Chapter 21: Delivering Meat to the Family

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A Zhe’s father stood aside, taking the large teacup that Li Xiangdong handed over. He lit a cigarette and took a puff, watching the younger generation gathered together. This lively, bustling atmosphere felt truly wonderful. It had been a long time since he’d felt so relaxed and content, and a slow smile spread across his face. “Dongzi, you’re trying to cure your daughter’s drooling with a pig’s tail? You shouldn’t cut it up; she should hold it whole in her mouth.”

Li Xiangdong nodded in agreement. “Exactly. My daughter’s mouth waters nonstop as soon as she opens it.”

Xiang Lin teased, “Dongzi, you really have no filter. You talk like you’re watering the fields back in the countryside, with all that slobber pouring out.”

A Zhe’s father chuckled, “Dongzi’s daughter is blessed.”

Li Xiangdong agreed wholeheartedly, “Uncle’s right. With me as her dad, my daughter will have endless blessings.”

“Binzi, how’s your knife skill? Can you clean all the bones out of the pig’s tail?”

Once the meat was sliced, the pig’s head meat and offal were mixed together, and each person received a large bowl with both broth and meat.

Li Xiangdong didn’t use a bowl. He asked A Zhe for two empty wine bottles, poured the liquor from the teacup into them, then washed them thoroughly with water. One bottle was filled with meat, and the other was reserved just for his daughter’s pig’s tail.

He had originally wanted his brothers to help him carry the square stools back but seeing how eager they were to get home, he didn’t mention it. They’d talk about it after drinking tonight.

It was just the time when people were getting off work, the alley bustling with passersby. Li Xiangdong kept his head down, avoiding contact, and quickly made his way home.

These days, every household was struggling. If the ladies in the alley found out he had meat in his teacup, the entire neighborhood would know by tomorrow!

After dodging through the crowd, Li Xiangdong reached his doorstep and found the gate closed. He pushed it open with his backside.

He dared not kick it open—his mother would scold him for a whole year if she found out!

“Wife! Wife!”

“What’s wrong?”

Zhou Yuqin handed their daughter to Li Xiangdong’s mother and hurried out of the house.

“What are you shouting about? I was calling you—what’s up?”

“I brought you some good things.”

Li Xiangdong held the teacup up to her nose. “Smell this, isn’t it fragrant?”

Zhou Yuqin’s eyes lit up. “So fragrant! Is that meat inside?”

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Li Xiangdong nodded. “Freshly cooked. Try a piece first.”

“Let the kids eat it. I won’t.”

Zhou Yuqin hadn’t eaten meat in a long time either. She craved it but with so many children at home, she felt it wouldn’t be right to compete with them for food.

“Then eat later. I brought back plenty of meat. I even got something good for our daughter.”

Seeing him so secretive and unwilling to say what it was, Zhou Yuqin followed him inside the main room, curious.

Li Xiangdong saw his mother holding their daughter, feeding her corn porridge with a spoon.

“Xiao Qi, look at what Daddy brought you.”

He placed the teacup on the table and lifted the lid.

Li’s mother was surprised to see the teacup filled with meat broth soaking a whole pig’s tail. “Third son, where did you get such a huge pig’s tail?”

By the small dining table, several children sitting on little stools were drinking corn porridge. Hearing their grandmother mention pig’s tail, they put down their bowls and ran over.

“Where is it? Where’s the pig’s tail?”

“It smells amazing!”

“Third uncle, the pig’s tail you brought is so fat!”

The nephews and nieces stared at the pig’s tail in the teacup, each wanting to jump on it and take a bite.

“Stop making noise! Sit back down and eat!”

Li’s mother shouted, and the room fell silent. The children sulked and returned to their seats.

“Dad, meat! I want meat!”

Little Li Xiaohai was too short to see the pig’s tail in the teacup, but hearing his older siblings rave about how fat and delicious it was, he was sure it must be tasty!

He clung to Li Xiangdong’s leg, begging for meat.

“In a moment. There’s some for you too. Don’t be impatient.”

After tending to his son, Li Xiangdong said to his mother, “This is the appetizer we brothers will have with our drinks tonight. I specially brought it back for Xiao Qi to help with her drooling problem. Don’t worry, all the bones in the pig’s tail have been removed.”

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He took the pig’s tail out of the teacup, checked it was not too hot, and handed it to his daughter.

Li Xiaozhu saw the pig’s tail for the first time, staring at her father with wide eyes, holding it with both hands, unsure what to do.

Li’s mother stuffed the tip of the tail into her mouth. She slurped a couple of times and giggled, clutching it tightly and refusing to let go.

Li Xiaohai looked up and finally saw the big pig’s tail his sister was holding, saliva dripping down his chin. “Sister can’t finish it, Dad! Sister can’t finish it!”

“Let your sister eat first. If she can’t finish it, then we’ll see,” Li Xiangdong gently shook his leg but didn’t shake his son off. “Aren’t you hot? Stop holding onto me!”

Zhou Yuqin came over, crouched down, picked up their son, and placed him on the small stool at the table. “If your sister can’t finish it, you can eat the rest. But for now, you eat your porridge quietly, got it?”

Li Xiaohai happily replied, “Got it, Mom.”

Nearby, Li Xiaotao watched his little sister Xiao Qi eating meat in their grandmother’s arms, envious to the point he couldn’t even drink his corn porridge. His eyes fixed on the teacup with the pig’s tail. “Third uncle, sister’s eating the pig’s tail. Can I have a few sips of the broth?”

“Yeah, third uncle, let us have a sip of the broth too!”

“Third uncle, there’s so much broth. Let each of us have a sip!”

The nephews and nieces, knowing they wouldn’t get any pig’s tail, turned to ask for the broth instead.

Li Xiangdong laughed, “You can have the broth, but once you drink it, you can’t ask for anything else.”

Everyone inside knew he was teasing the kids. He brought back two teacups—surely there was more than just one pig’s tail.

They were just curious. Li Xiangdong had never brought food home before. What was going on today?

Looking at the two teacups he brought back, everyone wore puzzled expressions.

Could it be that having a job made their third son more mature and responsible?