Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

Chapter 124 I'm Really Ashamed of Her
"Look, if I say I don't want to eat, then I won't eat. If I say I want to go to heaven, will you send me there too?"

Gao Meilan's cheeks twitched.

I wish I could send this old lady to heaven immediately.

I knew a few days ago that the old lady was going home. Her husband said a lot of good things to her, and she also felt that it was right.

The old lady was living a good life in the second son's home. If she came to her place and became known as an unfilial person, she couldn't afford to lose face.

So she thought she would just make do with it.

Just bear with it if you can. After all, she is your husband’s mother and the grandmother of your two children.

Everyone will grow old, so just do some good deeds for yourself in advance.

But she was not the type of person who could swallow her anger in silence. After being tormented one after another, she almost exploded.

At this time, Yu Qiutang smiled and said to the old lady, "Grandma, it's not easy to digest food at night, and you're tired from the journey. Why don't you go to bed first? When you get up tomorrow morning, my third aunt will make you something delicious."

Rui Ermei thought for a moment, pushed the stool away and stood up, "Go to sleep if you want."

Walk straight outside.

Gao Meilan hesitated, then hurriedly led the way.

Before walking out of the room, she turned around and glared at Yu Deshui.

The meaning is very simple.

You old man, you better understand the situation for me. The reason I endure this is to give you face.

When have I ever suffered such injustice?

Yu Deshui hurriedly apologized with a smile, indicating that he was aware of all his wife's thoughts and sacrifices, and thanked Fei Haicang.

I will definitely repay you in the future.

Gao Meilan then took the old lady to the side wing.

There were four men left in the room, looking at each other.

"Alas, it's finally returned."

Yu Qiushan sat down and sighed sincerely.

Quite tired.

Yu Deshui asked: "Shanzi, what's going on? Why did you send your milk back in the middle of the night?"

Yu Qiushan said helplessly: "Who knows, the old lady has been a little neurotic recently, always thinking that our family members want to harm her. Didn't you see the bag in her arms? She said that all her treasures are in it, and she won't let anyone touch it. She is guarding against us like a thief."

"Baby, what baby?" Yu Deshui thought of the bag in his mother's arms.

"Who knows?" Yu Qiushan said with a wry smile, "She has lived at home for so long, I don't know what treasures she has..."

"Could it be true?" Yu Qiyuan asked curiously, "I heard that many elderly people would leave behind some treasures from the old society. Have you forgotten that my grandmother came from a landlord's family and was adopted as a goddaughter. Maybe she was given a lot of treasures as a dowry?"

"You little brat, you dare to ask about your grandma's affairs? What nonsense are you talking about?" Yu Deshui patted his son's head.

Different from Yu Dejin who always used sticks and ropes, Yu Deshui was obviously much gentler and he hardly used any strength when he slapped them.

You can see that she has a very friendly relationship with her son.

Yu Qiutang couldn't help but feel envious.

If his father and he could get along half as simply as he did, he would be much happier. Who would want to be like a stranger to his father forever?

Yu Qiushan took over the conversation, "Anyway, I don't know. Look, she was sleeping well in the middle of the night, but suddenly she started to make a fuss, saying that a thief had entered the house and wanted to steal her treasure, and she wanted to go back home immediately.

My parents couldn't persuade me no matter what they did, and they had no choice but to send me back first. They will take care of the business tomorrow and then come back to discuss the follow-up arrangements. "

"Is that so?" Yu Deshui felt a little sad.

I just thought that it was my duty to be filial. If my mother came back, I would just come back and take care of her. My family was not as well off as my second brother, but we were still doing well in the village, so it was no problem to support an old lady.

When the old lady was at my second brother's house, it was agreed that each family would give 5 yuan in monthly alimony, but in fact it was just a symbolic request from my second brother.

He doesn't need the money.

This amount of money is not enough to support an old lady.

Now that the old lady is at home, they don’t need the money either, so they can just give it up later.

But he didn't expect that his mother would have such a suspicious habit. If even his second brother and sister-in-law couldn't stand it, how could he bear it with that kid's temper?

There will be no more trouble at home after this.

I couldn't help but start to worry.

Yu Qiutang saw his expression and immediately felt the same way.

