Chapter 46

The group of foodie kids moved quickly. While Li Muwu had just finished cutting the deer antlers, Mingbei had already found a deep, narrow-mouthed fire basin, perfectly sized to hold an iron plate securely. Zhenzhen immediately got interested, directing Mingbei to chop firewood while asking Mingnan to set up a small frame in the courtyard with the firewood. She even whittled a few dozen wooden skewers. On the other side, Li Muwu bled and skinned the deer. Seeing the eager expressions of the kids, he first cut off a tender piece of meat and tossed it to them, letting them play around with it.

Zhenzhen, unbothered by the blood, carried the venison to the kitchen to clean it. As she picked up a kitchen knife to prepare to cut the meat, Wang Sufen happened to return to the house to drink water. The moment she stepped into the kitchen and saw her little ancestor holding a knife, she was so frightened that her soul nearly flew out. She hurriedly rushed over, snatched the knife, and coaxed Zhenzhen in a soft voice: “Baby, this isn’t a toy. This knife is heavy. If you drop it and it cuts your foot, what would we do? Tell me how you want it cut, and I’ll do it for you.”

Hearing the commotion, Grandma Li also came out. Holding her smoking pipe, she knocked Mingnan and Mingbei, who were watching nearby, on their heads. “Your little sister doesn’t know her limits, but don’t you two know better? She’s so young, and you’re letting her handle a knife to cook for you? Are you asking for a beating?”

Mingnan and Mingbei, both tall, fled with their heads covered under the assault of the short and thin Grandma Li. She stood at the kitchen door, hands on her hips, angrily lecturing them: “It’s a good thing your mother caught this early. If she’d come out later and Zhenzhen had cut her hand, I’d skin you both alive!”

Mingnan peeked out from the west room, wearing a bitter smile. “Grandma, we were wrong. I genuinely didn’t think about it. Watching Zhenzhen bustle around washing and cutting the meat, she looked like she knew what she was doing. We completely forgot she’s still a child.”

“What? She even washed the meat?” Grandma Li exclaimed, horrified. She pulled Zhenzhen over, holding her small, icy-cold hands in hers. “Don’t just stand there like a wooden stake!” Forgetting about scolding her grandsons, she began directing them: “Mingnan, fetch some warm water for your sister to soak her hands. Mingbei, go make some honey water for her to warm up.”

Zhenzhen, caught between laughter and tears, hugged Grandma Li’s arm. “Grandma, I’m fine. I’ll warm up in a bit. Besides, once the meat is cut, I still want to go outside and grill it.”

“You’re such a troublemaker,” Grandma Li grumbled fondly. “Let your brothers grill it. You stay inside and wait to eat.”

“If I wait for them to grill it, there won’t be any left for me by the time they’re done.” Zhenzhen wrinkled her little nose at Mingnan, who had just brought over a basin of hot water. “Besides, grilling it myself is fun. Last time, when I grilled wild rabbit with my brothers in the mountains, it was so much fun.”

“You’re both a foodie and a playful one. I don’t know what to do with you,” Grandma Li said indulgently. She tested the water temperature before placing Zhenzhen’s little hands in the slightly hot water. Her hands felt a slight sting at first, but soon a warm comfort spread through them. Soaking her hands, Zhenzhen excitedly chatted with Grandma Li: “I’ve never had grilled venison before. The books say it’s especially delicious.”

The Li family didn’t eat venison often. The last time was seven or eight years ago when Li Muwu caught a deer. The family had eaten it for over half a month, and that winter, Grandma Li didn’t feel cold at all—her hands and feet stayed warm.

“Venison is indeed good stuff. Tonight, I’ll have your mother make a pot of stew. You should eat a few more pieces, and so should your sister-in-law—it’s especially nourishing for postpartum recovery and helps with milk production.” Glancing at Mingnan and Mingbei, who were salivating nearby, Grandma Li sneered, “You boys are full of energy already. Don’t eat too much, or you’ll feel uncomfortable tonight.”

At seventeen or eighteen, Mingnan quickly caught her meaning and fled with a bright red face, grabbing a hat on his way out. Mingxi, who was lighting the fire in the courtyard, watched Mingnan dash out like his pants were on fire and asked, confused: “Weren’t you going inside to warm up? Why are you running out now? I haven’t even started the fire yet.”

