Li Feng smiled, “I knew you’d like it.”
The wild persimmons in the mountains had already been picked once, and the green persimmons would become sweet if left alone, so they were often not left to ripen naturally.
The persimmons he picked were still high up, and earlier they had been covered by leaves, but once winter came, the leaves fell off, leaving only the orange-yellow fruits giving off a tempting sweet aroma.
He climbed the tree to pick them, but unfortunately there weren’t many.
Lu Liu’s eyes lit up when he saw the rabbit.
He had a new rabbit! This rabbit was definitely not related to the two rabbits at home, so it could be bred to produce offspring!
The rabbit was caught from its burrow and had no injuries, so it could be kept in a cage.
Since newly caught rabbits might escape, Li Feng placed it in the rabbit cage with the original male rabbit to prevent it from harming the female rabbit.
He took a small amount and fed it to the rabbit, but after seeing that it could eat it, he felt reluctant to give it up. This was different from rice bran and wheat bran; bean curd residue had to be purchased. Although the bean curd residue in their home was free.
After feeding it this time, Lu Liu stopped using bean curd residue as feed.
He followed Li Feng into the house, circling around him and helping him unload the goods from his back.
Weapons, leather bags, water bags, backpacks, leather coats. Once home, even if the boots couldn’t be worn, they had to be replaced with thinner cotton shoes.
Li Feng felt uncomfortable with sweat on his feet and wanted to just wear some cloth shoes.
Lu Liu refused to agree, saying that cold air enters the body through the feet, so how could he be so reckless just because he was in good health? What season was it now? He didn’t know how to take care of his body.
After persuading him, she brought him water to wash his face and wipe his sweat, and Li Feng even took off his clothes to wipe his body.
Lu Liu watched with wide eyes, seeing that there was not a single wound on his body. Finally reassured, she said to him, “I’ve tidied up the small shop. This afternoon, I’ll wash your dirty clothes. I’ve cleared out a few odds and ends from the house. Tomorrow, I’ll dust and sweep it again, air out the quilts, and that should be about it.”
Li Feng praised him for being so capable, and the two went to the main hall to eat together.
The steamed cured meat he wanted to eat was placed in front of him, along with a plate of stir-fried vegetables and mushrooms.
First, he was served half a bowl of congee with rice crusts to warm his body, and then he ate his meal.
He had a big appetite and didn’t care whether it was morning or evening.
While he was eating, Lu Liu placed an iron plate on the stove and put the meat-filled buns he had made on it to bake, making the crust even crispier.
Li Feng was well taken care of and smiled broadly.
“Little Liu, your cooking skills are getting better and better.”
Lu Liu was also eating the meat-filled buns, and they tasted pretty good. As his brother had said, the sauce was a bit sparse, but everything else was more or less the same.
In the future, making them at home would save money!
Lu Liu said, “Once Mother and Shun Ge move in, I’ll make meat-filled buns for them too.”
This meant Li Feng would have to work hard to earn money, there’s no fresh meat at home.
Lu Liu muttered to him, “Sanmiao won’t even go out.”
Li Feng laughed, “We’ll just go for a walk. I can take you with me. Do you want to come?”
Lu Liu wanted to go, but he was afraid of holding them back, so he said no.
“I’m busy. I’m a young man with important things to do.”
His shop had opened!
He counted the money for Li Feng. Today, people came to buy wine, two pounds at a time, and the silver coins came in twenty coins at a time.
They had already spent the cost, so Lu Liu didn’t think about it for now. In any case, they sold sixteen pounds of wine today and earned one hundred and sixty silver coins!
After calculating the profit, there were only sixteen silver coins left.
That was good enough. Li Feng praised him again, making Lu Liu feel elated. While eating, his legs swung back and forth under the bench, kicking Li Feng several times.
In the evening, the couple hurried back to their room to review their characters.