If someone in the countryside at that time saw my grandmother in this state, people might not understand why and would just think she was acting strangely.

But Yu Qiutang was roughly certain that his grandmother was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

And it's a more serious mode.

This disease can be classified into two types: mild and not mild. The former simply means that you gradually lose recognition of others and feel insecure.

The latter not only does not recognize people, but even becomes suspicious and hateful of everything. She has a bit of persecution complex and believes that everyone in the world wants to hurt her and steal her things.

As the situation develops further, she may even become violent and start attacking people who get close to her for no apparent reason.

That would be really troublesome.

There is still no real cure for Alzheimer's disease even in later generations. Many drugs seem to be effective, but they are only short-lived.

He felt embarrassed for his uncle, but couldn't say anything.

After all, taking care of grandma is the responsibility of the previous generation, and he has no say in it now.

Let’s wait and see how things will be handled when Second Uncle comes back.

In the evening, Yu Qiushan rested at Yu Qiuyuan's house. Yu Qiutang and Yu Qiuyuan agreed to meet at Yu Qiujiang's house tomorrow.

Then go home with the news.

When he returned, the light in his father's cave had been turned off. When he passed by the window, he heard his father and Chen Meidi talking inside, so he knocked on the window.

"Dad, my grandma is back."

"Oh..." The father inside responded, then hesitated for a short while. After a few seconds, he asked again, "When did it happen?"

"It was around that time, around 11 o'clock."

"11 o'clock at night?!" Yu Dejin was surprised.

"Ah."

"How did you come back?"

"My brother Shan drove a three-wheeled motorcycle and sent the person directly to the door of my third uncle's house."

"Did you ask why he suddenly came back?"

"I don't know the details. I heard from my brother Shan that my second uncle and second aunt might come back tomorrow to discuss my grandma's placement with you. You can ask them if they have any questions then."

"Okay, I get it, go to sleep."

Yu Qiutang turned around and went back to his cave. A moment before entering, he suddenly found that the ground was bright. He turned his head to look at the sky and found that the moon had appeared from the clouds at some point, covering the earth with dark silver light.

He sat outside the doorway and watched for more than ten minutes until he felt a chill and then turned and went into the house.
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The next morning, as soon as Yu Qiutang went out, he ran into his father pumping air into his bicycle in the yard.

"Are you going on a long journey?" Yu Qiutang asked while brushing his teeth while squatting at the edge of the troglodyte.

"Let's go to Xiami Village."

Yu Qiutang suddenly remembered this and felt a little embarrassed, and started coughing because of the water he was brushing his teeth with.

He quickly spit out the foam in his mouth and said awkwardly, "Actually, there's no need to be so anxious. Just go when you have time. Aren't my second uncle and second aunt coming back today? Aren't you waiting for them at home?"

"They won't be back at noon, and it won't take me long to get there."

Yu Dejin placed the air pump against the wall.

At that time, the air pump was still very heavy, and it was quite difficult for most people to use it.

"That was hard work."

"What's so hard about this? Are you sure you don't need my help with this?"

"No need. I told Yuan Yuan that he and I, as well as my brother Jiang and Feng Zi, are enough to take turns."

"Okay then." Yu Dejin said nothing else and pushed the cart up to the troglodyte courtyard.

The path in the courtyard is quite steep. When Yu Qiutang was young, he could ride his bicycle to the flat ground in one breath, but Yu Dejin obviously did not have the physical strength to do so, so he could only push his bicycle to the flat ground and then ride it.

Yu Qiutang thought about it, followed his father and walked up. He told his father to be careful on the road and watched his father ride away on his bike.

He had originally thought of going to Mijiazhuang with his father, in case Mi Yali didn't come with them, he could still come up with something to do.

But after thinking about it, he still didn't have the courage to tell his father. He could only hope that his father understood his feelings and that the first meeting with his future daughter-in-law would go smoothly.

After coming down, Yu Xiaowei and Yu Xiaoyun also got up. Yu Qiutang encouraged them to study hard, then carried the basket of fairy tofu to the town.

He originally wanted to buy a bicycle to make the process of delivering tofu easier, but then he thought that daily training would also improve his physical fitness.

