Accidentally Born in the ‘60s

Chapter 38

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Guihua quickly prepared lunch. Mingbei came in from a morning of crazy fun outside and smelled the aroma of fish all over the yard. He went into the house without even washing his hands. "Sister-in-law, did you stew fish today?"

Zhenzhen was walking into the house with a large plate of fragrant fried salmon. Seeing Mingbei's greedy look, she deliberately put it under his nose and said, "Smell it. My sister-in-law said it's salmon. We don't have this kind of fish here. I guess it got lost during the migration. It's a good thing that Li Mingzhong saw it."

"Smells good!" Mingbei swallowed and smiled foolishly at the fish. Zhenzhen looked at him with disdain: "Why don't you go wash your hands now?"

Li Mingbei agreed quickly, scooped two scoops of water from the water tank in the yard into the basin, picked up the soap next to him and washed the greasy sweat on his face, then washed his hands and nails carefully, then poured the water into the yard, and rushed back into the house without even wiping the water off his face.

Guihua brought the fish roe, which had been lightly seasoned with salt, to the table and pulled a towel from the side and handed it to Mingbei: "You are already such a grown-up boy, but you are still so reckless."

Ming Bei smiled naively, staring at the large golden fish roe on the table in a daze: "Is this fish roe? Why is it so big?"

Guihua looked at him and smiled: "This is a good thing. Before liberation, only high-end restaurants in Bingcheng had this dish."

Mingbei picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He took two bites and frowned: "Sister-in-law, you forgot to cook it. It's raw and tastes a bit fishy to me."

Guihua looked at him with a smile and said, "This kind of thing is best eaten in its original state. If it is cooked, it will ruin the good thing."

Zhenzhen often ate sashimi in her previous life, so she had no problem eating raw fish roe. After taking a bite, Zhenzhen smacked her lips and said, "I feel like it should be served with some kind of sauce."

Guihua tapped Zhenzhen's forehead and laughed: "This little mouth is really good at eating, but we don't have that much food at home." Zhenzhen nodded: "I know, this is also good, we can steam some rice in the evening, and it should be delicious if mixed with rice."

When Mrs. Li and Wang Sufen heard that the fish roe was raw, they grimaced. They looked at the plate and then at Zhenzhen: "I hope she won't get an upset stomach."

Zhen Zhen hurriedly pushed the plate over there: "Try it, we may not be able to get this fish next time."

Wang Sufen hid back, picked up a piece of fried fish meat and put it in the bowl, looked at the fish roe with fear and said, "I'd better eat the fish meat. I don't dare to eat raw fish roe."

Old Lady Li expressed her opinion with her actions. She pushed the roe in front of Zhenzhen without even looking at it. Zhenzhen looked at her family with some regret, but it was difficult to persuade them directly. This salmon roe is a good thing that is called one of the three great treasures in the world in later generations. It is rich in 18 kinds of amino acids, 8 kinds of vitamins and 9 kinds of trace elements that the human body cannot produce by itself. It has a very high nutritional value.

Old Mrs. Li and Wang Sufen suffered a lot when they were young. Although their lives have been better in recent years, it is difficult to make up for the poor health they had suffered. Zhenzhen brought this fish back to help them replenish their bodies.

Seeing Zhenzhen looking a little disappointed, Guihua got off the kang and said, "There's still a fish roe. If not, I can stir-fry it with eggs and some green onions."

Wang Sufen stopped her and said, "Don't bother. There are fish here. I'll leave the fish roe for you to eat."

Guihua put on her shoes and smiled, "It's a rare thing, and it's nutritious. Grandma and Mommy must try it. Besides, scrambled eggs are quick, and it only takes two or three minutes. It's not a big deal."

Old Lady Li took a bite of the fried fish and said to Wang Sufen, "Otherwise, this child will know how to eat. Fried fish is different from stewed fish. There's nothing wrong with it except that it uses more oil."

Wang Sufen nodded, "That's true. It's ok to eat it once or twice, but you can't afford to eat it every day. No amount of oil is enough to make it. It's just that our family harvests a lot of soybeans, so we don't rely on the supply of oil. If other people can't wait to get a drop of oil to cook, who would be willing to fry anything with oil?"

