Chapter 2: Uncle, I want to eat meat

"I don't have money either."

"No money? How could you have no money?" Gu Ermao looked astonished, "You work at the food factory, even as an apprentice, you should have ten or twenty yuan a month, right? You didn't save any money in three months? Impossible, definitely impossible!

Xiao Long, we are brothers, how can you not help when your brother is in trouble? Before, whenever something happened, you were the first to rush up, aren't my affairs your affairs? Let me see, where is the money..."

Saying this, he reached out to rummage through Li Long's pockets.

"Slap!" Li Long slapped his hand away and said impolitely:

"What are you doing?"

Gu Ermao used to rummage through Li Long's pockets often, and he was used to it. And Li Long had never refused. Every time, as long as he said a few nice words, Li Long couldn't bring himself to refuse, and would definitely follow Gu Ermao's wishes.

Today, he didn't expect Li Long to turn against him. Gu Ermao was stunned for a moment before his face flushed red and he asked:

"What are you doing? I said it, lend me some money. Don't worry, I'll definitely pay it back!"

"I told you I have no money!" Li Long raised his voice, "It's true I earn wages, but don't I spend them? I live in my brother and sister-in-law's house, eat my brother and sister-in-law's food, shouldn't I give them some money? Besides, why don't you go to your brother when you're in trouble? Why come to me? I'm not your real brother!"

A merciless outburst left Gu Ermao dumbfounded, and then he flushed red and said angrily:

"If you won't lend it, then don't, why so much crap! Li Long, I really misjudged you! Don't say I'm your brother in the future! You only have this much ability, no wonder you were fired, I think you deserved it! If you have the ability, don't come looking for me in the future! Let's see if I still take you to play with Mao Dan and the others!"

After speaking, he slammed the door and left angrily.

When Gu Ermao walked out, he counted silently in his heart.

One, two, three...

In the past, as long as he was angry, Li Long would usually rush out within ten counts, coaxing him with a smile. He knew Li Long was a very vain person who didn't want others to say bad things about him. After all, Li Long was not a native of this village, and he hoped to get the recognition of other peers in the village. And he was the first to recognize him.

But today, he counted to fifty and still didn't see Li Long come out. Gu Ermao couldn't understand. Had Li Long changed? Or was he really out of money?

But the words had already been spoken, and it was impossible for him to turn back and find Li Long again. He didn't borrow the money, so he had to think of another way. However, he wouldn't let Li Long have an easy time either.

"Since you don't give me face, don't blame me for being impolite and stabbing your business to Wu Shufen!"

Actually, Li Long knew that tomorrow, Gu Ermao would spread the news of his firing, and tomorrow, Wu Shufen, hearing the news, would come to find him and demand a breakup.

Perfect.

In the west room, Li Jianguo and his wife, hearing the commotion, looked at each other, a bit confused.

Because both sides were loud, they vaguely heard the conversation between Gu Ermao and Li Long. They just couldn't figure out why Li Long, who used to be obedient to Gu Ermao, reacted so violently today?

"Did the food factory firing change Xiao Long's personality?" Liang Wenyu guessed.

"That's possible too. Xiao Long isn't stupid either, learning from experience, maybe he figured it out and can't let others use him anymore. Anyway, it's a good thing."

"Then the money..."

"Let him decide the money himself." Li Jianguo shook his head, "Young man, and talking about a partner, how can it work without money?"

Just as they were talking, the east room door opened, and the two immediately stopped talking.

The west room door was pushed open, and Li Long walked in.

He took out ten yuan and handed it to Liang Wenyu:

"Sister-in-law, I came back quite suddenly. The firewood at home should not be enough, use this money to buy some coal. I'll go find some firewood in the next two days, don't worry."

"What are you finding?" Li Jianguo glared: "In this cold weather, thirty degrees below zero, where are you going to find firewood?"

"Right, right, right, you keep the money, young people should have some money on them." Liang Wenyu actually didn't have much opinion of Li Long, and with her brother-in-law having this attitude, she was quite satisfied.

