Chapter 9

At the Li family’s home, the dining table only had a plate of stir-fried green peppers with dried tofu and a bowl of radish and potato soup.

As the head of the family, Li Dayong sat at the innermost seat, holding chopsticks in one hand to pick up food and a wine glass in the other to drink.

Li Ruhai and Li Xiaqiao sat on either side of Li Dayong, eating cautiously while occasionally glancing at Li Dayong and Li Baoyu.

Li Baoyu, sitting on a wooden stool by the kang (a traditional heated bed), held a large bowl in one hand and used his chopsticks to shovel the sticky coarse porridge into his mouth.

When he put down the bowl and reached for the food with his chopsticks, the palm print on his face and the swelling at the corner of his mouth became clearly visible.

At this moment, Jin Xiaomei came in from the outer room, holding a bowl of coarse porridge and sat next to Li Xiaqiao.

"Mom, I want to eat meat," Li Xiaqiao put down her chopsticks and said timidly. The little girl was very confused; it was fine if there was no meat at home usually.

But today, her older brother had brought back a bag of meat, and just before the meal, Jin Xiaomei had laid out the pieces of wild boar meat in the outer room.

Why wasn't she allowed to eat it?

Jin Xiaomei picked a potato from the bowl and put it in Li Xiaqiao's bowl, then moved her braid from the front to the back of her shoulder with her free hand. "Daughter, Mom will cook you some meat tomorrow."

"Okay, we'll have a good meal of meat tomorrow," Li Dayong suddenly interjected. "That's what your brother risked his life for."

As soon as Li Dayong said this, Li Ruhai burst out laughing. He looked at Li Baoyu, wanting to tease him, but turned his head to see his older brother's unfriendly gaze.

"Ahem..." Li Ruhai coughed lightly, turned his head, and pretended to eat without a care.

At this moment, a fragrance wafted in from outside. Li Xiaqiao sniffed and looked at Li Dayong again. "Dad, I want to eat meat."

"Tomorrow, tomorrow," Li Dayong was much gentler with his little daughter. He patted Li Xiaqiao's head and said, "Your brother Zhao will also get a good beating tonight, so let him eat more."

...

Gurgle... Gurgle...

In the large iron pot, the boiling water churned with blood foam, and the rich aroma of meat filled the entire house and spread to the yard outside.

Wang Meilan picked up a pair of chopsticks, skewered a large piece of wild boar loin from the pot, and placed it in a bowl beside her, then put the chopsticks on the stove.

She lifted the lid of the water jar, scooped out a ladle of clear water, and poured it into the bowl to wash the piece of wild boar loin.

The cooked pork, after being washed with cold water, not only got rid of the blood foam on the surface but also cooled down.

Wang Meilan tore the meat into small pieces with her hands and arranged it with sliced green peppers on a plate.

Next, she heated the oil in the pan and sautéed the green peppers with the wild boar loin, braised wild boar ribs, stewed wild boar neck with radish, and served a dish of dry tofu with scallions and sauce.

Wang Meilan prepared four dishes in one go, and they all enjoyed a delicious meal with Zhao Jun and the two daughters.

After dinner, Zhao Jun helped Wang Meilan clear the table and watched Zhao Hong and Zhao Na do their homework before lying down on the kang in the west room.

As soon as he lay down, he heard a noise from outside, followed by a voice asking, "Why are you cooking meat? It smells so good!"

Zhao Jun rolled over and got up from the kang, his eyes filled with caution.

He put on his shoes and went out.

"Done eating?"

As soon as Zhao Jun stepped out, he heard a familiar voice from memory.

For many years, this person and this voice only appeared in his dreams. However, compared to Zhao Meilan, Zhao Jun's feelings towards this person were more complex.

There was a sense of closeness from blood ties, as well as a hint of resentment.

"Here." Zhao Youcai handed a slightly greasy yellow paper package to Zhao Jun, then took off his coat and walked into the east room.

Zhao Jun followed Zhao Youcai into the east room, and the two sisters gathered around. Zhao Jun gave the paper package to Zhao Hong, who untied the string and opened the yellow paper, revealing neatly arranged pieces of baked fruit.

