Call Me Daddy

Deng Guohua looked at the eager eyes in the crowd, opened his mouth but said nothing, and his eyes felt a bit moist.

To be honest, before Niu Aihong proposed sending food to the troops, he, as a village official, didn’t have such a high level of political awareness. The first thing he thought about was still how to take care of their own small lives.

Food was so scarce now, and no one could predict how things would be in the future. As the village chief, his mind was preoccupied with how to ensure that everyone stockpiled food properly and didn’t sell it, to avoid ending up hungry in case of emergencies.

Deng Guohua’s thoughts weren’t wrong at all; who isn’t selfish? But when he thought about the massive floods a few years ago, not only did the government and military come, but volunteers also came from all directions. They not only brought supplies but also risked their lives to help the troops with disaster relief.

They didn’t owe them anything. They contributed money and effort, so why, when it was their turn to have some surplus, should they hesitate?

Deng Guohua fished out a cigarette from his pocket, glanced at the women and children in the room, and just held the cigarette in his mouth without lighting it.

He looked around. Even the shrewdest old woman in the village didn’t refute Niu Aihong’s words.

“We, the village officials, will draft a regulation on this matter. Everyone should also consider their own food reserves and donate food within their capacity if necessary.”

This was how the matter was settled for the time being.

The room suddenly became noisy again. Everyone had an idea of their own food reserves and was calculating how much they could contribute.

***

After the village meeting, Su Aobai and his mother walked back home together.

When the village meeting was held, Kong Yao stayed at home to look after the child and didn’t come. Given the current situation, the child’s school start was indefinitely postponed. Su Yiqing was busy with his work in the government, and staying in the government department made it easier to get first-hand information. During the day, the couple only had time to exchange a few words.

Su Yiqing asked his wife to stay with their son in the countryside. There were people and food there. Even if the situation became chaotic, the area was filled with old neighbors they had known for decades, and there were also many relatives, so they could support each other and live in peace.

Kong Yao was worried about her husband, but she also knew that staying in the countryside was the best choice for their family. Therefore, during the day, she and her brother-in-law drove back and forth between the city and the countryside several times. They not only exchanged valuable items for supplies but also brought back some useful things from their home.

However, she didn’t forget to leave some food and drinking water at home. In case the government’s food supply fell short, her husband wouldn’t go hungry in the short term. After all, there was no signal now, and it was inconvenient to contact them, so they couldn’t know her husband’s situation immediately.

As for her parents, Kong Yao had also specifically gone back to remind them.

Kongjia Village, where Kong Yao’s family was from, was named after the Kong surname. Kong was a prominent surname there, and the local customs were famously united and fierce.

Kong Yao’s parents had only one daughter, but her father had eight brothers and over a dozen nephews. The entire family had a close relationship, and Kong Yao wasn’t worried about her parents being bullied, as her large and strong cousins were no pushovers.

However, Kong Yao had also made up her mind that if the situation couldn’t be controlled, she would either move to her parents’ house with her mother-in-law and brother-in-law or bring her parents to live with her. No matter how deep the bond with relatives, it was still reassuring to have them close by.

“Woof, woof, woof!”

As the mother and son walked along the country path, Deng Caihua, who was worried and lamenting the strange state of the world, was startled by a large yellow dog from a house nearby.

The dog was barking loudly at them, and if it weren’t for the iron chain around its neck, it might have charged at them.

The old lady observed the small hole that the yellow dog had dug with its four legs working like motors, churning up mud. The dog was digging earnestly, but because of the chain around its neck, it could only make the hole deeper.

Was it trying to dig a hole to bury itself?

The old lady, her heartbeat still unsettled from the sudden barking, had a strange thought. She had seen and even fed this dog bones before. It had never reacted this way to her before.

Now, it seemed eager to pounce on her, not like it was reacting aggressively to a stranger. With its long tongue out and its tail wagging furiously, it seemed more like it wanted to lick her and be friendly.

The old lady wasn’t foolish, and after several such encounters, she began to have doubts.

“Quick, let’s go!”

The old lady tugged at her son’s clothes, hurriedly heading home as if chased by a dog.

Indeed, there was a dog chasing them, but it was a dog constrained by a chain.

Not long after the mother and son left, the dog’s owner returned home.

“Da Huang! Which little rascal buried you in a hole?”

The owner exclaimed as he entered the yard and saw the yellow dog, which had been tied up before they left, now half-buried in the pit. The dog looked like it had suffered, its energy drained, with its tongue hanging out weakly.

The owner quickly went over and lifted the dog out of the pit. He didn’t consider that the dog might have dug the hole itself but thought that some local child had played a prank on his dog.

The dog, now taken out of the pit, lay weakly on the ground, obediently allowing its owner to brush the dirt off its fur, occasionally letting out pitiful whimpers.

Da Huang: I’m tired; I’m done with it…

The aggrieved Da Huang watched the direction Deng Caihua had left in, wondering what kind of magic that woman possessed to make it so captivated.

***

“This doesn’t make any sense. Why does everything seem to be going crazy?”

“When did this start? Could it be that something went wrong with the medicine at the hospital?”

