Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Because of the arrival of the two little orange kittens, Li Xiaobo and Li Xiaohai forgot to go read comic books, and Li Xiaozhu forgot about the doll she usually carried around.

Li Xiangdong picked up the doll from the ground, patted it clean, and threw it onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

"I'm telling you again, you're not allowed to grab and play with it."

Li Xiangdong, still feeling uneasy, gave another word of advice before quickly walking out of the house.

Dogs need kennels, and cats definitely need kennels too.

Since the two orange kittens had just been weaned, he planned to set up the cat bed in his own room first.

Instead of having to make a makeshift doghouse out of wooden planks, Li Xiangdong had Zhou Yuqin reuse his old cotton trousers, turning them into several cotton cushions.

Before winter arrived, it was always placed on a stone stool under the jujube tree in the yard.

After winter set in, Li's mother put the cushion away, so now we can just grab one and use it.

If needed, we can make another one after the New Year when the weather warms up.

The west wing of the main house.

Li's mother was leading her three daughters-in-law to make cotton-padded clothes and trousers for her elderly mother.

Where did our cat come from?

Zhou Yuqin stopped what she was doing and looked at Li Xiangdong, who was standing at the door.

"These are two little orange kittens that Hou San just brought over."

Upon hearing the term "orange cat" for the first time, Li Ersao asked, "Dongzi, what kind of cat is an orange cat? A foreign cat? A cat kept by foreigners?"

Li's mother and others shared the same thought as Li's second sister-in-law. They knew that Hou San's family background was not simple, so they wouldn't be surprised if he really brought back two cats from abroad.

"Second sister-in-law, it's not a foreign cat, it's a domestic cat."

Li Xiangdong explained with a smile that there is no such thing as an orange cat yet, so it's not surprising that Li Ersao and the others found it strange.

“I think their fur color looks like oranges, so calling them orange cats is more fitting.”

Upon hearing this, Li's mother rolled her eyes at him, thinking that her youngest son was just bored. "Why aren't you watching the child inside? What are you doing here?"

"Could I borrow a cushion from you? Those two kittens still need a bed."

"Aren't you just wasting things?!"

When Li Xiangdong came to ask her for a cotton cushion to use as a cat bed, Li's mother was unhappy. She felt sorry for him and couldn't bear to part with it.

Li Xiangdong approached his mother, who was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), and began to massage her shoulders in a conciliatory manner.

"The seat cushion was made from my old cotton pants, which I've worn for five or six years."

"Besides, we don't have any scraps of cloth or anything at home. Could you please give me one, please?"

Li's mother wasn't buying it at all. Li's sister-in-law smiled and said, "Dongzi, there's a tattered burlap sack in the back room. You can use that."

“It’s so dirty.”

Li Xiangdong shook his head at Li's sister-in-law. Seeing that Li's mother wanted to say something, he quickly spoke up to explain.

“My daughter will definitely take the cat with her wherever she goes from now on. Those two tattered sacks in the back room are really too dirty.”

"Think about it carefully. If two filthy cats appear on your bed in a couple of days, wouldn't you feel uncomfortable? If the cats rub the sheets dirty, wouldn't you have to wash them?"

Upon hearing this, Li's mother swallowed back what she was about to say.

Li Ersao, who was standing nearby, felt this most keenly. If the situation described by Li Xiangdong really occurred, then Li's mother would need to wash more than just the bed sheets; the duvet cover would probably have to be washed as well.

What's a cat?

There was a ribbonfish that had been found in her son's bed before...

The next day, she washed all the sheets and blankets, inside and out!

Li Ersao didn't want her mother-in-law to go through what she had gone through.

"Mother, I think you should listen to Dongzi."

"Wait."

After thinking about it, Li's mother agreed. In order to do less work in the future, she couldn't care less about feeling sorry for herself now.

After getting the cushion, Li Xiangdong found a food and water bowl for the two little orange cats, and then took the things back to his room.

"No~ The cat's scared~"

When Li Xiaozhu saw Li Xiangdong pick up a kitten, she opened her mouth and started yelling.

"Look how anxious you are. Dad isn't playing with it. I'm checking if the kitten has fleas."

Li Xiangdong didn't want his two cats to cause his kang (heated brick bed) to be infested with fleas; he insisted on having all the necessary checks done.

He held the little orange cat still, gently and carefully checking it over, while glancing at Li Xiaozhu.

"I just heard you meowing, why did you change it to cat again?"

"Kitty~ Kitty~"

Li Xiaozhu looked at the other little orange cat squeezed next to her with a smile, not even thinking of explaining to Li Xiangdong.

“Father, I taught my sister to say that.”

Li Xiaohai, who had come closer, felt a little itchy to play with a kitten, just like his father.

Li Xiangdong asked with a smile, "You can teach a cat to call you 'brother,' but you can't teach her to call you 'brother'?"

“She will call him brother, but she just doesn’t on purpose.”

Li Xiaohai gets angry whenever he talks about this. It was one thing for his younger sister, Li Xiaozhu, to call him "Dede" before, but starting yesterday, "Dede" has become "Ge De".

He doesn't like those two words!

"Don't be angry at such a young age. Your sister is still young and will call you brother in the future."

Li Xiangdong smiled and didn't take it to heart.

He didn't think about correcting her; he figured that once Li Xiaozhu grew a little older, she would naturally change her way of addressing him and call him "Brother Li Xiaohai" properly.

When she calls Li Xiaomei and her sister, she always speaks very sweetly to the older sister.

Actually, calling someone "brother" or "sister" is a sign of respect for younger siblings, but not using it isn't a big deal.

Many younger siblings don't call their older brothers and sisters "brother" or "sister" all the time, but does that mean their relationship with their siblings is bad?

Not necessarily. Whether something is good or bad doesn't depend on a title. What matters most is whether you keep the bond between brothers and sisters in your heart!

Moreover, Li Xiaozhu did call out, she just called out "dede" and "gede".

"Don't sit on the ground."

After checking both kittens thoroughly, Li Xiangdong found no fleas on them. He then picked up Li Xiaozhu, who was sitting on the ground, and patted the dirt off her bottom.

"Kitty~"

Seeing the two kittens being carried away by Li Xiangdong, Li Xiaozhu followed closely behind with her short legs.

The cushion was placed in the corner next to the wardrobe. The two little orange cats were put on the cushion to get used to their new home. Li Xiangdong poured some warm water into the bowl.

"You two, stay away."

Li Xiangdong sent his brothers Li Xiaobo and Li Xiaohai to the next room to look at comic books, then picked up Li Xiaozhu, who was squatting in front of the cat's bed, and held her in his arms.

"Kitty~ Kitty~"

"Can you let the kitten be quiet for a while? If you don't behave, I'll give the kitten away to someone else. We won't keep it anymore."

"No~ I'll be good~ I'll be obedient~"

When Li Xiaozhu heard that she was going to give away the two little orange cats, she burst into tears, her eyes instantly turning red.

PS: The update is late, but it's still yesterday's third chapter, so it's not included in today's update.