Li Qiang's Little Grebe ultimately ended up as beggar's chicken, cooked by Li Long.
At noon, everyone in the Li Family except Li Long and Li Juan had eaten at the Liang Family's home. They had eaten very well. According to Li Jianguo, the elders on both sides had really hit it off, and they had agreed that the elderly Liang couple would come over for another gathering and chat after a while.
Dinner was more casual, but Li Qiang had boundless energy and got hungry quickly. His Little Grebe had nearly been tormented to death, so Li Long made it into a simplified version of beggar's chicken for him.
Without plucking it, he gutted the Little Grebe, took out the inedible parts, and put the edible parts back inside. He rubbed salt inside its belly, added a little chili powder and some ginger, garlic, and the like, then closed it up. He coated it in mud he had mixed, wrapping it in an even ball, tucked it under the stove, and lit the fire.
They had plenty of firewood, so he could afford to be extravagant. Li Jianguo scolded him with a laugh, "If you'd wasted firewood like that back home when we were little, you'd have had your backside beaten into eight pieces!"
Li Long knew Li Jianguo still remembered going hungry as a child. He smiled and said:
"Things aren't like they used to be. Back then, we never knew where our next meal was coming from. Now, we might not be able to eat whatever we want, but at least we can have white flour and meat at every meal. Life will keep getting better."
"Yes, life will keep getting better." Thinking about the things he and Li Long had just discussed, Li Jianguo was full