CH 3

With the shocking roar of Mrs. Li, the Li family immediately became lively. Except for Wang Sufen, who was confinement, everyone else came out. Li Mingxi was carrying two pheasants, and Li Mingnan and Li Mingbei were standing at the door with three or four fishes.

Old lady Li walked out of the Westinghouse with three inches of golden lotus in her mouth, and Osmanthus came out of the kitchen, reaching out to take the things. Li Mingnan raised his hands to hide for a moment: “Sister-in-law, don’t move, I have to let my grandma take a look first. You said that we caught so many fish, why should grandma make us dumplings?”

It stands to reason that the Li family has four taels of meat per person a month, and the Li family has a large population. In the past, they could eat dumplings once every two or three months. But since last year’s bad weather, they couldn’t buy enough food and non-staple food with the food stamps. Now it’s pretty good to be able to fill their stomachs with cabbage, potatoes and corn.

Mrs. Li opened the curtain and came out, looking at Li Mingxi’s three hands with both fish and chicken, she couldn’t see her eyes with a smile, just about to praise her grandson, Li Mingbei came over with drooling: , eat dumplings!”

Mrs. Li immediately stopped smiling, grabbed the chicken and fish and handed them to Osmanthus in a few seconds. Seeing the three grandchildren with empty hands, she looked a little dumbfounded, and Mrs. Li gave them a white look: “No meat!”

Li Mingnan and Li Mingbei immediately thumped their chests and stood up when they heard the words: “It’s better to fight a silly roe deer and come back.” Mrs. Li couldn’t help but choked: “It depends on who is more stupid than you and the roe deer.”

Li Mingbei scratched the back of his head and turned to ask Li Mingxi who had been silent: “Second brother, does the milk mean that I am stupider than a roe deer?”

Li Mingxi glanced at him, then wrapped his arms around Mrs. Li’s arm with a smile on his face: “Nah, I beat that pheasant. Let me tell you, I just walked a few dozen meters up the mountain, these two The pheasants came out of nowhere, their wings were frozen, and they fell as they flew, and I caught these two pheasants without much effort.”

Mrs. Li looked at her second grandson with a smile: “You are still smart and know how to look up the mountain. It is not easy for this snow-covered mountain to meet a pheasant.” Touching the flesh of the pheasant, Mrs. Li smiled even more happily. : “I’m fatter than in autumn. I don’t know where to hide, so I don’t lose fat.”

Li Mingxi nodded again and again: “It’s still Nian Yingming, you can guess the way out just by looking at it. Nie, look at my mother’s pheasant, it can be considered to save the life of our old hen, can we wait for our family to make dumplings? Give me two more.”

“One or two are greedy ghosts!” Mrs. Li looked at the two pheasants, and then at the seven river fish, and stomped her feet: “You don’t have to wait for the dumplings to be made, there will be delicious food tonight.” Put on a thick padded jacket and a hat and go out.

Li Mingbei looked at the two brothers who were also confused, and hurriedly asked Osmanthus: “Sister-in-law, what’s with the milk?”

“Go get the meat!” Osmanthus pursed her lips and smiled.

“Is there meat in our house?” The three boys glanced at each other, and then burst into cheers: “It’s great, I can eat meat!”

Mrs. Li walked around the yard, and soon came back with a small piece of tough pork, with a bit of distress on her face: “I’ve just hidden a pound of pork, and I’m still preparing dumplings for the New Year. “

Handing the pork to Osmanthus, Mrs. Li instructed: “Then the pork is stewed in the cabbage, put more potatoes, and don’t put the pancakes when you have eight-treasure porridge to eat at night.”

Being able to eat pork, Li Mingnan and Li Mingbei immediately forgot about Mrs. Li saying they were stupid, and after dancing happily for a long time, they put on their hats in the front and back of the house to find Mrs. Li to hide. pork.

Mrs. Li sneered: “I’ve been hiding things all my life, but your grandfather never found them. It’s just you two boys who want to find the pork I’ve hidden. Dream!” She then instructed Li Mingdong to string the fish and chicken together, and let him He hung everything under the eaves, so as not to be carried away by the rat.

The Li family has two cauldrons, one in the east and one in the west, both of which are connected to the kang in the house. The eight-treasure porridge in the east pot has been cooked for more than two hours, and it is soft and glutinous. In the big iron pot on the west side, the sweet-scented osmanthus was stir-frying the fat, and soon the fragrance of the oil flower wafted into the air, causing a string of drooling sounds.

Osmanthus couldn’t help but look back. Except for Li Mingdong, who was standing at the door to speak with Li Muwu, the remaining three boys squatted in a row in the kitchen, staring at the meat in the pot. . Osmanthus smiled and put the cabbage into the pot, turned around and poured out the eight-treasure porridge, rinsed the pot, and heated the fish soup left over at noon to Wang Sufen.

