Volume One, Chapter Eighteen: Tonight, Meat is Back on the Menu

"Stop!"
Just as chaos reigned, Lin Hu burst into the yard at a run, his arms full of sparrows, three quails and a slingshot dangling from his neck.
He stopped short at the sight of the mayhem.
His eyes widened in fury as he roared, "You old hag, stop! What are you doing, bullying an old blind lady and a child like this?"
His shout was like thunder, startling everyone present.
Dogsheng’s mother, caught up in the heat of the moment, froze for an instant when Lin Hu called her by her nickname.
But she couldn’t let it go.
In the village, she was renowned as a battle-hardened matron—ruffians steered clear lest she decorate their faces with bruises.
She jabbed her finger at Lin Hu and cursed, "Don’t you play the good guy, Lin Hu! Look at your little brother, cracked my head open! So what if I gave him a couple of whacks? Today you owe me an explanation!"
But as soon as she shouted, she regretted it.
Her anger was replaced by clarity the moment she saw the pile of birds in Lin Hu’s arms: he must have stumbled upon a sparrow’s nest. How else could he have caught so many at once, even quails among them!
With no free hand, Lin Hu dumped the traps, sparrows, and quails in a heap on the ground.
He strode over to Dogsheng’s mother, ready to lose his temper, but paused when he saw the blood trickling down her forehead.
And Black Egg was terrified, shaking like a leaf.
He quickly pieced together what must have happened.
Apparently, Black Egg had really split her scalp—no wonder the old crone was so livid.
Thinking fast, Lin Hu decided it was wiser to make peace. This was his chance to establish his reputation in the village; he couldn’t afford to make enemies everywhere.
He softened his tone. "Auntie, calm down. Black Egg didn’t mean it, look how frightened he is! Besides, didn’t you just smack Granny Li several times yourself? That makes you even, doesn’t it?"
"And if this ruckus gets around the village, people will say you bullied a blind old lady and a child. That won’t sound good, will it?"
Dogsheng’s mother had to concede the point.
But the anger from her head wound just wouldn’t dissipate, and her eyes kept flicking to the birds on the ground.
Dogsheng and Cuihua stared greedily at the pile of sparrows and quails.
"Ma, so many sparrows!"
"And quails too!"
"Tiger caught all these?"
"Is it for real?"
The two looked at Lin Hu, who stood there in nothing but shorts, a slingshot around his neck like a wild man, with a pile of traps at his side. They regretted their earlier words.
Black Egg, seeing so many birds, wiped his nose and rushed over, grasping two handfuls and holding them high.
Tears of excitement rolled unchecked down his cheeks.
"Are you all blind? Of course Tiger caught these! Who else? He never misses with his slingshot—he’s the Sharpshooter of Crooked Neck Village!"
"No—he’s the best marksman in the whole commune!"
"Waaah!" Black Egg wept and shouted,
"Tiger promised to let me eat well, to cure my grandma’s eyes, to make her fat and healthy. He wasn’t lying…"
"He’s not a liar…"
Every word was praise, but Lin Hu felt no joy—only a sour ache. How much ridicule had this child endured to be so easily moved?
And seeing Granny Li sitting on the ground, protectively clutching the ox-horn bow, he could guess what had happened.
To settle things,
Lin Hu grabbed a handful of sparrows and thrust them into Dogsheng’s mother’s hands.
"Auntie, no matter what happened, it was Black Egg who made you bleed, and I’ll answer for him. Take these and roast them in your stove—they’ll do you good."
Dogsheng and Cuihua, hearing this, became restless. They vaulted over the wall, standing behind their mother, swallowing hungrily and staring at the birds.
No one spoke, but everyone understood the children’s longing.
In the harsh 1980s, meat was the ultimate luxury—there were years when you couldn’t get a single taste outside of New Year. Who wouldn’t crave it?
Dogsheng’s mother looked at her children, famished and eager, then at the seven or eight sparrows in her hand. Her rage subsided.