As they talked, Guihua also fried the eggs and fish roe. Li Laojia knew that this was a gift from his granddaughter and granddaughter-in-law, so he took a bite and nodded after a while: "It's crunchy when you bite it, it's delicious."

Zhenzhen also picked up a piece of wine for Li Muwu who was drinking next to her: "Dad, you try it too."

Li Muwu smiled so hard that he couldn't close his mouth: "Oh, my eldest daughter is still the one who cares about her father. Just eat and don't worry about me." Then he glanced at Mingbei who was eating hard and said with a look of disdain: "Look at your brother, he is so old and doesn't know how to do anything except eating."

Mingbei quickly smiled and poured a cup of wine for his father. Li Muwu nodded in satisfaction. Old Mrs. Li didn't have a big appetite. She was full after eating two pieces of fish and a cake. She wiped her mouth and discussed with Li Muwu: "It's almost September. Why don't we let Zhenzhen go to school?"

Li Muwu looked at his little girl and felt distressed: "She is so young. What if she is tired from going to school? She started school at the age of seven or eight. Shouldn't she go earlier?"

Old Mrs. Li sat cross-legged and subconsciously reached for the pipe at her waist. Zhen Zhen, who was sharp-eyed, quickly held her hand back: "Grandma, we already agreed that you can't smoke in the house. It's not good for the children."

Old Lady Li smiled awkwardly and let go of her hand: "Grandma, you forgot, I'll go outside to smoke it in a bit." She put the pipe aside and discussed with Li Muwu: "Although our Zhenzhen is young, she has a good brain. Mingbei teaches Zhenzhen to recognize words and she remembers them after saying them twice. I think she is just playing around in the mountains every day. It would be better for her to go to school so that she can learn more."

Zhenzhen blinked in grievance: "Grandma, that's not foolish play. I've never gone home empty-handed. Even the mushrooms I picked were bigger than others."

Old Lady Li glanced at her, her eyes were full of understanding. Zhenzhen smiled awkwardly, lowered her head and stuffed fish roe into her mouth. Li Muwu thought about it and nodded: "If mother thinks it's good, let her go, just treat it as a game. If she can't keep up, it's okay, she can repeat it next year."

Zhenzhen was almost choked to death by the fish roe in her mouth. She glanced at Li Muwu with resentment and said indignantly: "I'm not my fourth brother, how can I fail a grade!"

Mingbei failed two subjects last year and was too scared to even go home. Grandma Li was so worried about her grandson. She thought that he would not be able to enter high school with his grades, so she discussed with the school and asked him to hold back a grade. The family often talked about this and scolded him.

Actually, Mingbei is not unintelligent, but he loves to play too much. In the past, Mingnan was watching over him, so he would do his homework after school and review in advance for the exams. Ever since Mingnan entered high school, Mingbei has been like a wild horse that has been freed from its shackles. He always looks out the window during class, and within the short ten minutes after class, he would run around the mountain behind the school. As for after school, let alone, he would only come back when it was completely dark. All he thought about all day was going hunting in the mountains or fishing in the river. He never paid attention to his studies. He would not stop even in the middle of winter, and would often take Li Mingzhong out to chase rabbits when his family wasn't paying attention.

Nowadays, children have to do their homework on their own initiative. Adults are too busy with work at home and outside to care about their children's learning. Besides, although Li Muwu and Wang Sufen have attended night school and can barely recognize a few words, junior high school textbooks are like heavenly books to them. So whether Mingbei has done his homework or what he has learned in school, the adults at home are completely in the dark. At most, they tell him to study hard, but they don't know how to manage him.

Old Mrs. Li has four sons and so many grandchildren, all of them are very smart. Few are as hardworking as Mingdong and Mingxi, but Mingbei is the first one to fail a grade due to playing too much.

Old Lady Li glanced at her grandson who wanted to shove his face into the bowl, and she became more determined to send Zhenzhen to school: "We can't let Mingbei teach Zhenzhen anymore. Our Zhenzhen is so smart. What if she becomes as stupid as him after being taught by her brother?"

Mingbei finally couldn't help but raise his head and weakly refuted himself: "How am I stupid?"

