"Grandpa, don't throw away the rabbit fur. It can be used to make knee pads for you and Second Grandpa, and also scarves. Then we all can wear them," Tian Sisi prattled on, her voice as pleasing as an oriole, which made one's ears tingle with delight.
Old Man squinted his eyes with pleasure, repeatedly saying that it was a good idea. He even declared that once they got back, he would personally skin the rabbits and after curing the fur, have Granny Zhao make scarves and gloves for Ah Nan. Tian Sisi said in a coquettish voice, "Make for Grandpa and Second Grandpa first," which Old Man enjoyed very much.
"Little flatterer." Tian Xinhua disliked Tian Sisi's mannerisms of trying to ingratiate herself and whispered in her ear, which made Tian Sisi glare at him angrily. Tian Xinhua laughed proudly as he loved to see Ah Nan irritated. Then Tian Sisi had a brainwave, stopped walking, and said in a spoilt manner, "Grandpa, I can't walk any further."
Seeing his granddaughter genuinely panting and with her cheeks flushed red, all covered in sweat, Old Man felt a pang of heartache. Ah Nan had never climbed a mountain for this long. He quickly said, "Come on, Grandpa will carry Ah Nan down the mountain."
Tian Sisi was startled; how could she let Old Man carry her? She quickly shook her head and said, "No need, Grandpa should walk by himself. I want Brother Xin Hua to carry me."
Having said that, Tian Sisi gave Tian Xinhua a triumphant smile. To Tian Xinhua, this seemed like a challenge. He clenched his teeth in anger, but there was nothing he could do; he certainly couldn't let the great-grandpa carry her at his old age. He glared at Tian Sisi, handed over the small basket to his younger brother Qinghua, then bent down, signaling for Tian Sisi to climb onto his back.
Old Man didn't insist. The children in the countryside were strong, and carrying Ah Nan's weight for ten miles wasn't a problem for Xinhua. Tian Sisi comfortably lay on Tian Xinhua's back, occasionally patting his head to urge him to walk faster. This annoyed Tian Xinhua so much that he intentionally tilted to one side, scaring Tian Sisi into screaming and gripping Tian Xinhua's neck so tightly that it nearly choked him, his eyes rolling back.
Tian Shouhua hurriedly pried Tian Sisi's hands off, laughing and scolding his brother, "You deserved it. Who asked you to scare Ah Nan on purpose?"
Tian Xinhua coughed several times before catching his breath, glaring at Tian Sisi fiercely. But Tian Sisi wasn't scared at all; by now, she had realized that even though her cousin might seem tough on the outside, he had a very soft heart. A few sweet words, and Tian Xinhua would surely not stay mad at her.
"Brother Xin Hua, when we get back, I'll give you my portion of chicken leg. Don't be mad at me," Tian Sisi whispered sweet nothings near Tian Xinhua's ear.
The little girl's voice was tender and gentle, the fragrance of the face cream on her was tantalizing, making Tian Xinhua sneeze several times. Annoyed, he said, "What's that you've put on your face? It's suffocating me."
Now Tian Sisi was offended again. Pouting, she said, "I won't share my chicken leg with you."
Old Man watched the young grandchildren bickering with each other with a beaming smile on his face, feeling quite happy. They quickly descended the mountain. At that time, the villagers were busy working, and there were hardly any people at the foot of the mountain, so they didn't need to worry about being seen. The group entered the yard. Granny Zhao was outside airing the quilts, beating them continuously with a wooden stick.
Seeing Tian Sisi on Tian Xinhua's back, she laughed and said, "Ah Nan, are your legs sore? I told you, there is nothing wild in the mountains nowadays. Look, you went on a fruitless trip after not listening to Granny. Don't complain about sore legs tonight."
Granny Zhao didn't believe in the nonsense about the white ape appearing in dreams at all, yet her old man still followed the crowd for the excitement. She walked over and picked Tian Sisi off Tian Xinhua's back, teasing her. Tian Sisi grinningly smiled at Granny Zhao and whispered with her hands around Granny's neck, "Granny, we caught a lot of rabbits on the mountain, and there were wild chickens and their eggs too!"
Old Man gave Granny Zhao a secretive wink to go inside to talk. Granny Zhao looked at her husband with surprise and joy, and as he nodded slightly, she happily kissed Tian Sisi's face over and over. Tian Shouhua, carrying a large basket, entered the house first. Tian Xinhua carefully looked around to make sure no one was watching and closed all doors and windows meticulously. Tian Sisi couldn't help laughing at his overly cautious behavior as if they were undertaking underground activities.
