Li Long had originally planned to return to the Big Courtyard that evening, stay the night, and head into the mountains the next morning.
But he had to help Gu Boyuan deal with the meat and bones, or they might stink by tomorrow, so that had held him up.
He would leave tomorrow instead.
When he got home, the aroma of meat still lingered in the courtyard. The bones were still simmering in the pot, though the fire had already been removed.
The four adults-Li Qingxia, Du Chunfang, Li Jianguo, and Liang Yuemei-were sitting in the courtyard chatting. Li Juan and Li Qiang weren't there; they had probably gone to bed.
The radio sat on the windowsill, playing music.
"We should have electricity in a few more days," Li Jianguo said. "Evenings will be a lot better then."
"Yeah, once the power's hooked up, we'll buy a television," Li Long chimed in. "That'll make evenings better."
"How can we buy a television?" Li Chunxia hurriedly waved a hand. "They're so expensive!"
"We can buy one at the end of the year, after we sell the pigs!" Li Jianguo agreed with Li Long. "Watching television in the evenings would be great!"
Neither Du Chunfang nor Liang Yuemei said anything. They simply listened as the three men debated whether to buy a television.
"If you buy a television, won't the whole courtyard fill up with people coming to watch?" Li Qingxia came up with another reason. "What a mess the courtyard would be!"
Li Jianguo thought that was a fair point. Though he liked a lively atmosphere, the thought of a crowd coming into his courtyard every day to watch television was rather annoying.
"Big Brother, how much wheat have you harvested?" Li Long changed the subject. Since buying one here wouldn't