This, this, this… Wild goats aren’t something you can find everywhere. You’d have to go deep into the mountains for that.
“Brigade leader, please stay for dinner.”
Lin Zhen his tone full of pride, said, “Song Wei can even hunt wild boars. Wild goats are no big deal.”
Though he said so, it was clear that wild goats were far more agile and harder to find than wild boars. And unlike the boar, which had wandered down from the mountains on its own, the goat had to be actively sought out in the rugged terrain.
Song Wei never ceased to amaze people. If he knew she’d also fought a full-grown tiger during that hunt, he would have been even more astounded.
But Lin Zhen and Song Wei kept that detail to themselves.
Once the initial amazement subsided, the brigade leader began discussing Mr. Ji.
“Mr. Ji is an extraordinary doctor. He saved a dying elder, bringing them back from the brink of death. With his skills, it’s such a waste for him to live in the cowshed,” the captain said.
He resolved to put aside his pride and beg again for Mr. Ji. After all, he had promised Lin Zhen he’d do so.
“Tomorrow, I’ll head to the commune and talk to the leaders. There are too many sick children in our village—we can’t let this drag on,” he added.
Lin Zhen nodded in satisfaction. He had a deep debt of gratitude to Mr. Ji, who not only healed his leg but also saved his mother years ago, allowing her to survive childbirth and deliver Heidan safely. Lin Zhen was a man who repaid both kindness and grievances.
Before leaving, the brigade leader glanced at the enormous wild goat. “It’s huge. Song Zhiqing is really impressive.”
He refrained from saying anything about the goat belonging to the collective and needing to be confiscated. He had his own family to care for and understood the occasional private indulgence. If his family had caught such a big goat, he would have hidden it too.
“Keep it well hidden, or you’ll have trouble if others find out,” he advised, patting Lin Zhen’s shoulder before leaving.
Lin Zhen nodded and forced a two-pound chunk of goat meat into the brigade leader’s hands. “Tell your wife to bring everyone over for mutton soup later,” Lin Zhen said.
The brigade leader waved it off. “I’ve already taken this much meat; coming over for more would be shameless.” Even holding this piece made him feel indebted. He resolved to work harder for Mr. Ji’s cause—it was the least he could do to repay this kindness.
That evening, everyone enjoyed a quiet, harmonious meal of mutton offal soup. The soup included dried bamboo fungus Song Wei had collected, adding a rich and fresh flavor. In the chilly weather, the meal was especially satisfying.
The two wolf pups devoured the soup and flatbread, gnawing on goat bones afterward. Their ferocious eating habits showed signs of their wolfish nature.
Animals grew quickly. Heidan could now only carry one pup at a time.
After dinner, Song Wei returned to the educated youth dormitory, while Lin Zhen brought a pot of mutton offal soup and flatbread to the cowshed.
The three people living there also enjoyed a hot, hearty meal that day. Lin Zhen had built a good rapport with them, though their interactions remained secret and unnoticed by outsiders.
Meanwhile, the vegetables in the greenhouse thrived. Small greens, lettuce, and Shanghai greens were ready for harvest. The sight of the fresh produce brought hope for profit, and the investors smiled brighter with each passing day.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year arrived. For Song Wei, this marked her first Little New Year in this world—and her engagement day with Lin Zhen.
The engagement was a low-key affair, with only close family and friends invited to a meal at their home.
Lin Zhen invited the brigade leader’s family and his great-aunt’s family. Song Wei invited all the educated youths from the dormitory, except Luo Yecheng. She didn’t bother to hide her disdain—if Xu Laidi were still around, she wouldn’t have invited her either.
Luo Yecheng had grown increasingly withdrawn, with a sinister and unsettling demeanor, especially in the way he looked at people. But as long as he didn’t bother her, Song Wei didn’t care.
Lin Zhen’s house was lively that day, with a lavish spread that included pork and goat meat. The goat meat came from the wild goat they’d hunted, though only one leg was prepared—it was more than enough for everyone.
Everyone had a role: the elderly sat in the main hall chatting by the fire, cracking nuts and seeds, while the women busied themselves in the kitchen, and the men chopped wood and prepared the meat.
The children, meanwhile, were delighted to receive candy from Song Wei. They played happily in the courtyard with the sika deer and the two wolf pups.
The entire household buzzed with activity.
In stark contrast, the atmosphere at Old Lin’s house was cold and tense.
Old Lin smoked his dry tobacco continuously, craning his neck every so often to peer out the door.
Everyone in the family knew it was Lin Zhen and Song Wei’s engagement day, and Old Lin had been waiting all day.
He thought that no matter how strained their relationship, Lin Zhen would surely invite his biological grandfather to such an important occasion.
Old lady Lin was waiting too, planning to use the opportunity to talk to Lin Zhen. She had heard Lin Zhen was a battalion commander before his discharge—a high-ranking officer. His injuries had earned him compensation and even a job placement from the authorities.
She wanted to discuss the compensation and the job with Lin Zhen. After all, as his grandmother, she felt entitled to a share of the money. As for the job, her eldest daughter-in-law had suggested that since Lin Zhen’s leg was injured, the job was wasted on him and should go to her precious grandson instead.
But as the meal hour approached, Lin Zhen hadn’t shown up. Even Heidan was nowhere to be seen.
“Mother, I’ve found out that Lin Zhen invited his great-uncle’s family and the brigade leader’s family, but not us,” said Deng Chunhua, huffing as she rushed in.
Hearing this, the old woman slammed the table. “How dare he! A major event like an engagement, and he doesn’t even notify his grandparents? But he invites outsiders? What’s he trying to say?”
Deng Chunhua swallowed nervously and added, “I saw the feast they’ve prepared—it’s grand. I could even smell the meat, and it’s not just one kind either.”
The aroma had been so tempting that she’d almost gone in uninvited. But remembering Lin Zhen and Song Wei’s fists, she had chickened out.
She rushed back to inform the elders, hoping they’d head over before all the meat was gone.
The old woman stood up immediately. “We’ll go ourselves.”
She was eager to eat the meat. This ungrateful wretch—eating meat without inviting his grandparents and giving it to outsiders instead!
Old Lin remained silent, puffing on his tobacco, but it was clear he wanted to go too. Meat—they hadn’t seen or smelled it in ages.
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