"Lost." Li Qingshan answered stiffly, as if he had been beaten back to the cruel reality from the psychedelic world.
"Go find it for me, you dare to lose our cow, see if your brother doesn't kill you when he comes back, if the cow is gone, you can get out of here too!"
"That's my cow!" Li Qingshan strode out the door, and if he didn't leave, he might not be able to help beat the woman, but if he really did this, he would no longer be able to fit at home, and people had to bow their heads under the eaves.
It wasn't until dusk that he returned to the cowshed exhausted, his shining eyes turning around in the empty cowshed, and then dimmed again.
Li Qingshan's daily work, in addition to herding cattle and cleaning up debris, is to lead the cattle to the landlord's house in the village to help and earn some money to supplement the family.
If there is no cow today, he can only do the same work as other long-term workers, which is a hard job for adults, not to mention that he is a half-sized son, and he has not eaten breakfast yet.
Compared with the fatigue of the body, as for the insults and scoldings of the farm steward, it was a daily trivial matter, and I fell headlong into the haystack, and I didn't want to think about anything, but my stomach rumbled again.
It is conceivable that in such an environment, what interests are also worn out, and only the most instinctive physical needs remain.
Li Qingshan was in a daze, only to hear a "bang", the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground, opened his eyes, and saw a strange face, and a pair of white and long fangs, he couldn't help but be startled, and when he woke up, he saw that it was a wild boar, which had just died and was still hot.
Qingniu was lying in front of the trough, looking at him with a "smile", and he could already vaguely distinguish the expression on Qingniu's face.
As night fell, in the village house, Sister-in-law Li was complaining to Brother Li: "That little bastard, so impersonal, even lost such a big cow, no, he must have sold it secretly, no, he must have divided the family, and if he continues, he must harm us." "
Brother Li is in his thirties, born tall and tall, and he is also famous for his domineering in the village, but he is extremely obedient to his daughter-in-law: "The family is divided, and those few acres of good land are given to him in front of the old people in the village." "They occupied this land on the grounds that Li Qingshan was too young to farm, and they will not return it now, but if it is officially separated, it must be returned.
"Didn't Steward Liu always want this land? Simply sell it to them, and if the little bastard has the courage, he will go to him to ask for it. "
"But what if he refuses to divide?"
"Hungry him for three days, don't worry about him not agreeing?"
The two were discussing when Sister-in-law Li suddenly sniffed: "Do you smell anything?" "
"It's so fragrant, it seems like someone is cooking meat!"
"This is not a year, what kind of meat is cooked, it seems, it seems to be nearby."
The two came to the cowshed in search of the fragrance, and saw a pot propped up in the cowshed, with firewood burning below, the pot of thick soup boiling, and the fragrance dispersed.
The fire swayed in the darkness, casting Li Qingshan's shadow on the wall.
Sister-in-law Li swallowed: "You little rabbit, where did you steal the meat from?" She was not only lazy, but also greedy, looking at this pot of broth, she even forgot that Li Qingshan was guilty, and stepped forward to pick up the spoon and stir.
However, Brother Li had sharp eyes, and at a glance he saw something sitting under Li Qingshan's buttocks, and exclaimed: "Wild boar! "
Wild boars can be said to be extremely dangerous things in the mountains, with rough skin and thick flesh, and swords are difficult to injure, and ordinary hunters have to retreat when they see them, let alone catch them.
"This was picked up at the foot of the mountain when I was looking for a cow, and I was injured, probably chased by hunters and cornered." Li Qingshan said the reason for the compilation, the existence of Qingniu must be kept secret.
Brother Li was suspicious and laughed: "Brother, you are a fool and have a foolish fortune, when I pull this pig to the market, I will be able to sell it at a good price and save it for you to marry a daughter-in-law." At the same time, he also saw the green cow in the cowshed, and thought in his heart, there was no need to be in a hurry to separate from him, the cow could still do farm work.
