Chapter 295: The Happiness of Ordinary Days

Ma Jinbao was still herding sheep; Li Long looked up at him, shook his head, and said:

"Not for now." He pointed at the two larger ones and said:

"These two, one for me and one for Daqiang."

"But aren't there still two left?" Ma Jinbao actually asked for them outright.

If it had been anyone else, whether Tao Daqiang or Yang Yang Yongqiang, someone with a thin skin would have found it hard to refuse. After all, Ma Jinbao was older, belonging to the elder generation; if he asked and you didn't give, that would truly be awkward.

Li Long was different. First, what he did was more impressive than those elders; many older people in the team had benefited from his help. Second, having lived two lives, he did not place so much weight on so-called face.

So when Ma Jinbao spoke, although Tao Daqiang and Yang Yang Yongqiang both wished not to give, they could not bring themselves to refuse, and both looked toward Li Long.

Li Long waved his hand and said:

"The cave was discovered by Yang Yongqiang. He contributed both labor and effort, so he must receive a larger share. These two smaller badgers are Yang Yongqiang's. Yang Yongqiang, your sister has already started junior high, right? Look how thin she is, almost like Li Juan, yet she is two years older!

This won't do. Take these two badgers home, render out the fat and store it well, and let the meat nourish your family. With four people in your household, these two badgers will last two or three days, which is sufficient. Skin them when you get back; if you don't know how, come with me shortly after we return, and I will help you skin them. Those pelts taken to the procurement station should also fetch a few coins."

Li Long feared that after he took his share of the badgers, Ma Jinbao would separately ask Yang Yang Yongqiang for one, so he directly arranged the use of these badgers.

Since money had already been mentioned, even if Ma Jinbao wanted to play the fool, he could no longer speak up.

Otherwise, an elder tricking a young man out of his money would be cursed to death if word got out.

"Then I..." Ma Jinbao naturally still felt some regret; why was there nothing in it for him? If he had arrived earlier and lent a hand, wouldn't he have received one?

"If you really want one, then see if there are any more inside the cave," Li Long said. "We have opened this cave, but we do not know exactly how many are inside. If you see more, they are yours.

Also, some badgers may not have returned yet; if you wait here, and if any badgers return by evening, you can set an ambush... though with just your whip-handle, you might not manage it; you'd better find a large club."

After giving Ma Jinbao this advice, Li Long picked up the badgers, signaled to Tao Daqiang and Yang Yang Yongqiang, and the three of them left together.

The sun had already set behind Luoshan.

Ma Jinbao felt Li Long's words made some sense; since he was about to head home anyway, he decided to wait here.

Tao Daqiang went directly with Li Long to the Li family home. Yang Yang Yongqiang thought for a moment, then followed as well.

He truly did not know how to skin a badger.

By the time they arrived at the Li home, twilight had fallen; Li Long, making no fuss, said to Tao Daqiang:

"Daqiang, go fetch some hot water."

The entire Li Jianguo family was in the courtyard; seeing Li Long return carrying a large badger, followed by Tao Daqiang and Yang Yang Yongqiang, they were all surprised.

"Where did you get this? This is a badger," Li Jianguo recognized it immediately. "Did it bite any of you?"

"No, we clubbed it to death as soon as it came out," Li Long said. "I'll skin them here so it's easier for you to handle at home."

"Mm, I'll go get a basin. That fat is a precious thing," Li Jianguo said, standing up to fetch a basin.

Liang Yuemei smiled and asked:

"Daqiang, Yang Yongqiang, did you go digging after finishing setting the nets?"

"Mm."

"Yes."

Li Long had already taken a knife and begun skinning, explaining to the others as he worked:

"Yang Yongqiang discovered the cave, and we went to dig it out. Of the two larger ones, Daqiang and I each take one, while Yang Yongqiang takes the two smaller ones."

Li Jianguo brought the basin over; by then, Li Long had already skinned one of Yang Yang Yongqiang's badgers.

After finishing the skinning, he said to Yang Yang Yongqiang:

"The fat is inside the body cavity; I won't open it for you. Take this home, scrape off the fat yourself, then render it in a wok, let it cool, and store it for use."

