Feeling full and content, Song Wei patted her stomach. Nothing beat the joy of a satisfying meal.
“I’m thinking of taking a bowl of this over to Captain Li’s place—anyone want to come along?”
Captain Li had been more than fair with them, whether it was letting them use private land or raise chickens and rabbits, and he’d quietly helped them with Heidan’s situation as well. Since they’d likely be here for several more years, maintaining a good relationship with him was crucial. Keeping that bond strong could make things much easier when they had other plans in the future.
“I’ll pass.”
“Me too, I can barely move.”
This was from the two city boys who acted like grand lords.
Li Juan stood up. “I’ll go with you.”
And, of course, wherever Song Wei went, Heidan was sure to follow.
At Captain Li’s house, the family was busy preparing dinner after a long day. The kids were already whining with hunger, and Aunt Xinghua handed her grandson a preserved twisty dough stick she’d saved for months, which quieted him down. While she and her daughter-in-law set about cooking, Captain Li and his sons were going over the day’s work and accounting.
Song Wei and her group knocked at the door, and Captain Li’s grandson ran over, jumping up and down excitedly.
“Grandma, Grandpa! It’s Sister Song!”
The little guy shouted so loud the entire family could hear, and when he saw Song Wei, his face lit up. He still remembered the candy she’d given him before—so sweet and delicious.
Aunt Xinghua and Captain Li came out, their expression curious. “Song, Li—what brings you two here?”
“Come on in! We’re just about to sit down for dinner; why not join us?”
Song Wei quickly waved it off. “No need, Aunt Xinghua, we already ate.”
She knew they were just being polite; accepting such an offer would be a bit shameless.
“Captain Li, Aunt Xinghua, we caught quite a few crayfish today and cooked them up. They turned out really well, so we thought we’d bring a bowl over for you to try.” She handed them the bowl and explained their day catching crayfish in the hills, making sure to mention Gao Le and Zhao Su’s help even though they hadn’t come along.
Aunt Xinghua was intrigued. Crayfish weren’t known to be that tasty—they had little meat and a fishy taste. But as she took the bowl, her mind changed.
The bowl itself was quite big, though it held only about twenty crayfish and some potato chunks and other vegetables. But the aroma was incredible!
“Is this really crayfish? How does it smell this good?” Aunt Xinghua was stunned.
Her grandson immediately stopped eating his dough stick, craning his neck to get a better look at the bowl.
“Let me see, let me see! It smells amazing…”
For a kid, it was simple—if it smelled good, it had to be eaten.
“Why don’t you grab another bowl to dish it out? We need to head back,” Song Wei suggested.
Aunt Xinghua rubbed her hands, embarrassed. “Oh, I don’t know if we can take this…”
“Nothing to worry about. We’re full, and the broth goes great with flatbread or cornbread. It’s really no big deal.”
Aunt Xinghua, nodded. “Well, alright then—I’ll take it if you insist!”
Captain Li gave a deep nod, impressed with how thoughtful Song Wei and Li Juan were.
As his gaze drifted to Heidan, he couldn’t help but notice how well the boy was being cared for. Though his clothes looked worn, they had only a few patches, likely made from Song Wei’s own old clothes. He sighed, thinking how this young woman, who didn’t owe Heidan anything, had taken better care of him than his own family ever had.
“You’ve raised Heidan well,” he said approvingly.
Song Wei beamed. “I didn’t want to let you down, Captain.” He nodded, his respect for her deepening.
“If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. As long as it’s not your fault, I’ll stand by you.”
Song Wei’s smile was radiant. “Thank you, Captain Li!”
Aunt Xinghua returned with not only the large bowl for the crayfish but also a few eggs for Song Wei.
“Take these back with you,” she said, smiling. “Fresh from our hens—good for keeping your strength up.”
With a grateful smile and a quick bow, Song Wei accepted the eggs. “Thank you, Aunt Xinghua. We’ll leave now.”
As Song Wei, Li Juan, and Heidan left, the dinner table at Captain Li’s house was set. But tonight, the center of attention wasn’t the freshly made flatbread or the steamed buns from the newly divided grain—it was the fragrant crayfish.
With a family of eight, everyone had only about two crayfish each, but the flavor was incredible. After just one bite, everyone’s eyes lit up.
“This is amazing! I never would’ve guessed crayfish could taste this good.”
The whole family found themselves licking every bit of sauce from the shells.
“All that oil—it’s no wonder it’s delicious.”
The two youngest members, still begging for more, were each given another crayfish, while the final few pieces went to the family’s main breadwinners, who worked the hardest. Aunt Xinghua distributed the heads for anyone to lick off the leftover sauce, not letting anything go to waste.
Captain Li’s oldest daughter-in-law didn’t seem bothered; her mother-in-law hadn’t taken any for herself either. Even Captain Li didn’t have any, instead shared the tail meat with her and distributing the rest to his sons.
Aunt Xinghua glared at him lightly, but she couldn’t help but feel a deep warmth. “Eat up yourself—no need to keep giving it to me. I’m not that tempted.”
Captain Li took a big bite of his sauce-soaked bun. “You like it. I’m not a fan anyway.”
“Well, there’s plenty of crayfish in the pond. If you want more, we’ll go catch some tomorrow.”
As he chewed, he realized the sauce was the true star, and he quickly shared his soaked bread with the two youngest grandchildren.
“This here’s the best part—sop up some of the broth.”
After tasting it, they were hooked, too.
By the end, the bowl was spotless, every drop of sauce soaked up, leaving them with a deep sense of satisfaction.
Equally content was Aunt Ma’s family.
After picking up the winter clothes for herself and Heidan, Song Wei had brought them a bowl of crayfish as well.
When she finally returned to the dormitory, it was quite late. Heidan fed the rabbits, then hugged his new winter clothes, flashing a wide grin.
His dark eyes shone with joy as he ran his hands over the soft fabric, grinning so wide his bright little teeth showed.
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