9

Chapter 9

Zhang Chunhua was a person with many small schemes, but she didn't have much ability. To put it simply, she was someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Therefore, when Old Lady Li waved her cane and flicked her eyelids, Zhang Chunhua immediately backed down. If she had been obedient from then on, it would have been fine, but she wasn't the type to learn from her mistakes. Not daring to provoke Old Lady Li, she began to bully the granddaughter-in-law, Guihua. However, Guihua had grown up in her husband's family, and as a young woman who could manage household matters, the elders in the family praised her. Such a person couldn't possibly be a weak woman, so Zhang Chunhua's few words were swiftly rebuffed by Guihua. When Zhang Chunhua realized that everyone in the Li family, from the elders to the children, wasn't easy to deal with, and even Li Mulin didn't side with her, she completely quieted down.

On New Year's Eve, Old Lady Li woke up early and directed her sons and grandsons to hang decorations on the door, putting up couplets and the character for "blessing." She also took out the pork she had been hiding for half a month, slaughtered the rooster they had raised all year, and chopped up large bones she had traded for from the mountains into pieces, preparing to make a soup with pickled cabbage.

Liu Xiulan and Guihua were busy in the kitchen, while the men were outside sweeping snow and chopping firewood. As soon as Zhang Chunhua entered the kitchen, Guihua chased her out. Old Lady Li immediately sensed that these two had gotten into an argument at some point and told Zhang Chunhua to stay in her room, not expecting her to be of much help.

Old Lady Li directed Zhang Chunhua to set four plates on the heated bed table. She took out her key, filling one plate with peanuts and sunflower seeds, two plates with fried pine nuts and hazelnuts that she had gathered from the mountains in the fall, and grabbed a handful of sugar cubes to distribute to the grandsons, telling them to put them in their pockets to eat.

Zhang Chunhua grabbed a handful of pine nuts and used tongs to crack them open, stuffing them into Ming Shu and Ming Xin's mouths. Ming Nan and Ming Bei, who often collected such things in the mountains, weren't interested in them. After running around outside for a while, they asked Li Mulin for twenty or so firecrackers, and then dragged Ming Shu and Ming Xin out to set off the firecrackers.

Ming Shu, who was the same age as Ming Bei, was in the playful stage. As soon as he heard they were going to set off firecrackers, he hurriedly pushed away the pine nuts that Zhang Chunhua handed him, put on his shoes, and ran outside. Ming Xin, seeing this, immediately became anxious, stood up, and also wanted to go: "Brother, wait for me! I want to go too." Ming Shu looked outside anxiously and then turned back to urge Ming Xin, "Hurry up and put on your shoes."

Zhang Chunhua saw that both her sons were running outside, so she quickly grabbed Ming Xin and coaxed him, saying, "Good boy, it's cold outside. You and Mom can stay inside and eat. Look how fragrant these pine nuts are."

Having eaten well at his grandmother's house recently, Ming Xin wasn't as eager to eat anymore and was more concerned about setting off firecrackers. He struggled to break free from Zhang Chunhua's arms and almost started crying: "Mom, let me go. I want to go play."

Old Lady Li, who was playing with a string of gourds, heard Ming Xin crying and couldn't help but say, "Let him go. It's the New Year, which family doesn't let their children go out to play? Ming Rong and Ming Guang are outside too."

Zhang Chunhua reluctantly let go of Ming Xin and, worried that the pine nuts and hazelnuts on the table would be eaten up, went to the kitchen to get a small bowl. Under Old Lady Li's surprised gaze, she cracked open a bowlful of nuts.

When Zhang Chunhua looked up and saw Old Lady Li's gaze, she felt uncomfortable and quickly explained, "These things are expensive to buy in the Ice City. I saw Ming Shu and Ming Xin really like them, so I cracked some to save for them to eat when they come back."

