Chapter 35

After eating most of the rabbit leg, Zhenzhen wasn’t too hungry by noon. She ate a few bites of rice and then got off the kang, sitting on her own bed in her room, happily drinking the honey water that Grandma Li had made for her.

Li Mingzhong finished his meal, raised his leg, and pushed open the door. He squeezed in from the doorway, and Zhenzhen glanced up at him: “Close the door for me, it’s drafty.” Li Mingzhong silently turned around, lifted his leg, and shut the door. He walked over to the side of the kang and rested his two front paws on the edge, looking at Zhenzhen with a pitiful expression: “I didn’t get enough roasted rabbit.”

“I know,” Zhenzhen comforted him while holding her enamel cup: “There were too many people today. Next time, we’ll sneak away with Fourth Brother, and I’ll save half the roasted rabbit for you.”

“Don’t kid me. He eats more than me. One roasted rabbit wouldn’t even fill the gaps between his teeth,” Li Mingzhong turned around and lay in his own bed, covering his head with his paws. “I want to eat a whole one myself.”

Zhenzhen picked a few hazelnuts from her bowl and tossed them to Li Mingzhong: “Next time, we’ll roast a few more, and I’ll give you one all to yourself. Also, bring one back for Grandma and Mom to try.”

Li Mingzhong jumped up, caught the hazelnut in mid-air, and wagged his tail at Zhenzhen: “Deal, but you better not try to fool the dog.”

Zhenzhen finished the last sip of honey water from her cup and gave Li Mingzhong a glance: “Got it, silly dog.”

In the adjacent room, on the large kang, two tables were set up. The Li Muwen brothers, along with their older nephews, sat on the southern side, while Grandma Li sat with the women and younger grandchildren on the northern side. The table was laden with a pot of red-braised pork in thick sauce, a large platter of steamed white meat sliced thin, sauerkraut blood sausage, and big bones with more meat than sauerkraut. There were also stir-fried cabbage, stewed potatoes, and dried beans with plenty of meat in all of them. Zhang Chunhua looked at the food, her eyes turning green with envy. She didn’t even touch the dry food nearby but immediately grabbed two pieces of meat and stuffed them into her mouth. Mumbling, she said, “Mom, you live so well here, way better than we do. Mulin is always worried about you not eating well. Every month, he sends your food tickets and money before anything else. We don’t live as well as you do.”

Grandma Li glanced at her and replied flatly, “I raised him, so it’s his duty to repay me. If your life was tough, and he asked me, I’d still help him. But it’s different when it comes to your parents. You two get the same amount of food tickets and money as Mulin. Don’t you still have to honor them? It’s the same logic.”

Zhang Chunhua awkwardly smiled twice, then picked up a large bone and took a bite of the meat: “I was just saying, not that I’m unhappy. But in Ice City, we can’t even buy this much meat with our money and meat tickets.”

“You can’t buy it here either,” Grandma Li said while eating some blood sausage. “But Beicha is big, with few people, so there’s space to raise poultry and livestock. That’s one thing better than where you live.” She paused, then added, “Raising these animals requires a lot of effort. Mingnan and Mingbei are busy from dawn to dusk, either making pig food or foraging for wild vegetables. In Ice City, you wouldn’t have that many things to feed them.”

Ming Shu and Ming Xin had just eaten roasted rabbit and were now feasting on the hearty dishes on the table, making up for a year’s worth of hunger. Ming Xin eagerly ate the red-braised pork, not minding the oiliness. Hearing Grandma Li mention that pigs could be raised in Beicha, he quickly turned to Zhang Chunhua and said, “Mom, Beicha is great! Let’s go back to our hometown! You don’t know, there are so many rabbits on the mountain. They smell amazing after being roasted.”

Zhang Chunhua turned pale with fear, worried that Grandma Li might agree, and then Li Mulin might get the idea. She kicked Ming Xin under the table, forcing a smile: “What are you talking about? You’re not studying anymore? Your father still has to work.”

Grandma Li gave her a look, then clicked her tongue: “It’s fine if you don’t come back. Looking at you now just gives me a headache. Besides, there’s no house for you to live in.” Zhang Chunhua awkwardly laughed twice, lowered her head, and ate quickly, not daring to look up again.