Mingnan awkwardly squatted down, snatched the matches and oilcloth from Mingxi, and said, “Uh, second brother, you go inside to warm up. I’ll handle the fire.”

Mingdong, hearing the exchange, turned around and grinned at Mingnan. “No need to guess—you must’ve gotten scolded by Grandma.”

In the kitchen, Wang Sufen quickly sliced a plate of meat for skewers as per Zhenzhen’s instructions. Eager to avoid the colder weather after sunset, Zhenzhen didn’t bother marinating the meat. She simply added some salt, pepper, a bit of wine, and oil, mixing it evenly. Then, she called the family together, and within ten minutes, they had strung a hundred skewers.

The men in the family were skilled at grilling. Without needing Zhenzhen’s guidance, Mingxi took the skewers and placed them on the rack they had set up. Despite the cold weather outside, the several fires Mingnan had lit kept the family warm as they gathered around. Zhenzhen dashed back into the house, rummaged through a cabinet, and pulled out a small porcelain bottle and a cloth pouch. She handed them to Mingxi. “These are the seasonings I made with Mom in the fall. The powder is made from roasted and dried mushrooms, and this is cumin. Sprinkle some on, and the flavor will be amazing.”

In the past, many Russians came to Heilongjiang, making cumin a popular seasoning in the region. It was now available at supply and marketing cooperatives, though it was expensive and didn’t require ration coupons. However, since most families focused on filling their stomachs, few people bought cumin, and it wasn’t commonly displayed in stores. The cumin at home was something Zhenzhen had bought after hearing Yu Wanqiu mention it during a trip to the Hydrolysis Plant.

Mingxi unscrewed the lid, took a sniff, and immediately sprinkled the mushroom powder and cumin evenly on the meat. The aroma of the skewers became even more enticing, and soon the meat was grilled to perfection. Mingxi quickly brought the skewers into the house.

One person divided about ten skewers of roasted venison and, unable to wait for the meal, began eating right away. Zhenzhen first took three skewers and placed them in a small bowl for Li Mingzhong, then quickly picked up one skewer and bit into a piece of meat. The scorching hot venison burned her tongue, causing her to stick out her tongue, but the tender and fresh taste made her disregard the heat, eagerly taking another bite.

The family, standing, sitting, or squatting, quickly finished the roasted meat in their hands. Except for Meat Bun, who let out a big burp, everyone else rubbed their bellies, feeling even hungrier than before.

Wang Sufen turned around and went to the kitchen to bring a small bowl of thinly sliced venison that she had cut herself, handing it to Mingbei. “This is what your sister asked me to cut. Hurry up and go roast it.”

Mingxi and Mingnan quickly went outside, putting more firewood into the fire pit and carrying it into the western room. Mingbei placed the clean iron plate on top of the fire pit and looked at Zhenzhen with an expectant expression. “What do we do next?”

Zhenzhen poured some lard onto the iron plate and handed him a piece of oiled cloth. “Wipe it evenly.” The boys in the family were all familiar with this task. In the past, when there wasn’t much oil in the house, they would dip an oiled cloth in a bit of oil to coat the bottom of the pan when frying vegetables, as if they were adding oil.

Once the oil was spread evenly and the thick iron plate was heated, Zhenzhen used chopsticks to place the thin slices of venison onto the plate. She then evenly sprinkled some salt and pepper on top. The plate sizzled with a crackling sound, and the aroma of the meat quickly filled the air. Zhenzhen handed the chopsticks to Mingbei to flip the meat, while she went to the kitchen to fetch some clean and slightly yellowish tender cabbage hearts.

Wang Sufen, who had been stewing venison in the pot, also came to watch. Grandma Li, sitting on the kang, looked at the bowl of cabbage hearts and shook her head. “It took four or five cabbages to get this much tender cabbage heart. We’re going to be eating cabbage every day for the next couple of days. We’ll eat them all up, and that’s when it’ll be done.”

Mingbei stared intently at the roasted meat on the plate and said without turning his head, “It’s fine. Tomorrow, dad will slaughter a pig. Pork and cabbage with noodles in broth will be so fragrant. I could eat it for a month without getting tired of it.”

