(3)

Perhaps it is because my uncle and aunt do not have children that they are particularly fond of me. My aunt has poor health and has never been able to conceive her own child. Later, the couple adopted a boy, but he passed away when he was three years old. After that, my uncle consulted a fortune-teller, and from then on, he never mentioned the topic of children again

As soon as she saw me, she eagerly grabbed my hand and said: "Quick, let Aunt Biao take a look, has our Jinbao changed a lot in these past few years?"

I felt naturally happy, and I couldn't help but swallow once.

I rubbed my head and said, "You are the real fairy!"

The train attendants are too lazy to even respond to them, so who should be transferred in their place? In this day and age, having a seat on a train is already quite good, what more could one ask for?

I know without even looking that there is a significant difference between cured meat and human bones

Looking at her no longer beautiful face, my eyes began to redden, but my aunt chuckled and said: "Silly boy, do you think your aunt has aged and is not as good-looking as before?"

Early this morning, my cousin took me into the mountains. When I left home, I was only wearing a pair of woolen pants. My cousin was worried that I would get cold, so she specially made me a new pair of cotton pants. In her words, "You can't survive the winter in Northeast China without cotton pants!" So this morning, I wore the new cotton pants that my cousin made for me, feeling warm and cozy as I went up the mountain with my cousin

Today, my cousin and I are going to check three locations. He is well aware of the traps he has set, as he inspects them daily. Unlike others in the village who haphazardly set traps and then forget where they are, this leads to many large animals becoming ensnared and starving to death.

Uncle Biao's home is located in a village called Jiajiatun. Of course, not everyone there has the surname Jia; it is simply named after the first family from Shandong who settled there to cultivate the land. They later established their roots in this area, hence the name.

Uncle Biao told me that although the snow in the mountains is very thick now, any animal walking on the snow will leave traces when it is not snowing. However, he no longer uses a shotgun; he can only set some simple traps. He checks them the next day, and if he accidentally catches any large game, he usually releases it.

Thus, my cousin and I trudged through the snow for another half hour before finding another trap, but unfortunately, there was nothing in this trap. My cousin examined it carefully and confirmed that no animals had burrowed in. This time, we had no choice but to leave reluctantly and continue on to search for his third trap.

After we had been walking in the mountains for over an hour, my cousin suddenly told me to lie down. I have always been timid, and I thought we might have encountered a bear. As a result, I lay there for quite a while, only to see my cousin returning from a short distance with a gray wild rabbit in hand

Uncle hung the wild rabbit around his waist and then pulled me up from the snow, saying, "Let's go! Let's see the next trap..."

I shook my head vigorously and said: "No, Auntie Biao is still as beautiful as before"

Auntie Biao smiled and invited me to the dining table. When I looked, I was amazed! The table was filled with dishes, including pickled cabbage with boiled pork, pork stew with vermicelli, and my favorite sticky bean buns! So, I eagerly dug in.

Jiajiatun is not large, with only about one hundred or so people in the entire village. My uncle's family lives at the eastern end of the village, with more than three acres of land. My aunt has poor health and has been resting at home, so all the household and outdoor chores are managed by my uncle alone

In addition to making a living through farming, my uncle is also a well-known geomancer in the surrounding ten miles. Although he does not earn a significant amount of money, he can still manage his basic needs, so even with my presence as an additional mouth to feed, the family does not feel much strain.

As soon as I reached the mountain, I was astonished by the vast expanse of white snow before me. In the dense pine forest, there was a thick layer of snow, and when I stepped in, it sank all the way to my thighs! Fortunately, my uncle made me a pair of simple snowshoes, which allowed me to walk easily on the snow surface

The train police were not to be trifled with; without a word, they pinned the Sichuan man to the ground. In his panic, the man began to speak rapidly in Sichuan dialect. Not only could these pure Northeastern train police not understand him, but even I, a person from Hebei, was left utterly confused.

I mumbled while eating, "Don t worry, Uncle, I will definitely go all out!"

Aunt Biao is a warm-hearted woman from Northeast China. I met her when she came to Beijing for medical treatment during my childhood, and she was considered a beautiful woman in my memories. However, due to years of illness, her originally bright eyes have long since become cloudy, and her once handsome face has become puffy and overweight due to medication. The only thing that has not changed is her enthusiasm in treating others.

Uncle listened to me and then gave me a light slap on the head, saying, "You talk nonsense. If your aunt were still like she was back then, she would have become an old witch, wouldn't she?"

After getting drunk one time, I heard my uncle say: "In this lifetime, I am destined to have no children. Even if I go against fate, in the end, it will only be a futile effort, like drawing water with a bamboo basket. Forget it, as long as Lanzi (my aunt is named Zhang Guilan) can get better, it will be just fine for the two of us to live together."

Uncle Biao looked at me eating with great delight, repeatedly saying: "Jinbao, eat to your heart's content! Come to Uncle Biao's house, there will definitely be enough meat to go around!"

He said with a proud expression, "Jinbao, we will have braised wild rabbit meat for dinner tonight"

When Uncle Biao was young, he could catch a few fur coats in the mountains every winter. Now, the state promotes that fur coats are also protected animals, and he can no longer set traps in the mountains. Therefore, he can only hunt wild chickens and hares in winter to supplement Aunt Biao's health.

After watching the man being handcuffed and taken away, the passengers in this carriage were in an uproar! It was better not to know about this incident; who wouldn't feel uneasy upon learning the details? Especially the two individuals sitting in the same row as this man, they were extremely frightened and kept urging the train attendant to change their seats.

When I arrived, it was precisely during the coldest days of winter, and in the northeastern countryside, every household was staying indoors to keep warm. My uncle's family had just over 3 acres of land, which was barely enough for their food supply. The large black pig at home could not be slaughtered until the New Year, so if we wanted to eat meat, we had to go hunting in the mountains with my uncle.