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墨書 Inktalez
What happened later?
Later? Later, our village just scattered! He pursed his lips and took a deep drag from his cigarette. Many comrades, afraid of their hometown, said their goodbyes early and planned to leave. Andrei sold the cattle, sheep, and pigs he had worked so hard to acquire, along with the remaining weapons and ammunition, exchanging them for dollars to give to his brothers.
After all, they had fought together, charged together, and lived together; they were like brothers. How could he bear to watch his old friends leave for their hometown with nothing? In the end, only a few households remained in this village. So much time had passed; they had all grown old, and the children preferred living in the city. Our village had fallen into disrepair.
He raised his hand to wipe away the moisture from his eyes. Once our generation is gone, this little village will be no more. Hongqi Village—our home—is also the root of us all! Who knows how much longer we can remain on this land?
It will always be here! Xu Li pulled down his pant leg, wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and gave him a hearty pat. "Dawari, Hongqi Village still has me and Makarov!"
"As long as I am here, Hongqi Village will remain. If I’m gone, there will still be my son, my grandson, and my great-grandson!"
"Hahaha, you little brat who hasn’t even grown up yet, already thinking about having grandchildren?" Yurian adjusted his mood and playfully slapped his thigh. "Let’s not talk about those topics. Later, I’ll have your aunt stew some beef and lamb for us; let’s have a drink together!"
"Alright then, I’ll help you chop some firewood. With your old bones sitting here by the fire is just fine!" Xu Li tossed the cigarette butt into the fireplace, got up from the yard, opened Yurian's storage shed, and hefted a large axe inside. He lined up logs about thirty centimeters long neatly.
He spat into each palm and rubbed them together before grabbing the axe again. He swung it continuously until each log was split in half and stood upright again. Soon, more than ten logs were bundled into easily combustible firewood stacked neatly in the corner of the shed where the pile was running low.
Once he finished splitting all the logs and stacking them neatly, Aunt Janna called him for dinner. He cheerfully picked up the axe and closed the storage shed door, leaning the axe against the doghouse.
He kicked the doghouse with his big boot. "You stupid dog! If I hear you cursing me again, watch out—I’ll skin you for dog meat!"
The mutt curled up in its doghouse and didn’t dare make a sound until Xu Li entered the wooden house. Only then did it peek out cautiously to survey its surroundings. Confirming that the one who scolded it was not around, it immediately perked up: "I’ll curse! I’ll curse! I will—"
When it saw that its owner was pouring water outside, it finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Drunken Xu Li returned home with the axe over his shoulder, changed out of his outer coat into slippers, and plopped down on the living room sofa with his chubby son in his arms, showering him with kisses. "Hey Dad, have you eaten yet?"
"I ate long ago. Next time drink less; your tolerance is terrible."
Andrei chuckled as he looked at his son-in-law and took the grandson from him: "Let’s let him sleep for a bit; we need to get up early tomorrow for Irkutsk—Ivan's fortieth birthday is coming soon."
"Alright then," Oleg said to Nikola. "We’ll stay up late with you and Mom."
Xu Li gently patted the heads of the two one-year-old Misha before getting up from his bedroom. In the room, Anna and Eva were leaning against the headboard, munching on chips while watching the animated series Boonie Bears.
"Xiong Da Xiong Er is back to chop down trees again!"
Hearing the familiar Chinese dubbing from the television, Xu Li chuckled as he brushed his teeth and washed his face and feet in the bathroom. He then tossed his clothes onto the sofa in the bedroom, happily diving into the warm covers, wrapping an arm around each of them.
He kissed Anna and Eva on their cheeks and said, "I'm thirsty."
"Drink mine, baby. Anna drinks a lot, I'm about to burst over here," Eva replied, taking off her top and cuddling up to him, gently patting his head like a child. "Good baby, good baby, eat well and grow strong!"
Hehe.
On the other side, Anna laughed at Eva's silly nursery rhyme while Xu Li, who was busy eating heartily, tightened his hold around Eva's waist.
"I'll be back!"
As Guang Tou Qiang's voice echoed from the TV, Anna turned off the television with the remote, lifted her top blanket a bit higher, and wrapped her arms around her husband's sturdy waist. Her little face pressed against his broad back as she twisted her neck. "Misha, I really want to eat watermelon."
"When we get to Irkutsk, should I take you both to the mall to buy some?"
Having eaten and drunk enough, Xu Li let out a satisfied burp and lay back, holding them close. "You should sleep early; we have to wake up early tomorrow."
Eva shifted slightly to find a comfortable sleeping position, her small hand stroking the scars on his left cheek. "But Anna and I slept all day; we can't fall asleep."
"Should I sing for you?"
"Yay!"
The sisters nodded excitedly as Xu Li tightened his grip around their shoulders. After a moment of thought, he slowly began to sing:
"The dark sky hangs low,
Bright stars accompany.
Insect Fly, Insect Fly,
Who are you missing?
The stars in the sky shed tears,
The roses on the ground wither.
Cold wind blows, cold wind blows,
As long as you are here with me."
In the quiet bedroom, Xu Li softly hummed "Insect Fly" with his deep, hoarse voice. When he was a child and couldn't fall asleep, his mother would hold him close, gently patting his back while singing a lullaby that held a hypnotic charm.
Soon, the soft sounds of his wife's gentle snores made Xu Li's heavy eyelids droop. He tightened his grip on her shoulder and succumbed to a deep slumber.
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