After Yao Fulang said his piece, he gave Li Qiang’s back a couple of light slaps and turned back to chatting with Lu Liu.
“Sanmiao’s feast is going to be great—they’ve saved up plenty of good dishes. I love snake soup, and I asked Auntie to save me a bowl. Want to try it? I’ll split it with you.”
Ever since Lu Liu had shared half of his meat pie with him, Yao Fulang had felt a real fondness for him. Now that there was something tasty, he was happy to share in return.
Lu Liu had never eaten snake soup before. Just the idea of snake made him lose all sleepiness. He shook his head quickly, “No, I don’t want it.”
Yao Fulang knew how to push his buttons and grinned slyly.
“You can’t be scared! Your Big Feng loves it! He even knows how to catch snakes. If you’re scared, then next time he’s craving snake, what’s he supposed to do? Go find another little husband to cook it for him?”
Lu Liu’s eyes went wide, and he blurted out, “I’m not scared!”
That made Yao Fulang laugh so hard he pounded the side of the cart like a drum.
Lu Liu’s face turned red as a tomato. Now he felt too embarrassed to lean on Li Feng, and tried to scoot away a bit. But Li Feng caught his hand, gave it a squeeze, and said, “I don’t eat snake that often.”
And truly, he didn’t eat it at home. Back when he was a bachelor—especially after Er Tian got married—Li Feng rarely stayed home. He’d head off to the mountains for months at a time, eating whatever he could find.
Snakes were everywhere in the mountains. Take a few steps, and you could catch one without trying. He’d gotten sick of eating them. Any he could bring down the mountain, he’d rather sell for cash.
But still—snake soup might be worth trying. Once it’s stewed, it’s just chunks of meat; you can’t even tell it’s snake.
The soup was nourishing, too. They chopped the snake into sections, took out the bones, and simmered it with mushrooms, black fungus, and other mountain goodies. The broth turned out rich and sweet, and the snake meat looked like strips of fish. If you didn’t know, you’d think it was fish.
Lu Liu still hadn’t kicked his bad habit of craving tasty things. After hearing Li Feng describe it, he started to want some.
“How about… I ask Yao Fulang to give me a couple of pieces?”
Li Feng thought of how quick Lu Liu was with his chopsticks. His little husband wouldn’t need anyone to hand him food—he’d probably rule the banquet table.
They joked and laughed all the way to the new village. Once they arrived, Lu Liu went home first to join his mother-in-law and Shun. Yao Fulang went off to help at Sanmiao’s, but not before promising Lu Liu, “Don’t worry, big brother’s got your back—I’ll save you something good!”
Shun had been up early and heard them outside. He came out just in time to hear that last bit, and his big bright eyes locked right onto Lu Liu.
“Big sis! Save some for me too!”
Being the youngest of the brothers, Shun had gone through some lean times. Luckily their mom, Chen Guizhi, was a fierce woman—nobody dared barge in and steal their food. When she was in charge of the kitchen, Shun’s bowl was never empty. At home, he’d never had to fight for a bite.
But at village feasts? That was a different story. A handful of times a year they got a banquet, and every time, he got outcompeted for the good stuff. The only way he managed to snag a piece of meat was to stick close to Mom.
But now things were looking up. His new sister-in-law had skills—maybe he’d score two bites!
Lu Liu had no idea of his own reputation. Shun’s hopeful eyes stared at him, and Lu Liu thought: I’m a big brother now. I can’t let my little brother down.
He made up his mind—at the feast, he’d go all out and get Shun a good helping.
That morning at home, Lu Liu had already done some chores, especially in the kitchen. He’d tidied it top to bottom, wiped down the salt jar, the oil jar, made everything look fresh and neat.
Chen Guizhi hadn’t asked him to work—she kept telling him to rest.
The two families cooked separately now. It was as good as splitting the household. Before, the eldest son had supported her; now it was the second son’s turn. No one could call her unfair.
Since it was like living apart anyway, she didn’t ask much of Lu Liu. And by rights, he didn’t need to work.
But today, she had something on her mind. She’d eaten two whole pig stomachs lately, and it was making her uneasy. She figured she’d ask Lu Liu while Li Feng was out.
Who knew Lu Liu would be so diligent? The moment she tried to talk, he’d dart off to find more chores. By the time she got him to sit down, the kitchen was spotless.
