Xuemei was waiting in the yard. When she saw Cuihua and her grandmother, she quickly ran out and took the shovel from her grandmother's hand: "Mom, didn't you come back to get the shovel just now? What were you doing?"
Grandma Yan looked around, quickly pulled a large white rabbit from her bosom and handed it to Xue Mei, saying happily, "We caught this today. Go and skin the rabbit later and save it to make a little vest for Nan Nan."
"Sigh," Xuemei exclaimed with delight as she took the rabbit. What a year! Wild boars and rabbits! And the three hens at home are laying eggs all day long. At least there's hope for the future!
Yan Erqiang saw his mother walk in from outside and hurriedly went to greet her, using a soft broom by the door to sweep the snow off Grandma Yan.
Cuihua put Nannan down on the kang (a heated brick bed), took off her heavy cotton coat, and asked, "Are you hungry, daughter? Are you thirsty? How about I make you a cup of milk powder?"
Yan Xiaonan was indeed a little thirsty and sleepy; she always felt drowsy after using her consciousness.
Grandma Yan looked at the sleepy Nan Nan and felt sorry for her. "It must be very harmful for a fairy to use magic. Don't do it again. Nan Nan is still so young."
After a cup of milk powder was prepared, Yan Xiaonan slowly drank it with her grandmother's help. The warm, fragrant, and rich milky taste pleased Yan Xiaonan.
Yan Xiaonan fell asleep after drinking half of her milk powder. Grandma was worried that the two boys from the second son's family would wake the little girl, so she asked Cuihua to take Nannan to her room to sleep.
He unlocked the door and entered, carefully placing Nannan on the kang (heated brick bed). He even carefully felt the temperature of the kang; yes, it was warm. He then stuffed a large piece of wood into the kang's hole before leaving the room with peace of mind.
The two boys had already finished the remaining half cup of milk powder. While Yan Xiaonan was drinking it, the two kept swallowing their saliva, and as soon as the cup was put down, they couldn't wait to grab it and drink it.
Yan Erqiang's forehead was throbbing. He had lost all face and dignity in the past two days, and an endless sorrow welled up in his heart. He was useless, letting his two children be so greedy.
Grandma Yan also felt a pang of sadness. She took out a can of malted milk powder, made two cups for the two children, and said to Yan Erqiang, "The children are still young, it's normal for them to crave it. This was sent by your older brother for Nannan, let them try it too." The words "sent by older brother" struck Yan Erqiang like a thunderbolt, leaving him utterly embarrassed. He feigned composure and asked his mother, "How is my older brother now? When is he coming back?"
Grandma Yan gave Yan Erqiang a meaningful look: "Your eldest brother is doing very well. I can't remember what promotion he's received. He'll be back next year."
"Oh, does your older brother keep sending things back?" Yan Erqiang asked with difficulty.
"Yes, your eldest brother is filial. He never misses sending his monthly pension and holiday gifts, and he also sends plenty of food and drink on ordinary days," Grandma Yan said calmly.
Yan Erqiang fell silent, feeling like a clown in this house, someone to be laughed at, and wished he could grab his luggage and leave immediately.
But looking at her two sons, who drank a cup of malted milk powder like it was magic water, extremely slowly, as if they wanted to savor it forever, she wondered what she had done all these years.
Cai Min sat in the main room, lost in thought, staring blankly at the two boys. She had just gone to the kitchen and seen Xue Mei killing a rabbit. Seeing the fluffy rabbit skin, she thought it would be nice to ask for it back to make a pair of gloves for her mother.
Before he could even speak, Xuemei kicked him out. This Xuemei was so rude; she even locked her sister-in-law's room door right in front of him. Who did she think she was?
There was an indescribable feeling nagging at me: how could I, a proud citizen of Kunming, be inferior to a country girl?
She wanted to go back, but she couldn't bear to leave the food here. If she didn't go back, she couldn't stand the atmosphere. Cai Min faced a difficult choice in her life.
Grandma Yan and Cuihua didn't have the energy to deal with the two people in the main room. It was almost New Year's and there were many things to pack. Cuihua went to the kitchen, and Grandma Yan packed up the malted milk powder and then neatly locked the door.
He patted his two grandsons' heads and said, "Drink slowly, there's no rush." Then he went into Cuihua's room, where he would keep a close eye on Nanya.
Cai Min was furious. She really treated this little girl like a treasure, neglecting even her own grandson. Was it not easy for her to come all this way?
Yan Xiaoqiang went to the state-run restaurant in town and specifically asked for Chef Pang. The waiters there knew that anyone who asked for Chef Pang must be selling mountain products or something similar.
He quickly invited the man to sit down and went inside to look for him. It was probably because it was almost Chinese New Year, and the portly man was quite relaxed, rolling a cigarette and smoking. As soon as he heard someone was looking for him, he immediately ran out.
Oh ho, it's that guy who can't do math. Maybe he's got some wild game. He glanced around, but there was nothing there. He sat down and offered him a cigarette he'd rolled himself.
Yan Xiaoqiang quickly shook his head, saying he didn't know how to smoke this thing, and asked bluntly, "Do you buy roe deer?"
"Go ahead, where's the stuff?" The fat man's eyes lit up. This stuff was even tastier than wild boar meat, and it would fetch a much higher price.
“The thing is buried near my house. It’s a fully grown male roe deer, weighing about fifty or sixty pounds. How much do you want for it?” Yan Xiaoqiang asked.
"The meat is 1.5 yuan a pound, I'll give it to you for 60, and the roe deer antlers for 30, so how about 120 for you?" the fat chef asked.
"Okay, when are you coming with me to pick it up?"
"Let's go now, there are three-wheeled vehicles, the two of us will drive there."
Yan Xiaoqiang nodded, "That would be best. It would take more than half an hour to walk back."
The chubby driver drove his little tricycle, taking Yan Xiaoqiang towards Mushroom Village. "You're amazing! Last time it was a wild boar, this time it's a roe deer, next time it won't be a bear, will it?"
The fat chef laughed and joked, but Yan Xiaoqiang took it seriously. He thought that as long as his daughter closed her eyes, those guys would come to her door.
If things go wrong, a bear might actually come. No, I'll have to redo the front door after the New Year. If a bear really does come, this door won't be able to stop it.
He glanced at the chubby man and asked, "You even accept bears?"
"Holy crap!" Fatty Master exclaimed in surprise. "No, bro, let's not joke around. This joke isn't funny."
Yan Xiaoqiang, however, got stubborn: "Stop dawdling, are you going to buy it or not, and what's the price?"
The fat man nodded, "They really do buy it, but it's more cost-effective to sell it separately. Bear paws are the most expensive, bear skin isn't cheap either, bear gallbladders are extremely expensive, and the least valuable part is the bear meat."
"Okay, I'll tell you when the bear arrives."
The fat man shuddered. What kind of origin was this? He called a bear a little duck, and it just appeared out of nowhere. Alright, getting the roe deer is the priority.
The tricycle drove all the way to the foot of the mountain. When I got off, I looked around and realized it was almost lunchtime, but there wasn't a soul in sight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
