The next morning, the Li family got up early. Guihua cut a piece of pork belly, fried a big bowl of meat sauce for Mingdong and put it in a can, and then wrapped the pancakes that had been steamed yesterday afternoon in a clean bag.
After breakfast, Old Lady Li took a puff of her pipe and told Mingdong, "Remember to write home often when you get to Bingcheng. If you have any problems, go find your fourth uncle. If he doesn't care about you, come back and tell me, and I'll beat him to death with my pipe."
Mingdong couldn't help laughing. He stood in front of Old Lady Li, his slightly frail body straight. "Grandma, I'm an adult now. I have teachers and classmates at school. What big deal can it be? Besides, if something really happens, I still have grandma at home. I'll write to you and ask you for advice."
"Okay!" Old Lady Li smiled as she smoked her pipe: "My eldest grandson is an adult now, you should learn to make decisions for yourself in the future." Glancing at Guihua, who was standing next to her with red eyes, Old Lady Li got off the kang, put on her shoes and walked out: "Okay, I'll go see Zhenzhen, you two can talk too, just don't be late to catch the train."
Mingdong glanced at the figure of Old Lady Li disappearing at the door, then turned back to look at Guihua standing in front of him, with a complex emotion flashing across his face: "After you go home today, stay at home for a few more days. It's rare for you to go back twice a year."
Guihua's face flashed with shyness. She touched the braid hanging in front of her chest, lowered her head and said softly, "Just go home and take a look. You can't stay too long. I'm indispensable inside and outside the house."
"Actually, if you want to go home, you can tell me." Li Mingdong looked at her, his tone carrying a hint of urgency: "It's not the same as it was ten years ago. You can go home anytime."
As if she didn't understand what Li Mingdong meant, Guihua remained shy, with a blush on her face: "But this is my home, I've been married here since I was a child, right?" She looked up at Mingdong, her eyes full of admiration: "Brother Mingdong, don't worry about studying, I'll take care of the family, I'll wait for you to come home."
In such a conservative era, Guihua's words were considered passionate and straightforward. Mingdong couldn't help but take two steps back with a bit of panic on his face. He looked at Guihua but didn't know how to respond. In silence, he felt his throat was dry and burning, and he couldn't help swallowing.
The two looked at each other. Guihua looked at Mingdong seriously with her big eyes, looking directly into his eyes without any hesitation. Mingdong couldn't help but dodge under such a fiery gaze, and then turned his head away in embarrassment: "I have to go."
Guihua looked a little disappointed, but when Mingdong turned around, she put on her familiar gentle smile: "I'll help you get your things."
Mingdong put the rolled-up blanket on his back, touched the money sewn into his clothes, and then picked up the bag of clothes and books with confidence. Guihua followed closely behind him, carrying a basket of dry food, meat sauce, and pickles, like a virtuous young wife.
The two walked to the door, and Li Mingdong went to the east room to say goodbye to Old Lady Li, Li Muwu, and Wang Sufen. Mingdong had been studying in Yidong since high school. He had been away from home more often, and the Li family had gotten used to it, because it didn't make them feel so sad. Li Muwu looked at his son, who was almost as tall as him, and smiled naively: "Listen to your teacher over there, study hard, and don't fight with your classmates." Wang Sufen hugged Zhenzhen and advised: "Don't stay up late at night, dress warmly in winter, and write back if you need anything. I'll ask your father to mail it to you when the time comes."
Old Mrs. Li glanced at Guihua who was following Mingdong, and started thinking about arranging weddings for her two children at the end of the year. However, it was not convenient to talk about this in front of the two children now. Old Mrs. Li thought about going back and discussing with Wang Sufen what to do.
Mingxi came in from outside, took the big bag from Mingdong and put it on his back, then turned around and said hello to Old Lady Li: "Grandma, shall I go and see my brother off?"
"Go ahead!" Old Lady Li waved her hand: "Just send the osmanthus flowers to the door, you have to go back to your parents' home soon."
Guihua responded but still walked them out the door for a long time until Mingdong urged her again and again before she handed the basket to him. She watched the two of them disappear from her sight before she came back, looking back every few steps.
At home, Li Muwu put the meat to be sent to his father-in-law's house on a large cart and also put two small wooden stools on it, which were prepared for Old Mrs. Li and Wang Sufen.
