"Lele, how about you try roasted rabbit again?" Wang Guangying felt a sense of despair whenever she thought about Lele's future.
In her mind, although women are supposed to hold up half the sky, they still have to do laundry and cook. If a woman can't cook, she'll probably have a hard time living in her husband's family.
Upon hearing this suggestion, Liu Shile waved her hand immediately, "No, no, no, it would be a waste for me to try. Sister Ying'er, you should just do it. I'm starving today."
The food in the cafeteria was quite plentiful, but the taste wasn't great and it wasn't very oily. She shared half with her second brother, but unfortunately, she didn't find a chance to go out alone in the afternoon, so she was already hungry.
She wouldn't allow herself to waste meat now, so she quickly said, "Sister Ying'er, I'll go pick up some firewood and see if there are any medicinal herbs."
After saying that, she ran away. Wang Guangying watched her retreating figure, feeling both amused and exasperated. Lele was just so afraid of cooking; she would run away at the mere mention of cooking.
She shook her head and began to process the rabbit. I must say, Lele is really amazing. She found a great spot with a stream nearby, making it easy for her to wash the food.
When she had almost finished her preparations, Liu Shile returned, dragging a bundle of firewood that she had casually tied together with vines.
Just as the aroma of roasted rabbit meat filled the air, Liu Shile raised an eyebrow.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
Her sudden voice startled Wang Guangying, who was turning the rabbit meat. She looked around but couldn't see a soul in sight.
She was puzzled and wanted to ask Lele what had happened, but before she could speak, she saw a head pop out from behind a rock to her right.
He was a young man in his early twenties. He said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, the aroma of the meat in your hands made my mouth water."
At this point, his face flushed, but he brazenly smiled and said, "Well, young comrades, could you sell me this roasted rabbit?"
He had been driving long distances for several days, mostly on mountain roads, and hadn't eaten or drunk well along the way. He finally stopped to rest for a while, and that's when he was drawn in by the aroma.
Liu Shile could tell from his accent that he was a local, but the man was dressed quite decently, not like someone who had come to the mountains to make a living. And from the way he asked the question, she knew that the man was doing well.
Otherwise, where would he get the confidence to ask them to buy this rabbit? Even if he wanted to, he couldn't afford it and could only swallow his saliva in vain.
If she weren't hungry, she could easily exchange the rabbit for money, but now that she was hungry, she decisively shook her head: "No."
After saying that, she stared intently at the rabbit, which was roasted to a golden brown, and didn't look at the man again. Just looking at the rabbit made her feel even hungrier.
Zhang Shoujun's smile froze instantly. He hadn't expected that this young girl would reject him so decisively and without hesitation.
He hadn't eaten meat in a long time while traveling, and the smell of meat made his legs feel rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Then he said, "How about I pay you three, no, four dollars to buy them? With that money, you can go and buy some cloth to make a couple of nice outfits."
He thought no young girl could resist new clothes. After all, his sister and nieces were all like that; they would be in a great mood and forget everything else when it came to new clothes.
Four yuan?!
Upon hearing this, Wang Guangying's eyes lit up instantly, and he repeatedly gave Liu Shile meaningful glances, as if to say, "Why don't we sell it to him and roast another one?"
She thought to herself, "It's not hard for Lele to hunt rabbits, and he can earn four yuan in one go. It's such a good deal!"
Unfortunately, Liu Shile wasn't tempted at all. She was a woman with a huge sum of money, so how could she be blinded by a few dollars?
Besides, she doesn't lack new clothes. She just doesn't want to attract attention, so she dresses like this on purpose. Why would she need to exchange food for money to buy clothes?
Therefore, she firmly shook her head and said, "I said I'm not selling, and that's final. You'd better leave early, or you'll be craving it later."
This is why Liu Shile was so polite in reminding them, seeing that this man wasn't taking advantage of his age to forcibly steal their food.
Zhang Shoujun's smug smile froze instantly. Why didn't this girl play by the rules? Shouldn't she be overjoyed to agree to such a good thing?
Hearing Lele's words, Wang Guangying glanced at the person whose face was frozen, and shrugged helplessly. The item wasn't hers, so there was nothing she could do even if she was tempted.
Besides, she was actually a little hungry after shopping all afternoon. Food without oil and fat doesn't keep her full, so it would be better to eat some meat to replenish her energy.
She didn't know that these things could only be hunted in the mountains in the last few years. In a few more years, let alone rabbits, you might not even be able to find tree bark in the mountains.
So they are quite fortunate now, able to go up the mountain to catch wild animals and down to the river to catch insects and fish. As long as they are careful, no one will bother them.
Zhang Shoujun was extremely frustrated by being completely ignored by the two girls. He was really hungry and really smelled the aroma of the rabbit, but why wouldn't they sell it to him?
After thinking for a moment, he hardened his heart and said, "How about I trade you some cooking oil?"
Oil was a real rarity in those days; most families couldn't afford it, and even if they could, it was hard to buy because production was so limited.
When Wang Guangying heard the word "oil," her eyes lit up. Liu Shile also turned her attention to the young man. She hadn't paid much attention to him before because he didn't seem like a threat.
Now it seems that this young man is quite capable, not only willing to spend a few dollars to buy meat, but also having access to the relatively rare oil.
"What kind of oil? How much do you need in exchange?" She has a lot of oil on her farm, but it's not convenient to take it out most of the time, and buying oil is really not easy.
Even buying oil at the grain and oil shop was rationed, and that little bit of oil was really not enough for Liu Shile.
Her farm has oil-bearing crops like rapeseed and peanuts that can be pressed for oil, but she can't openly sell them. So, if she could find a way to get oil from somewhere else, that would be great.
Seeing that she was interested, Zhang Shoujun was secretly pleased and said with a smile, "It's top-quality rapeseed oil. How about I trade you two ounces of oil for this rabbit?"
Two ounces of oil could last a family of seven or eight for a month at this time, some frugal families could last for half a year, and the poorest could last for a year.
So Zhang Shoujun thought the girl would be tempted, but he saw her stare at him with disdain, saying, "You want to trade two ounces of oil for a rabbit? Goodbye!"
As she spoke, she waved at him impatiently, as if to tell him to go wherever he wanted and not to delay them from enjoying their delicious meat.
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