Chapter 71
After a busy afternoon, they finally had their first meal at their own house. He Qiming cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks. She was really tired and had washed up early to rest in bed.
“I’m going hunting in the mountains tomorrow morning, and I’ll drop by to see Auntie Ye. In the afternoon, I need to prepare. Gangzi and the others are coming to our house for dinner,” He Qiming said, lying next to Ye Qingzhi. The weather was too hot, and Ye Qingzhi didn’t want him to hold her. It was sticky and uncomfortable.
“Besides Gangzi, who else? Are there many people?” She had to know the number of people to prepare the food.
“There’s also a very good classmate named Zhang Yong,” He Qiming said, holding Ye Qingzhi’s hand a little tighter.
In fact, besides these two friends, he also had a few other friends with whom he had a good relationship. He had also invited them to his house for dinner, but Xu Baoli’s impatient look had made He Qiming lose all face.
If it weren’t for their good relationship, they might not even have been friends.
So much time had passed, and the main thing was that he and Xu Baoli were already divorced. It was meaningless to bring up these old scores.
“I know. Let’s sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow,” Ye Qingzhi replied.
The next day, He Qiming and Ye Qingzhi got up early. Their movements were very light, but they still woke up He Jingyan and Ye Anmin.
“Dad, Ma, it’s not even light yet. Why are you up so early?” Ye Anmin asked, rubbing his eyes and looking at the dark window with great curiosity.
“Your dad and I are preparing to go hunting in the mountains. It’s still early. You should sleep a little longer,” He Qiming said. He said he was going deeper into the mountains today, so he did not plan to take the children.
“Hunting?” Ye Anmin’s eyes lit up. “Can Big Brother and I go?”
He had gone with He Qiming once last year and had never forgotten it.
“I’m afraid not. You and Jingyan stay at home and take care of your younger brother. We’ll be back soon,” Ye Qingzhi said, shaking her head in refusal.
Seeing Ye Anmin’s disappointed look, He Qiming said with a smile, “I’ll take you again tomorrow.”
He had to get something today. Otherwise, when his friends came for dinner, there would be no decent dishes.
To hunt, they still had to go to the back mountain of Houxicun. Perhaps because it was early, they did not run into anyone until they reached the foot of the mountain.
Ye Qingzhi tugged on He Qiming’s sleeve. “Were you always this early before?”
“About the same,” He Qiming said with a smile. If he ran into an acquaintance, they would pull him and ask all sorts of things, which would be too much of a delay.
Soon, they arrived at the big rock. Revisiting the old place and seeing the familiar trees and the big rock, Ye Qingzhi was filled with emotion.
This was where they had had their blind date, and where they had confirmed their relationship. Time passed so quickly. A year had passed in the blink of an eye.
“How about you wait for me here? I’ll go into the mountains by myself,” He Qiming said, scanning the terrain of this area. It was getting harder and harder to walk further up.
“A little further up is the place where we picked mushrooms last year. I’ll go and pick some,” Ye Qingzhi said. She was very self-aware. With her small arms and legs, not only would she not be of any help in the mountains, but she would also drag He Qiming back. It was better to pick mushrooms here. She could have an extra dish for dinner.
She looked for a few of the mushroom patches she had picked from last year and actually found quite a few. In one morning, she had picked more than half a basket.
Ye Qingzhi would look at the small path down the mountain from time to time. She looked up at the sun. It was almost twelve o’clock. She didn’t know when He Qiming would be back.
After another ten minutes or so, Ye Qingzhi heard a rustling sound and quickly hid in a position where it was easier to run.
Before long, she saw He Qiming come back with two pheasants. From the animal’s foot sticking out of his basket, she could be sure that He Qiming had had a good harvest this time.
“We were lucky this time. We got a muntjac, and also two wild rabbits and two pheasants. I’ll give one rabbit to my aunt and one pheasant to Auntie Ye. We’ll eat the rest ourselves tonight,” He Qiming said, glancing at Ye Qingzhi’s basket. “Wife, it seems your harvest is not bad either.”
They had originally planned to go back from Houxicun, so they could drop by to see Auntie Ye. But they had a lot of things, and it would not be good if they were seen.
