Wang Minghao and Lin Yuwei gestured to Liu Sanqian and then separated from the main group. As for Feng Minghao and Tan Jing, they wanted to go and see what was going on, and maybe see if they could help. When Feng Minghao and Lin Yuwei arrived at Liu Mingfeng's yard, they saw Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao sitting in the yard, and Liu Mingfeng was packing his things.
During this time, Tan Jing helped him retrieve some bicycle parts from the county town. The bicycle that Cai Dabao had ruined was repainted by Liu Mingfeng and looked brand new again.
Liu Mingfeng and his friends made some toys for Tiedan and Daye, including iron hoops that could be pushed around and wooden carts that adults could pull in front of while the children sat inside. The two children were overjoyed when they received these toys, and for the past few days they have had Feng Minghao and the others play with them in the yard instead of going out to play with their friends.
After Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao saw Feng Minghao and the other person enter the courtyard, their seemingly tired steps became much lighter, and they asked with smiles how the two of them had a good day.
As for asking about their day's harvest, they had already found out. Because of what had happened, Tie Dan and Da Ya had been sticking to them lately, and had stayed in the yard with them all day without going out to play. Just as the wild boar was being carried down the mountain, their friends ran into the yard and called the two away to watch the slaughter.
Feng Minghao put down the basket on his back, waved his hand, and said it was alright, but with those three lads with him, today wasn't very enjoyable. Liu Mingfeng said it didn't matter that today wasn't enjoyable; they could wait a few days. With everything arranged, the three of them would go back into the mountains and tidy up the valley. If they encountered any game on the way, they could hunt it down and sell it on the black market, thus earning more cash.
After all, in this era, everything required money and coupons, and what they had was really nothing. Feng Minghao and Lin Yuwei nodded in agreement when they heard Liu Mingfeng say this.
Just then, a gong sounded from the canteen. It was the sound of Captain Liu Yougen reminding everyone to assemble. When Liu Mingfeng and the others heard this sound, they knew that the captain was calling the villagers over to discuss the distribution plan for the wild boar they had hunted that day. So Liu Mingfeng sent Feng Minghao and Lin Yuwei over.
As for Zhao Xiuxiang and the others, including Liu Mengmeng, they were sewing quilts and other things at Zhao Xiuxiang's house, which were things that Feng Minghao and the others needed for their wedding. At this moment, they heard the gong, and they should all be heading to the dining hall.
Sure enough, when Feng Minghao and Lin Yuwei came out of Liu Mingfeng's courtyard, they saw a large group of women rushing out of Zhao Xiuxiang's house. Among them were Liu Mengmeng and Feng Mingyue, as well as Hu Lanhua and her daughter Xiong Yuehong. Feng Minghao's second and third aunts were also there. The two of them, along with all the women in their families who knew how to sew, were making things for the wedding. Because of the tight schedule, the women hadn't been able to go to work for the past few days.
After Zhao Xiuxiang and the others came out, they saw Feng Minghao and Lin Yuwei. Liu Mengmeng asked Captain Feng Minghao why he was banging the gong. Did they catch some big prey today?
Feng Minghao: "We hunted a wild boar today, and it's over at the mess hall right now. The brigade leader probably wants us to go and distribute the meat."
Everyone was delighted to hear this, especially the families of the second and third aunts. After all, in the countryside, if they wanted to eat meat, they didn't have meat coupons and could only rely on their own abilities to see if they could hunt some game in the back mountains to satisfy their cravings. So, they were all very happy to hear that there would be meat to share.
As everyone walked towards the main canteen, some villagers heard the gong and came out of their houses to join the procession. Feng Minghao felt embarrassed walking among the group of women, so he quickened his pace and walked at the front of them.
Liu Sanqian's daughter, Liu Ying, saw Feng Minghao's embarrassed look and couldn't help but smile and gently nudge Lin Yuwei, who was walking next to her.
"Sister Wei, look at my cousin, he's still embarrassed."
You smiled slightly. She knew the reason; after all, Feng Minghao had said that he had dreamt of his past life the night he saw her, and the difference between men and women in that life might still be affecting him now. However, to be honest, Lin Yuwei still had a question: why were the sons of her second and third uncles named Dashan (Big Mountain) or Dashu (Big Tree), while Liu Mingfeng and his brother, as well as Feng Minghao, all had the character "Ming" in their names? So she asked Liu Ying about it.
"Yingzi, why is it that your brother and the others all have the character 'Da' in their names, while Minghao and the others have the character 'Ming' in their names? And why is it that Mingfeng and Minghao are in the same order?"
"Oh, you mean this? I know about this. I asked my dad, and he said that my eldest uncle and aunt got married while they were in the army. When my fourth brother was born, they asked their political commissar to name him. He said that the character 'Ming' means dawn, illumination, and light. So my fourth brother, fifth brother, and eldest cousin were named according to this. As for why my eldest cousin was named like my fourth and fifth brothers, it's because my uncle was an orphan, so having more siblings would make him less likely to be bullied."
"When my father returned from the army, he found that my second uncle had also gotten married and had children at home. My eldest brother had also been born by then, and his name was Liu Dashan. So, for the sake of brotherly unity, my father simply named my brother Liu Daqiang."
Hearing this, Lin Yuwei understood why the middle character of the five Liu brothers' names was different. The two then chatted and laughed about other things. During this time, Liu Ercheng's eldest granddaughter, Liu Xiangmei, joined in. Hu Lanhua and Xiong Yuehong, walking behind, watched the three chatting and laughing. Hu Lanhua asked her daughter, "Why don't you join in the chat?" Xiong Yuehong declined. After all, they didn't know how long Lin Yuwei would stay. Xiong Yuehong was happy that Lin Yuwei had made friends.
Lin Yujing and the villagers walked and chatted as they arrived at the communal dining hall. They were all startled when they saw the huge wild boar. Lin Yuwei and Feng Minghao were alright, as they were the ones who had killed it and knew how big it was. Upon seeing the boar, Liu Mengmeng and the other villagers, like everyone else, couldn't help but swallow hard. This wasn't out of fear, but rather out of sheer greed. Even though the boar hadn't yet been hairless, gutted, or cut into pieces, it still made everyone's mouths water.
In those days, it wasn't just villagers who had trouble getting meat; even city dwellers faced the same problem, with only a limited number of ration coupons available each month. It often took a long time to save up enough for a single meal. Liu Mengmeng was a little better off because Feng Guoqiang was a cadre, and she herself worked at the street office; their combined rations were enough to satisfy their cravings. However, with so many children in the family, it was just so-so.
Needless to say, Xiong Yuehong and her family were also swallowing their saliva constantly when they saw such a large wild boar, just like the villagers. If they didn't swallow, the saliva would almost overflow from the corners of their mouths.
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