"Good, good, I understand," Yang Yang Yongqiang said, watching Li Long skin the badger there, truly envying that skill—it seemed as if there were no barrier between the hide and the flesh, opening with just a light slash of the knife.

Of course, he knew that was not the truth; there certainly was a barrier, but Li Long's skill was so good that it appeared so easy.

After skinning the two badgers, Li Long told Yang Yang Yongqiang to carry the basin with the contents home, saying he could return the basin tomorrow.

Yang Yang Yongqiang thanked him and left.

"Daqiang, yours is next," Li Long said, taking the large badger, feeling its back and belly, and smiling:

"Truly fat; it should yield at least half a kilogram of oil, right?"

This was the harvest season; not only were the people reaping abundance, but for small omnivores like badgers, it was also a season of plenty, or rather, a season for storing fat. Come winter, they would hibernate; although their consumption would decrease then, they still required substantial fat reserves.

And now was the time to accumulate that fat.

Peeling back the large badger's hide, Li Long could already feel a thick layer of fat beneath the skin.

The two smaller badgers just now had each weighed six or seven kilograms, together exceeding the large one in total weight, but the fat beneath their skins was clearly less than that of the large badger. With such a thick layer of oil just under the skin, especially on the belly, Li Long could already imagine how thick the fat inside the abdomen must be.

"Daqiang, we've really struck gold this time. This badger is extremely fat; the oil is rich!" Li Long said as he skinned rapidly. Because of the fat, the hide came off exceptionally smoothly. "When you take it home, clean out the contents of the belly and figure out how to cook it. Being this fat, it should taste delicious however you prepare it."

"Then how should we cook it?" Tao Daqiang had never eaten this before. He believed his father, Tao Jian She, had never eaten it either.

"Braised in soy sauce!" Li Jianguo knew this question well. "Badger meat tastes best when braised. Render the oil and fatty meat into lard; that oil treats stomach ailments, as well as scalds and burns. As for the meat, just braise it—use plenty of spices and plenty of wine, otherwise you cannot suppress the gamey odor.

Also, when preparing the badger, wash away the bloody water several times; otherwise, these wild creatures have too strong an earthy fishy smell, and you certainly won't be used to eating it."

"Big Brother, then you cook this badger tomorrow, alright?" Li Long said with a smile. "I don't know how to prepare it." "That's fine," Li Jianguo waved his hand. "This badger is so large; after removing the oil, it can make a big pot. We can share some with everyone then."

In these times, the Li family did not lack meat, unlike other households. Therefore, there was no thought of keeping this badger to make dried meat or the like; it would simply be braised and finished, with portions sent to various relatives and friends.

Tao Daqiang did not take a basin; he simply dragged the badger home by its tail. He left the pelt at the Li home, meaning that when Li Long went to sell the badger pelts, he should sell Tao Daqiang's along with his own.

"This lazy fellow," Li Long cursed with a laugh as he skinned his own badger. "Daqiang has become lazy too."

"He isn't lazy; he is timid. Let him venture out more, and he will be fine."

Although he said this, honestly, Li Long felt Tao Daqiang indeed needed more exercise. Actually, he himself had become aware of this aspect; for instance, the matter of sitting on tires to set nets was already part of his training.

Li Juan and Li Qiang had been watching from the side as Li Long skinned the badger; after Li Long finished skinning his family's badger, he said to Li Juan and Li Qiang:

"You two stand farther away; I'm about to open the body cavity, and the smell of the offal is unpleasant."

Li Juan and Li Qiang hastily stepped back.

Li Jianguo, meanwhile, was feeling the badger pelt, sighing with emotion:

"This hide is excellent. It's just a bit too small..."

Li Long used his knife to slit the badger's belly, and a rush of offal odor hit his face. These omnivores always smell quite foul inside. Looking at the intestines and stomach, Li Long asked Li Jianguo:

"Big Brother, do you still want these intestines and stomach?"

!.

