Chapter 15 - The Dog: Unbearable, Absolutely Unbearable!
Chapter 15: The Dog: Unbearable, Absolutely Unbearable!
Dinnertime arrived promptly. The grown-ups presented delectable dishes one after another, placing them on the dining table. A few playful children were still frolicking around the table, receiving admonishments from their respective parents. They soon settled down, preparing to eat.
After some time, a large family of over a dozen people gathered around the dining table.
Initially, everyone was in good spirits, relishing the delicious dishes, discussing everyday life, and sharing stories. Before long, the second sister signaled to her elder brother.
Elder brother, Song Bang, naturally understood his sister’s intent. She wanted him to take the lead and jointly encourage Song Juying not to be excessively frugal in the future.
Occasional “extravagance” was acceptable and perhaps even advantageous. At that moment, it appeared that fate was on his side, offering him an opportunity. A piece of meat accidentally fell on the floor. Song Juying noticed and promptly retrieved it with her chopsticks.
“Mom, don’t eat that.”
“The floor isn’t tiled. This cement floor is quite dirty,” Qin Kebang immediately advised.
In the countryside, it was different from the city. In some places, houses had cement floors, and every step would stir up dust. So, that piece of meat had undoubtedly picked up plenty of dirt and bacteria from the floor, resembling a layer of gray flour.
“You guys just don’t understand frugality.”
Seeing that her persuasion wasn’t working, Qin Kebang changed his approach:
“Give it to the dog; what if we get sick from eating it?”
Song Juying immediately glared at Qin Kebang and said, “Such a good piece of meat, and you want to give it to the dog?”
“In our time, this piece of meat would make a young lady with good looks cry her eyes out!”
With that, she walked over to the sink, rinsed the meat under the tap, and then took a bite. The group of children was momentarily speechless. Unpersuadable, utterly unyielding. Well, they would have to take it slowly. Some habits weren’t easy to change overnight.
“Mom, I want to eat.”
Qin Keshuang’s daughter, Xiaoxuan, picked up her rice bowl, indicating that she wanted to eat.
Qin Keshuang nodded and said, “Mom will serve you.”
Qin Keshuang approached the cooked rice with the rice bowl in hand. She opened the pot lid, and hot steam emanated from it. The hot steam reached Qin Keshuang’s face, carrying with it the aroma of the rice.
“Hmm?”
Qin Keshuang sniffed carefully, her nose picking up an indescribable strange smell in the rice. What could be causing this unusual odor?
“Is it old rice?” Qin Keshuang shook her head without thinking too much.
She thought Song Juying bought the cheapest aged rice to save money.
“Let’s make do and have a meal.”
Qin Keshuang sighed and served herself half a bowl of rice. Soon, other family members came one by one to get their servings. The large pot of rice quickly dwindled. After finishing the meal, everyone began cleaning up. During this time, the children discussed and decided to hold a “family discussion” tomorrow during the day to correct Song Juying’s stubborn old-fashioned thinking.
“Xiaoxuan, take this and feed the dog.”
Song Juying prepared dishwashing water mixed with leftover chicken and pork bones, turning it into dog food.
“Okay.”
Xiaoxuan obediently nodded, carrying the dog food and pouring it into the dog’s bowl. The big yellow dog immediately wagged its tail excitedly and began eating eagerly.
At night, over a dozen people crowded into the old and worn house, making do for the night. The house had been divided into six separate rooms a long time ago, and each sibling had their own private space.
“Qin Kebang’s, did you sleep here all the time when you were a child?”
Qin Kebang’s wife, Liu Rongli, was sleeping in his old family home for the first time. She knew that Qin Kebang had a difficult childhood, but she didn’t realize it was this challenging.
“In this place, you must even bend your legs to sleep,” said Liu Rongli.
“Yeah,” Qin Kebang replied. “Childhood was tough. I can understand why my mom was so thrifty, sometimes excessively.”
“We were so poor..,” Qin Kebang sighed.
“Listen, what if we bring our parents to the city? Hire a caretaker to take care of them and let them enjoy their lives?” Suggested Liu Rongli.
Hearing Liu Rongli’s suggestion, Qin Kebang chuckled, “It’s good to have that filial piety in you.”
“But you’ve forgotten that we’ve already discussed bringing them to the city for elderly care.”
“The thing is, they don’t want to. In the city, they won’t even have someone to talk to. In the countryside, there are still some elderly folks their age to chat with. As for hiring a caretaker…”
“People who pick up dropped rice from the floor and eat it would feel like they’re wasting money if we hire a caregiver. They’d probably be heartbroken over the expenses!” Liu Rongli, after hearing the discussion, was momentarily at a loss.
