Chapter 9: Serves Him Right for Not Finding a Wife and Being Left Without Descendants!
First, he tidied up the animal hide, scraping off the bits of meat to make the rabbit skin soft. Then, he mixed saltpeter and glutinous rice together, spread it evenly on the rabbit skin, let it sit for 30 minutes, rubbed and rinsed it clean, and finally hung it to dry.
Just like that, a rabbit fur coat was made.
Hua Hua and Qing Qing watched Huang Weiguo's busy movements with curiosity and asked, 'Big brother, what are you doing?'
Huang Weiguo replied, 'This is rabbit fur. Once it's ready, I'll make each of you a pair of fur boots so your feet won't get cold in winter.'
'Big brother is amazing!'
Huang Weiguo looked at Hua Hua and Qing Qing with affection, secretly vowing to raise them to be as lovely as dolls carved from powder.
A pleading voice tinged with sobs came from the courtyard: 'Old Lady, I'm so hungry. Please give me just one Steamed Corn Bun. When my brother comes back, he'll definitely return it to you.'
Huang Weiguo looked up and saw He Yushui, pale and emaciated, lying on the ground, begging Deaf Old Lady for food.
It wasn't clear whether Deaf Old Lady genuinely couldn't hear or was just pretending.
No matter how loudly He Yushui banged on the door, she simply wouldn't open it.
Hua Hua tugged at Huang Weiguo's sleeve and said, 'Big brother, let's help Sister Yushui. When we didn't have food before, Sister Yushui even gave us peanuts!'
Qing Qing chimed in, 'Yes, yes! Sister Yushui also said she would teach us how to read!'
Huang Weiguo hadn't expected that He Yushui, in her childhood, could be so kind-hearted.
This was completely different from the ungrateful, disdainful He Yushui he knew from the original novel, who looked down on everyone in the Siheyuan.
He figured that initially, He Yushui must have been kind-hearted in the Siheyuan, but later, after being schemed against by those bad people, she ended up avoiding the Siheyuan altogether.
Huang Weiguo had no conflicts or grudges with He Yuzhu, and the He family had never coveted Huang Weiguo's home.
Huang Weiguo instructed, 'Hua Hua, Qing Qing, you two go and invite Sister Yushui over to our house for a meal!'
Before long, Hua Hua and Qing Qing had brought He Yushui inside.
It was the dead of winter, bitterly cold, yet He Yushui wore only a thin shirt, with pants made from a cotton-padded jacket so thin it couldn't block the wind.
She hung her head, not daring to look at Huang Weiguo.
Huang Liying heard the commotion and came over. Seeing He Yushui's state, her heart ached with pity as she asked with concern, 'Yushui, where are your cotton-padded coat and trousers?'
He Yushui's voice was soft and small: 'They've all become too small and I really can't wear them anymore.'
'Oh, this child has suffered so much! He Daqing just ran off like that, leaving Sha Zhu, a half-grown boy, to take care of his sister—how could he possibly manage? Yushui, you'll have your meal at Aunt Huang's today. It'll be ready soon!'
He Yushui nodded and said, 'Thank you, Aunt Huang. Just half a Steamed Corn Bun will be enough. When my brother comes back, I'll have him return it to you.'
'Don't talk about returning anything. Just stay here and play for a while.'
This was the first time Huang Weiguo had witnessed He Yushui's miserable childhood firsthand, and his heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions—bitter and sour.
Huang Weiguo then continued processing the pheasant.
He Yushui looked at the entrails Huang Weiguo had thrown on the ground, swallowed, and asked, 'Brother Weiguo, you don't want these entrails? Can I have them?'
Huang Weiguo was taken aback and replied, 'These things aren't edible!'
'They are! I know how to cook them. I saw my dad teaching my brother before. With some seasoning, they can be made really tasty.'
He Yushui said while swallowing again.
Huang Weiguo finally realized that in an era when even basic sustenance was a struggle, many families would boil chicken bones until soft, chew and swallow them, let alone these entrails.
'Alright, I'll clean them up in a bit and give them to you.'
'Thank you, Brother Weiguo!'
He Yushui stared at the entrails, her eyes lighting up. With these, if she saved them carefully, she wouldn't have to go hungry for several days.
Soon, Huang Liying brought the food to the table, including a full, tightly packed bowl of Steamed White Rice.
The savory aroma of Braised Pork instantly filled the entire Siheyuan.
He Yushui was utterly surprised. Wasn't the Huang Family almost out of food, struggling to make ends meet? How could they afford Braised Pork and such fine Steamed White Rice? Even First Uncle's family wouldn't dare eat like this.
Seeing such a lavish meal, He Yushui shrank back slightly and said, 'Brother Weiguo, maybe I should go back first!'
In those times, resources were extremely scarce. Well-mannered children often felt too embarrassed to stay when they saw others eating meat.
Huang Weiguo pulled He Yushui back, made her sit beside him, placed the rice and chopsticks in her hands, and said, 'Eat up. For how you looked after Hua Hua and Qing Qing before, come over for a meal whenever you're hungry from now on.'
He Yushui still didn't dare move; the meat was just too precious.
Huang Liying also urged from the side, 'Child, eat, don't be shy. Just like you're at home!'
Huang Weiguo simply picked up a piece of Braised Pork and put it directly into He Yushui's mouth.
As the rich flavor of the meat spread in her mouth, He Yushui immediately burst into tears. She hadn't eaten meat in so long since He Daqing left.
Seeing Huang Weiguo start eating, Hua Hua, Qing Qing, and Huang Liying quickly lowered their heads and began eating as well.
The aroma of Braised Pork drifted to the Rear Courtyard, making Deaf Old Lady's stomach growl with hunger. She wanted to go ask for a bowl, but remembering how she hadn't opened the door for He Yushui earlier, she could only endure it.
Liu Haizhong smelled the scent, threw down his chopsticks, and said, 'Does the Huang Family not want to live properly anymore? Yesterday they had Steamed White Rice with fish and pickled cabbage, and today it's Braised Pork with Steamed White Rice! Even if they had mountains of gold and silver at home, they couldn't afford to waste like this, could they?'
Aunt Liu said, 'Hmph, it's all because they caught game again today! Several wild rabbits and pheasants!'
Liu Haizhong was so jealous his eyes turned red.
Jia Zhangshi in the Middle Courtyard felt even worse.
Now that Jia Dongxu had just started working at the Steel rolling mill, he was the sole earner supporting three people. Plus, Jia Dongxu insisted on drinking a little wine with every meal, leaving the family stretched thin. Tonight, each person only had a bowl of thick, sticky porridge with two slices of cabbage stem, tasting utterly bland.
When she smelled the Braised Pork now, Jia Zhangshi angrily slammed her chopsticks down.
'Huang Weiguo, that bastard, eating well and drinking fine all by himself, doesn't even think of helping us widows and orphans. Serves him right for not finding a wife and being left without descendants!'
Qin Huairu lowered her head, her heart full of confusion. Since Huang Weiguo recovered from his illness, he seemed like a different person.
Before, he didn't have the ability to catch so much game.
Look at him—yesterday fishing, today hunting—he's really something special!