Because Li Muwen went home, Li Mulin asked for leave from work early and returned home after the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month. When Zhang Chunhua entered the house and saw Li Muwen, who was very stylish in his military uniform, she believed that there was really a capable person in the Li family. She quickly approached with a smile on her face: "This is my eldest brother, I often hear my Mulin talk about you, but this is the first time I have seen you."
Although he had heard about Li Mulin and his wife from Old Lady Li, Li Muwen was too well-educated to embarrass his sister-in-law. He just nodded and smiled at her, then stood up and put on his military coat: "Mulin, come for a walk with me."
As soon as he saw his elder brother's gloomy face, Li Mulin's legs went weak. He followed Li Muwen with his head held high, and his words were trembling: "Brother, why don't we just talk in the house? Where else are we going?"
Li Muwen looked back at him and smiled sinisterly: "Let's go to the back of the house."
Li Mulin knew he would not be able to escape a beating when he heard it. When he was a child, whenever his elder brother wanted to beat him, he would take him to the back of the house. Li Mulin followed Li Muwen tremblingly, begging for mercy: "Brother, I know I was wrong."
Li Muwen immediately hugged Li Mulin's neck and pressed him against his chest: "You have always been loved by your mother. You have always been the first to have good things. How could you stay away from home for ten years? Do you still have a mother in your heart?"
Li Mulin tightly grasped Li Muwen's arm, which was as hard as steel, and his face flushed red: "Brother, I know I was wrong. I was confused. I won't dare to do it again."
Li Muwen looked at his younger brother who was as tall as him, and couldn't help but think of his childhood. When he left home, Mulin was less than ten years old. He knew that his elder brother was going to fight in the war, so he hugged him and cried loudly, refusing to let go. Li Muwen ruthlessly pulled his hand off and walked out of the house, still hearing his younger brother crying in the house.
Sighing, Li Muwen didn't hit Li Mulin with his fist. He let go of Li Mulin's neck, his eyes reddened. "It's my fault that I didn't fulfill my responsibility as the eldest brother and didn't educate you well. Our father passed away early, and when I was old enough to take on the responsibility of the family, I followed the army. If I had..."
"Brother!" Li Mulin interrupted him quickly: "You went to fight the Japanese devils. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have the good life we have now. Now you are in the army thousands of kilometers away from home. Mom always says that it's not easy for you." Seeing Li Muwen crying, Li Mulin couldn't help sobbing: "Brother, I know I was wrong, I'm a bastard, I didn't care, I'm sorry for mom."
"I have four sons. Now the two of us are away from home all year round. Although I don't say it, I must feel bad during the holidays. You are not far from home in Bingcheng. Come back as often as you can. Think about my mother's age. How many years can she spend with me?" Li Muwen wiped his eyes with his rough palms: "I have made meritorious service in this mission. I should be able to be promoted to the next level. When this matter is settled, I will also try to take a leave to bring my wife and children back. I have to let my mother see her daughter-in-law and grandson, and let my two boys know where their roots are."
Li Mulin nodded repeatedly, and when he followed Li Muwen back to the house, he immediately hugged Old Lady Li and burst into tears as soon as he saw her: "Mom, I was wrong."
Old Lady Li looked disgusted and pushed Li Mulin aside with a slap: "What's wrong? Did your brother cut you?"
"No? I feel bad about what my brother said." Li Mulin came back again, half bent his knees and rested his head on Old Lady Li's shoulder, sobbing: "My mother has always favored me since I was a child, but I am the worst. Mother, I shouldn't have left for ten years before coming back."
Old Lady Li was delighted when she heard this: "You will learn a lot when you serve in the army. I think your brother is more capable than beating you up this time." Wiping the tears from her son's face, Old Lady Li slapped him away again: "Alright, alright, it's all over, don't cry anymore. You've been home twice a year for the past two years, that's not bad. I don't blame you. You already have a son, but you're still crying. Aren't you afraid that your son will laugh at you?"
