Chapter 4

“You little brat.” Chen Wenshan spoke irritably after hearing his son. Although his leg was crippled, he still had a skill to rely on for a living. His eldest son was also about to get married, so it was indeed time to make a new set of furniture. He had to admit that his eldest son's words had struck a chord with him, and he found them quite comforting. But— “The first snow has just passed, and all the wild animals in the deep mountains have come out to forage and roam. Chen Xiangyang! You really have some nerve! How dare you persuade your grandfather to go into the mountains with you? He's already in his sixties. He spent more than ten years fighting in the war and is covered in old injuries. If anything had happened to the two of you, who in this family could have borne the consequences?” The scolding had to be given. There was nothing trivial about the mountains. When hunting went too smoothly, people could easily lose their sense of caution and become reckless. Hunters who failed to respect the mountains and forests rarely met a good end. Chen Xiangyang understood perfectly. His father was frightened by what could have happened and had been holding in his anger. He couldn't blame his wife, nor could he lecture his own father, so all that pent-up frustration could only be directed at his eldest son. At a time like this, arguing with his father would only make things worse. Lowering his head and admitting his mistake was nothing to be ashamed of. “Dad, I was wrong. I promise there won't be a next time.” The moment he finished speaking, Chen Wenshan's broad palm landed heavily on his back with considerable force, making Chen Xiangyang stumble forward. Seeing her son get hit, Lin Xiuxiu immediately rushed over and stood between father and son. “Chen Wenshan, why are you taking your temper out on the child? They both came back safely. Scold him a couple of times if you have to, but why are you hitting him?” “All right!” The old man's word was law. “One slap is enough to vent your anger. Xiangyang, help your father inside to rest. Xiuxiu, stew some bear meat with pickled cabbage. Xiangyang and I will have a couple of drinks with Wenshan.” Chen Xiangyang helped his father into the house. As they walked, Chen Wenshan rubbed his son's back, unable to hide the concern in his eyes. After getting the two settled, Chen Xiangyang said, “Grandpa, Dad, I'll cut off a bear leg and some lard and take it over to Fengying.” With that, he went into the yard, picked up the woodcutting axe leaning against the wall, and swiftly chopped off one of the bear's hind legs. He then cut off a large slab of fat. This was the bear's abdominal fat, from the belly area. It yielded a lot of oil, though it had a slight earthy smell. However, frying it over high heat could suppress the odor. Chen Xiangyang put the bear leg and the slab of fat into a burlap sack and quickly walked to the entrance of the Yu family's courtyard next door. “Fengying! Yu Fengying!” After calling twice, the electric light inside the house came on. Yu Fengying hurried outside wearing a padded jacket and opened the courtyard gate to let him in. “I went into the mountains with Grandpa and hunted a brown bear. I brought some bear meat and lard for your family.” Chen Xiangyang spoke calmly, but his heart was already in turmoil. He had risked his life by going into the mountains today to take revenge, and in doing so, he had broken through most of the barriers weighing on his heart. The small part that remained was all because of her. The Yu family had five large rooms with tiled roofs. Three of them were lit, and several figures were crouched beside the windows. They were all relatives and elders of the Yu family. With so many people watching him, Chen Xiangyang felt extremely embarrassed. Yu Fengying carefully looked him over, first making sure that he wasn't injured. Only after her worried heart settled down did a faint smile appear between her brows. “Brother Xiangyang, come inside first. It's warm in here.” The cold night wind howled around them. Seeing that she wasn't wearing much and was shivering, Chen Xiangyang felt a pang of heartache and hurriedly said, “No. It's too late. Go back inside. I'll come for you when it's time to marry you.” “Mm...” Yu Fengying's eyes were filled with reluctance, but it was indeed too late to invite Chen Xiangyang inside. She could only answer softly. Chen Xiangyang handed her the burlap sack. As she reached out to take it, he gently grasped her cold, delicate hand and held it for a moment, savoring the feeling before giving a soft