There were about a dozen wild eggs.
Xue Yue made a small nest in the wild vegetables in her basket, then carefully placed the eggs inside, afraid of breaking even one.
After gathering the eggs, Xue Yue sat down to wait for He Lang to come back up.
A short while later, He Lang returned with the wood-cutting knife and a rope.
Seeing He Lang, Xue Yue danced with joy.
"He Lang, He Lang, guess what I found?"
He Lang chuckled and leaned closer. "What treasure did you find?"
Xue Yue held up the basket for him to see. "Look, wild eggs."
"Whoa, not bad. You actually found wild eggs."
"Right? I feel so lucky today. For lunch, I want scrambled eggs with shepherd's purse and mushroom soup." Xue Yue touched her chin and tilted her head, delicious food flashing through her mind.
He Lang looked at Xue Yue's silly expression and laughed out loud.
"Didn't we say we were having pork ribs for lunch today?"
Xue Yue pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Oh, right. We are having pork ribs. What should I do? I suddenly feel so rich."
"Hahaha." He Lang roared with laughter. It had been a long time since he had laughed so heartily.
Xue Yue stared at He Lang's laughing face, finding herself lost in the sight.
He Lang reached out and poked Xue Yue's forehead. "Come back to earth. I know I'm handsome, but the way you're looking at me... it's like you want to eat me up in one bite, just like those pork ribs for lunch."
Xue Yue lifted her eyes and met He Lang's smiling face, her own face suddenly turning bright red.
Then she turned away, avoiding his gaze.
"You should get back to chopping wood. I'm heading back to prepare the ribs."
Xue Yue walked down the mountain with the basket, her steps flustered.
Xue Yue was a little annoyed with herself. 'Good-looking men really are a distraction, especially one as handsome as him. He's like a male fox spirit.'
Xue Yue patted her chest and let out a long breath.
The aroma of pork ribs filled the entire courtyard. The ribs were cut into small pieces and braised with potatoes, with a ring of corn cakes stuck to the side of the pot.
Gao Cuiyun and her two children were eating bowls of cornmeal mush, steamed corn buns, and a small dish of pickled vegetables. Smelling the fragrant pork ribs was pure torture.
"How can anyone eat with this going on?" Gao Cuiyun muttered under her breath, her eyes constantly darting toward Xue Yue's part of the courtyard.
Her two little ones felt the same. Xiao Yang said to Gao Cuiyun, "Mom, I want to eat meat too."
Gao Cuiyun whispered to her two children, "Your Third Uncle's family is eating meat. Go ask him for some. He used to dote on you and give you any tasty food he had. Now that he's married, he doesn't give you anything anymore."
Xiao Yang glanced at his older brother, as if to ask if they should go.
Little Chen shook his head. "Mom, Grandma said we shouldn't take things from other people's homes, especially when they're eating."
Gao Cuiyun cursed angrily, "Useless things! How did I give birth to two fools like you? And you still want to eat meat? Were you a starving ghost in your past life? Eat meat? In your dreams! Or how about I cut off some of my own flesh for you to eat?"
Gao Cuiyun's scolding grew louder, echoing through the courtyard, accompanied by Xiao Yang's crying.
The first branch of the family was also eating in their room. Tuanzi kept poking the rice in his bowl with his chopsticks, sniffing the air continuously.
Guo Jinfeng glanced at her son and said to He Nan, "Third Brother's family really doesn't know how to manage their lives. They just split from the family and they're already eating meat."
He Nan glanced at the courtyard. "We've already split from the family. We can't control what others eat. If you're craving it, I'll go buy a pound of meat another day to satisfy you."
Guo Jinfeng quickly shook her head. "Don't! We just had meat at Third Brother's wedding banquet, so I'm not craving it now. We have so little money; we have to spend it sparingly."
Guo Jinfeng had just received over a hundred yuan and was now unwilling to spend even a single dime.
"Mom, I want meat. The meat smells so good." Tuanzi put down his chopsticks, his round eyes staring at Guo Jinfeng.
Guo Jinfeng patted Tuanzi's head. "We're not craving meat. How about Mommy goes and boils an egg for you in a little bit?"
Tuanzi thought for a moment, decided that eggs were also delicious, and nodded. "Okay."
In the main house, Mrs. He said to Mr. He, "Just listen to Second Brother's wife. All she does all day is scold her children. It's perfectly normal for a child to crave meat. Even I'm craving it just from the smell. You have to admit, Third Brother's wife is a really good cook."
Mr. He was smoking his water pipe and didn't say a word, but he still took a deep sniff of the aroma.