There was nothing else to do before the New Year, and Lu Liu was busy but organized. Recently, Yao Fulang had come to help, so the inside and outside of the house were tidied up quickly.
In the days leading up to the New Year, everyone had finished their chores. Yao Fulang went home once, invited his sister-in-law from his mother’s side, and his childhood friends, and had his mother help gather a few more people. During the day, they chatted and talked at Lu Liu’s place.
Tea was plentiful, and sunflower seeds were either brought by themselves or bought from the small shop.
As the crowd grew, more people came.
The small shop was filled with everyday items, but during the market, everyone had already stocked up. As Li Feng had anticipated, many people were fond of alcohol and had already finished their supplies. Additionally, since they sold alcohol, they could provide a backup, and some who had previously resisted their cravings could no longer hold back and had also finished their supplies. Once they’d finished drinking, they came to buy more.
Before the New Year, they sold fifty pounds of wine, and the first two jars they brought back were sold out.
On New Year’s Eve, they didn’t open the shop. The couple packed up their things and went to the new village to eat the New Year’s dinner.
Li Feng had already discussed it with Lu Liu beforehand. Tonight, they would divide the family, and he had also explained how it would be done.
Lu Liu asked his older brother, but when the family gathered, it wasn’t his place to speak.
Since Wang Meng didn’t have any good goods, Li Feng didn’t go to the county before the New Year, so he couldn’t take the beehive from Yao Fulang’s family to exchange for money. They had set the date for the fifth day of the New Year, but the couple didn’t rush them.
As the car passed by their door, Yao Fulang called out to them, “Are you coming back tonight?”
Lu Liu said, “No, we’re staying in the new village for the New Year’s Eve vigil. Keep an eye out for us!”
On the way down the mountain, they passed by Wang Meng and Chen Jiu’s house. The couple had pasted couplets on their door, and Wang Meng also called out to them.
“Are you coming back tonight? Come to my house for a bowl of soup!”
Chen Jiu glared at Wang Meng.
Wang Meng didn’t take it seriously.
The man called out, and Li Feng responded.
Li Feng said, “We’re not coming back. Check on the mountain goods at home and take care of my business. Next year, I’ll treat you to a bowl!”
The words were spoken lightly, but next year was just tomorrow, and Wang Meng smiled and agreed.
Li Feng promised Lu Yang that on the fifth day of the first month, he would bring two cartloads of mountain produce to Lu Yang to stock his shop.
At this time of year, mountain produce was hard to come by. He asked his brothers to help out with the business, and with a few families chipping in, two cartloads would be enough.
As brothers, credit was no problem.
Once the payment for the goods is settled, Li Feng will go to the mountains to earn some silver. When it’s time to collect the mountain goods, he will cover the cost first, and Lu Yang will pay him back. The payment will only involve the two of them, not a third party.
The New Year’s feast is a celebration of the year’s harvest and a hope for the coming year, so every family will prepare delicious food.
Their family was dividing their assets, but Chen Guizhi wasn’t stingy—there was fish and meat.
It had been agreed earlier that the male rabbit would be slaughtered for the New Year’s feast.
Li Feng slaughtered the rabbit, and Lu Liu wanted to learn, so he watched from the side.
Li Feng looked at Lu Liu a few more times, and Lu Liu was puzzled and asked him, “What’s wrong?”
Li Feng said, “Most young men are afraid of this.”
Lu Liu wasn’t afraid: “I can kill chickens and fish!”
Li Feng didn’t hold back.
When they slaughtered the rabbit, they stunned it by hitting it with a heavy object or smashing it against the wall.
The fur was useful, but he didn’t keep the entire skin. He would first stun the rabbit to kill it and bleed it out, then peel off the skin.
He was an expert. The rabbit was only this big. He would slam it against the wall to stun it, then slit its throat with a knife to bleed it out, and finally cut along the knife wound to peel off the skin, combining cutting and tearing. The process took about the same time as killing a chicken.
