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墨書 Inktalez
My grandmother furrowed her brows as she squatted in front of the frozen meat, casually picking up a piece and saying, "Old man, with all this frozen meat, we could make quite a bit of money selling it at the market. With the holidays approaching, meat prices have skyrocketed." After she finished speaking, she tilted her head back and laughed a few times.
My grandfather's expression immediately turned serious as he replied earnestly, "Wife, we can't take that money! The flower sheep said that if we don't give it a proper burial, it won't spare our family."
It seemed my grandmother didn't hear my grandfather's words. She picked up all the frozen meat from the ground and loaded it onto the mule cart.
She said, "One sheep? How could it possibly turn the world upside down?"
Not believing in such superstitions, she added, "Once I sell all this frozen meat, I'll buy two lambs to bring back."
After saying this, she urged the mule cart and left.
My grandfather sighed, shaking his head helplessly. He muttered a few words under his breath, but I couldn't catch what he said.
After my grandmother left, my grandfather took me home.
By the time night fell, my grandmother still hadn't returned. It had started to snow outside, and the weather was cold. My grandmother had dressed lightly when she left in the morning; in such frigid temperatures, I feared she might suffer from the cold.
My grandfather grew anxious and told me to wait at home while he went to the village entrance to look for my grandmother. Just as he was about to step out, my grandmother walked into the yard.
She was covered in snow, her face red from the cold. In her hand, she carried a burlap sack that was still moving.
My grandfather asked, "Why are you back so late?"
With a beaming smile, my grandmother replied, "Let's talk inside."
Clearly delighted, she brought the burlap sack into the house.
She placed it on the heated bed and took off her shoes before climbing up herself.
"My lambs are all sold," she said with a smile. "With the money from selling lamb meat, I bought four lambs."
After saying this, she opened the burlap sack and poured out the lambs inside.
The four lambs were quite large and began bouncing around on the bed.
Seeing them, my grandfather's eyes widened in surprise as he laughed and said, "In this bitter winter, someone is still selling lambs? These lambs look really strong; they're quite impressive."
My grandmother responded with a smile, "These lambs are so lovable; once they grow up, they'll be worth money again."
My grandmother finished speaking and reached out to touch the lamb. As soon as her hand made contact, the lamb bit her, causing her finger to bleed immediately, with a piece of flesh torn off at the tip.
The lamb that bit my grandmother had a patterned back; it was a little spotted sheep. My grandmother raised her hand and slapped the little spotted sheep, making it cry out loudly. The lamb scurried to the corner of the wall, staring wide-eyed at my grandmother.
My grandfather brought some disinfectant gauze and bandaged my grandmother's finger. Angrily, she said, "This damn lamb dares to bite people; let's throw it outside to freeze to death!"
Her words were said in anger; she could never truly part with the lamb. Outside, heavy snow was falling, and the lamb could only be kept indoors. It wouldn't be until February or March of the following year that they could let it out into the yard.
My grandmother said, "Find a cardboard box and put the lamb in there."
My grandfather nodded, "Alright, I'll go find one."
He returned from the storage room with a large box, placing all four lambs inside. He also added some water and feed into the box.
My grandmother lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and smiled as she said, "The festival is approaching; Wen He will be back soon."
Wen He was my aunt's name; she worked away from home most of the year and only returned for holidays. She had bought a ticket for the day of the festival, so she would probably arrive on the evening of the first day.
Hearing my aunt's name brought a smile to my grandfather's face as he said, "Wen He is quite capable; she has found someone while working away and is bringing him home to meet us for the holiday."
As he spoke, his eyes crinkled with joy. My grandmother nodded repeatedly, filled with pride as she said, "Wen He has grown up; she knows how to find someone and doesn’t need us to worry."
My grandfather agreed, "Yes indeed."
He climbed onto the bed and spread out the quilt, saying, "Let's sleep; tomorrow is the festival."
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