Zhao Hong and Zhao Na each grabbed a piece and bit into it. Zhao Youcai, who had just hung up his coat, walked over, extended his left hand, and used his index finger to pick up the crumbs of baked fruit that had fallen from his younger daughter's mouth, then put them in his mouth.

"Dad, have a piece too." Zhao Jun moved the opened paper package closer and said to Zhao Youcai.

"I'm too old for that. You three eat it." Zhao Youcai said, then climbed onto the kang and moved to the inside.

At this moment, Wang Meilan came in with a plate in one hand. Zhao Jun quickly went out to the outer room, fetched a bottle of wine and some cups, and returned.

"Dad, we have a good meal today. Have a drink."

"Huh!" Seeing Zhao Jun acting like a lackey, Zhao Youcai gave a forced laugh. "You're up to no good again, aren't you?"

"Ha ha ha... What are you talking about, Dad?" Zhao Jun laughed, sat on the kang, and poured wine for Zhao Youcai.

Wang Meilan came back with another plate and a bowl, placing them on the table one by one. "Your eldest son has grown up. He went up the mountain to hunt wild boar."

"Really? The boy has become quite capable." Zhao Youcai, who was about to dip a scallion in the sauce, paused, glanced at Zhao Jun casually, but his face turned grim.

"Has he become so skilled that he even dares to steal wild boar traps?"

Wang Meilan pushed away Zhao Jun's hand offering her baked fruit, ignoring her son's attempt to please her. "Who are you looking down on? Your eldest son went up the mountain with his dog and a knife."

As soon as Wang Meilan said this, Zhao Jun felt a chill run down his spine and cautiously looked at his father.

Zhao Youcai's face was as calm as water, showing no sign of anger, but he sat there like a statue, motionless.

"Dad, I was wrong." Zhao Jun quickly admitted his mistake.

Zhao Youcai said nothing, and the atmosphere in the room became tense. Even the two little girls sensed something was wrong and stopped chewing the baked fruit in their mouths.

The air was stagnant for about ten seconds before Zhao Youcai suddenly laughed, picked up the wine glass, and took a big sip.

Northeastern small-burn, 56-degree pure sorghum wine, made Zhao Youcai's nose twitch. He put down the wine glass and laughed. "My eldest son has grown up, he can hunt wild boar now. His old man is proud. I'll have to eat more."

Zhao Youcai's laughter changed the atmosphere in the room, and the无形的压力瞬间消失。小赵虹嚼着炉果的脸上也乐开了花，"爸，我哥打的野猪可香了呢。"

"快吃你的吧。" 赵军没好气地把王美兰没接的炉果直接塞进了赵虹的嘴里。

"嗯，香。" 赵有财嚼着一大口野猪肉，含糊不清地应了一声，然后又闷了一口酒。

等口中酒肉一起下肚，他笑着对赵虹说，"二姑娘，等哪天让你哥上山里，给你打头黑瞎子，那玩意更香，比野猪还香呢。"

"好啊，好啊。" 赵虹一听，更高兴了。今天先是美美地吃了炖肉，饭后又有炉果吃，在小姑娘看来，这样的生活简直太美妙了。

赵有财随即一笑，却不再提及此事，边吃边喝之余，还说起今天林场那些工友、同事之间发生的一些趣事。

王美兰在一旁时而聆听，时而发问，时而附和。

更有赵虹、赵娜时不时抢话、插嘴，跟爸妈说一些她们小孩之间的趣事。

一时间，屋内父母慈，女儿孝，有说有笑，其乐融融，亲情氛围盛至极点，好是一副幸福家庭之景象。

可即便如此，一旁的赵军却愈发坐立不安。

两个妹妹还小，她们不知道，赵军可是知道自己老爸在十里八村有两个外号。

明面上，那些赵有财的长辈，还有和他一起长大的同辈人，都叫他赵二蔫，或者直接简称二蔫。

可要是背后提起，别人多半都叫他赵二咕（gù）咚(dòng）。

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Note: The last part of the translation has been adjusted to maintain the flow and context in English. The original Chinese text has been translated as accurately as possible while ensuring the narrative remains coherent.