Xie Yan spoke the harsh truth, “I can’t leave you.”
Lu Yang was silent.
He was still silent when he suddenly smiled.
Laughing, he then nestled into Xie Yan’s arms.
“Alright, alright, we’ll go home together tomorrow.”
They agreed to go home together. However, the next day, when they left, Lu Yang parted ways with Xie Yan. He told Xie Yan to go to Lujia Village first while he went to Chenjia Bay.
“I’m going to visit a relative. I’ll come find you later, you go wait for me at my house.”
Xie Yan: “…”
Fine, whatever he said, that’s what it would be.
Meanwhile, in Li Village.
Li Feng had said it would snow, and that night, the weather indeed changed. The wind howled all night, and by morning, everything outside was a vast expanse of white.
The first snow of the season had fallen. Lu Liu, wearing a thick cotton coat, went out into the yard to take a look. He didn’t feel cold, then went over to check on the dog, Erhuang.
Erhuang, with its thick fur, was sleeping soundly in its nest.
Liu had recently gotten the dog accustomed to him. The bond between them had grown strong. When Erhuang caught his scent, it began wagging its tail. When Liu got closer, the dog lazily opened its eyes, stretched its front paws, and then circled around him, sniffing and rubbing against him.
This was quite affectionate, not like a hunting dog at all.
Lu Liu petted its head, then went to the back of the dog’s nest to check on the two rabbits.
Li Feng had trained Erhuang very well. The dog would only eat food put in its bowl, and because it often went hunting in the mountains, it wouldn’t touch caged prey that couldn’t move. It would even help guard them.
Since it was cold down in the valley, Lu Liu had gone out with Li Feng the past few days and decided to keep the rabbits in the dog’s nest for warmth.
After the snow fell, both the dog and the rabbits were fine.
Lu Liu gently patted the mother rabbit’s head. Seeing that it was alert, he felt reassured.
He had been feeding the rabbits carrots and cabbage these past few days. Based on his previous experience raising chickens, he always observed the animals’ waste to determine what to feed them next.
For example, in the last couple of days, the rabbits had been having loose stools, so Lu Liu stopped feeding them watery foods like carrots and cabbage. Also, with the snow, these foods were too cold, so he allowed the male rabbit to have a small amount, but the female rabbit needed better nourishment.
After thinking about it, Lu Liu went to the warehouse and dug out a bowl of grain. He used a small stone mill to grind the rice husks. The dry rice husks should be fine to feed the rabbits. He remembered that when his family couldn’t afford much, he had eaten rice husks too, and they were enough to survive, so feeding them to the rabbits should be fine.
Today, Li Feng didn’t go out, so breakfast was a little late.
Lu Liu first fed the rabbits, then added food for Erhuang before heading back to the house. He sat with Li Feng by the stove, waiting for the stew to finish while eating pancakes.
The pot had fish broth as its base, with fish, tofu, and radishes added, and there were ten pancakes cooked alongside it. The meal was warming as they ate.
After breakfast, Li Feng went to gather firewood and planned to deliver some to Old Chen.
Following their plan, Li Feng chose tree trunks about the thickness of two arms. After splitting them, they were perfect firewood.
Meanwhile, Lu Liu took the small pieces of sheepskin and rabbit fur that Li Feng had found for him, cutting them to size and sewing gloves.
The family didn’t have any cotton, but Lu Liu could take some from his old cotton jacket. Li Feng didn’t agree, though, and insisted he use the animal skins instead.
Just then, someone called from outside—it was Yaofu Lang, here to visit.
Lu Liu went out to welcome him, and Yaofu Lang sighed deeply. “I’ve known you for so long, and this is the first time I’ve come into your house.”
Lu Liu felt a little embarrassed and blushed as he smiled.
Yaofu Lang looked around inside the house. The large bed was spread out with a grass mat at the bottom. During the day, the quilt was rolled to the side, and the other half was covered with a felt mat where people could sit. Lu Liu was sitting cross-legged on it, a jacket draped over his legs as he worked on sewing at the heated table.
The large bed was immaculately tidy, not a bit messy. Next to him, the open bamboo basket contained the items needed for his sewing, each one neatly arranged.
The cabinet at the end of the bed was closed, hiding its contents. Under the bed, there was a small table with some daily-use items. There was also a stand with two wooden basins, one stacked on top of the other, and two cotton towels hanging from a wooden rod above.
Yao An remarked, “You’ve kept your place so clean. My house is a mess.”
