Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Nowadays, in rural households, everyone has a limited number of bowls and chopsticks; no family is particularly wealthy.

These days, if a child accidentally breaks their bowl while eating, it's not as simple as just saying "May you have peace and safety every year" and that's it.

Inevitably, the adults in the family would pin him down on a stool or the kang (heated brick bed) and give him a good beating!

Therefore, when going to someone's house for a meal, people almost always bring their own bowls and chopsticks, and some even bring their own chairs.

After chatting with the relatives in the courtyard for a while, Zhou's mother asked Li Xiangdong to serve each of them a bowl of the large pot of stew that had already been prepared.

So that they could send a bowl home first, so that their wives and children could also have some oil and fat.

After all the relatives in the courtyard had carefully carried their bowls out of the yard, she went inside to keep Zhou Dewang's family company.

in the kitchen.

When Zhou Yuqin saw her husband pour some more oil into another small iron pot, she couldn't help but ask, "Why are you pouring so much oil again?"

Seeing his wife's anxious look, Li Xiangdong laughed and said, "Let's fry some peanuts to go with the drinks."

"Who uses oil when frying peanuts?!"

Zhou Yuqin was furious. Peanuts already contain oil, so they only need to be slowly stir-fried in a hot pan over low heat. There is no need to add oil at all.

Luckily, her mother wasn't in the kitchen, otherwise she would definitely have gotten another pinch from her mother.

"I call these fried peanuts."

Li Xiangdong looked at his wife and said with a very serious expression, "Your mindset is not right."

Zhou Yuqin countered, "What's wrong with my mindset?"

Li Xiangdong put the peanuts into the pot before speaking, "You know how much money I brought back yesterday. We'll definitely have enough of this in the future, so don't always make such a fuss."

He stared at his wife and asked, "Tell me, does adding more oil and meat when stir-frying make the food more fragrant?"

Zhou Yuqin nodded sincerely and said, "It smells good."

Li Xiangdong continued in Cantonese, "It's good that you know it smells good. My parents have been frugal their whole lives, reluctant to eat or drink anything extravagantly."

"We, as the younger generation, now have the means and ability to provide them with a better life. Shouldn't we do that? Are we just going to watch them suffer?"

"Your parents work in the fields all day long, and when they come home they only eat some bland food. Don't you feel sorry for them? Or are they not your biological parents? Even if they aren't, more than twenty years of raising you can't earn your filial piety?"

Hearing these words, Zhou Yuqin retorted angrily, "Stop talking nonsense! Who said I don't care? Of course I care about my own parents!"

Li Xiangdong rolled his eyes. "So what if I put in more oil? We can get more next time we come. My husband and I should work together to change our parents' lifestyle as soon as possible."

“They’ve worked hard their whole lives, and their bodies are bound to be depleted. We can’t let them continue to live such a frugal life. Your task now is to be in step with me, not to lead the way in going against me.”

"Do you realize you were wrong now?"

"...I...I understand."

Zhou Yuqin felt that her husband's words made a lot of sense, so she stood aside silently until the peanuts in the pot started popping and crackling incessantly.

She then came to her senses, and with a pair of eyes filled with doubt and shame, she looked at Li Xiangdong in front of the stove and asked, "What if Mom and Dad don't get used to it? We can't just stay home and watch over them all the time."

Li Xiangdong replied, "Let's come back more often in the future. When we come back, you can cook or I can cook. Let's make sure our parents eat well more often. They'll get used to it eventually. Don't worry, we'll take it slowly."

"Ah."

Zhou Yuqin nodded. She accidentally touched the spot where her mother had pinched her earlier, and the pain instantly cleared her head.

According to her husband, before her parents could even adjust, wouldn't she become the culprit who allowed her husband to ruin things?

Moreover, her mother-in-law cooks the same way at home, and her husband never says anything about it!

She gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "Li Xiangdong, do you think I'm stupid? You just want to eat something nice, don't you? Stop using my parents as a shield! Why don't you have the guts to say these things to your mother?!"

"Ah! Don't pinch me! Let go! I just meant well!"

"You're talking nonsense, I don't believe you!"

"If you don't let go, the peanuts will burn!"

...

...

Zhou's mother took out a bag of pastries from the inner room, and she couldn't stop smiling.

"Grandma Dongzi knew that the young couple was coming back, so she specially took our Yuqin to buy these yesterday afternoon. Everyone should try them. We can't usually eat these snacks even if we want to."

Zhou Dewang's father smiled and nodded, saying, "Your sister-in-law has found a good in-law."

Eight or nine men from the same clan, who had just returned from delivering groceries to their home, were smoking cigarettes and eating candy. They chattered amongst themselves, saying, "Sister-in-law, your in-laws value you so much, you must be so happy."

"That's right, even our village's supply and marketing cooperative doesn't have such good snacks. How could my sister-in-law not be happy?"

They each took a piece, broke off a small piece to taste, and then put them all in their pockets.

Mr. Zhou said, “You all eat. Don’t worry about your wives and children at home. After we finish eating, you can take a couple of pieces home for them to try.”

Zhou Dewang's father then said, "Everyone should listen to filial piety and righteousness, let's all try it."

When the men heard Zhou's father speak, and the village secretary also spoke, they all took out snacks from their pockets, eating them in small bites with one hand and resting the other hand under their chins.

Zhou's mother glanced happily at the group of people who were engrossed in eating snacks, then went inside to call her little daughter to come out and do some chores.

A large pot of stew, a plate of peanuts, and a cold seasonal vegetable salad.

It didn't look like a very lavish meal, but it was incredibly juicy, especially the plate of fried peanuts. These people were really enjoying that!

As the son-in-law who had come to live with the family, Li Xiangdong drank a few cups with everyone before they let him off the hook.

Actually, everyone only drank a few glasses, and no one drank freely, since there wasn't that much alcohol.

Mr. Zhou felt he had gained a lot of face today, so he urged his son-in-law to eat quickly.

There were too many people in the house. Li Xiangdong was carrying a large bowl with two steamed buns stuck in his chopsticks. He walked to the yard, found a shady spot against the wall, squatted down, and began to eat.

Rice cooked over a wood fire is so delicious!

"Uncle Li."

"father."

"Uncle."

Little Snotty, along with Li Xiaohai who had just returned, and the two Zhou brothers, searched around before finally finding him, and then squatted down beside him.

Each person was holding a large bowl with one or two steamed buns stuck in their chopsticks.

"Uncle Li, where's my cornbread?"

"Don't bother looking anymore, I'll eat your cornbread."

Li Xiangdong looked at the little snotty-nosed boy and asked, "Are two steamed buns enough? Just treat this place like your own home, and go get more when you're done, understand?"

Little Slug nodded. "I understand, Uncle Li."

Li Xiangdong glanced at his son and two nephews again, "There's still a big pot of food in the kitchen. If the four of you don't have enough, just say so, and I'll get you some."

"Uncle, I know! The big pot of stew you made today smells so good! I want to have another bowl later!"

"Uncle Li's stew is even better than the one made by the cook in our village."

"Well, it's delicious."

Li Xiaohai buried his face in the big bowl, slurped down a couple of mouthfuls like a little piglet, and then looked up and laughed, "Dad, your cooking is so fragrant and delicious!"