Grandma Yan nodded in agreement: "Okay, okay, let's keep in touch!"
Yan Xiaoqiang told Xiaolong to load half a wild boar's meat onto the oxcart, and then have him take it out of the village, sell it at the market, and then go home, to save himself the trouble.
Old Man Chen agreed wholeheartedly and quickly told Xiaolong to put on more clothes, take some flatbread and water, as well as a scale and a kitchen knife, and leave with the Yan family's oxcart.
Yan Xiaonan couldn't help but admire his father. Along the way, people from Chenjia Village would stop by the oxcart to take a look. When they saw half a pig, they would all smile and say to Xiaolong, "Xiaolong, give this to your sister."
Xiao Long nodded; "Yes, yes, I only see my sister once a year, so I'll see her off."
The villagers all knew that the two siblings in the Chen family had the best relationship, so it was normal for them to give each other a gift. Besides, the half-pig was on the oxcart; the Chen family wasn't hiding anything.
The oxcart left the village and headed straight for the town. There was a small town near the Chen family's place, and a market there as well. Grandma Yan and the others had never been here before, so they decided to take a stroll around today. They figured they'd be home an hour later at most.
Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year, and there are quite a few people visiting the market. Yan Xiaoqiang was worried that the villagers of Chenjia Village would see him, so he simply let Grandma Yan and the others go shopping while he accompanied Xiaolong to sell meat.
He found a spot and had just put the meat down when someone came to ask about it. Without hesitation, Yan Xiaoqiang quoted a price of one yuan per jin (500 grams). The person who asked thought it was too expensive, and Yan Xiaoqiang just chuckled coldly.
Killing a wild boar on a snowy day when the mountains are blocked is practically a life-or-death situation; selling it cheaply would be a disservice to myself.
More and more people asked about it. Meat was already in short supply during the Lunar New Year, so it was a rare opportunity to buy some. As a result, all 158 jin (75 catties) of meat were sold out in less than an hour.
After the meat sold out, the two left the spot and found Nan Nan and her friends. They were buying snacks in front of a shop, and Nan Nan was pleasantly surprised to find that they were selling her favorite dragon beard rolls and shrimp chips.
Seeing that Yan Xiaonan's eyes were glued to these things, Grandma Yan didn't hesitate to take out her money and buy them. Cuihua felt a little sorry for her, but Grandma Yan rolled her eyes at her and said, "Only a fool would feel sorry for her."
Cuihua didn't want to be seen as a fool, so she quickly changed her mind. She decided to satisfy Nannan's cravings for anything she liked. After all, Nannan was a fairy! It was no big deal to pity a fool.
Yan Daqiang watched their every move and became even more certain that Nan Nan was different from others. The little girl was very alert and probably sensed his intentions, so she had already restrained herself a lot.
Yan Xiaonan really admired Yan Daqiang. In just a few days, he had already begun to doubt himself. It was just that he was too young, otherwise he might have been mistaken for some kind of monster and taken to the laboratory. Thinking of this, his tension immediately increased to ten points.
Yan Xiaonan hugged Grandma Yan's neck tightly, needing to pee. Grandma Yan quickly found a corner and took Yan Xiaonan there.
Looking at Yan Daqiang with her own consciousness, she realized that he hadn't followed her and finally breathed a sigh of relief. She quietly told Grandma Yan that her uncle was keeping an eye on her and was afraid that her uncle might take her away.
Grandma Yan was startled. Her eldest son was a soldier, very vigilant in his work. She was afraid he might notice something was wrong, or things would get out of hand.
With this in mind, Grandma Yan also began to be cautious in her words and actions. She would give Cuihua a good talking-to later, lest she be led astray by her eldest son. As for Qiangzi and Dongnan, there was no need to worry about them.
Just as I was thinking of Cuihua, she came over. She was worried that Nannan would get cold, so she brought a blanket. Grandma Yan took this opportunity to tell Cuihua what Nannan had said, and Cuihua's expression changed.
Just then, Yan Xiaoqiang and Xiaolong arrived. When they learned that half a pig had sold for 158 yuan, they were happy for Xiaolong. Xiaolong was a little embarrassed and wanted to split the money with Xiaoqiang, but Xiaoqiang waved his hand and said it was time to find a wife.
Watching their oxcart slowly drive away, Chen Xiaolong wiped away his tears, put the money in his inner pocket, patted it a few times to make sure it was safe, then buttoned up his padded jacket and cotton-padded coat before hurrying home.
The oxcart slowly made its way home. Yan Xiaonan initially pretended to be asleep, but later he actually fell asleep. Cuihua held Yan Xiaonan tightly and refused to let go, which caught Southeast's attention.
Southeast's gaze swept across the entire area, noticing that his mother was far away from his uncle. He began to suspect that his uncle might have discovered their secret during yesterday's wild boar hunt.
Yes, that's right. Although Dad's shovel strike was very timely, wild boars aren't so easily killed by shovels. The danger Zhongnan was in at the time was obvious to everyone. With Zhongnan's own strength, there was no way he could have overpowered the wild boar.
Sigh, soldiers are really something. All the Chen family did was celebrate and praise their own family member's achievements. Who would notice these subtle details?
My uncle will be staying at home for more than half a month, so we have to be very careful. A worry rose in Southeast's heart.
The oxcart arrived home in the fading sunlight. Dongnan helped Grandma Yan down from the cart and then picked up Yan Xiaonan. The little girl was sleeping so soundly; she couldn't be made to catch demons anymore.
Cuihua and Xuemei quickly opened the door and started a fire to heat the kang (a heated brick bed). Beinan and Xinan also helped move all the things from the oxcart into the house. After feeding the ox, Yan Xiaoqiang took some snacks he bought in town and went to his third uncle's house to return the ox.
Looking at the time, Dongnan quickly handed Yan Xiaonan over to his grandmother and hurriedly grabbed his water tickets to go swimming. If he didn't go today, he would have to wait until this time tomorrow, and there wouldn't be enough water then.
Grandma Yan carried Yan Xiaonan back to her room. Xuemei had already lit the fire on the kang (a heated brick bed), but it wasn't warm yet, so Grandma Yan sat on a stool with Yan Xiaonan in her arms.
Yan Daqiang was worried that his mother would get tired, so he wanted to bring Yan Xiaonan over, but Grandma Yan refused, saying that the little girl wasn't heavy and she could manage on her own.
Seeing his mother's attitude, Yan Daqiang suddenly realized that his attitude had probably made his mother and the others wary of him, worried that he might harm Nan Nan.
It seems this little girl is truly her mother's darling. She can no longer bring herself to ask the questions she wanted to. Oh well, why worry about it? She'll only be staying for ten days or half a month before leaving.
Grandma Yan knew that her actions might hurt her eldest son's feelings, but she had no other choice. Nan Nan was so important to her; even as the eldest son, she couldn't lay a finger on him.
Seeing Yan Daqiang get up to make tea, Grandma Yan finally felt a little relieved. Sigh, being a mother is hard, being a soldier's mother is even harder.
Yan Xiaoqiang returned the oxcart to his third uncle, who was quite worried. He wondered why the ox had come back so late, and whether something had happened to it.
Yan Xiaoqiang handed over the snacks and told his third uncle that he had spent some time at the market buying snacks, which was why he was late.
Third Uncle took the pastries and his eyes crinkled with laughter. Dragon beard rolls! He loved them but never dared to buy them. Today, he was truly fortunate to have Old Niu's treat.
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