NOVPUB
Chapter 716: 706
After the visit from the higher-ups was over and the reception of the juniors was complete, it was time for those comrades of equal rank to mingle.
Li Hongjun thought it over and decided not to visit anyone individually. He had shown off a bit during his visit to the superiors a few days ago, and with his current situation, it was more suitable for him to keep a low profile. Therefore, he planned to have his wife stir-fry a few dishes and invite the regiment leaders over for a simple meal.
Of course, it wasn’t obligatory. He had extended the invitations, and those who were willing to give him face would come; if they had other commitments, there was nothing to be done.
So, on the evening of the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Li Hongjun’s home was very lively.
Originally, Li Hongjun invited eight regiment leaders, but seven came; the other one really couldn’t make it because he had gone back to his hometown. This was something neither Li Hongjun nor Shen Yunfang had expected, especially since Li Hongjun’s roots in this military region were still shallow, and the people there tended to be rather exclusive. There was a competitive relationship among these comrades of the same rank, and a young soldier like Li Hongjun, who also had military achievements, posed a strong challenge to them. Therefore, Li Hongjun felt somewhat isolated in the military region. Now, when he offered the invitation, he thought it would be good if two or three close comrades came, but he didn’t expect almost all of them to show up.
Fortunately, Shen Yunfang had the habit of cooking in large quantities, otherwise there might not have been enough food for all these men.
"Aiyo, I’ve been craving Sister-in-law’s honeyed wolf meat for several days, and finally, I get to eat it again." As the meal began, Regiment Leader Zhao didn’t stand on ceremony and reached out with his chopsticks, grabbing a big mouthful of wolf meat.
He was the closest to Li Hongjun among all the regiment leaders and had been over for a meal a few times before.
"What’s up, is it tasty?" Regiment Leader Ren asked cluelessly from the side. He also wanted to give Li Hongjun face and intentionally stirred up the atmosphere at the table.
"Hehe, I first tasted this at Commander Liu’s house. Let’s not talk about the flavor; you try it for yourself." Regiment Leader Zhao said as he threw a piece of meat into his mouth, closed his eyes to chew, and wore a blissful expression.
Hearing his words and seeing his performance, everyone kindly helped themselves to a piece with their chopsticks.
After a few bites, the plate was almost empty. Li Hongjun glanced at it and called out to the kitchen, "Yunfang, cut another plate of meat."
Shen Yunfang was in the kitchen eating with the two kids. Hearing the call from outside, she quickly urged the kids to eat faster, put down her chopsticks, and walked out.
Just one glance at the table told her what was popular.
She smiled, went over, took the plate that had held the wolf meat, and offered it toward Li Hongjun’s bowl. Li Hongjun naturally took the remaining few slices of wolf meat and put them into his bowl.
"It seems everyone really likes this flavor. I’ll go cut another plate."
"Thanks, Sister-in-law." Regiment Leader Zhao said unceremoniously.
Shen Yunfang smiled, turned around, and went back to the kitchen to cut more meat for them.
"Hey, Hongjun, that’s not right of you. Why not let Sister-in-law and the kids eat together with us? With us here, Sister-in-law and the kids don’t even make it to the table." Regiment Leader He chided with a laugh.
"She doesn’t drink, and it’s awkward for her to sit here with us. She’d rather eat comfortably with the kids in the kitchen," Li Hongjun replied with a smile.
No one argued with that statement; it was just the way things were at the time. When guests came over, it was common for women and children not to sit at the table.
It was the same in the military region. Typically, when comrades got together, it involved drinking, and it indeed wasn’t very convenient to have women around.
"Hongjun, you’re living the good life, one we brothers all envy," Regiment Leader Wang quipped, sipping his drink mischievously.
They say soldiers will be soldiers, and even a forty-something-year-old regiment commander is a rascal in private.
Li Hongjun didn’t reply but picked up the flask and filled it up with white liquor for him again.
The others also joined in the raucousness, clamoring for Li Hongjun to drink a glass.
Li Hongjun wasn’t one to be vague in such matters. His life was indeed envied by others, and the drink was deserved. So, without needing much persuasion, Li Hongjun picked up his glass and downed it.
"That’s the spirit, I like people like that," said Regiment Commander Ren with gusto.
Shen Yunfang brought over a full plate of sliced wolf meat. "I was saying, it would have been great if we’d invited the wives too. Then I could have had a good chat with them."
"Don’t even mention it. It’s not easy to come out for a good meal without anyone to nag us. If they really came, then we brothers wouldn’t be able to drink in peace."
As soon as these words were uttered, everyone agreed. The group of grown men broke into laughter, though who knows what they found so amusing.
"Help yourselves, don’t be shy. I cooked plenty today, eat as much as you like. If anyone needs more, just holler at me, Li Hongjun," Shen Yunfang called out before slipping back into the kitchen to continue her meal.
After the wolf meat was served, Commander Ren immediately seized a chopstick-full. "Old Li, where did you get this wolf meat from? Did you kill it yourself?"
Li Hongjun nodded, not wanting to give away his wife’s credit, so he took the honor upon himself. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
"Nicely done." Commander He slapped his palm, which was as big as a giant fan, onto Li Hongjun’s shoulder. "Did you deal with a pack of wolves by yourself?"
Wolves are pack animals, and encountering them means facing a group. Without a gun, eliminating a pack of wolves isn’t so easy.
"Not really, I just went for a stroll on the mountain back home and happened to run into a lone wolf. Just my luck," said Li Hongjun, downplaying the event to avoid hype.
"Delicious! When we have time, we should go hunt some wolves too. It’s just that my wife doesn’t have the culinary skills your sister-in-law has," said another commander as he eagerly grabbed another chopstick-full of meat.
They had all eaten wolf meat before, but it was usually when they were on missions, quickly cooked with a bit of salt added. They had never known wolf meat could taste so good when properly prepared.
"Forget about it, who runs into wolves easily nowadays? In the mountains behind us, it’s been years since we’ve heard a wolf howl," Commander Wang said.
"Exactly. If you really managed to bring back a few wolves, I’d set aside my pride and beg your sister-in-law to cook them all for you," Commander Zhao blustered.
That commander lost his steam; he was only talking big. He knew there were no wolves in the back mountain. Wasn’t he always leading soldiers on patrols there? Besides, even if they did encounter a pack of wolves, he couldn’t guarantee he’d come out unscathed on his own, let alone hunt them. Not being eaten would be a victory in itself; he didn’t believe he had Li Hongjun’s luck of running into a lone wolf.
"Come on now, don’t just focus on this plate of wolf meat. I’m not boasting, but my wife’s cooking really is top-notch. Everyone, try the other dishes. They’re all delicious," Li Hongjun quickly changed the subject.
"I know that. Try this big bone here, don’t look at how little meat it has, but the taste is something else," Commander Zhao chimed in, as if in cahoots with Li Hongjun. He reached into a basin and started gnawing on a piece of marinated bone.
Seeing him savor it so much, mouth oozing with grease, the others also dove in and busied themselves with eating.
