Chapter 47

Tian Hu circled around the west room and, upon smelling the meat, squatted down and wouldn’t leave. Li Mu Wu tossed a piece of deer meat at it, saying, “Go to the east room and find Hong Zhong. There’s a whole bowl of meat over there.”

Although Tian Hu seemed silly and couldn’t understand much, it actually understood this sentence. It grabbed the meat from the ground and swallowed it in one gulp before happily running off. Li Mu Sen couldn’t bear to watch his dog and clinked glasses with Li Mu Wu. After sipping some sorghum liquor, he sighed, “Second brother, you’re really good to Hong Zhong. You even gave it a whole bowl of meat. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Li Mu Wu smiled and set down his cup. “Over the past few years, except for the annual pig we slaughter in winter, the meat we eat throughout the year has mostly come from their siblings and Hong Zhong hunting for it. Hong Zhong is both loyal and capable. When there’s meat at home, it has to get its share too. It was raised here since it was small, so it’s like family.”

Li Mu Sen, upon hearing this, was envious. “All the dogs are from the same litter, but you really take good care of them. My Tian Hu, these past years, hasn’t even caught a wild chicken or rabbit. He hasn’t even pulled out a single feather. Maybe I should let Tian Hu stay with Hong Zhong more; it might get smarter.”

“Tian Hu?” Li Mu Sen paused. “You raised another dog?”

“No, I just renamed the big fool. Ming Bei said my name for it was bad and that I made a good dog sound silly.” Li Mu Sen ate a piece of meat and raised his cup again. “Alright, it’s settled then. Tonight, I’ll send Tian Hu over to your house. Let Tian Hu stay with your Hong Zhong. It might learn something from it.”

“Alright, as long as you’re sure about it,” Li Mu Wu agreed without hesitation.

In the east room, Tian Hu didn’t know its owner planned to leave it there. It was staring at Hong Zhong with its tongue out, drooling as Hong Zhong happily devoured the fragrant deer meat. Remembering the delicious taste of the deer meat it had just tasted, Tian Hu was eager to join in but was somewhat afraid of Hong Zhong’s powerful presence, so it didn’t dare approach.

Hong Zhong, sensing Tian Hu’s gaze, immediately turned its head and looked at it. Tian Hu quickly wagged its tail, trying to be cute, even tilting its head in an attempt to act adorably. Hong Zhong looked at it disdainfully before turning away, slowly walking over to the heated brick bed and lying next to Zhen Zhen’s shoes.

Zhen Zhen, using her bare feet, stroked Hong Zhong’s fur and teasingly said, “Full now? That doesn’t seem like your usual appetite.”

“The stupid dog drooling at me really spoiled my appetite. I can’t eat anymore!” Hong Zhong, usually a bit silly and cute, now wore a cool and aloof expression. It lay awkwardly at Zhen Zhen’s feet, pretending not to care about Tian Hu.

“Really good at pretending!” Zhen Zhen stepped on Hong Zhong. “You think you can fool me with that look?” Hong Zhong, covering its face with its front paws, lay down and pretended to be asleep, as if it hadn’t heard anything.

Tian Hu cautiously watched Hong Zhong, seeing that it didn’t mind Tian Hu getting closer to the food bowl. It finally gathered enough courage to move closer to the bowl and took a bite. It quickly looked up to check Hong Zhong’s reaction. When it saw that Hong Zhong didn’t get up to chase it away, it felt relieved and started eating in earnest.

Hearing the sound of Tian Hu swallowing, Hong Zhong lazily glanced at it before closing its eyes again.

Neither Ming Nan nor Ming Bei noticed Hong Zhong’s awkward feelings. Ming Nan was busy teasing Ming Bei, asking if he had a crush on a little girl. Ming Bei, usually thick-skinned, blushed for the first time—not out of anger, but embarrassment!

Ming Nan, seizing the opportunity, kept laughing at Ming Bei, but Ming Bei, feeling embarrassed, wanted to find an excuse to slip away, afraid of being mocked by Ming Nan. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed Tian Hu had finished eating the meat and was licking the bowl over and over again. He found this as a perfect excuse to change the subject. “Let me tell you, this stupid dog is really lacking in smarts. It can’t even catch a rabbit! Every day, it just chases grasshoppers. Fourth uncle is about to die of frustration with it, haha!” After saying this, Ming Bei laughed a few times, only to realize Ming Nan and Zhen Zhen didn’t even smile.