"Of course I want them! Why wouldn't I?" Li Jianguo said hurriedly. "Come, come, let me turn them inside out. We can't waste this—don't forget that although our family has eaten plenty of meat this year, if you look back just one year, last year we barely ate meat twice the whole time. If we had this last year, we would have been overjoyed... You go get the oil; I'll turn these stomach and intestines inside out!"

Li Long smiled and said nothing more.

Since being reborn into this life, he had rarely lacked meat, so he couldn't feel it deeply.

But in his lingering memories, the days before last year were real.

Although they truly had enough to fill their bellies, to be honest, they severely lacked oil and fat.

He also couldn't understand why, a year ago, he hadn't thought to catch fish at Little Little Haizi or set rabbit snares in winter.

Of course, it was also possible he simply didn't know how. After all, many skills and experiences were brought over through rebirth.

After scooping the fat out of the badger's belly, Li Long decided not to let it sit overnight. He fetched a cutting board and butchered the badger right there, trimming off the fatty meat, slicing it thinly, and placing it together with the rendered fat onto a plate.

Li Juan reacted quickly and had already started a fire by the stove.

Li Long gave her an approving smile, ladled the water out of the wok, scrubbed the inside twice with a wok brush, and once the fire had dried the wok, he poured in the fatty meat along with the fat.

"Juan, step back. I'll tend the fire; don't let splashing oil hurt you."

"I'm not afraid."

"Even if you're not afraid, you can't stay. You're a girl; your face is important." Li Long shooed Li Juan away.

Li Qiang also tried to run over, but Li Long shooed him away too.

The reason was that he was still too young.

By now, Li Jianguo had already turned the stomach and intestines inside out, washed them clean, and placed them on a plate.

He checked the time and said:

"Let's soak this meat in cold water for now and cook it tomorrow. As for this stomach and intestines, I'll stir-fry them. How about having a few drinks later?"

It was the first time Li Jianguo had voluntarily invited Li Long to drink. Li Long smiled and said:

"Big Brother, I'll do as you say."

The oil was rendered quickly; after warming it slightly in the wok, he scooped it out. As for the tiny bit remaining, Li Jianguo had already picked chilies from the vegetable garden, pulled up green onions, and peeled garlic, beginning preparations for the stir-fry.

Li Long rarely saw his big brother cook; today he felt he could properly watch and taste.

At this time, there wasn't so much light and noise pollution; not a single household in the entire village owned a television. Occasionally, one could hear dogs barking, crickets chirping, or the croaking of toads, and beyond that, sometimes a child from some family would cry out, only to be immediately silenced by their parents' scolding.

In the Li family courtyard, only Li Juan remained nearby, holding a flashlight to illuminate the light and sound of Li Jianguo stir-frying.

Li Long could indeed see that Li Jianguo's movements were extremely skilled; his stir-frying and addition of seasonings were well-coordinated. With a fierce fire under the stove and fragrance filling the courtyard, it truly felt like the happy life of a rural farming family.

It was like the scene of 'seven or eight stars beyond the sky'; although one couldn't hear the frogs, at this moment, every sound felt profoundly meaningful.

Then, as a dish came out of the wok, Li Long had already brought out a bottle of liquor.

It was White Poplar Special Curved Liquor in a glass bottle, considered a famous brand at this time.

One plate of dishes wasn't much, but since dinner had already been eaten, this counted as a late-night snack. Moreover, the Li family did not lack meat, so the children weren't particularly greedy; they mainly wanted to taste something fresh. Each person ate a few pieces before leaving the table.

Li Long set out three cups. Liang Yuemei hesitated slightly, then smiled and said:

"I'm drinking too?"

"Of course you're drinking; there's nothing else to do tonight anyway," Li Long said. "Sister-in-law, you've worked hard; have a glass to relieve your fatigue."

"Then I'll have one glass." Liang Yuemei laughed.

This feeling was peculiar; in two lifetimes, he had never properly sat down with his big brother and sister-in-law to share a drink and chat. Li Long felt both novel and somewhat ashamed.

Actually, compared to his father and mother, his big brother and sister-in-law were family in a more substantial sense. And shouldn't family be exactly like this?

It was just that Chinese people traditionally tended to be reserved, not expressing their emotions openly.

Then let's have a drink. (End of Chapter)