Li Mulin wiped his eyes quickly and smiled: "I bought a new dress for mother this year. I'll take it out and show it to mother."
"You're spending money recklessly again. You're the only one earning money in your family. Life is not easy. Don't spend money lavishly. I have clothes to wear. Your eldest brother just bought me one." Although Mrs. Li said this, she still had a smile on her face: "It's good enough that you have this intention."
"What your brother buys is his, and what I buy is mine." Li Mulin pulled Grandma Li and insisted on going to see new clothes. Grandma Li felt particularly comfortable after being coaxed by her son, and she followed him to try on the new clothes while pushing him.
Li Mulin pushed Old Lady Li to try on clothes. Mingshu and Mingxin greeted the elders one by one, and then dragged Mingnan and Mingbei out to play. Zhenzhen was now able to go out, so she naturally didn't want to stay at home. She hurriedly put on a big cotton-padded jacket and a hat and followed them out. Li Mingzhong saw this and immediately climbed up from the mat and rushed out after Zhenzhen.
"Brother! Brother! Wait for me!" Zhenzhen struggled with her short legs and chased forward.
Mingbei turned around and waved at her: "Go home quickly, we won't take you with us."
Zhenzhen pretended not to hear and ran to Mingbei, grabbed his hand, raised her head and asked him excitedly: "Where are we going to play?"
Mingbei helped Zhenzhen button up her cotton jacket and then drove her home: "We are going to the mountains to catch roe deer. The road there is not easy to walk on. You should go home quickly and let Hongzhong follow us."
Li Mingzhong rolled his eyes at him immediately after hearing this, looking very disdainful. Mingshu and Mingxin laughed at this, Mingnan reached out and held Zhenzhen's hand, and said to Mingbei: "If my sister wants to go, take her with you. If we send her home, she will cry to grandma and we will get beaten."
When Li Mingbei thought of his grandmother's partiality to him, he had to nod and say, "Then let's not go too far up the mountain today, just take a look from nearby." Mingshu and Mingxin were anxious to go up the mountain to play, and urged Mingnan and Mingbei to lead the way.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, the snow on the road that they usually took to go up the mountain had been compacted. Mingnan was exploring the way with a stick, Mingshu and Mingxin were walking in the middle, Mingbei was walking at the end holding Zhenzhen's hand, and Li Mingzhong had already run off and no one knew where he was.
Mingshu and Mingxin had rarely climbed the mountain before, and the snow pits everywhere made it difficult to move forward. They only walked about a hundred meters before they could no longer walk and leaned against a red pine tree, gasping for breath.
"If it doesn't work, let's just set a trap here." Mingnan said, and used a stick to move the snow on the ground. Seeing that there was no sign of Li Mingzhong nearby, he couldn't help but ask worriedly: "Where is Hongzhong? Did he get lost?"
Zhenzhen scanned with her consciousness and saw Li Mingzhong not far away with a big fat rabbit in his mouth. She was immediately happy: "I'll call it back." Then she shouted at the top of her voice: "Li Mingzhong..." The echoes reverberated in the red pine forest. Li Mingzhong identified the direction and immediately ran over.
Mingbei had good eyesight and saw from a distance that Li Mingzhong was holding something in his mouth. He quickly found a tree stump and stood on it, looking forward: "It seems that Hongzhong has caught a rabbit." When Mingshu and Mingxin heard this, their legs and waists no longer hurt. They threw away their sticks and ran over to take a look.
Li Mingzhong held the rabbit in his mouth, passed by the brothers who came to greet him, and went straight to Zhenzhen. He threw the dead rabbit at Zhenzhen's feet, waiting expectantly for Zhenzhen's praise. Zhenzhen smiled and rubbed Li Mingzhong's head, praising him in a baby voice: "You are quite capable. I will give you meat tonight."
Li Mingzhong nodded repeatedly, not forgetting to order dishes from Zhenzhen with his mind: "I want braised pork."
