ebookland Chapter 153 Little Yellow Dog
Chapter 153 Little Yellow Dog
When Fan took out the New Year gifts, Hu was shocked and said, "Juanzi, does your husband's family know that you brought so many things home? Besides, why didn't your husband come back with you?"
Mrs. Fan smiled and said, "Dad and Mom, don't worry, these things are prepared by my mother-in-law for the two daughters-in-law. The flour, sugar and oil lamps are given by your two grandsons to show their filial piety to you.
My husband accidentally broke his leg during the typhoon a few years ago and is still recovering, so he can't come to see you two this time.
But it’s now better and we can go out to sea to work in the spring.
We have a new son, nicknamed Hainiu, but he is still too young, so we didn’t bring him here to see you.”
Upon hearing that everything was alright, Mr. and Mrs. Fan were finally relieved.
"We old couple don't lack for anything, there's no need to buy so many things, it's good to have you back."
The old couple looked at Li Erlang and Li Yu'er and said, "Come here, let grandma have a look. This young man is really handsome. You know, he looks like Old Man Li. And Yu Bao'er, he is so fair and fair that he doesn't even look like an island kid."
Li Erlang and his sister always came forward and called out to people to wish them a happy new year.
Old Mr. and Mrs. Fan took out two red paper packets and handed them to the two men. Although Mrs. Fan had not been back for several years, the old couple still prepared red packets for the children.
"Thank you, grandpa and grandma."
Li Erlang touched it and found it was hard and round, about the weight of three copper coins. This was the last red envelope he received in that year, as he would become an adult in the spring.
"Juanzi is great. She's adding another member to our family." Mrs. Hu said enviously.
She has only one son, who has grown up and will soon be expected to start a family, so she feels a little lonely with him.
Li Yuer came up to Fan Yongjun, her cousin, and said, "Cousin, is that big yellow dog yours?"
"Yes, I found it on land when I was selling fish last fall. It was half dead, so I took it home to see if it could survive. It turned out to be quite tenacious. Not only did it survive, but it gave birth to a litter of puppies in the winter. I was just wondering what to do with it.
Give it away. The islanders are all poor. At least give away two. No one wants the remaining one. Grandpa said he would give it away on land in the spring."
"Then give it to me." Li Yuer said.
"That's fine, great. Let's go! I'll take you to see Da Huang and Xiao Huang."
At the beginning, Dahuang was very wary of Li Erlang and Li Yuer, but after being scolded and comforted by Fan Yongjun, it gradually became less fierce.
Fan Yongjun didn't dare let the two men get close to Dahuang, so he only took out the yellow puppy that he had prepared for Li Yuer.
"This is just Little Yellow. The other two with black spots are Big Flower and Little Flower. They are reserved for villagers. But if you like, I can change them."
Li Yuer stroked the little yellow dog and said, "No, I like yellow dogs. They are golden and look auspicious and bring fortune."
Fan Yongjun smiled and said, "Yes, the gold color is so nice, maybe it can really bring wealth."
Xiao Huang licked Li Erlang's hand and barked twice.
Li Erlang immediately smiled and said, "I ate a piece of candy this morning, and this little fellow's tongue is really smart. He knew he wanted to eat it after just one lick."
Li Yuer asked: "Can they eat now?"
Li Yongjun said: "Of course they can, but my family has no food for them to eat. They only eat dried fish and drink Dahuang's dog milk."
Li Yuer felt relieved. Now that he could eat, it would be easier to raise him.
At noon, Mrs. Hu cooked some dishes and steamed some black rice.
Li Yuer saw a familiar dish on the table, her eyes lit up and she said, "Is this day lily?"
"Yes." Xiao Hu said, "There are a lot of day lilies growing on the coastal hillside of Fanjiatuozi. They are perfect for eating in winter if they are dried. If you like them, I will bring you a bag when you leave."
On the table there were stewed meat with white pine, fried day lily, fried eggs with green onions, and stewed pork with sauerkraut.
If this had been served to the Li family a month ago, it would have been a delicacy that they couldn't even eat during the Chinese New Year. But now, it's just ordinary, even a little bland.
Now, with Li Yuer's guidance, the Li family's cooking skills have improved dramatically. Also, influenced by Li Yuer, the Li family is no longer as reluctant to add oil and salt when cooking as they did in the past. Li Yuer also bought a lot of other seasonings. An ordinary dish of fried pork with white pine tastes amazing after being cooked by the Li family.
But they were not picky and finished the rice in their bowls honestly, not daring to waste food. However, they refused Xiao Hu's invitation to have more bowls.
Dahuang quickly became familiar with Li Yuer and his friends because Li Yuer and his brothers would bribe them with food.
Xiao Huang likes to follow Li Yuer the most. He is a little male dog and the smallest among the three dogs, but he jumps the most happily and wags his tail the most diligently.
Li Yuer touched its soft body and found it felt so good.
"Brother, what do you think about us going back and making a crab cage?" Li Yuer said.
“What is a crab pot?”
Li Yuer gestured and said: "It is about this big, a square frame made of willow branches or wood, and then covered with a net in the middle, with openings on the top and left and right. These openings are very particular, so that an iron general can get in from the outside, but can't get out.
There is also a fixed small net bag inside to hold bait. Put stones in the crab cage and sink it to the bottom of the water. When you open the crab cage the next day, you can catch a lot of crabs.
This thing can be used at high or low tide. As long as the location is right, you are guaranteed to get something.”
"Yu Baoer, you are so smart! How did you come up with this idea?" Li Erlang said happily. With this crab cage, they no longer have to worry about not being able to catch seafood in winter.
Li Yuer made up a story: "I just thought that hunters can use traps to catch wild animals, so why can't we fishermen use crab cages to catch fish?"
"Then we'll go back and make it later. Once it's done, we can go to Lao Bie Bay to set up the crab cages tomorrow."
Li Yuer shook his head and said, "Let's not go to Lao Bie Bay. We can just dig a hole in the ice. There's no need to go to Lao Bie Bay. Let Datou and his men go to Naonao to collect the seafood. After collecting it, send it to the market. When we set up our stall and go back, we can bring it back to the island."
"Okay, I'll tell Uncle San when I get back."
Li Yuer recalled the doubts in her heart and said, "Why hasn't my mother seen my grandmother and her family for many years? Doesn't my grandmother go to the dock to sell seafood?"
“They don’t go to Yuge Wharf, but to Fisherman’s Wharf, the wharf of Dawan Town in Jiafeng County. Dawan Town is located in the south, is larger than Xinpu Town, and the people there are richer.
In fact, Fanjiatuozi is closer to Yuge Wharf than Fisherman’s Wharf, but they would rather go to the farther Fisherman’s Wharf because the prices are good and the things are sold quickly.”
"Then why don't we go to Fisherman's Wharf?"
"Is that possible? How far is Rabbit Island from Fisherman's Wharf? How far is Fanjiatuozi from Fisherman's Wharf? If we also go to Fisherman's Wharf, the seafood would have died long ago, especially in the summer. It would be even harder to sell them if they become smelly."