After Zhou Jiao forced Zhang Guoqing to finish eating, she immediately went to sleep and rested, and then she went out with the child in her arms. Standing at the gate, looking at the old house not far away, she felt a little embarrassed to go over there - it was really embarrassing just now.
After waiting for a while, Zhang's mother came over. She was overjoyed and waved vigorously.
Faced with Zhang's mother's teasing look, Zhou Jiao quickly pulled her to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Zhou Jiao opened her eyes wide, Ping An leaning in her arms. The mother and son stared at Zhang's mother, waiting for her to speak.
Mother Zhang patted her grandson's head. Their expressions were remarkably similar. She smiled and said, "You didn't ask Xiaowu? Now let's see if he dares to tell you the truth."
"I think he's too tired. Let him get some sleep first. Mom, he's not putting himself in danger trying to save others, is he? Is he injured internally?"
Mother Zhang quickly pulled her aside, "Don't worry. He's fine! Your father said it wasn't Xiaowu's fault, but he insisted on joining Old Man Wang and the others. Did you see his clothes? They're all torn by wolves. Luckily he wasn't injured, otherwise I'd have to deal with him."
Zhou Jiao breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that.
"He ruined a nice set of clothes. What a pity!"
Zhou Jiaomin smiled stiflingly. Then she frowned, thinking that while the clothes were a minor issue, what if he got hurt? She'd have to wait until he was well rested before punishing him.
"Do you know how many wolves they killed this time? Your father said there were more than 200. Xiaowu killed at least 20 by himself. Oh, and your father asked your uncle Dashan to take Xiaowu's stuff back to the county town. As soon as Xiaowu came down the mountain, he ran home without saying a word. Your father was so scared that he ran all the way back with him. Now he's lying on the kang, unable to get up."
"Is Dad okay?"
"It's okay, they're just tired. They'll be more energetic than us after a good sleep. Your father said the village will organize a trip to the mountains in the next two days, so don't rush back to the county town. Take this opportunity to store more things."
Zhou Jiao nodded helplessly. With enough food at home, she didn't want Zhang Guoqing to go up the mountain again. Who knew if there were any wolves in the vast Daqing Mountains?
Then Zhang's mother talked about the number of people injured and what they gained.
Zhou Jiao listened absentmindedly. The other person's injury had nothing to do with her; she didn't even know them, so she didn't bother to care. Instead, she was thinking about the village pig-killing dish, the flavor of which she could never quite replicate.
When it was time for dinner, Zhou Jiao didn't want to go to the cafeteria anymore, so she sent Zhang's mother away. After she and her child finished their dinner, they closed the door and quietly returned to the living room.
Zhang Guoqing woke up again and lay on the kang, listening to Zhou Jiao's gentle whispers of fables and his son's low laughter. He checked the time and found it was already late.
He lay down for a while, then got off the kang and went to the living room. "I had a really comfortable sleep. Have you eaten? Son, it's time for you to go to bed. Get up early tomorrow and Dad will play with you."
"Daddy holds me while I sleep."
Zhang Guoqing reached out to take the child, held him in his arms, and patted him gently. It seemed that not only his wife was frightened, but the child also lacked a sense of security.
The couple didn't dare to speak, worried that the child wouldn't be able to fall asleep. They looked at each other and smiled. Zhou Jiao stood up, washed her hands, and started making bean buns on the kang.
She had been in a bad mood the past few days, and with Zhang's mother around, she had encountered significant resistance. Now that everyone was back, she could focus on preparing more steamed buns and bean curd.
Zhang Guoqing saw the child sleeping soundly, gently placed him on the kang, and covered him with a quilt. Standing in front of the kang for a while, he saw the child sleeping like a pig, and chuckled softly, "This sleeping skill is really good."
"Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?"
"Don't eat yet. Since no one is around, I'll go to the kitchen to steam some buns. You stay with our son to sleep."
Zhou Jiao waved her hand happily, "I can't sleep now either. Come on, let's go together. I found that there is nothing more suitable than steamed buns and steamed buns to eat anytime and anywhere."
Zhang Guoqing picked up a coat and put it on her, then carried her back to the kitchen.
When the couple saw the heavy snow and strong wind outside, they smiled happily.
Zhang Guoqing hadn't said he could return today, but Old Man Wang felt the weather wasn't right and it wasn't safe on the mountain. He was trying to get Zhou Jiao to forget about it, to avoid a retribution later.
Zhang Guoqing woke up early in the morning and tiptoed out of his room. After washing up, he wrote a note and left it in the living room. Then he rode his bicycle through the heavy snow to get to work.
He rushed home yesterday and didn't have time to talk to Zhao Dashan and the others in detail. His vacation was coming up, and he planned to take a break first.
The atmosphere at work today is joyful and lively, and everyone is talking about interesting hunting stories.
Zhang Guoqing did his job well and received his benefits. As for the wolf meat, no one in his family was interested. They contributed half to the canteen and stored the rest with other wild animals in the warehouse in the courtyard.
It was almost noon when they returned to the village courtyard, and before the couple had exchanged much words, many people began to arrive, inviting him to join them on the mountain. Zhang Guoqing smiled and declined.
After Zhou Jiao and the others separated, they looked at him curiously.
"It's too cold, and there's a strong chance of a white-haired wind. Plus, we just killed a wolf, and it's holding a grudge. It's not safe to go up the mountain now. We have enough food and clothing at home, so there's no need to take risks."
After he finished speaking, he saw Zhou Jiao's eyes curved with joy. This made him even more determined not to go up the mountain again in the short term and make his wife worry.
"I have some vacation time coming up, so I'll stay home with you and our son. What do you think I can do? Do you need anything prepared for the New Year?"
Zhou Jiao rolled her eyes and smiled, "On the 25th, make tofu, and on the 26th, cook the meat. These two things alone will take up a lot of your mental and physical energy. Those two pigs should be dealt with."
Zhang Guoqing nodded in agreement. If he didn't deal with it now, he'd have nowhere to go later. He looked around and decided it was feasible. It could be handled quietly at night, when everyone was asleep, without anyone noticing.
As the New Year approaches, the couple begins preparing New Year pictures, firecrackers, couplets and other New Year goods during the day, learns how to make tofu, and kills pigs and makes blood sausage at night.
After Zhang Guoqing's five-day holiday, everything was finally arranged, and the family of three packed up and returned to the county town. Zhou Jiao's only regret was that she wouldn't be able to enjoy the pig-killing dish. Her family was worried about the aroma, and the village had even scheduled the pig-killing for the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Fortunately, in the county town, her family had legitimate wild game, which added to the supply for the New Year and other festivals. She could take the opportunity to cook some meat and blood sausage in the evening, which finally made her longing for it all year worthwhile.
On New Year’s Eve, a family of three made wishes in front of red candles.
In order to pray for peace and good luck, the couple made red lanterns with light bulbs.
Early in the morning on New Year's Eve, the whole family got up early and pasted door couplets, peach charms, and spring strips on the front door, in the storeroom, and in the kitchen. They also pasted window stickers on each window and hung New Year pictures in the living room for the family reunion.
Then they erected the longevity lantern on a tall wooden frame and plugged it in. Looking at the bright red lantern, the couple laughed heartily – now they no longer had to worry about not lighting up until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
After a busy period, Zhang Guoqing went to the post office to send a telegram to his father-in-law in Beijing to wish him a happy new year in advance. Then he finally returned to his hometown with his wife and son, carrying a lot of bags, to have a reunion dinner with his parents.
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