As soon as He Lang entered the courtyard, he heard the scolding from the second house. He glanced at his own pot, then saw Xue Yue squatting in the yard, calmly cleaning the wild vegetables they had picked that morning, as if she hadn't heard a thing.
He Lang's expression darkened slightly. He placed the firewood against the wall and went to the well to wash his hands.
Xue Yue saw him. "You're back. Let's eat!"
She wiped her hands and lifted the pot lid.
Xue Yue took a large bowl and ladled it full of potatoes and pork ribs. Seeing He Lang approach, she handed it to him.
"Take this to Dad and Mom."
He Lang glanced at Xue Yue, took the bowl, and walked toward the main house.
When Mrs. He saw her third son walk in with the bowl, she quickly said, "Third Brother, you two should eat. Why did you bring it to us?"
He Lang smiled and said, "Mom, don't say that. If you and Dad don't get to eat, we won't be able to enjoy it either. Go on, eat. Your daughter-in-law specifically asked me to bring this for you and Dad to try. I'll leave it here. I'm going back to eat now."
Mrs. He grabbed He Lang's arm and whispered, "Go back and tell your wife not to mind what your Second Sister-in-law says. That's just how she is."
"I know."
Mrs. He watched He Lang leave before turning back to the ribs on the table, only to see the old man had already picked up a piece and was bringing it to his mouth.
"You old coot! From your reaction earlier, I thought you weren't interested. Wait a minute, let me get a bowl and set aside a few pieces. I'll call those three little rascals in later and give them two pieces each."
Although Mrs. He disliked Gao Cuiyun, she still doted on her grandchildren.
"Oh, these potatoes have absorbed all the flavor. Delicious." Mrs. He had been worried about her third son and his wife, thinking he was too unrestrained and his wife was too young. But now, seeing this meal, she felt reassured.
The potatoes and pork ribs were delicious, and the corn cakes were fragrant when dipped in the meaty broth. Both Xue Yue and He Lang satisfied their cravings.
Because Xue Yue had made a large batch, there was still a big bowl left over.
Xue Yue had originally planned, since they were having a rare meat dish, to send a small bowl to the first and second branches of the family, in addition to Mr. and Mrs. He, to let the children have a taste. But after hearing her Second Sister-in-law scolding her children and making pointed remarks about her, Xue Yue suddenly didn't feel like giving them any.
'Who cares? What does it have to do with me?'
'We're all going to be living in this courtyard together. Am I supposed to feel guilty and obligated to share every time I make a nice meal? That's no way to live.'
In the afternoon, Xue Yue didn't stay idle. She went up the mountain again with He Lang and the others. He Nan went too. They had left the previous stock of firewood for their parents, so they needed to chop some more now.
The two brothers went to chop wood, while Xue Yue picked wild vegetables nearby, gathering any stray branches she found as well.
Just then, the sound of voices came from down the mountain, and a group of young men and women walked up.
Xue Yue glanced down and saw the three girls from the ox-cart the other day among them. 'They must be the educated youth,' she thought.
Xue Yue lowered her head and continued gathering firewood.
The educated youth saw Xue Yue too, but since she was a new bride, they didn't recognize her.
Xue Yue was very pretty, so a couple of tactless guys, seeing a female comrade gathering firewood alone whom they'd never seen before, assumed she wasn't from Da Liushu Village and eagerly approached her.
"Comrade, why are you gathering firewood all by yourself? Let me help you. Oh, I'm an educated youth from the city." Meng Weijie's voice was clear, and his eyes were fixed on Xue Yue.
"Thank you, but no thank you," Xue Yue refused.
"Meng Weijie, what exactly did you come up here for? Do you even know her? And you're already trying to suck up to her." A girl mocked Meng Weijie, glaring at Xue Yue as she spoke.
It was obvious she had a crush on Meng Weijie.
"Yeah, Mr. Meng, don't tell us you're just hitting on her because she's pretty, are you?"
Meng Weijie's face flushed. "What nonsense are you spouting? We came here to help the rural people. Shouldn't we all be helping each other?"
"Oh? Then how come you never help us?"
The educated youth continued to tease him.
Xue Yue lowered her head and rolled her eyes. 'I was just trying to mind my own business and gather some firewood. How did I end up with a swarm of flies buzzing in my ear?'
Xue Yue decided to move to another spot.
"Hey, are you from this village? How come I've never seen you before?" The one who spoke was the same girl who had mocked Meng Weijie.
Xue Yue gave the group—five men and four women—an emotionless glance. 'They all look so prim and proper.'
"Is that any of your business?"
Xue Yue picked up the small pile of firewood she had gathered and walked off in the direction where He Lang and He Nan were chopping wood.
"Hey, what kind of attitude is that? I was just asking you a question. Why are you being so sarcastic?"