Zhenzhen looked at it speechlessly: "You are quite good at eating. Let me tell grandma tonight."
Mingnan, Mingbei and the others followed Li Mingzhong over. Mingbei lifted the rabbit's ears and took a look: "Oh, Hongzhong bit off the rabbit's throat. He is indeed a natural hunting dog. He knows how to hunt without being taught."
Mingnan glanced at the fat rabbit and grinned happily: "Take it home and let grandma stew it with potatoes."
Mingshu had eaten stewed rabbit with potatoes last time and thought it was not as delicious as pork. He remembered the big pot of pork in his grandmother's yard just now, so he didn't have much thought about stewed rabbit meat. He licked his lips and discussed with Mingnan: "I always hear my father say that roasted rabbit is delicious, but I have never eaten roasted rabbit since I was a child."
"Want to eat roasted rabbit? That's easy." Mingnan led Mingshu and others and found a hut in the woods after many twists and turns. They pushed the door open and saw half a tank of frozen water inside. It was used by people who went up the mountain. They put snow water in the hut so that after it melted, there would be water for the next wave of people going up the mountain.
Mingnan went home to get some seasonings and asked Mingshu and Mingxin to pick up some firewood. He first put a handful of firewood at the bottom of the vat and waited for the water to melt before washing the rabbit.
Pulling out the small knife he carried from his waist, Mingnan quickly cleaned the rabbit, scooped water from the jar and washed the rabbit thoroughly inside and out.
By the time Mingnan had finished cleaning, Mingbei had already run home to get salt, pepper and other things. Mingshu and Mingxin cleared a clean, snow-free area outside, set up the firewood, and slowly started a fire with matches. Mingnan cut the rabbit a few times, rubbed salt and pepper on the inside and outside, then skewered the rabbit on a long stick and placed it over the fire.
Zhenzhen walked around the back of the hut and came out holding a beehive full of honey and handed it to Mingnan. She shyly told him, "I found it under the tree behind the house."
"Oh my dear sister, this is a good thing. You are so lucky, how come you can pick up things?" Mingnan went to the beehive and smelled it. The honey fragrance filled his nose and made him swallow his saliva: "Go home and give it to grandma, and let her make honey water for us to drink."
Zhenzhen looked at the rabbit being roasted on the rack and asked Mingnan innocently, "Is the honey water sweet?"
"Sweet, fragrant and sweet, very delicious. It's just the venom of wild bees. Generally, we dare not easily provoke them." Mingnan looked at the beehive in his hand and grinned: "I guess it was smashed down by the heavy snow a while ago. Fortunately, I went up the mountain today, otherwise I wouldn't be able to pick up such a good thing."
Zhenzhen's focus was not here at all. When she heard Mingnan say sweet, she immediately said, "Third brother, I want to eat sweet rabbit. Let's pour honey on the rabbit."
Mingnan's face twitched with distress when he heard this: "It's such a waste to apply such a good thing on rabbits."
"I want to eat it!" Zhenzhen pulled Mingnan's hand and acted cute: "Brother, can you help me put the rabbit on it? I'll pick up the honeycomb for you later."
"My silly sister, do you think that beehives and pine cones are everywhere?" After touching Zhenzhen's head, Mingnan still respected Zhenzhen's opinion. He went into the cabin to find a wooden bowl, washed it twice with water, and then carefully took out some honey and put it into the wooden bowl.
Mingbei brought a salt brush, and Mingnan carefully dipped some honey in it and spread it evenly on the rabbit. When it was roasted over the fire, the fat rabbit started to emit oil and a sizzling aroma.
Mingbei swallowed his saliva and looked at the rabbit with shining eyes: "Why do I feel that it smells better after applying honey?"
