Today was a day for family reunions. The aroma of meat and fried foods drifted through every corner of the village. Even the poorest households, who usually struggled to make ends meet, would do their best to enrich their dinner tables today, hoping to start the new year on a good note.
In a cozy farmhouse courtyard, a small grayish-white puppy stumbled and wobbled as it tried to lean against its owner’s leg. Though the little gray dog had only recently joined the family, it already knew exactly who its master was. A small bowl of rice gruel mixed with meat broth was placed in front of the puppy. Catching the scent, the little fellow abandoned its owner’s calf and began noisily lapping away.
“Gray Wolf, slow down, slow down! No one’s fighting you for it. It’s all yours.” Wu Jun watched the little creature wolfing down its food with a mix of amusement and exasperation. It seemed that even in the womb, it had lagged behind its siblings, and now it attacked every meal as if its life depended on it. Though still tiny, its will to survive was incredibly strong.
“Jun, what filling do you want for today’s dumplings? Just beef?” Grandma Wu asked affectionately as she watched her grandson play with the puppy.
“How about some beef and carrot dumplings, and some cabbage and pork dumplings, Grandpa?”
“Sounds good. We have plenty of meat and white flour this year. We’ll make some to send over to your uncle’s house too.” Grandpa Wu chimed in happily.
With the plan set, Wu Jun gathered the ingredients his grandfather had prepared. He thawed and washed the meat, then began chopping it. As he chopped, he couldn’t help but miss the convenience of a meat grinder from his past. After preparing the meat, he finely chopped the napa cabbage and carrots, then added a small bowl of minced scallions and chopped shiitake mushrooms. Once that was done, he mixed the beef with the carrots and the pork with the cabbage, then added the scallions, mushrooms, eggs, and soy sauce. He stirred everything in the same direction until well combined. The fillings were ready.
By the time he finished, his grandfather had already kneaded the dough. Wu Jun picked up a rolling pin and started rolling out dumpling wrappers. Seeing that the wrappers were just about ready, Grandma Wu’s fingers began to fly as she wrapped the dumplings. Watching his grandmother’s movements, Wu Jun almost felt like he was witnessing some kind of martial arts technique—if he hadn’t known she was just an old village woman. She somehow managed to produce dumplings that were all plump in the middle, pointed at both ends, and nearly identical in size.
Grandma Wu counted out ten beef dumplings and ten pork dumplings, placed them in a basket, and handed it to Wu Jun. After a moment’s thought, Wu Jun covered the basket with a clean cloth so that no one in the village would see the contents and make snide remarks. Gray Wolf, who had been lying on the straw in the corner of the main hall, saw Wu Jun getting ready to leave and immediately stood up to follow. Unfortunately, the little puppy’s legs were too weak. By the time Wu Jun had walked out the door, Gray Wolf was still stuck at the threshold, whimpering.
Out on the road, Wu Jun watched children running back and forth, laughing and playing. Though most of them wore patched clothes, they all looked perfectly content.
“Jun, where are you going?” a child’s voice called from behind.
Wu Jun wondered which child dared to address him so directly. He turned his head and laughed. A few kids were standing there, and among them was a chubby-cheeked little boy—none other than his distant young uncle, Wu Tong, who lived a good distance away from his own home. This child had been born late but had a high generational status. He usually lived with his older brother in the county town and only came back for major occasions like the New Year.
“So it’s Little Uncle Wu Tong! Long time no see. Did you call out to your nephew because you need something?”
“Jun, what are you carrying?” Wu Tong asked, trying to put on a serious, uncle-like expression.
Seeing that little expression, Wu Jun couldn’t help but laugh. “Little Uncle, I’m taking this to your nephew Hongqi. Do you want to come along?”
As he spoke, he pulled out a puffed rice candy and handed it to little Wu Tong. “Here, Uncle, this is your nephew’s humble offering.” If one ignored Wu Jun’s smug grin, it would have looked like a touching scene of respect for elders and care for the young.
