Chapter 45

Anbei is a small county more than a hundred kilometers away from Beicha. To the east, there is a forest, and to the west, there are several farms. The largest farm, Anbei Farm, is responsible for reforming the capitalist class and intellectuals. Zhenzhen took a look around and found that the living conditions here were relatively clean, and there was enough food in the canteen. Although the food was not refined, judging by the many trays of flatbreads, one would not go hungry.

Now, Zhenzhen could do nothing but plan to pay more attention to Mingdong once he arrived in Anbei. If anything happened, she could get there in no time. At that point, she wouldn’t need to show up, and with her special abilities, she could handle a group of people without any trouble. She couldn’t let her big brother suffer.

Returning to Beicha, Zhenzhen couldn’t help but feel regretful. In her previous life, she didn’t know much about the events of these ten years. She only knew that intellectuals and landlords would have a hard time, but to what extent and the conditions in different cities and regions were unknown to her. She had no idea how to avoid being caught up in the class struggle or how to ensure her family would safely get through these ten years.

She couldn’t sleep the whole night. When morning came, Grandma Li woke up early, and when she turned to look at her granddaughter, she was startled to see her eyes wide open but tired. “What happened? Did you not sleep well last night?”

Zhenzhen yawned, sat up from the bed, and rubbed her eyes, feeling sluggish. “I was thinking about Big Brother’s work, and it made me uneasy. Grandma, do you know what my brother’s classmates are doing after graduation?”

“I heard from your brother that all of them became teachers, assigned to agricultural colleges around the province, to train agricultural technicians for the people’s communes and help farmers grow better crops and achieve greater harvests.” Grandma Li pushed Zhenzhen back into bed, put on a coat, and sat down.

Zhenzhen felt a bit downhearted. “Do they have to be teachers? I just feel uneasy.”

Grandma Li fell silent for a moment. Slowly, she took out her tobacco pouch and began packing it with tobacco leaves. When she thought of how Zhenzhen didn’t like the smell of smoke, she quickly put the pouch back on the bed.

She coughed a few times and spoke softly. “Your brother has been in university for so many years without costing the family a penny, and he even gets allowances from the school. The country has spent money and effort training a university graduate, and when it comes time for job assignments, you can’t just refuse the job.”

Grandma Li got out of bed, then turned back to adjust Zhenzhen’s blanket. “Stop thinking too much. Close your eyes and sleep for a while. I’ll talk to your mom and tell her not to wake you up.” Zhenzhen yawned and, realizing that she was powerless regarding Mingdong’s job assignment, decided to stop worrying about it. She agreed, then quickly fell into a deep sleep.

It’s unclear whether Grandma Li sensed something from Zhenzhen’s words, but in the following days, whenever she mentioned Mingdong’s job after graduation, she seemed much less interested. Occasionally, she would sit by the stove and stare at the burning red pine wood in a daze.

As for Mingxi, he attended a military academy and now held a military position, so there seemed to be nothing to worry about. Mingnan’s academic performance was decent, and the family had always believed that if he could go to university, he should work hard to do so. After thinking for a few days, Grandma Li suddenly changed her mind and decided that Mingnan should finish high school and then return home to work at a water hydrolysis plant.

Mingnan wasn’t the academic type like Mingdong, and he didn’t mind when Grandma Li suggested he not attend university. He thought that with more and more people in the family, and only Li Muwu earning money from a job, it seemed that the family’s finances were really tight. Therefore, Mingnan didn’t ask more questions and readily agreed.

As the lunar New Year approached, Mingxi finally returned home in heavy snow. When Wang Sufen saw her second son, who had grown thin and dark, tears instantly welled up in her eyes. Since Mingxi went to university, he had only returned home twice, and each time he looked thinner and more tired, with his skin no longer as smooth as before.

Grandma Li heard the noise and immediately came out of the room with a feather duster, rushing toward Mingxi. Mingxi was so startled that he almost ran back outside, leaning against the door, trembling. “Grandma, I didn’t do anything. Why are you going to hit me?”

“What’s the point of hitting you? You’ve joined the army, can’t you be a little more courageous?” Grandma Li was so amused that she laughed. She used the feather duster to brush the snow off his body and legs. “Why didn’t you wear boots? With snow on your shoes, they’ll be wet in a while. Hurry up and go in, change your clothes and shoes. Your mother specially made you a pair of new cotton shoes this year. They’re nice and thick.”

Mingxi awkwardly smiled, his dark face turning slightly red. “At school, I trained for hand-to-hand combat, so I’m quite tough. But when I see Grandma, I lose my toughness.”

“You’re saying your grandma’s fierce?” Grandma Li laughed at him. Mingnan quickly went over to take Mingxi’s bag, and the two brothers walked toward the west room.