Mingnan nodded, and when the rabbit's color darkened, he quickly applied another layer of honey, scraped the wooden bowl clean, and smeared the honey on the roasted rabbit. When the flavor was absorbed, Mingbei poked the rabbit with a knife to test whether the rabbit meat was cooked through, and quickly took the rabbit off. Seeing that the fire was still burning vigorously, Mingbei picked up a few pine cones from nearby and threw them in. Soon, a pine oil fragrance was emitted.
The children of Lao Li's family sat around the fire. When the rabbit was no longer hot, Mingnan cut it into several large pieces with a knife. Zhenzhen got a rabbit leg. She blew on the heat and took a bite. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It was fragrant and sweet. She swallowed the rabbit meat in her mouth while exhaling. Zhenzhen felt that the taste was even better than braised pork with rice.
Apparently Zhenzhen was not the only one who had this idea. Mingnan and Mingbei had also eaten roasted rabbit before, but in the past, when they followed Li Muwu, they only roasted it until it was cooked, and did not consider the taste. It was the first time that they had roasted the rabbit to the right temperature and brushed it with honey. After Mingbei finished eating the rabbit meat in his hand, he licked his fingers reluctantly and sighed comfortably, "It smells so good."
Mingshu and Mingxin ate up all the rabbit meat. They were reluctant to throw away the bones in their hands and licked them over and over again. They ate the bones cleaner than Li Mingzhong.
Li Mingzhong watched everyone eating the delicious food, and he was so anxious that he kept howling, and kept circling around Zhenzhen with his tongue sticking out. Zhenzhen tore off a piece of rabbit meat and threw it to Li Mingzhong. Li Mingzhong jumped up, caught the rabbit meat from mid-air, swallowed it in two or three gulps, and looked at Zhenzhen eagerly: "It doesn't taste anything."
Zhenzhen took a look at it and tore it open and gave it to it: "Eat slowly, I'll give it to you when I've almost finished chewing it."
Li Mingzhong nodded while holding the rabbit meat in his mouth, and reminded Zhenzhen: "Leave more meat for me."
Zhenzhen ate most of the honey-roasted rabbit leg and handed the rest to Li Mingzhong under the eager eyes of her brothers. Li Mingzhong held the rabbit leg with his front paws and gnawed it clean in a few bites. He licked his lips and was reluctant to throw away the remaining bone. He held it in his mouth and jumped and danced around the fire, having a great time.
The wood burned out and the fire gradually died down. Mingbei found a stick and pushed the pine cones in front of Mingshu and Mingxin: "Pine nuts roasted this way are more fragrant than fried ones." Mingshu and Mingxin blew on the pine cones while picking out the pine nuts. They threw one in their mouths without caring about the heat. With a "crunch", they bit through the skin and spit out the pine nut shell. While eating the charred pine nut kernels, Mingxin complained: "There are so many good things in Beicha. Why did my father have to go to Bingcheng in the first place? Otherwise, I could eat rabbits and pine nuts here every day."
Zhenzhen couldn't bite them, so she could only grab some and put them in her pocket, ready to take them home for her grandmother to help her pick them apart. The children ate pine nuts all the way down the mountain, and when they got home, only Zhenzhen had some left in her pocket, while the other children had eaten all the pine nuts.
Li Mingnan handed the beehive he brought back to Old Lady Li and told her excitedly, "Zhenzhen found it from under the tree. Luckily we went up the mountain today, otherwise someone else would have picked it up."
Old Lady Li looked up at the sky silently: "Don't worry, this beehive won't fall unless your sister goes."
The author has something to say: My mother-in-law's family has a particularly terrible custom. They get up at three in the morning to cook, and many people come to pay New Year's greetings and eat at four. I went to bed at one last night and was completely confused. I went out to pay New Year's greetings in the morning, and fell asleep in the afternoon and didn't get up until half past five.
I saw many little angels sending New Year greetings. Thank you all. I wish you all to be forever young and beautiful, to be prosperous in the Year of the Dog, and to be little fairies forever.
Recommend a friend's article: Guan Jiu's "There Are Stars in His Eyes"
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What does this mean
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