Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

The people inside chatted and laughed, talking about Li Xiangdong's report for duty today.

What are you talking about that makes you so happy?

Li Ersao came in, holding Li Xiaohai's hand as he washed up and was wearing clothes a size too big.

Seeing his son's comical appearance, Li Xiangdong chuckled and said, "Oh, your little dress is so pretty!"

“Dad, I’m not wearing a skirt. These are Xiaobo’s clothes. Brother doesn’t wear skirts, only sister does.”

Li Xiaohai still doesn't understand that this is his father teasing him, and he's still struggling to explain.

Li Xiaomei and Li Xiaolan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), one after the other, dividing up their milk candies and putting them into their pockets.

The bag looked like a lot, but it wasn't actually that much.

These days, when making clothes for children, people deliberately sew the pockets small and shallow in order to save fabric.

Seeing the last milk candy left on the kang (heated brick bed), Li Xiaomei took it and ran to Li Xiaohai's side, unwrapped it for him, and put it in his mouth. "Little Liu, is it delicious?"

Li Xiaohai, with a milk candy in his mouth, nodded happily and mumbled, "Mmm! Mmm! Delicious!"

"Mom, here, have some. It's delicious! My third uncle gave it to me!"

Li Xiaomei took out another milk candy from her pocket, put it in Li Ersao's hand, and then patted her own pocket.

Li Ersao looked at the milk candy in her hand, "Oh~ isn't this White Rabbit milk candy? They sell it in the Wangfujing Department Store, it's the kind of milk candy with a rabbit on it."

She unwrapped the candy, put it in her mouth, and laughed, "It's really delicious, Third Brother. Your Second Sister-in-law is really benefiting from you today, getting to eat White Rabbit candy too."

Grandma Li smiled and said, "It's mainly because our Dongzi has become so successful."

Li Ersao nodded and walked over to sit next to Li Laotai.

"The third son has really made something of himself, Grandma. You don't know, people say it takes a whole teacup of milk to make seven White Rabbit candies."

Grandma Li asked in surprise, "Really?"

Li Ersao nodded and said, "That's what everyone says, and these things are ridiculously expensive in department stores, and they're always out of stock!"

Grandma Li was heartbroken. She looked at her two great-granddaughters and asked, "How many milk candies do you two have in your pockets?"

Li Xiaolan said, "I have nine milk candies."

Li Xiaomei said, "I have eight great-grandmothers, and I just gave one to my mother."

Grandma Li, with her wrinkled hands, patted Li Xiaomei's head, pulled her into her arms, and smiled, "Of all the children in the family, you're the most sensible. You can't finish all the candy your third uncle gave you at once, understand?"

Li Xiaomei and Li Xiaolan obediently replied, "We understand."

Li Xiangdong stood to the side holding his daughter, feeding her sugar water. Watching the lively scene of filial piety between the old and the young, he didn't say a word, but made funny faces to amuse his daughter in his arms.

After finishing the candy in his mouth, Li Xiaohai ran to Zhou Yuqin, hugged her leg, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Mom, I want more! Give me another candy!"

His yell was like stirring up a hornet's nest.

Li Xiaojiang and his two companions, who were still sharing dates in the yard, rushed in.

"What kind of milk candy?"

"Little Six, where's the milk candy you mentioned?"

"Wow! Uncle, how come you have so many milk candies?!"

The three mischievous monkeys ran to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and saw a net bag full of White Rabbit milk candies, but none of them dared to reach out and take them.

After years of being beaten repeatedly, the three brothers learned a lesson.

When they are greedy and take more than their share, their parents might only give them a couple of light slaps when they beat them.

But if someone takes it without asking, they won't stop even after the feather duster has worn all the feathers off!

"Uncle, can I have one?!"

"Third Uncle, can you give us one?"

Li Xiangdong nodded and said, "Sure, why not? Would your third uncle be so stingy as to not let you have a piece of milk candy?"

He kept his word, walked over, took three milk candies, called Li Xiaojiang and the other two over, and gave one to each of them.

Looking at the lone piece of candy in his hand, Li Xiaojiang was dumbfounded. "Third Uncle, you really only gave us one?"

He wanted to negotiate with Li Xiangdong for a few more, but Li's wife scolded him, "How much more of this good stuff do you want?!"

"Mother, you're just as biased as my third uncle!"

In his eagerness to eat another milk candy, Li Xiaojiang lost his temper and retorted to his mother.

He pointed to the two sisters, Li Xiaomei and Li Xiaolan, sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) playing with candy wrappers, and said, "Xiaomei and Xiaolan's pockets are already full. What's wrong with me just wanting to eat one more?"

When Sister-in-law Li heard that her son dared to talk back to her, she got up to teach him a lesson.

But she had only taken two steps when Li Ersao chuckled and stopped her, saying, "What child doesn't act like that when they see something delicious?"

Sister-in-law Li was pushed back into her chair by her sister-in-law. She glared at Li Xiaojiang and said angrily, "Don't think I can't beat you up just because there are more of us. You just wait and see tonight!"

Looking at Li Xiaojiang, who was already trembling, Li Xiangdong said with a smile, "If you get beaten up, don't hold a grudge against your third uncle. You were the one who said you only wanted to eat one."

"Hmph~!"

When Li Xiaojiang got stubborn, he turned around and headed outside.

Zhou Yuqin, who was helping her son put milk candy into his pocket, hurriedly grabbed a handful and stopped Li Xiaojiang from stuffing it into his pocket. "Your third uncle is just joking with you. You're not a big kid, but you have quite a temper."

Sister-in-law Li was still angry. "You little rascal! Get out of here with that candy, and stop getting in my way!"

Li Xiaojiang, whose pockets were full of milk candies, was about to slip away when he heard his mother's words when Li Xiaotao spoke up, "Big brother, can you give me a few?"

Li Xiaojiang looked at his younger brother and asked, "Will you take the beating for me tonight?"

Li Xiaotao grumbled, "Why should I take the beating for you? Mom didn't say she was going to hit me."

Li Xiaojiang glared at him. "Then why should I share the milk candy I got from getting beaten up with you? Xiaobo, come with me, let's go play in the yard, I'll share the milk candy with you."

When Li Xiaobo heard that his eldest brother was going to give him some milk candy, he secretly glanced at his second brother, Li Xiaotao, whose face was full of displeasure. He didn't dare to answer and quietly slipped out along the wall.

"Wait for me."

Li Xiaohai, with his hand pressing down on a pocket full of milk candies, ran out after them.

Of the four mischievous boys in the family, only Li Xiaotao is still staying inside and hasn't gone out.

When Li Xiangdong noticed that Li Xiaotao was staring at him, he asked, "Why are you looking at me?"

Li Xiaotao frowned and said, "Third Uncle, the milk candy you gave me doesn't taste good."

Li Xiangdong looked at him with a smile, "That shouldn't be the case. Everyone says it's delicious. Besides, this is the best milk candy in our country. How could you think it's not delicious?"

Li Xiangdong was very curious about his second nephew, who was the least intelligent in the family, and what exactly was going through his unique thought process.