Li Long carried the Mongolian gazelle inside and handed Hongqin the bag of sesame cakes and fruit candy he had bought while drinking hot water at the roadside shop.
Hongqin was still a little unfamiliar with this younger uncle. Although she had called out loudly earlier, she was timid now, hiding beside her mother and looking from Li Long to the bag of snacks.
"Your uncle's giving it to you, so take it," Li Xia said with a smile. "Weren't you just shouting about your uncle's tractor? Why don't you know how to greet him now?"
Hongqin mustered her courage, took the bag of snacks, and called him Uncle.
Li Long smiled and stroked her head, then carried the gazelle into the house.
This courtyard had plenty of empty rooms and lots of space, much better than the courtyard where his second older brother and his family lived.
But somewhere like the Jian'an Company in Kuytun, even if they built new family housing next year, there could never be a courtyard this big. Land was scarce there, making expansion difficult.
Li Xia brought him some tea. Li Long took the bowl, had a sip, and asked:
"Is my brother-in-law still not back?"
"He'll be back soon. Since joining the food factory, he's had to follow their working hours. He doesn't get home until seven-thirty or eight in the evening. Luckily, we're close. It's only a few steps away."
Clearly, Li Xia was very satisfied with her current life.
"All right, I won't bother with it, then. My brother-in-law's better at skinning than I am. I shot this gazelle on the way. I know you're not short of meat, so just enjoy some game."
"We get some scraps to eat, but not much good meat," Li Xia said frankly. "This gazelle