Chapter 107: Rivers and Mountains Can Change, but Nature Is Hard to Alter

The three brothers finished unloading the lumber, and Li Qiang went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy a large piece of rainproof cloth, wire, nails, and other items; he needed to prepare these things in advance.

"Zhuzi, after work go call He Yushui's family; I got the workshop master to make me a barbecue grill, let's have barbecue tonight." As work was ending, Li Qiang went to the back kitchen of the cafeteria looking for He Yuzhu.

"Sure, I haven't had any guests these two days; I can leave after work." He Yuzhu readily agreed.

"Alright, I'll go back first to prepare." Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Okay, and don't forget to buy some beer, chill it with cold water; this weather, having barbecue with beer is perfect." He Yuzhu, being a cook, knows a lot about food.

"Okay, I'll make sure to arrange it." Li Qiang also missed the days of eating barbecue and drinking beer before crossing over; now it's the 1970s, barbecue and beer aren't that easy to come by, too conspicuous, but fortunately his family's small courtyard is a private one—closing the gate means no one will know.

"Qiangzi, what's that you're carrying on your bicycle?" Yan Butgui pointed at the barbecue grill on the back seat of Li Qiang's bike and asked; he had indeed never seen such a thing.

"Teacher Yan, I asked a worker to make me a barbecue grill." Li Qiang explained.

"A barbecue grill? What's it for?" Yan Butgui truly didn't know what a barbecue grill was for; he had only seen coal stoves for making fire, and he really didn't know what this grill was for.

"It's for barbecue."

"For barbecue? You mean we grill food here to eat?" Yan Butgui asked curiously.

"Yes."

"You young people are clever; I've never heard before that you could grill food on something like this." Yan Butgui said enviously.

"Hey, I learned this from others too; Teacher Yan, you go ahead and be busy, I'm heading back." Li Qiang said, then pushed his cart and walked toward the Siheyuan.

"Qiangzi, when it's done, could you let me have a taste? I've never tried this before; I don't know what it tastes like." Yan Butgui is quite fixated on food.

"Sure, I'll have my kid bring you some later." Li Qiang didn't refuse.

"No trouble, I'll just go over myself later." Yan Butgui hurriedly said; he's quite shrewd—if Li Qiang had his kid bring it, who knows how much they'd bring, whereas if he goes himself he could eat more.

"No trouble, it'd save you a trip." Li Qiang certainly knew what Yan Butgui meant; since Yan Butgui, Yi Zhonghai, and Liu Haizhong retired, the three old men have nothing to do but play chess together, and now nobody dislikes them as much, mainly because everyone's life is much better than before and they're not lacking food. Still, Li Qiang didn't want to indulge his bad habit.

"Alright, I'll wait then." Yan Butgui didn't dare to keep arguing with Li Qiang, otherwise Li Qiang wouldn't send anything and he wouldn't get any advantage.

"Dad, Second Grandpa, what are you bringing this for?" Li Qiang had just gotten home when Li Yan and He Chen ran over, curiously asking.

"This is for making barbecue; tonight I'll have Uncle Zhuzi make barbecue for you to eat." Li Qiang patiently explained.

"Second Grandpa, do you think my dad can grill this?" He Chen tilted his head and asked Li Qiang.

"Silly kid, your dad is a cook; he definitely can." Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Then my older brother is also a cook; can he do it?" He Chen was referring to He Xiao; after He Xiao graduated from junior high and didn't get into high school, He Yuzhu sent him to study under his Senior Brother to learn cooking.

"I don't know about that." Li Qiang is very patient with the children.

"Won't the food grilled from this get burnt?" He Chen's train of thought is just different.

"No, you'll find out when you taste it tonight." Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Alright, then you'd better have my dad grill more; I'm an adult now. I can eat, so don't let there be not enough later." Kids' attitudes toward food are just different.

"I'll make sure you all eat your fill; also, Aunt Yushui will come over tonight." Li Qiang added.

"Really? Then will Guo Qing and Guo Mei also come over together?" Li Yan was referring to Guo Qing, the son of Zhuang Yan and He Yushui; the couple married on National Day, their son named Guo Qing and daughter Guo Mei—names very much of the era.

"Don't worry, they'll all come." Li Qiang said affectionately while patting his daughter's head.

"Will they go back tonight? If not, let Xiao Mei sleep with me." Li Yan continued asking.

"Okay, but we need to ask Aunt Yushui." Li Qiang said with a smile. Guo Qing is the same age as He Chen this year, and Guo Mei is five.

"Alright, when Aunt Yushui comes, I'll talk to her; she'll surely agree." Li Yan said firmly, believing He Yushui would certainly give her this favor. The He Yushui couple treat He Yuzhu and Li Qiang's brothers' family quite well, especially these two kids, whom they dote on, sending over any good things they have.

"Alright, go play; Dad's going out to buy things, and tonight Uncle Zhuzi will make you something delicious." Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Dad, could you buy us a few bottles of soda?" Li Yan asked softly.

"Okay, Dad will go out now to buy them for you."

Li Qiang unloaded the barbecue grill, pushed his cart out of the Siheyuan again, went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and bought several bundles of beer and soda; back then beer was tied up with plastic rope, ten bottles per bundle.

"Qiangzi, buying all that beer—are you expecting guests tonight?" Yan Butgui looked at the beer on Li Qiang's bike and asked; he's really stingy, usually diluting his loose liquor with water, unwilling to drink beer.

"He Yushui's family is coming over tonight." Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Oh, you really splurged, even bought a whole sheep?" Yan Butgui exclaimed in shock seeing the slaughtered sheep tied to Li Qiang's bike.

"Isn't it because there are many people?" Li Qiang said with a smile; this sheep wasn't bought—where would you buy it at this time? He took it out of his space.

"Qiangzi, although there are many of you, you might not be able to finish it; with the hot weather, if you can't finish it it'll spoil—what a pity later. You'd better have Xiao Yanzi bring me more later." Yan Butgui said thick‑skinned.

"Teacher Yan, don't worry about that; I'm actually worried there won't be enough." Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Look at your lives now—this is really living: eating mutton, drinking beer; back then you wouldn't even dare to imagine it." Yan Butgui sighed.

"Don't worry, Teacher Yan, the good days are still ahead." Li Qiang said, then didn't pay him any more mind and directly pushed his cart toward the back courtyard.

Even now Li Qiang doesn't understand how much better life is now than before; Yan Butgui is still as stingy as ever, truly proving the saying "Rivers and mountains can change, but nature is hard to alter."