At the next table, Li Muwen asked about the studies of his nephews. Ming Dong was in college now, so there was nothing to worry about. After graduation, he would be assigned a job. Ming Xi was in his second year of high school and would be taking the college entrance exam next year.

Li Muwen looked at Ming Xi, who was pouring him some wine, and asked, “Ming Xi, have you decided which university you want to apply to?”

Ming Xi thought about it and sighed: “I went to Ice City where my brother started college, but I still haven’t decided where to apply.”

Li Muwen took a sip of wine and gave Ming Xi some advice: “If you haven’t decided on a particular university, I suggest you apply to the Ice Military Engineering University. But you can’t get in from Yitong High School, you’d need to transfer to a high school in Ice City first.”

Li Muwen immediately said, “When the time comes, you can stay at my house, and I’ll help you with your studies.”

Li Muwen continued, “After the New Year, I’ll take Ming Xi to Ice City and try to transfer him to Ice City No. 6 High School. After the New Year, the military engineering admissions might already start their political reviews. If we’re late, we might miss the opportunity.”

In this era, becoming a soldier was an honor for the entire family, let alone getting into a military university. When Grandma Li heard Li Muwen’s words, she lost interest in eating, put down her smoking pipe, and got off the kang. She sat next to Li Muwen: “I heard that the political review for Ice Military Engineering is much stricter than other universities. Our family has always been honorable and has contributed to resisting Japan, so we don’t have anything to fear. But there’s one thing: will Guihua’s background affect Ming Xi’s chances?”

Ming Dong quickly said, “Grandma, I passed the political review for university, what’s there to be afraid of about Ming Xi?”

Li Muwen put down his wine cup and explained to Ming Dong, “The political review for Ice Military Engineering not only looks at your background, but also your social connections and family history. If there’s a large capitalist or landlord with a grudge against the Party, they won’t be admitted.”

Hearing this, Ming Xi quickly added, “Sister-in-law doesn’t have a grudge against the Party. If I can’t pass the political review, that’s fine. I’ll just apply to Ice Engineering University, that’s fine too.”

Li Muwen smiled and said, “Since I’m recommending you for Ice Military Engineering, I’ve naturally considered Guihua’s situation.” Li Muwen poured his mother a glass of wine and explained to everyone, “Guihua has grown up in our house since she was little, her household registration has always been with us, and she’s long been disconnected from her parents. When I go to Ice City, I’ll write a letter to both the army and Ice Military Engineering to clarify Guihua’s situation. If he passes, that’s great; if not, Ming Xi can just take the college entrance exam normally when the time comes.”

After hearing this, the family members felt relieved. Zhang Chunhua, being from Ice City, knew how important Ice Military Engineering was. She quickly asked from across the kang, “Oh, big brother, you can speak with Ice Military Engineering, so you must have a high rank in the army, right?”

Li Muwen had only talked about the war against Japan and briefly mentioned life after the liberation. He had hardly mentioned anything about his military career. The Li family had always been taught not to pry into things others didn’t talk about. Only Grandma Li, who slept in the same bed as her son, had heard him mention a few things and had learned that her son held a high rank in the army, and that he had a personal bodyguard following him. To avoid frightening the family, he had specifically left the bodyguard in Ice City on this visit.

When Li Muwen heard Zhang Chunhua’s question, he pretended not to hear it and continued talking to Ming Xi about things before the university entrance exam, also reminding Ming Dong to help Ming Xi with his studies during the winter vacation. Zhang Chunhua, thinking Li Muwen hadn’t heard her, raised her voice and asked again, “Big brother, what position do you hold in the army?”

This time, Li Muwen didn’t need to answer; Li Mulin’s face darkened, and he turned around to shout at Zhang Chunhua, “What are you asking nonsense for? It sounds like you owe someone.”

Seeing Li Mulin angry, Zhang Chunhua shrank her neck and muttered unwillingly, “I was just thinking that Ming Shu will be taking the college entrance exam in a few years, maybe I can use this to help him.”

Ming Shu raised his head and looked at Zhang Chunhua with a confused expression, “Mom, I’m only in the second year of middle school.”

Li Muwen smiled and looked at Ming Shu with a kind gaze, “I’m just writing a letter; the entrance exam still depends on your own abilities. No one can use connections to get in.”

