After breakfast the next day, Li Jianguo hitched up the horse-drawn cart and took Liang Yuemei, Li Juan, and Li Qiang to the Liang family's home. Liang Wenyu was probably preparing ingredients for lunch by then.
The cart carried mooncakes, apples, flatbread, fish, and meat-and a pheasant.
The pheasants hatched from the eggs Li Long had first brought home had been far too lively. With no other choice, he had clipped the large feathers on their wings as they grew. Even so, they still wouldn't settle down, fluttering everywhere and never putting on weight. By now, Li Long had had enough and simply slaughtered them.
He kept two for the family to eat and gave the rest away.
Li Long didn't wait much longer before carrying his gifts over to Gu Xiaoxia's home.
The courtyard had been swept spotless. The corn that had been piled haphazardly around and the oilseed sunflowers brought home had been put away in an unused room. A table and several wooden stools stood beneath the grape trellis-Li Long had helped make those.
They were very practical.
On the table were a plate of grapes, a plate of tomatoes, a plate of apples-which Gu Xiaoxia must have bought-and plates of watermelon and mooncakes.
"You're here, Xiao Long." Sitting beneath the grape trellis, Gu Boyuan wore a shirt and dress trousers. His hair was neatly combed, and his formerly scruffy beard had been shaved clean. He actually looked rather scholarly.
Noticing Li Long staring at him, Gu Boyuan grew a little uncomfortable. He rubbed his chin and said:
"Xiaoxia came home yesterday and insisted I tidy myself up. What's there to tidy up? I looked perfectly fine before-now that I've done it, I feel a bit uncomfortable."
"You look better tidied up," Li Long said with a