Old Lady Li went to the kitchen and put the lard cooked with sweet-scented osmanthus in the cupboard. She also took out two bowls of oil and put the rest in the cupboard and locked it. Mingnan and Mingbei stood at the kitchen door, watching their grandmother lock things in the cupboard one by one, and couldn't help but wail: "If everything is locked up, what are we going to eat for lunch?"
"I've left two bowls of oil for you. There's also some cabbage and pork vermicelli left from last night, and a few large bones left. Aren't they enough for the two of you?" Old Mrs. Li was quick with words and even quicker with her hands. She had cleaned up the kitchen in a blink of an eye. "Life is about taking things slow and steady. How can you eat all the good things at once? That's called a spendthrift. I tell you, life at home isn't bad. Look at any family that has meat and fish like ours?"
Mingbei pursed his lips, trying to gain some benefits for himself: "There's no sugar sprinkled on the oil yet!"
Old Lady Li glanced at him and saw that he was almost crying with greed, so she had to open the cupboard again, took out the bag of sugar, carefully sprinkled a little on the bowl, and quickly put it back and locked it. Sugar is also a scarce commodity nowadays, Mingnan and Mingbei don't want much, as long as they can have a little taste of sugar.
Old Lady Li locked the door, straightened her clothes, and gave instructions again: "The meat in our house is kept in an iron bucket and a large water tank, and there is corn drying on the ground in the back. You two must lock the door when you go in and out, and don't let anyone steal it."
Mingbei's mouth was full of grease. He waved his hands without even looking up: "Don't worry, grandma. I won't throw away the meat even if I do!"
Mrs. Li was immediately delighted: "Okay, you have ambition."
Outside, Li Muwu had already prepared the carriage. Wang Sufen came out of the east room holding Zhenzhen, a kettle, a blanket, and a small bag of wild fruits. When Mrs. Li heard the noise, she hurried over to take the things: "I'll take these. You take good care of Zhenzhen and don't drop her."
Old Mrs. Li walked to the door, mumbling, and as she closed the door, she shouted, "Come out and lock the door!"
Mingnan put down the bowl and ran out quickly. Old Mrs. Li wanted to give her a few more instructions, but Mingnan clasped his hands together and quickly and skillfully locked the door with the bolt.
"This brat is now smart again." Old Mrs. Li muttered, walked to the carriage with her small feet, and helped Li Muwu get on the carriage by holding his hand.
This was the first time Zhenzhen had gone out to visit relatives since she was a child. She sat in Wang Sufen's arms, curiously looking at the surrounding scenery. In her previous life, she grew up in the city and was familiar with high-rise buildings made of reinforced concrete. Sometimes when she went to some farmhouse or the most beautiful countryside for tourism, there were also neat rows of houses and wide and neat asphalt roads. This was the first time she had seen such an authentic rural scene.
The carriage was running on the narrow path. On one side were endless red pine mountains, and on the other side were low earthen houses. The gates of the houses were all open without exception. Some people carried water back to water the vegetables planted in the yard, while others carried baskets and hurried out, as if they were going up the mountain.
As they walked further and further away, the house gradually disappeared. The carriage turned a corner and turned into a narrow forest road. There was nothing else to see except the towering trees on both sides of the road. But Zhenzhen was also enjoying the trees. She didn't know much about trees in her previous life, but now she seemed to know what species it was at a glance. Red pine, spruce, birch, linden, poplar, and willow trees mixed together to form a magnificent sea of forests.
Zhenzhen likes the feeling of being in the forest the most. She feels that every breath she takes can make her feel the vigorous vitality released by various plants. Zhenzhen sits in Wang Sufen's arms, looking around restlessly, and occasionally turning her head to look at the trees behind her.
Knowing Zhenzhen's special abilities, Mrs. Li and Wang Sufen were afraid that she would do something strange. Wang Sufen held Zhenzhen's hand and coaxed her, saying, "My dear girl, someone might pass by here. We must not let branches fly over here again, you hear me?"
Old Lady Li took out the washed wild fruits and handed them to Zhenzhen: "My dear, grandma brought you some fruits. Let's just eat these. Can we pick the others in the fall?"
