When An Moxue returned home after seeing Old Ma off, Chu Dongmei said, "Moxue, an auntie came by just now. She said she was Aunt Guo, and she left after bringing a bowl of fried dough sticks."
"Oh! It's the village chief's aunt. Aunt Guo's fruit is so delicious, fragrant, crispy and crunchy." An Moxue said, taking one and putting it in her mouth.
Then they started setting up the table and serving the dishes. The table was so full of food that there wasn't even room for the bowls in the end.
An Moxue took the jar of blueberry wine, poured a large glass for Chu Dongmei, and said, "Dongmei, come on, try this blueberry wine and see if you like it. I brewed it myself, and it's just right to drink now."
After pouring the wine, An Moxue sighed, "Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, we've already spent two New Years in the countryside."
Holding a wine glass, Chu Dongmei felt a pang of sadness and said, "Mo Xue, we used to be full of ambition, saying we wanted to build our country and contribute to its development. But now we're digging in the fields, and we don't know when it will end. Come on, let's drink to our ideals."
"Dongmei, believe me, the situation won't stay like this forever. You must persevere, and one day you will realize your dreams. Cheers!" An Moxue looked at her with a determined gaze.
Touched by the determination in her eyes, Chu Dongmei asked, "Will that day ever come?"
"Yes, I will." This time, the answer remained firm.
Chu Dongmei's heart also surged with passion, and she said, "Come on, let's persevere to the end, and victory will be ours!"
"Yes, perseverance leads to victory. Believe me, your perseverance will definitely give you a satisfactory result."
Many years later, when a reporter interviewed Chu Dongmei, he asked, "Writer Chu, what unforgettable moments in your life do you still cherish and remember?"
Her face was filled with happy memories as she said, "That was when I was a sent-down youth. I spent the New Year with one of my friends. Looking back now, that year was truly luxurious and meaningful. She helped me strengthen my resolve when I was feeling lost. She also told me that I would have an unforgettable New Year."
Are you still in contact?
"Of course, she is my childhood friend. We are still the closest people to each other besides our family. We will be best friends for life."
After dinner, Chu Dongmei got drunk and fell into a deep sleep. It wasn't until evening, when An Moxue finished making dumplings, that she woke Chu Dongmei up.
"Dongmei, wake up, get up and cheer up. We're going to cook dumplings soon, it's time to stay up all night." An Moxue didn't expect that Chu Dongmei would get so drunk after just a little blueberry wine.
Chu Dongmei woke up and asked, "Mo Xue, what time is it? People are already setting off firecrackers!"
Hearing the continuous sound of firecrackers outside, An Moxue said, "It's eleven o'clock at night."
"Your wine tastes sweet and sour, but I didn't expect it to have such a strong aftereffect. I didn't feel anything when I drank it!"
"How are you? Do you have a headache?" An Moxue wondered if she would feel unwell after drinking the wine.
"No, I feel quite energetic after waking up."
"Then I'll go cook dumplings, and we'll start our New Year's greetings together in a bit."
“Great! I’ll go with you. It’s wonderful to spend the New Year with you. It’s so refreshing to be away from those weirdos at the educated youth settlement.”
When she got to the kitchen, she was startled by the strong wind and lightning and asked, "Mo Xue, when did they come back?"
These wolves were truly unlike any other, swift as the wind and lightning; they were incredibly intimidating.
"Don't worry, Black Queen, she left this morning."
"Is it really that elusive?"
"There's nothing we can do. There are always bad people who want to harm us. Later, when they grew up, we didn't dare let them stay at home during the day. We always have to be on guard."
When Chu Dongmei saw the little wild boar on the ground, she was stunned.
"Mo Xue, them? There?" Chu Dongmei pointed to Gale and Lightning, then to the dead wild boar on the ground.
"You mean this wild boar? They brought it back tonight, and I haven't had time to prepare it yet. Do you want to eat it tonight?" Chu Dongmei nodded vigorously, but then felt uneasy and asked, "Mo Xue, these little wild boars were brought back by them. Can we eat them? Shouldn't we save them for their food?"
"No need, they brought it back for me, so I can eat it." At this moment, the two wolves were lying obediently in the cage.
An Moxue entered the room and took out a knife that gleamed with a cold light. Chu Dongmei thought the knife was very sharp.
She watched as An Moxue quickly skinned the wild boar and then gutted it, the knife leaving afterimages as it cut.
A moment later, An Moxue asked, "Where do you want to eat? Let's cut it up and braise it now."
Chu Dongmei looked at the pigskin and pig's head lying to the side and asked, "Mo Xue, don't you want these anymore?"
"No, it's too much trouble to clean up. Let Uncle Ma take it home and clean it up slowly! I don't want to clean it up."
Then An Moxue put the intestines and internal organs on the pig's head.
Chu Dongmei asked, "Mo Xue, can we braise the pig liver and pig heart together?"
"Is there anything else you'd like to eat? Leave it all here, and I'll give the rest to Uncle Ma to handle," An Moxue asked, looking at Chu Dongmei.
Chu Dongmei shook her head, but what she really wanted to ask was, "Don't you usually boil water to remove pig hair? Isn't this a bit wasteful?"
But she still didn't ask; Mo Xue could do whatever she wanted.
As An Moxue separated the meat from the bones, she said, "You start the fire, I'm going to start cutting the meat. Let's braise all the ribs and big bones. We need to hurry, we should be able to eat around noon. Luckily it's a piglet, otherwise we definitely wouldn't be able to eat it. Wild boar meat is a bit tougher, so it will take longer to stew. I'll make some jerky with the rest of the meat, you can take some with you when you leave."
"Mo Xue, no need, you can keep the rest of the meat for yourself."
"This pig is small, there's not much meat. Besides, if I want to eat it, I can hunt it whenever I have time in the mountains, it's very convenient. It's not easy for you to get meat, so why are you being so polite with me?"
And so, the two of them got busy in the kitchen.
At midnight, An Moxue lit firecrackers in the courtyard. An Moxue felt that the firecrackers were unusually loud tonight.
Back inside, Chu Dongmei said, "Mo Xue, Happy New Year!"
An Moxue smiled at Chu Dongmei and said, "Dongmei, Happy New Year!"
That year, the two young girls in the prime of their lives spent a luxurious and joyful New Year together, indulging in food and drink to their hearts' content.
They ate and chatted at the same time.
Chu Dongmei was gnawing on a large bone in her hand and said, "Mo Xue, you said happiness is very simple. I'm very happy because I ate so much delicious food today."
"Yes, of course. You'll be happy if you have everything you need for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation." An Moxue was holding a pork rib and gnawing on it happily.
"This is the first time I've ever eaten meat since I was born, and the most meat I've ever seen. I wish I could eat like this every day. I've had enough of wild vegetables these past two years," Chu Dongmei exclaimed.
An Moxue comforted her, "No, one day in the future, you might not want to eat meat anymore, and you'll only want to eat wild vegetables."
"That's impossible, that day will never come!"
An Moxue just smiled and didn't say anything, continuing to eat.
......
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