Zhao Jun tucked one sister under his arm and pulled the other by the hand, leading them into his room.
Then, Zhao Jun closed the door, lifted the two little girls onto the kang bed, and moved the low table—leftovers and all—over to the space beneath the window.
The food was inedible now. Fortunately, Zhao Jun was already more or less full, so he sat on the edge of the kang bed to comfort his two sisters.
Zhao Hong and Zhao Na, still a little shaken, both threw themselves into Zhao Jun's arms.
Zhao Hong in particular, who had been an innocent victim in all this, felt deeply wronged after getting whacked four times with the broom head.
Zhao Jun stroked Zhao Hong's little head, comforting her in a low voice. He promised that the next time he went down the mountain to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative or the big department store, he'd buy her a new outfit. Only then did Zhao Hong's tears finally give way to a smile.