"If you're not stupid, you won't be held back! You're the only scorpion daddy in our family!" Old Mrs. Li yelled back angrily. Mingbei got scared again. When he thought about the whole family gathering together during the New Year, he would have to talk about his holding back again. Mingbei suddenly felt that the fish in the bowl didn't taste good anymore.

Seeing Mingbei's dejected look, Zhenzhen came over and whispered to him: "Brother, let's go up the mountain to play, and I'll take you to a good place." Mingbei's eyes lit up when he heard that. Although Zhenzhen is young, he has encountered a lot of good things every time he went up the mountain with her in the past two years. Li Mingbei always felt that he had gone up the mountain for more than ten years in vain.

When Mingbei heard his sister talking about going up the mountain, he forgot about failing the exam and repeating the grade. He grinned and took out another pancake: "Then I have to eat more. If I don't eat enough, I'll get hungry when I go up the mountain."

Old Mrs. Li looked at him worriedly: "This kid is so ambitious. Two years ago, when the grandson of the Li family graduated from junior high school, he failed the entrance exam to the hydrolysis plant. Grandma is thinking that if you pass the high school entrance exam, you will definitely have no problem getting a job at the hydrolysis plant."

Mingbei said nonchalantly, "There are others who can get into the hydrolysis plant even though they are only in junior high school. It must be because Li didn't do well on the test paper. Besides, it doesn't matter if he fails. At most, he can go to the Red Guards to pull wood. If that doesn't work, he can go to Daxinganling. My brother's classmate Wang Huzi went to Daxinganling this year and he said he can earn a lot of money there."

After hearing this, Mrs. Li's face immediately darkened. She picked up her pipe and was about to hit him: "You are not wild enough at home, are you? Do you know how hard life is in Daxing'anling? At least there are still people in our Xiaoxing'anling. There are only mountains and trees and few people there. Besides, it is colder there than here. It is winter for seven or eight months a year. How can you live like this?" After a pause, Mrs. Li tried to persuade him earnestly: "Don't I know that the salary in Daxing'anling is high? You can earn twice as much by pulling wood there than here, but it is too hard over there. Look at your uncle Gangzi next door. He has been there for a few years and he is so tired. You better shut up."

Mingbei just said that. He didn't feel bad about being scolded by Old Lady Li. Li Muwu drank a cup of wine in silence: "There is still one year left. If he can't pass the high school entrance exam, he can wait for the wood hydrolysis plant to recruit workers and take the exam. If it doesn't work, let him take over my shift and carry sacks at the grain store. Anyway, we don't need to worry about Mingxi in the army. Mingdong can also be assigned a job after graduating from university. Mingnan can go to the hydrolysis plant to work after high school."

The wood hydrolysis plant is a factory built in Beicha with a state investment of more than 40 million yuan. It specializes in wood processing and comprehensive utilization. It occupies an area of most of the town of Beicha. It not only has more than a dozen branches and workshops, but also a factory-run middle school, factory-run primary school, cinema, hospital, winery, and bathhouse. It can be said that a factory supports a small town.

Such a good factory, in addition to various tickets issued along with wages, also gives employees more than other employees movie tickets and they don't have to pay for taking a shower. People in Beicha who can send their children to junior high school or high school hope to be able to get into the hydrolysis plant.

The more Mrs. Li thought about it, the more upset she became. Seeing Li Mingbei eating and playing carefree, she couldn't bear to blame him. After the brother and sister finished their meal, they filled two pots of water and went up the mountain.

Mingbei grew up in the mountains, but he is not as good as Zhenzhen in climbing. Her small figure can be seen moving nimbly in the woods, climbing up a tree to pick wild fruits from time to time, and then jumping deftly from one branch to another.

Mingbei looked at them with envy, but when he climbed up the tree branch and looked at the distance between the two trees, and then looked at where he was standing, he immediately became timid. He climbed down the tree unwillingly, and shouted to Zhenzhen, "Be careful not to fall from the tree. How can you be so brave?"

Zhenzhen slid down from the tree with a smile, pulled her jacket, and ran in the woods with Mingbei. In the past, Mingbei always had to bring a stick to clear the weeds and thorns when he went up the mountain, but every time he went up the mountain with Zhenzhen, she always found the road very easy to walk on, and the stick was of no use at all.

