Accidentally-Born-C34

Chapter 34

Since Li Muwen had returned home, Li Mulin took leave from his workplace early and got home after the fifteenth of the twelfth month. When Zhang Chunhua entered the room and saw Li Muwen, dressed in military uniform and exuding an imposing aura, she finally believed that the Li family indeed had a capable person. She quickly approached with a beaming smile, saying, “This must be the elder brother. I often hear Mu Lin mention you, but this is the first time meeting you.”

Although he had already heard about Li Mulin and his wife’s matters from Grandma Li, with Li Muwen’s upbringing, he would never do anything to embarrass his sister-in-law. He simply nodded and smiled at her before putting on his military coat. “Mu Lin, come, let’s go for a walk,” he said.

As soon as Li Mulin saw his elder brother’s dark expression, his legs went weak, and he steeled himself to follow Li Muwen. His voice trembled as he spoke, “Elder brother, can’t we just talk inside? Why do we have to go outside?”

Li Muwen glanced back at him, a cold smile appearing on his face. “Let’s go behind the house.”

Li Mulin immediately knew he couldn’t avoid a beating. When they were younger, whenever he misbehaved, and their elder brother was about to discipline them, he would always be taken behind the house. Trembling, Li Mulin followed closely behind Li Muwen, repeatedly begging for mercy, “Elder brother, I know I was wrong.”

Li Muwen turned around, wrapping an arm around Li Mulin’s neck and pulling him to his chest. “Since you were little, our mother has always doted on you. Whatever good things there were, she’d save for you first. And yet, you’ve been gone for ten years without returning. Do you still have any feelings for our mother?”

Li Mulin clung tightly to his elder brother’s strong arm, his face flushed with embarrassment. “Brother, I know I was wrong. I was foolish. I won’t dare to do it again.”

Looking at his brother, now nearly as tall as him, Li Muwen couldn’t help but remember his brother’s appearance when they were young. When he left home to fight, Mu Lin was still under ten years old. He had clung to him, crying and refusing to let go. Li Muwen had been harsh and pulled his hand away, walking out of the house, still hearing his brother’s cries from inside.

Sighing, Li Muwen finally retracted his fist, which had been raised in anger, and let go of Li Mulin. His eyes reddened. “I didn’t fulfill my duty as an elder brother, and didn’t properly teach you. Our father passed away early, and when I was finally able to take on the family’s responsibilities, I left with the army. If I had…”

“Brother!” Li Mulin quickly interrupted him. “You went to fight the Japanese. If not for you all, we wouldn’t be living such good lives today. Now you’re so far from home, and mother always says how hard it is for you.” Seeing that Li Muwen had teared up, Li Mulin couldn’t hold back his own tears. “Brother, I know I was wrong. I’m a mess. I wasn’t careful enough. I’m sorry.”

“Mother had four sons, and now both of us are away from home for years on end. She may not say it, but she must feel lonely during the holidays. You’re in the Ice City, not far from home. If you can come back more often, you should. Think about mother’s age. How many more New Years will she be able to spend with us?” Li Muwen wiped his eyes with his rough hand. “I’ve been awarded a merit for my mission, and I might get promoted. After this is settled, I’ll try to take leave and bring my wife and children back. I want mother to meet her daughter-in-law and grandson, and I want my sons to know where their roots are.”

Li Mulin nodded repeatedly. When they returned to the house, he immediately rushed to hug Grandma Li, crying out, “Mother, I was wrong!”

Grandma Li gave him a look of disdain and pushed him aside with a slap. “What happened? Did your brother hit you?”

“No? It’s just that what my brother said made me feel bad,” Li Mulin said, returning to her and bending down to rest his head on her shoulder, crying and sobbing, “Since I was young, mother always favored me the most. She would save the best things for me, but I was the worst one. Mother, I shouldn’t have been gone for ten years.”

Grandma Li laughed, “Going to the army really broadened your horizons. I think your brother’s scolding this time will do more for you than any beating ever could.” She wiped the tears from her son’s face and gave him another slap, saying, “Alright, alright, the past is over. Stop crying. In the last couple of years, you’ve come home twice a year. That’s already pretty good. Mother doesn’t blame you. You’ve got children now, yet you’re still crying. Aren’t you afraid your sons will laugh at you?”

Li Mulin quickly wiped his eyes and smiled. “This year, I bought mother a new piece of clothing. I’ll go show it to her.”

“Stop wasting money. You’re the only one earning in your family. Life isn’t easy, so don’t spend extravagantly. I’ve got clothes to wear. Your elder brother just bought me a new one too.” Although Grandma Li said this, a smile bloomed on her face. “It’s the thought that counts.”

“The one my brother bought is his, the one I bought is mine,” Li Mulin insisted, pulling Grandma Li to go try on the new clothes. With a little coaxing, she happily followed him.

Li Mulin took Grandma Li to try on clothes, while Ming Shu and Ming Xin greeted the elders before pulling Ming Nan and Ming Bei out to play. Zhen Zhen, now able to go outside, hurriedly put on her big cotton jacket and hat and followed them. Li Ming Zhong, seeing this, immediately got up from the cushion and ran after Zhen Zhen.