The other children stared at the puffed rice candy in Wu Tong’s hand and couldn’t help swallowing their saliva. “Xiao Tong, can I have a little lick? I’ve never tried puffed rice candy before,” one of them said. The other kids nodded in agreement.
Wu Jun looked at the children, took out the remaining few puffed rice candies from his pocket, and said, “This is all I have left. You guys share these. Xiao Tong, come with me.”
The children happily took the rare treats and immediately ran off toward their homes, afraid of running into anyone who might snatch their candy along the way.
Wu Tong watched as the kids took all the candies from Wu Jun’s hand and stomped his foot in frustration. “How could you give them all away? You should’ve just given them one each to share. Those candies were so good.”
Wu Jun couldn’t be bothered to argue with a child. “Hurry up and follow me. I’ll give you some dumplings later.” At the mention of dumplings, Wu Tong quickly hurried after Wu Jun.
“Aunt, Grandma asked me to bring these for you.” As soon as he entered the door, Wu Jun handed the basket to his aunt.
“Jun, why are you bringing so many dumplings? We have food here. You should take these back.”
“No, no, I’m just following Grandma’s instructions. We still have plenty at home. The textile factory gave really good benefits this year, so we have extra to share.”
“Just take them,” Uncle Wu said. “And bring some of that spicy pickled cabbage for Jun. This kid loves that stuff.” Uncle Wu knew Wu Jun wouldn’t take the dumplings back, so he told his wife to give Wu Jun some of his favorite pickled cabbage instead.
“Xiao Tong, when did you get back to the village?” Uncle Wu asked his young little brother with a smile.
“Brother Shengli, I came back this morning. My brother and sister-in-law are tidying up the house. Brother, are we having dumplings for lunch today?” Rarely getting the chance to eat dumplings, little Wu Tong asked without any pretense.
Before Uncle Wu could answer, Wu Jun jumped in. “Little Uncle, come eat at my place later. We have plenty.”
Wu Tong would follow whoever had food, regardless of whose house it was.
So he quickly said, “Then I’m going to eat a whole lot! You have to wait for me. I’ll go tell my brother right now and then come to your house for dumplings!” Without waiting for Wu Jun’s reply, he ran off and disappeared in an instant.
“Such a child at heart. Uncle, where’s Brother Hongqi?”
“I sent Hongqi to measure out a spot and mark the location for the new educated youth dormitory. After the New Year, a few families in the village will probably split up, so we need to mark the homestead plots first.”
Hearing this, Wu Jun wasn’t particularly interested. Seeing that his aunt had prepared the things he was taking, he headed home.
Before he even entered the door, he could hear a child’s excited voice. “Uncle, really, there are people wearing red armbands everywhere in the county town now. They run around hitting people and smashing things. But I’m not afraid of them!” The naive child didn’t understand who these people were, only instinctively feeling that what they were doing was wrong. Wu Jun listened and knew that the movement was starting to spread to their small corner of the world.
He patted his cheeks twice, not wanting his grandparents to hear such troubling news, and said, “Little Uncle, you haven’t even eaten the dumplings yet, and you’re already bragging like that.” At the mention of dumplings, the child immediately forgot what he had just been saying. He ran over and tugged at Wu Jun’s sleeve. “You’re back! Now we can eat dumplings! Sister-in-law, let’s eat dumplings!”
Cheering, he headed toward the kitchen. Grandpa Wu looked up at his grandson for a moment, then followed the little one into the kitchen.
Several plates of steaming hot dumplings were brought out. Wu Jun picked one up with his chopsticks, dipped it in vinegar, and ate quickly. The little boy sitting nearby watched Wu Jun’s actions and grew anxious, his eyes wide. He was too young and his mouth too sensitive to eat anything too hot. He could only stare longingly as the other three ate. Seeing the exposed meat filling and smelling the savory aroma, he could only slowly peel open the dumpling wrapper and eat it bit by bit.
In the corner, Gray Wolf had somehow already scampered over and was wildly wagging his tail. Wu Jun smiled, picked up a bit of minced meat, and tossed it on the ground. The little creature pounced on it with lightning speed—at that moment, there was no sign that his legs hadn’t fully developed yet.