Chapter 89: Warmth
“And your small crabs!”
Luo Shuangshuang dumbly took the bamboo basket she stuffed into her arms, and upon lowering her head to look, it was densely packed full of small crabs.
“Ning Bao Gai, are you this amazing? Where did you catch so many?”
“Walked further along the ditch, it should be a place the team kids haven’t gone to.”
The small stream flowed out from the mountains, and there wasn’t just one, so she wasn’t afraid of being exposed when she said that.
Sure enough, Luo Shuangshuang and the other two didn’t find it strange, just full of amazement at her good luck.
“I think you’ve been having so much fun you’ve forgotten home, it’s almost dark and you still haven’t gone back, scared me into rushing to find you!”
“I’ve really never caught crabs like this before, forgot the time for a moment, sorry, Xi You.”
“Hmph, had fun, huh?”
Using her other hand to yank her arm tight, Luo Shuangshuang shook the bamboo basket, “If you had fun, hurry back, Granny and aunt have almost finished making dinner, quick quick quick!”
“You You sis, I think you’re anxious to get back so Granny can fry crabs.”
“Don’t blurt out such big truths, watch out later there’s none for you~”
“Ah, I was wrong, You You sis!”
“Hahaha~”
The group chatted and laughed as they walked back.
……
The sky in the mountains darkened earlier than outside, and the twilight after sunset was far cooler than outside.
Households with quick and nimble hands had already started eating dinner.
Wisps of blue smoke rose lingeringly above the Yan family eaves.
“Granny, Maternal Uncle and aunt, we’re back!”
“Found the person? Nothing happened, right?”
“Nothing happened, just got too excited catching crabs and forgot the time!”
Luo Shuangshuang let go of her hand, raising her voice in reply while running thump thump thump into the kitchen with the bamboo basket.
“Granny, you promised us fried crabs~”
“Okay okay okay, Granny will fry them for you, you little glutton, still the same as when you were little!”
Su Ning, who followed right in, smiled at them and apologized sheepishly, “Sorry for making you worry, Granny.”
“Aiya, how big a deal is this, as long as you didn’t sneak into the mountains… where did the rabbit come from?”
Yan Xi hadn’t finished speaking when he glimpsed the wild rabbit motionless in her hand: she really went into the mountains?
“I was just lucky, this rabbit doesn’t know what startled it, it rushed down in a panic and headplanted into the ditch, knocking itself out.”
Exchanging a glance with his daughter-in-law, Yan Xi scratched the back of his head: how come he never knew about such good luck after hunting so many times?
“Xiao Ning’s luck really lives up to that saying ‘good people get good rewards’, so what if she’s lucky, not unusual!”
“Exactly exactly, our Ning Bao Gai is beautiful and kind-hearted, everyone who sees her likes her, rabbits too.”
Su Ning, whose face had been praised into two red clouds: good thing she only left one rabbit.
“Thanks to Xiao Ning, today we not only have wild boar meat and crabs but also wild rabbit, let’s have a big feast!”
“Yay, great!”
The happiest were Yan Wen and Yan Wu brothers, just hearing about it made them drool uncontrollably.
All meat, today they’ve got to eat their fill!
“Alright alright, you two rascals get out quick, you’re about to tear the roof off! Da Xi you go out too, no need for you to help here, take You You and Xiao Ning to rest and chat!”
After shooing them out of the kitchen, Granny Yan and her daughter-in-law cheerfully prepared to speed up stir-frying, firing up both pots at once.
The wild boar skin was thick and meat tough, needed stewing longer, Qian Hongmei added rolled knife-cut potatoes, chili peppers and other ingredients, covered the lid and simmered on high heat for a bit.
Over here, Granny Yan who usually skimped on oil when stir-frying, this time didn’t hesitate or feel any pain as she scooped half a spatula of lard from the jar.
The white lard chunks quickly melted in the pot, tossed in scallion whites, ginger slices, garlic heads, stir-fried to release fragrance then added the small crabs that had been rinsed several times.
Sizzle~
The aroma immediately burst out, filling the entire kitchen.
The few sitting on bamboo chairs moved to the flat ground in the yard all twitched their noses in unison and took a deep breath.
“Smells so good!”
“Only when You You comes back can we taste your Granny’s signature fried crabs.”
