Before he arrived, Charles Brooks had already asked Robert to fetch a bamboo stalk. While soaking his feet, he scraped off the outer green skin of the bamboo, revealing the pale greenish-white part inside, and carefully shaved it off in strips. This is a kind of Chinese medicinal herb called "fresh bamboo shavings." If left to dry thoroughly, it is called "bamboo shavings."

This medicinal herb is slightly cold in nature and sweet in taste; it can clear the lungs and resolve phlegm. If used fresh, it is especially good for clearing heat. Boiled together with silkworm droppings and dried tangerine peel, it makes an excellent remedy for reducing fever, stopping vomiting, and relieving headaches and body aches caused by fever. Most people only need to drink it once to bring down a fever. For severe cases, two or three doses may be needed, and once the fever is gone, there’s no need to drink more.

Charles Brooks, eager to recover, drank three bowls in a row, then slept soundly all afternoon. When he got up in the evening, he felt light all over, his headache was gone, and he had regained his strength.

Seeing their brother fully recovered, Henry jumped up and down with excitement, and Robert grinned from ear to ear.

Looking at the coal-black face of Little Henry and the sweat-and-dirt-streaked face of the dark Robert, a kind of brotherly affection he had never felt before began to well up in Charles Brooks's heart. He hugged his two younger brothers tightly...

※※※

"Gurururu..." An untimely sound interrupted this moment of warmth.

"Damn, hungry again." Charles Brooks let go, feeling frustrated.

"It was me..." the dark Robert admitted honestly.

"I'm hungry too..." Little Henry said softly.

The two kids had been busy for him all day, and those few pieces of peach crisps had long been digested. Although they hadn’t stopped drinking hot water, how could water alone fill their stomachs?

Fortunately, at that moment, the kind-hearted Uncle Lu and another Uncle Hou came by after work to check on them. Seeing that Charles was out of danger, they were very happy and left three more buns, instructing, "Take care and recover before fetching water again. As long as we have food, you won’t go hungry."

After seeing them off, Robert and Henry were happy because they had dinner to look forward to. But Charles Brooks's face was grim... The innocent children didn’t realize that, counting from yesterday, that hateful aunt had not given them any food for two whole days, let alone sought medical help for him.

If it weren’t for David Brooks and the kind coworkers, and if he didn’t have memories beyond those of a ten-year-old child, he would be either dead or barely alive by now. This realization filled him with rage. Remembering the old hag’s words from the morning, he was even more furious. Even if he didn’t take up a knife, he had to vent his anger today.

Having made up his mind, he stopped being angry, put on the pot of green broad beans he had promised Little Henry yesterday, and let his two younger brothers lean against him, eating buns while listening to his made-up story of "Sun Wukong’s battle with the Black Whirlwind."

Not long after they finished the buns, the tempting aroma of beans wafted from the pot. The two kids lost interest in his stories, staring wide-eyed, eagerly waiting for the water in the pot to boil. The hunger children felt at this moment was something their descendants could never understand. Only those who have gone hungry for a long time can truly know the tragedy of constantly thinking about food... No matter how exciting Charles Brooks's stories were, they couldn’t compete with the allure of food.

When they couldn’t wait any longer, they would lift the lid to see if it was boiling yet, which actually delayed the boiling and sometimes got their hands scalded by the steam.

But even then, the two kids showed great patience, just quietly rubbing their hands and returning to their brother’s side. Once the pain faded, they’d go back to the stove. When the steam finally lifted the lid, even the dark Robert couldn’t help but cheer.

Charles Brooks scooped out the broad beans for them. Before they even cooled, the two kids started eating eagerly, hissing as they blew on the hot beans.

Charles Brooks found it both funny and endearing, so he picked up a pod himself, squeezed it at his lips, and a few round beans slipped into his mouth. With a gentle bite, the texture was soft and tender, the flavor fresh, and a fragrant aftertaste lingered—something he would never forget for the rest of his life.

As the sun set in the west, the lake shimmered with golden light, which also bathed the three brothers. In that moment, everything was so peaceful and warm...

※※※

After eating the beans, Charles Brooks sent his two younger brothers to bed early. He himself went out for a walk.

In the middle of the night, the two little ones were sleeping soundly when he woke them up.

Robert reluctantly opened his eyes, while Henry simply pretended to be dead and grumbled, "I want to sleep..."

"Do you want to eat meat?" With just one sentence, Charles Brooks made the little ones instantly wide awake.

Why did he say that? Because over the past two nights, he had heard the little ones talk in their sleep at least seven or eight times, always repeating the same three words: "meat, big meat..."

What does it mean to dream of something? This is it.

Robert was fully awake now. After thinking for a long time, he finally said slowly, "It’s been so long since we had meat..." Clearly, he was recalling the last time they ate meat.

"Then hurry up and get up. I’ll take you to eat meat!" Charles Brooks got out of bed, put shoes on Little Henry, and led his two brothers out into the night.

At the stove behind the house, under the bright moonlight, the two kids saw a fat, big rooster lying stiffly on the ground.

Robert Brooks was all too familiar with this wicked rooster, because every morning, he was woken up by this feathered beast, and he had already killed it a hundred times in his mind.

But seeing it suddenly lying dead before him, Robert was still so shocked that his mouth fell open.