Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

"My mother is chatting with someone at the entrance of the alley. Didn't you see her when you went out just now?"

Li Xiangdong took his daughter from his wife's arms and told Zhou Yuqin to eat in peace.

When Li Xiangdong saw his grandfather shake his head, he understood that Li's mother must have taken her group of old friends to another place to continue showing off.

"You don't need to worry about it. I'll cook two more packets for my mom and dad when we have dinner."

Li Xiangdong looked at the instant noodles in front of him. He only took a bite out of curiosity, and then lost interest. He had been sick of instant noodles in his previous life, and now he was indifferent to them.

He picked out a noodle with his chopsticks, blew on it, and put it in his daughter's hand so she could eat it herself.

Seeing his daughter sitting in his lap with her eyes half-closed and smacking her lips, clearly enjoying her meal, he asked with a smile, "Is it delicious?"

"Uncle, this is so delicious! The instant noodles smell amazing!"

Like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit, Li Xiaotao finished the noodles in his bowl in a few bites, then tilted his head back and drank the soup as well.

He touched his mouth and walked over to Li Xiangdong, asking with a lingering sense of satisfaction, "Third Uncle, is there any more? Is it not enough?"

"Are you sure you have a strong voice? Don't you know it's hot? What if you burn your stomach eating like that?!"

Li Xiangdong's tone was a mixture of helplessness and anger.

Li Xiaotao scratched his head. "It's not hot. I was afraid there wouldn't be enough, so I added half a ladle of cold water to the bowl."

"..."

I rely on!

Li Xiangdong felt like he had wasted his emotions...

"Stop bothering your third uncle. I haven't eaten the noodles in my bowl yet. Come and take them to eat."

Sister-in-law Li was so angry with her mentally challenged son that she couldn't even muster the anger anymore. She called Li Xiaotao to her side and took the empty bowl from his hand.

He picked up his own untouched bowl of instant noodles, shoved it into Li Xiaotao's hand, and waved for him to get lost.

One leaves, another arrives.

Li Xiaohai walked over unsteadily, holding a large bowl in his hands. "Dad, I've finished my noodles, only the soup is left."

When Li Xiangdong saw his wife about to give her son some of her food, he said, "You eat it yourself, let him eat mine."

Zhou Yuqin asked curiously, "Aren't you going to eat?"

Li Xiangdong shook his head and said, "I don't want to eat it. I think it's not as good as the hand-pulled noodles my mother makes."

Zhou Yuqin didn't respond to his words.

She thought to herself that her man was just trying to make her eat more because he cared about her, but what he said was clearly just a lie.

No matter how delicious homemade noodles are, can they ever be as good as instant noodles?

Everyone else thought that Li Xiangdong was just used to flattering his mother and that his words were just casual remarks, so no one took them seriously.

Li Xiangdong had no idea what they were thinking. He took the bowl from his son, scooped out two noodles, and left them for his daughter to eat slowly.

He handed his bowl to Li Xiaohai, saying, "Be careful not to spill it."

Li Xiaohai grinned and said, "Dad, you're so good to me!"

With two successful examples of getting free instant noodles before him, Li Xiaobo followed suit and approached Li Ersao.

Li Xiaojiang, the eldest brother, could only sit on the stool and swallow his saliva as he watched his two younger sisters slowly chewing their food and his three younger brothers successfully getting their second bowl.

Eat all the noodles and drink all the soup.

Grandma Li instructed them not to wash the pots and dishes, so that the corn porridge would have some of the oil from the instant noodles in it for dinner.

Li Xiangdong carried his daughter and wife back to the west wing, and Li Xiaohai followed them into the room like a shadow.

Li Xiangdong put his daughter on the kang (a heated brick bed), then said to Li Xiaohai, "Take a turn around and let me see."

Li Xiaohai obediently followed his father's instructions and spun around in place.

"Lift your feet up."

Li Xiangdong looked at his son, who seemed a little dazed, and laughed, "He's alright, quite clean. Go play with your sister on the kang (heated brick bed)."

Li Xiaohai threw his shoes on the ground and climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) with a happy expression.

Zhou Yuqin was unpacking the things Li Xiangdong had brought back when she picked up the lunchbox and felt a sudden weight in her hand. She opened the lid and exclaimed, "Oh dear! Why did you bring back so much meat? You should have opened the lid first!"

Li Xiangdong slapped his forehead and said, "I forgot! Quickly smell it to see if it's gone bad!"

Li Xiaohai was squatting in front of his younger sister, playing with her little braids. When he heard there was meat, he turned to Zhou Yuqin and said, "Mom, I want to eat meat."

Li Xiaozhu echoed, "Eat~ Rub~"

"I can never get enough of anything. I'll eat these later at dinner."

As Zhou Yuqin spoke, she put the lunchbox under her nose and smelled it, then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Luckily, it didn't spoil."

She put the lunchbox on the table, planning to add a dish to her family's meal that evening.

Li Xiaozhu suddenly shouted, "I'll hit you!"

She was in pain from her brother pulling her pigtails, and she wrinkled her little face, waving her hands and slapping Li Xiaohai's arm, trying to get him to let go.

Looking at his daughter who was about to cry, Li Xiangdong said to his son, "Hurry up and let go of your hand. Can't you see your little sister is about to cry?"

"Don't cry, don't cry."

Li Xiaohai quickly let go, then sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and hugged his younger sister in his arms.

He even imitated how his mother usually coaxed his younger sister, making "oh oh" sounds and gently patting Li Xiaozhu's back.

Li Xiangdong and Zhou Yuqin smiled at the brother and sister, then continued packing their things.

Two packets of instant noodles were taken out separately, and the rest, along with the milk candy, were locked in the cabinet by Zhou Yuqin.

"The leader has arranged for me to go to Tianjin tomorrow. I'm letting you know in advance that I won't be able to come back tomorrow; I'll be back the day after tomorrow."

Zhou Yuqin felt a surge of panic upon hearing her husband's seemingly nonsensical remark.

Although their lives weren't easy before, even when they were still in the countryside, her husband would always go back to the city to ask his parents for money and return on the same day.

When she suddenly heard that she wouldn't be coming back tomorrow, it took her a while to come to her senses.

"Where are you spending the night tomorrow night? On the train? Do you need to bring a blanket?"

Li Xiangdong shook his head and said, "The leader didn't say, and I don't know either. There should be a special guesthouse, but if you ask me, it's really better to sleep on the train. The sleeper berth is much more comfortable than the hard bed in the guesthouse."

Zhou Yuqin instructed, "You must be careful when you're out and about. Don't try to stand up for yourself if you encounter any trouble. If you can't avoid it, then we'll just have to suffer some bullying. As long as you come back safely, that's all that matters."

Li Xiangdong was initially somewhat moved, but as he listened, he began to feel that something was amiss.

"Are you sending me abroad? Or are you sending me to the battlefield? Why don't you sing me 'Longing for My Love' again?"

Zhou Yuqin laughed and nudged him, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Green willows sprout, willow catkins flutter in the air~ I long for my love's return, but he doesn't come; has he fallen in love with someone else~"

Zhou Yuqin listened to the strange tune her husband was humming, and saw her son and daughter playing on the kang (a heated brick bed), both of whom were staring at her with wide eyes.

Her face flushed, she slapped and pinched Li Xiangdong, saying, "Can't you be serious for once? The children are still inside, what are you singing nonsense for?"