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Aunt Zhou stayed in the house to greet the guests. During the New Year and festivals, when guests came to the house, she always prepared some good dishes. Yezhi hid in the kitchen, happily rummaging through the New Year gifts brought by Xiaobinzi. Oh, there were two cans of Wolf Child's favorite Canned Peaches, a pound of white sugar, a pound of brown sugar, two pounds of Milk Candy for the Kids, two bottles of Moutai, and a Big Front Door said to be a gift for Village Uncle. Oh right, there were also two pieces of cotton cloth for her and Aunt Zhou to make clothes. There weren't many items, but they covered all bases. However, Yezhi was quite envious of the Moutai and secretly cursed Xiaobinzi for being stingy—why not buy two more bottles? She didn’t consider how much Lin Haitao earned in a month or the national price level. It seemed as simple as buying a bottle of Moutai compared to buying Big White vegetables.
Aunt Sun's New Year gifts were substantial but lacked sincerity. Besides the radishes and cabbages from Zhoujiatun, there was also a walnut from Contracting the Mountain.
Sister Luo walked into the kitchen with a smile to help. "Leaf Sister, both are nice!" This statement seemed incomplete, but Yezi understood. She clarified, "Sister Luo, you’re overthinking it. Sun Dajiang said he would accompany his Aunt to pay New Year visits; Xiaobinzi...?" Right, why did Xiaobinzi come to her house instead of going home?
Luo Fengjuan covered her mouth and chuckled. It was obvious to anyone that both men were there for Yezi. Leaf Sister seemed oblivious; perhaps this was what people meant by being too close to see clearly while outsiders had better insight.
Yezhi, the great cook, made everyone's favorite Little Chicken Stew with Mushrooms, sweet and sour ribs, steaming oily Cured Meat, fragrant yellow elm mushrooms, boiled cabbage, and potstickers filled with radish and meat.
Six generous dishes were placed on the table. Aunt Sun stared wide-eyed at them, unconsciously swallowing her saliva. Wow, this meal was far better than what the landlord's wife could offer.
Wolf Child didn’t understand social niceties; after playing hard at home, he came just in time for dinner. After washing his hands and sitting down, he started eating right away. Sun Dajiang frowned tightly: how could a little Kid sit at the table, especially a girl?
"Wolf Child must be starving! Aunt Sun, Dajiang, Lin, you all hurry up and sit down to eat!" Aunt Zhou warmly invited.
Luo Fengjuan pulled Xiao Fan back from sitting at the table. "Xiao Fan, let’s go back to eat with Dad!"
Yezhi brought two bowls of dumplings to Black Treasure and Big Wolf before heading back inside. She saw Xiao Fan pouting and whining in a baby voice: "No! I want to sit with Wolf Sister! Dad and Mom can sit across from each other like usual."
Luo Fengjuan lightly patted Xiao Fan's bottom and her tone grew stern: "Xiao Fan, why aren’t you listening? Mom will count to 123!"
"Xiao Fan can’t cry during New Year!" Yezhi interjected. Xiao Fan sniffed his little nose and stubbornly held back his tears. Wolf Child jumped up from the kang and hugged Xiao Fan onto it while Luo Fengjuan smiled helplessly.
"Sister Luo should call Elder Brother Yu out to eat together; New Year celebrations should be lively!" Yezhi urged Luo Fengjuan playfully.
Aunt Zhou chimed in, "Xiao Luo quickly call Less out; we’re waiting to eat!" Luo Fengjuan helped Elder Brother Yu sit down while Yezhi and Aunt Zhou enthusiastically served Everyone food. "Sun Meizi, come have a chicken leg!" Aunt Sun wolfed down her food with her mouth full while Sun Dajiang looked at the table filled mostly with meat dishes and thought Yezi really didn’t know how to manage money; even if they had money, they shouldn’t waste it on food!
