“Comrade Huo and Comrade Xu hunted a wild boar!”
“A wild boar? Seriously?”
“It’s true! They’re dragging it toward Hongwei’s house right now!”
“Hongwei’s house? Why there? Shouldn’t the village chief distribute the wild boar to everyone?”
“Well… I heard the boar was hunted specifically by Comrade Huo and Comrade Xu to help with Hongwei’s funeral. The village chief said it doesn’t have to be distributed to the rest of us.”
“Why not? Everything on Humin Mountain belongs to the collective. Since when did it become their family’s property? And those two soldiers—how could they make such a mistake!”
“Oh, give it a rest. Huifen’s husband died early. She struggled to raise Hongwei on her own. Now… Hongwei’s left behind a wife and a two‑year‑old child. Their family’s having a hard time. Comrade Huo and Comrade Xu are just trying to help.”
“Exactly. Aren’t we still going to eat the boar in the end?”
“That’s different… We were supposed to get a share anyway. The boar should’ve been divided!”
“If it weren’t for Hongwei, Comrade Huo and Comrade Xu wouldn’t have gone up the mountain to hunt a wild boar in the first place. What are you dividing then?”
“Yeah—taking advantage and still complaining.”
“You—!”
“…”
Only a few people thought that way. Most villagers were quite happy when they learned the wild boar was for tomorrow’s banquet. That was a whole wild boar—judging by its size, there had to be at least one or two hundred jin of meat. These days, who could get that much meat for a feast? Looks like everyone would be in for a treat tomorrow.
The Shen family, who had just returned from the fields, were also talking about it. Liu Lanying clicked her tongue. “Comrade Huo and Comrade Xu are really decent people.”
“Aren’t they?” Zhou Chunfeng liked Huo Yanxiu more and more the longer she looked at him. She felt happy whenever someone praised him. Too bad Comrade Huo wasn’t from their village—otherwise, even if she had to swallow her pride, she’d try to match him with her own daughter.
“Dad, Mom, look what this is!” Shen Qinghe stood there smiling brightly, a wild chicken in her left hand and a wild rabbit in her right.
“Oh my goodness!” Liu Lanying was startled, then delighted. “Little sister, where did you get these? You caught them on the mountain again?”
A flicker of surprise also crossed Zhou Chunfeng’s and Shen Xingqing’s faces. Could it be that what their second son said before—that their girl’s luck had returned—was actually true?
“No. I caught the wild chicken, but the rabbit was given to me by Comrade Huo and Comrade Xu.”
As soon as Zhou Chunfeng heard Huo Yanxiu’s name, her heart lifted. “Why did Comrade Huo give you a rabbit?”
Shen Qinghe told them about meeting the two men on the mountain, omitting the fact that she had gone deep into Humin Mountain.
So that was it. Zhou Chunfeng didn’t know whether she felt disappointed or not. “Comrade Huo and Comrade Xu are really too polite.”
“They really are generous,” Liu Lanying said happily. The last time they came for a meal, they brought so many good things, even malted milk powder. She hadn’t gotten any herself, but her second and fourth kids had.
Shen Xingqing was more worried about Shen Qingsong. “Your second brother still hasn’t come back?”
Nothing’s happened, right? He’d said it before—that place really shouldn’t be gone to!
“Dad, don’t worry. Second Brother’s already back. He’s putting things away in the storeroom. Go take a look.”
Shen Qinghe led them to the storeroom, where they indeed saw Shen Qingsong carrying burlap sacks inside. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, his body glistening with sweat, but his face was full of excitement.
“Dad! Mom!”
“Guess how much Little Sister’s snow fungus sold for—per piece?”
“How much? Three yuan?”
“Five yuan each! All three were bought by the same person!” Shen Qingsong set the sack down, brushed the dust off his hands, barely able to contain his excitement. “That guy’s probably someone important. He said his wife is pregnant and can’t eat anything. She once happened to eat a piece of snow fungus and wouldn’t stop asking for more. But this stuff’s hard to find in the north—he’d been searching everywhere and was at his wit’s end. The moment he heard I had three good‑quality pieces, he decided on the spot—five yuan each, and he took all three!”
“That’s fifteen yuan! My heavens!” Zhou Chunfeng’s mouth stretched nearly to her ears. Rural folks worked the fields all year long and might only end up with ten‑odd yuan by year’s end—and those ear‑shaped things sold for that much!
“That pregnant little wife must be carrying a golden nugget,” Liu Lanying clicked her tongue in amazement.
Shen Xingqing glanced at the storeroom. “Second, what did you buy then?”
“Just like Little Sister said—some oil, meat, salt, sugar, and soap. The rest went to grain: twenty jin of rice and twenty jin of white flour. There’s six yuan, three mao, and five fen left.” Shen Qingsong handed the remaining money to Zhou Chunfeng.
Zhou Chunfeng took it without ceremony. Liu Lanying and Zhu Yuxiu had no objections. The household money was always managed by Zhou Chunfeng, and besides, this money had been earned by Little Sister. It had nothing to do with them. They were already satisfied that Little Sister was willing to use it to buy supplies and grain for the family.
“Alright. Eldest and Second, go deal with the rabbit and chicken your sister brought back. It’s too hot—if you don’t process them today, they’ll stink by tomorrow.”
Shen Qingsong’s eyes lit up. “Eat it all tonight?”
“If we eat it all, how are we supposed to live after?” Zhou Chunfeng shot him an annoyed look. “Salt them and save them to eat slowly. We just bought salt.”
Shen Qinghe actually agreed with her second brother. “Mom, why don’t we eat them all? My luck’s so good right now—maybe next time I go up the mountain, I’ll run into another chicken or rabbit.”
Shen Qingsong nodded hard. They rarely ate meat before, but lately they’d been eating it more often. After that, plain vegetables just didn’t taste good anymore.
Seeing that even her daughter said so, Zhou Chunfeng had no choice but to give in. The food was brought back by her daughter—how could she stop her from eating it?
“Then we’ll cook both rabbits and eat them. The chicken we’ll salt and save. That okay?”
“Okay! Mom, you’re the best!” Shen Qingsong grinned.
“Just look at your smart mouth.”
Shen Qinghe suggested, “Then let’s have steamed buns tonight? White‑flour buns with stir‑fried rabbit meat—it’ll be so fragrant!”
White‑flour buns… Zhou Chunfeng felt a twinge of pain in her heart, but since her daughter wanted them, she could only nod. “Alright, alright. Eat, eat.”
Liu Lanying was delighted. “Then I’ll go knead the dough!”
Before long, Shen Qingbai and Zhao Huiru returned as well. Smelling the aroma in the house, Shen Qingbai was surprised. “We have guests today?”
“No guests—just the family eating.” Shen Qingsong told them about Shen Qinghe’s good luck. Shen Qingbai raised an eyebrow, not sure whether he believed it or not.
Zhao Huiru smiled. “Looks like we’re in for a treat today.”
The younger kids were thrilled too, chattering nonstop. Zhou Chunfeng followed behind them, reminding them, “Don’t tell outsiders what we’re eating today, hear me? If I hear any gossip outside, you’ll all get a beating. Got it?”
“Got it, Grandma! You’ve said it a million times—we’re not deaf!”
“…”