Chapter 86.2

As expected, the cubs were very obedient and not noisy at all. As soon as they left, the entire courtyard quieted down.
Su Xiaoxiao originally wanted to help unknot the sweater, but Zhang Chunying suggested that it would be more comfortable to do it with a fire lantern while lying in bed. She quickly finished without needing Su Xiaoxiao’s assistance, and Su Xiaoxiao was happy to have some leisure time.

Li Yufeng packed a total of three fire lanterns, one for the children, one for Zhang Chunying, and one for Su Xiaoxiao.

Li Yufeng took advantage of everyone’s excitement. Li Yufeng quickly went back to the house and picked out some of the candies and cookies that Su Xiaoxiao had brought. Since Su Xiaoxiao liked apples, she didn’t take those. They also had a lot of pork left from the day, so Li Yufeng cut a small piece and packed it discreetly before sneaking out.

Su Xiaoxiao was quite curious and asked her mother in a low voice, “Mom, what are you doing here?”

Li Yufeng ignored her and replied, “I’ll tell you later.”

Su Xiaoxiao stood at the door, watching her mother walk around to the back of the yard and place the items in the rundown yard behind their house. She softly called out something, and as soon as she finished, her mother went to the other side. Before she knew it, a woman of similar age to her mother emerged from the dilapidated courtyard. She quietly picked up the items without lifting her head and returned to her house.

Before Su Xiaoxiao could react, Li Yufeng had already circled back from the other side and patted her on the shoulder. “Let’s talk about it inside.”

Su Xiaoxiao asked curiously. “Mom, how come I remember that nobody used to live in that yard?”

Li Yufeng said, “The people living inside there are intellectuals who have voluntarily been transferred from the city. They’re not criminals or troublemakers. They just arrived from the border recently and were assigned to our commune. Your father was assigned to live in the yard behind theirs. Xiao Bao always likes to run to their house, and we help them out when needed. They did a big favor for your father a couple of days ago.”

Su Xiaoxiao waited quietly for her mother to continue.

Li Yufeng continued, “In previous years, didn’t our brigade’s Spring Festival couplets (挥春, Huīchūn) always written by the former secretary? This year, the old secretary injured his hand and couldn’t write, so he let each brigade handle it on their own. We don’t have many people on our team who write well, and it’s the New Year. Every household needs a bit of festivity, and without Spring Festival couplets, how can we manage? Your father’s handwriting is good when he uses a ballpen, but his brush pen handwriting is not so great. He thought of letting each household solve it themselves. Those who can’t read almost dragged Xiao Bao to write for them. Your father was thinking that even if it turns out ugly, he would let Xiao Bao help them write, as no one would blame him for it.”

As soon as Xiao Bao told the family next door about our problem, they helped your father write several hundred Spring Festival couplets in just one night. Not only did they solve it for our brigade, but they also helped the commune. The secretary praised your father and rewarded him with an enamel cup. Isn’t that something to be grateful for? They even taught Xiao Bao how to write brush-pen calligraphy. Xiao Bao always says their knowledge is even better than the teacher’s, and he loves going to their house.

Your father was saying last night that If you and Han Cheng could come back earlier, the big characters hanging in every household in the commune this year would be yours.”

Su Xiaoxiao understood and didn’t expect such a thing to happen when they were gone.

In recent years, there have been many intellectuals who have actively and passively taken refuge in their commune, but Su Xiaoxiao has not paid much attention to them. Her family was naturally kind-hearted, and her father, the brigade leader, had a good reputation. The members of the commune even mentioned that if the old secretary stepped down, they would elect him as the new secretary. He was content and didn’t bother with such matters. He did what he had to do and didn’t overstep his boundaries.

…………

The big rooster was originally supposed to be saved until the 30th, but Li Yufeng had agreed yesterday to slaughter it for the New Year. They also had an old hen waiting for Big Bao’s family to return, and with today’s fish distribution, they would have fish for the New Year. So they weren’t too concerned. Li Yufeng raised her knife to slaughter the big rooster.

“Stand a bit further away, don’t get your expensive clothes that Han Cheng bought you dirty,” Li Yufeng said happily but kept talking. “I really don’t know what Han Cheng was thinking. Isn’t a big winter coat warm enough? Why did he still insist on buying such expensive clothes for you? I admit that they look good, but I still don’t think that they’re as warm as the big winter coats.”

Su Xiaoxiao was genuinely worried that she might dirty the clothes Han Cheng bought for her, so she stayed far away and said with a smile, “I’ll wear them for a couple of days, and then you’ll know (if it’s not as good as the big winter clothes.)”

“I don’t want to waste your good clothes,” said Li Yufeng.

Li Yufeng raised her knife, and after a quick slash, the rooster was no longer making noise. She grabbed the rooster’s wing with one hand, its head with the other, and let the chicken blood drip into a lightly salted water bucket. Then she placed the chicken in a pot of boiling water and stirred it a few times. Afterward, she mixed the chicken blood with the salted water. In this weather, if you moved too slowly, your hands and feet would freeze.

“The feathers on this rooster aren’t as good as the last one, but they can still be used to make feather shuttlecocks.”

Life in the village was tough, and some families rarely had meat throughout the year, let alone the luxury of slaughtering chickens. They would save the tail feathers and wing feathers to make shuttlecocks. There were many children in the village, and the shuttlecocks were popular among them.

Su Xiaoxiao thought it was a good idea and wanted to squat down and help her mother pluck the chicken feathers, but her mother chased her back to the room.

Su Xiaoxiao held the lantern and lay on the old, half-legged desk, looking at the snowflakes outside and the faintly visible mountain scenery in the distance that was gradually disappearing. Suddenly, she realized that life in the small mountain village was actually quite good.