Tian Shouhua took out five rabbits, two wild chickens, and about ten eggs from the basket. Each time he took something out, Granny Zhao would chant a Buddhist prayer. Her eyes gleamed like diamonds. Granny Zhao, very decisively, quickly gave her orders: Old Man and Tian Shouhua, along with Tian Xinhua, would take care of slaughtering the rabbits. She would boil water to de-feather the chickens. Tian Sisi volunteered to start a fire but was immediately rejected by Granny Zhao without a second thought.
It was still early, not yet eleven o'clock, just in time to start cooking lunch. Granny Zhao told Qinghua to go to the fields to notify Tian Bajin and the others to come to her house for a meal at noon. She also sent Donghua to Bajin's house to ask Second Lady to come over and help with cooking. It seemed that Granny Zhao was preparing for a grand meal together.
Li Yuedi arrived quickly with Niu Niu, and she couldn't stop chanting Buddhist prayers when she saw so many wild animals on the ground. "Oh my, what a fine day it is! This is truly a blessing from the Bodhisattva!"
Tian Sisi found it amusing—Bodhisattva doesn't care whether you have meat to eat or not! This was all thanks to your missy here. Granny Zhao and Li Yuedi were both nimble and efficient. The two sisters-in-law, in perfect harmony, bled the chickens into bowls, adding salt. Chicken blood was a delicacy. Once it coagulated, it was cut into pieces to be fried with pickled vegetables and tasted very good.
Granny Zhao and Li Yuedi dumped the chickens into a steaming tub of water, using tongs to soak them in the boiling water for a few minutes, and then quickly took them out to de-feather. Their hands fluttered ceaselessly, and soon the ground was piled with chicken feathers. Tian Sisi truly admired the women of this era; they were adept at a variety of tasks like cooking, slaughtering poultry, sewing clothes, knitting sweaters, and much more.
In her previous life, her mother was such a woman. The clothes she wore as a child were all designed and made by her mother with a sewing machine. The intricately patterned sweaters were always envied by her classmates whenever she wore them out. As a result, during her elementary school days, Tian Sisi was quite popular with the boys, because she was always so well-dressed.
Juying had taught her to knit sweaters as well, but she was truly clumsy—either adding or missing a stitch. That wouldn't have been a problem if the results were wearable, albeit unsightly, but it was unacceptable in the eyes of the perfectionist Juying. She scolded her fiercely, prompting Tian Sisi to give up learning altogether, reasoning that sweaters were available in stores anyway.
It was the same with other chores. No matter how hard she tried, she could never earn a word of praise from Juying, who always found fault with her. Over time, Tian Sisi simply lost interest in learning, and as such, in her previous life, she was genuinely incapable of doing anything. Especially against the backdrop of her mother, Juying, she practically became the epitome of what not to emulate.
Tian Sisi laughed self-deprecatingly. Why did she start thinking about the past again? By now, Granny Zhao and Li Yuedi had already gutted both chickens, with all the innards washed clean and arranged in a bowl, all accomplished within a quarter of an hour. Outside, Old Man and Tian Xinhua had also skinned the five rabbits and hung the hides on the bamboo poles in the backyard, ready to be air-dried for later tanning.
Granny Zhao couldn't bear to throw away the rabbit offal either. She cleaned them all, filling a large basin to the brim. They could be cut up and fried, making a few more dishes. These wild animals were quite fat; the leaf fat in their bellies wasn't scarce either. The golden chunks of fat made everyone extremely happy—in those times, who didn't have a craving for fat!
The two grannies decided to cook one rabbit and one chicken for lunch, make a bowl of chicken giblets, and a bowl of wild chicken eggs, plus some other vegetables. They would boil a big pot of rice, which seemed even more lavish than a New Year's feast. Tian Sisi had already snuck into the kitchen while no one was paying attention, adding a few pounds of rice to the rice container, half a pound of oil to the oil jug, thinking she was being stealthy. However, Old Man had noticed her. After he saw her sneaking out of the kitchen, he went in and found a few grains of rice scattered on the floor and a few drops of oil on the stove. Old Man chuckled.
PS: Thank you all once again for your support!