Ming Shu quickly replied, “Eldest uncle, I know, I’ll work hard on my own. I’m doing really well in school.”

Ming Xin, who had been quiet without interrupting, chimed in, “Yeah, my older brother is really good at studying. There are 32 people in his class, and he ranked 23rd.”

The whole family burst out laughing, and Ming Shu blushed, frantically trying to explain, “That was just a bad day. If I had studied properly, I definitely wouldn’t have done that badly.”

Ming Xin nodded seriously, “My brother’s right, he says that every year, but he never actually studies properly.”

The whole family laughed so hard their stomachs hurt, even Li Mulin couldn’t keep a straight face and laughed, cursing, “You little rascal, you’ve wasted the name I gave you, you’re not good at studying, and all you do is talk.”

Ming Xin, still grinning at Ming Shu, teased, “He’s really bad at studying, but he’s good at running! Every time there’s a sports event, he’s first in the running race. He’s also the fastest at skipping school and climbing walls.”

Seeing Ming Xin so serious, Ming Shu, irritated, slapped him with a hand covered in grease, “Can you stop talking and eat more meat?”

Ming Xin, looking at the large grease mark on his clothes, shouted, “Mom, look at what my brother did to me!”

Zhang Chunhua quickly jumped off the kang, grabbed a towel, dampened it, and wiped Ming Xin’s shoulder, cleaning the grease off his clothes.

Ming Nan and Ming Bei, watching the two brothers bicker and harm each other, laughed uncontrollably. Ming Bei even urged Ming Xin, “What else has your brother done? Tell me, and tomorrow I’ll take you to roast rabbit.”

Before Ming Xin could say anything, Ming Shu spoke up first, “You want to know something? I know my own business best, just give me the roasted rabbit when it’s ready.”

Ming Nan looked at him with admiration, “You really go all out just for food.”

Ming Shu casually replied, “Anyway, it’ll all come out eventually, so I might as well say it myself, so my little brother doesn’t sell me out for a rabbit.”

When Ming Guang from Li Mosen’s family came over to eat, he overheard Ming Bei talking about roasting rabbit and felt envious and greedy. As soon as he heard about the roasted rabbit, he immediately rushed over, “I know the bad things my brother has done. Give me half a rabbit, and I’ll tell you what my brother did two years ago in Old Wang’s pumpkin field…”

Ming Rong wrapped an arm around Ming Guang’s neck and quickly covered his mouth with his hand, urgently scolding him, “Are you stupid? Do you think I won’t give you roasted rabbit?”

Ming Guang’s eyes widened, and he quickly nodded like a chick pecking rice, waving his hands desperately. Ming Rong saw that his silly little brother had understood, and only then did he relax and release his hand. Ming Nan, with a mischievous smile, looked at Ming Guang, “I remember something like that. I think someone cut open Old Wang’s pumpkin, scooped out the insides, peed in it, then covered it back up. When Wang Baozi went to pick the pumpkins, he got a big surprise, and Old Wang’s wife cursed for more than a month.”

Ming Guang covered his mouth and laughed so hard that tears were coming out. He was trying to hide behind, while explaining for himself: “This isn’t what I said, it’s what my brother Nan guessed on his own.”

Ming Bei, laughing so hard that the meat in his mouth fell out, said, “Ming Rong, you’re too cunning. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have figured out what you did.”

Ming Rong angrily kicked Ming Guang: “You’ve got such a big mouth.” Then he quickly explained, “It happened because Wang Baozi took my eraser. I went to ask for it back, and he broke it. I was so pissed that I did something bad in his pumpkin patch.”

Ming Bei, upon hearing this, became anxious. “Did you lose the fight with him? It’s alright, next time if you fight him again, ask for help from my second brother. He’s really tough, he can slap a wild boar to death. If you let him help, he’ll definitely slap him flying.”

At this moment, Ming Xi, who had been quietly reviewing his textbooks while sitting next to Li Mu Wen, was unexpectedly sold out by his younger brother. Li Mu Wen looked at Ming Xi in surprise: “You’ve slapped a wild boar to death?”

Ming Xi’s face turned green. “Li Ming Bei, you’re asking for a beating!”

Zhen Zhen, in the other room, could hear the conversation clearly and was laughing so hard that she couldn’t stop. Li Ming Zhong didn’t understand what was so funny, being a dog himself. What he was more worried about was: “Are you sure I’ll get a piece of rabbit?”

