3

Chapter 3

With a loud, earth-shaking yell from Grandma Li, the Li family instantly bustled with activity. Except for Wang Sufen, who was resting after childbirth, everyone else came out. Li Mingxi carried two wild pheasants, while Li Mingnan and Li Mingbei each had three or four fish, proudly standing at the doorway.

Grandma Li shuffled out of the west room with her tiny bound feet, mumbling under her breath. Osmanthus (Guìhuā) emerged from the kitchen, reaching out to take the food. Li Mingnan quickly raised his hands to evade her. "Sister-in-law, don't touch it! I have to let Grandma see it first. We caught so many fish—Grandma has to make dumplings for us, right?"

By rights, every member of the Li family received four ounces of meat coupons per month. With a big family like theirs, they'd usually manage to have dumplings once every couple of months. However, since last year's poor harvest, they couldn't buy enough food and provisions even with ration tickets. Filling their bellies with cabbage, potatoes, and corn was already a luxury.

Grandma Li came out, lifted the curtain, and saw the fish and pheasants in her grandsons' hands. Her face broke into a smile so wide her eyes disappeared. Just as she was about to praise them, Li Mingbei drooled and piped up, "Grandma, let's eat dumplings!"

Grandma Li's smile vanished instantly. In a flash, she snatched the pheasants and fish and handed them to Osmanthus. Seeing her grandsons' stunned, empty-handed expressions, she rolled her eyes and said, "No meat!"

Li Mingnan and Li Mingbei groaned and pounded their chests. "We should've hunted a stupid roe deer!" Grandma Li couldn't help but quip, "Depends on whether you or the deer is stupider."

Scratching his head, Li Mingbei turned to the silent Li Mingxi. "Second Brother, did Grandma just say I'm dumber than a deer?"

Li Mingxi glanced at him and bypassed him with a smile, grabbing Grandma Li's arm. "Grandma, I caught the pheasants. Let me tell you, I had just walked a few dozen meters into the mountains when these two birds popped out of nowhere, their wings frozen stiff. They kept flapping and falling. I didn't even have to try hard to catch them."

Grandma Li's face softened into a beaming smile. "You're quick-witted. It's not easy to find wild pheasants with all this snow. And they're plump, even fatter than in autumn—must've been hiding somewhere for the winter."

Li Mingxi nodded repeatedly. "Grandma, you're wise! One look and you figured it out. I saved our old hens by bringing home these pheasants. So, when we make dumplings, can I have a couple extra?"

"You greedy little things!" Grandma Li glanced at the pheasants, then at the seven river fish. Gritting her teeth, she stomped and declared, "No need to wait for dumplings. Tonight, we'll have a feast." With that, she threw on a thick padded coat, pulled on her hat, and headed out.

Watching Grandma Li leave, Li Mingbei turned to his equally confused brothers and quickly asked Osmanthus, "Sister-in-law, where did Grandma go?"

"She's getting the meat!" Osmanthus said with a sly smile.

"We have meat?" The three brothers exchanged glances before bursting into cheers. "We're having meat!"

Grandma Li returned from the yard shortly, clutching a small, rock-hard piece of pork, her face pained with regret. "I saved this one pound of pork for dumplings during New Year."

Handing the pork to Osmanthus, she instructed, "Stew the pork with cabbage and lots of potatoes. We'll have eight-treasure porridge tonight, so no need to make flatbread."

Excited at the thought of eating pork, Li Mingnan and Li Mingbei quickly forgot that Grandma Li had called them fools earlier. After jumping around happily, they grabbed their hats and began searching behind doors and under eaves for Grandma's secret pork stash.

Grandma Li sneered. "I've been hiding things all my life. Even your grandfather never found anything! You think you two can find my pork? Dream on!" She then instructed Li Mingdong to string up the fish and pheasants under the eaves to keep them away from rats.

