Li Yuejin watched Li Guolin’s greedy expression with deep satisfaction. With grease smearing his lips, he gushed, "It’s delicious, truly delicious! Brother, field mouse meat is incredible! And these roasted soybeans are so savory! You have such a talent for cooking!"
"Slurp, slurp."
Song Mengyao watched the pair, one mouthful of soybeans and one mouthful of field mouse meat, looking so blissful that her own mouth began to water. Forgetting any sense of decorum, she licked her lips and pleaded with Li Yuemin in a soft voice:
"Brother Yuemin, you have over a hundred field mice there. Could you share some with us? Look, Yuejin and Guolin—one is your own brother, the other your cousin. You shouldn't discriminate against us!"
"Discriminate?"
Li Yuemin let out a cold snort.
"I treated Li Guolin like a brother, but did he ever return the favor? When my father passed away early, my blind mother, my brother, and I lived under the same roof as his family. Whenever we ran out of grain and asked to borrow a little to scrape by, they always made excuses. Now you want to eat field mouse meat? No way! Get out, get out, get out! If you keep loitering in front of me, don't blame me for making you regret it!"
With that, Li Yuemin raised his fire poker and waved it in front of them.
"Li Yuemin, you’re really something! Fine, if you won't give it to us, keep it! It’s just a field mouse; it’s not like anyone else doesn't know how to catch them. Mark my words, when your family runs into trouble later, don't you dare come crawling to me!"
Li Guolin was so incensed by Li Yuemin’s behavior that he felt like he was breathing smoke. He grabbed the drooling Song Mengyao and scolded her, "You useless woman, what are you still standing there for? Don't embarrass me anymore! Get home and start cooking!"
"Wow, what kind of seasoning did he put on this meat? Li Yuemin’s cooking smells so good it’s making me dizzy!"
"Tell me about it! I’ve only been standing here for five minutes and I’ve already drooled all over the ground!"
After Li Guolin and his wife left in a huff, more and more villagers from Red Flag Village began to gather in the small courtyard of the Li home. Everyone gazed at the rack filled with roasted field mice, their expressions full of longing.
Seeing that the crowd had reached a substantial size, Li Yuemin stood up and gestured to the meat over the fire.
"Neighbors, do you all want some meat too?"
As soon as he spoke, the crowd at the courtyard gate erupted in a stir.
"What? Li Yuemin? Are you really willing to share that field mouse meat with us? No way, you’re that generous?"
"Keep dreaming. Li Yuemin isn't a fool; this is delicious meat!"
"Then what is this kid actually planning?"
...
Seeing that he had piqued everyone's interest, Li Yuemin chuckled and said:
"Folks, when I was hunting on the mountain today, I was lucky enough to dig up some field mice and soybeans. I’ve roasted the mice until they’re fragrant and the soybeans until they’re crispy. Look for yourselves—doesn't this look appetizing?"
Having said that, Li Yuemin took a bite of field mouse meat, followed by a handful of soybeans and a sip of local liquor, right there in front of everyone. In an instant, every villager in the yard swallowed hard.
"However, I don't intend to keep all of this for myself. I want to trade a portion of it for grain. See these? There are ten skewers of field mouse meat, five mice per skewer. One skewer for one catty of cornmeal. And these roasted soybeans—I’m only trading one catty today, and it will cost at least five eggs. Quantities are limited; the highest bidder takes them. If you want some, you’d better hurry!"
As soon as Li Yuemin finished speaking, the courtyard exploded into chaos. In these lean years, no household had grain to spare. But at the sight of the fragrant field mouse meat and crispy roasted soybeans, some of the villagers who had a little extra grain were tempted.
In no time, the news that Li Yuemin was trading for grain spread throughout Red Flag Village. Those with surplus grain rushed toward his house. Before long, an auction was in full swing in the courtyard.
A shrill male voice was the first to shout:
"Fine! Ten catties of cornmeal and five eggs—I’ll take the whole lot!"
The speaker was Wang Ermazi, who lived at the east end of the village. He was as thin as a rail and had a pair of shifty, cunning eyes. He hoped that since not many people had arrived yet, he could trade for everything at the base price.
"Get lost, Wang Ermazi! Ten catties of cornmeal for fifty mice? Are you crazy? Yuemin, I’ll offer twelve catties of cornmeal and six eggs."
Before Li Yuemin could even respond, other villagers who wanted the mouse meat and soybeans began to bid against each other.
"Twelve catties of cornmeal and six eggs? Li Dazhuang, you’re not much better than Wang Ermazi. Yuemin, trade with me; I’ll offer fifteen catties of cornmeal and eight eggs!"
"Fifteen catties of cornmeal is nothing. Li Yuemin, I’ll offer eighteen catties of cornmeal and ten eggs. I’m having this field mouse meat and soybeans today, no matter what!"
The villagers had arrived early, but none had dared to speak up, each wary of the others and afraid of letting Li Yuemin profit too much. But Wang Ermazi’s bid had shattered the tension. Since field mouse meat and soybeans were such rare luxuries, everyone feared losing out. The villagers began to scramble, bidding one after another.
In less than five minutes, the price had soared from the base of ten catties of cornmeal and five eggs to twenty catties of cornmeal and twenty eggs. At this price, only a few villagers dared to keep bidding. Everyone knew that while the meat was rare, trading that much grain would mean tightening their belts and going hungry later. Most of them had only come prepared to offer twelve or thirteen catties of cornmeal and seven or eight eggs at most. After all, nobody was a large-scale farmer or poultry breeder; that was their limit.
The person who shouted the high bid was Zhang Guilan, the village’s head of women's affairs. She was a large, boisterous woman with a booming voice. Her offer silenced the crowd.
Seeing that no one dared to challenge her, Zhang Guilan looked quite pleased. She set a bag of cornmeal and a basket of eggs in front of Li Yuemin.
"Haha, the field mouse meat and soybeans are mine!"
Having drooled for ages, she grabbed a skewer of meat from Li Yuemin’s hand and took an impatient bite.
"Mmm, fragrant! It’s absolutely delicious!"
She didn't even notice the hot juices running down her chin and staining her clothes. She quickly grabbed a handful of roasted soybeans and stuffed them into her mouth, chewing loudly with a satisfying *crunch*. Her expression was so blissful that everyone around her couldn't stop smacking their lips in envy.
"Damn it! If I’d known, I would have bid a little more. I saw that Director Zhang only brought twenty eggs. If I had brought just one more, maybe it would be me eating this right now!"
"Indeed, I’m kicking myself. Oh!"
Seeing Zhang Guilan eating with such gusto, the villagers were filled with envy. But as the auction was over, they could only walk away feeling regretful and frustrated.
"Everyone, wait a moment!"