Li Jianqing's stomach growled at the sight of the buns, his excitement palpable. He felt a bit embarrassed to take one, but it was a white flour bun and, biting into it, he found it was filled with pure meat. Oil was dripping from it, so he quickly licked around his lips with his tongue, afraid to let a drop spill. Li Xianglu didn't mind at all, smiling instead. These days, people were short of oils and fats, and everyone was this careful with food.
Li Jianqing asked his sister if she had eaten, then found out she had gobbled down four buns non-stop before halting. He looked at the remaining three and wanted to eat more but thought of their Daddy waiting in the cold wind and resisted, shaking his head, "Little sister, pack them up. We'll bring them to Daddy later."
Li Xianglu nodded, "Okay, let's hurry. After buying notebooks and pencils, we'll rush back before the buns cool down."
Upon leaving Xinhua Bookstore, Li Jianqing said with a somewhat flushed face to Li Xianglu, "Little sister, how can you be so bold?"
Li Xianglu asked in confusion, "Are you talking about buying things just now?"
Li Jianqing nodded. He had been too nervous to speak when he went in because the staff looked down on them and tried to shoo them away. But his sister had directly asked for a diary and pencils, which made the staff fetch the items quickly.
Li Xianglu was taken aback for a moment and said, "Brother, in the future, you have to join the army and defend the country, how can you be so timid? We're not stealing or robbing. What's there to be afraid of saying? We all just do different work. Without us farmers planting crops, what would these people eat?"
Although Li Jianqing agreed with her, he was still intimidated by city folks. But then he thought, if his slender little sister could be so brave, he should never be that cowardly in the future.
The siblings were the first to arrive. Li Erfu was sitting behind a wind-shielded wall basking in the sun, his face flushed red. Seeing his children return, he waved at them, all smiles.
Li Xianglu quickly ran up to him, "Daddy, quick, eat the buns before they get cold."
Li Erfu was taken aback at the sight of the white flour buns. These must be from the city's state-owned canteen, so big and still warm. Seeing his daughter's smiling face, he took one and bit into it, nodding, "Mmm, delicious. Here, Xiang, you eat. Daddy's not hungry."
Li Xianglu hastily shook her head, "Daddy, Jianqing and I have eaten. These are for you. Please eat."
Li Erfu knew the children weren't lying when he saw his son pat his stomach, so he quickly devoured the bun in his hand, relishing the delicious oily bun. He had also had such a bun at the commune when he went with Li Dafu last year.
Seeing his daughter offering more buns, he stopped her, "Quickly, wrap up the rest. When your Mom and your second brother come back, let them eat. Such precious food shouldn't be eaten all at once until full."
Li Jianqing felt somewhat ashamed thinking of how he had eaten four buns in one go, now sitting on a stone nearby flipping through the notebooks they had bought - one blue, one red, both with illustrations, one with landscapes and the other with photos of soldiers. The more he looked, the more he liked them.
Li Xianglu whispered to her father, "Daddy, I've hidden two more buns. I'm planning to bring them back for Grandma. Don't tell Mom, okay?"
Li Erfu hadn't expected his daughter to be so considerate and filial. He had also thought about saving a bun for his own mother, but knowing his wife's feisty character, she would definitely not agree. So he nodded with a smile, "Okay, hide them well. When we get back, just sneak them over to her."
The three waited for two full hours, and it was getting colder when the two of them finally arrived, both wearing a look of happiness. Ge Sanmei saw the three and frowned, "Where's your big sister and Xiangwei?" She hoped they wouldn't have to wait for more people.
Li Erfu replied, "Someone sent a message this morning. They won't be coming back and will stay overnight at her parents' house. They told us to head back first."
