Chapter 20: Summer Vacation
Chapter 20: Summer Vacation
4:00 PM.
Baoshan Village, Datong Brigade.
By the time Deng Shirong and his nephew, Bu Dashu, carried the last load of rice plants back, Deng Shirong was drenched in sweat. If he were to wring out his shorts, they would drip with water.
"This is no job for a human," Deng Shirong thought to himself.
In the future, very few people in his village would still farm. Those who did wouldn't have to carry rice plants back from the fields like this. They would use a thresher to separate the rice grains right in the field, load them onto a truck, and drive home effortlessly.
Fortunately, in this era, Deng Shirong's body was accustomed to farm work. Carrying a few loads of rice plants only made him hot, not particularly tired.
At that moment, his third sister, Deng Shilan, came out with a towel and said, "Brother, wipe the sweat off."
Deng Shirong nodded, took the towel, and wiped the sweat from his forehead and body. Then he said, "Third Sister, Third Brother-in-Law, it's getting late. I should head back now."
Deng Shilan glared at him. "What are you talking about? You brought so much meat and helped with the work all day. You have to stay for dinner."
Third Brother-in-Law echoed, "Yes, the rice is already cooking. There's plenty of time. Stay for dinner before you leave."
Deng Shirong shook his head and smiled. "Third Sister, Third Brother-in-Law, there's no need to be so polite. If I stay for dinner, it will be dark by the time I get home. Besides, I've been eating well lately, with meat every day. I even had a sumptuous meal at noon when I arranged for someone to watch the house."
Deng Shilan tried to persuade him a few more times, but seeing that her brother was determined to leave, she asked him to wait. She hurried into the house and came out with a basket of eggs. "Brother, take these eggs with you."
Deng Shirong waved his hands. "No, thanks. We don't lack eggs or meat at home. Keep them, Third Sister. I'll bring Yun Tai and A Zhen to help tomorrow morning."
Deng Shilan tried to give him the eggs a few more times, but he refused. She could only say helplessly, "Your work team will be harvesting soon. Don't come to help. We can finish this work in a few days."
Third Brother-in-Law added, "Your third sister is right. This much work isn't even enough for our family to do. Don't trouble yourself by coming back and forth!"
Seeing their insistence, Deng Shirong nodded. "Alright, I won't come tomorrow. I'll visit you another time."
With that, he turned and left without looking back.
Once Deng Shirong was far enough away, Deng Shilan put the eggs back inside. She then began to prepare the two pieces of pork belly that her brother had brought, with her children gathered around, watching eagerly.
"Mom, since Uncle brought so much meat, can we eat until we're sick of it today?" asked Bu Xiaofang, her thirteen-year-old daughter, with a hopeful look.
Deng Shilan rolled her eyes. "What are you dreaming about? Eating until you're sick of pork? If you get to eat three or four pieces in one meal, you should consider yourself lucky!"
The two pieces of pork belly weighed about three to four pounds. It was impossible to finish them in one meal; it would be too extravagant. Deng Shilan planned to make them last for four days.
Yes, four days, not four meals.
Bu Dashu couldn't help but laugh. "Little sister, you're really dreaming. Not just our family, but probably no one in the whole village can afford to eat pork until they're sick of it."
Bu Xiaofang ignored her brother's ridicule and looked at her mother. "Mom, please cut the meat into bigger pieces."
Deng Shilan thought about how hard everyone had worked today and how long it had been since they had eaten meat. She silently decided to make the pork last for three days instead of four.
Deng Shirong thought to himself, but his words were harsh. "You little brat, all you think about is eating. Go start the fire now."
Bu Xiaofang knew her mother well. Hearing the tone in her voice, she knew her mother wasn't really angry and had likely agreed to her request. She happily responded and skipped off to start the fire.
Half an hour later, the aroma of cooking meat filled the Bu family’s kitchen...
---
On the 23rd of the fifth lunar month, a Saturday.
At noon, in a dormitory at Songshan High School.
Deng Yunheng scooped all the stir-fried radish from the bottle onto his rice, then waved at his pimply classmate. When the classmate approached with his lunch tray, Deng Yunheng said, "There's still some oil left in this bottle. Do you want it? If you do, I'll pour it over your rice. If not, I'll eat it myself."
The pimply classmate’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly nodded. "Yes! Yes! Yes, I want it!"
Deng Yunheng smiled and used his chopsticks to dig out the congealed lard from the bottle, then spread it over the stir-fried radish on his classmate’s rice. Once the lard was all scooped out, the classmate’s rice was coated with a layer of white fat. He mixed it with the steaming hot rice, waiting for the lard to melt, and then eagerly began to eat.
Compared to the stir-fried radish that had been almost flavorless, the addition of the lard made the dish taste heavenly. The pimply classmate was thoroughly satisfied.
Seeing this, Deng Yunheng also began to eat his rice.
This week, he had already eaten braised pork three times. Since it was the last meal before the break, he didn’t want to spend money on more dishes, so he had brought some radish from home.
Soon, both of them finished their meals, washed their trays, and returned to the dorm to pack their bags.
"Everyone, I’m heading home now. See you next semester!"
"Yeah, my home is far too, so I’m leaving as well. See you next semester!"
"Goodbye!"
After saying goodbye to his dorm mates, Deng Yunheng shouldered his luggage and set off for home.
By the time he reached the village, it was around four in the afternoon. After walking for over three hours with his heavy luggage, he was quite exhausted.
Before he even reached home, he saw his younger brothers, Yunsong and Yunhua, waiting for him. Upon seeing him, they ran over quickly.
"Second Brother, you’re back!"
"Second Brother, you must be tired from the long walk. Let me help you with your luggage!"
Deng Yunheng could see through their enthusiastic welcome. They were just after the money in his pocket. Last week, when he came home, his father had given him two yuan. He had only spent 1.2 yuan at school, leaving him with 0.8 yuan.
He handed his luggage to them and said, "Yunsong, Yunhua, just so you know, I don’t have any money to buy you snacks."
Yunsong took the luggage with a bright smile. "Second Brother, are we that shallow? Don’t worry, we won’t ask you for money to buy snacks."
Yunhua nodded in agreement. "Exactly, snacks are nothing compared to fried bee larvae."
Seeing that his younger brother had successfully steered the conversation, Yunsong gave him an approving look and said with a dismissive tone, "Snacks can’t compare to fried bee larvae. They’re way worse!"
"Fried bee larvae?" Deng Yunheng caught the key phrase and quickly followed up. "Yunsong, Yunhua, how do you know fried bee larvae are so good?"
(End of Chapter)
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