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Chapter 196: 1982
Chapter 196: 1982
Before they knew it, 1981 had come to an end, and 1982 had arrived.
Zhouwang Brigade
Xiaojiang Village
At seven in the morning, Chen Dacong returned home with a cage in hand, his face beaming with joy. Inside the cage were four wild rabbits, the largest catch he had made since learning how to set traps.
As he approached the door, his daughter, Chen Bangli, who was feeding the chickens, saw him and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Dad, you actually caught four wild rabbits! Did you set the traps right at the rabbits' front door?"
Chen Dacong replied with a smug grin, "Something like that. This time, the harvest was really good, and all four rabbits are still alive!"
As they spoke, Li Ying and her two sons came out of the house, drawn by the commotion. Seeing Chen Dacong with four wild rabbits, they all marveled at his luck.
In the future, wild rabbits were extinct in the Shuangwang region, but in this era, they were still quite common in the rural areas. However, they were not easy to catch, and Chen Dacong's success in trapping four at once was indeed rare.
After basking in the admiration for a while, Chen Dacong turned to his wife and asked, "What do you think we should do with them?"
Li Ying replied without hesitation, "I can't cook them to taste good. Your brother-in-law is such a great chef; he can definitely make them delicious. Why don't we give them to him?"
In the past, these four rabbits, weighing a total of twenty pounds, would have been kept for the family to enjoy, one or two a month for two months. In those times, having two rabbits a month was already a life to be envied.
But their life had changed for the better. On one hand, the land distribution had increased their harvest significantly compared to when they were part of the production team. On the other hand, they had received help from Chen Dacong's brother-in-law, earning a good amount of money from working for him.
They also had more pigs and several times more chickens and ducks than before. Occasionally, his brother-in-law would send them a piece of pork or other treats.
Overall, their life had improved considerably. The frequent meat in their diet made them a household to be envied in the village.
Previously, it was always his brother-in-law who brought them meat. Now that Chen Dacong had the good fortune to catch four wild rabbits, it made sense to give them to his brother-in-law.
Hearing this, Chen Bangli also agreed, "With Mom's cooking skills, keeping these rabbits would be a waste. Giving them to Uncle is the best idea."
Their eldest son, Chen Bangguo, volunteered, "Dad, Mom, I'll take them to Uncle!"
Chen Dacong smiled and said, "Alright, after breakfast, you can take them to Uncle."
...
In the southern countryside, gathering around a fire in winter was one of the most cherished activities.
On cold days, a fire would be lit in the living room, and the family, along with neighbors, would sit around the fire, chatting and warming themselves. It was a delightful way to spend time.
While the adults chatted, the children would roast sweet potatoes, taro, yams, cassava, and various snacks over the fire. This combination of eating and "playing with fire" was one of the unforgettable joys of childhood.
At that moment, the Deng Shirong family was gathered around the fire, chatting and roasting cassava. Deng Yunzhu and the three younger ones were busy with the cassava.
Among all the root vegetables, roasting cassava over charcoal was simply the best. Only roasted sweet potatoes that oozed with syrup could rival the taste.
Soon, the cassava was done. Without fear of the heat, Deng Yunzhu picked up a knife and carefully peeled off the charred outer layer, revealing the slightly golden flesh beneath.
Once all the charred parts were removed, she split the cassava in half, exposing the golden interior. The unique aroma of cassava instantly filled the air.
Deng Yunzhu handed half of the yam to her father and said, "Dad, try this. See if I did a good job roasting it."
Deng Shirong took the half yam and broke it in two, giving one piece to his eldest son. He then turned to his eldest daughter-in-law and said, "Sister Aiping, this yam is slightly toxic. Since the baby is still nursing, it’s best if you avoid eating it."
Zhang Xiuping nodded with a smile. "I understand, Dad. I’ve been eating this yam since I was a child, and I’m not tempted by it anymore. You two enjoy it!"
Deng Shirong nodded and took a bite. The taste was indescribable—simply delicious.
Deng Yuntai, Deng Yunzhen, and Deng Yunzhu also savored their portions, and the tempting aroma was too much for Deng Yunsong and his two younger brothers to resist. They dug into the remaining yams in the fire pit, felt them to ensure they were soft enough, and then began peeling them with their knives.
Three minutes later, everyone except Zhang Xiuping and her daughter was enjoying the roasted yams.
Just as they finished, Deng Yunzhu, with her keen eyes, announced, "Seventh Cousin is here!"
Everyone turned to look outside and saw Chen Bangguo carrying a burlap sack.
"Uncle, cousins, and siblings..."
Chen Bangguo greeted everyone before setting down the sack. "Inside are four wild rabbits my father caught this morning. They’re still alive, and he asked me to bring them to you, Uncle."
Hearing about the wild rabbits, everyone gathered around.
Deng Shirong said, "Your father doesn’t catch many wild rabbits. Why didn’t he keep them for himself and bring them all to me?"
Chen Bangguo laughed. "You know my mother’s cooking skills. It would be a waste to keep them at home. It’s better to bring them to you, Uncle."
Deng Shirong couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t refuse the gesture and nodded. "Alright, I’ll take them. Don’t go back today. I’ll prepare a nice dinner, and we can all have a good drink tonight."
Chen Bangguo chuckled. "That sounds great. I haven’t had Uncle’s wild rabbit meat before. I’ll stay and try it out."
Deng Shirong sighed. "I haven’t had wild rabbit meat in a long time. I’ll make sure to show off my skills tonight."
In this era, the Bozhou region still had a fair amount of wildlife, such as wild boars, porcupines, yellow deer, civets, foxes, hedgehogs, white-nosed pigs, wild dogs, raccoon dogs, pangolins, wild rabbits, squirrels, otters, and flying squirrels.
If you went back a hundred or so years, the wildlife would have been even more abundant, with tigers, leopards, deer, black gibbons, monkeys, mountain horses, muntjacs, pangolins, stone goats, and civets all present.
Back then, the sounds of tigers, leopards, and monkeys could be heard day and night in the mountainous areas. Even during the Guangxu era, there were instances of tiger attacks on humans.
Unfortunately, by the early Republic of China period, hunting became more common, and these wild animals began to dwindle. Species like the black gibbon, mountain horse, and stone goat went extinct during this time.
In the early years of the People's Republic of China, particularly in the spring and summer of 1953, the government organized large-scale hunts involving village cadres and militiamen. They killed a total of 1,109 wild animals, including 25 tigers, 131 wild boars, 231 porcupines, and 772 yellow deer.
The large-scale deforestation in 1958, which saw 287,500 acres of forest cut down for steel production, severely damaged the habitats of these wild animals. By the early 1960s, species like tigers, leopards, monkeys, deer, muntjacs, pangolins, and stone goats had all vanished. This was the price of progress.
(End of Chapter)
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