Inside, the guys nursed hot water to warm up. Out in the yard, Xiuhua and the other two were hard at it, portioning meat and cleaning the game. Not skilled, but careful.
Iron Post watched Xiuhua out in the yard, let out a soft sigh, and dropped his voice. "You know, it's a real shame about Xiuhua. Back when she first came to the village, pretty as anything, sweet nature. Plenty of young guys had their eye on her. But of all people, she went and picked Xiao Jianguo, that drunk." He shook his head. "That Xiao Jianguo. Tall and decent looking, and that's it. Layabout, drinks like a fish, and when he's soused he takes it out on Xiuhua, roughs her up over nothing. At least before, he could go up the mountain, earn a few work points. But a while back he took a fall hunting, crippled himself, can't move, stuck in bed, and now the whole family's weight is on Xiuhua's shoulders."
Donkey sighed along too, his voice heavy. "One woman waiting hand and foot on a bedridden Xiao Jianguo, worrying about keeping the family fed, and looking out for her sister at the youth station. It's just too much." He paused, his voice dropping a notch lower. "I heard the old folks in the village say Xiao Jianguo's getting worse and worse. Probably won't make it past New Year's. If he really goes, Xiuhua's on her own after that. How's she going to get by, huh? There's a whole story there."
Listening to them talk about Xiao Jianguo, I blinked, playing dumb, wearing that just-heard-it-for-the-first-time look of surprise flawlessly.
Nobody knew I'd had the whole thing figured out days ago. But out here in the countryside, where folks are simple but gossip spreads easy, being too sharp only makes people wary. Playing dumb now and then, that's the way to keep your head on your shoulders.
The talk had barely died down when the door swung open. Xiuhua came in carrying a bamboo basket, walked briskly straight up to me.
"Chunzhu, the mountain goods you asked me to track down are all here. Fifty pounds of dried mushrooms, picked by the folks themselves, clean, none spoiled. Everybody said we're all neighbors, so thirty bucks and it's yours. Way better than buying at the fair."
I nodded readily. "Thanks, sis. I'll take all fifty. I'll get the money together for you in a bit. And going forward, whoever's got extra mountain goods, mushrooms, wood ear, whatever, long as it's good, I'll buy it. Later, when I head back, I'll cut you two pounds of fresh meat to take. Just a little something."
Xiuhua couldn't refuse and took the money.
I turned to the crowd looking on and waved a hand, explaining openly. "Don't read anything into it, folks. Let me lay it out plain. I brought two hundred bucks total when I came down. Spent a hundred on the hunting rifle for protection, fifty today on mushrooms, and the last fifty I'm saving to head to the commune in a couple of days and buy a new cotton coat. Giving sis the meat is purely to thank her for helping round up the mountain goods."
I said all that on purpose, just to plug up any future gossip, so nobody'd start reading into things.
The words had barely left my mouth when Dummy came over rubbing his hands, a little sheepish. "Chunzhu, buddy, I've got a favor to ask. Kind of an imposition. My family's got a fair bit of mountain goods too. Could I trade you for some eggs? My wife's pregnant, appetite's off, wants some eggs to build herself up. But eggs are scarce in the village. I've been to a bunch of houses and can't buy any."
"What's not to be okay about?" I didn't hesitate a beat. "I've got plenty of eggs here, more than enough to trade. In a couple of days another batch of deliveries comes to the commune. There'll be duck and goose eggs too. We'll trade at our own pace. Don't be shy about it."
Truth was, I'd been fretting over exactly this. I couldn't eat all these fresh eggs myself. They'd spoil if they sat, and fresh eggs were too delicate to ship back to the city. Dummy wanting to trade solved my immediate problem perfectly.
Everyone crowded over to join in, some saying they had their own mountain goods to trade, some asking what else was coming in the delivery, and the room got lively all at once.
In under an hour, the three women carried in two big basins of steaming wild game meat.
"Dig in, everybody. Don't be shy. Out here in the country we may not have much, but we've got plenty of meat. Hit the mountain again tomorrow, all you can eat."
Donkey piled a big chunk of meat onto the plate of the guy next to him, then hefted a big coarse porcelain bowl brimming with baijiu and went around filling everyone's, his voice booming. "It's a rare, lively night. Nobody leaves sober."
Outside the window the cold wind moaned. Water froze the second it dripped. On a bone-deep cold night like this, it took a bowl of baijiu going down before your whole body warmed up. That's how folks live in the Northeast.
Three rounds in, Iron Egg set down his chopsticks and leaned over, big curious eyes and all. "Chunzhu, buddy, heard you're from the county. You ever ice fished? Come winter our river freezes solid. Chip a hole in the ice and you can fish right there. And what you pull up is big and fresh."
I gave a rueful shake of the head. "Honestly, never have. You guys don't know, those two rivers in the county, there's more people fishing than there are fish. You got to go early to grab a spot. Never any left for me."
My mind drifted back. Money was tight at home back then, and I thought about fishing to help make ends meet. Ran down to the river all fired up, only to find the bank packed shoulder to shoulder with old men and old women fishing. Not a single spot to drop a line. Sat there the whole day, didn't catch so much as a fingerling, and finally went home disappointed. After that I never had the itch again.
Seeing me deflated, Iron Egg hurried to cheer me up. "No big deal, you've never done it. Next windless day, I'll take you. I'll teach you. Our river's full of cold water fish. Few bones, sweet meat. Especially iron pot fish stew, with a ring of cornbread patties stuck around the edge, bubbling away. The smell carries for ages. I guarantee you eat it once and you'll never forget it."
The whole bunch laughed along, all inviting me to come ice fish and cook up stew someday, and the mood got even warmer.
That meal ran over two hours, and by the time everyone grabbed their share of the meat and said their goodbyes, laughing and talking, it was pitch dark out.
Xiuhua, carrying the two pounds of meat I'd given her, stopped in the doorway and turned back, her voice gentle. "Chunzhu, little brother, thank you so much for today. Buying the folks' mushrooms, and giving me meat." She paused. "I'll get my sister and the others home first, and bring Xiuqian back over tomorrow. You two spend some time together. Maybe you'll hit it off."
I agreed with a smile. "Sure. Careful on the road. I'll be home waiting for you tomorrow."
The door shut and the room fell suddenly quiet. I looked down at the five pounds of roe deer meat left on the table and couldn't help smiling. This trip down to the countryside, turns out I really did come to the right place. Just this meat's enough to see me through the whole winter.
Outside, behind the frost flowers on the window, the cold wind whipped the branches.
There was still plenty of chicken, duck and goose meat frozen out in the yard, all wild game I'd bagged these past few days. Especially those three boss-tier birds, of a shockingly huge size, meat especially tender and sweet. More than I could eat by myself in a whole winter.
The meat was all chopped up anyway. Nobody could tell what it was. Better to have Donkey and Dummy and the rest over to drink more often. Lively, and I make a few more friends out of it. Then give Xiuhua a share of the rest, to thank her for her help. And if she could help me get to know a few more girls, well, then I really wouldn't have to worry about finishing this meat.