The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 37 Getting Heated

Wei Qingqing went out and soon called the mother and daughter over. The mother and daughter had been busy on the mountain all day, and even their lunch was the flatbread they had brought up the mountain in the morning. Zheng Bao'er's little face looked listless after eating.

"Aunt Fangfang..." Zheng Bao'er jogged into the house and greeted Sun Fangfang warmly.

"Oh, little Bao'er, go wash your hands quickly. Your two uncles are eating meat inside. If you're late, they'll eat it all." Sun Fangfang smiled and pinched the little girl's nose.

"Oh dear! Aunt Fangfang's hands are all oily." Zheng Bao'er quickly giggled and dodged away, then went to the large vat to scoop water to wash her hands.

"Hehe, when did Fangfang arrive?" Aunt Liu walked in and greeted Sun Fangfang with a smile.

"They arrived early, around 7:30 in the morning, and insisted on having breakfast at our house," Wei Qingqing added.

"You bought a house in the city, and I've been running around doing the renovations for you. You're upset that I'm only getting a meal off you?" Sun Fangfang rolled her eyes at Wei Qingqing. "Sister Liu, go wash your hands. Those two are eating inside."

Aunt Liu washed her hands but didn't go into the inner room. Instead, she helped the two women cook. "Smelling this, it should be wolf meat, right?"

"Sister Liu has a really good nose. This is wolf meat. Those two went hunting in the mountains today without telling us. They encountered a pack of wolves and killed six of them..." Sun Fangfang said with pride as she talked about her husband killing wolves.

As Sun Fangfang gloated, Liu Sao's expression darkened. Her husband had been killed by a pack of wolves. When Wei Qingqing noticed Liu Sao's expression was off, she gave Sun Fangfang a wink, and Sun Fangfang immediately understood and shut up.

"That wolf pack on the mountain probably had about 40 wolves. You killed six of them. Be careful of their revenge later; these beasts hold grudges the most." Tears streamed down Liu's face as she picked up a spoon and began ladling out the broth. Being able to eat wolf meat today was a way of avenging her husband.

The lively atmosphere instantly became oppressive, and Wei Qingqing and Sun Fangfang silently worked, arranging the meat on the iron grate.

After scooping out the broth from the pot, Wei Qingqing took out some brown sugar from the cupboard, grabbed a handful and threw it into the pot. Then she sat on a small stool and started working the bellows. The flames gradually rose up amidst the whooshing sound of the bellows, licking the dark bottom of the pot. Liu Sao and Sun Fangfang lifted the iron grate, placed it in the pot, and then covered it with the lid, sealing the rim of the pot with a damp cloth.

While the meat was being smoked over the fire, Sun Fangfang and Aunt Liu sat on small stools waiting. Seeing that Aunt Liu looked gloomy, Sun Fangfang started talking to her, trying to distract her from her thoughts of her deceased husband.

"Sister Liu, what do you plant on the mountain? Didn't you say you planted peach trees? If you plant peach pits, do you still need to go up the mountain every day to watch over them?" Sun Fangfang said.

"I've also planted some medicinal herbs on the mountain, like goji berries, rehmannia root, and schisandra berries," said Aunt Liu.

"If you ask me, you should just plant peach trees. What's the point of making or losing money? Yang Ming is backing you up. He doesn't need that little bit of money," Wei Qingqing interjected, pulling the bellows.

"That won't do. That amount of money may not seem like much to you, but to me, I could farm my whole life and still not earn that much," Aunt Liu said with a slight smile.

"Hehe, our Sister Liu is quite the strong woman..." Sun Fangfang laughed.

"A woman raising a child alone, I'm grateful to anyone who helps me, but I can't always rely on others, can I?" Aunt Liu laughed, then changed the subject: "Have you heard? Uncle Zheng Yu is getting married, I heard it's a widow with a 15-year-old girl."

