Chapter 76: Even More Lively Than the New Year

Those explanations were merely for outsiders. Both Tang Xin and the Li parents could see through it—Li Sheng had gone up the mountain on purpose, and it was clear that the wild boar had been wounded by him. He must have intended to kill it, but ended up only injuring the animal.

Tang Xin, like Mrs. Fang, was more concerned about whether Li Sheng was truly unhurt. Meng Jia also joined the commotion with the other educated youth, but truth be told, she wasn't very interested in such matters. In her past life, she had spent time with Lu Liqin and Tang Xin as a married couple, and had seen plenty of good things. She'd eaten all sorts of delicacies—what wild game hadn't she tasted?

Having experienced so much fine food, she naturally didn't care for wild boar. Yet, watching the villagers get so excited over one wild boar, as if it were the New Year, Meng Jia felt even more disdain in her heart. They truly were a bunch of country folk who'd never seen the world—especially when she saw Tang Xin, mingling among the villagers with Mrs. Li, waiting to receive a share of the boar meat. She sneered with contempt, even curling her lip in discomfort.

Little did she know, while she looked down on the villagers, her superior attitude did not go unnoticed. Several village women exchanged glances, equally unimpressed with this so-called Meng the Educated Youth. In the past, the villagers gossiped most about Tang the Educated Youth, mainly due to her young-lady airs, which many of the wives and mothers-in-law found intolerable. As for Meng, outwardly she always seemed gentle and meek, a pitiable figure easily bullied.

But after Tang Xin married into their brigade—and broke off with her so-called good friend Meng—the villagers began to see things differently. Rumors they'd heard before started making sense after witnessing a few incidents firsthand. It seemed the talk was true: Meng the Educated Youth was the real troublemaker. Judging by her behavior, she must have bullied Tang Xin quite a bit in the past.

The women decided that, when they had the chance, they would tell the Li family to keep their daughter-in-law away from Meng, lest she be taken advantage of and still end up counting the money for her.

When the boar was finally brought back, the entire Harvest Brigade erupted with excitement—it was livelier than New Year's. The boar was an impressive beast, weighing at least four hundred pounds. After it was slaughtered, there was a good one or two hundred pounds more meat than a domestic pig would yield. With fewer than a hundred households in the brigade, every family got about six or seven pounds of meat.

The Li family received the most—ten full pounds—since it was entirely Li Sheng’s doing that the boar had been found.

There were also various offal and trotters, which most people did not care for, so the brigade leader let Mrs. Li take plenty home. Her daughter-in-law liked soup, so Mrs. Fang planned to make some nourishing broth for her.

After the boar meat was divided, for days on end, the aroma of cooking pork drifted from every household in Harvest Brigade. Everyone indulged, feeling that life was even better than during the New Year. The main difference was that when the New Year came, it was already deep winter and cold enough to keep the meat for some time. It could be cured or smoked and saved for later. Now, though winter had arrived, the early winter weather was fickle—some days hot, some cold, and recently it had been bright and sunny.

So the wild boar meat couldn’t be stored for long. Moreover, while domestic pigs had plenty of fat for rendering lard, wild boar yielded mostly lean meat and hardly any fat. This boar was clearly full grown, its meat especially chewy. Since it was a rare treat and couldn’t be kept, everyone simply ate their fill, putting some real nourishment into their bellies.

After a good meal like this, no one would crave meat again for at least a month or two.

The Li family, especially, made the most of it. With Li Sheng’s contribution, they received more than others, and Mrs. Fang knew her daughter-in-law was fond of meat. So they cooked generously, making sure everyone was happy.

Mrs. Fang, determined to make the best of it, seasoned the stew with spices and braised the wild boar meat over a high flame. When the meat was half-done, she added sliced potatoes. The resulting aroma was divine, wafting through the entire courtyard.

Ordinarily, Mrs. Fang might have set aside something special just for her daughter-in-law, letting the others make do with what was left. She knew Tang Xin was kind-hearted and would feel awkward eating better than everyone else. But this time, there was no need to make two meals—everyone ate their fill together, and Li Kai, satisfied and full, kept sighing with contentment:

“I wonder when the day will come when we can eat our fill of meat at every meal.”

Tang Xin looked at him and merely smiled without saying a word.

Boss Li, in the future, you probably won’t even care for such simple pork anymore.

She could easily imagine that in the future, Boss Li, busy with business and socializing, would be feasting on banquets daily, and no longer care for mere fish and meat.

That night, after the family had finished their meal and rested, Li Sheng took his wife out for a walk to help digest. In recent days, Tang Xin had not been in the best spirits, but now, with her husband safely returned and a hearty meal behind her, she was truly happy and had eaten a bit too much. Besides, she had many private things she wished to say to her Li Sheng, which wasn’t convenient at home.

Those little rascals were so mischievous—if it wasn’t bedtime, they would sometimes sneak outside the room and try to eavesdrop. The mud-brick walls didn’t offer much soundproofing, and Tang Xin knew they meant no harm. But explaining the concept of privacy to children was a losing battle.

It was much better to find a secluded grove outside for their talk, which could easily turn into a little date.

Laughing to herself, Tang Xin thought, wasn’t her and Li Sheng’s situation just like those “married first, fall in love later” stories she’d read? They hadn’t had enough time to truly communicate before marriage—just a mutual liking, then marriage, and now, after, slowly building their relationship.

Li Sheng carried a flashlight in one hand and held his wife’s small hand in the other, leading Tang Xin to the tree-lined path outside the brigade headquarters for a walk. It wasn’t like summer—most families, after dinner, simply went to bed. Few people understood the educated youth’s habit of going for a walk to help digest their food. In their eyes, the educated youth were just idle and had nothing better to do.

Li Sheng himself didn’t quite understand Tang Xin's intentions, but he had one great strength: as long as it was his wife’s wish, he would do his best to fulfill it.

With so few people around, they could finally relax. Using the excuse that she was a little cold, Tang Xin snuggled directly into Li Sheng’s arms.

“Li Sheng, during the month you were gone, I couldn’t eat or sleep well—I was restless day and night. But now you’re finally back, and everything is all right.”

While her parents-in-law worked together in the kitchen, chopping bones and preparing meat, Tang Xin had cornered Li Sheng in their room, refusing to let him dodge with excuses. She stripped him down completely and examined him from head to toe, carefully checking every inch.