Chapter 300: Rebirth in the Nineties: The Tyrant Flower, Chapter 301

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

After returning home, Chai Mi was exhausted from travel and poor sleep the previous night, so she tidied up and went to sleep.

She came back at noon, and when she woke up it was nearly four o'clock.

Chai Xiu had also gone to sleep, and at this hour she still hadn't woken up.

"Get up, or you won't be able to sleep tonight." Chai Mi pushed Chai Xiu to wake her.

Chai Xiu's eyes were full of fatigue: "Eldest Sister, you didn't sleep well last night, as if I slept well. You two can really chatter."

Last night Chai Mi and Yao Lianhua talked very late; Chai Xiu had listened at first, but later they both fell asleep, and the two of them were still talking.

Fortunately, Chai Xiu slept soundly and hadn't heard much.

Chai Mi didn't respond to her complaint, got up, and began sorting through the things she had brought back. The two little dogs packed in the broken cardboard box had been jolted all the way; by now they seemed to have recovered a bit, their whimpering louder than before, especially the one with more nimble legs, scratching at the edge of the cardboard box trying to crawl out.

"Xiu'er, stop lounging, come look at your dogs." Chai Mi moved the cardboard box closer to the edge of the kang. "Hurry and give them some water, then soften those biscuits and feed them some. Also feed them some of the rabbit meat Second Aunt gave."

Chai Xiu sat up unwillingly, rubbing her eyes, muttering: "Feed them rabbit meat? The rabbit meat at Second Aunt's house smelled good at night, but are these two dog brats worthy of it..." Even though she said that, she still shuffled down from the kang, first peeking into the cardboard box. The little dog with the "splayed leg" was huddled in the corner, while the other seemed more active.

"Tsk, Second Aunt really forced these on her." Chai Xiu pouted, resignedly going to find a bowl to pour water. She had just brought the water over when the active little dog came to the edge of the bowl, lapping it up. "This one can eat, but what about the one with the bad leg?" She pointed at the huddled little dog.

Chai Mi was organizing the bucket of honey Yao Lianhua had given, two large boxes of pickled vegetables, and the rabbit and mutton secretly stuffed in. Looking at these things piled on the kang head and the floor, she felt both grateful and somewhat uncomfortable, really like she had come to mooch off poor relatives as she had said. Hearing Chai Xiu ask, without raising her head she said: "Feed them first and see. Even with a bad leg they won't starve to death; didn't that old dog at home when we were young live just fine? Didn't it coax you when you were little?"

Chai Xiu was left speechless, so she broke a few of those not-so-tasty biscuits from the market into a bowl of water, and used a knife to cut that rabbit meat of unknown origin into small cubes, mixing them into the softened biscuit mush. The smell of food finally attracted the timid little dog; it hesitated, limped to the edge of the bowl, and carefully began to lap it up.

"Here, eat, eat. From now on you follow me, poor things." Chai Xiu watched the lame little dog eating with difficulty; although she still thought it was troublesome, her tone of disdain also carried a barely noticeable softness. She stretched out a finger and lightly touched the lame little dog's head; this time she didn't rush to wipe away the saliva. "You two will be called... hmm, the one with good legs and a big head will be called 'Big Head,' and this one with splayed legs... will be called 'Piezi.' Simple."

Chai Mi heard this casual name and couldn't help but laugh: "Fine, you decide, anyway you're the one raising them."

Chai Xiu stirred the dog food with a small wooden stick to prevent them from fighting over food, while rolling her eyes at Chai Mi's back. Looking at the two large boxes of pickled vegetables and the heavy bucket of honey, she asked: "Eldest Sister, what do we do with these things? Will the honey spoil if kept too long? The pickled vegetables are fine."

"Honey kept in a cool place can last a long time. We'll eat the pickled vegetables slowly later. The mutton and rabbit..." Chai Mi paused, "Let's stew the rabbit tonight, it won't keep well. Keep the mutton, we'll decide when Father comes back or in a couple of days." Looking at the two little dogs eating with gusto, she added: "After feeding the dogs, clean up this mess on the floor. Put the cardboard box in the corner of the stove room, line it with old rags and clothes for them as a nest; we can't keep them on the kang head all the time."

"I know, I know, so many things..." Chai Xiu muttered quietly, resignedly starting to plan how to arrange these two "troubles Second Aunt forced on us" for later.

"Oh... wait? Eldest Sister, you said to greet our father to come home?" Chai Xiu said, frowning.

Chai Mi nodded: "You have an objection?"

"No, not really."

Chai Youqing had been driven out by Chai Mi for over a week, and it had been peaceful.

But since last time Chai Zhongxiao's mess was dealt with and the wind had died down, letting Chai Youqing come home was also fine.

