Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Seeing her brother take off his pants and lie face down on the kang (a heated brick bed), Li Xiaozhu clapped her hands and laughed, "Mother... bang bang..."

Zhou Yuqin ignored her son, knelt on one knee on the kang (a heated brick bed), bent down and lifted her daughter, who was still giggling inside the kang, to the head of the kang.

Before she could react, he pulled down her pants and slapped her across the face.

"I'll make you laugh!"

She said that and then slapped him again.

"Will you dare to tear up your brother's homework again next time?"

Li Xiaozhu was pinned to the head of the kang (heated brick bed), and after being slapped twice, she cried out at the top of her lungs, "Father...Father..."

When his mother first slapped his sister, Li Xiaohai knew she wasn't going to hit him.

He pulled up his pants, climbed off the kang (a heated brick bed), and ran outside without even putting on his shoes, bumping headfirst into Li Xiangdong, who was pushing open the door to enter the room.

Li Xiaohai complained, "Father, Mother beat my sister, and she cried from the beating."

"I saw."

Li Xiangdong grabbed his son by the back of his collar and carried him onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

After being slapped twice, Li Xiaozhu cried even louder when she saw Li Xiangdong enter the house!

"Stop crying."

Li Xiangdong took her from Zhou Yuqin's arms, helped her put on her pants, and then used a handkerchief placed on the kang (a heated brick bed) to wipe away her tears.

Just as Zhou Yuqin was about to say that Li Xiangdong was meddling in other people's business, Li's mother and the others from the main house heard the crying and squeezed into the room one after another.

When Li's mother saw that her little granddaughter was crying so hard she was almost sobbing, she quickly asked, "Did she bump her head or fall?"

Standing on the kang (a heated brick bed), Li Xiaohai said, "My sister was beaten to tears by my mother."

Grandma Li walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with her cane, patted her great-granddaughter's head, and said, "Puff puff puff, don't be scared."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Zhou Yuqin, who was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) sulking, and asked, "Dongzi's wife, why are you hitting the child for no reason?"

Zhou Yuqin stood up and asked Grandma Li to sit down before explaining, "She's disobedient; she tore up Xiaotao's homework for fun."

When Sister-in-law Li, who followed her into the house, heard that this was the reason, she smiled and waved her hand, saying, "It's alright, if it's torn, just make him rewrite it. Our Xiaoqi is still so young, she doesn't understand yet. You can't be so cruel in the future."

"Sister-in-law, I only spanked her twice, I didn't use much force at all. This little brat is full of tricks, she's just putting on an act for others."

As Zhou Yuqin spoke, she glared fiercely at the daughter in Li Xiangdong's arms.

Li Xiaozhu, who was sobbing, snorted after seeing Zhou Yuqin's look, turned her head and leaned on Li Xiangdong's shoulder, and started wailing again at the top of her lungs.

Zhou Yuqin was furious. "Didn't you see? She's got a lot of tricks up her sleeve!"

Grandma Li held Zhou Yuqin's hand and said with a smile, "I think this child is very smart, just like Dongzi when he was a child."

Zhou Yuqin secretly rolled her eyes upon hearing this. She didn't know if her daughter resembled her husband when he was young, but she knew that her daughter was indeed a real handful.

"Stop crying."

Li's mother took two steps forward and clapped her hands at her still-crying granddaughter, "How about Grandma holds you?"

"Um..."

Li Xiaozhu sobbed and obediently reached out her hands, "Nai Nai...hug..."

"Hey~"

Li's mother was overjoyed. She hugged Li Xiaozhu tightly and kissed her cheek hard.

Although she has raised many children in her life, she has hardly ever held this little granddaughter since she was born. She never expected to have such a pleasant surprise today.

"Our precious little one has finally learned to look for Grandma."

Li Xiaozhu stopped crying after being held and comforted in her mother's arms for a while. She tugged at her mother's hair, pointed at Zhou Yuqin sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), and then whispered in her mother's ear, "You naughty girl..."