laugh and striding away. Yu Fengying remained standing there with flushed cheeks, staring blankly at his departing figure. When Chen Xiangyang stepped back into his house, his mother was carrying a large aluminum basin inside. She placed it on the kang bed and set up the round table that had been leaning against the wall. In an instant, the rich, overpowering aroma of meat rushed into Chen Xiangyang's nose, and his stomach began growling uncontrollably. He had eaten his first meal at around five in the morning. He had managed to grab another quick meal around nine or ten on the road, but after that, he hadn't eaten anything at all. He had held out until now, and he was already starving. Before long, his grandfather came in carrying a bottle of Tieli Daqu, a locally produced liquor from Tieli County. It was extremely popular in the forest region and, after a price increase that year, sold for 2.2 yuan a bottle. On the table sat a large basin filled with bear meat stewed with pickled cabbage. Beside it was a large basket of cornmeal flatbreads, their enticing aroma filling the room. His mother placed a porcelain bowl and chopsticks in front of Chen Xiangyang and said, “Bear meat tastes best if you soak it in ice water overnight, blanch it, and then stew it with all the spices. We didn't have that much time today, so I could only soak it for a little while, blanch it, and stew it directly. Eldest son, hurry and have a taste. Is it good?” Chen Xiangyang didn't immediately pick up his chopsticks. Instead, he took the liquor bottle first. It was the standard straight-necked radish-shaped bottle used by liquor factories throughout northeastern China. There was a transparent plastic seal around the neck. Once that was opened, there was a tin cap underneath, followed by a cork stopper. Chen Xiangyang opened the bottle and poured a full cup for his grandfather, father, and mother, and finally himself. Then he picked up a cornmeal flatbread with his left hand and his chopsticks with his right, staring eagerly at the food and waiting for everyone to start eating. Seeing how impatient he was, his grandfather smiled and picked up his chopsticks, taking a piece of bear meat. Chen Xiangyang shifted his gaze from his grandfather to his father. With his son staring at him the whole time, Chen Wenshan snorted, picked up his chopsticks, and took a piece of bear meat. At the same time, Chen Xiangyang's mother did the same. The next second, Chen Xiangyang bit off nearly half of his flatbread. His chopsticks then flew back and forth as he shoveled food into his mouth. Watching him wolf down his meal, his grandfather and father lightly clinked their liquor cups. After each took a sip, they exchanged a glance. Both knew the boy had been starving. Chen Xiangyang's mouth was stuffed with cornmeal flatbread, while his chopsticks never stopped bringing chunks of meat into his mouth. A boy of his age could eat an astonishing amount. He was at the age when his appetite was at its peak. Sitting beside him, his mother felt sorry seeing him eat so ravenously. She added two more large pieces of bear meat to his bowl and gently said, “Slow down. There's still plenty in the pot. No one's going to steal it from you. Don't choke.” Chen De'an put down his liquor cup and said to Chen Wenshan and his wife, “After we finish eating, Xiangyang and I will go to bed first. We'll get up early tomorrow and head to town to sell the meat. This mother bear should yield a little under two hundred jin of meat. We'll keep fifty jin at home, both for eating and for when we go to propose the marriage. We'll sell the rest in town tomorrow and use the money for the bride price. “As for the bear hide, Wenshan, Xiuxiu, you'll have to work on it over the next few days. Once it's properly processed, we can take it to town with our next batch of game and sell it.” “All right, Dad. Leave it to Wenshan and me,” his mother replied. Chen Wenshan, however, asked in confusion, “Dad, you and Xiangyang are going back into the mountains? Isn't that too dangerous?” He knew that processing a brown bear hide to the point where it could be sold would take at least five or six days during winter. The process consisted of three stages: first scraping off the fat, then salting and curing the hide, and finally air-drying it in the shade until it was properly set. If it were to be fully tanned, it would take at least a month. Normally, the supply and marketing cooperative wouldn't accept hides that hunters had fully tanned themselves. They only bought hides that had been air-dried and properly set.