Chapter 21: Entering the Mountains

Looking at the graceful and beautiful young woman before them, Liu Guilan and Wang Dazhu wore smiles of pure amazement!

Not only did their son have a wife, but she was also so tall and beautiful! It was as if he had married a woman straight out of a painting!

The two little sisters ran over and said to Mu Xueqing, "Fairy sister, are you going to be our sister-in-law?"

Hearing this, Mu Xueqing felt even more flustered and at a loss for words!

However, she quickly composed herself!

She felt that being shy in front of such young sisters-in-law would be quite embarrassing!

Forcing herself to adopt the demeanor of an elder sister-in-law, she gently stroked the two little girls' heads and said

"That's right, from now on, I am your big sister-in-law! You two must be good and listen to me, okay!"

"Let's all go inside! Why are you all just standing around out here?" said Wang An, who had just hitched the mule cart nearby.

"Right, right, everyone inside. Let's go inside and chat," Wang Dazhu added hurriedly.

The whole family sat on the *kang* bed, engaging in a heated discussion and making a series of decisions regarding Wang An and Mu Xueqing's marriage!

Ultimately, they decided that although they couldn't hold a formal wedding right now, it was absolutely necessary to invite a few close neighbors from the village and some relatives to share a meal together!

The date was set for three days later!

Wang An decided he would head into the mountains tomorrow to prepare for the feast in three days!

Before 5:00 PM, Wang An returned the mule cart to the production brigade headquarters!

He happened to run into several brigade leaders and influential villagers who were holding a meeting; they were discussing the implementation of the household responsibility system!

According to the brigade secretary, Niu Yiqun, the results of land distribution in the south had been very encouraging!

Following instructions from higher authorities, work would begin among the villagers immediately, with the expectation that land distribution would start after next year's autumn harvest!

By the spring of 1982, the goal was for every household to be farming its own land!

Wang An listened for a few moments before heading home; everything was exactly as it had been in his previous life!

Around 6:00 PM in the back house, the family sat around the *kang* table for dinner, and the meal was quite magnificent!

Braised pork ribs with sauerkraut, braised pork with potatoes, stir-fried pork intestines with dried chili peppers, Northeast-style "slaughtering pork" (pork belly slices stewed with dried cabbage), fried cicada larvae (with lean meat chunks inside), pig trotters, braised roe deer meat, stir-fried dried mushrooms with meat, cold tossed dried wild vegetables, and the indispensable Northeast staple—dipping sauce vegetables!

In the Northeast, there are no fixed ingredients for dipping sauce vegetables. In the summer, they aren't mentioned, but in the winter, it is usually sliced radish, cabbage hearts, sauerkraut hearts, preserved spring onions from autumn, garlic, and dried cabbage blanched in hot water. All of these are delicious when dipped in sauce!

In this era of extreme scarcity, Liu Guilan managed to ensure that Mu Xueqing's very first meal after marrying in consisted of ten different dishes!!

This level of treatment was unprecedented in Wang An's family; it was also Liu Guilan's way of proving to Mu Xueqing just how satisfied she was with her new daughter-in-law!

Mu Xueqing was deeply moved by the spread; in all her life, she had never eaten so many dishes at once!

At the same time, her previous anxiety, nervousness, and fear regarding her future life all vanished along with the disappearance of the food on the table!

Looking at the bowls piled so high with meat that nothing else could fit, Mu Xueqing realized for the first time in her life that she actually had more meat than she could eat!!

When she looked up, she saw her mother-in-law picking up a piece of meat and staring at Mu Xueqing's bowl, seemingly contemplating how to place it inside!!

Finally, Mu Xueqing had to decline her mother-in-law's kindness.

She said to Liu Guilan, "Mother, please stop giving me more. I am truly stuffed!"

***

That night, the family went to sleep.

By the light of two candles, after much persuasion, pleading, and long-winded negotiation, Mu Xueqing finally agreed to stand on the *kang* to let Wang An admire her.

Her peerless, breathtaking beauty, her long black hair flowing naturally down her smooth, jade-like back!

Her skin was as white as cream and flawless; her curves were striking, and her long, slender legs shimmered with a pale light!

From the side, her silhouette was perfectly contoured, making her appear even more exquisitely beautiful and incredibly seductive!

She was too perfect!! Truly too perfect!! She was like a masterpiece meticulously sculpted by the hands of a god!!

In both his past and present lives, among all the women he had been intimate with, not a single one could even be compared to her!

She was one of a kind in this world!

After admiring her for a long while, he could no longer restrain himself and stepped forward.

***

The next day, Wang An rubbed his lower back, sighing inwardly that he was only nineteen!

The two of them had barely slept last night, tossing and turning time and time again, pushing themselves hard thanks to their youth!

The reason Wang An's back ached was specifically because of that time he stood on the *kang*!

Mu Xueqing was about 1.7 meters tall and, even if she were thin, she weighed nearly 100 pounds; he had to hold her up for nearly half an hour!

It was lucky that Wang An was strong and robust; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to maintain that position for so long!

As Wang An folded the quilts and placed them on the *kang* before going to the outer room to wash up, he saw Mu Xueqing and his mother, Liu Guilan, chatting and laughing while making breakfast!

It had to be said that Mu Xueqing was indeed skilled at housework; she handled various chores with fluid, graceful movements that were a pleasure to watch!!

In those few days after a girl becomes a woman, there is a unique, fleeting radiance that is very rare!

She was in the midst of transitioning from youthful to mature; a woman at this stage is at her most tender and charming moment in life!

Once she becomes truly mature, that specific sense of tender charm during the transition disappears completely!

Mu Xueqing already possessed a peerless beauty, and combined with this tender charm, Wang An found himself lost in her once again!

Taking advantage of Liu Guilan's distraction, Mu Xueqing stepped forward and gave Wang An a playful swat, saying, "There you go again, acting like a fool!"

She then added, "Be careful, don't let Mother and the others notice. It's so embarrassing!"

Wang An chuckled foolishly. Seeing that no one else was in the outer room, he quickly leaned in and kissed Mu Xueqing on the cheek!

After washing up, Wang An saw that the eight dogs, large and small, had not been fed yet!

He scooped more than half a basin of cornmeal and mixed it with hot water!

He then added a spoonful of lard and stirred it thoroughly!

Seeing this, Liu Guilan gritted her teeth in heartache!

She loudly scolded Wang An for being a spendthrift, saying that dogs didn't need lard and it was a waste! Mu Xueqing, listening to Wang An get scolded from the side, giggled uncontrollably!

Wang An ignored them. After mixing the dog food, he carried it over and distributed it to each dog! He maintained an attitude of "say what you want, I'll do what I need to do"!

This was because Wang An knew deep down that trying to reason with a woman was a fool's errand and a thankless task!

When feeding the five puppies, the little black dog was indeed domineering, preventing the four spotted puppies from eating. Wang An gave it a quick thrashing!

After being beaten again whenever it tried to guard its food, they finally settled down to eat together!

After breakfast, Wang An packed his gear, said goodbye to his family, and headed into the mountains with his sled!

The dogs could not be taken; they had to be tied up at home for at least ten days, otherwise, the humans and dogs wouldn't be familiar with each other!

There was also the risk of the dogs running off and getting lost, which would be a heavy loss.

The sled was made by Wang Dazhu yesterday, and he had made two: one of normal size and one that was narrow but long!

Sleds used for entering the mountains tend to be narrow and long; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to pass through areas where the trees are too dense!

This time, Wang An planned to go to the Wild Boar Forest. However, the forest was quite far, about forty or fifty *li* away, making it true deep mountains!

There were many wild animals, and many more dangers!