"Sister-in-law, you keep it." Li Long stuffed the money into Liang Wenyu's hand, "I can't just let you spend money on me. I'm an adult anyway... Brother,"

He said to Li Jianguo again:

"I'm almost twenty, I didn't use my brain before and did some wrong things, I know those things were wrong now. It's cold, it's nothing, just wear thicker clothes, don't worry about this. Anyway, there's nothing to do in winter... Alright, I'm going back to my room."

After speaking, he turned and left the west room, returning to the east room.

Breathing a long sigh of relief, Li Long felt that he had at least taken the first step.

In his previous life, every time he recalled the stupid things he did in the past, he felt regretful. Now that he had a chance to start over, how could he repeat the same mistakes?

It's just that he was a bit hungry right now. Rural areas usually ate two meals in winter. The activity level itself was not high, and the rations allocated were not much, and in winter, one had to calculate carefully.

Now with himself added, the rations of his brother and sister-in-law's family would probably be hard to last until spring.

He was really a "disaster". In the past, he only knew how to ask his brother for food and clothing, and he asked for it righteously, never thinking about where those things came from.

Thinking about it now, it's really infuriating!

He was still blaming himself when the door rang.

Looking up, the one pushing the door was his five-year-old nephew Li Qiang.

"Uncle, I'm looking for you... to play." Li Qiang was dressed thickly, he wiped his nose with his sleeve and said, "You came back from so far away, did you bring anything fun?"

Li Long felt a bit ashamed. He really didn't buy anything when he came back from Urumqi. Not to mention things for his brother and sister-in-law, he didn't even buy any gifts for his niece Li Juan and nephew Li Qiang.

He rummaged through his bag and only took out a box of glutinous rice paper.

This was used for wrapping candies in the food factory. After the milk candies were processed, they were wrapped in glutinous rice paper, and then wrapped in candy paper.

Glutinous rice paper was very common in the food factory, but in this day and age in the village, it was almost never seen.

!.

Li Long picked up a piece and said to Li Qiang:

"Open your hand."

Li Qiang opened his hand as told.

Li Long placed the glutinous rice paper on his hand and said to him:

"Don't move, look closely, this paper will move in a moment."

Li Qiang was very obedient, his hand stretched straight, motionless, his eyes staring fixedly at the paper.

Sure enough, the glutinous rice paper moved, slowly curling up.

"It moved, Uncle, it moved!"

Li Qiang shouted in surprise.

Li Long smiled, having lived two lives, he knew the principle of the glutinous rice paper moving. But not many people knew it now, so Li Qiang was amazed.

Li Qiang's voice was loud, and before long, Li Juan also pushed the door and walked in, looking at Li Long vigilantly.

Li Juan was ten years old, in elementary school, and often helped the family with chores—even doing some chores that Li Long wouldn't do.

This made Li Juan quite dislike Li Long. If Li Long wasn't there, then her doing chores was nothing. Children of similar age all helped their families with chores. But Li Long was there, and Li Long wouldn't do it, yet he wanted her to do it, which obviously made her feel unfair.

"Sister, sister! Look, this moves... huh? Why did it melt?" Li Qiang was just about to tell Li Juan, but saw the glutinous rice paper in his hand stuck to his hand.

"It's okay, there's more." Li Long put another one on Li Qiang's hand. Li Qiang told his sister like a curious baby.

Li Long also put one on Li Juan's hand, Li Juan didn't refuse, but didn't speak either.

Although the ten-year-old girl had emotions, she was also at a curious age, watching the glutinous rice paper in her hand moving, she was also amazed, but she didn't ask.

"Uncle, why?" Li Qiang didn't care, and asked Li Long directly, "Why does it move?"

"Because this thing is very sensitive to temperature, meaning the room is hot, it will shrink, it will melt. Like plastic meeting fire." Li Long explained briefly, "This can also be eaten."

"Can be eaten?" Li Qiang's eyes lit up, and he lowered his head and licked it.

"Hmm, it melted. But it's not as delicious as meat." Li Qiang looked at Li Long:

"Uncle, I want to eat meat."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 3 =====