“Definitely, definitely,” Zhen Zhen answered, tears of laughter in her eyes. “I’ll give you the biggest piece.”

Generally, children are the most active, especially when it comes to food. The next morning, Ming Rong and Ming Guang arrived. After breakfast, they hurried Ming Nan and Ming Bei to go up the mountain. This time, the target was clear, and Ming Bei went to the kitchen to gather all the seasonings he could find, and also took a jar to ask Li Lao Tai for honey.

Li Lao Tai, seeing that Zhen Zhen also wanted to go, generously gave her half a jar. Ming Bei packed everything into a backpack and didn’t forget to invite the family’s hunting expert. “Second Brother, why don’t you come with us? If we run into a wild boar or something, we can bring it back and add it to the meal.”

Ming Xi immediately remembered the scene when a wild boar had charged at him and shuddered, struggling to suppress his fear. He yelled at Ming Bei, “Don’t mention wild boars again.”

On the way up the mountain, Ming Bei still didn’t understand why his second brother was upset. “Second Brother is just being modest. He doesn’t want to talk about such a big thing, but if it were me, I’d boast about it every day even if others didn’t.”

Zhen Zhen, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, said, “Kid, why don’t you slap the wild boar on the face and try it?”

This time, Zhen Zhen had no intention of letting the rabbits bump into trees. Firstly, it would be too easy, and the gossipy kids would spread the word. Secondly, it lacked fun. However, with the thick snow in the deep mountains, finding rabbits wasn’t easy either. To make sure everyone could have some rabbit meat, Zhen Zhen used her mind to herd over a dozen plump rabbits.

One by one, the rabbits ran past in front of them, and the kids were busy. Ming Shu helped Ming Rong set up snares, Ming Nan and Ming Bei grabbed slingshots, while Ming Xin and Ming Guang ran after Li Ming Zhong, foolishly running around. The snow was thick, and the wild rabbits didn’t run fast on it. Soon, they were too tired to continue running and collapsed in the snow. Ming Xin went over, grabbed a rabbit by its ears, and happily shouted, “I caught a wild rabbit too.”

After catching five or six wild rabbits, Ming Nan and Ming Rong started cleaning them. Ming Shu and Ming Xin, both experienced, set up one fire after another. Zhen Zhen, wearing a thick cotton coat, cotton hat, and gloves, hugged her military water bottle, occasionally sipping honey water as she watched her brothers happily roasting the rabbits.

When the first batch of rabbits was roasted, the snares caught a few more, and Li Ming Zhong, with his not-so-useful dog brain, counted the rabbits again and again, trying to figure out if he would get one.

Zhen Zhen watched him walk around the roasting rack in circles, laughing loudly. Finally, after several batches of rabbits were roasted, Li Ming Zhong, satisfied, bit into a whole rabbit and squatted in the snow, eating greedily.

Because they brought enough seasonings and honey from Grandma, and with more people, the atmosphere was lively. The roasted rabbit tasted especially delicious. After everyone had their fill, Ming Nan put out the fire, looked around the roasting area, and covered it with snow, before picking up two rabbits wrapped in oil paper and heading home.

Back at the house, the braised chicken was hopping around in the yard, unbothered by the cold. Zhen Zhen, noticing the recent eggs Grandma had been gathering, looked at the braised chicken with a complicated expression: “You’ve been working hard in the chicken coop recently.”

The braised chicken shamelessly responded, “I’m just trying to make more braised chicken for you.”

Zhen Zhen was momentarily stunned but then turned and walked inside, while the braised chicken flapped its wings and curiously asked, “What did you guys do? What did you bring back?”

“We went to the mountain to roast rabbits,” Zhen Zhen replied.

“Roast what on the mountain? Why not just roast them in the yard? Isn’t it cold?” The braised chicken’s eyes flashed with disdain. “I bet you didn’t think of that. Are you dumb?”

Zhen Zhen, annoyed and embarrassed, grabbed a knife from under the window. “Come over here.”

“What are you going to do?” The braised chicken quietly took two steps back. “I can’t step on eggs, you know.”

Zhen Zhen sneered twice. “You don’t need to be a breeding chicken anymore. I’m castrating you now.”