Chapter 65: Domestic Trifles, Living in the Present

In the end, the two of them cut a bundle of thorny branches, tied the badger carcasses together, and lugged them back on their shoulders.

"Huzi, there are nine in total. The usual rule applies: take three for yourself. Do whatever you want with them, sell them or eat them."

"Heh, alright then. Three badgers aren't really worth the trouble of taking to town to sell, and my family might not even have enough to eat them all anyway, so I'll take three medium-sized ones."

Su Yu had no objections. Although he had wasted nine bullets today, which was quite extravagant, he didn't feel at a loss at all. Badgers could bite off a chunk of flesh and it hurt terribly; he certainly didn't want to take any unnecessary risks.

As they walked, Su Yu opened his system interface.

Host: Su Yu
Age: 19
Physique: 15
Strength: 25
Speed: 10
Endurance: 20
Skills: Fishing Lv3, Basic Archery Lv9, Tracking IV+7, Dog Training IV1, Hand-to-Hand Combat IV1, Butchery IV1, Rock Climbing Lv7, Marksmanship IV8
Skill Points: 30

Nine badgers had yielded thirty skill points. He had used his other skill gains to upgrade his marksmanship, but even with thirty skill points in hand now, he was in no rush to spend them on marksmanship just yet—what he had was currently more than enough.

Su Yu entered the courtyard and called out to Su Sheng. The two of them hoisted the badgers and brought them back inside.

"Good heavens, did you and Huzi raid a badger den? There are so many!"

Su Jin and Su Jing both rushed over to see the excitement.

"Third Brother, will we get to eat meat tonight?"

Su Yu ruffled her hair and agreed immediately.

Badgers definitely counted as game. Even though selling them for cash to buy grain might be more practical, the very reason he went hunting was to give his family a better life. His younger sister was showing signs of malnutrition, so how could he not build her back up?

"Fourth, bring the slop bucket over. Wash the badger offal and give it to Heizhi. I'm leaving this chore to you."

Hearing this, Su Jin protested.

"Why is everything left to me? Feeding the dog falls to me, feeding the eagle falls to me, and even though you brought them back, why do I have to clean them?"

***

The fledgling eagle Su Yu had brought back from Huangjia Village had been left in the fourth sibling's care. After all, the younger sister was still too young and didn't know her own strength, while Su Jin was nearly fifteen, just the right age.

"Why so many complaints? Do you still want to eat meat to your heart's content tonight or not?"

Su Jin fell silent. Badger offal certainly didn't smell pleasant, so it couldn't be washed in a regular basin, nor in the laundry tub. That meant it could only be rinsed once inside the slop bucket.

This was a task the little girl simply couldn't handle alone, so it really had to fall to Su Jing—after all, Su Yu couldn't order their eldest brother around, especially since Su Sheng was already busy skinning the badgers for him, and badger pelts could also be sold for money.

"Eldest Brother, gut the badgers and skin them completely. We'll stew a big one tonight, and I'll take the rest to sell tomorrow."

"Alright, listening to you."

Su Sheng picked out the fattest and largest badger to render its fat, while all the remaining lean meat would be stewed.

Su Yu casually sliced off a piece of meat, cut it into long strips, and placed them into a small bowl.

Su Jin, remember to feed this meat to the fledgling eagle.

Su Jin gave a cold snort, pretending not to hear, but a kick from Su Yu to his rear end made him quickly give his assent.

It was an instinctive fear of his Third Brother; whenever Su Yu raised his voice even slightly, he was afraid of getting beaten.

"Pick out the badger offal, boil whatever is edible in the dog basin, keep a portion, and give the rest to Heizhi as a treat tonight."

Having given his instructions to Su Jin, Su Yu started the fire, heated the oil, added chopped scallions and the badger meat, and told his youngest sister to watch the fire.

The eldest brother continued skinning the pelts, the fourth sibling busied themselves preparing the dog food, the fifth sibling Su Jing tended the stove, while Su Yu alternated between directing Su Jing, keeping an eye on the meat in the pot, and helping his eldest brother with the pelts.

Time slowly passed, and as the sky grew dark, their mother returned from work, followed shortly after by their father.

"I could smell it the moment I stepped through the door. Auntie Liu's family next door has already started making jokes about our household."

"Third Son, eating meat every few days is one thing, but stewing meat like this all the time is going to make the neighbors green with envy."

Coming from his father's mouth, Su Yu was not surprised in the least.

