In the backyard, Grandpa Xia was sharpening his knife, ready to pounce on the goose. Hearing a noise coming from the gate, he turned around and saw his little granddaughter struggling to carry a watermelon in, with his wife standing protectively by his side.
"Jianguo, come help Xiaomin carry the watermelon."
Grandpa Xia's words prompted everyone who was tidying up their luggage in the main room to run to the backyard, where Xia Minmin had already placed the watermelon on the ground.
Wang Aimin stepped forward and weighed the watermelon in his hand. "Uncle, you take really good care of this watermelon. It must weigh more than ten pounds, right?"
"Haha, it weighs a little over fifteen pounds. I weighed it on a scale when I was bored before, and I was thinking of keeping it to grow a little longer. I didn't expect Xiaomin to pick it."
Li Qing came over and patted the watermelon to listen to the sound. Everyone's actions were the same; it was a habitual action. It felt like something was missing if you didn't pat the watermelon.
Li Chunmei carried a bucket of boiling water to the backyard and placed it next to Grandpa Xia. "Wow, who picked such a big watermelon?"
Xia Minmin stood with her hands on her hips, chin slightly raised, smiling smugly and looking quite proud.
"Did your daughter pick them, or did she bring them back herself? Did you put them in the well to chill, or did you cut them up and put them in the refrigerator?" Grandma Xia asked.
Li Chunmei gestured to indicate the size of the watermelon, "Mom, this watermelon is too big. We can fit it in, but we might not be able to get it out. How about we cut it in half now and eat the other half while we're relaxing in the evening?"
Xia Minmin and Li Qing were the first to respond.
"Okay! I'll go cut it!"
"I picked this watermelon from the field and brought it home, so I should cut it."
"You're too young to handle the knife, let me do it." Li Qing said, picking up the watermelon and running to the kitchen.
Xia Minmin also followed after them.
Grandpa Xia looked at the two reckless people and said, "You two be careful, don't drop the watermelon."
Grandpa Xia received no response to his words. He shook his head and went back to his own business, putting the goose into a bucket of boiling water to scald it before plucking its feathers by hand. Several men, unafraid of the heat, stayed to help pluck the feathers.
Li Chunmei and Grandma Xia washed the vegetables and fruits they picked from the basket and took them to the kitchen.
Li Qing held the kitchen knife, gesturing back and forth at the watermelon, unsure whether to cut it horizontally or vertically. Xia Minmin was getting a little anxious watching her.
"Cut it into three pieces, and cut the middle piece thinner. The middle one is sweet, so the two of us can eat it first."
Li Qing nodded. "That makes sense. How thick should it be cut in the middle? Is that enough?"
Li Qing used a knife to draw a 20-centimeter width on the watermelon.
Xia Minmin shook her head, "It's too wide. Ten centimeters is enough. Any more and it will be discovered."
Before Li Chunmei and Grandma Xia even entered the kitchen, they overheard the two of them plotting to get the sweetest part of the watermelon.
cough…
The two people in the kitchen froze upon hearing the noise; it seemed their plan had failed and they would have to just chop it up haphazardly.
They left a few slices of watermelon in the kitchen, and took the rest to the backyard on plates. The four of them plucked the feathers off a goose quickly, even removing some of the finest downy feathers.
Holding a watermelon, Wang Aimin casually ate it in the backyard. He stood at the gate, looking out at the vegetable garden, which was well-managed and presented a beautiful pastoral scene.
Wang Aimin's envious expression was evident. "Uncle, I'm so jealous of your life. You grow vegetables and raise livestock every day, and in your spare time you drink and play cards with a few friends."
Grandpa Xia is very satisfied with his current life, which is much more enjoyable than living in Shenzhen. "If you like it, stay a few more days! You are welcome to visit anytime. Our place is even more lively during the Chinese New Year, so come and visit then."
"Great! I'll definitely come again."
Dinner was prepared by Li Zhonghua, using the double-burner wood-fired stove that the family only uses during the Chinese New Year.