“Wasn’t that funny?” Ming Nan scratched his face awkwardly. “Third uncle even said we should rename it Tian Hu. He said it would be smarter with the new name, but the stupid dog doesn’t recognize it.”

Ming Nan threw a bunch of dried corn cobs in the air, catching them one by one. “This dog’s four years old now; it won’t recognize a new name. Not every dog is as clever as our Hong Zhong, who even knows its full name and nickname, right Hong Zhong?”

When Hong Zhong heard Ming Nan praise it, it immediately stopped pretending to sleep. It raised its head and called out to Ming Nan, clearly proud, as if afraid others wouldn’t know how smart it was.

Zhen Zhen stepped on Hong Zhong’s head again and tried to communicate with Tian Hu, who was wandering around, still holding the food bowl. She found that Tian Hu’s brain didn’t contain much. Apart from thinking about eating or chasing grasshoppers and butterflies, it had no sense of guarding the house. It was as simple as when Hong Zhong was a few months old—actually, not even as sharp as Hong Zhong when it was younger.

Zhen Zhen sighed in amazement, “This is what they mean by growing big but not growing a brain. Before, everyone said my Fourth Brother was a fool, but compared to Tian Hu, my Fourth Brother was much sharper. Hong Zhong, this Tian Hu is at least your brother, don’t you want to teach it something? It’s your younger brother, right?”

Hong Zhong opened its eyes and, seeing Tian Hu wagging its tail at it, rolled its eyes, showing that it didn’t want to bother with it. Zhen Zhen helplessly tapped Hong Zhong’s head. “You’re just a dog. If you were a person, you would’ve been beaten to death for that look!”

When Li Mu Sen came home that evening, he didn’t take Tian Hu with him. Li Mu Wu, worried about him drinking and traveling at night, had Hong Zhong escort him back home. Half an hour later, Hong Zhong returned, carrying Tian Hu’s worn-out cushion in its mouth. Disdainfully, it tossed it into the stove room, then dragged its own thick cushion over and placed it next to Tian Hu’s cushion.

Ming Bei followed to the stove room and, seeing this, couldn’t help but marvel. “Don’t be fooled by how much Hong Zhong seems to dislike Tian Hu. It actually takes care of him. After all, they are brothers from the same litter.” Ming Nan, with a mischievous smile, patted Ming Bei on the shoulder. “I also take care of you. I even paid for you to watch a movie. Aren’t you touched to the point where your heart is melting?”

Thinking about that big fat pig in the backyard, Ming Bei showed a pained expression: “I always feel like my third brother doesn’t have any good intentions.”

Ming Xi, having heard the whole story from Ming Nan, was surprised that Ming Bei could vaguely sense that something was wrong. He immediately gave him a thumbs-up and praised him: “Greed sharpens the mind; if it weren’t for your hunger, you’d never have become so clever.”

Although Ming Bei didn’t fully understand the meaning behind his words, he could still tell that Ming Xi was calling him dumb. Annoyed, he jumped onto Ming Xi’s back, grabbing him by the neck and shaking him violently: “Who are you calling dumb? Who are you calling dumb?”

Having been through years of training at the military academy, Ming Xi easily carried Ming Bei on his back without breaking a sweat. Laughing, he ran towards the west room and with a swift shoulder throw, tossed Ming Bei onto the heated bed.

Grandma Li, hearing the commotion from the grandsons in the west room, smiled lovingly but scolded them: “You all are grown men and still so troublesome.” She knocked the pipe bowl on the edge of the bed and added, “Stop making a racket, get to sleep!”

Despite her yelling, the noise from Ming Bei’s occasional wails and Ming Nan’s laughter continued unabated. Zhen Zhen, grinning, helped Grandma Li arrange the bed: “I just love my fourth brother’s silly behavior, he can be easily tricked.”

Noticing that Zhen Zhen was about to sleep, the braised chicken pieces, which had been hidden in fear when Tian Hu entered earlier, finally came out with courage. It glanced around, and not seeing Li Ming Zhong, it walked cautiously to Zhen Zhen’s foot bath basin and let out a couple of soft calls: “Where did Li Ming Zhong go?”

Zhen Zhen playfully splashed some hot water on its head: “Stop looking, Li Ming Zhong and his brother Tian Hu are sleeping in the stove room. You’re a rooster, if you’re bored, go find your hens outside. Why are you always following that red bottom around?”