“Hehe~”
After all, frying uses a lot of oil, small crabs, small fish, loaches and such can be grilled and eaten, they usually just make their own fire to grill, who dares to extravagantly deep-fry!
Luo Shuangshuang knew her family loved her dearly, not just because she was the only daughter in both Luo and Yan families.
It was also because of Granny, she remembered clearly the words Mom had relayed to her: a girl only has those easy and happy years at home as a daughter, if you don’t dote on her now, how many years can you dote?
So from childhood, her family had always favored her more, loved her more.
Not to mention the village folks’ severe preference for sons over daughters and old-fashioned thinking, even in the city where everyone shouts ‘equality between men and women’, ‘women can hold up half the sky’, behind the scenes plenty still favor sons over daughters, for her to receive so much love was both happiness and luck.
“Right, You You, tomorrow when you go back remember to tell your parents and A Wu, this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival come back early.”
“Okay Maternal Uncle, got it!”
Luo Fosen and the whole Luo family were very understanding, after marrying Yan Xin, holidays like this annual family reunions alternated between the two families.
This Mid-Autumn at Yan family, New Year back to Luo family, then switch next year.
This not only made the couple’s relationship better, but also made the maternal Yan family like and value this son-in-law more.
Smooth sailing at work, young but already holds real power, and he’s upright, handles things thoroughly.
Silently praising his brother-in-law as usual, Yan Xi turned to Su Ning who was quietly listening to them with smiling eyes, “Xiao Ning, if you’re free then, come back with You You and them!”
“How about Maternal Uncle Yan fulfills his promise and takes you up the mountain then?”
“Good good!”
Luo Shuangshuang’s eyes lit up, gripping her hand in her signature coquettish shake, “Ning Bao Gai come back with us then, okay~”
Mid-Autumn is family reunion day, Ning Bao Gai alone in Xiangnan, no relatives, spending the festival by herself…
Just thinking about it made her heartbroken, no way, somehow gotta coax her to nod yes!
Her head almost shaken dizzy, Su Ning helplessly pulled out her arm, apologetically meeting Yan Xi’s sincere invitation, “Maternal Uncle Yan, my two older brothers will be back home in these two days, so for Mid-Autumn…”
“How big a deal is that, bring your two older brothers along, more people make the festival livelier!”
“Yeah, Ning Bao Gai bring them too!”
With uncle and niece chiming in like this, Su Ning soon couldn’t hold out, repeatedly saying she’d ask their opinion when they return and then decide.
There’s still some time till Mid-Autumn.
But if Brother Zhang and Brother Mao come too, then have them accompany her to Treasure Mountain again… not impossible?
Yan Wen and Yan Wu brothers were throwing mud-made ‘firecrackers’, giggling and tossing at each other, flying mud splattering coincidentally all over the three.
“You two little rascals…”
“Alright, come in quick, dinner’s ready!”
Yan Xi wiped his face, eyes full of ‘I’ll educate you two properly later’, turned his head and instantly changed expression, “You You, Xiao Ning don’t mind these two rascals, come wash up first, let’s eat.”
Su Ning, already with plenty of mud spots on her, waved her hand to show she didn’t mind.
Instead Luo Shuangshuang glared fiercely at the brothers over the mud on her chest and thighs, waving her fist, “Little Lantern, Little Spoon you two wait for me!”
After dinner she’s gotta make the biggest mud firecracker and smash it right by their feet.
The brothers, knowing they’d messed up, smiled ingratiatingly at their cousin and hurried forward to fawn.
“You You sis, Sister Ning I’ll fetch water for you!”
“I, I’ll get you clean towels!”
“Pfft~ look how scared you got them.”
“Hahaha~ no problem, let’s just enjoy our two good younger brothers’ attentive service!”
Laughing and playing they washed up, then everyone sat around the dinner table.
This room full of tender warmth plus the delicious meal deeply imprinted in Su Ning’s mind, still feeling warm when recalled later.
The next day before dawn, the two already up and washed set off from Luohu Brigade in an ox cart creaking along under Maternal Uncle Yan’s escort.
When Qian Hongmei tidied the room later, she discovered the two girls had separately hidden money and ration coupons in two places.
Both left the same tacit amount of money, just one big black ten each, but quite a lot of coupons.
Not only the highly sought-after ration coupons, oil coupons, cloth coupons, industrial coupons, but also a bicycle coupon and a radio coupon, big items hard to get even with money.
“Mom, look at this…”