Along the way, the old lady was anxious and couldn’t pay attention to her son. She muttered to herself.

From the abnormal sparrows during her hospital stay to the unusual poultry she encountered when returning to the village, and then to the mad wild boar and the previous yellow dog, the old lady deeply realized that the problem wasn’t with these animals but with herself.

“Mom, what are you muttering about by yourself?”

Su Aobai had heard all of the old lady’s murmurs. He had been observing and noting everything that happened to her, understanding that all these changes were related to the recent upheaval. However, he couldn’t directly articulate it.

But the old lady’s confusion wouldn’t last long. Soon, the people who had undergone changes would appear one by one to the public.

The old lady wasn’t the only one, but her abilities were undoubtedly the most unique. Even now, Su Aobai couldn’t come to a precise conclusion about her abilities.

Let’s call it animal attraction for now. It seemed to garner a lot of affection from animals, which was quite different from Su Su’s awakening power to control animals.

Su Aobai looked at the slightly short and plump, shrewd old lady beside him and couldn’t help but smile. It was hard to associate such a person, who could throw a tantrum, argue with others in the village, and roll on the ground with abandon, with the image of a druid.

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking about things.”

The youngest son’s words interrupted Deng Caihua’s thoughts.

She couldn’t straightforwardly express her doubts to her son. In her mind, he was still a child who had not grown up. She didn’t want to worry him with such strange matters.

Besides, everything was still just her speculation. What if it was all just coincidence?

“I’m just relieved that you’re back home. Otherwise, I’d be in the same state as Zhi Yong’s mother now.”

Deng Caihua thought of Ma Aifang’s despondent face. If she saw her old rival like this on a regular day, she would surely be pleased enough to eat a few extra bowls of rice and even show off the bowl in front of her, savoring her adversary’s miserable expression.

But the situation now was different. Putting herself in Ma Aifang’s shoes, if she couldn’t reach her family, she feared she would be even worse off than Ma Aifang.

She still had two sons and a granddaughter living nearby, but Ma Aifang only had Lin Zhiyong as her son, and her grandchildren were not around. If something happened to them, it would truly be the end for Ma Aifang.

“Er Bai, do you think Zhi Yong will be okay? He’s such a capable person…”

Normally, Deng Caihua would never admit that Ma Aifang had a successful son.

“Mom, don’t worry. Zhi Yong will be fine.”

Su Aobai glanced through the memories of his past self. Lin Zhiyong would soon return with his whole family, but the journey had been fraught with hardships. And after they returned…

But those were family matters. At least they would come back whole and intact, which was much better compared to their previous lives.

“I thought so too.”

Su Aobai’s reassurance made Deng Caihua feel much better. She believed that her son, working in a big city, surely had more insight than her, an old woman from the countryside. Since he believed Lin Zhiyong would be okay, then he probably would be.

She just hoped that the boy had enough resources and could find a way to send back news of their safety. She didn’t want to see Ma Aifang’s long face every day. It was already long enough, and if it drooped further, it might rival the face of the old Wang family’s donkey.

***

When they returned home, it was getting dark. The kitchen chimney was emitting thick white smoke, and the aroma of rice and the rich scent of stir-fried cured meat could be faintly smelled.

After a busy day with little time to eat, Su Aobai and Deng Caihua were both hungry.

In the yard, Su Yuan and his little cousin Su Su were squatting with a jar, feeding worms to the chickens and ducks.

When Deng Caihua entered, the poultry stirred for a moment.

“Da Hua, Xiao Huang, Wu Hua…”

Su Su mumbled, attracting the attention of the poultry. The jar she held was filled with earthworms that she and her brother had dug up from the field. Using a twig, she distributed the worms to the chickens and ducks in front of her.

The little girl was fair in her distribution, letting each one have a turn. No one was allowed to cut in line. The chickens and ducks were well-behaved, none of them stretching their necks impatiently to peck at the worms in her arms.

Su Yuan stood by, unable to help, as the poultry clearly knew his cousin better. He could only watch, hoping that, in time, the chickens and ducks would also enjoy the worms he gave them.

Seeing this scene, the old lady felt relieved.

The poultry she raised were all behaving well and didn’t go mad when they saw her. It was clear that the problem lay with the animals outside, not with her.

“Hehe, it’s just childish behavior. Giving names to the chickens and ducks, as if they’re pets. If they end up being eaten in the future, it would be quite a tearful affair.”

Su Aobai found the scene with the children endearing and amusing. He couldn’t remember if he had ever been so childlike when he was young.

But now that emotions were involved, Su Aobai felt a bit of a headache, already worrying about how to comfort the little girl who would be upset when it came time to slaughter the chickens and ducks.

Deng Caihua rolled her eyes at her son and, as she walked into the yard, told her granddaughter, who was feeding the chicks like a mother hen, “Wu Hua is already quite fat. We’ll eat it in a couple of days.”

The old lady sighed inwardly, noting that her granddaughter and son didn’t spend enough time together.

“It should be braised!”

The chubby little girl suddenly looked up, her round eyes gleaming in the dusk.

Su Aobai thought he even heard a slurping sound.

He stared at his daughter, seeing no sign of reluctance—what a heartless and greedy little girl!