Old Lady Li couldn't understand how Zhang Chunhua had turned out so petty, especially considering that with Zhang's father's salary, their family should have been living better than others. However, having seen her daughter-in-law only return after so many years, Old Lady Li wasn't a miser. She glanced at Zhang Chunhua and said, "Here in the mountains, we have red pines and pine cones everywhere. If the children like them, I'll bring some back for you next time."

Zhang Chunhua was delighted and grinned, "This place is really nice. People with money outside can't buy this."

It was the first time Zhang Chunhua said something decent since she entered the house, and Old Lady Li couldn't help but smile, "Take those empty plates to your second sister-in-law and get them filled. When the neighbors come by, an empty plate doesn't look right."

Zhang Chunhua agreed readily this time, quickly jumping off the heated bed. Zhen Zhen, who was half-lying in Wang Sufen's arms, drooled from the smell of the pine nuts and hazelnuts. It smelled so good.

In those days, pine nuts were truly wild, big and full of flavor. When roasted in a large iron pot with sand, the smell alone could make your mouth water.

Seeing Zhen Zhen eyeing the nuts, Old Lady Li couldn't help but laugh, "Our little girl can smell it now, but she's too young to have any. When we gather the pine cones and hazelnuts next fall, I'll give them all to Zhen Zhen. How about that?"

Zhen Zhen swallowed and stretched her chubby little hand to wipe the drool from the corner of her mouth. Wang Sufen, wiping her face and hands with a cloth, laughed and said to Old Lady Li, "Look at Zhen Zhen. Even as a little baby, she knows how to clean herself up. She's wiping her own mouth."

Old Lady Li smiled, hanging the gourd in Zhen Zhen's hand, and happily said, "Zhen Zhen is smart and strong. When she grows up, she can help Grandma hunt wild boars."

Looking at Wang Sufen, she was very pleased: "You've been a good mother. It seems the chicken soup and fish soup weren't wasted. We should get Ming Nan and Ming Bei to go fishing again."

Wang Sufen couldn't help but say, "This year, the Yongcui River is really strange. In previous years, the fish were easy to catch in the summer, but in the winter, you'd almost always come home empty-handed. This year, though, we didn't catch many fish in summer, but we've been able to catch two or three every few days this winter."

Old Lady Li, stroking Zhen Zhen's soft face, casually said, "This is the food that God sent to our Zhen Zhen."

The fire in the house was roaring, and outside, a group of children were playing in the snow, each setting off firecrackers. The children from every household were out. You stuffed the firecrackers into the snow piles, and I stuffed them under the ice shelves, trying to see who could play the best tricks.

While setting off firecrackers, they ran to the Yongcui River, where the kids brought out their sleds and lined them up for a race. Whoever lost had to give their firecrackers to the others. Ming Bei, Ming Nan, and Ming Rong slid quickly on wooden sticks with nails, while Ming Guang, Ming Shu, and Ming Xin followed behind, cheering them on.

After a crazy morning of fun, they returned home to the smell of delicious food. Ming Xin sat up from the heated bed, washed his face, and couldn't help but sigh, "Grandma's house is way more fun than ours."

Zhang Chunhua glanced back and saw no one was paying attention. She quietly told her son, "Our home is better than Grandma's. If you keep saying Grandma's house is better, I'll leave you here and not take you back to the Ice City."

Ming Xin, being only four or five years old, immediately sulked and didn't dare go out with his brothers in the afternoon. Instead, he obediently stayed with his mother on the warm bed.

In the evening, Liu Xiulan and Guihua began preparing food early. The big bones were stewing with pickled cabbage, mushrooms with chicken, tofu with carp. Ming Xin, smelling the delicious scent, sat up from the heated bed. When he turned around, he saw Old Lady Li, Wang Sufen, and Zhang Chunhua making dumplings, each one plump and white, arranged on the quilt. Ming Xin's mouth immediately watered: "Mom, I still think Grandma's house is much better. Why don't you leave me here? I think I'm better off here."

