Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly out of control, Brother Li looked at his father, who was standing to the side, trembling with anger.

"Dad, please sit down and have some water to calm down."

As he spoke, he took the teacup his wife handed him, walked over and helped Mr. Li sit down, insisting on putting the teacup into Mr. Li's hands.

“My mother was just saying it casually, please don’t take it seriously. The three of us brothers will never agree to divide the family property.”

Mr. Li held the teacup handed to him by his eldest son, his eyebrows drooping, and pondered to himself for a moment.

He suddenly stood up and slammed the teacup in his hand onto the table with a 'bang'.

The teacup was slammed onto the table and bounced off, rolling more than a meter on the ground before coming to a stop.

“When did it become your place to call the shots in this family? Didn’t your mother say she wanted to divide the family property? Today I’ve done just that! No matter who tries to stop me, it won’t work!”

After saying this, Li's father kicked aside the stool next to him and went straight to the inner room where they slept.

"Who does your father think he is, throwing things around like this? I was just saying it in anger, but hey! Didn't he say he would do as I wanted? Fine! This family is splitting up today!"

After finishing her sentence, Li's mother secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least she had dragged her husband into this mess; otherwise, she would have had to bear the blame for the family division all by herself.

Mr. Li, who had just lifted the bamboo curtain, paused when he heard his wife's words. He thought to himself, "Oh no, this old woman is not doing what we agreed on!"

Brother Li looked at his father as he entered the house, and then at his mother, who was still sitting at the table, angry.

"Dongzi".

He gestured with his chin, indicating that Li Xiangdong should go into the inner room to persuade Li's father.

Li Xiangdong nodded and quickly walked into the inner room.

When Mr. Li saw his youngest son come in, he opened his mouth, but silently said, "Close the door."

Li Xiangdong smiled, closed the door, took out a bottle of Daqianmen cigarettes, and sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed) with his father.

The father and son sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), lighting two cigarettes with a single match.

Li Xiangdong shouted loudly towards the door, "Dad, you can't be angry!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he said softly, "You should have told me beforehand last night. I thought you two were really arguing just now."

"It's none of your business!"

Mr. Li replied loudly, then lowered his voice and said, "I'm telling you this in advance, what if we get caught? Your eldest and second brothers are just honest, they're not stupid."

"Please give me a Daqianmen cigarette to cool me down!"

Li Xiangdong shouted again, then asked softly, "How are we going to handle this later?"

"You don't have to worry about it."

Mr. Li waved his hand, then asked anxiously, "The teacup isn't broken, is it?"

Li Xiangdong shook his head. "No, the quality is fine, it's just that some paint has chipped off."

Hearing his youngest son's words, Mr. Li breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that it's not broken."

Li Xiangdong laughed and said, "You have a really big heart. Even now you're still thinking about a teacup."

"You don't know anything. That tea mug was a reward from my company for being an outstanding employee."

Mr. Li was heartbroken when he thought about the teacup he had just thrown away, but the atmosphere had already put him there. How could he express his anger without throwing something?

The problem lies with the eldest son; there were clearly several teacups in the room, yet he only handed over the one that had been awarded to him as an advanced worker.

The paint is all chipped off. I should have used less force earlier…

"Then you've really gone all out this time."

"Stop trying to sweet-talk me. Go check on your grandparents and sneak a couple of steamed buns."

"understood."

As Li Xiangdong came out of the house, he happened to see his two sisters-in-law pulling his mother toward the main room, with Zhou Yuqin following behind.

He quickly walked over, grabbed Zhou Yuqin's clothes, and whispered, "Wait."

Why are you dragging me?

When Zhou Yuqin saw that her husband was still laughing, she gritted her teeth and said angrily, "Are you heartless? What are you laughing at! The house is a complete mess!"

Li Xiangdong remained silent. He watched as his mother was dragged into his elder brother's east wing by his two sisters-in-law before whispering a few words into Zhou Yuqin's ear.

After listening, Zhou Yuqin asked with an extremely complicated expression, "Was it really an act?"

"Keep your voice down."

Li Xiangdong pointed to his grandparents' room. His older brothers were inside trying to persuade them, and he couldn't let them hear.

He said softly, "Second sister-in-law is too talkative. When you get there, you'd better try to hold her back. Don't let her talk so much that our mother can't open her mouth anymore."

Zhou Yuqin frowned and said worriedly, "I don't know how either."

Li Xiangdong thought for a moment and said, "Then when you go there, just stand there and say a few words to your sister-in-law and second sister-in-law. Don't say anything else. You know how to do that, right?"

Zhou Yuqin nodded. "Then I'll go."

"Go."

Li Xiangdong waited for his wife to leave and looked at the breakfast on the small dining table.

Whether it's a real argument or just a pretense, it shouldn't interfere with the children eating breakfast.

He came out of the main house, looked at Li Xiaojiang and the others who were gathered in the west corner of the courtyard, and waved.

Li Xiaojiang was the first to run over. He asked, "Third Uncle, why are Grandpa and Grandma arguing again?"

Li Xiangdong looked at Li Xiaojiang and the children who had come with him, and said with a smile, "It's okay. Your grandparents always have a fight in the morning and then they're fine by noon. You don't need to worry."

"Okay, Uncle."

"Third Uncle, I'm not full yet."

"Daddy...hug me..."

Li Xiangdong took his daughter from his niece's arms and instructed Li Xiaojiang and the others, "Take your breakfast to Xiaomei's room to eat. After you finish eating, play in the room and don't come out unless necessary, understand?"

"Understood, Third Uncle."

"I know dad."

Li Xiaojiang and the others ran into the main room. The older children carried millet porridge, while the younger children carried chopsticks and steamed buns.

Li Xiangdong carried his daughter in one arm, then helped them carry a bowl of pickled vegetables, and followed them to the room of Li Xiaomei and her sister.

"Xiaomei, remember to feed your little sister after you finish eating."

"Understood, Third Uncle."

Li Xiangdong put his daughter on the kang (a heated brick bed), patted her head, and said, "Be a good girl, and I'll feed you later."

"Uh-huh..."

Li Xiaozhu nodded her little head, leaned back, and started rolling around on the kang (a heated brick bed) to play.

When Li Xiangdong returned to the main living room, his elder brother and second brother came out of his grandparents' room with sighs on their faces.

"Dongzi, there's no need to bring any more steamed buns. Your second brother and I have already brought breakfast to Grandpa and Grandma's room, but they just won't eat it no matter what we say."

After Li Da Ge finished speaking, Li Er Ge took out cigarettes from his pocket, and the three of them lit one for each of them. Then he asked, "Dongzi, what's going on with Dad?"

"Cough cough~"

Li Xiangdong coughed twice. "It doesn't make sense. Our father is getting old now, and he's very stubborn."

Brother Li picked up the steamed bun he hadn't finished eating from the table, took a bite, and said while eating, "What's going on here? A steamed bun caused a family to split up?"