The braised chicken shook the water off its head, and the sudden fury from losing its partner made it fearless of the tall, powerful Tian Hu. With angry eyes, it squeezed through the door crack. A few moments later, loud noises of chickens flapping and dogs barking came from the stove room. Only when the noise finally died down did Zhen Zhen go outside to check. She saw Tian Hu looking aggrieved, lying in the corner, while the braised chicken stood proudly on Red Bottom’s back, glaring at Tian Hu. A few dog hairs were still in its mouth, and its smug expression made Zhen Zhen feel like smashing a basin on its head.

Zhen Zhen slept soundly until dawn. When she woke up, Ming Bei had already finished washing his hair, standing in front of the only mirror in the house, checking his reflection with his damp hair.

Sitting up with her blanket, Zhen Zhen yawned: “What’s with the vanity so early in the morning? Anyone who doesn’t know might think you’re looking for a partner.”

Ming Bei’s ears turned bright red. He roughly wiped his hair, then retorted, “I just wanted to show respect to third brother. After all these years, he finally made a recovery, so I had to wash my hair to show my respect.”

Ming Nan, lazily standing at the door, replied while chewing on a biscuit, “Stop using me as an excuse. Last night I had to keep reminding you to wash your feet. Now you’re all cleaned up, who would believe it?”

Ming Bei acted as though he hadn’t heard anything. He picked up a pair of large scissors and cut his hair a little, then proudly ran his hand through his hair and went out.

Zhen Zhen was shocked to see how poorly Ming Bei had cut his hair, looking like a dog had chewed on it. “Third brother, do you think my fourth brother is blind?”

Ming Nan paused for a moment, then replied, “I think maybe he is. Otherwise, I don’t think the girl Ming Bei picks would be that good-looking.”

Zhen Zhen hesitated for a moment but couldn’t help but defend Ming Bei: “Maybe this is the only time his eyes actually worked.”

To make up for the disappointment of not having meat for lunch, Ming Bei got up in the morning and ate half a bowl of last night’s leftover venison with a big pancake. After burping, he quickly changed into a clean Zhongshan suit that was a little small, one that Ming Dong had given him. Though it was a bit old, the fabric was good, and it made him look sharp and without any patches.

Ming Xi and Ming Nan couldn’t stop laughing as they looked at him, but Ming Bei didn’t realize anything was wrong. It wasn’t until he was about to go outside that he realized no matter how sharp his inner clothes looked, with the big black leather coat and leather hat, he looked more like an old man than a young man.

Ming Bei immediately deflated. Looking at the thick snow outside, he hesitated: “How about we wait until spring to watch the movie?”

“That works too,” Ming Nan agreed immediately. “At least I’ll save some money.” He sat on the bed and pulled Ming Xi in: “Several classmates of mine said they’re going to find partners this winter break.”

Ming Xi nodded along: “It’s already late for high school seniors to find a partner. I remember when we were in junior high, many of our classmates already had partners. Wasn’t that Ming Bei? Does your class have anyone planning to get married this winter break?”

Ming Bei froze for a moment, the nearly 30-degree temperature in the room already making him sweat. He quietly put his coat back on: “Uh, third brother, how about we go watch the movie? Maybe there’s a new release.”

Ming Nan and Ming Xi exchanged a mischievous glance, both grinning: “That’s right, let’s go. I’ll treat you to lunch.”

Ming Xi had a high allowance from the military, and he also had ration coupons from the whole province. He packed the money and ration coupons and went along to join in the fun: “Today you don’t have to pay, I’ll treat you three, feel free to spend.”

Ming Bei immediately eagerly ran to the warehouse, bringing out a big sled, with a cotton cushion on the wooden board. After Zhen Zhen sat on it, Ming Xi and Ming Nan pulled it outside.

With the snow thick and solid, Ming Xi and Ming Nan pulled the sled quickly. Ming Bei seemed to be lost in thought, occasionally giggling. If it were in the future, there would definitely be a traffic accident.

The four siblings arrived at the hydrolysis plant, and when they passed by the family building where Yu Wanqiu lived, Ming Bei slowed down and hesitated. Zhen Zhen noticed and saw Yu Wanqiu leading her brother ahead not far away.

Seeing that they were approaching the building where Yu Wanqiu lived, Ming Bei couldn’t help but sit down at the base of a tree, dramatically wiping his forehead: “Oh, I’m so tired, I need to rest for a while.”

Ming Nan couldn’t help but kick a snowball at him: “We’ve been pulling Zhen Zhen all the way, and now you’re tired? Get up!”