“Brother! Brother! Wait for me!” Zhen Zhen shouted, her little legs pumping hard to catch up.

Ming Bei turned around and waved at her. “Go back home, we’re not bringing you along.”

Zhen Zhen pretended not to hear, running to Ming Bei’s side and grabbing his hand, her face full of excitement as she asked, “Where are we going to play?”

Ming Bei helped Zhen Zhen fasten the buttons on her coat, then pushed her toward home. “We’re going up the mountain to catch a roe deer. The path is hard to walk. You should go back home and let Hong Zhong follow us.”

Li Ming Zhong, hearing this, immediately rolled his eyes, disapproving. Ming Shu and Ming Xin laughed, and Ming Nan pulled Zhen Zhen’s hand, telling Ming Bei, “If she wants to come, just bring her. If you send her home, she’ll cry to Grandma and we’ll get punished.”

Thinking of how Grandma favors Zhen Zhen, Ming Bei had no choice but to nod. “Alright, but let’s not go too far up the mountain today. We’ll stay closer and see what we can find.” Ming Shu and Ming Xin, eager to play, urged Ming Nan and Ming Bei to lead the way.

At the foot of the mountain, the snow along the usual path was already packed down. Ming Nan used a stick to test the ground as they walked, with Ming Shu and Ming Xin in the middle, and Ming Bei holding Zhen Zhen’s hand at the back. Li Ming Zhong, already full of energy, had run off somewhere.

Ming Shu and Ming Xin weren’t used to going up the mountain, and especially with each step sinking into the snow, it became hard to move. After walking for about a hundred meters, they were already out of breath, leaning against a red pine tree.

“Let’s set up a trap here,” Ming Nan said, poking the snow with his stick. Not seeing Li Ming Zhong anywhere nearby, he asked with concern, “Where did Hong Zhong go? He hasn’t gotten lost, has he?”

Zhen Zhen scanned the area with her consciousness and saw Li Ming Zhong not far away, with a big fat rabbit in his mouth. She immediately smiled. “I’ll call him back.” Shouting loudly, “Li Ming Zhong…”

The sound echoed through the pine forest, and Li Ming Zhong quickly identified the direction and scampered back toward them.

Ming Bei, with his sharp eyes, saw Li Ming Zhong with something in his mouth and immediately climbed onto a tree stump to get a better look. “Hong Zhong must have caught a rabbit,” he said. Ming Shu and Ming Xin immediately cheered up, no longer feeling the pain in their legs and waist, and ran over to take a look.

Li Ming Zhong, holding the rabbit, dashed past his brothers and trotted up to Zhen Zhen, dropping the dead rabbit at her feet, eagerly waiting for her praise. Zhen Zhen laughed and patted his head, praising him in a sweet voice, “Not bad, I’ll give you meat for dinner.”

Li Ming Zhong nodded enthusiastically, not forgetting to make a request, “I want braised pork.”

Zhen Zhen looked at him speechlessly. “You sure know how to eat. I’ll ask Grandma tonight.”

Ming Nan, Ming Bei, and the others followed behind Li Ming Zhong. Ming Bei picked up the rabbit’s ears to take a closer look. “Haha, Hong Zhong really bit the rabbit’s throat. He’s a natural hunting dog, no need to teach him how to hunt.”

Ming Nan glanced at the fat rabbit and grinned widely. “Let’s take it home and let Grandma stew it with potatoes.”

Ming Shu had tried rabbit stew with potatoes before and thought it wasn’t as fragrant as pork. He remembered the big bowl of pork in Grandma’s yard just now and lost any desire for rabbit meat. He licked his lips and said to Ming Nan, “I’ve always heard Dad say roasted rabbit is delicious, but I’ve never had roasted rabbit.”

“Want to eat roasted rabbit? That’s easy.” Ming Nan led Ming Shu and the others through a winding path until they found a small cabin in the woods. He opened the door, and inside was half a barrel of frozen water that had been used by the people who went up the mountain. The snow water was added, and once it melted, the next group of people going up would have water.

Ming Nan sent Ming Bei back home to fetch some seasonings, telling Ming Shu and Ming Xin to gather some firewood. He first placed a handful of it under the barrel to start heating the water for cleaning the rabbit.

He drew a small knife from his waist and swiftly cleaned the rabbit. He fetched some water from the barrel and washed the rabbit inside and out, making it squeaky clean.

By the time Ming Nan finished, Ming Bei had already returned with salt and pepper, while Ming Shu and Ming Xin had cleared a clean patch of ground outside and set up the firewood. They used matches to slowly start a fire. Ming Nan scored a few cuts on the rabbit, rubbed salt and pepper on both its inside and outside, then skewered it on a long stick and placed it on the fire.

Zhen Zhen went behind the cabin and circled around. When she came out again, she was holding a beehive full of honey, which she shyly handed to Ming Nan. “I found it under a tree behind the cabin.”