"I've heard about Zheng Yu getting married. Has the date been set yet?" Wei Qingqing naturally knew that it was Yang Ming's bad idea that Zheng Yu had the idea of ​​getting married. However, hearing Liu Sao bring it up at this time, she was a little suspicious. Why was Liu Sao bringing this up? A widow with a daughter, could it be that she was thinking about getting married again?

Sun Fangfang thought the same thing.

"It's settled, we'll get married at the end of this month," said Aunt Liu.

"Sister Liu, why does it sound like the generational hierarchy in your village is a bit messed up? You call Uncle Zheng 'Former Uncle,' but why do you also call Zheng Yu 'Uncle Zheng Yu'? They're from different generations!" Sun Fangfang asked.

"We're all from the same village, that's how we've gotten this nickname. Once the head of the household is beyond five degrees of kinship, marriage is no longer illegal. Sometimes people marry across generations, so the way we've been calling each other has gotten mixed up. Speaking of which, our family and Uncle Zheng Yu's family are from the same lineage. My father-in-law and Uncle Zheng Yu's grandfathers were cousins." Actually, Aunt Liu wasn't thinking anything of it; she just wanted to change the subject away from herself, but Sun Fangfang and Wei Qingqing misunderstood.

The three chatted for a while longer, and the meat in the pot was almost smoked. They lifted the lid, and a cloud of yellow smoke rose from the pot. The wolf meat on the iron grate had been smoked to a bright red color and looked extremely tempting.

goooo...

Sun Fangfang couldn't help but swallow hard. The sound was so loud that Wei Qingqing and Aunt Liu exchanged a glance and couldn't help but giggle.

"Ugh, what are you laughing at?" Sun Fangfang blushed, and not caring that her hands were burning, she grabbed a wolf leg in a fit of embarrassment and anger. "I don't care anymore, I'm starving..." she said, and began to eat it with a loud hiss.

"Eating too much of this will cause internal heat..." Aunt Liu warned, then she and Wei Qingqing put the smoked meat into a basin.

"Hmph, I almost forgot who I am. I'm a guest. You two go ahead and do your work..." Sun Fangfang happily entered the house with a piece of smoked, reddish-brown wolf leg in her hand.

Inside the room, Yang Ming, Zhang Yang, and the little girl Zheng Bao'er were eating heartily around the kang table. While eating, Zhang Yang excitedly recounted his glorious wolf-hunting history to the little girl, who listened with admiration.

The three people, two adults and one child, were all holding something in their hands. Their six pairs of hands were greasy and reflected the light. There were also several large bones on the table.

"You three gluttons..." Sun Fangfang turned around and went to the west room, bringing back a few bottles of liquor and a few cans of drinks. She put them on the table and said, "You three did a good job today, this is a reward for you."

"Looks like we didn't kill the wolf for nothing..." Yang Ming first opened a bottle of beverage for Zheng Bao'er, then grabbed a bottle of wine, twisted it open and drank it, showing the manner of eating large chunks of meat and drinking large gulps of wine.

"That's so unfair of you, you actually started drinking by yourself." Zhang Yang complained, grabbed a bottle of wine, and started chugging it down.

"I'm warning you, if you dare get drunk, I'll throw you into the doghouse." Sun Fangfang took off her shoes, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and sat down. "Bao'er, go turn on the TV. Let's eat wolf meat while cheering for Happy Sheep..."

"Oh!" Zheng Bao'er responded, happily getting off the kang (a heated brick bed) to turn on the TV. Then she climbed back onto the kang and sat down next to Sun Fangfang. "Aunt Fangfang, Uncle deserves credit, but what credit did I get?"

"Hmph..." Sun Fangfang pinched Zheng Bao'er's little nose, "Bao'er helped Mom with chores today, that's a good deed."

Just then, Aunt Liu came in carrying a bowl of smoked meat: "The smoked meat is here..."

Yang Ming, biting into a wolf leg, said, "Hehe, Sister Liu! We haven't eaten all day and are starving. We're so sorry to have troubled you with all this work..." He felt bad that he, as the host, hadn't gone out to greet the guests and had even made them help out. However, he was really hungry, especially after soaking in the hot springs, and his stomach was rumbling.

