Chapter 156: Meat to Eat

Chapter 156: Meat to Eat

Everyone at the table ate until their bellies were round and full!

The women and children finished first and left the table, while the men remained seated, clinking glasses and chatting.

It wasn’t until almost 2 o’clock that the men stopped drinking and got up from the table.

As soon as Zhou Jianguo got up, he went into the bedroom to lie down. Political Commissar Zhou remarked that Zhou Jianguo’s alcohol tolerance still needed practice, only to be met with a scornful glance from Wang Chunhua. “Not everyone can hold their liquor like you, Mr. Alcohol Tank!”

Gu Heng had also drunk quite a bit and was a little unsteady on his feet. Wang Chunhua said, “Su Zhaozhao, you don’t need to help clean up here. First, help your Laogu get back and let him sleep in bed for a while. He’ll sober up by tonight.”

“Alright, we’ll head back first then.”

The two children and Zhou Xiaojun had long since disappeared to play somewhere, so Su Zhaozhao and Gu Heng went home.

When they got home, Su Zhaozhao prepared a basin of water for Gu Heng to wash his face, then helped him into bed.

The drunk Gu Heng was particularly obedient, his eyes dazed and straight, doing whatever Su Zhaozhao told him to do.

Su Zhaozhao also planned to take a nap and followed Gu Heng into the bedroom.

As soon as Su Zhaozhao lay down, Gu Heng moved closer, reached out, and pulled her into his arms.

Su Zhaozhao thought he just wanted to hold her while they slept, but then he started to grope her.

Su Zhaozhao grabbed his hand that was on her chest. “What are you doing? We said we were going to sleep.”

Gu Heng, caught by her, moved his lips toward her and pecked her twice. “This is sleeping.”

This isn’t the kind of 'sleeping' you meant, Captain Gu!

Didn’t we already do this last night?

You sure have a lot of energy, don’t you?

Captain Gu thought otherwise and, in a few swift moves, undressed Su Zhaozhao, complimenting, “So white!”

Of course, she was white. Usually, they only did this in the dark, with the lights off, but today, it was broad daylight. Though the grass curtains blocked some of the sunlight, enough light still came through, making her skin appear even whiter and more tender in the interplay of light and shadow.

Su Zhaozhao kicked her legs. “Cover up with the blanket.”

Ugh, how frustrating!

Doesn’t he realize I’m shy?

Gu Heng, drunk as he was, was both obedient and disobedient. For example, in this matter, he said, “It’s hot.”

He refused to cover up, insisting on looking.

Su Zhaozhao soon lost her focus on the blanket.

She felt like a little boat, tossed and turned by the waves, sometimes riding the tide, other times cutting through it.

With the children not at home and the courtyard gate tightly closed—Gu Heng had latched the door bolt as soon as he entered, something Su Zhaozhao hadn’t even noticed—the couple had no reservations. They lost track of time and didn’t wake up until the sun was setting.

Su Zhaozhao's bones felt like they had turned to mush, and she didn't want to move even a single finger while lying in bed.

Really, this man was even more intense during the day than at night!

Especially when he drank, his curiosity became even stronger!

Su Zhaozhao wanted to cry. That afternoon, she felt like dough—first being kneaded, then flipped back and forth, until nothing was left of her after being thoroughly exhausted.

It was too brutal!

After living together for so long, this was the first time she had experienced what it meant to be between life and death.

Next time Gu Heng drinks, she wouldn't willingly put herself in such a vulnerable position again!

She would stay as far away as possible!

After several releases, Gu Heng had sobered up. Lying in bed, he had one arm wrapped around his wife, who was lying on his chest, and the other hand was behind his head.

His hand couldn't resist caressing her shoulder, which was peeking out from under the blanket.

Su Zhaozhao kicked his leg. "Go boil water. I need to bathe."

Gu Heng got out of bed, and before leaving, he tucked the blanket around her and shamelessly asked, "Was it good just now?"

If he hadn't asked, it might have been fine, but his question made her face flush so hot she could have boiled water. Furious and embarrassed, she kicked him. "Pervert!"

Gu Heng caught her foot, patted it twice, and tucked her back into the blanket. "Lie down for a while and then get up. Gu Xiang and the others should be back soon."

After saying that, he left the bedroom, removed the bolt from the front door, and headed to the kitchen to boil water for bathing.

With the cold weather, bathing at home risked catching a cold, so they usually just wiped down and waited for the bathhouse to open twice a week for a proper wash.

Su Zhaozhao had broken a sweat, so just wiping down wasn't enough. Gu Heng brought out a bathtub, boiled half a tub of water, and let her take a quick bath. After she finished, he went in to wash as well.

While pouring out the bath water, the two kids who had been playing outside for half the afternoon finally returned.

Gu Xiang was holding a few sparrows in his hand.

"Did you go to the woods to hunt birds?" Gu Heng asked him.

Gu Xiang nodded and shook the sparrows in his hand. "I only caught five."

Gu Nian pouted, holding a slingshot in her hand, swinging it back and forth. Her brother had caught five, but she hadn't caught even one.

Gu Heng smiled. "I'll make roasted sparrows for you tonight."

Su Zhaozhao, who had just emerged, overheard this and thought, '...'

In the future, hunting sparrows would become illegal...

But at this time, sparrows were classified as one of the "Four Pests."

She had read that in later times, most sparrows were either imported or had become hybrids due to the drastic reduction in their population.

The nationwide campaign dealt a devastating blow to the sparrow population, nearly driving them to extinction.

The scarcity of sparrows led to an outbreak of insect infestations in the farmlands, and not only did grain production fail to increase, but it also resulted in even more severe pest problems.

In order to restore the ecosystem, sparrows had to be imported from the Soviet Union later on, and they were removed from the list of the Four Pests.

After this ordeal, sparrows were finally recognized for what they truly were, transitioning from one of the Four Pests to a protected species, and even becoming a safeguarded animal.

What a tough situation.

By the way, the Four Pests Elimination Campaign should be starting in the next couple of years, right?

Su Zhaozhao knows that she shouldn't view the present through the lens of the future. Even though she knows how it will end, she can't stop people from hunting sparrows, nor can she convince them to stop once the population is nearly wiped out.

Otherwise, they'd have to spend money importing sparrows from abroad.

This future campaign will be a nationwide movement. If she were to meddle and overstep her bounds...

She would be the one to suffer the consequences.

She decides it's best to go with the flow, living day by day without causing trouble.

Gu Heng prepared the grilled sparrows. He gathered some wood, built a small fire in the yard, and roasted the plucked and gutted sparrows over the flames.

Besides salt and chili, he didn't use any other seasonings. Su Zhaozhao took a bite; it tasted fine, but there wasn't much meat on the bones.

By the way, could it be that people hunted sparrows to near extinction just for the little bit of meat they provided?