“Ah, my little sister, this is a good find! You really have a lucky hand. How come you found this?” Ming Nan sniffed the beehive and smiled, the sweet honey scent making him swallow. “Take it home to Grandma, let her make honey water for us to drink.”

Zhen Zhen looked at the rabbit roasting on the fire, innocently asking Ming Nan, “Is honey water sweet?”

“Sweet, it’s both fragrant and sweet, really good to drink. But wild bees are dangerous; you generally don’t want to mess with them.” Ming Nan glanced at the beehive in his hand and grinned. “I think the heavy snow a while ago must have knocked it down. Luckily, we went up the mountain today; otherwise, we wouldn’t have found such a good thing.”

Zhen Zhen’s focus was elsewhere. Upon hearing Ming Nan say it was sweet, she immediately responded, “Third Brother, I want to eat sweet rabbit. Let’s pour honey on the rabbit.”

Ming Nan winced at the thought, “Using such a good thing on the rabbit is a waste.”

“But I want to eat it!” Zhen Zhen pouted and coquettishly tugged at Ming Nan’s hand. “Brother, please put the honey on the rabbit. Later, I’ll pick a beehive for you.”

“My silly little sister, you think beehives and pine cones are everywhere?” Ming Nan patted Zhen Zhen’s head but still respected her wish. He went into the cabin, found a wooden bowl, washed it twice with water, and then carefully scooped out some honey to put into the bowl.

Ming Bei returned with a brush for the salt. Ming Nan carefully dipped some honey onto the brush and evenly applied it to the rabbit. Once the honey hit the fire, the fatty rabbit began to sizzle, releasing a fragrant aroma.

Ming Bei swallowed and stared at the rabbit, his eyes shining. “I think it smells even better with honey.”

Ming Nan nodded and, once the rabbit’s color darkened, quickly brushed another layer of honey on it, scraping the bowl clean and covering the rabbit with all the remaining honey. When the flavor was absorbed, Ming Bei poked the rabbit with a knife to check if the meat was cooked through. He quickly took the rabbit off the fire and tossed a few pine cones into the flames, which soon gave off a pleasant pine resin aroma.

The children from the Li family gathered around the fire. Once the rabbit was cool enough to handle, Ming Nan cut it into large pieces. Zhen Zhen took a rabbit leg, blew on it to cool it down, and took a bite. The outside was crispy, while the inside was tender, juicy, and sweet. As she chewed, Zhen Zhen thought the taste was even better than braised pork with rice.

It was clear that Zhen Zhen wasn’t the only one thinking this. Ming Nan and Ming Bei had eaten roasted rabbit before, but they used to roast it with no concern for flavor, just cooking it. Today’s roast, perfectly cooked and brushed with honey, was a first for them. After finishing his piece of rabbit meat, Ming Bei reluctantly licked his fingers and sighed in satisfaction. “It’s so delicious.”

Ming Shu and Ming Xin ate the rabbit meat down to the bones, even reluctant to throw away the bones. They kept licking them, eating more cleanly than Li Ming Zhong ever had.

Li Ming Zhong looked at the others enjoying their food, barking impatiently, circling around Zhen Zhen and sticking out his tongue. Zhen Zhen tore off a piece of rabbit meat and tossed it to Li Ming Zhong. It jumped up, caught the meat mid-air, and swallowed it in a few bites before looking at Zhen Zhen expectantly. “It doesn’t taste like much.”

Zhen Zhen gave him another piece. “Eat slowly. I’ll give you more once I’m done.”

Li Ming Zhong, with the rabbit meat in his mouth, nodded enthusiastically, wagging his tail. “Save me some meat!”

Zhen Zhen had eaten most of her honey-glazed rabbit leg. The remaining bits were passed to Li Ming Zhong, who gripped the leg with his front paws and, in a few quick bites, cleaned it off. He licked his lips, unwilling to discard the bones, and carried them around the fire, hopping and wagging his tail happily.

Once the firewood burned out, the fire began to die down. Ming Bei grabbed a stick and moved some pine cones towards Ming Shu and Ming Xin. “The pine nuts roasted this way are more fragrant than when fried.” Ming Shu and Ming Xin blew on the pine cones while peeling off the nuts. Without caring about the heat, they popped the nuts into their mouths with a satisfying crunch. “Crunch,” the shell cracked, and they spit it out, enjoying the rich pine nut flavor. Ming Xin complained, “you have so many good things in Beicha. Why did my dad have to go to Ice City back then? Otherwise, I could have eaten rabbit and pine nuts every day.”

Zhen Zhen couldn’t crack the nuts, so she grabbed a handful and stuffed them into her pocket to bring home for Grandma to open for her. The children ate pine nuts on their way down the mountain, and by the time they got home, only Zhen Zhen still had some left in her pocket. The others had finished theirs.

Li Ming Nan handed the beehive to Grandma Li, his face full of excitement. “Zhen Zhen found this under a tree! Luckily we went up the mountain today, or someone else would have gotten it.”

Grandma Li silently looked at the sky. “Don’t worry, if your sister didn’t go, the beehive wouldn’t have fallen.”