"It's alright, you guys were really amazing today, killing six wolves..." Aunt Liu said with a smile.

"Of course, I was quick-witted and the first to spot the wolves. Then I threw Yang Ming into a tree and told him to hide first..."

"Uncle Zhang, you just said that Uncle Yang discovered the wolf pack first, and then you climbed the tree first..." Zheng Bao'er corrected him very seriously.

"..." Zhang Yang awkwardly touched his nose and said sheepishly, "Maybe I remembered wrong. People's memory tends to deteriorate as they get older. Looks like I'll have to buy a couple of boxes of Brain Gold from now on..."

Zhang Yang's depressed look made everyone laugh. Sun Fangfang giggled and glared at her husband. This guy loved to brag in front of pretty women. Only Zheng Bao'er looked around, confused. What are you adults laughing at?

"The steamed buns are here, eat these to nourish your brain..." Wei Qingqing walked in carrying a basket of big white steamed buns, which made everyone burst into laughter again.

The two women got onto the kang (heated brick bed) together, and everyone ate dinner together.

The night was deep, and I tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Liu Sao and her daughter were kept behind by Wei Qingqing and Sun Fangfang to chat. The east room was occupied by four women, three adults and one child, plus a baby who was still nursing. Yang Ming and Zhang Yang had no choice but to sleep in the west room. However, they had eaten too much wolf meat that night and had a burning desire in their hearts. In addition, the kang (heated brick bed) was too hot, so they couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

"Are you asleep?" Yang Ming asked.

"Sleep my ass! I'm burning up! Brother Qian, my dear brother, could you make room for me?"

"Okay!" Yang Ming got up, dressed, and went out of the house.

"That's great!" Zhang Yang sat up, opened his phone, dialed Sun Fangfang's number, and called her over.

"What are you doing?" Sun Fangfang asked impatiently from outside the door, her anger rising within her.

"Come in, my brother isn't inside..." Zhang Yang said softly, lifting the curtain.

"Look at your pathetic self..." Sun Fangfang complained, but her brows furrowed with a mixture of shyness and joy as she quickly slipped into the house, her heart burning with anxiety.

"Qingqing, come out for a moment, I'm in the backyard..." Yang Ming walked to the backyard and dialed Wei Qingqing's cell phone.

"What's up?"

"My heart is burning up, let's go to the hot springs together..."

"Wait a minute..." A moment later, Wei Qingqing sneaked out, "You're so spineless, Fangfang and the others are in our house..."

"If you're so promising, then why are you even out here?" Yang Ming said without waiting for a reply, pulling Wei Qingqing away.

The two quietly opened the back door and crept towards the hot spring pool.

Tonight's moon is a crescent shape, dark and gloomy in the valley, looking like the gaping maw of a man-eating beast. However, the men and women, their bodies blazing with fire, feel as if they could kill a tiger with their bare hands, without the slightest fear.

They opened the iron gate, locked it from the inside, and then the two of them couldn't wait to take off their clothes and jump into the hot spring pool.

The warm, hot spring water relaxed the skin and soothed the nerves, instantly calming the anger that had been simmering in their hearts. The two sat on the smooth pebbles, nestled together, quietly counting the stars in the sky.

"This place is still too rudimentary. Let's plant some trees here when we have more time..."

"What kind of tree should we plant?" Wei Qingqing asked.

"Any kind of tree will do. Plant some with lush foliage around the perimeter and some fruit trees inside. When you're tired from taking a bath, you can pick a fruit to eat."

"Those fruits aren't always ripe, are they?"

"You're so greedy. You should be lucky to have fruit once a year..." Yang Ming laughed and pinched her nose.

"Hmph..." Wei Qingqing chuckled, "I was just greedy. It was because of my greed that I caught this big fish."

"Hehe, you've gotten a great deal..." Yang Ming reached out and put his arm around her waist, then pecked her cheek.