Zhang Chunhua blushed, and Wang Sufen, rolling out dumpling skins, smiled at Ming Xin, "That's fine, you can stay with Grandma. I'll cuddle you to sleep."

Ming Xin, not understanding Zhang Chunhua's complicated expression, happily crawled into the middle of the bed, pushed the rocking chair, and innocently asked Wang Sufen, "Will I sleep in the same room as Zhen Zhen?"

Wang Sufen, struggling to hold back her laughter, said seriously, "Yes, Zhen Zhen is little, so she needs to sleep with Grandma."

"That's fine!" Ming Xin nodded seriously, "Then I'll stay here."

Li老太 and Wang Sufen burst into laughter, while Zhang Chunhua, though knowing that Wang Sufen and Ming Xin were joking, felt a little uneasy. However, no one noticed her discomfort as the sound of firecrackers continued outside and the family gathered in the west room chatting and laughing.

The table was soon set, and the three brothers, Li Muwu, brought in the large round table that was only used once a year. The rich dishes were placed on it.

Li Muwu took out the wine he had been saving for a special occasion and poured a drink for his mother and two brothers. The group toasted, savoring the wine, then began to eat, each grabbing bones and fatty meat slices from the dishes.

After New Year's Eve, the days passed quickly, and soon it was the tenth day of the new year. It was time for Li Mulin to return to the Ice City. Before leaving, he took the money he had saved and the money from Old Lady Li, along with fifty pounds of grain coupons, and handed them to Old Lady Li. "Mother, this is the money I've saved over the past ten years to honor you. I'll send money and grain every month from now on."

Old Lady Li accepted the gifts, then led her son to the kitchen, where she handed him half a bag of cornmeal and a frozen deer leg that had been kept for two months. "These are from your second brother and second sister-in-law. You've been struggling, but we can grow some crops and gather mushrooms, wild vegetables, and game. It's easier for us."

Li Mulin looked at the items and couldn't help but cry. "The situation is hard this year. You keep these, we can manage with just a small amount."

"I don't care what you two adults eat, but I'm worried about the children. I don't want them to go hungry," Old Lady Li said, smoking her pipe. After a moment of silence, she waved her hand. "Go quickly, don't miss the bus."

Li Mulin wiped his tears and was about to say goodbye to his mother when suddenly, a heartbreaking cry echoed, startling him and making him forget his words.

"I'm not going, I'm not going, Grandma, come save me!" Ming Xin, realizing that his parents were packing to leave, immediately started crying loudly. "Grandma's house is better, I like Grandma, I don't want to go home."

Zhang Chunhua, sweating in a panic, tried to put his clothes on while coaxing him. "Don't cry, we'll come back next time."

"You said the other day that Grandma's house wasn't as good as ours, and we won't come back," Ming Xin wasn't fooled. He cried while mimicking every word Zhang Chunhua had said.

Zhang Chunhua glanced at Old Lady Li, who was standing to the side smoking her pipe, and broke into a cold sweat. Although her children had eaten well at Li's house and had gained weight, Zhang Chunhua couldn't help but feel jealous as her children grew closer to the Li family. That's why she had whispered those words to her son a few days ago.

"Stop talking nonsense, if you don't behave, I won't take you next time." Zhang Chunhua finally got her son dressed and half-dragged him to Old Lady Li. She awkwardly smiled and said, "Mother, we're leaving now. When Mulin gets some time off, we'll come back."

Old Lady Li didn't lift her eyes but stroked her little grandson's head and smiled kindly, "Come back in the fall, the mountains are full of good things, and Grandma will let you eat all you want!"

With those words, Ming Xin's tears stopped. He wiped his face and raised his little face, showing a naive smile. "I like Grandma!"

After seeing off Li Mulin and his family, life in the Li family returned to normal. In the blink of an eye, the snow melted, the river thawed, and the weather began to warm up. By the time Zhen Zhen had rolled over and sat up, it was summer.

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