“Speak your mind loudly, what are you mumbling about?”

Seeing that Chen Shuning was really angry, Chen Jiandang didn't dare to say anything more and quickly put on a smiling face and said, "No, I didn't say anything. I, I said, what delicious food did you make? I could smell the aroma from inside the house."

Seeing his brother-in-law's aggrieved expression, He Chaoyang couldn't help but laugh, and gave Chen Jiandang a reassuring look.

He looked at Chen Shuning and explained with a smile, "The hunting team doesn't go into the mountains because they hunt for the big prey in the mountains."

I'll just take Jian Dang for a walk at the foot of the mountain, hunt some pheasants and rabbits, and there won't be any danger if we don't go any further in. Besides, don't you trust me?

"With me here, I guarantee nothing will happen, don't worry."

This time, Chen Shuning glared at He Chaoyang and said in an equally annoyed tone, "You just spoil him! This kid is the type who will take advantage of you if you give him a little credit. If you agree to take him to the foot of the mountain, he'll pester you to take him into the mountains."

"You promised to take him rabbit hunting, and he'll be heading straight for roe deer. Just you wait and see."

Although Chen Shuning said this, he did not say anything more in opposition.

The two men inside the room exchanged a glance and chuckled in unison, covering their mouths as they secretly laughed.

Because the Qingshan Brigade didn't have a phone, He Chaoyang had to go back to the unit to call Chen Jiandang to reserve tickets. Also, he was going to take Chen Jiandang hunting in the mountains tomorrow, so he had to go back and prepare some things.

So He Chaoyang didn't stay long. After lunch, he set off back to his unit. Chen Shuning brought him some steamed glutinous rice cakes so that he could take them back for Grandpa Duan and Duan Guangyuan to try.

The old man brought her so many herbs last time, and she still adds some when she makes soup now.

Although the old man initially did it out of consideration for He Chaoyang, it was Chen Shuning who ultimately benefited, so she always remembered to repay this favor.

I just happened to make this today, and since they're both from Beijing, I figured they'd like it, so I asked He Chaoyang to bring some over.

The man was initially reluctant, saying he would handle the favor as he saw fit, but Chen Shuning glared at him, and He Chaoyang finally obediently picked up the things.

After He Chaoyang left, the siblings began to prepare the meat they had been allocated that day. Chen Shuning had bought a lot of pork belly and tenderloin, so when the team slaughtered the pig and distributed the meat, Chen Shuning specifically told Chen Jiandang to ask for some spare ribs and thigh bones to make soup.

In this era, people mostly prefer meat with more fat than lean, and pork belly is the most sought-after cut.

So Chen Shuning was given half a rack of spare ribs, several pieces of thigh bone, a fish, and a pheasant.

After He Chaoyang left, the siblings started packing up the things. Chen Shuning didn't really like to eat pheasant, but her parents at home were a big fan.

So Chen Shuning cleaned the chicken, chopped it into small pieces, and froze it, so that Chen Jiandang could bring it back to his parents when he returned.

The fish were caught a while ago when the brigade leader led people to break through the ice on the river outside the village. Each household was given one or two to keep for the New Year's dinner table as a good omen.

When they were breaking ice and setting up nets, Chen Jiandang went along to watch the fun. Chen Shuning, on the other hand, hadn't left the house much since the weather turned cold, because she was just too scared.

Chen Shuning was given a crucian carp that was barely bigger than his palm. There was nothing he could do about it; the size of the fish was allocated according to the number of people, and since Chen Shuning was alone, he naturally didn't get a big fish.

However, neither Chen Shuning nor Chen Jiandang really likes to eat fish, so having this one fish during the Lunar New Year is enough for them.

These past few days, Chen Shuning has started packing the things Chen Jiandang will take back with him.

Chen Shuning felt conflicted about packing things to take home, but she was also worried that her younger brother wouldn't be able to carry them all by himself.

Just like today's pheasant, in order to lighten the burden on her younger brother, Chen Shuning would clean the pheasant, cut it into small pieces, and then neatly wrap it in an oilcloth and place it in a small basin.

They freeze into neat, orderly shapes so they can be easily put into pockets.

After packing up the items, Chen Shuning prepared things for He Chaoyang and Chen Jiandang to take up the mountain the next day.

Since He Chaoyang said he would just wander around at the foot of the mountain and return by noon, there was no need to prepare any food.

It was just preparing some water and some warm clothes for Chen Jiandang to wear tomorrow.

Chen Shuning prepared ginger, red dates, and brown sugar, and put them in a pot to soak. He planned to boil them directly in the morning.

Then there's Chen Jiandang's clothes. Since it's not this cold in Beijing, Chen Jiandang wasn't wearing thick clothes when he came.

So after he arrived here, Chen Shuning made him a thick cotton-padded coat and trousers, and also got dog skin from a fellow villager to make him a dog-skin coat and a dog-skin hat.

Chen Jiandang cherished this outfit immensely. He would wear it whenever he went out, and every night when he came back, he would take a small rag and wipe the areas that had gotten dirty during the day clean.

Chen Shuning plans to have Chen Jiandang wear this outfit when they go up the mountain tomorrow. However, the boy is a little reluctant, fearing that he might accidentally scratch or damage it while going up the mountain.

In the end, Chen Shuning could only laugh and cry as he agreed that if he accidentally broke it, he would make him another one. Only then did the boy reluctantly agree to wear his precious dog-skin coat up the mountain.

Nothing happened that night, and He Chaoyang came over early the next morning.

Today, unlike before when he always wore a military uniform, he was dressed in a black cotton-padded jacket and trousers, and still without a hat.

Whether it's a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder or something else, Chen Shuning still thought her boyfriend looked better than others, even in his ordinary cotton-padded clothes.

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