Zhenzhen took a blueberry and put it in her mouth, showing a lovely smile to Grandma Li. Seeing her granddaughter smiling so sweetly, Grandma Li couldn't help but smile as well: "My baby is so well behaved, she is getting more and more beautiful. Just look at her eyebrows and eyes, you can tell she is blessed."
"Definitely blessed." Wang Sufen particularly agreed with what Old Lady Li said. She lowered her voice and whispered in Old Lady Li's ear: "With Zhenzhen's ability, she will never go hungry."
Old Lady Li nodded, but she was still worried and told Wang Sufen: "Don't let this matter out. When Zhenzhen grows up and can understand, you have to tell her every day. If she had this ability in the past, it would be like having a treasure pot. Who wouldn't be jealous?"
"Don't worry, mother. Zhenzhen is my daughter. How can I not love her?" Wang Sufen assured her hastily, and then became a little worried: "Mom, you said it's okay now. Although the wild fruits are not ripe, they are everywhere in the mountains and no one will think too much about it. What if Zhenzhen gets greedy in the winter and brings back a pot of them?"
Mrs. Li was also a little worried: "In the fall, I'll dry some blueberries and hawthorns for her. If that doesn't work, I can also freeze pears and persimmons. I think she also likes pine nuts and hazelnuts. I can just change them to please her."
Zhenzhen sat on Wang Sufen's lap with a touched look on her face. Seeing that there was no one around, she couldn't help but try it twice out of curiosity. She didn't expect that the elders at home were so worried. It seems that she has to eat the fruit in secret from now on.
Thinking of the seeds of various wild fruits that she had thrown out of the window to the eaves at the back, Zhenzhen smiled secretly in her heart. She would eat one and grow one when the time came, and she was sure that no one would find out.
We talked along the way. After about an hour's journey, the carriage finally turned down the mountain road. In the distance, we saw rows of low earthen houses and some miscellaneous wood piled on the roadside.
Zhenzhen stuffed the last lantern fruit that Old Lady Li brought into her mouth, then stretched out her hands to Old Lady Li and said incoherently, "Wash."
"This child just loves cleanliness." Old Mrs. Li said happily, taking out the small handkerchief that she brought for Zhenzhen from her pocket, pouring some water from the kettle, and helping her wash her hands and face.
"Fenzi is back?" An old man driving a donkey cart came towards them. Li Muwu quickly moved the cart aside to let the donkey pass first.
"Uncle Zhu, are you going to pull some wood?" Wang Sufen replied cheerfully.
"Well, I won't talk to you today. You should go home quickly. Your aunt Zhu heard your mother talking about you a while ago." The old man said as he drove the donkey cart towards the foot of the mountain.
Wang Sufen hadn't been able to go back to her parents' home since she became pregnant. She was so busy that she didn't miss home. When she finally got home, she saw the familiar plants and trees, and the enthusiastic neighbors and villagers. She was so excited that her lips trembled. She didn't care whether Zhenzhen understood or not, and kept introducing her: "Zhenzhen, see, this is Qingsong Forest Management Office, where my grandma lives."
Zhenzhen nodded happily, and Wang Sufen couldn't help but kiss her: "My baby is so smart, he can understand everything."
As they were talking, the carriage had already arrived at the village. People were coming in and out one after another. Those who heard the noise came out to take a look. When they saw Wang Sufen, they greeted her warmly: "Fenzi has returned to her parents' home. Are you your little girl? You are so pretty."
"The weather is good now. Let's bring her back to see my parents while the house is not busy." Wang Sufen replied with a smile.
"Sufen, come over to our house and sit down later. We haven't chatted for a while. Hey, Sufen, is this your mother-in-law? Hello, Auntie!" Another woman who was about the same age as Wang Sufen came out from the gate.
Old Mrs. Li squinted her eyes and smiled and nodded, explaining herself: "I haven't seen my in-laws for more than half a year. I came to visit them."
When the naughty boys who were playing outside saw her, they ran to Old Wang's house and shouted at the top of their lungs as they entered the yard: "Auntie Wang, my Aunt Sufen is back."
Old Mrs. Wang and her wife were sitting in the yard picking wild vegetables. When she heard this, she stood up quickly, wiped the mud off her hands with her apron, and ran out in a hurry.
