Chapter 50: Mid-Autumn Festival, Let's Celebrate Big!!

“Hehe, my dad really has great foresight! Anyway, I’ve got to head up the mountain to fly the hawks! Mom, are you saving some food for me?”

“I am. Give it to me, I’ll pack it for you!” Hearing that her son was heading up the mountain to fly the hawks again, Meng Yulan immediately dropped what she was doing and went into the house.

...

The news of the Yue family's second son buying a bicycle spread through the entire village in less than a morning.

Even though Yue Lei had no extended relatives in the village, and even though the couple maintained only average relations with the ordinary villagers, it couldn't stop such a major village event.

Waves of people came to Yue Feng's house to watch the excitement, ask questions, and even act as matchmakers to find a wife for him.

The Yue family, whose presence in the village had always been low, finally felt a true sense of pride and prestige today.

This was especially true for his mother, Meng Yulan. As she listened to the matchmakers entering the house, her eyes grew brighter with every person. If it hadn't been for Yue Feng heading up the mountain with his hawk to avoid the commotion, he might have been forced into an impromptu blind date right then and there.

The day passed exceptionally quickly. Around four in the afternoon, the Li father and son, who had gone out to fly the hawks, returned along with Xiaowen and Xiaowu. Yue Feng also brought back six gray dogs, two sand-half chickens, and four flying dragons.

“Brother Feng, can I hop on and pedal this bike a couple of times?” When Xiao Tao returned and saw the bicycle parked in the most prominent spot in the courtyard, his eyes lit up.

Yue Feng nodded with a smile. “Ride it if you want. It’s our own thing, so we call the shots!”

Having received permission, Xiao Tao impatiently climbed onto the bike. He had just kicked off the kickstand and pedaled a couple of rounds to get a feel for it when his father, Li Wentong, yanked him off.

“Get down, get down! Who does that? You’re a big guy, over a hundred pounds, you’re putting all that weight on the kickstand—you’ll break it!”

Xiao Tao wasn't satisfied yet, but his father made sense. He scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward.

Yue Feng said, “The courtyard is spacious. If you want, everyone can learn to ride! If you need to get somewhere to run errands later, you can come over and borrow it. It’s convenient to ride!”

“Xiaowen, Xiaowu, you two brothers should learn too. Everyone contributed to the money for this bike!”

The Zhang brothers, who had been standing aside admiring the bike but were too shy to speak, stepped forward upon hearing Yue Feng's words.

This was a brand-new bicycle. One must realize that with Wang Jianguo's bicycle, the younger generation in the village didn't even have the chance to ask to borrow it, let alone touch it.

“Alright! My brother and I will go up and learn how to ride in a bit!” Xiaowu nodded bluntly.

With Yue Feng's word, the courtyard became lively.

Xiao Tao started learning first. Being tall with long legs, he didn't find it difficult at all. After a brief period of adjustment, he was soon able to ride in circles around the courtyard.

Next came the brothers, Xiaowen and Xiaowu. They didn't have the same physical advantages as Xiao Tao, but they were quick learners. In less than half an hour, all three boys had learned.

Yue Feng went into the house to check the time; it was nearly five. He still had to go into town to deliver goods, so he said, “That’s it for the bike lessons today. I have to ride into town to deliver goods! Since this is a major purchase for our hawk hunting team, Mom, how about we make some hearty dishes tonight to celebrate?”

Hearing her son's words, Meng Yulan frowned slightly.

It wasn't that she was stingy, but rather that their supplies for "hearty dishes" were almost exhausted. Her son was acting on impulse without prior preparation; even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice.

“You child, you should have said something sooner! We have less than half a pound of meat left, plus those chicks you caught today. We don't have any other stock for dishes! How about you buy some when you come back from town?” Meng Yulan said.

At this, Yue Feng realized that since they didn't have a refrigerator, food couldn't be stored for long, and they indeed lacked stock.

In truth, with the gray dog meat, the flying dragons, and the sand-half chickens, their meals were quite abundant. However, since they had been making money from hawk hunting recently, their living conditions were steadily improving.

They ate those items every few days, so they were no longer considered delicacies. It was clear that the "hearty dishes" his son mentioned were something else.

Yue Feng scratched his head. “The supply and marketing cooperatives in town will be closed by now. How about we change it to tomorrow night?”

Yue Lei, who had been silent, spoke up: “Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Let's have a big celebration! It just so happens there's a big market in Wangjia Village. We can go to the market to get meat, and see if there are any other chickens, ducks, or geese to buy. Xiao Feng is successful, and our family has finally made a name for itself in the village. If we’re going to do it, let's do it properly. Invite all our good neighbors and friends over!!”

Meng Yulan knew her husband's temperament. Seeing the head of the household speak this way, she also felt it was time to make a splash and hold their heads high.

“Then tomorrow it is. I'll head to the market first thing in the morning!”

Having settled on the plan for a grand Mid-Autumn celebration, Yue Feng packed up the wild game and headed into town. About an hour later, just after six, Yue Feng rode back.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night for Yue Lei and Meng Yulan. Their son had become successful and had brought great honor to the family!

Especially for the usually taciturn Yue Lei, who drank four ounces of white liquor in the evening. Even as he drifted off to sleep, he mumbled to his wife about how happy he was today.

Meng Yulan knew her husband's character. Although life in the village had been peaceful over the years, Yue Lei was not a cowardly man at heart. Since the Yue family lived alone without any relatives in the village, Yue Lei had always wanted to earn the respect of the men in the village.

But there had been no opportunity for him to show his talents, which had left a weight in his heart. Combined with the accidental leg fracture during the autumn harvest, his frustration had only grown.

Things were different now. Since their son had come home and recovered, the family's life had been flourishing. Money came in every day, and new supplies and goods were brought home daily.

Today, their son had even bought the first brand-new bicycle in the village—strictly speaking, the first one owned by a villager. This gave Yue Lei, as the head of the family, immense pride.

The next morning, after breakfast, Meng Yulan headed out with a vegetable basket. Since the master of the house said they were going to celebrate grandly, as the "Minister of Household Affairs," she was naturally to provide unconditional support.

At the market, Meng Yulan bought quite a lot: tofu, catfish, pork, crayfish, and even a large red-finned carp.

Things she usually wouldn't dare to buy, she prepared in abundance today.

Just as Meng Yulan finished her shopping and was preparing to head home, she saw a very fat white goose sitting in front of Wang Mazi from the neighboring village at the other end of the market.

A goose wasn't cheap. Meng Yulan hesitated slightly, but she recalled what Yue Lei had said when he handed her the money this morning. Gritting her teeth, she bought the large white goose for four yuan and fifty cents.

*We already bought a two-hundred-yuan bicycle, so a few extra yuan won't matter!* Meng Yulan thought, adopting a "go big or go home" mentality.

What Meng Yulan didn't know—as she planned to go home and slaughter the goose for the festival—was that buying this goose was about to cause a massive problem!