When Mingxi returned, the atmosphere in the house became much livelier. Grandma Li handed him a bowl of honey water, then tapped Mingnan with the tobacco pouch. “Go catch a chicken from the coop, we’ll have stewed chicken with mushrooms.”

Mingbei, eyeing the braised chicken pieces walking around the room with its head held high, grinned mischievously and said, “Why catch a chicken? We already have one.”

The braised chicken stiffened and casually changed direction. After walking a few steps and seeing no one blocking it, it flapped its wings and quickly ran back to the east room. Mingbei burst into laughter.

Mingxi watched from the side, both amused and exasperated. “Have you been growing taller but not getting smarter? I think your brain is no better than that of the braised chicken.”

Mingbei chuckled. When Mingnan got dressed to go outside, he quickly put on his clothes and ran after him. “I’ll go with you. There’s a castrated rooster in the coop that’s gotten really big.”

The braised chicken, which had sneaked into the east room, poked its head out cautiously. When it inadvertently made eye contact with Mingbei, it immediately froze in place, lying flat on the ground. Li Mingzhong, watching from the side, glanced at Mingbei, then grabbed the braised chicken and threw it back into the coop. He quietly used his head to nudge the door closed, blocking Mingbei’s line of sight.

Zhenzhen was sitting on the kang reading a book when she saw the braised chicken shaking in fear. She couldn’t help but laugh and tossed a few sunflower seeds to it. “You’ve never been castrated, so why are you scared?”

The braised chicken squeezed into the coop, only its head visible. It proudly said, “I wasn’t castrated because I’m clever. Every year when they castrate the chickens, I always hide so quickly.”

Zhenzhen was amused by it. Since the year she started raising chickens and pigs, Grandma Li had started catching a piglet and hatching chickens every year. They had eaten several batches of chickens, and the only one that remained was this braised chicken. Seeing that Zhenzhen liked it, Grandma Li often talked to it, thinking the chicken had some spiritual energy. She gave up on the idea of stewing it and even built a small nest for it during the cold winter, right next to Li Mingzhong’s mat.

It must be said that both Li Mingzhong and the braised chicken had been trained well by Zhenzhen. During the winter, they lived in the house, and the chicken and dog got along harmoniously. They worked together quite well. Every day, Li Mingzhong would open the door and take the braised chicken outside to relieve itself. When they returned, Li Mingzhong didn’t need anyone else to open the door; he could do it by standing up and nudging it with his head.

Wang Sufen liked cleanliness. At first, she didn’t want the braised chicken in the house, worried it would dirty the room, but after a few months, she saw that it kept everything clean and never made a noise. It made things much easier, and every day, she would proactively feed it some sorghum grain.

In the winter, when the snow was heavy, Zhenzhen didn’t go out much. With the company of the dog and chicken, she felt much less lonely.

The chicken was slaughtered, and the soaked hazel mushrooms were added to the pot and stewed for an hour. The entire house was filled with the aroma of meat. Li Mingzhong couldn’t help but occasionally peek into the kitchen. Returning, he discussed with Zhenzhen, “No one likes to eat the chicken head, so let me have it.”

The braised chicken perched atop the chicken coop pecked at Li Mingzhong’s head furiously. “Do you have any decency? Saying you’ll eat the chicken head right in front of me. Is its head tastier than mine?”

Annoyed by the pecking, Li Mingzhong turned around and pressed it back into the coop with his forepaw. Since winter began, Zhenzhen hadn’t gone out much. Li Muwu had been quite busy with work this winter and hadn’t found time to go hunting. As a result, apart from the family’s monthly allotment of two taels of pork per person, which was occasionally used for stir-frying or sliced to satisfy cravings, they hadn’t properly stewed meat at home.

Zhenzhen knew Li Mingzhong had been craving meat. She called him over, patted his head, and said, “Chicken bones are thin. When you eat them, make sure to chew them thoroughly. Don’t swallow them whole, or you might choke.”

Li Mingzhong nodded expectantly and eagerly followed Zhenzhen to eat. The braised chicken begrudgingly tucked its head back into the coop, muttering under its breath, “What’s so great about mushroom stew with chicken? Is it tastier than braised chicken? These ignorant dogs!”

After lunch, Zhenzhen lazily lay on the kang. Li Muwu went out to find the butcher to arrange for the family pig to be slaughtered tomorrow. In recent years, Grandma Li no longer waited until the end of the year to slaughter the pig. As soon as the twelfth lunar month began, she would have it done, ensuring the children could eat some meat earlier. After all, life was tough outside, and only at home could they truly replenish themselves.

