Hearing the commotion outside, Mother Li couldn't stay in the room any longer.
Seeing that her daughter and daughter-in-law had forgotten to help her, she walked out, leaning on the wall, just as she heard Tian Jing speak.
From yesterday, when Tian Jing had lectured her, she knew that Tian Jing was a decisive girl. She wouldn't act superior and try to persuade her. As long as she could live well with her son, that was enough.
"Minmin, move the lounging chair out. Now, can I sunbathe?"
"Mom, why did you come out by yourself?" Li Min dropped the kudzu root she was holding and hurried to help her mother.
Mother Li waved her hand, "You don't need to help me. I feel a bit stronger today. Hurry and move the chair out."
"Then, take your time."
Just as Mother Li was settled, the sound of a roaring crowd could be heard, and people were running towards the Li family's house.
"Aunt Li, your Zhengguo is amazing! He hunted a big wild boar." A woman ran to the Li family's doorstep and shouted loudly.
Mother Li had only heard the voices outside and hadn't heard what her daughter and daughter-in-law were talking about.
Hearing this now, she was startled. "Is my Zhengguo alright?"
"No, no, he's fine. It's different for someone who's been in the army. Even with bad legs, he can hunt a big wild boar. Today, we'll have something good to eat." The woman praised with a beaming smile.
Hearing that someone wanted to eat meat and mentioning her son's bad legs, Mother Li didn't have a good expression.
"Yes, you'll have good food. My Zhengguo took the risk, and I worried."
"Uh," the woman knew she had spoken too quickly and said the wrong thing. She quickly changed the subject and asked Tian Jing, who was squatting by a pile of vines, "Sister-in-law, what is this?"
Tian Jing felt relieved hearing that Mother Li could speak assertively. At least Mother Li was trying to change.
"This is kudzu root. It's what we use to tie firewood on the mountain. I brought some back to see if I can weave some small baskets with bamboo to put steamed buns and flatbreads in."
The woman took a look at the common item found everywhere on the mountain and lost interest. Her eyes then landed on the pumpkin vines. "Oh, these pumpkins are quite big."
"Yes," Tian Jing replied casually, "Li Zhengguo and I went up the mountain together. I saw these pumpkins and pulled them, vines and all, down the mountain."
"This pumpkin is quite large. I couldn't carry it back, so I had to drag it. It tired me out. However, Li Zhengguo said he would give a few to the production team for the captain to distribute to those in need. Pumpkins are easily digestible and suitable for the elderly."
The woman, whose conversation had been cut short, pouted. In her heart, she thought: You little thing, you followed him up the mountain? Not even enough for a wild boar's bite. You're just trying to take credit for Li Zhengguo's achievements.
But she couldn't say this out loud. Li Zhengguo wanted to make his wife look good, and others couldn't interfere. Hearing the movement from behind the Li family's kitchen, she got up to leave. "I'll go take a look."
After the woman left, Tian Jing ignored the pumpkins and kudzu root dumped at the door. She only took the tender pumpkin leaves she had picked to the wall and began to tear off the thin skin from the stems.
Li Min and Mother Li looked at her curiously. "What are you doing?"
"Eating," Tian Jing said, tearing off the skin. "You haven't eaten it before?"
"We have," Li Min and her mother exchanged glances. "We just cut it up and stir-fried it."
"That's right, we stir-fry it. But you have to tear off the skin, and the leaves need to have their veins removed. Look, you can do a good job when you go to the Tian family in the future."
"Also, just before it's done, sprinkle a little rice flour and mix it in. It tastes even better."
Hearing this, Li Min immediately squatted beside her and watched her pick pumpkin vines. After a couple of glances, she wanted to learn, but Tian Jing slapped her outstretched hand away.
"You go experiment with those old leaves. I still need to eat this for lunch."
Alright, Li Min obediently went to the pile of pumpkin vines and plucked some leaves. Following Tian Jing's technique, she learned to tear and peel off the thin skin. "Sister-in-law, aren't you going to watch the pig slaughter?"
"No, my husband is there. He won't let our family suffer. I need to supervise you making dinner."
With such a strong reason, Li Min had to give in. Her sister-in-law had thwarted her idea of watching the pig slaughter.
Hearing Tian Jing say "our family," Mother Li felt at ease.
Tian Jing had never called her "Mom" and always referred to Zhengguo and Minmin as "your mother." Mother Li assumed it was because she was shy and couldn't bring herself to call her that, so she decided to give her time and wasn't in a hurry.
The noisy sounds grew closer. Hundreds of people surrounded Li Zhengguo and walked towards the village head. Naturally, they had to pass by the Li family's door.
Everyone greeted Mother Li with smiles, praising her son's excellence and saying that she would have a good life and enjoy blessings in the future.
Tian Jing listened with wide eyes and was stunned by what she saw. Almost all the young and middle-aged adults in the production team were here! Fortunately, the wild boar hunt was attributed to Li Zhengguo.
Otherwise, if she had been the one being mobbed, her annoyance aside, the words people spoke would certainly not have been such flattering compliments.
Li Zhengguo gave Tian Jing a slight smile and followed the crowd towards the production team headquarters at the village entrance.
Zhang Fangcao's eyes were fixed on the wild boar. If her husband had hunted it, this glory would be hers.
Fortunately, these people were flattering the old woman. If they were flattering Tian Jing, she would have been sick with anger.
Seeing the back basket and pumpkin vines at the Li family's door, her eyes darted around, and she raised her voice. "Oh my, Minmin, where did your family get such big pumpkins? We can't grow them in our village."
Tian Jing glanced at Li Min. She had caused the trouble herself, so she should handle it.
Li Min pouted and glared at Zhang Fangcao with dissatisfaction. "What? My elder brother worked hard to hunt a big wild boar, and you still can't shut some people's mouths? You want to take a few pumpkins too? Have you no shame?"
"My sister-in-law said she'll ask the captain to distribute them to the households with elderly people in need. These pumpkins are suitable for the elderly. Some people will be so envious they'll die without ever tasting them, hmph!"
Pumpkins are soft and sweet, but the ones grown in Kushan are small and not very sweet.
Occasionally, wives from other villages would bring one or two back from their parents' homes, and they were sweet when steamed.
Although the sweet potatoes grown in Kushan's soil were also relatively sweet, eating sweet potatoes too often caused heartburn. Having fresh, delicious food at home in Kushan was a source of pride.
Zhang Fangcao didn't get any of the food her sister-in-law brought back from her parents' home, and her husband's family's sister-in-law, due to household chores, was so angry that she never brought fresh food from her parents' home into the mountains.
Not only Zhang Fangcao was craving them, but also those who hadn't eaten fresh food in a long time. Seeing Zhang Fangcao speak up, they thought there would be an end to it.
However, Zhang Fangcao looked as if she were about to cry.
"Minmin, why are you talking to me like this? We've always been very close. For three days now, you've been targeting me. Why? What did I do wrong?"
Before Li Min could reply, a woman who was watching the show said, "Sister Niu, what do you mean by that?"
Zhang Fangcao's expression turned grim, and her innocent, tearful demeanor disappeared.