Li Qingshan saw Sister-in-law Li stirring in the pot, just wanted to feel a piece to taste, and the good mood of cooking meat was suddenly destroyed, and he opened Sister-in-law Li's hand with a "snap": "Don't move." "
Sister-in-law Li covered her hands and stepped back, wailing: "Look at your brother, I said that he bullied me while you were not at home, you still don't believe it, now you can see it in your face." "
Bullying you? Li Qingshan only felt sick to his stomach, if you are surnamed Pan, it is not a loss for me.
Brother Li's face suddenly darkened: "That's how you are an uncle?" "
Li Qingshan lowered his head and said, "I have my own plan for this meat, and now that I am not young, it is time to separate." This was something he was thinking about when he was cooking meat, and he no longer wanted to continue bowing his head under this roof.
Brother Li didn't expect that he hadn't opened his mouth yet, but Li Qingshan brought it up first, and he was stunned and furious, he was a foolish farmer, not a person who could save his anger, and stepped forward with a clenched fist, he was going to beat Li Qingshan and drag the wild boar away first.
Li Qingshan saw that he was not in the right position, and also stood up, his face was grim, but his heart was a little weak, his bones had not yet grown, he was tired for a day, he didn't eat anything, how could he compete with an adult man, and glanced at Qingniu, but Qingniu just watched this scene as if he was watching a play, and had no intention of helping at all.
Just when Li Qingshan was complaining in his heart and was about to be beaten, Brother Li stopped and looked at Li Qingshan's right hand.
The rough big hand held an equally rough short knife, full of impurities, even if carefully polished, it was still dull.
This is a short knife that Li Qingshan has bought at the market over the years, and it can be used in many places, so he used this knife to cut meat.
Li Qingshan immediately understood that his eldest brother was timid, and it was not himself who was afraid, but this knife. Before this moment, he had never realized that the inferior short knife in his hand had the power to deter others.
Li Qingshan was just an ordinary student in his previous life, although he had fought a few times, it was just a dispute between classmates, and he had never experienced fighting with others in his two lives.
Understanding this, Li Qingshan clenched the short knife in his hand and deliberately raised it upwards, as if a beast was showing its fangs, although he actually didn't dare to use this thing at all.
Brother Li immediately took a step back, and Sister-in-law Li didn't dare to howl indiscriminately, and in the end the two actually withdrew from the cowshed, showing extremely disappointed looks, scolding outside, and then going back to the room to discuss their "big plan".
Li Qingshan turned a deaf ear, even leaving behind the smell of meat, just staring at the short knife in a daze, and the vague reflection of his face in it, this bargain of a few coins of silver had just protected him, saved him from a flesh and blood, from an insult, and kept his spoils.
Although it is a matter of course, at this moment, it seems to be suddenly enlightened.
Qingniu lay in front of the trough and looked at him with a smile.
The fire flickered, and the black giant on the wall stood with a sword, and at this moment, a teenager understood the exact value of power.
After a long time, Li Qingshan sat down again and scratched his ears and cheeks and looked at the pot: "How long does this meat have to be cooked?" "He is a person who is not happy with meat, and he has really suffered for more than ten years, and he can still eat a few bites during the New Year's holidays when his parents are there, and he has gone since his parents went, and cutting that little meat is not enough for Sister-in-law Li to eat alone.
At this time, even if there was a bottle of elixir in front of him, it was not as impatient as this pot of meat.
The pig is a big pig, and this pot of meat has been cooked for half the night.
The rising flames, the fluttering aroma, the crackling sound, and the attentive teenager condense into a moodless and poetic, but extremely simple and primitive picture.
In the end, although he didn't even sprinkle a little salt, let alone other seasonings, he almost swallowed his tongue when he ate, regardless of fat or thin, a few pounds of cooked meat, and finally drank all the broth.
If someone asks Li Qingshan what happiness is at this moment, he will definitely answer that happiness is a pot of meat.