Chapter 85: The Mischievous Child, Completely Naked

At dusk, the sky had already begun to darken. Not far away, groups of children walked happily toward the Gao family home, accompanied by several women who chatted animatedly along the way, creating a lively scene.

When they arrived outside the Gao family’s courtyard wall, the women handed bowls or basins to their children, quietly offering a few words of advice. Some also gave their children small bags. The children, filled with joy and excitement, rushed eagerly into the courtyard, afraid that if they were even a moment late, there would be no meat left for them. Their steps were hurried and anxious.

Seeing the sudden influx of children, Li Dahu quickly raised his hand and called out, “Line up, line up! Form two lines, don’t worry—everyone will get meat! If you don’t behave and queue up, there’ll be no meat for you!” Li Dahu was in charge of keeping the children in order, while Gao Shen and Li Yougen served the food. The village ladles were not small; a ladleful for each was nearly a small bowl.

As for Aunt Li and her daughter, they stayed in the kitchen with Jing Qingxin, helping prepare the rest of the meal. Aunt Li tended the firewood, while Li Xiaomei helped with odd tasks.

From the iron pot wafted the rich aroma of meat, making the children’s mouths water. Even the women waiting outside the courtyard wall sniffed hungrily at the scent. More and more children entered the courtyard, while Li Dahu continually ensured they stayed in line. Gao Shen had just served a child when the little one held out a bag.

“Uncle, thank you for your family’s meat. My mother asked me to give this to you!” the child said, grinning brightly and repeating his mother’s instructions word for word.

Gao Shen glanced at the bag and instantly understood. Without pretense, he accepted it and replied calmly, “Alright, thank you.”

Seeing Gao Shen accept the bag, the child knew he had completed his mother’s task and could now go home to eat meat. He carefully carried his bowl of meat and left.

Afterward, other children brought bags of varying sizes, which Gao Shen accepted one by one, expressing his thanks each time. Since these were tokens of gratitude or goodwill from the villagers, he accepted them straightforwardly.

Moreover, Gao Shen didn’t want the villagers to develop a sense of entitlement or think his family’s generosity could be taken for granted. He always believed that relationships, even among kin, required mutual exchange. No matter how warm-hearted, one-sided giving without response would eventually burn itself out—even blood ties were no exception.

Among the children, there were obedient ones, but there were also troublemakers. Most carried bowls, but the mischievous ones came with basins. When one such child saw only a ladleful of meat and vegetables in his basin, he pouted and complained, “Why is there so little? It’s not even full.”

This child remembered well what his parents had said: if he brought a basin, he’d get more meat; a bowl was too small and meant less. But now, even with a basin, there was still only a ladleful—how could this be?

“Shitou, everyone gets a ladleful of meat. Take it back and eat,” Li Yougen said to the troublemaker. Though his own home was in a remote part of the village, he recognized the child at once. Seeing Shitou’s sulky face, Li Yougen shook his head helplessly. Shitou’s parents were notorious for being thick-skinned, and their child was no different.

“No! My parents said if I brought a basin, it would be filled!” Shitou insisted, pouting stubbornly.

Laughter sounded from outside the courtyard. The children behind didn’t understand and waited quietly, but the women outside knew exactly what Shitou meant. Everyone was well aware of each family’s temperament in the village; it was just that others were not as shameless, so who could really criticize?

Li Yougen looked embarrassed. Honest and simple by nature, he had no way to deal with such a child. He turned to Gao Shen for guidance.

Gao Shen paused, looked at the troublemaker, and asked quietly, “You think it’s not enough?”

The child glanced at Gao Shen’s serious expression, said nothing, shrank his neck, but still nodded.

Gao Shen held out his hand calmly and said, “If you think it’s not enough, then give it back to me.”

Immediately, the boy hugged his basin tightly and shielded it with his body, realizing at once that he wouldn’t get more meat today. Making a face at Gao Shen, he gave a snort and ran out.

Outside, the women watched Shitou dash out, hands tightly guarding his basin as if someone might snatch his meat. His mother stepped forward to meet him, shouting at the crowd, “What are you laughing at?” Then she turned toward the courtyard and sneered, “So stingy! Just because you have meat doesn’t mean you’re special!” With that, she took Shitou’s hand and marched off, paying no mind to anyone else. In her heart, she felt that Gao Shen’s family was being miserly—such a big pot of meat, and only a few pieces given, even threatening to take them back. What else could that be but stingy?

Gao Shen paid no mind to this little episode. Human nature was often like this. Perhaps due to his own experiences, he saw things clearly and placed no hope even in family, let alone outsiders.

The large pot of potato and meat stew was soon distributed. Gao Shen estimated that sixty or seventy children had come. As for those who didn’t, it was none of his concern; the message had already been given, and they had made their own choices.

Li Yougen quickly cleared the stove, and Li Dahu closed the courtyard gate.

Inside the main room, Li Xiaomei was setting out bowls and chopsticks. Knowing that Gao Shen’s household didn’t have enough tableware for so many, the four members of the Li family had brought their own.

Jing Qingxin and Aunt Li arranged the dishes. Gao Shen and the other two men sat down at the table. The square wooden table wasn’t large; the six of them squeezed in together. When they looked at the spread before them, the Li family’s hearts were full of emotion.

This meal was as grand as a New Year’s Eve dinner in the village!

There was a platter of rich, oily potato and meat stew, with equal parts meat and vegetables—not just a few pieces of meat mixed in a whole bowl of vegetables. The ingredients were generous and plentiful.

Another dish was braised chicken with mushrooms, the fragrance of mushrooms and the tenderness of chicken filling the room, making everyone’s stomachs rumble with hunger. Jing Qingxin had even prepared two dipping sauces, so the chicken and mushrooms could be enjoyed in different flavors.

Then came a cold platter of wild greens and a stir-fried dish of black fungus, both light and refreshing accompaniments to the meal. Finally, for the staple, there were egg pancakes and white rice.

Such a bountiful dinner brought everyone joy and satisfaction.

Not a single dish was left over. As the cook, Jing Qingxin was delighted to see her food so well received, every morsel eaten.

Li Yougen and his son, seeing their clean bowls and plates, felt a bit embarrassed. They had healthy appetites to begin with, and with Jing Qingxin’s cooking being so delicious, they couldn’t help but eat more. Before they knew it, everything had been devoured!

—Extra Chapter for the Weekend—
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