Yezhi boasted about her cooking skills: "Xiaobinzi, come try my Cured Meat; it’s incredibly delicious!" Lin Haitao put a piece of fatty yet lean rosy Cured Meat into his mouth; the flavors of meat, spices, and fruit blended wonderfully as he chewed.
Lin Haitao sincerely said: "It’s quite good!"
Yezhi smiled proudly. "Of course it’s good! Xiaobinzi has Cured Meat in the New Year gift I gave you; don’t be lazy—sometimes cook at home too." Lin Haitao felt something warm inside him as he nodded slightly in agreement.
Sun Dajiang had been closely watching every move of Yezi, and his expression was not good. He seemed to have difficulty seeing Yezi clearly.
Perhaps it was because there were outsiders present, this meal was not as enjoyable as usual. Wolf Child finished eating and pulled Xiao Fan down from the table to find Big Wolf. Sister Luo and Elder Brother Yu also said little, and aside from Aunt Zhou, no one else at the table spoke much. Aunt Sun, who had long finished eating, was reluctant to leave the table and continued until she picked the meat clean, then wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
As night fell, Aunt Zhou packed a bundle of dried mushrooms, mountain fungus, two pig's feet, and two pieces of Cured Meat for Aunt Sun. Sun Dajiang genuinely wanted to refuse, but Aunt Sun quickly accepted, saying, “Aunt Zhou, thank you! When Melted Snow comes, you should come visit our village!”
“Sure! Take your time walking back, be careful of the slippery road, and Happy Spring Festival!” Aunt Zhou waved cheerfully as she saw off Aunt Sun and Sun Dajiang.
The sled rushed through the snow, and Aunt Sun happily looked at the things given by Aunt Zhou. “Dajiang, it seems Yezi's family is not just ordinary wealthy. Your third aunt can't even get this much good food in the city! You need to work harder!” Sun Dajiang had already witnessed Yezi's extravagance at the "big restaurant." “Aunt, where does a woman get so much money? Besides, Zhoujiatun is poorer than our village. Can they really live such a good life just by selling rice?”
“What do you mean? Are you implying that Yezi's money isn't clean?” Aunt Sun exclaimed. Sun Dajiang shook his head in annoyance. “Aunt, this girl Yezi is too complicated!”
Aunt Sun pondered for a moment and said, “That’s true. I noticed she has some unclear relationship with that police officer named Lin!” Sun Dajiang agreed. “Dajiang, just keep an eye on it. When marrying a wife, one should choose wisely. If Yezi is really promiscuous, you mustn't get involved!”
...
The arrival of Lin Haitao was welcomed by everyone in Zhoujiatun. On the third day of the New Year, Village Uncle hosted a banquet for Xiaobinzi, and the entire Ye family benefited from it. Sister Luo and Elder Brother Yu gradually got used to the warmth of the people in Zhoujiatun, no longer feeling as awkward as when they first arrived. The meal was enjoyable for both hosts and guests.
On the fourth day of the New Year, Yezhi was overjoyed. The most grateful person to the police was One Gun Brother, who wanted to take Xiaobinzi and her hunting in the mountains. Of course, this was something she had begged for persistently, even threatening Xiaobinzi that if she couldn't go, he wouldn't be able to either.
On the morning of the fifth day, wrapped up like a dumpling in her cotton-padded jacket and wearing big cotton shoes and a dog-skin hat that made her look like a bear, Yezi quietly opened the courtyard door and hurried towards One Egg's house.
“Ha ha! Successfully shaken off my tail!” Yezhi said proudly.
Suddenly feeling a weight on her right shoulder, Niu Niu climbed onto Yezi's head and barked in complaint! With a distressed face, Yezhi went with Xiaobinzi to One Egg's house. Strange laughter from inside made her feel particularly frustrated; she had only managed to shake off Black Treasure, which felt like a failure!