Lu Liu didn’t like to go out. He stayed at home most of the time, and whenever he saw something out of place, he’d take care of it. He’d grown up this way; otherwise, one could easily become lazy. He didn’t mind doing things on the spot, and it didn’t feel tiring to finish something in a day. What he dreaded was letting things pile up. Once they accumulated, it could take days to finish, and just thinking about it was exhausting.
Yao An was still inspecting the animal skins and asked Lu Liu what he intended to make with them.
There were several pieces of animal skins, and Lu Liu planned to make a few more pairs of gloves.
Li Feng had said that his mother and San Shun already had theirs, so he wanted to make some for his two fathers and his brother.
Each piece of skin was small, just the right size for gloves.
Yao An took two pieces of animal skin and drew lines on them with a piece of charcoal to make cutting easier.
He said, “The snow’s already fallen, and you’re thinking of making gloves now? You’re still planning to give them away? By the time you finish, spring will have arrived.”
Lu Liu: “…”
“It’s not that late, is it?”
He chuckled a little and asked Yao An to help him out.
While Yao An was helping, he asked, “Has Li Feng gone up the mountain these past couple of days?”
Lu Liu hadn’t heard Li Feng mention it. “Does he still go up the mountain in this snow?”
Yao An laughed. “When it snows, footprints are easier to spot. That’s actually good for hunting. In previous winters, they always went hunting in the mountains after the snow had fallen.”
Lu Liu made a mental note of this, though his attention was elsewhere as he continued working on the gloves.
Yao An then said, “Ask Li Feng for me if he could take my Big Qiang along this time. He’s not a bad person, just talks too much. These past couple of years, my father-in-law hasn’t been going up the mountain, and Big Qiang has been alone. San Miao is close to Li Feng, but without Li Feng’s permission, he doesn’t dare to bring anyone else along. I’m really worried about him; could you ask?”
Lu Liu wasn’t familiar with hunting, so he only said he would ask Li Feng but didn’t promise anything.
Yao An seemed satisfied with this. Among hunters, there was competition. Big Qiang wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, and Li Feng didn’t have to take anyone with him if he didn’t want to.
But there was no serious grudge between the two families. If the two men exchanged a few words and things worked out, they could go hunting together. If they didn’t get along, there would be no pressure.
There were too many unknowns in the mountains, and it was better to hunt alone than to be with a difficult partner.
Yao An took two pieces of rabbit fur back with him, intending to help Lu Liu with making gloves. Lu Liu, feeling grateful, put down his sewing and went outside to find Li Feng.
Li Feng had finished gathering firewood and tidied up the shed. He stacked two rows of wood in the stove room and swept the snow off the roof and in the yard.
He was really quite diligent.
Lu Liu praised him. “I haven’t even started working yet, and you’ve already finished everything. I must be enjoying myself now.”
Li Feng clapped his hands, his smile barely contained. He replied, “Is this what you call enjoying yourself?”
Lu Liu chuckled twice before telling him about Yao An’s request.
“He asked me to inquire, so I’m asking.”
Whether or not to agree, it all depended on Li Feng.
Li Feng hadn’t planned to go into the mountains this month. He had just gotten married, and his mind was preoccupied. Things weren’t going smoothly on the second field, and his mother and San Shun couldn’t come over. He didn’t want Lu Liu to go alone to the new village, and he was even more worried about leaving him alone in the old village. He had even taken Erhuang with him, but Lu Liu would still feel anxious staying alone at home.
Besides, it had been a busy time. Tomorrow, he planned to deliver firewood to Chenjia Bay, then visit Lujia Village to check on his second uncle’s family. He’d take a small gift, introduce himself, and after the eighth day of the New Year, he would send a larger gift.
After these couple of days, they’d start making rice cakes, which would continue until San Miao got married.
Once the rice cakes were done, there would be a wedding banquet, and then they’d have to prepare for the New Year by cleaning and drying everything.
Li Feng was planning to assess the situation. If his mother and brother were willing to help him, he would go into the mountains and earn some money before the New Year. If he couldn’t manage, he’d stay home and help with the chores.
Due to the distance from the county, they often made their own cured meats, so they didn’t need to travel all the way to the county to buy them.
The meat was heavy, and it would be difficult for Lu Liu to cure and dry it on his own.
Lu Liu listened quietly to his plans. Hearing every word of Li Feng’s care and concern for him made his heart both warm and bitter, and his eyes filled with tears.
He said, “Li Feng, I really like you.”
Saying this about family matters, Lu Liu suddenly became emotional.