Li's mother held her little hand and couldn't help but smile. This girl's behavior was exactly the same as her father's when he was a child.

"Third brother, the dates are packed. Go and deliver them to them."

"I'll go right away."

Li Xiangdong glanced at his watch; it was only a little past four in the afternoon. He could go for a run and come back just in time for dinner.

The east wing, Brother Li's room.

After watching the commotion with his face pressed against the window, Li Xiaojiang sat back down at his desk, dejected, and picked up his pencil to continue doing his homework.

Hearing the crunching sounds coming from Li Xiaotao's mouth, he said impatiently, "Can you stop eating? If you don't do your homework, Dad will definitely beat you when he gets back!"

Li Xiaotao spat out the date pit from his mouth and said triumphantly, "I don't have to do my homework anymore. My sister tore my notebook to shreds, so I have no notebook to use."

"No wonder Auntie beat your sister, it turns out she tore up your homework."

Li Xiaojiang was surprised at first, then laughed and said, "Second brother, are you stupid? Who told you that if you tear up your homework book, you don't have to do your homework? Dad will just buy you a new one when he gets back."

"Ah~!"

Upon hearing his elder brother's words, Li Xiaotao's facial features contorted in shock. "Third Uncle tricked me!"

Li Xiangdong came out of the main house carrying three cloth bags. After putting them on his bicycle, he was about to push the bicycle out the door.

At this moment, Li Xiaotao ran out of the east wing and grabbed the back seat of the bicycle, shouting, "Third Uncle, you tricked me!"

Li Xiangdong laughed and said, "What did I do to you? Don't delay my business, let go of me now."

Li Xiaotao persisted, saying, "My older brother said that even if the notebook is torn up, I still have to do my homework."

"Fine, then write it. If you don't do your homework, your teacher will beat you up too."

“But I’ve already written two pages, and my sister tore them all up. Uncle, you have to make it up to me.”

"Okay, I'll make it up to you. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative when I get back, okay?"

"Hehe, Third Uncle, you know what I like to eat, right?"

"I know, just let go now."

Li Xiangdong watched Li Xiaotao happily return to his house and thought to himself, "That little brat still wants me to buy him some good food? You just wait!"

He rode his bicycle to Zhang Chaoyang's house to deliver dates. Some time ago, Zhang Chaoyang's wife and children's household registration was completed. After finding out Zhang Chaoyang's address, he paid a visit to his home.

Zhang Chaoyang wasn't home, but his wife was. Li Xiangdong didn't stay long; after a few words, he said goodbye and left.

The remaining two portions were delivered: one to Grandpa Hou, who was sitting in the mailroom drinking tea, and the other to Hou San's house.

After going around in circles, it was almost 5:30 pm when I got back.

Just as he was about to push his cart into his home, he remembered Li Xiaotao, who had demanded compensation from him, so he turned his cart around and went to the supply and marketing cooperative again.

"Third Uncle, you're finally back!"

When the children playing in the yard saw Li Xiangdong pushing his bicycle back, Li Xiaotao reacted the most and ran the fastest.

Li Xiangdong looked at Li Xiaotao, who had run up to him, and said with a smile, "I've bought the things for you."

As he spoke, he patted the cloth bag he was carrying.

Li Xiaotao said anxiously, "Third Uncle, give it to me quickly!"

Li Xiaojiang asked curiously, "Third Uncle, what did you buy for him?"

"Third Uncle, do you have any for me?"

"Dad, I want some too!"

“You all want them, but these things are for Xiaotao.”

Li Xiangdong feigned difficulty on his face, and then reached into his satchel.

"You can't take this from me! This was given to me by my third uncle..."

Before Li Xiaotao could finish speaking, he stood there dumbfounded.

He was surprised to see his third uncle pull out a thick stack of brand-new exercise books from his satchel.

Li Xiangdong raised an eyebrow. "Xiaotao, is your third uncle good to you?"