At this time, the carriage had arrived at the door. Li Muwu got off the carriage and shouted to Old Lady Wang who ran out, "Mom!"
"Hey! Mu Wu is here!" Old Lady Wang greeted him with a smile. She was even more delighted when she saw the car: "Oh, you are here too, dear relative. Come down quickly. I will help you!" She turned around and shouted: "Eldest wife, come out quickly. Your sister's mother-in-law is here."
He Dongmei, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family, put the wild vegetables aside, took a broom and swept the rotten roots and leaves into the corner, then hurried out.
After Old Lady Li and Wang Sufen got off the cart, Li Muwu drove the cart to the open space next to it and tied it up. Most of the people in Qingsong Forest Management Office make a living by pulling wood, so there is a large area between each household, and there are thick wooden stakes in the middle, which are specially used to tie horses and donkeys. After tying up the horse, Li Muwu took out the basket of wild boar meat.
He Dongmei and Wang Sufen walked in while chatting. She looked at the fair and tender little girl in Wang Sufen's arms and couldn't help but asked with a smile: "Is this the girl you gave birth to last December? Have you named her?"
"Yes, her full name is Li Mingzhen, and her nickname is Zhenzhen." Wang Sufen said with a smile.
"Zhenzhen..." He Dongmei smacked her lips: "It sounds rather foreign."
"Her eldest brother gave her the name, saying it means that the grass and trees are very lush. My mother-in-law called her this when she heard that it would be easy to raise her." Wang Sufen shook Zhenzhen in her arms and pointed at He Dongmei and said, "Baby, this is my aunt."
Zhenzhen showed her two little teeth and had a sweet smile on her face. He Dongmei couldn't help laughing and said, "She is not afraid of strangers. Well, Sufen, you take the child and go into the house quickly. I'll go get you some water." Then she went to the kitchen and made three bowls of sugar water and brought them in. She handed one bowl to Old Lady Li and one bowl to Wang Sufen.
Old Lady Wang's hands were still covered in mud. She said a few words and came out to scoop some water to wash her hands. She looked up and saw Li Muwu coming in with a basket. He looked quite heavy. She asked casually, "Come on, what else are you carrying? Um, what are you carrying?"
Li Muwu smiled naively and said, "I went up the mountain and hunted a wild boar yesterday. I'm going to bring you some pork."
"Wild boar meat?" Old Lady Wang was surprised and delighted. She quickly came over and lifted the leaves covering the top. She saw a large piece of hind leg meat inside. It looked like it weighed at least 30 or 40 kilograms. She smiled so hard that she couldn't stop. "Why did you bring so much meat? Keep it for yourself."
"There's more at home, this is for you." Li Muwu rubbed his hands, carried the basket to the kitchen, looked at the water tank with only half a tank of water left, took the pole and was about to go out to fetch water. Seeing this, Old Lady Wang quickly grabbed him and said, "Go in and drink some water, and ask your brother to fetch water when he comes back."
"It's okay. I can't sit still. Mom, go inside and talk." Old Lady Wang couldn't argue with him and could only watch Li Muwu go out with the bucket on his shoulder. After he went back inside, she couldn't help but praise him, "Why is Muwu such a good kid? He always can't sit still. He has to go fetch water without even drinking a sip of water."
"It's only natural to ask him to fetch water for you. Come over here quickly so we can have a good chat." Old Mrs. Li moved her butt to make room for Old Mrs. Wang.
Old Mrs. Wang was sitting next to them, and she couldn't hide the joy on her face: "Why did you bring such a big piece of pork? You have a big family, so just keep it for yourself."
Mrs. Li smiled and patted Mrs. Wang's hand. "It's a good idea to try something new. It's hot now and it won't keep well. Pickled pork won't taste as good as fresh pork. I thought the grocery store hasn't been supplying pork for half a year. We finally got a wild boar, so we have to let all the relatives have a taste."
Old Lady Wang was so happy that she kept thanking him. She turned her head and saw He Dongmei sitting next to her in a daze. She glared at her and said, "Hurry up and clean up the pork and stew it for lunch. Oh, bring out some rice and steam a bowl of rice for my in-laws."