Finally, Chen Guizhi gave him a look, and Lu Liu, seeing she meant business, sat down quietly at the table. The room was bright with the morning light streaming in from the east window. They sat facing each other across the table.
She fixed him with a sharp look. “What’s with Big Feng, always telling you to make me pig stomach soup? You two strike it rich or something? Got money burning a hole in your pockets?”
Lu Liu didn’t dare meet her gaze. He knew it was because he wasn’t any good, and Big Feng was trying to help. His voice came out small.
“He cares about you… said you liked it. When we stocked up for the New Year, he bought lots of meat, and a few pig stomachs too, asked me to cook them for you.”
When she asked how many, Lu Liu said, “Three.”
“There’s still one left. I’ll cook it soon.”
It was cold enough the food kept well—but without heavy snow, they couldn’t stretch it out much longer. Better to cook it before it spoiled, even if it meant she’d get tired of the taste.
Chen Guizhi frowned even deeper. Two whole pig stomachs—what on earth was going on?
She narrowed her eyes. “Was it you that asked him to buy them?”
Lu Liu waved his hands and shook his head. “No, it wasn’t me. I didn’t even know you liked pig stomach. I’ve never eaten it before myself.”
Chen Guizhi gave him a sharp look. “Then it must be because he’s done something guilty. I raised him over twenty years—never cared so much before, and now out of nowhere he’s buying all this pig stomach? I’m telling you, that man’s hiding something!”
And truthfully, she wasn’t wrong—but Lu Liu didn’t have a clue.
All he could think about was helping Li Feng explain. He got so flustered, he let something slip.
“He said if I cooked tasty pig stomach and you liked it, then you’d like me too.”
Chen Guizhi: “……”
What, did she come off as some kind of wicked mother-in-law who needed this kind of buttering up?
She gave a cold snort. Today, she was definitely going to get to the bottom of this with Da Feng.
For now, she didn’t say anything else and let Lu Liu go find Shun to play.
Lu Liu found Shun, his heart still thumping nervously. When Shun asked what was wrong, he repeated the whole story.
Shun blinked. “You guys didn’t do anything wrong—so why’re you trying to butter my mom up like that?”
Lu Liu thought about it, then said honestly, “Because we’re not around to care for her like we should be. Since we live apart, all we can really do is send her good food.”
Shun listened and nodded. That actually made sense.
Wanting both a good meal at the feast and a peaceful home life, he took it upon himself to talk to his mom, trying to calm her down.
Chen Guizhi rolled her eyes. “You’re as soft-headed as him.”
And so, two soft-hearted fools—Shun and Lu Liu—ended up going early to Sanmiao’s house to check out the dogs.
Lu Liu chattered away, telling all about how poor Er Huang was pining after another dog, only to be stopped by a domineering father, likely destined for heartbreak.
There weren’t any storytellers in the village, so tales like this were rare. Shun, just hitting that age when feelings start to stir, got all caught up in the dog’s tragic love story and insisted they go see Sanmiao’s handsome big dog.
Sanmiao’s hunting dog had a plain and simple name—just called Sanliang in order of birth.
It had sleek black and yellow fur. Though just as furry as other dogs, its build was striking—lean and powerful, never clumsy. Even an outsider like Lu Liu could tell this dog was something special.
Its fur pattern was beautiful too. From the eyes down, its muzzle was a pale cream color, and its chest and belly were the same—like it was wearing a scarf. The color was so light that in the sun, it almost looked white.
What really left an impression, though, was the triangular marking on its forehead. The fur there blurred at the edges, like a blessing from the mountain gods.
Shun called its name, and Sanliang trotted right over.
Lu Liu noticed its paws were white—bright, unmistakable white.
“So beautiful!” Lu Liu praised.
Shun held out his hand, and Sanliang placed a paw right in his palm.
“Sit,” Shun said, and Sanliang sat immediately, still resting its paw on Shun’s hand.
Only when Shun withdrew did Sanliang lower its paw, ears perked, alert and clever.
Lu Liu couldn’t resist. He reached out too. “Sanliang, shake!”
Sanliang looked at him for a moment, then finally lifted its paw and set it gently in Lu Liu’s hand.
A hunting dog’s paw wasn’t soft—its pads were calloused from the mountains, rough like sand and stone. But as Lu Liu curled his hand around it, his fingers brushed the fur on top. That part was warm, soft.
He couldn’t stop praising. “Good dog, you’re so pretty, and you feel so nice!”