The Li family's two large cauldrons—one on the east and one on the west—were connected to the heated kang beds. The eight-treasure porridge in the east cauldron had been cooking for over two hours, becoming soft and sticky. In the western iron pot, Osmanthus stir-fried pork fat, and the delicious smell quickly filled the air, prompting a chorus of audible gulping.

Osmanthus couldn't resist glancing back. Apart from Li Mingdong, who stood modestly at the doorway talking with Li Muwu, the other three brothers squatted in the kitchen, their eyes glued to the pot as they tracked every movement of the meat.

Osmanthus smiled, added cabbage to the pot, and turned to scoop out the eight-treasure porridge. She also reheated the leftover fish soup for Wang Sufen, knowing the fish soup was for their mother's recovery. The three brothers, aware of the importance, ignored the fish soup and focused intently on the cabbage and potatoes, trying to locate the hidden pieces of pork so they could grab them first at dinner.

When the food was ready, Osmanthus first brought the fish soup and noodles to Wang Sufen, then placed the family's dishes and porridge on the table. Grandma Li gave a piece of meat to Li Muwu before clearing her throat, "Eat!"

In an instant, three pairs of chopsticks flew across the table, deftly snatching every visible piece of meat. Li Mingbei stretched his neck to check his brothers' bowls. "Second Brother got the most—three pieces of meat!"

Li Mingdong glanced at Osmanthus, then casually reached into the pot with his chopsticks and pulled out four pieces of meat, stunning his younger brothers.

"Big Sister-in-law, you hid meat for Big Brother again!" Li Mingbei wailed.

Li Mingdong calmly gave one piece to Grandma Li and another to Osmanthus, then looked at Li Mingbei with disdain and coldly muttered, "Stupid deer."

"Grandma, Big Brother called me stupid!" Li Mingbei complained for the second time that day. Grandma Li gave him a look, then stuffed a piece of fatty meat into her mouth with a satisfied smile. As for the "stupid deer" himself, if he didn't keep his eyes on the last two pieces of pork, they would soon disappear.

Laughter, shouting, and occasional wailing filled the Li household. In the next room, Zhenzhen listened, feeling a warmth in her heart. In her previous life, the word "home" only meant cold, empty rooms or endless arguments. Now, for the first time, she experienced the warmth of a family.

---

As the weather grew colder and the New Year approached, the streets remained devoid of news about supplies. Grandma Li sat on the kang bed, holding Zhenzhen, and couldn't help but complain to Wang Sufen. "What's wrong with these past two years? They issue meat tickets, but there's no meat to buy. They give grain tickets, but there's no grain. I don't think we'll have a good New Year."

Wang Sufen sighed. "Last night, Muwu said they don't know where the grain will come from, or if it'll arrive before the New Year."

"Things will work out," Grandma Li brightened up at the news of government efforts. "At least they'll let ordinary folks celebrate the New Year."

Patting Zhenzhen's little hand, Grandma Li added, "Thankfully, we can still get Zhenzhen's two bottles of milk every day. Your neighbor Mrs. Wang's grandson was born at the beginning of the year, and she says the milk supply has been unreliable for months."

Wang Sufen chuckled awkwardly. "It's just a shame Zhenzhen won't drink the milk. I end up drinking it myself—it feels like such a waste."

"That's because you have good milk!" Grandma Li said without a trace of regret. "No milk is as nourishing as a mother's milk. You just drink it and make sure Zhenzhen grows plump and healthy."

Cradling Zhenzhen, Grandma Li gently swayed her. "Aren't you Grandma's little treasure?"

Zhenzhen: Hiccup…

"Oh my, did you hear that? She hiccupped!" Grandma Li laughed as if she had discovered a new continent. "Come on, do it again for Grandma!"

Zhenzhen clamped her mouth shut and shook her head resolutely. Hiccup…

Grandma Li laughed even harder, while Zhenzhen blushed with embarrassment. Before she could cry to shift the attention, a loud voice shouted from outside, "Grandma! Quick! Supplies have arrived on the street!"