“I really can’t go on, third brother,” Ming Bei grumbled, sitting on the ground. “I’m a bit thirsty, maybe we can ask someone for a glass of water?”

Zhen Zhen silently handed over her water bottle: “Grandma gave me honey water, want to drink some?”

“I don’t like that stuff, it’s too sweet.” Ming Bei lied, completely forgetting how he chased after Grandma Li for honey water every day.

Ming Xi looked at him with disdain: “Now you’re being picky? Didn’t you used to eat snow when you were thirsty?” He looked around and found a clean spot where no one had touched, “Go eat some snow over there.”

“It’s too cold, my teeth will freeze.” Ming Bei was unwilling, his eyes unconsciously glancing at the building nearby. Unfortunately, the window was tightly shut, and there seemed to be plastic sheeting nailed to it, so he couldn’t see anything.

“How come you weren’t worried about your teeth freezing when you were eating frozen pears last night?” Zhen Zhen retorted, her eyes lingering on Yu Wanqiu, who was getting farther away. Unable to resist, she reminded him: “Brother, I just saw Wanqiu go by. Maybe we should ask her where we can get some water?”

Ming Bei immediately jumped up from the ground, forgetting about the snow on his pants, and eagerly stretched his neck to look ahead: “Where is she? How come I didn’t see her?”

Zhen Zhen innocently pointed ahead: “She went ahead a while ago, but I saw you were hurting, so I didn’t tell you.”

Ming Nan and Ming Xi burst out laughing. Ming Bei, ignoring everything else, kept chasing ahead: “Hurry up, don’t waste time, the movie’s about to start.”

Ming Xi, seeing how quick Ming Bei was moving, couldn’t help but tease him: “Oh, not tired anymore? You’re recovering pretty quickly.”

Ming Nan squinted his eyes and laughed mischievously at Ming Bei: “I think our fourth brother’s not tired in his legs, but in his heart.”

Ming Xi nodded repeatedly: “Exactly, not that old yet, but already thinking about relationships. Didn’t even finish junior high and already worrying about getting a partner.”

As Ming Bei quickly disappeared out of sight step by step, Ming Nan and Ming Xi were still leisurely pulling the sled forward. Zhen Zhen formed a snowball and tossed it onto Ming Xi’s leg: “Second Brother, why aren’t you in a hurry? I remember when Big Brother was your age, he already had a ‘Meat Bun,’ but why don’t you even have a girlfriend yet?”

Ming Xi’s expression changed, and he awkwardly turned around, laughing: “I’m in military school, they don’t allow us to date.”

“It’s fine, I’ll tell Grandma to keep an eye for you, and for sure, once you graduate, you’ll be able to get married,” Zhen Zhen said, looking at Ming Nan, who was laughing heartily. Then, she added nonchalantly, “Third Brother, don’t laugh at Second Brother. You’ll graduate even earlier than him, and next summer, Grandma will bring a girl to your house.”

Ming Nan stopped laughing suddenly, like a hen being choked by its neck, with a “cluck” and a red, embarrassed face, not knowing what to say. Ming Xi smiled and patted Ming Nan on the shoulder, then knocked on Zhen Zhen’s thick hat with his hand: “Little girl, are you getting back at your Fourth Brother?”

“Not exactly,” Zhen Zhen wrinkled her nose, “It’s mostly because you two are moving so slowly. I’m anxious seeing Fourth Brother trying to please his sister.”

Ming Bei had walked one or two kilometers, taking small and large steps, before finally seeing Yu Wanqiu’s figure from a distance. He didn’t care about the snow being deep and difficult to walk through and jumped and hopped to catch up with her and her brother. Panting, he called out to her.

Yu Wanqiu turned around in surprise and smiled when she saw Ming Bei: “What a coincidence, how did you come to the hydrolysis plant in this heavy snow?”

Ming Bei wiped the sweat off his nose with his hand, grinning foolishly, then pointed back: “My second and third brothers wanted to watch a movie when they came back, so I followed them here.” He noticed Yu Wanqiu’s ears turning red again, so he bravely asked, “Where are you two going?”

“We’re also going to watch a movie. It’s the end of the year, and my dad got a few extra tickets. My brother was at home with nothing to do, so he insisted on going,” Yu Wanqiu smiled and tugged her brother forward. “But there haven’t been any new movies lately, just the same ones we’ve seen before, and we’re getting a bit bored of them.”

