Chapter 171 - 131: Are You Courting Death?
’Suji’s puffed rice candy... Her uncle brings them a big bag every year. Why didn’t it seem this sweet before?’
The two of them ordered their food. Huang Ying and Zhou Momo were an inseparable pair, chattering nonstop whenever they were together.
Huang Bing rested his chin on his hand, leaning on the table, and couldn’t help but laugh.
’Two kids, two chatterboxes. A perfect match.’
Taking a moment from her work, Mrs. Zhao brought them two large bowls of warm water.
They thanked her, then picked up their bowls and gulped the water down.
The ten-plus-kilometer ride had left them drenched in sweat, and they were truly thirsty.
As soon as the food arrived at the table, Zhou Momo had darted off.
"You have so much candy, why didn’t you bring her a couple of pieces?" Huang Bing asked, looking at Huang Ying.
"Momo is only three and a half. Too much candy will give her cavities." Huang Ying picked up a piece of pork liver with her chopsticks and said with a smile, "Besides, I got fat from eating too much candy. Look how cute she is now. It’s good for her to eat less sugar. She’s already sweet enough."
Huang Bing glanced at the puffed rice candy by her hand, which had only one bite taken out of it. He frowned slightly. ’Is this still Huang Ying?’
They were on a tight budget for dinner, so they only ordered a plate of stir-fried pork liver, a plate of fried cabbage with pork cracklings, and a bowl of Kneeling Beef.
Huang Bing had insisted on the Kneeling Beef. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but after drinking the broth at lunch, he felt like he had much more energy for pedaling his bike.
After finishing the broth, Huang Bing shamelessly went and got a refill, which he drank all by himself.
Huang Ying was full after just one bowl of rice. This was truly strange for someone who normally wouldn’t leave the table without eating three bowls.
Huang Bing’s appetite, on the other hand, had grown enormously. He drank a bowl and a half of the beef broth, ate two bowls of rice, and even mixed the leftover pork cracklings from the plate into his rice to finish them off.
"What’s wrong with you? You’re full after eating just that much?" Huang Bing put down his chopsticks, rubbing his slightly protruding belly as he looked at Huang Ying in confusion.
"I don’t know. I just feel full..." Huang Ying looked just as confused. She thought for a moment. "Maybe I filled up on water?"
"That’s fine by me. You eat less, I get to eat more," Huang Bing laughed.
The two paid their bill. They were so stuffed that they pushed their bikes along the riverbank for a full lap before finally getting on and riding home.
When they got home, Zhao Shulan was gnawing on a pig’s trotter while watching TV. Huang He was sitting at a nearby table with three plates of braised meat in front of him, holding a delicate white liquor glass and eating with great relish.
Without having to worry about what the kids were eating, the couple’s life had suddenly become much more relaxed and carefree.
The pig’s trotter had been steamed until it was soft and glutinous. It was incredibly fragrant. Zhao Shulan had specifically saved it for her dinner, and as she ate while watching her show, the smile on her face softened a few degrees.
"Mom~"
"Mom?"
"Mooom—"
The two of them started yelling the moment they walked in the door.
"Are you two trying to get yourselves killed?!" Zhao Shulan turned and glared at them. "Go take a shower! Stop all that screaming, you’re giving me a headache!"
The two of them quickly shut their mouths, exchanged a look, and couldn’t help but snicker.
"Dad, I brought you some braised peanuts to go with your drink." Huang Ying tore open the remaining bag of peanuts and set them on the table for Huang He.
"Did Zhou Yan braise these?" Huang He’s eyes lit up.
"No, they’re from a street stall. I thought they tasted pretty good, so I brought them for you." Huang Ying shook her head with a smile.
Huang He shelled a peanut. Three large, plump kernels rolled into his hand. He tossed them into his mouth, chewed, and nodded. "Mm, not bad. They’re quite fragrant."
"A daughter is still the best, always thinking of her old man." Huang He said with a laugh, not forgetting to take a jab at his son, who was leaning against the wall, about to head upstairs.
"Dad, I actually wanted to buy you something too, but I’m a bit short on cash. I really couldn’t scrape together an extra dime." Huang Bing spread his hands, his smile tinged with a sort of shabby helplessness.
"You never seem to be short on money when you go out drinking. You’re willing to go out and drink with other people, so why not stay home and have a couple of drinks with your old man?" Huang He looked at him teasingly. "Am I short one glass for you, or a pair of chopsticks? Can you drink eight-yuan-a-bottle Moutai when you’re out? Or eat braised meat this good?"
Huang Bing froze for a second. He looked at the three plates of braised meat on the table, and the Moutai next to them. ’He’s got a point.’
"Dad, wait for me! I’ll go take a shower and be right down to drink with you!" Huang Bing turned and bounded up the stairs.
That night, Huang Bing’s buddies, who had been waiting for him, wandered the streets of Jiazhou over and over again, like lost souls.
"’Trying to drink with me? You’ve got a long way to go.’" Huang He looked at his son, who was passed out on the sofa, and tossed a blanket over him with a smile before staggering upstairs.
"You reek of booze! Go sleep in your son’s room, and don’t you come near me!"
...
"Brother, should I tell you another story?" Zhou Momo asked, crouching by the head of the bed and looking at Zhou Yan.
"No more stories, I’m already half asleep..." Zhou Yan didn’t dare open his eyes. His head was buzzing, filled with all the Sichuan and Chongqing fairy tales Zhou Momo had told him.
It was too much to digest in one night.
"Brother, how about I sing you a song then?" Zhou Momo said.
"Okay..." Zhou Yan agreed, afraid of discouraging her.
"Red carrots, so very sweet, soon it will be New Year’s Eve.
New Year’s is so much fun, with ladles for scooping soup, and chopsticks for grabbing meat..."
Zhou Momo cleared her throat and began to sing. Her soft, childish voice, singing with a Sichuan accent, lulled Zhou Yan to sleep within two lines.
After finishing her song, the little girl saw that Zhou Yan hadn’t moved. She leaned in and held a hand under his nose. Feeling his warm breath, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"’Brother’s asleep. Now it’s Mom and Dad’s turn.’" Zhou Momo clambered off the edge of the bed, put on her shoes, walked to the door, and even tiptoed to pull the cord for the light, turning it off.