Chapter 187 Healthy and Strong

Li Xiangqian nodded, feeling helpless and anxious. He knew Zhang Cuihua was right, but the current predicament was indeed difficult to solve. He stood up, walked into the yard, looked at the green vegetable field, and vowed to himself that he must find more food sources as soon as possible.

Just then, Xiaobao ran over, holding a small sweet potato in his hand, and shouted excitedly: "Dad, Mom, I found a sweet potato!"

Li Xiangqian took the sweet potato, with a hint of surprise in his eyes, "Xiaobao, you are really amazing, this sweet potato can be cooked and eaten as a snack."

Zhang Cuihua took the sweet potato and said to Xiaobao with a smile: "Xiaobao, you are really our good child. Mom will cook this sweet potato for you later."

Xiaobao smiled happily and circled around his mother, looking forward to the delicious taste that the little sweet potato would bring. Li Xiangqian looked at his son's smiling face and felt a warm current in his heart. He knew that although life was difficult, as long as the family was together, any difficulties could be overcome.

After lunch, Li Xiangqian decided to go out to see if he could find some extra food. He put on a straw hat, took some simple tools, and prepared to go to the nearby fields to look for some wild vegetables or fruits. Zhang Cuihua watched him go out and was worried, "Xiangqian, be careful, don't go too far."

Li nodded forward, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

He walked out of the courtyard and came to the nearby wild land. The wild land was overgrown with weeds, but Li Xiangqian knew that he could often find some unexpected food in such places. He searched carefully in the weeds, trying to find some wild vegetables or fruits.

Half an hour passed, and Li Xiangqian only found some scattered wild vegetables, not much, but enough to fill his stomach. He continued to search in the grass, and suddenly found a few wild fruit trees not far away. Li Xiangqian's eyes lit up, and he walked over quickly to carefully examine the fruits on the trees. Although these fruits did not look very big, they might be able to fill his stomach.

He picked a few fruits and put them in his bag, feeling a little relieved. Although there were not many fruits, they were at least an extra source of food and could relieve his hunger for a while.

After returning home, Li Xiangqian gave these wild vegetables and fruits to Zhang Cuihua. Zhang Cuihua took the ingredients with a hint of surprise in her eyes, "Xiangqian, these wild vegetables and fruits can improve our meals, which is great."

Li Xiangqian nodded, feeling a little relieved in his heart, "Although these are not much, at least they can make our meals richer."

Zhang Cuihua immediately began to prepare dinner. She used wild vegetables and fruits to make a simple dish. Although the ingredients were simple, the taste was very delicious. During dinner, Xiaobao ate with gusto, with a happy smile on his face.

Li Xiangqian looked at this scene and felt extremely satisfied. He knew that although these ingredients were not much, they brought not only a sense of fullness, but also hope and warmth. He decided to go out more often to find some wild vegetables and fruits and try to improve the family's meals.

As the days passed, Li Xiangqian and Zhang Cuihua continued to work in the vegetable fields, and also took time to look for food in the wild. Although life was still difficult, their efforts paid off, and the family's meals gradually became richer.

One night, Li Xiangqian sat in the yard, looking at the starry sky, and felt extremely peaceful. He knew that although life was still full of challenges, as long as they continued to work hard, they would surely usher in a better future.

Zhang Cuihua came over and said softly, "Xiang Qian, our lives have been much better recently, thanks to you."

Li Xiangqian held her hand and said with a smile: "This is the result of our joint efforts. As long as we unite as one, we can overcome any difficulties."

Zhang Cuihua snuggled up to him and whispered, "Xiang Qian, with you here, I'm not afraid of anything."

Li Xiangqian stood in the yard, looking at the green leaves in the field, but a new plan came to his mind. He knew that these vegetables alone were not enough to completely solve the family's food problem. He remembered that when he was a child, his family raised a few chickens. At that time, his mother could pick up fresh eggs every morning. Although there were not many, they could add some nutrition. Thinking of this, he had an idea in his mind: If he could buy a chicken, life at home would definitely be much better.

This thought became stronger and stronger in Li Xiangqian's heart. Whenever he saw his son Xiaobao's expectant eyes, he felt sad. He knew that it was not easy to realize this wish. Money was not much now, and every penny had to be spent wisely. Although buying a chicken was not expensive, it also required careful consideration.

One weekend morning, Li Xiangqian finally decided to discuss this idea with Zhang Cuihua. During breakfast, he tentatively said, "Cuihua, I'm thinking that if we can buy a chicken, our family might be able to improve a lot."

Zhang Cuihua was serving porridge to Xiao Bao. When she heard this, she looked up at Li Xiangqian with a hint of doubt in her eyes. "Xiangqian, our family doesn't have much money right now. Wouldn't it be a bit extravagant to buy a chicken?"

Li Xiangqian nodded and sighed, "I know that, but with chickens, we can have eggs to eat every morning, and Xiaobao can get more nutrition. Besides, chickens can lay eggs when they grow up, which is also an investment."

Zhang Cuihua was silent for a while, thinking about what Li Xiangqian said. She knew that what Li Xiangqian said made sense. Although she didn't have much money now, buying a chicken was indeed a good idea in the long run. She looked at Xiaobao, who was dipping porridge into vegetable leaves and eating with relish, but her thin figure made her heart ache.

"Okay, let's buy a chicken and try it." Zhang Cuihua finally nodded in agreement.

Li Xiangqian was delighted and decided to go to the town market the next day.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian got up early, put on his washed-out coat, prepared some money, and headed to the town's market. The market was bustling with people, stalls lined up, and all kinds of hawking sounds could be heard. Li Xiangqian walked through the crowd, looking for a stall selling chickens.

Finally, he found a chicken stall in a corner. The stall owner was a middle-aged man. When he saw Li Xiangqian coming, he greeted him enthusiastically: "Brother, would you like to buy some chicken? The chickens here are all raised by my family. They are healthy and strong."

Li Xiangqian approached the stall and carefully selected the chickens in the cages. He wanted to find a healthy hen that could not only lay eggs but also bring more hope. After some selection, he chose a red-crowned hen with shiny feathers and a very active look in the eyes.