As they were talking, the first batch of venison was ready. Zhenzhen quickly picked up a clean pair of chopsticks and placed the slices of venison onto the plate, setting it on the small table next to her. She took a piece of cabbage heart, added a slice of venison, and rolled it up swiftly, handing it to Grandma Li.

Grandma Li had just eaten three skewers of venison and was starting to feel her cheeks getting sore. When she saw Zhenzhen handing her another cabbage leaf wrapped with meat, she quickly waved her hand. “You all eat, I’m tired and my teeth are sore.”

Zhenzhen held the meat near Grandma Li’s mouth. “Grandma, try it. This one’s easy on the teeth.”

Grandma Li couldn’t resist her granddaughter’s coaxing. Seeing that Zhenzhen insisted on feeding her, she lowered her head and took a bite. This time, unlike the earlier venison skewers, the fresh venison was only seasoned with salt and pepper during the grilling process. The hot iron plate quickly cooked the meat, preserving the original, freshest flavor of the venison, as well as its juices and nutrients. The crisp cabbage combined with the delicious venison made it taste even better, tender without being greasy. After one bite, Grandma Li surprisingly felt it wasn’t enough. She took the half-eaten roasted meat from Zhenzhen’s hand and stuffed it into her mouth, nodding repeatedly while chewing. “So delicious, even better than the roasted venison skewers.”

Grandma Li wasn’t usually very picky about food. At home, even when they made braised pork, she would only eat three pieces at most. For her to say it was delicious, the whole family couldn’t help but stare at the plate of venison with shining eyes. Wang Sufen quickly went to the kitchen, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and placed them on the table. Everyone grabbed a pair, and in no time, the few pieces of meat were gone.

Zhenzhen arrived a little later, and by the time she reached the table, all the meat was gone. Looking at the iron plate where the meat was slightly burnt, she quickly flipped it over, noticing it was almost done, and hurriedly placed the meat onto the plate.

After roasting three plates of meat, the family finally tasted the flavor. Everyone praised it, saying it was delicious. Grandma Li ate two pieces but didn’t dare eat more, worried it would upset her stomach later. She sat on the kang, took a puff from her pipe, and asked Zhenzhen, “Is this method of cooking venison something you learned from a book? It’s a bit of a hassle, but it really tastes good.”

Zhenzhen chuckled, “I heard it from a classmate. This is how his dad learned to cook from the old Russians.” The family didn’t doubt her. In the 1950s, many Russians lived in Heilongjiang, and they loved eating large chunks of meat and drinking heavily.

Wang Sufen rolled up three pieces of meat before reluctantly putting down her chopsticks and wiping her mouth. “You all eat. I need to go heat up the flatbreads.” Looking at the children eating without lifting their heads, she couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head. “I don’t think we need to heat up so much dry food. Just cook some cornmeal porridge. You’ll be full from the meat anyway.”

Zhenzhen ate slowly, her small cheeks puffing out like a little hamster as she chewed nonstop. She swallowed the meat in her mouth before responding to Mingbei, “I wasn’t afraid of getting too greasy from eating too much roasted meat. With the cabbage heart, it’s fresh and light, which balances everything and tastes much better.”

Mingnan and Mingbei both laughed upon hearing this. Mingxi, with one arm draped around Zhenzhen’s neck, said earnestly, “Little sis, how come you’ve never understood us after all these years? Forget about roasted meat, even if a whole pot of braised pork came up, we could eat it all without getting sick of it.”

Except for Mingdong, who smiled and stayed quiet, Mingnan and Mingbei nodded furiously. Zhenzhen, amused by their expressions, tossed the two pieces of meat she had let cool to Li Mingzhong, and immediately started roasting another round.

A large plate of meat was quickly devoured by the four young men, with occasional help from Li Muwu and Zhenzhen. Mingbei, still unsatisfied, stuffed the last piece of meat into his mouth, hesitating to bite it. After savoring the last piece, Mingbei licked the oil off his fingers and looked at Li Muwu with a pitiful expression. “Dad, can you give us another piece of meat tomorrow?”

Li Muwu rolled a cigarette, placing it between his fingers without lighting it, and looked at his silly son with amusement. With a teasing smile, he said, “If you don’t have a nosebleed tonight and don’t wake up, I’ll give you another fresh, tender piece of venison tomorrow.”

Silly Mingbei immediately pounded his chest in promise. “Don’t worry, Dad. I always fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow.”