"Tonight arrange for Song Qiushui to have a meal, then call Da Zhi and his father. Just that meaning; when the time comes you go greet them. Just say we brought back a few rabbits from Second Aunt's house, let everyone taste something fresh."

Chai Xiu finished feeding the two whimpering little dogs, watching them curled up and dozing in the broken cardboard box after eating and drinking their fill, and sighed helplessly: "Fine, fine, I'm going now." She brushed the biscuit crumbs off her hands and resignedly got up.

In the stove room, Chai Mi was already skillfully processing the rabbit. The wild hare was lean, with little fat, but hard bones. She used the back of the knife to knock apart the joints, thinking of the mountain onion and honey scent Yao Lianhua used when mixing rabbit meat. The house didn't have those refined seasonings, but the honey Second Aunt gave was ready-made. She pondered adding a little when stewing to try; maybe it could remove the gaminess and enhance the freshness.

Chai Xiu put on her shoes, shuffled out, still muttering quietly: "Just knows to order me around... as long as I get a share of the stewed rabbit." She was thinking of that bit of meat fragrance in her heart, but her feet weren't slow; she took the familiar path to Song Qiushui's house.

Song Qiushui was basking in the sun at her own courtyard gate; seeing Chai Xiu come over, she grinned: "Yo, Xiu'er, what wind blew you here? Not right... didn't you go to your Second Aunt's house? Back so fast? I thought you'd stay a few days."

"My sister was afraid I'd eat Second Aunt's house poor, so she hurried back anxiously."

Song Qiushui just laughed: "Your sister has so many things. Going out for a stroll, just play two more days. Anyway, your family's cow, I'll feed it for you."

Song Qiushui wore her broken cloth shoes, squatting on the big stone at her own courtyard gate, cracking melon seeds with one bite and missing the next, a small pile of melon seed shells scattered by her feet. Her father Song Qingshan squatted to one side, tapping his dry tobacco pipe, smoke swirling.

"My sister says stewing rabbit tonight! Bring your father to my house for a meal!"

Song Qiushui heard the two words "rabbit" and her eyes "swished" bright; she nimbly jumped down from the stone roller: "Yo! Really stewing rabbit? From your Second Aunt's house? I said it, going a trip can't come back empty-handed! Fine, my father and I will go over now!" Her voice was terribly loud, shaking the chickens dozing under the eaves so they flapped their wings.

Song Qingshan slowly tapped the ash from his pipe bowl on the sole of his shoe, nodding to agree.

He wasn't very willing to go; it's said eating someone's mouth is short, he had eaten plenty of Chai Mi's family's meals, and just wasn't very willing to eat too much.

But Chai Mi called him, so he had to make a trip.

Chai Xiu's task completed, then she went to Liu Zhanggui's house once.

She was thinking of that pot of rabbit meat in her heart, and also thinking of those two little ancestors in the cardboard box on the kang head. Passing by the corner of the courtyard firewood stack, she also casually pulled off a bit of that skin on the corn stalks, that is, what's left after shucking corn, locally called corn husk.

The house was now steaming hot from what Chai Mi had made; Chai Mi was guarding the big pot, gently stirring the rabbit meat chunks in the pot with a spoon. After blanching the rabbit meat to remove gaminess, she stir-fried it until slightly yellow with the only soybean oil at home, added ginger slices and dried chili segments to explode the fragrance, then poured in boiling water to cover the meat chunks. She thought about it, but still couldn't bear to put too much of the honey Yao Lianhua gave, only scooping in a small half spoon to enhance flavor and brighten color.

Rabbit meat around here basically isn't eaten much; greeting everyone to eat a meal, tasting something fresh is also appropriate.

"Sister, Song Qiushui and her father will be here in a bit." After Chai Xiu came back, she went to the west room to look for old clothes: "Is it okay to put the dog nest at the wall root of the stove room? It'll be warmer in winter."

"Forget it, the whole house smells; fine for the first couple days, but in a couple days when they grow bigger, you move them out for me." Chai Mi didn't look back, focusedly watching the heat in the pot, "Did you feed the dogs? Don't let them bark randomly when there are many people later making a ruckus."

"Fed, fed; Piezi eats slowly, Big Head eats like a starving ghost reborn." Chai Xiu came out holding several old, tattered little jackets, stuffed them all into that cardboard box, patted it, "The nest is fixed. These two things, eat and sleep, not a sound, more carefree than Old Three." She was referring to Chai Xin sleeping soundly.

Just as she was speaking, Song Qiushui arrived: "Chai Mi! Xiu'er! Is the stew ready? It smells so good my father and I swallowed saliva all the way!" Before her voice fell, she had already rushed in, lifting the curtain into the stove room, followed by Song Qingshan walking slowly.

