Having fled the famine and been away from home for so long, the fellow villagers had been starving the entire way and had long since forgotten the taste of meat.
Now that they finally had a wild boar to eat, every single one of them was overjoyed.
They all kept praising Zhou Mianmian for being so sharp, as it was thanks to her that everyone could enjoy this feast!
“Third Zhou, how is your daughter so clever? Your three boys combined can’t even compare to her!”
Hearing this, Third Zhou could not grin widely enough, and his heart was filled with boundless pride.
But of course! Mianmian was the little fortune charm of the Zhou family. Forget three boys—even if ten of them showed up, they wouldn’t match half a strand of his daughter’s hair.
Once the captured wild boar was securely bound, everyone set to work slaughtering the pig.
This wild boar weighed a full three hundred jin.
A few men of great strength quickly processed it, and the meat on the pig’s body was chopped into chunks.
Although some of the refugees in this group had not gone to help capture the wild boar earlier, they were all fellow villagers, and fleeing a famine together wasn’t easy for anyone.
Moreover, when they went to the north to reclaim the wasteland later, they would continue to be neighbors.
Thus, everyone discussed and agreed that this wild boar meat must be shared by all.
This was to prevent anyone from getting jealous and starting a fight.
It was just that those who contributed more would get a larger share, while those who contributed less would get a smaller share.
As for the households that hadn’t contributed much at all, they could only get a jin or half a jin of scraps, which was already considered quite generous.
While the distribution of pork was going on in full swing over there, the Zhou family—thanks to Mianmian, Third Zhou, and Fourth Zhou—received a full ten jin of hind shank meat.
They were the household that received the largest share.
Old Madam Zhou weighed the meat in her hands, her mouth split wide with a smile. Upon returning, she noticed Old Madam Li sitting with a dejected and crestfallen expression.
That wrinkled old face of hers was written all over with disappointment.
Although the two old crones had engaged in a bit of a squabble earlier, Old Madam Zhou also knew that Old Madam Li was not a bad person at heart; she just ran her mouth too much.
She didn’t take it to heart either.
So she proactively walked over and smiled, “Old crone of the Li family, why aren’t you going to get the pork? If you go late, don’t blame it if it’s all gone.”
Old Madam Li shrank her shoulders and remained silent.
If she really went, how humiliating would that be? Wouldn’t she be relying on the good fortune of a mere girl just to eat a bite of meat?
She wouldn’t go!
Old Madam Zhou knew she was being stubborn, so she waved her hand generously and called Fourth Zhou over.
“Fourth Zhou, go quickly and help your Uncle Li and Aunt Li fetch their meat. Remember to cut them a good piece.”
After saying that, she turned back and snorted at Old Madam Li, “It doesn’t matter if you starve, but aren’t you afraid of starving that boy of yours? It would break your heart by then.”
Before long, Fourth Zhou cut a large piece of front shank meat with an ideal balance of fat and lean.
He enthusiastically delivered it to Blacksmith Li and Old Madam Li.
With the greasy pork resting in her hands, Old Madam Li rubbed the grease on her fingers, and her eyes actually grew a bit moist.
She didn’t know how many days it had been since she last saw any grease or meat. Seeing this meat now gave her an unrealistic sensation, as if she were in a dream.
At this moment, her youngest son beside her was also staring wide-eyed, clamoring to eat meat.
As her appetite was aroused, Old Madam Li slapped her forehead, only now realizing how foolish she had been just moments ago.
For a poor family, how could they refuse meat just over a couple of verbal squabbles?
It was all thanks to Old Madam Zhou’s magnanimity for not holding a grudge.
Thus, Old Madam Li hurriedly came over to apologize to Old Madam Zhou.
Her gaunt cheeks flushed crimson with shame. After apologizing, she quickly expressed her gratitude.
“Big Sister Zhou, look at this wretched mouth of mine, only knowing how to babble nonsense and invite dislike.”
“It’s only because you have a good heart and won’t hold it against me. I really am a muddle-headed old crone.”
Old Madam Zhou was holding Zhou Mianmian while preparing to boil water to cook the meat, and she smiled cheerfully while waving her hand at Old Madam Li.
“The two of us have bickered for more than half our lives. What is there to hold a grudge over concerning such a minor matter? Go back quickly and prepare the meat for your son to eat.”