Mingdong and the others burst into laughter. Zhenzhen pretended not to understand, tugging at Grandma Li’s hand to get some water. Grandma Li, unable to hold back her laughter, grabbed Zhenzhen’s soft and fair little hand and went to make honey water for her.

They had eaten so much barbecue that the whole family wasn’t very hungry. Mingbei was even burping continuously. Li Muwu went to the yard and brought back a piece of venison, handing it to Mingbei: “If you’re full, go outside and digest, and by the way, take some meat to your Third Uncle’s house. Tell him to come over for dinner tonight.”

Mingbei, wearing a leather coat and hat, took a sleigh to Li Muwen’s house. When Li Muwen saw his nephew, he looked puzzled. “Didn’t you say you were coming tomorrow? Why are you here now? Your face is all red from the cold. Xiulan, hurry up and make some sweet soup and poached eggs for Mingbei.”

“I’m not eating, Third Uncle. I just had a stomach full of roasted venison and I’m burping. Third Aunt can just pour me some hot water,” Mingbei said, taking off the small basket on his back and handing it to Li Muwen. “I brought a head of horse deer from our Red Zhong, and my dad asked me to bring you some venison. Also, tell him to come for dinner tonight.”

Looking at the frozen venison in the basket, Li Muwen was extremely envious. “Your Red Zhong is really well-raised, both good at hunting and guarding the house. There’s no dog in our area more capable than Red Zhong.”

Liu Xiulan handed Mingbei a bowl of warm sweet water. Mingbei thanked her, took the bowl, and drank a few big gulps while blowing on it.

“All the dogs in our area are from the same litter, but how come my big fool is so far behind Red Zhong?” Li Muwen said, perplexed as he sat on the kang. “My big fool wasn’t scared of anything when he was a pup, but he’s just so dumb. When I took him up the mountain to catch rabbits, he ran fast, but he didn’t know how to catch rabbits. Instead, he chased a grasshopper for two miles!”

Mingbei laughed so hard he nearly cried. After finishing the sweet water, he placed the bowl on the kang, then rubbed the head of the dumb dog, who was circling his legs and wagging its tail. “Third Uncle, I think it’s mainly because of the name you gave him. If you’d named him something like Big Black or Big Yellow, it might have been better. But you had to call him Big Fool. How can he not be stupid?”

Li Muwen looked regretful. “I didn’t want the name to be too common, like Blackie or Flower. In our street, if you shout Big Black, ten dogs would come running. I thought of giving him a unique name.”

Li Muwen’s eldest son, Li Mingguang, looked at the big fool and sighed, then couldn’t help but chime in, “There are plenty of unique names, but why did you choose this one? I said it was a bad name, but you wouldn’t let me change it. Look at the dog at our Second Uncle’s house, its big name is Li Mingzhong, and its nickname is Hongzhong. Both names are sharp. But when we call our dog ‘Big Fool’, it gets all excited, thinking it’s chasing rabbits. It can’t even find its way home!”

“So, what name do you suggest?” Li Muwen looked at his dog, whose intelligence seemed to be a bit lacking, and was troubled. “Alright, today I’ll change his name. How about just calling him ‘Fa Cai’ like Red Zhong?”

Before anyone else could speak, Li Muwen dismissed the idea himself. “Ah, no, that’s no good. These days, people avoid saying things like that. Besides, ‘Bai Ban’ doesn’t sound lucky. How about ‘Pi Hu’ instead?”

Mingbei almost admired Li Muwen’s ability to come up with names. He watched Li Mingguang’s despairing face and kindly suggested, “Third Uncle, ‘Pi Hu’ doesn’t sound too good either. How about calling him ‘Tian Hu’?”

“Tian Hu! That’s a great name!” Li Muwen clapped his thigh, praising it. “That’s what we’ll call him!” He patted the dog, and the silly dog immediately stood up, placing its paws on his knee. Li Muwen rubbed its head. “Remember, from now on you’re called Tian Hu. Got it?”

The dumb dog stuck out its tongue, looking silly and cute, which made Mingbei laugh.

After patting the dog’s head, Li Muwen stood up. “It’s getting late. Mingbei, let’s go to your house. Your dad’s waiting for me to drink.”

Liu Xiulan hurriedly took a new, shiny flashlight from the cupboard and handed it to Li Muwen. “It’s dark outside, so take this to light the way.”