Old Mrs. Wang waved her hands quickly: "Just eat bread, why eat something as precious as rice." After a pause, she remembered that Zhenzhen couldn't eat bread, and quickly added: "If you have rice, cook a bowl of porridge for Zhenzhen. She can't eat anything else." He Dongmei agreed and hurried to the kitchen.
When Wang Sufen and her family arrived at the door just now, He Dongmei looked very happy, but she couldn't help feeling a little worried. If the sister-in-law Shan came back by herself, it would be fine, but she brought her son-in-law and mother-in-law with her. In Beicha, a son-in-law is an honored guest, not to mention the in-laws, who are guests of honor. He Dongmei thought that there was not much cornmeal at home, and was thinking about whether to kill a chicken to entertain the guests, but when she thought about the chicken that had just laid eggs a few days ago, she felt a little reluctant. When she didn't know what to do, she heard her mother-in-law say that her brother-in-law brought wild boar meat, and she was immediately overjoyed.
He Dongmei came to the kitchen, took the pork out of the basket, cut off more than a pound of meat, washed it, and cut it into mahjong-sized pieces. She also luxuriously put some white sugar into the big pot to stir-fry the color, preparing to make a dish of braised pork and potatoes.
The meat was stewing in the pot. He Dongmei took a basin and went to the garden to pick a basin of beans and four or five eggplants. There were also wild vegetables picked from the mountain yesterday. They were most delicious in summer when they were washed and dipped in sauce.
But even so, He Dongmei still felt uninspired. She thought about it, cut some meat and went to her neighbor's house. Soon she came back with some cucumbers and tomatoes. She cut the cucumbers into strips and put them together with the wild vegetables, and prepared to stir-fry the tomatoes with eggs to make porridge for her sister-in-law's daughter.
He Dongmei was working hard in the kitchen. In the room, Old Lady Wang looked at Zhenzhen, who was sitting on the kang and fiddling with a handkerchief. She couldn't help but ask her grandson, "Why didn't Dongnanxixi come over?"
Wang Sufen smiled and said, "Dongzi is taking a train to Bingcheng to attend university today, Mingxi is sending him off; Mingnan and Mingbei are too naughty and eat too much, so I asked them to look after the house."
Old Lady Wang couldn't help but blame her when she heard this: "You don't come twice a year, don't you miss them? It's just a meal, so what? You can't eat a few meals a year. Don't do this next time."
"Then I'll bring them here during the Chinese New Year." Wang Sufen quickly assured.
When Grandma Li saw Zhenzhen dozing off with her handkerchief after playing for a while, she quickly picked her up, stroked her little face and coaxed her: "Are you sleepy, baby? It's time for my baby to go to bed. Would you like to sleep in grandma's arms?" Zhenzhen shook her head and struggled to lie down on the kang.
Ever since Zhenzhen was able to turn over, she consciously refused to let anyone hold her while sleeping, as she felt it was uncomfortable and tiring to sleep curled up like that. Old Mrs. Li also knew her problem, and quickly asked Wang Sufen to spread the small quilt she had brought, carefully placed Zhenzhen on it, and gently patted her to sleep.
Although Grandma Wang had seen Grandma Li's ecstatic look when Zhenzhen was born, she never imagined that such an old lady who had the final say could be so patient when coaxing her granddaughter.
Old Mrs. Li hummed an off-tune tune and clapped her hands. In just two or three minutes, Zhenzhen fell asleep.
"Oh, how come this child is so worry-free?" Old Lady Wang was envious when she saw him. "My son has been playing with donkeys when he sleeps since he was little. He still doesn't stop even at the age of three."
Seeing that she was yelling so loudly, Mrs. Li was frightened and quickly waved her hands: "Stop making noise, my granddaughter is a light sleeper, why don't we go to the yard to talk."
Old Lady Wang couldn't help but smack her lips: "Your girl is so precious."
"That's it!" Old Lady Li was very pleased and waved her hand in front of Old Lady Wang's eyes. "After five generations, we finally have a girl like this. It was my son Dongzi who named her Zhenzhen, otherwise I would have called her Jin Nugget."
Zhenzhen, who had just regained consciousness, was so frightened when she heard what Old Lady Li said that she slipped and fell to the ground.