"You came really fast, right on Xiu'er's heels."

"Tsk..." Song Qiushui raised her head proudly: "Not being active about eating means having a problem with one's thinking. When someone treats me to a meal, I've always been known for speed. Although I can't eat much, I just like that atmosphere."

"Give me a break. Every time you eat plenty."

"Hehe. Too bad, this Princess eats without getting fat; envy, jealousy, hate, right?"

"Not quite... fine, you stay in the room. By the way, in a bit tell Xiu'er that little scoundrel, she seems to have forgotten to call his father." Chai Mi had a headache; recently Chai Xiu's rebellion was a bit bizarre.

Song Qiushui wouldn't leave; she came to the edge of the big pot and sniffed hard: "Wow! This smell, amazing! Wild rabbit is fragrant! What else did you put? Why is there a sweet taste?"

"Just added a bit of honey to enhance the flavor." Chai Mi explained, poked a piece of rabbit meat with chopsticks, soft and falling off the bone, "Alright, Xiu'er, bring a basin!"

A basin of steaming, sauce-colored bright red stewed rabbit meat was placed on the east room kang table. Besides the rabbit meat, Chai Mi also cut a large plate of shredded pickled vegetables Second Aunt's family brought, drizzled with some sesame oil and tossed; the staple food Chai Mi simply made was rice.

After waiting a while, everyone slowly arrived.

In the countryside, treating people to a meal doesn't have many particulars. If you're invited, you just go, no matter the reason.

If you don't go, next time they can't invite you, right?

After setting the table, Chai Mi handed the chopsticks to Song Qiushui.

"Come, come, come, eat while it's hot! Still waiting to be fed?" Chai Mi called out. Song Qiushui picked up a large piece of bone-in rabbit leg without ceremony and stuffed it into her mouth, sucking in air from the heat as she chewed and mumbled praise: "Fragrant! Truly fragrant! This meat is stewed to mush, the flavor's soaked right in! The honey's well used, not cloying at all!"

Song Qingshan was more refined; he picked a meaty piece and ate slowly, his beard bobbing as he nodded: "Mhm, the seasoning's done well."

Liu Zhanggui lit a cigarette, then passed them to Song Qingshan and Chai Youqing — one before the meal, a whole pack during...

Anyway, Liu Zhanggui didn't care much about eating; drinking and smoking were the real business.

These few ate and chatted; Liu Zhijing also ate a little in a simple, refined way, but didn't dare drink alcohol.

Chai Xiu focused on the pickled vegetables, crunching loudly. Chai Mi gave Su Wan and Chai Xin each some stewed-to-mush meat chunks and potatoes.

"Chai Mi, this trip to your second aunt's — the autumn wind you stirred up... didn't you move her whole house out?" Song Qiushui asked with a laugh.

"Not only did I take quite a few things, my second aunt also forced two puppies on me." Chai Xiu put down her chopsticks and ran pattering to the stove room, bringing in two puppies still sleeping dead to the world in a cardboard box. The two little guys were a bit dazed, big heads blearily opening eyes, grunting twice. Piezi shrank timidly into Chai Xiu's arms.

"Aiyo, this little plaything!" Song Qiushui reached out and touched Big Head. "Black and yellow fur, spirited! Just this one..." She looked at Piezi's not-too-agile front leg. "What's with this little leg? Born like this?"

"Mhm, second aunt gave them, said her nephew brought them back from the mountain, this one's legs have a bit of a problem." Chai Xiu explained.

Song Qiushui didn't ask further; mountain people were used to all kinds of creatures, a small defect was nothing strange. "Even with a problem it can guard the house, keep it, doesn't cost much grain. Named them yet?"

"Named them," Chai Xiu pointed. "The sound-legged one is Big Head, this one is Piezi."

Song Qiushui burst out laughing: "The names you pick... just like you, carefree!"

At this, Song Qingshan spoke slowly, asking a key question: "Chai Mi, your great-aunt's funeral is tomorrow, are you going?"

Chai Mi's hand picking pickled vegetables paused, face expressionless: "I'll go. The person's dead, what's the point of holding a grudge? Originally I wasn't too willing, but after time passed I also feel Chai Chunfang is pitiful. Dead three or four months without burial, what a wretched fate..."

"Oh..." Song Qingshan responded, continuing to gnaw bones with head down, saying no more.

"It's right to go." Liu Zhanggui thought a moment and said: "Your great-aunt's side has no people, no family; the village found people to make a makeshift coffin. Go take a look then."

Liu Zhanggui sighed: "Your grandfather and grandmother definitely won't go. Those two are pretending dead at home. Your second uncle will go, but your third uncle won't. If your father and you don't go either, it's not right."

"I'll go, but just go through the motions. I never thought to wail for her. Me going is good enough."