A bicycle must be bought. When Miali gets married, three things are indispensable.

When he married Miali in his previous life, he was extremely poor and did not give her a decent wedding. After getting the marriage certificate, they just had a simple meal and that was it.

It's really her fault.

I must marry her in a grand manner in this life so that she can have good memories.

Yu Qiutang came to the town and did not see Wu Meifen. He said that something happened at home and he went back to deal with it. He asked Master Liang whether Zhao Laosan had continued to retaliate recently. Master Liang said no.

It is said that ever since Zhao Laosan was dealt with last time, there have been rumors on the street that the proprietress Wu Meifen has a master brother behind her, who is a master in the underworld and not an ordinary person.

As the story was passed around, several unfounded legends and deeds were attributed to him.

There are no more messy people coming here to cause trouble, and business here is much smoother.

Wu Meifen is worthy of being Wu Meifen. At this critical juncture, she did not forget to purchase houses in the surrounding area and began to make great strides towards developing her hotel service industry.

When Yu Qiutang heard about buying a shop, he felt a little excited.

As someone who has been through this, he knows very well which locations in the town will be demolished and rebuilt in the future. As long as he can buy as many shops as possible in advance, he will be able to catch up with the fast train of economic development.

He has no intention of getting involved in industries such as real estate for the time being, but as a reborn person, it is obviously unreasonable not to use the dividends of economic development to make some auxiliary investments.

It’s better to make money well.

Without basic funds, everything you do will be hindered. You have to take one step at a time and eat one bite at a time. Don't think too much about it for now.
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Yu Qiutang, two cousins ​​and a childhood friend spent the entire afternoon leveling the foundation.

Not only does a foundation need to be built for stacking materials, but a good foundation is also required for building a house.

It hasn't rained yet, so we can't lay the foundation for the time being.

Yu Qiutang thought about waiting for another two or three days. If there was still no rain, he would have to carry water to soak the soil.

If it is not wet, the loess will not stick.

They were busy until noon. With the help of Yu Chunju, Yu Qiutang cooked the fox from last night into a dish, and they drank a little wine.

The others had no experience of eating fox meat, so Yu Qiutang had to prepare it himself. There are many common ways to cook fox meat, the most common of which are braised fox meat, stewed fox meat soup, and spicy fried fox meat.

Since the amount was about ten kilograms, Yu Qiutang simply tried all three methods.

He hadn't cooked it for a long time, and the seasonings at this time were very limited, so it was hard to say what the taste would be.

Braised fox meat is the simplest.

Just wash and cut the fox meat into pieces, blanch it in a pot to remove the fishy smell. Heat oil in a pot, add onion, ginger, garlic, dried chili and other seasonings and stir-fry until fragrant, add the fox meat and stir-fry until it changes color, add wine, soy sauce and other seasonings, add water and simmer until the meat is tender.

Originally, some sugar was needed, but sugar was scarce at that time. Most people who wanted to get sweetness used saccharin instead. Yu Qiujiang didn't have sugar at home, so he had to selectively ignore it.

Fox meat soup is relatively troublesome and needs to be simmered over low heat.

Yu Qiutang washed and cut the fox meat into pieces, requisitioned a chicken from Yu Qiujiang, put it into the pot together with the chicken, blanched it, added ginger slices, scallions and other seasonings, brought it to a boil over high heat, then transferred it to the back pot and simmered it over low heat for more than an hour.

By the time other dishes are ready, the fox meat soup will be ready.

There is no difference between fried fox meat and fried pork.

Wash and cut the fox meat into pieces, marinate it with salt, wine, ginger and other seasonings for a while. Heat oil in a pan, add the fox meat and stir-fry until it changes color, add onion, ginger, garlic, chili and other seasonings to fry until fragrant, add appropriate amount of salt, soy sauce and other seasonings, stir-fry evenly.

There are a few things to note when cooking fox meat.

First, the high temperature of blanching water should be maintained for a certain period of time to eliminate as many germs as possible that may be carried by the fox.

Secondly, the taste of fox meat is quite peculiar, and appropriate amount of seasoning needs to be added when cooking to cover up its peculiar smell.