At this time, everything belonged to the collective. Like the prey in the mountains, after it was caught, it also had to be handed over, waiting for the cadres of the production team to distribute it.
Of course, they were not willing to just give the prey they had worked so hard to catch to others. So the two of them took a shortcut, from the back mountain of Dayangcun directly to He Dagu’s house.
The door was not closed. It just so happened that He Dagu was busy in the kitchen. Seeing Ye Qingzhi and He Qiming come down from the back mountain, and then looking at the things in their hands, she quickly pulled them into the house.
“Hunting in the mountains? Hiss, so much. Even if Qiming didn’t join the army, with this skill, he could still live a good life at home,” He Dagu said, happily patting his strong arm.
“Big Aunt, I need to borrow your backyard,” He Qiming said, taking out the muntjac and preparing to process it in He Dagu’s backyard, cutting it into small pieces before taking it back.
“Alright, I’ll go and boil some water right away,” He Dagu said, nodding in agreement without a second thought.
He Dagu’s house was a bit remote, with no one around. He Qiming simply processed everything here before taking it back. Ye Qingzhi was worried about the children at home. After a word with her aunt and nephew, she prepared to go back first.
On the way, Ye Qingzhi ran into He Fourth Aunt. “Qingzhi, you’ve been picking mushrooms in the mountains? Do you know which are poisonous and which are not? You should eat less of the wild mushrooms from the mountains. What if you get poisoned?”
She was also being kind. Ye Qingzhi replied with a smile, “It’s fine. I happen to know these few kinds of mushrooms. I didn’t pick the ones I don’t know.”
“You still have to be careful. If you don’t have enough vegetables to eat, you can go to my private plot to pick some. Do you know where it is? Look at me asking, you definitely don’t know. Qiming has probably also forgotten. Come on, I’ll take you to see. There are green beans, eggplants, cucumbers, and everything. You can pick whatever you want to eat,” He Fourth Aunt said, enthusiastically wanting to take Ye Qingzhi to see her family’s private plot.
Ye Qingzhi quickly pulled her back. “No need. We’re only staying at home for a few days. We have enough vegetables to eat. If it’s really not enough, I’ll find you again.”
“Alright then,” He Fourth Aunt said with a regretful smack of her lips.
Favors had to be accumulated like this, bit by bit. Unfortunately, He Qiming and Ye Qingzhi were not at home much and were also too polite. If she gave them something, they would immediately return the favor.
Ye Qingzhi looked at He Fourth Aunt’s back, her heart as clear as a mirror. She was so attentive because she wanted to get something done through He Qiming. The more it was like this, the more she could not take advantage of her, so as not to lose a big opportunity for a small gain.
“Mama, you’re back! Are you hungry? The food is in the pot,” Ye Anjie said, running over when he saw Ye Qingzhi.
“Alright,” she said. Seeing the few children peeking, Ye Qingzhi’s lips curved into a smile. “Don’t look. Your papa is at Great-Aunt-Grandma’s house processing the prey. He should be here in a bit.”
Lunch was potatoes with green beans, and pancakes made with white flour and corn flour. It was not as delicious as what Ye Qingzhi had cooked, but for an eight-year-old child, it was already very good.
“It’s very delicious. Have you eaten?” Ye Qingzhi asked with a smile, praising him.
“We’ve already eaten. Mama, did Papa catch a lot of prey?” Ye Anjie asked with a face full of curiosity.
Ye Qingzhi poured the mushrooms from her basket onto the ground and replied, “We were lucky today. There’s a muntjac, and also wild rabbits and pheasants.”
The few children helped Ye Qingzhi clean the mushrooms. After about an hour, He Qiming came back with a large basket.
“The meat is all here. I originally wanted to give my aunt a rabbit and also some muntjac meat, but my aunt didn’t want any. She only wanted some of the organs,” He Qiming said, putting down the basket.
Ye Qingzhi took off the cabbage on top and looked at all the meat. Never mind tonight’s meal, they could eat meat every meal for the next few days.
The green onions and leeks in the backyard were growing very well, but they were missing ginger and garlic. She had to ask someone for some.