Li Muwen put on his leather coat, took the flashlight, and was about to leave when Liu Xiulan stopped him. “Take the big fool with you. It might help light the way if it gets late.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, with how dumb he is, it’s a miracle if he doesn’t get lost.” Still, Li Muwen shouted, “Dumb dog, come with me.”

The dumb dog lay on the floor, grinning at Li Muwen.

Li Muwen called again, “Tian Hu, hurry up, we’re leaving.”

The dog stood up, yawned, walked around the stove once, then lay down again.

Mingbei laughed so hard his stomach hurt. Li Muwen thought of Red Zhong’s bravery and looked at his own dog, which was missing a few screws, and couldn’t help but get angry. “Big Fool, come here.” The dog immediately jumped up and ran over to him, eagerly looking up at him.

Li Muwen sighed and rubbed his forehead. He realized there was no saving this dog. “I guess the name’s fine after all. Don’t want to waste ‘Tian Hu’ on this idiot.”

The uncle and nephew, along with the dog, returned home, where a steaming pot of carrot stewed venison had already been placed on the table. The kids who had eaten the roasted meat were mostly full, except for Mingdong and Mingxi, who sat at the table with Li Muwen, drinking. Zhenzhen, Mingnan, and Mingbei didn’t join the meal, sitting on the kang in the east room, chatting casually.

Mingbei excitedly told Mingnan about taking Zhenzhen to the hydrolysis plant, and casually mentioned Yu Wanqiu’s name a few times. Mingnan teased him, “I haven’t been to the movies in a year. How about we go to the hydrolysis plant to watch a movie tomorrow? I’ll pay.”

Mingbei hesitated. There wasn’t much worth watching at the movies, just the same old films playing over and over, and no new ones. But if he went to the hydrolysis plant, he might run into Yu Wanqiu. It had been three or four months since they last met, and sometimes Mingbei dreamed about her at night. But with the thick snow, the round trip would take five to six hours, and if he went to the hydrolysis plant, he’d miss the lunch of slaughtered pig dishes.

Unable to decide between seeing Yu Wanqiu and having the pig slaughter meal, Mingbei thought for a long time before finally saying, “We’re slaughtering pigs at home tomorrow. How about we go to the movie the day after tomorrow?”

Mingnan shook his head with a playful smirk. “No, I’m not going the day after tomorrow. If you want to see a movie, we go tomorrow. If not, forget it.”

Zhenzhen laughed so hard at Mingbei’s dilemma, she nearly fell over. Mingbei shot her an annoyed look and muttered, “What’s so funny? I just can’t decide between the movie and the pig slaughter dishes!”

Zhenzhen cheekily blinked. “Fourth Brother, you’re going to have your middle school exams soon. After so many years of school, haven’t you heard that you can’t have both fish and bear paws? There aren’t always two perfect choices in life.”

Mingnan tapped Zhenzhen on the head. “See, our radio wasn’t a waste. Even you can use such tough expressions now.”

Seeing Mingnan and Zhenzhen team up to tease him, Mingbei finally made up his mind. “Alright, I’ll go to the hydrolysis plant tomorrow to watch the movie.”

Mingnan immediately cheered, “Oh, my silly little brother has finally figured it out!”

———

—Here are the meanings of the names:

1. Tian Hu (天胡) – “Tian” means “sky” or “heaven,” and “Hu” refers to a type of name used for dogs in this context. “Tian Hu” could be interpreted as a “heavenly” or “lucky” name, possibly implying a positive, auspicious character.
2. Pi Hu (屁胡) – “Pi” means “fart” or “flatulence,” and “Hu” again refers to a type of name. “Pi Hu” could be a humorous or playful name, likely meant to sound ridiculous or funny.
3. Bai Ban (白板) – “Bai” means “white,” and “Ban” means “board.” “Bai Ban” can mean “blank slate” or “whiteboard,” but in this context, it is probably a reference to a name that sounds somewhat plain or not very auspicious.
4. Fa Cai (发财) – “Fa” means “to get rich” or “prosper,” and “Cai” means “wealth” or “fortune.” “Fa Cai” is a traditional expression meaning “to become rich” or “to make a fortune.” It is commonly used in Chinese New Year greetings to wish someone prosperity.