"Alright, then. But watch Black Egg from now on—no more throwing stones. Look at the lump on my head…"
Heh—
Lin Hu saw the big purple welt and felt vindicated. The old hag rarely got her comeuppance; this time, she let it slide for the sparrows’ sake.
But just as they were leaving—
"Dogsheng! Cuihua!"
Lin Hu suddenly called after the two children. They were eleven or twelve, and he didn’t need to ask to know they’d been mocking him and Black Egg behind their backs—otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened.
"Were you talking bad about me behind my back?"
"N-no…"
"Heh, Tiger, no, we didn’t…"
The two were embarrassed, clutching their sparrows tightly, afraid he’d snatch them back in anger.
Though they denied it, their faces gave them away.
"Well then,"
Lin Hu picked up a quail. Quail weren’t as big as pheasants, but they were four or five times larger than sparrows, and meatier too.
"I’m an adult, so I won’t hold a grudge or get angry. But today, Black Egg suffered a lot to defend me. If you two are truly sorry and apologize sincerely, this quail is yours as a reward!"
At this, the children’s eyes widened with astonishment.
But before either could speak,
Black Egg snatched the quail and shielded it. "No! I don’t want their apology. I’m not upset…"
He clung to the quail’s leg, tears brimming in his eyes.
Seeing this, Dogsheng grabbed the other leg, apologizing repeatedly, "Sorry, Black Egg, I was wrong. I won’t make fun of you anymore, never again!"
Cuihua, afraid of losing her share, seized the quail’s neck. "Forgive me, Black Egg! I shouldn’t have talked bad about Tiger—I was wrong! Tiger’s a sharpshooter, you are too, you’re both sharpshooters…"
"I don’t want your apology, say what you want, I don’t care…"
"But we have to apologize! We talked behind your back, Tiger, we were wrong!"
"If you know you’re wrong, you have to admit it. Sorry…"
So, the three children nearly tore the quail apart between them.
The adults watched, hearts heavy, tears threatening to fall.
Who didn’t know the real reason? It wasn’t about right or wrong, or about pride—it was simply that meat was so scarce, they lusted for it all year.
Granny Li saw, and her heart ached. She hurried over to Black Egg, "Let go, Black Egg. We have so many more! Tiger got you two big quails and all those sparrows. We don’t need to fight for this one."
"No,"
Lin Hu urged, "Come on, listen. I’ll get you more, this one’s for them."
Black Egg, obedient but reluctant, whimpered, "Tiger, no… waah…"
"Here’s what we’ll do," Granny Li decided, handing the ox-horn bow to Black Egg. "My good grandson, forgive your grandma for being blind and saying bad things about Tiger. I won’t guard this bow anymore—give it to Tiger, let him hunt us wild chickens and rabbits to eat, alright?"
…
Only then did Black Egg let go, clutching the ox-horn bow tightly.
The adults finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Tiger,"
Dogsheng’s mother suddenly sniffled, wiped her eyes, and—unwilling to lose face—hurried her children home.
With the matter resolved,
Lin Hu broke into a grin.
"Ah-ha! Tonight we’ll feast! Eighty or ninety sparrows and two big quails—that’s at least two or three jin, isn’t it?"
"More than that!"
Granny Li laughed, "Even plucked, there’s at least three or four jin here."
This time, Black Egg wasn’t in a rush to eat. He looked up at Lin Hu, tears still in his eyes, and held up the ox-horn bow high.
"Tiger, here!
I finished the task you gave me!"
Lin Hu smiled warmly, ruffling his hair and taking the bow. "My brother Black Egg has once again completed a difficult task brilliantly—well done!"
"I’ve decided: next time, I’ll reward you with rabbit, at least a three-jin one!"
"I believe you, Tiger!"
"Now hurry up and boil some water, help them pluck the birds—tonight we’ll have a real meal!"
"Alright!" Black Egg nodded vigorously.