No matter how they got along, He Dali and Yang Fuzhen were He Qiming’s biological parents after all. If there was anything, he would definitely go to them first. But Yang Fuzhen had said that the family had just finished eating and had even asked He Qiming to go to the commune to buy some, and also to buy some for her on the way.
He Qiming ignored her and went to find his granduncle, and only then did he get the ginger and garlic.
“What’s wrong? You don’t look very happy,” Ye Qingzhi said, looking at him suspiciously.
He Qiming sighed softly. “It’s nothing. Is there anything I need to do?”
“There is. You can cut the meat,” she said. Ye Qingzhi couldn’t cut it.
She would cook the meat first, and then cook the rice at four o’clock. That way, it would be just right when Gangzi and the others arrived.
At 4:30, Li Gang and Zhang Yong came over with things. Li Gang had a bag of pastries and a roasted chicken, and Zhang Yong had a bag of candies and two bottles of wine.
In fact, Zhang Yong had been a little hesitant before he came. He Qiming’s previous wife had left a deep impression on him. He was afraid that this new sister-in-law would give them a cold shoulder again. It was Li Gang who had repeatedly assured him that the new sister-in-law was a very nice person, not only beautiful but also polite and reasonable. Otherwise, how could He Qiming have taken her to join the army?
“Is she really that good?” Zhang Yong had not yet met Ye Qingzhi, so he was a little skeptical.
“It’s true, it’s true. Let’s go, let’s go in,” Li Gang said, patting Zhang Yong’s arm and shouting, “Brother He, Sister-in-law, Xiaoyong and I have arrived. What delicious food have you prepared? I could smell the fragrance at the door.”
The two of them entered and saw Ye Qingzhi in an apron, stir-frying vegetables. The few children were helping to peel garlic and green onions.
After a look around, they saw He Qiming starting the fire behind the stove.
“You’re here. Hurry up and come in,” Ye Qingzhi said, seeing the things in their hands and feigning anger. “You came, but you didn’t have to bring anything.”
“It’s not anything valuable, just an extra dish,” Li Gang said, his eyes lighting up when he saw the pheasant and wild rabbit hanging there. “Brother He, did you go into the mountains?”
“I went this morning. Your sister-in-law’s cooking is not bad. You should eat more later,” He Qiming said, taking their things and putting them on the table, not being polite with them.
The meat dishes were already done, and the vegetables were quick to stir-fry. Ye Qingzhi had started to stir-fry them after they had arrived. Three meat dishes and three vegetable dishes, plus the roasted chicken Li Gang had brought, was even richer than the New Year.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have bought the roasted chicken. Is this muntjac meat?” Li Gang asked, eating two pieces in a row. “Sister-in-law’s cooking is really good. This is the most delicious muntjac meat I’ve ever eaten.”
Zhang Yong nodded. “Brother He is skilled and can catch a muntjac. Sister-in-law is skilled and can make the muntjac meat so delicious. A strong combination!”
“I just know a few home-cooked dishes. It’s not as good as you say,” Ye Qingzhi said modestly, then turned to serve the few children some meat. “There’s more in the pot. Eat more.”
She had cooked a whole chicken and a rabbit, and also half a muntjac. They could eat to their heart’s content tonight.
“Brother He, about your younger brother’s job, I’ve already asked around. The one who’s selling the job has offended someone in the factory and can’t stay on, so he wants to sell the job. If your younger brother buys it, he probably won’t be able to last long either. The money is basically wasted,” Li Gang said in a low voice.
He Qiming nodded. “I know. Thanks, Gangzi.”
After a full meal, the two of them walked Li Gang and the others to the village entrance. On the way back, Ye Qingzhi asked about the job.
“Are you really not going to do anything about it?” Ye Qingzhi had thought that He Qiming would step in.
“With the fifth and his wife’s personality, if I insist on stopping them, they will only think that I’m ruining their future. If I don’t stop them, and something happens, they will blame me for not insisting on stopping them back then. No matter what I do, it’s wrong. I might as well pretend I don’t know. Four hundred yuan, it’s a lesson bought,” He Qiming said, thinking of his younger brother and sister-in-law’s character. He sighed softly. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get involved, but that he couldn’t.
It would also reduce He Dali and their savings. Without that much money, they could only rely on his retirement money and would not always cause trouble for him and Qingzhi.