Chapter 6: Midnight Snack

Chapter 6: Midnight Snack

When someone tried to reason with them, Lin Laosi and Li Chunxing were worried that their second son would go around telling everyone, which wouldn’t sound good. Although they didn’t care about their reputation, it wouldn’t sound good to hear their own child accuse them of eating alone without sharing with the kids.

From then on, Lin Laosi and Li Chunxing never forgot to share any good food with their two sons. The family of four always shared everything equally. Later, when Lin Xixi was born, making it a family of five, Lin Laosi set a rule that no one in the family was allowed to eat alone; everyone should share the good fortune together.

Lin Nan woke up in a daze, rubbing his eyes, "Mom, Dad, why aren’t you asleep yet? Did I wet the bed?"

After saying that, he quickly checked under himself—no, he hadn’t. It would be embarrassing for someone his age to wet the bed.

He then asked, "Big brother, are you awake too? I didn’t wet the bed. Did Xixi wet the bed?"

"Huh? What’s that smell? Brother, can you smell it?"

Lin Dong didn’t answer him but pointed to the roasted rabbit on the table.

"Wow, no wonder it smells so good," Lin Nan was genuinely surprised. He had just opened his eyes and saw the roasted rabbit, thinking he was still dreaming. He was about to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming but thought better of it. Even if it was a dream, it was a pleasant one. What if he woke up from the pain?

Lin Laosi and Li Chunxing called Lin Xixi much more softly. Seeing their little daughter’s eyelids flutter but not wanting to wake up, they called her softly a few more times.

In her dream, Lin Xixi was enjoying a wonderful fantasy! She didn’t want to wake up at all. In her dream, school had started, and Lin Xixi was full of anticipation as she went to register. From afar, she could see the university’s sign, very prominent, with senior students busy welcoming new students.

Lin Xixi pulled her suitcase over, and a very handsome and sunny senior came up to her. A wonderful university life awaited her...

"Sweetheart... wake up... wake up... there’s something delicious."

"I don’t want to go back, I want to go to university, I don’t want to be a failure."

"Fourth brother, your ears are sharp, listen to what our daughter is mumbling," Li Chunxing couldn’t hear clearly what her little daughter was saying, so she called Lin Laosi over.

Lin Laosi put his ear close and laughed, "Our daughter says she wants to go to university. That’s our girl, so promising. Our daughter will definitely study well, eat rationed grain, and be even more successful than her aunt."

He quickly agreed, "Of course, of course, as long as you pass the exams, we’ll support your education."

Lin Xixi slowly opened her eyes, seeing the wooden beams and earthen walls.

It turned out to be just a dream. What a wonderful dream, she didn’t want to wake up.

"Oh, sweetheart, you’re awake? Come and see what Dad brought back for you," Lin Laosi said with a smile, then proudly broke off a rabbit leg, "Here, sweetheart, eat."

Lin Xixi took it groggily, smelling the aroma, her stomach really hungry. She gave in and took a big bite, so tasty she nearly bit her tongue, immediately forgetting everything else. In fact, her current body was quite pitiful, born in a time of material scarcity, she hadn’t eaten much good food, and her body lacked fat. This rabbit meat wasn’t something she could easily get.

Lin Laosi and Li Chunxing also ate with great relish.

Lin Dong and Lin Nan, the brothers, were no exception. Lin Dong was only ten years old, and it was already quite an effort for him to wait for his younger siblings to eat together.

Lin Nan knew where the roasted rabbit came from and was newly inspired. He had only gone into the woods with his friends to snatch bird eggs and catch small fish in the river, which were barely enough to fill his teeth. Nothing compared to the excitement of eating wild game. As he ate, he declared boldly, "Tomorrow, I’ll go up the mountain to see if I can find some wild game. If I can, I’ll roast it like this."

Lin Dong ignored his silly brother. If wild game could be found so easily, he would go every day.

Lin Xixi, hearing this, couldn’t stay calm. The book mentioned that her second brother skipped school every day to snatch bird eggs in the woods and catch fish in the river. Now, with the addition of searching for wild game in the mountains, it seemed that apart from not studying well, he didn’t miss anything else.

"Second brother, the mountains are dangerous, you can’t go. Be careful of wild boars; they can charge at people."

Lin Nan’s determination wasn’t easily swayed by his sister’s words, especially now that he was eating rabbit meat. He was even more determined to go and see for himself.

Lin Laosi and Li Chunxing didn’t say much. They had grown up running around the mountains and valleys, and the village children all grew up like this. They just reminded him not to venture deep into the mountains, just to wander around the foothills.

In the middle of the night, the whole family gathered to share the roasted rabbit meat, eating with great satisfaction. Lin Nan licked the grease off his fingers and sighed, "If only we could have meat every day, that would be wonderful."

Lin Laosi chuckled, "Silly boy, wishful thinking, like setting off firecrackers without lighting the fuse."

"What does Dad mean? Is he casting a spell?" Lin Nan scratched his head in confusion.

Lin Dong stifled a laugh, "Dad is saying how you think (loudly)."

Lin Nan: "..."

Li Chunxing and Lin Xixi couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Lin Laosi brought water for his wife and kids to wash up, then cleaned up the bones and tossed them far away.

Zhao Xiuxiang, closest to the door, sat up and peeked out the window, kicked Lin Jianmin awake, and whispered, "Honey, do you think Laosi and his wife are eating something good in their room at this hour? Why aren't they sleeping, what are they up to?"

"What good stuff could he possibly have? Even if he had something good, would he share it with you?" Lin Jianmin lazily kept his eyes closed as he spoke.

Zhao Xiuxiang pouted, "I don’t have that kind of pull. How could he not have good stuff? He’s sweet-talked his way into getting all the good stuff in our house. You know how much our parents favor him."

"If Mom gave it to him, he wouldn’t save it until midnight to eat. He’d have eaten and digested it by now. Good bones don’t last long in a dog’s mouth. Stop overthinking. I’m exhausted after a long day. If you're not sleepy, I am." Lin Jianye turned over and continued to sleep.

Zhao Xiuxiang muttered to herself as Lin Jianmin’s thunderous snoring filled the room. She wanted to shake him awake and tell him to stop snoring, but she was afraid he’d get mad—she’d already kicked him awake once. She had no choice but to turn over and try to sleep, still wondering what good stuff Laosi was hiding.

Early the next morning, when the sky was still dimly lit, Grandma Lin started shouting colorful curses, calling everyone to get up.

Lin Laosi irritably covered his ears with a pillow, having slept late, he was still very sleepy!

Li Chunxing sat up, feeling hopeless, wondering when this life would ever end.

The busy day began with the usual morning chaos.

Everyone was roused to start working. Grandma Lin had her granddaughter help make breakfast, which would be sent to the fields for the workers. The next month would be a rush to harvest and plant, time was tight, and every bit saved was precious.

Grandma Lin began to arrange the day's tasks. The eldest branch’s Lin Lichun and Lin Lixia, along with the second branch’s Lin Liqiu—several older girls—would go to the fields to deliver meals.

The third branch’s Lin Lidong was tasked with cooking pig feed, Lin Dongzhi would feed the chickens, and then the two would go to cut pig grass and gather firewood.

The fourth branch’s Lin Dong and his friends would go to the threshing ground to watch the rice, earning work points for the team.

Lin Nan also had to gather firewood, in addition to the daily use, they needed to start storing firewood for the winter.

When it came to the youngest, Lin Xixi, Grandma Lin met a pair of sparkling eyes, paused in her tone, waved her hand, and said, "Go gather rice."