"Giggle..." Wei Qingqing giggled and snuggled into his arms. Just as Yang Ming was about to make a further move, he heard a shaking sound coming from the iron fence in the distance.

"Who?" Yang Ming stood up and shouted, but Wei Qingqing was so frightened that she hid her body in the water.

With Yang Ming's shout, a figure quickly disappeared into the valley.

"Who is it?" After waiting for a long time without any response, Wei Qingqing finally spoke.

"I wonder where this little thief came from... Looks like we'll have to get a few more dogs here." Yang Ming said, taking the spotted dog out of the farm space before retreating into the water.

The two spotted dogs have now recovered. Although they still have a limp, they look very strong, with firm and full muscles and a vibrant spirit.

As soon as the two dogs were released, they wandered around and then found a secluded spot to lie down.

"Hmph, with these two guarding me, I won't be bothered when I'm eating you." Yang Ming smiled and leaned towards Wei Qingqing.

As dawn broke, a ray of sunlight shone into the valley, transforming through the rising steam into a perfect rainbow spanning the valley. The water in the valley's pools steamed, churning endlessly like mist and ever-changing clouds. If some peach trees and osmanthus branches were planted in the valley, this little valley would truly become a fairyland on earth.

Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing soaked in the hot spring all night, only emerging at dawn. This hot spring was truly wonderful; they felt incredibly refreshed after that night.

Yang Ming put the two spotted dogs that had been guarding the farm all night back into the farm space, and then the couple went home hand in hand.

The two returned home, where Sun Fangfang and Aunt Liu had already started cooking: hot wolf meat, steamed buns, and a pot of millet porridge to cleanse their stomachs.

"Heh heh, the field army is back. You two have worked hard. Dinner will be served in a bit!" Sun Fangfang said with a mischievous grin as she watched the two enter the house.

"Ahem, you guys chat, I'm going to the front yard to feed the dogs..." Yang Ming said somewhat embarrassedly, making up an excuse to leave.

"You still know you're a comrade? The comrades in the garrison have worked hard too..." Wei Qingqing retorted, not to be outdone.

Aunt Liu pretended not to hear and kept pulling the bellows to stoke the fire, though her face was flushed.

When the puppies saw Yang Ming come out of the house, they immediately wagged their tails and surrounded him. Little Bear even clung to Yang Ming's leg and wouldn't let go. The smell from last night was so tempting that it kept him up all night. His mistress was stingy and only gave him some scraps. Today, his man, who usually fed them, finally came out. He couldn't let him get away!

Yang Ming could tell what these puppies were thinking just by looking at their behavior. The wolf entrails they brought back yesterday had been cleaned by the two women and soaked in a large basin. Yang Ming picked out two intestines from the basin and threw them to the puppies. The puppies immediately pounced on them and started tearing at them. They swallowed the intestines clean in just a few bites.

At this moment, Yang Ming realized that not only were the black teeth sharp, but the puppies' teeth had already grown in, and they didn't look like puppies that were only a month old.

"Hey, why are you feeding the dogs offal?" Sun Fangfang immediately objected when she saw Yang Ming feeding the dogs wolf intestines outside. Yesterday, they had gone to great lengths to clean the intestines and internal organs, and were just waiting to cook them for lunch today.

"I brought this back to feed the dogs. These wolves eat everything, and their intestines are full of parasites, so it's best not to feed them offal or anything like that." Yang Ming picked up a wolf heart and tossed it to the puppies.

"Why didn't you say so earlier..." Sun Fangfang glared at him angrily.

"How could I dare say that? I just smiled yesterday, and you gave me a dirty look."

"You did this on purpose..." Sun Fangfang was furious, hands on her hips, her eyebrows standing on end.

"It really wasn't intentional..." Yang Ming smiled smugly.

"Hmph, it's okay if it was done on purpose. Actually, Qingqing did all those things in the water..." Sun Fangfang suddenly laughed, like a little fox who had stolen a chicken.

"..." Yang Ming was frustrated.

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