“That’s true,” Ming Bei chuckled foolishly, then pointed behind him, where no one was in sight: “I’m also watching with my brother and sister.”

Yu Wanqiu glanced back, but she didn’t see Zhen Zhen, so she curiously asked, “Where’s Ming Zhen? I didn’t see her.”

Ming Bei only then realized that Ming Xi and the others hadn’t caught up, and after rubbing his nose, he couldn’t stop laughing: “My second and third brothers are pulling my sister’s sled, and I came ahead to buy the tickets.”

Yu Wanqiu nodded and pulled her brother forward. Ming Bei followed behind her, wanting to speak but unsure what to say, so he just kept grinning foolishly at her back.

Ming Nan and Ming Xi finally caught up as they rushed with the sled, just as they were about to reach the cinema, when they saw Ming Bei’s figure. Ming Xi nudged Ming Nan and winked: “Let’s not rush, let Ming Bei have a chance to show off.”

From a distance, Zhen Zhen couldn’t see Ming Bei’s expression, so she used her consciousness to look. She saw Ming Bei staring blankly at the “Two Mao per ticket” sign at the ticket counter, and the red hue on his ears instantly faded to pale white: “Did the movie tickets go up?”

“Yes,” Yu Wanqiu nodded. “There are too many people coming to watch movies, and the workers raised objections, so they increased the price to two Mao per ticket.”

Ming Bei had planned to wait for Ming Xi to come and buy the tickets, but since he had already told Yu Wanqiu that he came ahead to buy tickets, and seeing that Yu Wanqiu wouldn’t let Zhen Zhen go in first, he could only pretend and begrudgingly take out a handful of change from his pocket. After counting for a while, he came up with eight Mao and tremblingly handed the money to the ticket counter, his face contorting with the pain of spending: “Four movie tickets, please.”

The ticket seller quickly took the money, counted it, and threw out four tickets. Ming Bei put the remaining five cents in his pocket, clutched the tickets, and put his hand over his nose.

Ming Xi, with his sharp eyesight from practicing shooting in the army, couldn’t clearly see Ming Bei’s expression because of the distance, but from his actions, he could guess what was happening. He tugged on the rope and smiled so much that his eyes almost disappeared: “Let’s go, time for the movie.”

After waiting for two or three minutes, Ming Xi and the others arrived. Zhen Zhen jumped off the sled and hooked her arm around Yu Wanqiu’s: “Wanqiu sister, long time no see, you’re getting more and more beautiful.”

“Smooth talker,” Yu Wanqiu pinched Zhen Zhen’s chubby little face and handed the tickets to the ticket checker. Ming Bei hurried to follow.

Zhen Zhen didn’t like sitting too close to the front during a movie. She found it too glaring, and preferred sitting farther back where it was quieter. Since Yu Wanqiu was familiar with her preferences from previous movie outings, she took her hand and led her to the last row.

Ming Bei could only watch as Yu Wanqiu sat next to Zhen Zhen and the young boy from Yu’s family, so he had no choice but to sit next to Zhen Zhen.

Ming Xi placed the sled at his feet, and before sitting down, Ming Bei stealthily reached out his hand and whispered, “Brother, give me the movie ticket money, eight Mao.”

Ming Xi smiled and slapped his hand away: “You already bought the tickets, why are you still asking me for money?”

Ming Bei immediately got anxious, but he didn’t dare to raise his voice. He leaned sideways and made faces at Ming Xi: “Ahem, didn’t you say you’d treat?”

“Uh-huh!” Ming Xi pretended to be clueless and looked at him: “Then why did you buy the tickets?”

Ming Bei, who wasn’t good with words, remembered how he had painstakingly saved up money selling newspapers and scrap for half a year, and now it was all gone. His eyes were a little red from the sting of the loss. But since Yu Wanqiu was sitting behind him, Ming Bei didn’t dare speak up. He could only look at Ming Xi angrily: “Why are you going back on your word?”

Seeing that Ming Bei was serious, Ming Xi hurriedly smiled and pulled some money from his pocket, handing it to him: “Here, here, just take it, don’t be so petty, the girl’s watching.”

Ming Bei, with his back to Yu Wanqiu, counted the money in his hand and realized Ming Xi had actually given him ninety-eight cents. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket and grinned widely: “Next time, I’ll run ahead and buy the tickets for you again.”

Ming Xi laughed and rubbed Ming Bei’s head: “What a silly boy!”