It was not yet dark and the Li family was having dinner.

　　The main door was open, and with the light from outside, a black-painted wooden table was placed in the middle of the room, with three long wooden benches surrounding the table.

　　There were two bowls on the table, one filled with soft steamed buns, the other with hot porridge made from various grains and boiled with rice oil. Two coarse earthenware bowls, one with pickled radish cut into finger-sized pieces, and one with stir-fried pork, cabbage and tofu. The pork was sliced ​​thinly, with fat and lean parts, and fried until it was sizzling.

　　Li Da sat at the top of the main seat, drank a mouthful of hot porridge, and said, “Tomorrow I have to go to Shili Village. There are several families there who need to slaughter pigs. They asked me to go there half a month ago. I can’t delay any longer.”

　　Three days ago, the Li family had a happy event and found a son-in-law for their only son, Li Zhouzhou.

　　This matter took me about half a month.

　　”I get it, Dad.” Li Zhouzhou was used to his father going out to slaughter pigs.

　　Li Da originally wanted to say that he would not come back this time. Shili Village was not close, and it would be too late to do the massacres^[1]slaughter of several families. Now that Zhou Zhou got married and had a son-in-law, Gu Zhao, he could rest assured. Unlike in the past, he would rush back in the dark, worried that his brother^[2]son: who is ger or can get pregnant would be alone at home.

　　But before Li could finish his words, he swallowed his words back when he saw his son-in-law, Gu Zhao, who couldn’t finish a steamed bun and wanted to break it in half.

　　His appetite is not even as good as Zhou Zhou’s.

　　”Zhou Zhou, do you want it?” Gu Zhao asked in a gentle voice.

　　Li Zhouzhou looked at the hand that handed over the steamed bun. The fingers were thin and long, beautiful, without a single callus. They were the hands of a scholar. He glanced at his father, feeling a little embarrassed that he didn’t extend his hand while the elders were still there.

　　He touched the back of Li Zhouzhou’s hand.

　　”Zhou Zhou?” Gu Zhao asked again.

　　”Oh, okay.” Li Zhouzhou retracted his hand, not daring to meet his husband’s eyes. He took the steamed bun calmly, lowered his head and began to eat.

　　Only his ears turned red.

　　Li Da swept his eyes and thought that his brother and son-in-law had only been married for three days. He changed his mind and coughed, saying, “This time, there will be several families slaughtering pigs. I won’t come back. I will stay there for one night. At home–” Seeing his son-in-law’s skinny body, he had to say, “Zhou Zhou, you take care of it.”

　　”I understand, Dad.” Li Zhouzhou agreed immediately.

　　He has grown up and no longer needs to trouble his father to travel at night.

　　After dinner.

　　Li Zhouzhou cleaned up the porridge bowls and chopsticks quickly, saying, “I’ll do these things, husband, you go read a book.”

　　”It’s dark now. Reading hurts your eyes. Let’s clean up together quickly.” Gu Zhao said.

　　Few men in the village would go into the kitchen and work around the stove, especially those with wives and sons. These were the jobs of the housewives. Men worked hard in the fields and wanted to eat a hot meal when they came back. If a man did these jobs, he would be laughed at if it got out.

　　Originally, my husband was marrying into the family, and the people in the village already talked about it unpleasantly. Li Zhouzhou was afraid that my husband would lose face, but after my husband came into the family, he would help every time, and Li Zhouzhou was not good at talking and didn’t know what to say.

　　Once he said no, his husband would look at him pitifully, and he wouldn’t know how to refuse.

　　After leaving the main room, the kitchen was in the side room. A piece of firewood was added to the stove and the water in the big iron pot was warm. Li Zhouzhou started to wash the dishes. Gu Zhao wanted to help, but he couldn’t do anything. He could only take the bowls and put them neatly.

　　Li Zhouzhou started doing these jobs when he was seven years old. His father, who gave birth to him, was also a boy, but he died when he was five. His father was the eldest in the Li family, and they used to eat in the same pot in the old house, but later the family was divided because of some things.

　　Li Zhouzhou learned to cut grass for pigs when he was only five years old. After the family split up, he learned to cook, wash dishes, and do laundry. During the slack season, Li Da would do all the work. During the busy season, when the crops in the fields were waiting to be harvested, Li Da was too busy in the fields to take care of the family.

　　The dishes have been washed and the pot has been cleaned.

　　Li Zhouzhou carried a wooden bucket to the water tank to fetch water, and then boiled a pot of hot water for washing in the evening. Gu Zhao sat in front of the stove, touching his nose with his hand while adding firewood, and thought of what happened two days ago.

　　He rushed to say that he would fetch water, but in the end he couldn’t even lift half a bucket of water.

　　On the other side, Li Zhouzhou easily carried a full bucket of water and poured it into the big pot. Gu Zhao looked at him with admiration and said, “Zhouzhou, you are amazing.”

　　There was no extra light in the kitchen except the flame from the stove, so Li Zhouzhou’s expression could not be seen clearly. However, Gu Zhao felt that Zhouzhou was not very happy. However, he did not ask directly, but reached out his hand.

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