Another thing is that fox meat is relatively tender, so you need to control the heat when cooking to prevent the meat from becoming tough.

Compared with other wild animals, fox meat is difficult to cook, and the taste is not outstanding when cooked, and many people are not used to it.

It is a meat with very low cost performance.

Many hunters catch foxes, peel off the fur, and give the fox meat to their hunting dogs to improve the lives of their hunting dogs. They don't actually eat it.

There are so many things in the mountains that taste much better than fox meat.

The four of them sat around a stone table made from slabs, eating and drinking. They were all familiar with each other and were chatting happily.

"Tangtang, it's really not nice of you to say that. When you went to catch the fox last night, why didn't you ask me to come along?"

Wang Haofeng felt a little regretful when he heard Yu Qiutang talk about what happened last night.

"We were looking for mules, so it was a surprise that we encountered a fox. Besides, why did we bring you along? Aren't you afraid of ghosts? The forest is spooky at night, and I'm afraid your legs will be too weak to move."

Yu Qiujiang said unhappily.

The last time he caught a bear, Wang Haofeng was not careful enough and rolled to the opposite hillside and was almost licked by the bear.

Yu Qiutang was fine, he knew that Wang Haofeng was just like that, he was careless and seemed reckless in daily life, but when he really encountered danger, he would really fight.

If Yu Qiutang and he were in danger, Wang Haofeng would definitely give Yu Qiutang the chance of survival at the first moment.

That's why Yu Qiutang was willing to be his brother for two lifetimes.

He has lived for most of his life and has long seen through the human nature of society. One should not always hold others to saintly standards. Everyone has shortcomings and strengths. As long as a person has a correct outlook on life, there will be no problem.

But Yu Qiujiang was very dissatisfied.

I think that having such a reckless person by my side will only make things worse and he is not much of a help.

"You thought so bad of me."

Wang Haofeng was still trying to be tough with his mouth, but his head subconsciously retracted into his neck.

He is just like that. He is timid when nothing happens, but extremely brave when something happens. He is really polar opposite.

When Yu Qiujiang mentioned this, he suddenly said, "I didn't think much about it last night because things were urgent. Now that I think about it, it's really strange that there was a fox in the pit."

"It's a little rare, but it's not particularly strange. Some foxes just like to hide in places where humans live. Otherwise, why are there so many fox legends in ancient Liao Zhai?"

Yu Qiutang explained with a smile.

"You haven't arrested all the criminals yet, should we go and wipe them out together?" Wang Haofeng rubbed his hands ready to go.

Yu Qiutang hesitated, then smiled and said, "Okay, but we have to wait for a while. Now is the time for foxes to give birth, and there are probably many little foxes hiding inside. If we catch the big ones, the small ones will be useless and will not survive.

In another three or two months, when the snow falls, the foxes will be roughly the same size, and we can kill them all at once then."

"That's fine, these guys are lucky. They actually dared to come out and steal chickens. They must be tired of living. Don't you think so, Yuanyuan?"

Wang Haofeng patted Yu Qiyuan's shoulder casually.

Yu Qiyuan smiled.

He had just joined the team and was a little shy to speak.

Especially with Yu Qiujiang in the team.

Human emotions are like this, even if both of them know that there is no conflict between them as cousins, the misunderstandings all come from the previous generation.

So it won’t be too rigid on the surface.

But it is not easy to truly get along harmoniously.

So Yu Qiyuan sat on the side and ate meat quietly, listening to the three people talking while eating, and basically did not interrupt.

I was a little nervous when Wang Haofeng suddenly took a photo of me.

Luckily no one else noticed.

Yu Qiujiang couldn't help but roll his eyes when he saw Wang Haofeng's expression.

Seeing that the time was almost up, he asked everyone to continue working.

This took more than two hours.

Even in autumn, the temperature was over 10 degrees Celsius, especially at noon, the four of us were feeling extremely hot.

Yu Qiutang looked at the sky and asked everyone to take a rest first and continue until the sun was almost setting.

Everyone thinks it’s okay.

If time is tight, you can continue working at night.

Anyway, at night in the mountain village, married men can still farm the fields, and single young men have nothing to do. If they don’t work, they just sit under the tree at the door and chat nonsense.

