Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Hearing the noise, Li Xiaohai knew his father had returned and said, "Mother, my father is back."

"Father...Father..."

Li Xiaozhu slept too much during the day and wasn't sleepy at all. She crawled around on the kang (a heated brick bed) chasing after her brother. When she heard her brother say that their father had returned, she turned her head and stared wide-eyed at the doorway.

"I'll go open the door for your father. Xiaohai, you watch your sister and make sure she doesn't fall off the kang (heated brick bed)."

"I know, Mother. I will take good care of my sister."

Zhou Yuqin put on her coat and went out of the house. Reaching the doorway, she asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"

"Your man, open the door for me right now, there are too many mosquitoes outside."

Li Xiangdong felt that he attracted mosquitoes a lot; when he was with other people, the mosquitoes would only bite him!

"Why are you back so late? It's already nine o'clock."

The door opened, and Zhou Yuqin took the plate from Li Xiangdong. Seeing him about to leave again, she asked, "Where are you going?"

There are still things outside the door, I need to bring them in.

Li Xiangdong explained that it took him two trips to move the four square stools that were placed outside the door into the yard.

"Tomorrow, wipe these four stools clean and put them in our room."

Zhou Yuqin was puzzled. "Why did you bring back these stools? We don't need them at home. And what about that table? You haven't told me what's going on yet."

Li Xiangdong shooed away the buzzing mosquitoes beside his ear. "Go back inside first, I'll explain when we get back."

He put his arm around his wife's shoulder and shoved her into the house. Once inside, things were much better; the house had been scented with mugwort.

Li Xiaohai stood on the kang (a heated brick bed) and called out, "Dad, you're back."

Looking at his energetic son and daughter, Li Xiangdong asked, "Why aren't you two asleep yet?"

"If my sister doesn't sleep, I won't sleep either. I want to play with her."

Li Xiaohai climbed off the kang (a heated brick bed) with his butt sticking out, not even putting on his shoes, and ran over, circling around him. "Dad, didn't you bring back any meat?"

"rub..."

Sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), Li Xiaozhu shouted along. After shouting, she was overjoyed and covered her mouth, giggling.

"Didn't I give you all of your sister's pig tail? What do you want for meat so late at night? You're not even wearing shoes, do you want a beating? Don't put your feet on the kang, sit properly on the edge of the kang!"

Zhou Yuqin was furious. She pinned Li Xiaohai to the head of the kang (a heated brick bed) and told him not to move, otherwise the freshly changed sheets would have to be washed again tomorrow.

After Li Xiaohai sat down obediently, she took a basin and went to the yard to fetch water.

Li Xiaohai saw his mother come out of the room, her feet sticking out, and she leaned back on the kang (a heated brick bed), twisting and turning restlessly.

Seeing his son looking like a big, fleshy worm, Li Xiangdong scolded him, "Now! Sit down right now!"

Seeing his father's dark face, Li Xiaohai immediately became obedient, got up and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) without daring to move.

Li Xiangdong walked over, looked down at him, and tried to keep his tone calm, "You're the older brother, you need to set a good example for your younger sister. Your mother told you to sit on the kang (heated brick bed) and not move around, so you have to listen to her, understand?"

Li Xiaohai said proudly, "I'm the most obedient. Grandma says I'm even more sensible than Xiaotao."

"Okay, you're the most sensible one. Sit still and wait for your mother to come and wipe your feet."

Li Xiangdong thought that the child still needed to be properly educated. "You ate your sister's pig tail?"

“My mother made me eat it. She said my sister shouldn’t eat so much meat.”

Li Xiaohai stared at his father with his neck stiff.

Li Xiangdong walked over, sat down next to him, and patted his head. "Since your sister can't eat it, did you ask your great-grandparents, your grandparents, and your mother if they want to eat it?"

Li Xiaohai was at a loss for words when his father asked him a question. He sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) with his head down, remaining silent and withdrawn.

Li Xiangdong intended to let him think it over himself, but when he turned around, he saw his daughter sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), playing with her toes. He happily leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Li Xiaozhu frowned, reached out and pushed his father's head away, "You stinky... I'll hit you..."

"It doesn't smell bad. Where does it smell? Is it your feet that smell?"

Li Xiangdong sniffed his daughter's little feet; they didn't smell bad at all. Suddenly realizing what was going on, he covered his mouth with his hand, breathed on them, and laughed, "Dad just had a little to drink. You could smell it?"

"Stinky...stinky..."

"Dad's going to wash up, you play by yourself."

When Li Xiangdong saw his wife carrying a basin of water into the house, he patted his daughter's head and went over to take the basin.

He quickly washed himself, sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and put his feet into the basin to rub them. He watched as his wife put a cloth in the basin to wet it and then wiped Li Xiaohai's black feet.

"Why are you still crying?"

When Zhou Yuqin saw her son hanging his head, sobbing, and tears streaming down his face, she couldn't help but smile. She had overheard her husband lecturing their son while she was getting water in the yard, and she felt that there was some truth to what he was saying.

"Alright, stop crying. Go play with your sister on the kang (heated brick bed)."

Zhou Yuqin wiped away the tears on her son's face, patted his bottom twice, and chased him onto the kang (a heated brick bed). She then said to Li Xiangdong, "He's still young. You can teach him slowly later. He'll be more sensible when he's older."

"Ugh."

Li Xiangdong sighed, unsure of what to say.

"I'll go get some water."

Zhou Yuqin took the foot-wiping cloth that Li Xiangdong had used and carried the basin of water outside.

Li Xiangdong turned around and saw his son lying in the middle of the kang (a heated brick bed). He reached out and pushed him, saying, "Move over a bit. You're taking up all the kang by yourself. How are other people supposed to sleep?"

"I won't!"

Li Xiaohai buried his head in the blanket and didn't move.

"You've got quite a temper, kid."

Li Xiangdong gave him a hard push, pushing him to the innermost part against the wall.

Li Xiaohai peeked out from under the blanket and realized he was at the very back. He was stunned for a moment, then saw his father laughing. He snorted and buried his head back under the blanket.

Li Xiaozhu thought her brother was playing with her, so she crawled over and tried to burrow under the covers, but Li Xiaohai grabbed the corner of the blanket to stop her.

"Dede...play..."

"I don't want to play!"

"Play..."

Li Xiaozhu gripped the corner of the blanket and wouldn't let it go.

"If your brother won't play with you, Dad will. Let's ride a big horse."

Li Xiangdong reached out and picked up his daughter, then lay down with his head against the wall, placed her on his stomach, held her arm, and shook her, saying, "Let's ride a big horse, giddy up, giddy up."