Listening to the cheerful chatter from the western room, Zhenzhen felt a pang of sadness. With the special period approaching, she wasn’t sure if they’d all be able to reunite for next year’s New Year. Taking advantage of everyone being together this year, she decided to prepare more food and enjoy a lively celebration. Using her consciousness, she scanned the forest and quickly located a dying elk. The elk’s body was riddled with wounds, likely from a fall. Its leg was broken, and there was a large hole in its head. Seeing the elk about to take its last breath, Zhenzhen patted Li Mingzhong’s head. “There’s an elk near our field. Go drag it back.”

Hearing this, Li Mingzhong got excited, howling and circling the house twice before bolting out the door and disappearing.

Grandma Li, who was smoking in the kitchen, saw Li Mingzhong leave the door open and hurriedly closed it. “The snow is so thick. Why’d you let it out? What if someone takes it away?”

“With its strength, it could bite through a wooden pole as thick as an arm. Who would dare mess with it?” Zhenzhen yawned and burrowed back under the covers. “It’s been cooped up indoors for so long; it’s probably losing its mind. Let it out to have some fun. Don’t worry about it; it’ll come back when it’s done playing.”

Zhenzhen was right. As Li Mingzhong ran, he occasionally buried his head in the snow, frolicking from the house to the foot of the mountain, covered in snow and thoroughly enjoying himself.

When he reached the field, he saw the fat elk, now lifeless. Li Mingzhong nudged it and then fetched a wooden board from the field. This board had been carried up by Li Muwu before. During the autumn harvest, they used it to hold packed lunches, keeping them off the ground and away from ants.

Pushing the elk onto the board, Li Mingzhong nudged it along the path back home. The elk and the board slid smoothly, with Li Mingzhong wagging his tail in delight as he followed. If the elk fell off, he would push it back up.

After arranging with the butcher, Li Muwu stopped by Li Mussen’s house to inform him about the pig slaughter and invited his family to come over for dinner. After chatting for a while, Li Muwu headed home, noticing a trail of blood. Following it, he eventually saw Li Mingzhong dragging a 200-pound elk toward home.

“Red!” Li Muwu called out. Hearing him, Li Mingzhong ran over, excitedly circling him before tugging at his clothes to lead him to the elk.

“Goodness! Did you take down such a big elk?” Li Muwu laughed, patting Li Mingzhong’s head. On closer inspection, he noticed the elk was severely wounded, its fur scuffed off in places. He sighed, “Such a nice hide wasted. It can’t be made into clothing, but it’ll still be good for shoes.” Without hesitation, he hoisted the elk onto his shoulders and shouted, “Red, let’s go home!”

When Li Muwu brought the elk home, the whole family was thrilled. Those unafraid of the cold went to the yard to see it. Li Muwu praised Li Mingzhong repeatedly, promising him a big piece of venison when it was cooked. Overjoyed, Li Mingzhong howled and rushed indoors to brag to Zhenzhen.

In Beicha, the favorite way to eat meat was by stewing it. Fortunately, their meat was either wild or grain-fed at home, far better than the lean, feed-raised meat of later times. The meat was flavorful and had just the right amount of fat. While Zhenzhen planned to stew the venison, she also wanted to try roasting it. Roasted venison, brushed with seasoning, wrapped in tender cabbage leaves as a substitute for lettuce, would be delicious.

She retrieved a copy of Dream of the Red Chamber from the small bookshelf in the western room, holding the book while wrapped in a fur coat, and sought out Li Mingdong. “Brother, I remember hearing on the radio about a way to cook venison mentioned in this book. Can you help me find it?”

Li Mingdong laughed as he took the book. “Why are you so greedy? The elk hasn’t even been cleaned, and you’re already thinking about how to cook it.”

Zhenzhen clung to his arm, acting coy and pleading. “I’m just worried we don’t have all the ingredients. Big brother, please help me figure out how to roast the venison.”

“Roasting venison is easy. We’ve got plenty of red pine branches and a stove at home. Dad can cut a leg, and we can roast it,” Li Mingxi, who had been away for training these past two years, confidently suggested.

Hearing this, Mingbei got excited. “I’ll ask Grandma for some honey. Brushing honey on roasted meat makes it even tastier.”

Zhenzhen hesitated. “Roasting a whole leg takes too long and isn’t easy to cook through.” She gestured as she explained, “I’ll slice the meat thin and cook it on a metal plate, or skewer it and grill it as we eat.”

The family exchanged puzzled looks, unsure of what she meant. Mingnan was the first to catch on. “I remember we had a metal tray at home. Grandma put it away because it got too hot. Will that work?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Zhenzhen nodded eagerly, making sure to reassure her brothers. “Hurry and help me prepare. I guarantee it’ll be delicious!”