Leading three clumsy dogs under Heizi's command pulling a wooden sled raced through the snowy forest. The sound of Yezhi's laughter echoed in the mountains; having never seen such sights before, this was her first time riding a dog sled. Everything felt new to her. If they could build an ice house too, it would truly be living like an Eskimo—something she had long dreamed of as a child.
Looking at the distant snow-covered mountains with light steps beneath her feet, today she would finally witness real hunting. Entering deep into the mountains where everything sparkled silver from corner to peak, nearby the Red Pine Forest, still dark green under the blanket of snow, made her feel pure like the snowy plains around her. That sense of unity with nature brought an infinite feeling of freedom and joy for life!
“Smack!” A snowball landed on Yezhi's head. Looking up, she saw a large-tailed brown squirrel staring at her with wide eyes in delight. One Egg laughed heartily, “Why does Sister Ye always get targeted by squirrels? Always getting hit!”
Yezhi waggled a finger and replied, “Wrong! Today it's actually Niu Niu who isn’t favored!” With strong revenge instincts, Niu Niu had already dashed up a tree and rolled around with the squirrel.
After crossing several patches of forest, they gradually spotted some animals; wild chickens with colorful feathers occasionally darted out from between trees along with various unnamed birds flying about.
Suddenly, a Snow Rabbit dashed by, and Xiaobinzi raised his shotgun and fired, "Bang!" The Snow Rabbit struggled a couple of times before collapsing in the snow. One Gun Brother cheerfully gave a thumbs up, "Comrade Lin, great shooting!" Wolf Child widened her round eyes, intrigued by the shotgun in Xiaobinzi's hands. With many thoughts in her mind, she began to consider the idea of human firearms, thinking that once Big Wolf recovered, they could return to the mountains with this secret weapon, ensuring nothing could harm them anymore.
"One Gun Brother, why do we need to go further in?" Aside from the Snow Rabbit that Xiaobinzi shot, they had not made any other catches. Although many animals were wandering in front of them, One Gun Brother remained inactive.
"We need to go deeper into the Old Forest. This area has been hunted too frequently; we need to let the little ones rest. Otherwise, if we exhaust them all, there won't be anything left to hunt in the future." Lin Haitao glanced at the Snow Rabbit in his hands, feeling a bit embarrassed.
The further they ventured into the mountains, the denser the forest became, and there were no paths to follow. The three clumsy dogs weaved through the thick woods while Yezhi and the others followed behind, navigating through the gaps between trees.
A beast larger than a Muntjac appeared before them, staring with its round amber eyes, looking terrified at Yezhi and their group. Then it gracefully moved its limbs and quickly disappeared.
One Gun Brother laughed heartily, "That deer hasn't matured yet; we let it go!" A deer! Yezhi finally saw a fawn up close and couldn't help but think how cute it was. Suddenly feeling regretful, Yezhi exclaimed, "Ah! How did I forget to capture it alive? We could raise it for its Deer Antlers!"
Snow began to fall from the trees, and Yezhi thought they were being attacked by Squirrels again. Looking up, however, she saw a Flying Dragon. "One Gun Brother, a Flying Dragon! Quick, shoot!" Yezhi was eager for Xiaobinzi, Wolf Child, Sister Luo, and Elder Brother Yu to taste the delicacy of Flying Dragon.
"The Flying Dragon won't escape; the best part is yet to come. Let's find a place to eat lunch first!" One Gun Brother said calmly as he led the way forward.
After walking for a while longer, Yezhi felt quite tired and was about to ask One Gun Brother how much longer they would walk when a fairy-tale-like Zhou Xiaomu house appeared ahead.
"Ah! How can there be a wooden house here?" Yezhi exclaimed excitedly as she ran toward Zhou Xiaomu's house. The three dogs followed her to the front of the house and then stopped to burrow into a small nook in front of it. Zhou Xiaomu's house was constructed from whole logs; pushing open the wooden door revealed a stove, pots, and a heated bed inside—almost like home.
Yezhi enviously remarked, "One Gun Brother, this can't be your villa!"
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