Zhang Hongmei and Zhang Shouyi arrived at the old lady's house carrying a cage.
"Grandma, I've brought you your food: pickled fish, pork rib stew with potatoes, and rice."
The old lady looked at Zhang Shouyi, who had come with Zhang Hongmei, and felt a little worried. This would be Jingze's biggest rival in the future. Although she couldn't tell who this girl was interested in, her great-grandson was one in a million, but Zhang Shouyi just happened to appear.
This man's attention to Hongmei was completely different from last time. Finally, the old lady sighed inwardly, thinking, "Children and grandchildren have their own destinies; at this age, he still can't let go."
"I won't keep you two any longer, hurry back and eat."
The meal was particularly satisfying. Zhang Xingguo sighed, "Hongmei, why don't you come back with me to high school? Thinking about the days without you makes me feel so gloomy."
Zhang Hongmei was speechless. Was he only concerned about food?
After finishing his meal, Zhang Xingguo went back to rest.
Zhang Hongmei and Zhang Shouyi played chess all afternoon. Zhang Hongmei became more determined with each setback, and she persisted for more than an hour in the last game.
"Hongmei, you're so clever," Zhang Shouyi exclaimed. He was so glad he had met this girl at this time; otherwise, he might not have had the chance later.
"But I feel like something's missing, but I don't know why."
"This is normal. You'll understand after a while. I'll find you some chess scores when I get back. And when you get to the capital, I can find you a teacher. He's an acquaintance of mine, and his chess skills are superb; he can be called a master."
"That's great. If I'm not quick enough to learn, maybe they'll teach me a few tricks out of respect for you."
Although it's just a hobby, Zhang Hongmei wants to learn it well.
"Okay, no problem at all."
"Shall we have wontons for dinner?"
"You must be very tired. Rice porridge will do."
"That works too. Peanuts, pickled vegetables stir-fried with eggs, and cabbage stir-fried with bean curd sheets."
"Okay, that'll save you the trouble."
Before going to bed at night, Zhang Hongmei prepares two bowls of dough to make pancakes for breakfast the next morning, so she can bring her lunch with her.
Zhang Hongmei got up at five o'clock the next morning to cook: cornmeal porridge, leftover pork ribs stewed with dried green beans, and pancakes.
I have a total of thirty large flatbreads, which I plan to take with me after I finish eating them this morning.
By the time Zhang Shouyi arrived, Zhang Hongmei had already finished preparing.
Why didn't Hongmei call me?
"No need, you can't do anything here."
Zhang Shouyi said seriously, "From now on, you must call me if you need anything, even if I can't help."
"Alright, I got it. Even if I asked you, you might not have time, given how busy you are."
"You don't need to worry about that. No matter how busy I am, I can still take care of your affairs."
Zhang Hongmei felt awkward; this topic really couldn't be discussed any further.
"Quickly call Uncle Zhang to eat; Dashan and the others will be here soon."
"They won't need to be called; they'll be here soon."
After finishing their meal, Zhang Hongmei prepared everything she needed to bring. Zhang Xingguo insisted on bringing a pot, saying, "There might be some wild game or something. It would be interesting to eat it on the mountain. Hongmei, remember to bring all the seasonings. Shouyi can carry them up the mountain later."
When Zhang Hongmei saw the iron pot in the basket that Wang Xiaoshun was carrying, she suddenly thought of the scapegoat.
Da Shan and the other five came together. Each of them carried a large basket. Mainly, they trusted Zhang Hongmei's luck. They believed that as long as Zhang Hongmei went, they were guaranteed to catch fish.
Zhang Hongmei had no idea that her friends had so much confidence in her.
Ten people set off up the mountain in a large group. Since it wasn't snowing, the path wasn't difficult to walk on. Each person carried a basket, a pickaxe, and a machete.
They chatted and laughed all the way to the pool.
The division of labor is clear. Everyone does their assigned task. None of them are first-time fishermen; they all have experience.
After the net was set up, the boys and Zhang Xingguo couldn't stay still. They prepared to check the trap, and in the end, only Zhang Hongmei, Zhang Shouyi, and Er Ya remained.
It was cold to stay still, so I started collecting tree branches. I used what I could, and carried the rest home.
“Hongmei, you really know the mountain well.”
"That's right. I go up the mountain almost every day because there are more and more people coming, and there are fewer animals here. I guess they've gone deeper into the mountains."
Fortunately, there's water on this mountain; otherwise, how would the whole village survive?
"Hasn't the relief food arrived?"
“People from the surrounding villages are envious of our grain harvest; how could we dare to continue accepting relief grain?”
"So we'll just eat sweet potatoes?"
"There's sorghum too. Look, although the people in our village are thin, they're all energetic, much better than people from outside."
Er Ya remained silent, showing respect for Zhang Shouyi and simply following behind them to do the work.
After the three of them had collected three large bundles of branches, they could faintly hear laughter and commotion.
"They're back? Looks like they've made some gains."
"Yes, my dad was happy today."
"Hongmei, look, we've picked up six rabbits. Xiaoshun will skin them, and we'll stew them here in a bit."
I told you to bring a pot. See, it came in handy now!
"Yes, you were right. Experience is the best teacher, alright?"
"You brat, you're not even being sincere when you praise me."
Six rabbits, one for each of the six young men, were killed quickly.
Luckily, the pot I brought was big, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to cook everything in it.
With meat to eat, nobody bothered to set up a net; everyone was just waiting to eat.
Wang Xiaoshun prepared ten pairs of chopsticks, otherwise he would have to eat with his hands.
The pancakes didn't need to be heated, and the young men ate the meal with beaming smiles. They had a clear idea in their minds that as long as they followed Zhang Hongmei, they would get to eat meat.
After eating and drinking their fill and getting enough rest, they realized it was getting late, so they quickly set up the internet.
This once again confirmed what the group had thought: following Zhang Hongmei really did bring them good fortune. The two nets caught a total of ten large fish, each weighing five or six pounds.
Da Shan said the most, "Hongmei, from now on I'll follow you. I'll never be empty-handed when I'm with you. I admire you so much."
"This has nothing to do with me, right?"
"Yes, we've gone up the mountain and cast our nets more than once. We might not catch a single fish, but it's definitely not enough to cover our hard work. But with you, it's different. Look at these ten big fish."
"Hongmei, how about making sauerkraut fish?"
"Okay. We'll make it tomorrow. Everyone come over for dinner, but there won't be enough rice, so we'll just make two kinds of flatbread."
"We're not picky, we're content as long as we have something to eat. We'll deliver all the fish to your house today, since we have guests, and we'll need to satisfy our cravings again tomorrow."
"Okay, how about one for each of you? We won't have enough for tomorrow. Or how about half a for each of you six? Your family should try some too."
“Okay, Hongmei’s idea is good. We’ll eat the remaining seven fish tomorrow.”
Once the decision was made, we divided it right there by the pond. After all, we couldn't just eat it all ourselves; our family members needed to try it too.
Along the way, Zhang Hongmei and Er Ya walked in the middle. "Er Ya, you have to come early tomorrow to help. I can't manage alone."
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