"Cousin, I'm going to go back first. Our grandma is at home. I wonder if there's anything I can help with. I'll come back in the evening."

Yu Qiutang agreed.

Then she told him, "Our grandma has a bad temper. Brother Shan has gone back again. We don't know what her temper is like now. Talk to Uncle San...especially Aunt San, and try to be accommodating if possible."

Yu Qiyuan said: "I know this, and my parents must understand it too. Our second aunt and second uncle are so kind, but grandma is not happy to treat them well, so they must have a bad temper.

As for my dad, there will definitely be no problem.

I'm just worried about my mother's temper. You saw it, she was very patient last night. It was just my grandmother. If it was anyone else, she would have kicked him out long ago."

Yu Qiutang smiled bitterly.

"Let's go back."

"Then I'm leaving. See you later, Brother Fengzi and Brother Jiang."

"Okay, okay, when you see our grandma, say hello for me." Wang Haofeng said with a smile.

Yu Qiujiang frowned and nodded.

After Yu Qiuyuan left, Yu Qiujiang asked Yu Qiutang, "Did our grandma come last night?"

"Well," Yu Qiutang remembered that he was busy in the morning and didn't tell him, so he simply told him what happened last night. After that, he sighed, "I think our grandma is more confused than before. If she stays at Uncle San's house, with Aunt San's temper, there will be a lot of trouble in the future."

Yu Qiujiang was silent for a moment, "Who should I blame?"

After saying this ambiguous remark, he did not explain, but turned back to the blacksmith's furnace and began to mend his things.

"I want to lie down under the tree and take a nap. Would you like to join me?"

"Go to bed by yourself."

"Then... Hey, look, is that your father?"

Wang Haofeng suddenly pointed into the distance.

Yu Qiutang turned around and saw two bicycles coming along the country road.

In front is my father Yu Dejin.

The person behind him was none other than his brother-in-law in his previous life, Mi Wenzhong.

"Yes."

"What is your father doing here?"

Wang Haofeng was a little nervous and subconsciously wanted to run inside. When he was a child, he played at Yu Qiutang's house and often saw Yu Qiutang being beaten. Yu Dejin's ferocious appearance left an indelible mark in his little heart.

As I grew older, I didn't want to come to Yu Qiutang's house anymore.

Even when he wanted to play with him, he would stand on the troglodyte and imitate bird calls, and Yu Qiutang would run up after receiving the signal.

"Who's that person behind?"

Wang Haofeng asked again.

"Didn't I tell you that I was going to build a yard here? My dad should have called the bricklayer for me."

"Your father helps you?"

Wang Haofeng opened his eyes wide, "You are right, aren't you? How did your father-son relationship become so good?"

Yu Qiutang kicked him angrily and said, "Go to sleep."

"You're not letting me talk. I didn't say anything wrong." Wang Haofeng twisted his buttocks. "Okay, let's go to sleep."

As he said this, he looked around, then ran to an apple tree and went to sleep.

Yu Qiujiang heard the two people talking and didn't say anything at first. When he saw the bicycle getting closer, he put down the things in his hands, turned into the room, and closed the door tightly.

Yu Qiujiang was also filled with resentment towards his uncle Yu Dejin.

After the death of his father, among his four uncles, he was the only one he did not hate. After all, he was a son-in-law, so some things were not so legitimate.

Secondly, he was also okay with his second uncle Yu Demu. He took good care of their family when their father was alive, and he also cared about them and their siblings for a while after his death. It was just that he was stubborn and didn't want to get close to him, so he gradually became estranged.

The one I hate the most is my third uncle.

At that time, the third uncle and my father had the closest relationship because they were close in age. But at the critical moment, the third uncle only listened to the eldest uncle, talking about moral principles, and forced my father to death.

As for the uncle...

He is really hard to forgive.

If there were ten reasons for his father's death, he believed that at least five of them were due to his uncle.

If my uncle only cared about his brothers instead of the rumors around him, and didn't care what others said, and helped my father at the critical moment instead of treating him coldly, my parents would still be alive today.

This hatred gradually forms scars on the body as it ages. Although it no longer hurts, it still causes a dull pain.

(End of this chapter)