Chapter 25

Liu Yin counted on her fingers and said: “Your aunt just weighed it—the pig was three hundred twenty-five jin, but after removing hide and hair, it was three hundred four jin; the hooves, head, and tail totaled forty jin; the organs and intestines were forty-five jin; the meat was two hundred nineteen jin; you gave He Yuzhu eighteen jin; you gave the courtyard seventeen jin; now there’s one hundred eighty-four jin left in the vat.”

Liu Yin grew more pained with each calculation: “Tomorrow give your sister-in-law twenty jin; your father and his four superiors have seven or eight colleagues they often visit—then you’ll only have one hundred twenty jin left.”

Watching Liu Yin wince in distress.

Li Xuewu smiled and put his arm around Liu Yin’s shoulder: “How are you so good at counting? Mom, you’re great at math—did your sister-in-law teach you?”

Liu Yin pinched Li Xuewu in anger: “Aren’t you distressed?”

Zhao Yafang spoke up: “Maybe I should take less home—I can’t eat all this.”

Li Xuewu replied: “Don’t listen to Mom’s accounting—take twenty jin. Mom’s just used to being frugal.”

Li Xuewu added to Liu Yin: “Don’t worry—eat your fill. When you’re done, I’ll go hunt another.”

Liu Yin grew serious: “No, it’s too dangerous. Today I heard He Yuzhu—I didn’t realize wild boars in the forest are this fierce, even tigers avoid them. Don’t take risks.”

Li Shun tapped the table with his fingers, also speaking seriously: “Didn’t we say this was the last time?”

Li Xuewu kept his arm around Liu Yin’s shoulder: “Next time I’ll go with people and guns.”

Li Shun rejected it again: “No, bullets don’t care who they hit—this year the hospital took in several people injured by accidents.”

These days, Xinhua Bookstore and Supply & Marketing Cooperatives sell guns; the Jianwei series is well-known, and other factories produce guns too—some amateurs shoot people like pigs.

Liu Yin nodded vigorously upon hearing Li Shun: “Listen—there’s enough meat.”

Li Xuewu stopped arguing, said “Alright,” and prepared to sleep.

That night, Li Xuewu slept soundly from the alcohol; the train’s influence had faded, and the kang no longer shook.

Monday morning was bright and sunny.

Children’s shouting

Clanging pots and pans

Second Uncle beating his child’s voice...

Looks like Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu gave Second Uncle a surprise.

Li Xuewu stepped outside and saw Third Uncle, holding a basin of hot water, scrubbing his bicycle, head raised as he listened to Second Uncle beating his child.