Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

That evening, Wang Dazhu and his wife, Wang An and his wife, Wang Yi, Wang Xiaomei and Wang Xiaoli, Huang Baoguo's family of five, Shen Wei and her daughter, and Zhao Cuiyun and her daughter, a total of 16 people, ate hot pot together at two tables.

As for the two little darlings, Happiness and Joy, they were giggling and practicing wrestling with the two little bear cubs. They were wrestling quite energetically, and they were really into it.

Seeing how happily the two children were playing with the two bear cubs, Wang An's idea of ​​sending the bear cubs away began to waver.

Wang An originally put the two bear cubs in a cage, intending to keep them temporarily and sell them when he found a suitable opportunity.

Little did they know when Wang Xiaomei, Wang Xiaoli, Xiao Lai, and Huang Ying had taken the two of them out again.

But kids are like that; they only play for a short time, so the four of them stopped playing with the two little bears after a while.

Happiness and Joy, being very curious, continued playing with the two bear cubs.

Turning his head, Wang An said to Mu Xueqing:

"I don't know if Brother Wu and the others have managed to get me in touch with a circus yet. If they have, I'll try to sell these two bear cubs as soon as possible."

Looking at the two little ones who had been playing with the bear cubs without needing her supervision, Mu Xueqing's pretty face showed a hint of conflict as she said:

"Why don't we wait for now? Actually, things are fine as they are. Look how happy Happiness and Joy are having."

Wang An looked at Mu Xueqing with some surprise, and said with a smile:

"Hehehe, that's pretty good. I think you just don't want to take care of the kids, huh? With these two little devils playing with them, you're completely free, aren't you?"

Caught off guard, Mu Xueqing blushed and retorted:

"What do you mean? You're just talking nonsense. My own son and daughter, why wouldn't I want to coax them? I think it's you, the father, who doesn't want to coax the children. Humph, you're just talking about me."

To be honest, soothing a child seems easy and effortless, but in reality, only those who have actually done it know how tough it is!
One minute it's thirsty, the next it's hungry, then it needs to poop, then it needs to pee, then it wants this, then it wants that, then it trips up and cries, then it does something else.
In short, anyone who has ever personally comforted a child knows that there is no more exhausting task than comforting a child, especially a toddler who can already walk. If you can't keep an eye on them, you won't know where they've gone.

Leaving aside his own two little ones, Wang An had a profound experience when Wang Dazhu and his wife asked him to stay home to take care of a younger brother and two younger sisters.

The days spent soothing a child were incredibly long and agonizing, a truly unbearable ordeal.

Therefore, Wang An could actually understand Mu Xueqing's mindset very well.

After Mu Xueqing finished speaking, Wang An smiled slightly and said without lying:

"I can manage to soothe them for a while, but I definitely wouldn't want to soothe them every single day. Let me tell you, back when our parents were working in the fields to earn work points, they left Xiao Yi, Xiao Mei, and Xiao Li to me to look after. Oh my god, those days were so damn tough."

Hearing Wang An's complaining words, Liu Guilan immediately retorted:

"Come on, give me a break! You think you can take care of them all? How dare you say that? You only get a few days off to look after the kids, and when have you ever been on time? It's always something else, you're nowhere to be seen all day. How many times have you actually looked after Xiaomei and Xiaoli? It's all Xiaoyi who's been watching over them. And you still have the nerve to say that?" Liu Guilan's merciless revelation immediately made everyone at both tables burst into laughter at Wang An. Even though Wang An was thick-skinned enough, he was instantly embarrassed and speechless.

Wang An is 6 years older than Wang Yi, Wang Yi is 7 years older than Wang Xiaomei, and Wang Xiaomei is 1 year older than Wang Xiaoli. Therefore, Wang Xiaomei and Wang Xiaoli are usually looked after by Wang Yi, and they don't really have much of a relationship with Wang An.

Wang An clicked his tongue and tried to defend himself, saying:

"Well, I was busy taking bird eggs for the three of them, catching wild duck and goose eggs, and you know, catching big-eyed thieves and squirrels, so I wasn't idle either."

Every year, migratory birds such as geese, wild ducks, and red-crowned cranes come to the marshes and wetlands of Northeast China to breed, and many birds also build nests and lay eggs in the forests.

So the children in the village would try to collect the eggs from their nests, and cook them by roasting or boiling them. They tasted good no matter how they were cooked, and most importantly, they were very filling.

There was no other way; in those times of scarcity, people were truly hungry!
However, whether it's climbing trees to steal bird eggs or going to the swamp to collect wild duck or goose eggs, these are all very dangerous activities.

Because there are poisonous snakes, insects, and bees in the trees, and the swamp is even more dangerous, as it can easily swallow a person whole.

However, children in this era are probably lucky; there aren't many who actually die in this way.

Upon hearing this, Liu Guilan retorted with even greater disdain:

"You haven't found a single nest of eggs in days, and you have the nerve to say that? If it were based on the few bird eggs you brought back, your brother and your two sisters would have starved to death long ago."

After Liu Guilan finished speaking, the laughter from the crowd grew even louder, and Wang An's old face turned even redder.

The main point is that what Liu Guilan said is indeed correct, because everyone in the area knows that there are a considerable number of wild duck eggs and goose eggs in the swamp, but in reality, very few bird eggs are actually brought out of the swamp.

Because swamps are usually large, with the largest swamps covering an area of ​​tens of square kilometers, people can only move around on the outskirts.

The key issue is that nobody knows where the mud is deep and where it's shallow. If you accidentally fall into a mud pit, you're basically doomed, and not even a bone fragment will be left.

Therefore, people can only occasionally find wild duck eggs and goose eggs in relatively safe areas on the outskirts of the swamp. Want to find more? That's just wishful thinking.

We can't risk our lives for a few wild duck eggs and goose eggs, can we? Who do you think we're stupid?

Hearing the laughter of the crowd, Wang An, unable to contain himself any longer, said:

"Mom, what's wrong with you today? I'm your own son, why do you keep bringing up my past?"

As soon as Wang An finished speaking, Liu Guilan couldn't help but laugh, pretending to comfort him:
"Oh dear, oh dear, it's all my fault. Look, look! My eldest son is ashamed of me. He's blushing now. Hahahaha."

As Liu Guilan finished speaking, the people in the room laughed even louder!
(End of this chapter)