Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

The Zhou family home, which was somewhat quiet at noon, was now bustling with activity.

"Wow—bro, you're amazing! That wild boar was huge!"

When Zhou Ming saw the cut and arranged pork, his mouth formed an exaggerated "O" shape.

Zhou Rui helped his grandfather, Zhou Yong'an, walk shakily to the front, with his grandmother following behind. They also saw the wild boar meat on display.

"Good child, are you hurt? Let Grandma take a look."

Grandma Meng Dan had just been complaining that the old man still wanted to go and borrow grain, but when she came into the house and saw the wild boar meat, her face was full of heartache.

She happened to lift Zhou Rui's injured arm, and saw that it was bright red.

Grandpa Zhou Yong'an naturally saw it too, and then gave Zhou Shiwei a reproachful look.

Seeing this, Zhou Rui quickly changed the subject.

"Grandpa, Grandma, today we're having rice with pork lard, stir-frying some cabbage with pork cracklings, and then making soup with some sliced ​​meat!"

"Just imagine the taste, it must be absolutely delicious and satisfying!"

......

"Hey bro, bring me the washed cabbage."

"Second brother, the corn rice is ready now, it won't be good if you steam it any longer—"

Zhou Shijie took down the bamboo steamer, lifted the lid, and a rich aroma of corn rice filled the entire room. He greedily inhaled the aroma through his nose.

The steamed rice in this pot is the very rice that Zhou Rui and his son just exchanged with Aunt Li.

The whole family was starving.

Zhou Rui let his grandparents sit down and rest.

He then scooped some of the fried pork cracklings into a bowl, added a little salt and a little chili, and stirred it well.

Finally, he served it to the two elderly people as a snack, and only after finishing everything did he go to the stove to work.

Zhou Rui and his father Zhou Shiwei were busy at the stove.

Zhou Rui was in charge of cooking. He stood by the stove. The lard had not yet solidified. He scooped some lard into the iron pot with a spoon, then bent down and added a few pieces of firewood to the fire.

The oil temperature quickly rose, and he seized the opportunity to pour the cracklings into the pot and stir-fry them quickly. The cracklings, which were already steaming hot, did not need to be heated any further.

After stir-frying for only three to five seconds, she dumped all the cabbage that her younger brother Zhou Ming had brought in at once.

stab-

As steam entered the pot, the room, already filled with the aroma of corn rice, was filled with an even richer fragrance.

Zhou Rui unconsciously swallowed; he was extremely hungry.

The father, Zhou Shiwei, is making sliced ​​meat soup.

It's called meat slice soup, but it's actually just boiled chopped wild boar meat in water, then some lard is added, and finally a handful of pea shoots are sprinkled on top when it's done.

"Mom and Dad, it smells so good! Did you manage to borrow some food?"

A woman's voice came from the inner room; it was Zhou Rui's mother, greeting her grandparents.

Soon, a middle-aged woman around forty years old walked into the stove and was surprised to see her eldest son cooking.

"Son, I heard you hunted a wild boar? As expected of my eldest son, you're quite capable."

Zhou Rui's mother, Zeng Jiamei, was generous with her praise, and gave Zhou Rui a thumbs up as he stood by the stove.

Zhou Rui just chuckled. "Hehe, Mom, we're having a big meal tonight, a real meat feast!"

Zhou Shiwei didn't turn around, but his tone was full of concern.

"Xiaomei, how about you and your sister-in-law go to the street to sell shoe soles? Do they sell well?"

It turned out that Zeng Jiamei and her second aunt had gone to the street to sell the shoe soles they usually sewed.

As Zeng Jiamei took the large bowl and ladled out meat soup for her husband, she sighed softly.

"Sigh—they're not selling well. These days, every household makes their own shoe soles, so there are still few people willing to spend money to buy them."

"Thank goodness we have our child."

As she spoke, Zeng Jiamei once again gave Zhou Rui an approving look.

Zhou Shiwei echoed:

"Yes, our eldest son is very promising."

In Zhou Shiwei's mind, after his eldest son said those words, he was no longer just a child.

From this day forward, this father has accepted his eldest son.

......

"Dinner's ready!"

Sprinkling a little salt on it, Zhou Rui carried the freshly cooked stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings into the inner room.

The younger brother, Zhou Ming, was eating the mixed snacks, while his second aunt, Yang Laidi, was rummaging through drawers and cabinets to store unsold shoe soles.

"The broth is here!"

Zeng Jiamei carefully walked in, carrying a bowl of meat soup.

Zhou Shiwei originally intended to serve it himself, but Zeng Jiamei beat him to it.

Yang Laidi, having put her things down, walked to the table and took a deep breath.

"It smells so good!"

Zhou Rui took the large bowl containing cornmeal, which now had a little lard and soy sauce added, giving it an enticing color.

Uncle Zhou Shijie has been silent since just now. In the past, he was definitely the most talkative person in the family.

Yang Laidi clearly noticed it too, but she didn't say anything.

She was a quiet person who lost both her parents at a young age and had a tragic life.

She doesn't usually have her own opinions; she just does whatever her older sister tells her to do.

Zhou Ming was sitting next to Grandma, whispering something.

Grandpa pulled Zhou Rui over and stroked Zhou Rui's red arm with his skin-and-bones, wrinkled hands, his sunken eyes filled with heartache.

"Grandpa, it's nothing, I just tripped and fell. I'll be fine in a couple of days."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yong'an simply nodded, but the heartache in his eyes did not disappear in the slightest. "Yes, let's eat. It's a pity your younger brother and sister aren't here."

The old man was referring to the youngest son and daughter of Zhou Shijie, the second son.

"Grandpa, they'll eat well at Uncle's house too. I'll go pick them up when school starts after the holidays."

Zhou Yong'an always cared about his grandsons. Among them, the eldest son of his second son had been away from home for many years and was somewhat indifferent to his family.

The youngest daughter and son are in elementary school.

This was all thanks to the secret help of the third brother, Zhou Shiping, which caused him to argue with his wife quite a bit.

Zhou Rui and Zhou Ming were not so lucky; they only attended school for a year before dropping out to help with farm work.

For this, Zhou Shiwei and his wife felt a great deal of self-blame and guilt.

"Brother, you eat."

The younger brother picked up a piece of meat from the meat soup and gave it to Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui shook his head and picked up another piece of meat, placing it in his grandfather Zhou Yong'an's bowl.

"Brother, remember to always respect your elders first."

Zhou Ming scratched his head, then picked up a piece of meat and gave it to his grandmother, Meng Dan.

Meng Dan smiled kindly and patted Zhou Ming's head. "Don't listen to your brother's nonsense. Focus on eating first."

Zhou Ming chuckled, but it was clear that he had taken Zhou Rui's words to heart.

The meat slice soup contains a lot of meat, and although there are vegetables like pea shoots, the meat still makes up about half of the soup.

Zhou Yong'an looked at the meat in his bowl, his hands a little unsteady, but he still picked up a slice of meat and put it in his mouth.

The pale face seemed to gain some color, just as this empty house was being filled with something else.

At that time, the Zhou family was very poor and couldn't bear to turn on the electric lights, so they still used kerosene lamps for lighting.

A smile appeared on his thin face.

Then, he picked up a large piece of glistening wild boar meat from the meat soup and placed it in Zhou Rui's bowl.

The kerosene lamp flickered, and whether it was the grandfather's love or the grandson's heartfelt emotion, both the old man and the young boy had a light in their eyes.

"My eldest grandson has grown up..."