"Father, our family doesn't steal or rob, and we come from a thoroughly impoverished peasant background. Besides, you're a demobilized veteran, what are you afraid of? If they have the ability, they can go into the mountains and hunt themselves! What, did we block the path and forbid anyone else from going?"

"They say ordinary talents don't attract envy, but you care far too much about what other people think. Oh, what, should I subsist entirely on chaff and wild vegetables just to blend in with the crowd? Would you only be satisfied if my sister's hair turned sallow and her face took on a vegetable hue?"

"Father, reasoning with the world is a losing battle. Tongues are double-edged and can cut both ways; there's no point in arguing so stubbornly with outsiders. As long as we live our own lives well, that's all that matters."

His words won the full approval of Comrade Liu Yuzhi.

"My son speaks the truth. If others are envious, let them be envious! We don't steal or rob, so what is there to fear?"

***

Their father pointed a finger at his wife and his third son Su Yu, shook his head, and decided to drop the matter.

He rarely intervened in domestic affairs anyway. Usually, whenever he spoke, his wife would remain noncommittal, but today she had broken with routine. Besides, who wouldn't want a good meal?

"Son, you're sending these badgers to the restaurant, right? A restaurant certainly isn't short on oil and grease. Look at the thick fat on these other badgers, shouldn't we slice some off and keep it? They probably won't care about it anyway."

Thinking about it, Su Yu realized she had a point. Restaurants certainly didn't lack oil, and they certainly wouldn't use badger fat for cooking, but they couldn't use badger fat to prepare dishes either. Keeping a little bit of it wouldn't hurt.

"All right then, you can slice it off, but don't take it all—make it too obvious and people will notice at a glance, which wouldn't look good."

Just because the restaurant didn't use it didn't mean they didn't know this stuff was a luxury in the countryside. If you secretly carved it away and tried to sell the lean meat at a high price, anyone who found out would feel resentful.

"Oh, rest assured, rest assured. Your mother knows how to handle a knife; she has a sense of proportion and absolutely nothing will show."

The fat could be stripped away from beneath the skin, so by making a careful incision, removing it really wouldn't be noticeable.

Before long, the badger stew was ready. Su Yu had specifically steamed a batch of dual-grain steamed buns—meaning a mix of refined flour and coarse grain, or more plainly, wheat flour and cornmeal.

When a bamboo steamer full of buns was brought to the table, it inevitably earned him a few scolding remarks from his mother about being a spendthrift.

The flour and cornmeal had been purchased during the day from the grain station using grain rations coupons through official channels.

Su Yu dished up a large bowl of meat for his sister, telling her that whatever she couldn't finish tonight could be eaten tomorrow.

The rest remained in a communal basin, where everyone helped themselves. The family ate with great relish.

"Father, today I accompanied Eldest Brother to a matchmaking meeting. We met the young woman, and things are pretty much settled. If her side agrees, their village party secretary will come to our house to let us know, and you can talk to them in person then. I already gave my word to the other side that we wouldn't treat the girl unfairly, so please try to meet their expectations as best as you can. Although in most rural areas the betrothal gift is just a symbolic five or eight yuan, our family should give a bit more so it looks respectable."

Since his eldest brother wasn't particularly assertive and didn't have the best reputation, offering a bit more would make things easier to talk over with the bride's family. It wasn't Li Xiuqin, but rather a neighbor from the neighboring village of Lijiawa—after all, you might turn your nose up at someone, but if they offered a generous bride price, it would effectively silence anyone trying to stir up trouble.

Consequently, their father and mother began questioning Su Sheng back and forth about the details. Su Yu didn't get involved; having brought the matter up, he simply stepped back and stayed quiet.

Before leaving, Su Yu slipped fifty yuan to his mother, saying that for his eldest brother's wedding, they would need not only the betrothal gift but also wedding candy, a banquet, and various other preparations, and told her to manage the funds as she saw fit.

In truth, anyone with eyes knew this money was intended for the bride price to be sent to Lijiawa, but Su Yu couldn't hand the money directly to his father without making him lose face.

Having toiled for half his life, every penny of household expenses either came from what his wife scraped together by tightening her belt or what his sons earned themselves. His own wages never had a single cent left over, so if Su Yu had handed the money straight to him, his father wouldn't have known how to accept it.

"All right, I understand."

His mother was a perceptive woman and naturally knew what the money was for, seamlessly taking it and tucking it away.