Xia Minmin and Li Qing took turns sitting in front of the stove to stuff firewood. They were drenched in sweat and had to run out every few minutes to get some fresh air, wash their faces, and then switch places.
The towel draped around Li Zhonghua's neck was soaked with sweat, and his clothes were completely drenched. After all, he was a seasoned chef with many years of experience, and he was quick and efficient. He worked on both stoves at the same time and finished all ten dishes in forty minutes.
To accommodate the elderly man's teeth, the braised goose was to be cooked for an extra thirty minutes. Li Zhonghua took this time to quickly take a shower and change his clothes.
The main dish for dinner was mung bean porridge, which had been chilled in the well beforehand.
Dinner was served in the main room, with mosquito coils lit under the table to ward off the annoying mosquitoes.
The cicadas outside chirped tirelessly, but all of this combined to give one a sense of peace and longing.
"cheers!"
Everyone else was drinking alcohol; they were drinking ice-cold beer. Xia Minmin and Li Qing were drinking sweet rice wine brewed by Xia's maternal grandmother. Sweet rice wine is delicious, but it can be just as intoxicating if you drink too much.
Grandpa Xia scooped a spoonful of goose meat into Wang Aimin's bowl with a soup spoon. "Aimin, try the goose we raised ourselves. See if it suits your taste. Don't be shy."
Wang Aimin held out his bowl to receive the goose meat, saying, "Thank you, Uncle. You should eat some too. I'll treat this as my own home and won't stand on ceremony."
Wang Aimin put the goose meat in his mouth. The goose meat had been stewed long enough that it could be easily separated from the bone with just a slight bite.
"Uncle and Aunt, your geese are so delicious, even better than the ones I ate in Shenzhen."
When Grandma Xia heard someone praising the geese she raised, her eyes lit up with a smile. "Our chickens, ducks and geese have never eaten feed since they were young. They eat grass, duckweed, small fish, shrimp and snails. Tomorrow I'll stew some free-range chicken for you. It will taste even better if you braise it. You can't taste the original flavor of the ingredients if you just boil it."
A large table of dishes was devoured in no time. Xia Minmin ate too much and was so full that she leaned back in her chair, lazily staring at the overhead light. Apart from her, the whole family had cleaned up the dishes, tableware, chairs, and benches in the main room.
Li Chunmei and Sun Erni used a large stove to boil water for the family to bathe. With so many people bathing, the coal stove was really slow. Grandpa Xia used a water pipe to cool down the drying ground, as many people would be coming to watch TV there later.
As dusk fell, neighbors gathered on the drying ground of Grandma Xia's house, carrying chairs and fans. In fact, every household had a television, but everyone still preferred to come here to chat and watch TV together to pass the time.
Li Zhonghua and Xia's maternal grandfather carried the television set, along with the table, outside and placed it there.
Li Zhonghua took out two packs of cigarettes from the house and offered them to his neighbors and relatives.
"Zhonghua, when did you return?"
"I just arrived this afternoon."
"Zhonghua, when are you leaving? Why don't you come to my house for dinner tomorrow?"
"I'm leaving in the next couple of days. The main reason I'm coming back this time is to take my parents to Chang'an for a visit. I'll definitely come to your house for a meal during the Chinese New Year."
"Chang'an?"
"You don't know Chang'an? That used to be the imperial city."
"Doesn't it always appear in the weather forecast? Take a good look at it later."
“Li Laogen, you are so lucky. Look how filial your children are. They have taken you to so many places. I don’t know if I will be able to visit those places before I die.”
"Li Laogen, remember to take lots of photos."
Grandpa Xia enjoyed the praise from his relatives and friends. He sipped his tea with a smile, feeling quite proud. Of all the villages around, he and his wife had been to Beijing the most. Every time they attended a banquet, people would ask them to talk about their experiences in Beijing, so they would have new topics to discuss after returning from Chang'an.
As the familiar news broadcast music played, the drying ground quieted down.
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