us?”

Zhang Jiaohua ran back home in one breath and quickly had his mother put a bowl of meat into the cupboard.

Liu Qiaoye naturally understood what her son meant, he was hiding some food for later. But she found it strange that her son looked angry when he came back, “Jiaohua, who made you angry?”

“Grandpa and grandma secretly gave candy to Brother Yuanbao,” Zhang Jiaohua pouted.

“Then you can’t blame your grandparents for favoring him, he’s good at acting cute. If you want to eat, why don’t you go and act cute with your grandparents?” Liu Qiaoye laughed.

“I’m not going.” Zhang Jiaohua grabbed a piece of meat directly from the bowl with his hand and ate it in two or three bites. He even picked a good piece and tore it off to feed it to the little gray dog.

“You child, why are you feeding the dog such good meat?” Zhang Youping said regretfully.

“If it weren’t for Little Gray Dog, I wouldn’t have found the wild rabbit. I have to reward it. Tomorrow, I’ll let it take me hunting again,” Zhang Jiaohua didn’t remember being chased all over the mountain by that wild boar.