Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Outside the kitchen door.

Zhou Yuqin looked at the two little girls eating and asked, "Is it too salty?"

"Not salty at all, it's delicious!"

Li Xiaozhu shook her head contentedly, holding a spoon as she sat on the stool.

Opposite them was Zhang Miaomiao, who was also holding an iron spoon. On the stool between them was a small bowl containing scrambled eggs and peanuts that Zhou Yuqin had specially left for them.

"Mother, I want a sip too."

"I think you're just asking for a beating."

Zhou Yuqin glared at her, annoyed. "Eat the eggs first. Eggs don't taste good when they're cold."

After she finished speaking, she left. Li Xiaozhu stared at her intently until she entered the east wing room.

"Here you go, sister. Please hold this for me."

The iron spoon in his hand was shoved over, and Li Xiaozhu got up and ran towards the main room.

Grandma Li, who was sitting in the rocking chair by the door, got up and walked to the doorway. She saw Li Xiaozhu running into the house, climbed onto the chair, and reached for the teacup on the table.

"Be careful not to fall."

"I can't fall."

Li Xiaozhu grabbed two teacups, slid down to the ground, and said, "Great-Grandma, pour me some water."

"Okay, put the teacup on the ground."

Grandma Li entered the house, carrying a thermos to pour some water into the two teacups. She didn't fill them completely; the water wasn't even half full, because she was worried that her great-granddaughter might not be able to hold them properly and could burn herself.

"Slow down."

"No, I walk very slowly."

Li Xiaozhu, carrying a teacup in each hand, skipped happily towards the door, her pace not slow at all.

Sitting back down on the bench, Li Xiaozhu handed Zhang Miaomiao a teacup and took back her iron spoon.

"Sister, cheers!"

Zhang Miaomiao stretched out her hand, and the two teacups touched. "Cheers."

"Sigh~"

Li Xiaozhu wasn't imitating adults drinking; the water was just a little too hot for her mouth.

"Sister, start eating. Eat and drink well. If you're still hungry, ask my mom to add another dish for us."

They were drinking in the courtyard, and they were drinking inside the house too.

A Zhe put down his wine glass and looked at Hou San, who was chatting excitedly with Li Xiangdong, when the sound of a drinking game reached his ears.

He got up and walked to the window, glanced at the kitchen door, and turned back with a smile, "You two stop talking and come over here to take a look."

The room quieted down, and Li Xiangdong and Hou San heard the sounds of drinking games coming from inside. The two walked to the window and saw two little girls playing drinking games outside the kitchen door through the glass.

"Good buddies! Three horses! Sister, you didn't hold up a finger, you lost, drink up!"

Li Xiaozhu was overjoyed; no matter what game she played, she only liked to win.

Seeing Zhang Miaomiao sitting opposite her, shyly lowering her head, Li Xiaozhu assumed that the other party was a sore loser.

"Sister, drink up! No cheating, drink it and we'll keep playing."

"How about we have some fun?"

Li Xiangdong's voice rang out from behind. Li Xiaozhu turned around and found that not only Li Xiangdong was standing behind her, but also A Zhe and Hou San, who were watching the fun with smiles on their faces.

"Oh dear, I'm drunk."

In a moment of quick thinking, Li Xiaozhu followed Zhang Miaomiao's example and lowered her head.

Zhang Miaomiao quickly explained, "Grandpa, my sister and I were just drinking water."

"It's water, I poured it for you."

Grandma Li's voice came from the direction of the main house.

"Got it, grandma."

Li Xiangdong knew the two girls were drinking water; if it were alcohol, they would have fallen asleep on the ground long ago.

He simply felt that rock-paper-scissors wasn't something little girls should play, so he kicked Li Xiaozhu's butt.

"Stop pretending, open your eyes. I'm talking to you, do you hear me?"

"heard it."

Li Xiaozhu opened her eyes. "Dad, what do you want to tell me?"

