âThese are kept by the locals here. You probably never had them before. The old village head knows that Lao Fang is coming and slaughtered one. You will be able to try it tonight.â Lin Dazhi came back over after he had returned the tractor. He ran into Shu Yan first on his way to look for Lao Fang.
âYou slaughtered a sheep?â Cows and sheep were extremely important to herdsman in this day and age. She would ask Feng Zeyu the cost of one later on and they must pay the village head back.
When Shu Yan returned, Feng Zeyu was already hanging up the clothes, including hers and the kids.
âHow come you did them already?â With their current relationship, it was quite embarrassing to have Feng Zeyu did her laundry.
âI was doing mine anyway.â That didnât bother Feng Zeyu much. After he had hung up all the clothes and that both of the kids were back, he showed Shu Yan to the place to washup. âI had just boiled some hot water. You can wash up here. We will head over to dinner at the village headâs place tonight.â
âYou are too industrious. We must take you with us everywhere we go from now on,â said Shu Yan jokingly.
âI guess I need to do my best so you will take me with you next time.â Feng Zeyu, too, said jokingly. After he had put down the water, he let Shu Yan took JingJing inside and he washed up with Tianbao next to them.
After they were finished with washing up, Shu Yan asked Feng Zeyu, âCaptain Lin said the old village lead slaughtered a lamb just for us. Farm animals for sure are very important to herdsman. We need to pay them back.â
âDonât worry. I will take care of it.â Feng Zeyu had it all thought out already. He would donate a lumpsum to fix up the road that led out of the village.
It had just gotten dark outside when Lin Dazhi came to fetch Shu Yan and Feng Zeyu for dinner. The old village lead was particularly excited when he saw Feng Zeyu. There were tears in his eyes. He said repeatedly in his broken mandarin, âI am glad you are back. Happy.â
Feng Zeyuâs eyes were reddened as well. He used a lot of vocabularies in the local dialect when he talked. From the bits and pieces, Shu Yan gathered that he offered to donate money to fix the roads and needed the help of the old village lead.
That was a generous act. Shu Yan immediately asked Feng Zeyu how much that would cost and offered to pay for a portion of it.
âNo need. I will pay for this road.â Feng Zeyu was very adamant this time.
Shu Yan nodded and did not fight with him over it.
The lamb chop and everything else made from the lambâs organs were all very taste. Roasted mutton was very tender. The sheep tasted different than the mutton that Shu Yan had before at her old place. Back home they used goats, which would taste gamey if one didnât know how to cook it properly. Sheep had almost no gamey taste to them at all. Or that the village leadâs wife was a very good cook. Even Shu Yan, who didnât like mutton much, had quite a bit of it.
âHave more. Have more. Xiao Fang is family to me and you are too now.â The village lead was very happy when he saw that Shu Yan truly enjoyed them.
Shu Yan had a few glasses of alcohol and was a little dizzy. Feng Zeyu carried Tianbao in one arm and held Shu Yanâs hand with his other. Shu Yan held onto JingJing with her other hand. The few paced forward slowly.
âI borrowed horses from the village lead. We can go take a ride tomorrow?â
Tianbao was already asleep or he would for sure want to go with.
âYes!â She had tried it over at Hu Ruixueâs place. She didnât know how to ride the horse and someone was leading the horse in front of her. It was still bit scary sitting on one.
Shu Yan was a good drunk. She didnât fuzz or make a scene even when she was drunk. She felt asleep as soon as she hit the bed. She did, however, have a little bit of a headache when she woke up the next morning. Feng Zeyu gave her some herb soup for the hangover and she felt much better after that.
âDonât drink so much next time if you canât hold alcohol.â Feng Zeyu, rubbing her temples softly, asked her tenderly, âDo you still feel bad?â
âThey are too enthusiastic. I feel bad not drinking. What did you tell me yesterday? We are going to go riding today?â Shu Yan changed the subject quickly.
The two had become more and more affectionate with each other ever since they had hugged on the tractor. Shu Yan didnât feel anything wrong with that.
âYes. I asked the village lead for his two sonsâ help as well. They could take Tianbao and JingJing. Iâll take you.â
After helping Shu Yan onto the horse, Feng Zeyu led the horse for a round before he hopped on behind her. With a flick of the riding crop, the horse dashed out. Shu Yan let out a scream and held onto Feng Zeyuâs hands tightly as she laid in his arms.
It was excitement after the fear had subsided. Shu Yan laughed heartily into the wind.
âWait for me, Mommy,â shouted Tianbao from behind.
The village leadâs sons wanted to ran forward as well but they both have a kid with them. The kind who had never ridden a horse at that so they had no choice but to keep their speed in check. Their father had made it abundantly clear. If they were not good hosts, he would use the riding crop on them.