Ge Sanmei pouted with a look of disdain. This elder sister-in-law always flouted her status, thinking she was the boss because she had relatives who were officials. She would always lecture Ge Sanmei, as if having a bit of education was such a big deal. If her second son could join the transportation team, he'd have a secure job eating the state's grain. It was said he would even be a clerk, which meant working in an office, practically like being an official. Thinking of this, Ge Sanmei was suddenly filled with pride, feeling as if she was about to become the wife of a government official herself. She became incredibly picky, at one moment complaining that the mule was too bumpy, and at another grumbling that her husband had not prepared any food.
Li Erfu had no idea what kind of fuss his wife was making just by stepping out the door, but when he heard about food, he took out the two buns that Li Xianglu had given him from his bosom and handed them over, saying, "Here are two buns. You and Jianwen can snack on them, and we'll have a meal when we get home."
Ge Sanmei had only mentioned it in passing, but upon seeing her man actually pulling out food from his bosom, and big meat buns made with white flour at that, she was momentarily stunned. The buns were still warm, obviously kept warm inside his clothes. She reluctantly licked her dry lips, but then saw Li Jianwen nudging her, saying, "Mom, give me one, I'm starving."
Ge Sanmei quickly took out a bun from the cheesecloth bag and gave one to her son, after a pause, she broke the other one in half and handed it over, saying, "Eat more, you're growing." Then she turned to her younger third son and asked, "San'er, did you eat?"
Li Jianqing didn't even turn his head as he responded, "I ate."
Hearing this, Ge Sanmei quickly stuffed the remaining half bun into her mouth without even asking Li Xianglu a question.
Although Li Xianglu had long realized she meant nothing to Ge Sanmei, she couldn't help but feel a sour tightness in her heart, letting out a sigh. This must be the residual emotions of the original host, she thought, who must have been upset as well.
Li Erfu, too, noticed his wife's behavior, sighed, and said nothing, only quickening the pace by flicking the whip.
After eating the buns, they weren't very hungry. Li Xianglu wasn't in the mood to talk and just stared blankly at the dust flying around the Loess Plateau and the wild grass everywhere.
In less than an hour, they arrived at the entrance of the Li Family Village Production Team's village. After taking the mule cart to the livestock shed of the production team to feed the animals, the entire Li Family walked home.
On their way, many curious people asked Ge Sanmei where she had been. Some questions she answered; others she just smiled at without paying much attention.
Li Xianglu felt that Ge Sanmei looked a bit abnormal today, while Li Jianqing was utterly captivated by the patterns in his notebook, as if his soul had been enchanted, and he kept smiling foolishly, fantasizing about being a soldier.
When they reached the courtyard, Li Xianglu didn't go straight back. Instead, she went around to the back, where Wu Zhaodi and her daughter-in-law were fetching water. Old Mrs. Wu was particular about things and insisted on filtering the fetched water before boiling it, claiming that one could get sick otherwise.
Seeing Li Xianglu arrive, Old Mrs. Wu put down her tools and waved her granddaughter inside. She then pulled a yellow rock sugar out of the wardrobe and handed it over.
Li Xianglu hurriedly accepted it. Every time she came, as long as Mrs. Wu was there, she would be given something to eat. She felt a bit warm in her heart and quickly took out two buns, still warm, wrapped in a handkerchief from her bosom—of course, taken from her space—and said smilingly, "Daddy bought these at the state-owned canteen of the commune, and I saved two for Grandma, they're still warm. You should eat them quickly."
When Old Mrs. Wu saw the white flour meat buns and heard that her second son had bought them, she was a bit skeptical, but it couldn't have been bought by this girl, right? So she smiled and accepted them, saying, "Leave it here, Grandma will heat them up for you to eat."
Li Xianglu quickly shook her head and said, "Daddy told me to bring it over when I came back. I've already had some buns too, you eat it, Grandma, and remember not to tell my Mom." With that, she darted out like a little monkey.
After greeting her sister-in-law at the entrance, she left.
Old Mrs. Wu held the two large meat buns in her hand and came out to see that her granddaughter was already gone. She let out a sigh. What a good child, how could Ge Sanmei, this blind woman, not like her?