Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Upon hearing his second nephew's words, Li Xiangdong became somewhat embarrassed and angry, snatched the homework book, and flipped through two pages.

Even if he wanted to read more, he couldn't. After such a long holiday, Li Xiaotao only managed to write two pages.

Looking at the messy handwriting, he got angrier and angrier. Damn it, it really was just as ugly as his own handwriting!

However, Li Xiangdong would naturally not admit to something that would damage his image, so he threw the homework in his hand into Li Xiaotao's arms.

"Nonsense, your handwriting is ugly, don't drag me into it. When I was in school, I even won an award for my handwriting!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaotao fell into deep thought. He muttered to himself, "If this kind of handwriting can win an award, then why didn't the teacher give it to me?"

He looked up angrily and said, "Third Uncle, this is not fair! Your handwriting can win awards, but why does our teacher say that my handwriting is ugly and make the classmates pass it around to read? Everyone is laughing at me!"

???

Li Xiangdong felt some fragments of memory surfacing deep in his mind. He blushed slightly and looked at Li Xiaotao, asking, "Is your teacher surnamed Liu? He's in his fifties, wears glasses, and looks very thin."

Li Xiaotao's expression first showed surprise, then he said in a fawning tone, "Third Uncle, I didn't expect you to know our Teacher Liu. Could you please put in a good word for me? I really can't finish all this homework."

Damn, it really is true!

With so many teachers in one school, it's unbelievable that these two, uncle and nephew, would fall victim to the same person!

Recalling his own school days, Li Xiangdong said in shame and indignation, "I don't know your teacher well, so get out of here!"

Li Xiaotao stood there, stunned. "Third Uncle, what's wrong? What did I do to upset you?"

"It has nothing to do with you."

Li Xiangdong let out a long breath and leaned back on the kang (a heated brick bed).

He said weakly, "Third Uncle just felt like he'd been hit by a boomerang."

Upon hearing the word "boomerang," Li Xiaotao thought, "That must be fun!"

He immediately grinned and asked, "Third Uncle, where's the boomerang? Let me play with it for a bit."

"No, the boomerang that hits your third uncle is invisible. You wouldn't understand even if I told you. You should leave now. By the way, don't slander me later. Your third uncle's handwriting is extremely beautiful."

Li Xiangdong, lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), glanced to the side and saw his daughter sitting cross-legged to the side, playing with her toes with great interest.

He reached out and pulled his daughter over, placing her on his stomach and starting to stroke her.

Li Xiaotao was already disappointed when he heard there were no darts, but when he heard his third uncle say that he had framed him, his stubbornness flared up.

"Third Uncle, you just wait."

After saying that, he ran out of the house.

Li Xiangdong didn't care; he focused on petting his daughter, trying to soothe the wounds in his heart as quickly as possible.

Li Xiaozhu was being teased and rubbed by her father, but instead of getting angry, she giggled.

She's just a kid; after playing with it for a month, she's slowly getting used to it, even if she didn't like it at first.

Li Xiangdong reached for a pillow, put it under his head, and asked with a grin, "Is it fun?"

"Play..."

Li Xiaozhu rolled over and lay flat on top of him, then lifted her clothes and patted her exposed belly, "Daddy... Nao Nao..."

"Okay, Dad will scratch it for you."

Li Xiangdong gently scratched her stomach, making her laugh so hard she drooled.

The father and daughter were having a great time when the spoilsport arrived again.

Li Xiaotao pushed the door open with a bang. This time, he not only carried his own homework book, but also a primary school Chinese textbook.

He walked confidently to the head of the kang (a heated brick bed), "Third Uncle, look, isn't this your textbook? I'm not framing you; your name is written on it, and it's terribly handwritten!"

"Ok?"

Li Xiangdong lifted his daughter off his body and placed her on the kang (a heated brick bed), then got up and took the tattered Chinese textbook.

His name was indeed written on the homepage, but the handwriting was dim and crooked.

Li Xiaotao took the textbook from his hand and placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed) along with the exercise book he was holding.

"Third Uncle, look, aren't our writings equally ugly? I'm not framing you!"

"No, no, my handwriting is ugly, okay?"

Li Xiangdong is no longer bothered by this; he's just feeling a bit emotional looking at his yellowed textbooks.

I never imagined that after all these years, I would still have the textbooks I used to use in school.

Where did you find this book?

Li Xiaotao felt he had proven himself, and he said proudly, "Grandma found it in the back room; she gave it to me and my older brother."

"Oh."

Looking at the tattered textbooks, Li Xiangdong sighed and said, "I really should have kept them properly. I never expected that they would be chewed up like this by rats."

Li Xiaotao shook his head and said, "Third Uncle, this wasn't caused by a rat."

Li Xiaodong asked doubtfully, "Isn't that right?"

Li Xiaotao glanced at him and nodded firmly, "No, Third Uncle, you tore the textbook to shreds."

"You're talking nonsense!"

Li Xiangdong felt as if his lungs had been punctured!

“I’m not making this up, that’s what Grandma said. She also said you were quite unruly when you were in school. Not only did you not like studying, you also loved to ruin things. Your new textbooks would be torn to shreds within a month of being handed to you. And you not only ruined your books, you also…”

Li Xiaotao was still talking non-stop when Li Xiangdong, his face flushed, picked up his textbook and threw it at him.

"Shut up!"

Li Xiaotao wasn't annoyed when he was hit. He bent down, picked up his textbook from the ground, and then flipped through it for a while.

"Third Uncle, look, this is page 16, this is page 21, you tore out the middle pages, let me find them for you again, look, this is page 28, this is page 33, this is... Third Uncle, what are you going to do?"

Li Xiaotao was flipping through the textbook, about to continue speaking, when he looked up and saw Li Xiangdong with a dark face putting on his shoes and getting off the kang (a heated brick bed).

He was getting beaten up every few days, and he was all too familiar with that expression. His third uncle was definitely going to beat him up!

"Third Uncle, you're being unreasonable!"

After saying that, Li Xiaotao ran outside.

Li Xiangdong put on his shoes and ran out. He wasn't going to let his second nephew, who had come to humiliate him time and time again, get away with it!

Li Xiaotao rushed into the main room in a panic, tripping over two chairs in the process.

While picking dates, Old Lady Li asked, "Taozi, why are you in such a hurry?"

Old Li frowned and then said, "You child, don't you know how to be more careful?"

Li Xiaotao didn't say anything. Even if he wasn't very bright, after suffering a few losses, he knew that complaining to his great-grandparents about his third uncle would be useless!

He ran around the table to Li's mother, panting, and said, "Grandma, Third Uncle is going to beat me up!"

As he spoke, he moved closer to Li's mother.

Just as Li's mother was about to ask her grandson what was going on, Li Xiangdong followed her into the house.

He walked over to Li Xiaohai and said, "Your little sister is playing by herself on the kang (heated brick bed). Go back to your room and keep an eye on her."

"I know dad."

Li Xiangdong waited until his son ran out of the house with a big squeak before looking at Li Xiaotao, who was hiding behind his mother.

"You're pretty fast. Come here and let me kick you a couple of times, and we'll call it even."

Li Xiaotao muttered, "Why should I let you kick me? I was just telling the truth."