Zhang Deben had completely lost face.
In the past, he was at least someone with some standing in the Village, but these past two days, the Village people were all talking about him behind his back, saying all sorts of things. The most outrageous was that some said he coveted Fugui's wife and angered the dead Fugui back to life!
Then Zhao Kaishan came to his house asking for grain. Captain Zhao hated that Zhang Deben's deceit almost ruined his reputation, so he lectured him severely, making his old face turn red then pale, pale then red, making him want to find a crack in the ground to crawl into and never come out.
Finally, after repeatedly explaining and guaranteeing that he didn't intend to embezzle Fugui's relief grain, Zhang Deben swore, pointing to the sky, "Captain Zhao, if I intended to hide Fugui's grain, may a wild wolf rip out my intestines the moment I step outside!"
Everyone knew that offending the Production Team Captain would make life difficult. From working to earning work points, the Captain had countless opportunities to make things hard for him and deal with him. Although Zhang Deben had accidentally connected with a workshop director at the County Steel Factory a while ago, that was only for asking favors and wasn't a real connection at all. Even if the connection was good, it wouldn't extend to the Production Team.
Having lived in this Village for many years, he originally wouldn't dare to hide Fugui's relief grain from the Captain. However, his family had been living on half-full meals for a long time, and once the grain entered his house, he couldn't bear to take it out again.
He originally planned to pretend he'd forgotten about it and delay things. Then he heard the news that Fugui had frozen to death and was secretly happy that the grain wouldn't have to be given out this time. He didn't expect Fugui to be alive again, and then the Captain showed up at his door and gave him a dressing-down!
Hearing that Fugui had traded some pheasants for grain, Zhang Deben couldn't sit still. A seemingly foolish Fugui had managed to get pheasants to trade for grain! What kind of luck was this?
The entire Village hadn't seen any meat for at least half a year, so what right did Fugui have? He got meat and didn't even think of bringing some to show respect to him! No matter what, they were uncle and nephew, and he was the elder. He had already returned the relief grain, so sending over a pheasant wasn't too much, right?
He waited and waited but didn't see Fugui come to deliver the chicken. Instead, a few Village loafers came looking for Zhang Shengli to play cards. These few were usually together, lazy workers who could only eat until they were half-full, but they would gather to brag and play cards to pass the time.
They only ate a bowl of thin porridge at noon, which was far from enough, just enough to fill up on water. It was winter, the slack season, and no one in the Village could afford to eat dry food. Drinking some thin porridge and lying on the heated brick bed was the most effort-saving way to live.
Watching Zhang Shengli wander out, Zhang Deben was also angry. He could only hope to butter up that director at the County Steel Factory and hope he could arrange a worker status for Zhang Shengli. If that happened, it would be a sign of their ancestors' blessings.
But he knew that you couldn't ask for favors empty-handed. He had previously hoped Fu Gui's father would get some mountain goods for him to take as a gift, but Fu Gui's father died before that. Zhang Deben was so angry; if you had to die, at least bring back a wild boar before you did! But there was nothing!
Thinking of this, Zhang Deben decided to go to Fugui's house to see. If there were still pheasants, he would ask for two. He figured Fugui wouldn't dare refuse.
So he left his house and walked towards Fugui's. Zhang Shengli hadn't gone far yet and saw his father leaving. Normally, his father would be lying on the heated brick bed resting at this time. Feeling strange, he called out and, with a few loafers, followed him.
Zhou Cang and Zhang Yue had already skinned the roe deer, cut off half a basin of meat from the hind leg, and were stewing it in the pot. The aroma was intoxicating! The rest of the pheasant and roe deer meat was hidden in a large jar in the storeroom, with the lid covered and weighted down with stones, and a circle of mouse traps placed around it to prevent mice from sneaking in to steal food.
Before Zhang Deben even entered the house, he smelled the aroma of meat, and his mouth immediately began to water. It was truly too fragrant!
"Fugui, what delicious food are you making?" Zhang Deben was stunned when he saw the roe deer hide in Zhang Yue's hand. The young girl was using a knife to scrape off the remaining fat from the inside of the hide, and there was already a pile of red and white shredded meat in the small basin beside her.
He originally thought Fugui had gotten pheasants, but now he saw that he had gotten a roe deer!
"Nothing much, just making some porridge and steaming a couple of potatoes. What could be delicious?" Zhou Cang replied with a smile.
"Pure nonsense. Second Uncle can smell it. It's too fragrant. You're stewing meat, aren't you?" Zhang Deben said as he crouched down beside the stove, sniffing greedily, his eyes practically trying to pierce the pot lid!
"That's just the smell of potatoes," Zhou Cang said, looking at this cheap Second Uncle. He asked, "Is there something you need?"
Seemingly sensing Fugui's unfriendly tone, Zhang Deben reluctantly moved his gaze away from the pot lid.
"Did you hunt pheasants? Give Second Uncle two."
"Yes, I did." Zhou Cang nodded. Seeing him nod, Zhang Deben immediately stood up happily.
"But why should I give them to you?"
"Uh, Fugui, maybe you don't know, but your father promised to hunt two pheasants for Second Uncle before!"
"Heh, then go find my father and ask him. He's on the back mountain. Do you need me to lead the way?" Zhou Cang said with a cold laugh.
That one sentence choked Zhang Deben, and he didn't recover for a while. Just then, Zhang Shengli came in with a few people and happened to hear Zhou Cang speak.
"Zhang Fugui! How dare you talk to my father like that? Are you looking for a beating?" As soon as he finished speaking, he smelled a strong aroma of meat.
"Holy crap, there's meat!" Hearing this, the few people behind him also squeezed hard to get in.
"Where is it? Holy crap, it smells so good!" A short person reached out to lift the pot lid.
*Slap!*
"Ow!" The short person covered his hand and glared at Zhou Cang.
Zhou Cang slapped his hand away, stood up, and frowned. Were these people dogs? Every single one of them was staring at the pot lid, drooling, with green light flashing in their eyes.
"Zhang Yue, go inside first." Seeing this situation, it was clear things wouldn't end well. If he didn't completely deal with these people now, it would be very troublesome later.
Zhang Yue secretly slipped a knife into Zhou Cang's hand, turned and went into the inner room to put down the roe deer hide, picked up a pair of scissors, hid them behind her back, and came out again, staring intently at Zhang Shengli.
The meat that Fugui Ge risked his life in the mountains to get – whoever dared to steal it, she would stab them!
Zhou Cang smiled, but to Zhang Shengli and the others, this smile was a little unsettling, as if a Tiger was baring its fangs at them.
Was this still the foolish Fugui? And that lovely Zhang Yue, her eyes looked like she wanted to kill them.
Just then, an Old Lady's voice rang out.
"Who's bullying my grandson?"
An Old Lady walked into the courtyard, followed by two middle-aged men in fur coats pulling a sled. They were burly, like small mountains, a stark contrast to the thin figures of Zhang Deben and his son. The Old Lady was Fugui's Grandma, and the two men were his Uncle and Second Uncle.
"Grandma!" Zhang Yue cried out tearfully and threw herself into the Old Lady's arms, weeping loudly.
She had been in the Zhang family since she was little. Although she was a child bride, the Old Lady treated her like her own child. Seeing her now, Zhang Yue's accumulated grievances from days past burst out all at once, and she cried heartbrokenly. The Old Lady also wiped away tears.
The death of Fugui's parents was a big blow to the Old Lady. She had planned to take Fugui away, but unexpectedly, upon arriving, she encountered a room full of people with drawn swords, ready to fight.
"Make them get out!" the Old Lady said, wiping away tears.