"Hey chubby girl, how about we play a game? Whoever loses treats the other to a meal, okay?"

Hou San cheerfully egged her on, and Li Xiaozhu, upon hearing the words "going to a restaurant," ignored the unpleasant mention of the chubby girl and immediately nodded.

"Okay, come on."

Seeing that Li Xiaozhu was getting excited, Li Xiangdong raised his hand as if to hit her, which frightened Li Xiaozhu into closing her eyes again, shrinking her neck and begging for mercy.

"Don't hit me, don't hit me, I'm not playing anymore, I'm going to hit Uncle Hou, he's the one who made me play."

Who taught you to play rock-paper-scissors?

When Zhou Yuqin, whom she was even more formidable, appeared, Li Xiaozhu became even more frightened and hurriedly shook her head.

"Nobody taught me."

"So, who did you learn that from?"

Faced with Li Xiangdong's questioning, Li Xiaozhu opened her tightly closed eyes, rolled her eyes upwards, and secretly sized up Li Xiangdong and Zhou Yuqin. Feeling smug, she couldn't help but start to show off.

"I learned it from my grandpa. I watched him and my second uncle play the finger-guessing game for a while, and then I learned it. My grandpa and second uncle even praised me for being smart. I'm really good at it!"

"Really? Not necessarily. If you're so capable, why don't you dare play with your mother?"

Li Xiangdong's casual remark turned Li Xiaozhu's joy into anger, and she was furious!

“Going to play with my mother has nothing to do with how powerful I am. You should leave now. I don’t want to talk to you. Grandpa and Second Uncle both know that I’m very smart. You still treat me like a fool.”

As Li Xiaozhu spoke, she gradually gained confidence, straightened her back, finished her rebuttal, scooped two peanuts from the small bowl with the iron spoon in her hand, stuffed them into her mouth, and chewed them vigorously, making a crunching sound.

"Hahaha."

Hou San and A Zhe couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"After Dongzi left, the teacup was just water, not wine. The kids were just playing around."

Ah Zhe thought of his little daughter and hoped that when she grew up, she would be half as lively as Li Xiaozhu, and he would be content.

No, one-third is enough.

Time flew by and it was past four in the afternoon. Li Xiangdong saw off Hou San and A Zhe, who were slightly drunk, helped Zhou Yuqin tidy up, and went back to the kang (a heated brick bed) in the room to rest.

"You know how to play rock-paper-scissors? You mean that six-six-six, five-headed champion?"

Li Xiaohai was quite surprised after hearing his sister's boast, as he didn't know how to do it either.

Li Xiaozhu raised her chin, crossed her arms over her chest, and tiptoed on her toes. "Yeah, I'm awesome, aren't I?"

"You have so many bad habits. How many times have I told you? Stand still and don't move your feet."

"Humph!"

Li Xiaozhu left immediately.

Li Xiaohai looked at Zhang Miaomiao beside him, "She really knows how?"

"Hmm, my sister is really good at this. She even taught me."

"Then teach me."

"Tomorrow, my mom is coming to pick me up."

Hearing her mother's voice coming from the outer courtyard, Zhang Miaomiao ran towards the hanging flower gate while shouting to the kitchen, "Auntie, my mother has come to pick me up, I'm going home."

Goodbye, Miaomiao.

Li Xiaohai waved, and Zhang Miaomiao turned back, smiling and waving, "Goodbye."

When Zhou Yuqin came out of the kitchen, Zhang Miaomiao was no longer in the yard. She was wiping her hands on her apron and looking at Li Xiaohai.

"Where are they? Are they gone?"

Li Xiaohai replied, "I'm leaving."

"You're a big kid now, go see him off next time."

"Oh."

Li Xiaohai knew that his behavior of staying in the yard without moving was inappropriate.

At this moment, Li Xiaozhu walked through the hanging flower gate into the courtyard with her hands behind her back.

"My sister and aunt went home, and I saw them to the gate. Oh, I'm so thoughtful."