“Let’s go to sleep for now. We can have a good talk with your parents tomorrow.”
Qin Kebang kissed Liu Rongli on the forehead, and the two of them prepared to go to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Qin Kebang was in a pleasant dream when he suddenly felt an “earthquake.” He opened his eyes to find his wife, Liu Rongli, shaking her arm.
“Why are you awake at this hour? What’s wrong?” Asked Qin Kebang.
Qin Kebang was instantly puzzled.
“My stomach hurts. Can you accompany me to the toilet? I’m too scared to go alone,” Liu Rongli replied.
There was no indoor flush toilet. There was only a separate outdoor dry toilet. At this late hour, Liu Rongli didn’t dare to go alone. Without complaining, Qin Kebang threw on some clothes and accompanied Liu Rongli outside. However, when they reached the outdoor toilet, they found the door locked.
Someone was inside!
“Who’s out there?” A slightly trembling female voice came from inside.
Qin Kebang quickly recognized that it was his younger sister, Qin Keshuang.
“It’s me, your elder brother,” said Qin Kebang.
“My wife has a stomachache, so I’m accompanying her to the toilet.”
“Oh, oh, it’s Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law.”
“Just wait a moment. I’ll be done soon.”
Before long, Qin Keshuang emerged from the outdoor toilet. Simultaneously, a foul odor wafted out.
“What did you eat tonight? It smells so bad,” Qin Kebang commented, wrinkling his nose.
“I had an upset stomach. Can you expect the stool not to stink?”
“Sister-in-law, I’m sorry.”
Qin Keshuang didn’t seem embarrassed and simply returned to her room. Liu Rongli had initially considered waiting for the odor to dissipate before entering but found her stomachache too severe to endure. So, pinching her nose, she entered the outdoor toilet. Inside, there was soon the sound of splashing, indicating that the diarrhea had struck. Outside, Qin Kebang distanced himself slightly from the toilet.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the house.
“Big Brother.”
Qin Kajing, the third sister, clutching her stomach, appeared somewhat surprised upon seeing Qin Kebang.
“What’s wrong? Stomachache?” Qin Kebang asked upon noticing Qin Kajing’s discomfort.
“Yes,” Qin Kajing nodded.
“It’s strange. All of you women seem to have upset stomachs,” Qin Kebang shook his head slightly, finding it rather unusual.
“All of us?” Asked Qin Kajing.
“Is your wife also having stomach troubles?” Qin Kajing pointed to the outdoor toilet.
Qin Kebang nodded, “Yes.”
“Earlier, your second sister had stomach issues too.”
“Second sister had stomach problems, too?”
“No, no, I can’t hold it any longer. Wife, how much longer for you?”
Qin Kajing first appeared puzzled. Then she clamped her legs together, her face contorted in pain and asked if Liu Rongli was almost done in the outdoor toilet.
“I’m done. I’ll be out soon,” Liu Rongli replied.
Once Liu Rongli came out, Qin Kajing, not minding the smell, rushed inside.
“I’m good now, let’s go back,” Liu Rongli looked much more relieved.
“I need to go too. My stomach is acting up,” Qin Kebang said, massaging his belly.
“Huh?”
“Alright, I’ll go first,” Liu Rongli said after hesitating.
She wondered if stomach issues could be contagious. Shaking her head, she didn’t dwell on it any longer and returned to her room to sleep. Returning to her room, Liu Rongli had only just laid down when she felt her stomach starting to ache again, and the discomfort was intensifying.
“I can’t hold it. I must go to the toilet.”
Liu Rongli got up once more and walked out of the room. However, what happened next left her dumbfounded.
In front of the outdoor toilet, there was an actual queue!
Song Juying and her husband were there, and Qin Keshuang, her husband and daughter. Qin Kajing, her husband, and her daughter were also waiting. Even Qin Kebang’s fourth and fifth siblings and their families were present. Over a dozen people had gathered there, all waiting to use the outdoor toilet. Inside the toilet, Liu Rongli’s husband, Qin Kebang, was currently occupied.
“This… What’s going on here?”
“What’s the situation?”
And so it went. A small outdoor toilet endured the inhumane ordeal of a relentless stream of people. Not far away, their watchdog, Da Huang, had dug a hole to bury its nose. Even the dog couldn’t stand the smell coming from the outdoor toilet.
Unbearable, absolutely unbearable…
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