They were all neighbors from the same village; it was better to resolve an enmity than keep it alive. What did a few disagreements amount to?
This old woman saw through things very clearly.
Old Madam Li nodded gratefully, and then quickly went to gather tree branches to light a fire and cook the meal.
Zhou Mianmian tilted her small head and leaned back into Old Madam Zhou’s arms.
She waved her little hands in approval.
This grandma still possessed a degree of magnanimity; she was not the type of narrow-minded, ignorant, and foolish woman.
The water in the pot soon gurgled and came to a boil, and the greasy pork was cut into chunks by Song Nianxi and dropped into the pot.
The whole family gathered around the single pot, waiting to eat.
Taking advantage of a moment when outsiders weren’t looking, Old Madam Zhou nimbly pulled out the piece of meat that Third Zhou had bought earlier.
“Third’s wife, cook this meat separately in a bit. Just cook half of it. Make it nice and tender, so Mianmian can eat it by herself.”
Song Nianxi quickly complied and took the meat.
“Mother, this wild boar meat of ours is enough to feed our whole family.” Third Zhou looked toward Old Madam Zhou.
He wanted to save that piece of meat for Mianmian to eat later on the road.
After all, a stroke of good luck like catching a wild boar did not happen every day.
But Old Madam Zhou shook her head, “Mianmian cannot eat wild boar meat.”
“Why?”
“Look at it yourself. This is a male wild boar, and it hasn’t been castrated. The meat will definitely taste gamey and foul when cooked. It’s fine for us adults to eat, but how could Mianmian tolerate that taste?”
Hearing Old Madam Zhou put it this way, Third Zhou and Song Nianxi suddenly realized the truth.
The couple both cast doting looks at Mianmian, who was stretching in Old Madam Zhou’s arms, and could not help but smile.
Wasn’t that the truth? Mianmian absolutely could not eat foul boar meat; they could not wrong their daughter.
Zhou Mianmian also narrowed her eyes, sticking out her little tongue in satisfaction and letting out a laugh.
This wild boar had not come out of her spiritual pool; she had merely spotted it by chance.
The taste would indeed be difficult for her to swallow, so it was better to wait and eat the good stuff.
However, Li Chunzhu curled her lip upon hearing this.
She also wanted to eat the pork Third Zhou had bought back. Who would want to eat the bad stuff when there was good stuff available?
“Mother,” Li Chunzhu could not help but speak up.
“I know you dote on Mianmian. But Mianmian is still small. Raising her so meticulously now makes me afraid she will be difficult to raise when she grows up. We have to think about her future!”
Old Madam Zhou didn’t even spare her a glance.
“Fourth’s wife, what do you mean? Since the meat is already bought, could we just throw it away?”
Li Chunzhu swallowed her saliva.
“How could such good meat be thrown away? How about letting Third Sister-in-law stop bothering? I’ll boil that piece of meat and eat it in a bit. Once it’s eaten, we won’t have to keep thinking about this piece of meat.”
The moment these words were spoken, forget Old Madam Zhou.
Even Second Zhou’s wife, Sun Pinghua, could no longer bear to listen.
Sun Pinghua had always been honest and simple, and her temper was exceptionally good, but now she was also somewhat displeased.
“Fourth’s wife, what kind of words are those?”
“If you are greedy, just say you are greedy. Why bring up Mianmian’s future to make an issue of it?!”
“Is all this wild boar meat still not enough for you to eat? You even want to snatch a child’s things. How do you not understand a single bit of human decency?”
Li Chunzhu could never have imagined that even Second Sister-in-law would lecture her.
On ordinary days, Sun Pinghua was the most good-natured person, and she had allowed her to take a lot of advantages.
But why was it that whenever something related to Zhou Mianmian was brought up, every single person protected this little girl? What had happened to this Zhou family!
Li Chunzhu was just about to talk back, but she was frightened into silence by Fourth Zhou glaring at her.
In the end, she could only squat on the ground without saying a word.
Her face was pulled long and looked incredibly unsightly, as if she had suffered some immense grievance.
Standing to the side, Meifu saw that her own mother was displeased, so she was also unhappy. Those rat-like eyes of hers kept staring at Zhou Mianmian.
The more she looked, the more envious she became.
She wished she could bore a large hole through Zhou Mianmian’s body with her gaze!