After running for about an hour, the two finally arrived at a deserted place. Zhenzhen sat on the ground and opened the kettle to drink water. Mingbei looked at the trees that were thicker than himself in awe: "We walked deep enough today. Have you ever been so far away by yourself before? I find that you are getting braver and braver. Aren't you afraid that a tiger will eat you? Do you think I will tell grandma when I get home?"

The red pine forest is a primeval forest. There are tigers, black bears and other animals in the deep forest. Therefore, even the hunters in Beicha usually dare not go too deep. At most, they catch some roe deer and rabbits on the outskirts. The biggest prey is the wild boar. Usually, when children go up the mountain, their families tell them not to go too deep, for fear that they will encounter wild animals and be taken away.

Zhenzhen took out a handkerchief to wipe the water stains on her mouth and screwed on the kettle. Seeing that Li Mingbei had almost finished resting, Zhenzhen got up, found a stick and peeled away the grass, and a beautiful hunting knife appeared in front of her.

This hunting knife was found by Zhenzhen in the forest a few days ago. The handle is made of antelope horn, and the scabbard is made of rhino horn. It is also inlaid with decorations such as turquoise, coral, and glass. Such an exquisite hunting knife is obviously an antique at first glance. Maybe it was used by some noble in the Qing Dynasty.

Seeing that the Cultural Revolution period would begin next year, Zhenzhen naturally would not bring such an eye-catching thing back with her, so she hid it in the deep mountains and forests. If Mingbei hadn't looked a little wilted today, she would not have brought him to see it.

Mingbei's eyes lit up when he saw the hunting knife. He rushed over and held the knife in his arms. He used his sleeve to wipe off the weeds and dirt wrapped around it. Then he carefully pulled the knife out of the sheath. He saw that the blade was very sharp and emitted a flash of cold light.

"Sister, this knife is so beautiful, can you give it to me?" Ming Bei was not interested in the gem on it. What he liked more was the sharpness of this hunting knife.

"No." Zhenzhen picked a bag of wild fruits from somewhere and was eating them sweetly: "If you dare to take them down the mountain, I will let grandma cut you." Zhenzhen picked up a wild fruit and stuffed it into Mingbei's mouth. Seeing him fondling the hunting knife, she added: "But when you go into the mountains with me, I can give it to you, but you can't tell anyone else about this, otherwise I won't lend it to you in the future."

Although he couldn't go out and show off, he was already satisfied to be able to use it in the mountains. Mingbei grinned and said, "Don't worry, sister, I won't tell." He waved his hunting knife and looked for prey eagerly, "I'll see if there is anything good. I'll show you what I can do." Then he ran into the depths of the forest.

Zhenzhen was eating and playing leisurely in the back, when suddenly her face turned pale and she cried out "Not good", and her figure instantly disappeared from the spot.

At this time, Mingbei was hiding under a tree with a hunting knife in his hand and his face was pale. He just wanted to catch a rabbit or something, but how could he be so unlucky to encounter a tiger.

A tiger roared and arched its body as if ready to pounce at any time. Mingbei was thinking that his life was about to end here, when suddenly a familiar voice sounded from behind him: "Brother, why did you wet your pants?"

The author has something to say: Happy fifth day of the New Year~~~Welcome the God of Wealth and give everyone red envelopes. One hundred red envelopes will drop randomly.

Yesterday I thought about sharing two interesting things with you today, but my brain is not working well, so I can only think of one today.

Speaking of Li Mingzhong having a proper name, in fact, this is how Kaka’s dog was named when he was a child. When I was about three or four years old, my dad brought home a purebred mountain red dog, which was only about a month old. My dad asked me to give it a name. I was young at that time and didn’t know how to name it. After thinking for a long time, I said let’s call it lxmei. The first two characters are exactly the same as the first two characters of my name. My cousins were all upset because the middle character of everyone’s name is the same, but no one was more stubborn than me, so they had to acquiesce in the end. But my cousin is more cunning. He suggested giving the dog a nickname, Meimei. I got used to it after calling it for two months, and I didn’t call it Meimei’s full name much anymore. Their purpose was achieved in a roundabout way.