Chapter 20 – Not a Fool to Be Bossed Around

If you don’t work for a day, then that day’s rations are gone.
Ye Hongjun asked his wife to go find Ye Tao and Huo Tingwu for help. After all, in one brigade they saw each other all the time—it would look bad if the couple turned them down.

But instead of helping, not only were they refused, they even got scolded back.
Ye Hongjun had no choice but to collapse onto the bed.

Seeing him like this, Ding Yuxiang grew even angrier.
“Say something, will you?”

Ye Hongjun sighed.
“What can I say? Ye Tao is married into the Huo family now, they’ve got money and power. From what I see, Huo’s second son cares about her a lot. He’s not some fool we can order around anymore. I think we’d better stop stirring up trouble. Wash up and go to sleep.”

After saying that, he lay down again, leaving Ding Yuxiang to stew in her own frustration.

When Huo Tingwu heard about the matter, he asked Ye Tao what she thought. After all, they were her parents. If she softened, they could send back a portion of their military pension every month.

Ye Tao shook her head.
“No. They ignored me ever since I was a child. Better we keep the money for ourselves.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you,” said Huo Tingwu. “My leave is almost up. In three days we’ll be setting off. Taotao, are you really sure you want to come live with me as an army spouse?”

“Of course. Didn’t we agree we’d always be together? What, you don’t want to take me with you?” Ye Tao looked at him suspiciously.

“Of course not. I’m just worried that life on the island is too harsh, and you won’t like it.”

Ye Tao shook her head.
“How could that be? As long as I’m with you, I’ll like it anywhere.”

Something softened in Huo Tingwu’s chest. Hugging her, his voice gentled:
“Taotao, thank you… thank you for staying with me.”

Once their departure was set, Huo Tingwu wasted no time asking comrades in the city to help buy train tickets in advance.

Meanwhile, Liu Wenxiu set aside her own work to focus solely on preparing the packages her son and daughter-in-law would take with them. Big and small things, she wanted to pack everything she could.

Getting to the island required a transfer: first the train to Guang City, then a boat to the island. Each return trip was a battle in itself.

Ye Tao, with Huo Tingwu’s company, went into the mountains to gather mushrooms, planning to make mushroom sauce for the journey.

Whether it was luck or skill, by the time they came back down the mountain, they still hadn’t recovered from their surprise.

Back at home, as usual they closed the gate behind them.
Liu Wenxiu frowned. Why was it that every time they came home, they shut the door?

In their brigade, as long as someone was home in the daytime, doors were left wide open. Folks here were honest and simple, and since no one had much money anyway, nobody worried about thieves.

“Taotao, Second Son, what are you two up to?!”

Could it be they caught another wild pheasant? Liu Wenxiu’s eyes lit up. If so, she could make spicy chicken for them to take on the road.

“Mom, come look!” Ye Tao could barely hold back her grin.

She had forced herself all the way back not to show anything unusual. Huo Tingwu, with his usual stern face, found it easy not to smile—but not her. With free meat in hand, who could keep from being happy?

Liu Wenxiu hurriedly dropped her chores. “Coming, coming!”

When she peeked into the basket, her mouth fell open. For a moment she forgot to breathe.

“Taotao, how did you two catch so many wild rabbits?”

The rabbits had been tied up with vines, their legs bound, unable to move. Liu Wenxiu set them on the ground—ten or so in all. They must have stumbled across a rabbit warren.

“How’d you catch them?” she asked.

“It was Taotao,” Huo Tingwu replied, with no small pride. His wife was incredible.

She had spotted signs of rabbits in the mountains and followed the trail to their burrow. At first he thought it must be empty—after all, the saying goes: a cunning rabbit has three burrows.

But Ye Tao’s instincts were strong. She insisted there were rabbits inside.

Having grown up roaming the hills, Huo Tingwu was skilled at catching them. Since his wife said there were rabbits, he went ahead—and sure enough, she was right. They found seven or eight in one nest, practically wiping out the rabbit family. Later they came across another burrow and caught even more.

Before heading down, they checked carefully to make sure nothing looked suspicious, keeping their expressions calm as they greeted neighbors on the way back.

“This is perfect!” Liu Wenxiu clapped her hands. “I was worrying about what food to prepare for your journey. With these wild rabbits, I can make you spicy stir-fried rabbit.”

Ye Tao set aside two.
“Mom, let’s keep this one—it’s carrying young. And this male rabbit too. That way we’ll have more in the future.”

In Tongxiang brigade, every family raised chickens and ducks, and a few raised rabbits, though less common. Since the local rules weren’t too strict, most people counted on this little bit of meat as their only chance to eat fresh all year. No one bothered to report it. Still, to be safe, Liu Wenxiu put the rabbits in a hidden corner of the backyard.

Huo Tingwu fetched his army knife, its sharp blade perfect for skinning. He stripped the rabbit hides and set them aside. Later, they could be washed in the river and dried—useful for sewing hats or scarves in winter.

While Ye Tao and Liu Wenxiu cleaned mushrooms, Huo Tingwu quickly processed the rabbits, then lit a bundle of mugwort in the yard to dispel the smell.

At noon, Ye Tao announced she would cook. Liu Wenxiu tried to stop her, urging her to rest.

“Mom, I feel much better now,” Ye Tao said. “You and Father have worried over this household for so long. Today, just enjoy yourselves. Let me make you a meal.”

Her words warmed Liu Wenxiu’s heart. She quickly agreed, offering to lend a hand on the side.

After finishing with the mugwort, Huo Tingwu came in saying he would tend the fire, urging his wife to sit down and rest.

Liu Wenxiu sighed with relief. Her son was finally becoming thoughtful. She hurried off to rest in the shade, telling them to call if they needed her.

The Huo family loved cooking, and their kitchen was fully stocked with spices. Strings of dried chilies hung on the wall, and the vegetable garden still had plenty of fresh green ones.

Ye Tao was delighted. Mom had suggested spicy rabbit, and that was exactly what she had in mind.

The rabbit was chopped into pieces, marinated with salt, soy sauce, scallions, and ginger, with a dusting of flour for ten minutes. If only they had pepper powder—it would’ve been even better.

From the garden, she picked a few Erjingtiao peppers, not too many. From her observations, Father-in-law Huo Xiaolin couldn’t handle much spice, so she planned to leave some meat aside without chilies for him.

She heated oil in the wok, added scallion, ginger, garlic, and star anise until fragrant, then tossed in the marinated rabbit. Once it set, she stir-fried it evenly.

From her seat under the tree, Liu Wenxiu caught a whiff of the rich aroma. She couldn’t sit still and came into the kitchen to watch.

Just then, Taotao sprinkled a ring of white liquor around the edge of the wok, added the chopped chilies, and stir-fried until just cooked through.

The fragrance filled the house, drifting out the door. People coming back from work caught the smell and cursed under their breath—whose cooking was that, so mouthwatering? Their empty stomachs rumbled even louder. The thought of going home to nothing but cornbread and pickles made life feel unbearable.

Meanwhile, the Huo’s father and elder son were walking home. The closer they got, the stronger the smell became. They exchanged glances and broke into a run.

“Mom, what are you cooking? The whole village smells it! Father and I almost thought we’d gone into the wrong house.”

The first thing Huo Tingjie did after stepping inside was rush to the kitchen to see what was on the stove.