The two of them carried a basin back to the brigade headquarters.
The aroma of stewed meat had already wafted through half the village, and the children, no longer running around, had all gathered in the courtyard of the brigade headquarters. The adults, carrying their own cooking utensils, were just waiting to eat the meat.
Wang Hongxi stood excitedly on the chair, "We should thank Comrade Zhang and Hongmei for allowing us to eat meat today. They were the ones who killed the game, and we should also thank Er Lengzi and the others for carrying it back. Let's all give them a round of applause!"
A few claps rang out. It wasn't that people didn't want to thank them, but rather that they were either busy with other tasks or holding weapons and simply couldn't free their hands.
Wang Hongxi also noticed this situation, but he had a good mental fortitude, so he didn't seem unnatural on the surface.
Zhang Hongmei truly admires Wang Hongxi; he's adaptable and resilient. Back when he was the production team leader and wanted to become the village head, he managed to get along well with Liu Maocai. Now, even though he holds two positions, he hasn't put pressure on Liu Maocai. Honestly, Wang Hongxi is more suitable to be the village head. The only question is whether he'll actually do anything for the villagers.
Zhang Xingguo laughed heartily, "No need to thank me. Now that I'm a villager, I won't stand on ceremony with you all. Just treat me as one of the villagers."
The atmosphere became lively, and the cornbread was almost ready. Some children were shouting with anticipation, and the elders in the family scolded them. The courtyard was particularly bustling.
Liu Maocai desperately wants to leave this place, but he simply can't.
The old lady gave him a cold look, and he felt even more ashamed.
Furthermore, Liu Daya didn't go home. Instead, she ran crying to the riverbank. She didn't know why she was there. Was she planning to jump into the river? The thought terrified her, so she hurried home. But she was also unwilling to accept being beaten in front of so many people.
The more I thought about it, the more unwilling I became. No, I had to make them anxious, let them know how important I was, and make them come looking for me.
But the thought of not being able to eat stewed meat made me even more resentful. I thought to myself, why don't I eat it? My family might not eat meat even once a year. It would be such a waste not to eat it.
But then I thought about how embarrassing it would be to go back to the brigade headquarters. He just slapped himself in front of so many people; wouldn't he become a laughingstock?
He sat angrily by the river. The cracked riverbed was particularly uncomfortable. After a while, he stood up and thought, "I should go home. I didn't eat lunch and I'm looking forward to dinner."
He returned home dejectedly, only to find the front door unlocked, indicating someone had come home. Wouldn't it be incredibly embarrassing for him to go in now?
But I was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. Besides, it was my home. Was I really going to be afraid?
He pushed open the door to his room, lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), and sulked.
Li Cuihua knew from the noise that Daya had returned. She was both angry and resentful towards this good-for-nothing daughter, but after all, she was her own flesh and blood. Now that she was older, she couldn't hit or scold her.
Inside the brigade headquarters, however, the atmosphere was bustling with activity and joy. The aroma of the stewing meat was even more intense when the lid was lifted.
Everyone quickly split into four lines and lined up behind the four large pots. Usually, the adults in the family would chop the meat, while the children would be assigned to make cornbread.
This time, the pig's head and the like were still eaten by the older people. Zhang Hongmei didn't join in, and she and Liu Erya lined up properly.
This time, there were no side dishes mixed in with the meat; it was all pure, large chunks of meat. A big spoonful filled a whole bowl. But usually, families cook together, so they're carrying bowls or basins.
When it was Er Ya's turn, Wang Hongxi's wife was in charge of chopping the meat. The two of them were a perfect match; they were both incredibly good at handling things. When they were chopping the meat for Er Ya, they even used a sharp spoon, which made the person chopping the meat feel very comfortable.
Zhang Hongmei used only one bowl to chop the meat, and Wang Hongxi's wife even tilted the spoon slightly to drain the broth. No one else said anything, but Zhang Hongmei was quite satisfied. Because there wasn't much fatty meat, Er Ya and the other girl put the meat on the old lady's table, then lined up to make cornbread, and then lined up to get mixed wild vegetables. The two younger girls obediently stayed by the old lady's side.
Zhang Hongmei didn't eat; instead, she helped Liu Erya take the food home first.
This was a meal for five people, so there was a whole basin of meat. In the end, Er Ya was given several spoonfuls of meat broth. There were twelve cornbreads, each the size of an adult man's fist, which also filled a basin. The wild vegetables were divided into two small basins, which the two small ones carried.
When I got home, Li Cuihua was already up. I couldn't let my anger over that unreliable person make me neglect the three little ones. I boiled a pot of water, added cornmeal, and made a pot of porridge. We had to be frugal these days.
Zhang Hongmei put the basin on the table and went back, ignoring Li Cuihua's offer to stay for dinner. Back at the brigade headquarters, everyone was already eating. The pot was completely empty of meat, and the cook had only added water to the fire. Anyone who was thirsty could get some soup.
When Zhang Xingguo saw Zhang Hongmei return, he said, "Hongmei, come here quickly, your bowl is with me."
Zhang Hongmei had no choice but to bite the bullet and go. After what happened with Liu Daya, she really didn't want to be seen with Zhang Shouyi. She didn't want to risk being caught in an undeserved disaster—that would be so unfair.
He slowly moved toward their table, deliberately circling around and missing Zhang Shouyi's seat, and stood in front of Zhang Xingguo.
"Uncle Zhang, I'll take this home to eat, and then I can lie down and rest."
Zhang Xingguo knew that Zhang Hongmei's wish was simply to eat her fill and then lie down, so he didn't take it to heart. "Go ahead, or should I have Xiaoshun bring it over to you?"
"No need, I can manage myself. I can just put the cornbread on the wild vegetables."
Zhang Shouyi squinted at Zhang Hongmei, a cruel smile creeping across his face. Was she avoiding him? That heartless little ingrate. Could it be because of what happened earlier?
“Hongmei, let me go back and eat with you. I’m not feeling well.”
You're avoiding me, aren't you? Well, I'm going to follow you anyway, let's see what you do then. You even made a point of emphasizing that you weren't feeling well, but you got injured while saving me.
Zhang Hongmei inwardly scorned Zhang Shouyi, but had to force a smile and said, "Brother Zhang, if you're not feeling well, let's go back and eat together, Xiaoshun and I."
Wang Xiaoshun was helplessly implicated. "I wanted to finish eating before going back! Eating here is so much better than eating with Brother Shouyi." His thoughts were written all over his face. Zhang Hongmei, seeing his unwilling expression, wanted to slap him. This guy really had no revolutionary camaraderie.
"Xiao Shun, are you going back?" Zhang Shouyi asked Wang Xiao Shun with a smile.
Wang Xiaoshun hesitated, "I want to eat here; I think it tastes better when there are more people."
Having no other choice, Zhang Hongmei borrowed a cage and put the two people's food inside. When she tried to lift it up, Zhang Shouyi snatched it away.
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