Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

After watching the program, Li Xiangdong grabbed his son by the back of his shirt and went back into the house.

As for Li Xiaotao, he's standing at his own door after being beaten. He hasn't even had dinner yet, but none of his family members have gone over to say a word to him.

Li Xiangdong looked at Li Xiaohai, who was sitting next to him, whose eating movements had noticeably slowed down and whose food didn't taste as good as before.

"Are you scared? Don't worry, as long as you behave well from now on, your mother and I will definitely not beat you."

Li Xiaohai nodded, "I understand, Dad."

"Eat quickly."

Li Xiangdong patted his head and started eating by himself.

After dinner, he helped Zhou Yuqin clear the table, carried a stack of bowls and chopsticks to the pond in the yard, washed them clean, and put them away in the small kitchen.

Before entering the house, he glanced back at Li Xiaotao, who was still standing at the door of the east wing, head down, occasionally waving his hand to swat away mosquitoes.

Li Xiaohai, who was playing with his younger sister on the kang (a heated brick bed), saw Li Xiangdong enter the room, turned around and shouted to him, "Dad, I'm hungry."

When Li Xiangdong heard his son say he was hungry, he asked, "There are some leftover steamed buns in the small kitchen, do you want some?"

Li Xiaohai nodded and replied, "Eat."

"Then I'll go get it for you."

"I want to go by myself."

As Li Xiaohai spoke, he climbed down from the kang (a heated brick bed), put on his shoes, lifted the curtain, and slipped out.

Li Xiangdong just smiled, then walked over and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), pinching his daughter's cheek.

Zhou Yuqin was mending her son's clothes when Li Xiaozhu crawled over and tried to play with the loose thread in her hand. "You're not allowed to play with that," Zhou Yuqin said.

She slapped Li Xiaozhu's outstretched hand and looked at her husband, saying, "Why don't you go and get the child some steamed buns? Don't let him fall again."

"No need to go."

Li Xiangdong shook his head and hugged his disobedient daughter, who was still reaching out to play with the thread.

“There are small stools in the kitchen, and the stove isn’t high, so he won’t fall.”

"You have a really big heart."

Zhou Yuqin muttered something, put down her needlework, and was about to get off the kang (a heated brick bed).

"You shouldn't go either."

Li Xiangdong explained with a smile, "Do you think he didn't have enough to eat? He went to bring steamed buns to Li Xiaotao, who hadn't eaten. Why are you meddling in the affairs of these two young men?"

Hearing his words, Zhou Yuqin was both surprised and relieved, but she was still a little skeptical. "Really? I'll go see."

“No mistake, we just finished dinner. Your son ate a steamed bun and drank a bowl of porridge. How big is his stomach that he's already complaining of being hungry? If you don't believe me, go and look out the window quietly.”

After Li Xiangdong finished speaking, he continued to hold his daughter up with both hands to make her laugh.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuqin quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and stood by the window, watching the commotion in the yard.

Li Xiangdong was right. After sneaking into the small kitchen, Li Xiaohai took a small stool and a steamed bun from the basket on the stove.

He saw the unfinished stir-fried potato and meat dish, broke open the steamed bun in his hand, and grabbed two handfuls of potato shreds to put into the bun.

Looking at the vegetable oil on his hand, Li Xiaohai first stuck out his tongue and licked it, then casually smeared it on his open-crotch pants.

He held a steamed bun with shredded potatoes in both hands, and hopped off the small stool with his short, bent legs.

She stumbled and lost her balance, falling flat on her face. Although the steamed bun in her hand didn't fall to the ground, a lot of the shredded potatoes inside the bun flew out.

He picked up a piece of fatty meat that had fallen to the ground, put it in his mouth, and sucked on it.

'Pui pui'

Li Xiaohai spat twice, then put the cleaned fatty meat slices back into the steamed bun.

He dusted himself off and cautiously peeked out of the small kitchen.

Li Xiaotao, who was squatting at the door, watched Li Xiaohai hunch over and walk towards him, holding a steamed bun in both hands. He asked with a grin, "Xiaohai, is this for me to eat?"

Li Xiaohai squatted down next to him, grinning, and said, "Brother Xiaotao, eat up, there are still slices of fatty meat in there."

When Li Xiaotao heard that there were slices of fatty meat in the steamed bun, he picked them out and put them in his mouth. "Delicious! Xiaohai, you should go back inside. Your aunt will be looking for you soon."

"Uh-huh."

Li Xiaohai obediently crouched down and left, leaving only Li Xiaotao sneaking food at the door of the east wing.

When Zhou Yuqin saw her son return from the window, she smiled and sat back down on the kang (a heated brick bed), acting as if nothing had happened.

"Have you finished your steamed bun?"

Li Xiaohai walked to the kang (a heated brick bed) with his head hanging low and said in a muffled voice, "Mom, I didn't finish eating. I gave the rest to Xiao Hei and Xiao Huang."

"Oh."

Zhou Yuqin watched her son go out in clean clothes but come back covered in dirt. This time, she didn't scold him. Instead, she got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and pulled Li Xiaohai to wash up and change his clothes.

As she wiped Li Xiaohai's face with a towel, she glanced at Li Xiangdong lying on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Go and talk to your older brother and sister-in-law. That's enough. There are so many mosquitoes outside. If Li Xiaotao stays any longer, he'll be covered in bites."

"Make him stand there for another half hour."

Li Xiangdong didn't soften his heart. Li Xiaotao wasn't very bright to begin with, and you have to use extraordinary methods to deal with extraordinary people. He wanted to make him remember this once and for all so that he wouldn't do something similar again.

He was a man of his word. Half an hour later, he put down his daughter and went to the door of the east wing.

When Li Xiaotao saw him coming, he tilted his head and looked towards the main entrance.

Seeing his demeanor, Li Xiangdong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Are you holding a grudge against me? I shouldn't have let Li Xiaohai bring you steamed buns."

Li Xiaotao crossed his arms and snorted.

"I just ate three steamed buns. Even if Xiaohai doesn't bring me any, I won't go hungry."

"is it?"

Li Xiangdong turned his head to make him look at him, and then asked, "Who else brought you steamed buns to eat?"

Li Xiaotao shook his head, broke free from Li Xiangdong's hand, and tilted his head to look at the main entrance.

"Xiaobo and my sisters gave this to me. Third Uncle, you actually tricked me. Don't talk to me anymore, I don't want to talk to you."

"Oh, so tough, huh? I was going to plead for you and ask your parents to let you off the hook, but it seems I was just being presumptuous. Well, I'm going back to sleep now."

As Li Xiangdong turned to leave, Li Xiaotao used the same trick again and grabbed his leg.

"Third Uncle, I was wrong. Please go and plead for me. Look at the bumps on my face and arms. I'm almost being bitten to death by mosquitoes."

"Heh, serves you right. Let go of me, I'm going right now."

Li Xiaotao let go, and Li Xiangdong took a few steps forward, about to knock on the door of the east wing, but the door opened from the inside.

Brother Li stood at the door, his face stern, and asked, "Dongzi, what were you saying to this little bastard at the door?"

Li Xiangdong said, "Brother, that's enough. With the child standing at the door, do you think the parents and grandparents can sleep soundly?"

"this..."

After thinking for a moment, Brother Li came out of the house and kicked his son who was standing at the door.

"Get back inside right now! You're not allowed to eat tonight, you hear me?"

"I know dad."

Li Xiaotao patted his bottom and went inside.

Li Xiangdong shook his head and smiled, thinking that it would be better to kick Li Xiaotao a couple more times than to not let him eat.

His older brother miscalculated this time; Li Xiaotao was burping when he was talking to him just now.