Although the taste of fish soup is more delicious, but the three boys know the weight, it is for mother to strengthen the body, so no one looks at the fish soup, instead they all stare at the cabbage and potatoes stir-fried with sweet-scented osmanthus , try to see the hidden location of the fat, so that when you eat, you can grab more pork quickly, ruthlessly, and accurately.

When the meal was ready, Osmanthus first sent the fish soup and noodles to Wang Sufen, and then brought the family’s dishes and eight-treasure porridge to the table. Mrs. Li first took a piece of meat and gave it to Li Muwu, and then coughed lightly: “Eat Bar!”

In an instant, three pairs of chopsticks stretched out at the same time and flew up and down, quickly picking out the meat exposed on the surface. Li Mingbei stretched his neck and looked at the bowls of his two brothers: “The second brother grabbed the most, there are three pieces of meat.”

Li Mingdong glanced at Osmanthus, stretched out his chopsticks and picked it from below, and instantly took out four pieces of meat, and immediately shocked his three younger brothers.

“Sister-in-law, you secretly hide meat for eldest brother!” Li Mingbei wailed.

Li Mingdong gave Mrs. Li and Osmanthus a piece of meat each, gave Ming Bei a disdainful look, and coldly spit out three words: “Silly roe deer!”

“Milk, my brother scolds me!” Li Mingbei couldn’t help complaining to Mrs. Li after being scolded as a silly roe deer twice a day. Mrs. Li glanced at him and stuffed the fat slices from the bowl into her mouth. Laughed very contentedly. As for the stupid roe deer who sued, if he didn’t lower his head to look at him, the only two pieces of pork in the bowl would have been stolen immediately.

The laughter and laughter next door was mixed with roaring and mourning from time to time. Zhen Zhen was overjoyed to hear it. In her past life of more than 20 years, in her impression, the family had endless quarrels except for the cold and empty house. And now, Zhen Zhen finally felt the warmth of the legendary home.

The weather is getting colder and colder, and I can see that the New Year is getting closer and closer, but there is still no news of selling non-staple food on the street. Sitting on the kang in the east room, Mrs. Li couldn’t help complaining to Wang Sufen: “What happened to Wang Sufen: “What happened to you in the past two years? No meat was purchased after the meat coupons were issued, and there was no food in the grain store after the food coupons were issued. Let’s see if this year is going to be a good one.”

Wang Sufen couldn’t help sighing: “Last night, Mu Wu said he didn’t know where to get the food, and he didn’t know if it could be shipped years ago.”

“I guess it’s about the same.” When Mrs. Li heard the action above, she immediately became a lot more energetic: “However, I have to let the people pass the year.”

Touching Zhen Zhen’s little hand, Mrs. Li said again: “Fortunately, after Zhen Zhen Da was born, two bottles of milk can be bought on time. The grandson of your neighbor, Aunt Wang’s, was born at the beginning of the year. She said this The fresh milk at the milk station has been intermittent for several months, and it has not been supplied normally, it is better when we are born in Zhen Zhen.”

Wang Sufen couldn’t help touching her nose when she heard the words and said with a sly smile: “It’s a pity that Zhen Zhen doesn’t eat milk, and everyone who came back told me to drink it, it’s a waste.”

“That’s your milk.” Mrs. Li didn’t feel bad about the two bottles of milk money at all: “How can milk be raised by mother’s milk, so you can drink it steadily, and feed me Zhen Zhen so that it’s white and fat. Both are strong.” Picking up Zhen Zhen, Mrs. Li gently shook her: “Is it my eldest granddaughter!”

Zhen Zhen: Hiccup…

“Oh, listen, hiccup.” Mrs. Li laughed as if she had discovered a new world: “Come on, let’s hiccup again.”

Zhen Zhen tightly closed her small mouth, and shook her head firmly:…hic…

Mrs. Li laughed again, Zhen Zhen’s face flushed with shame, she was wondering if she was crying to divert Mrs. Li’s strange laugh, when she heard a loud shout from outside: “Milk, hurry up, the street Supplies are here.”

After hearing this, Mrs. Li hurriedly put Zhen Zhen into Wang Sufen’s arms, walked back to the house, took out the key in her waist, opened the box, took out the food book and various bills, and took out an embroidered handkerchief and opened it. Carry a stack of money.

Mrs. Li can’t trot. Li Mingdong’s four brothers and sweet-scented osmanthus are the main force of shopping. Mingdong took the money and went straight to the grain store with the grain book and the grain ticket. Li Mingxi went straight to the meat shop with the meat ticket. The two brothers put the non-staple food tickets in a pocket and rushed out with a basket.

Mrs. Li was fidgeting and waiting at home, opening the door for a while and looking out, and sitting in Wang Sufen’s room for a while, but what she said was obviously not in line with the foreword, and she looked absent-minded. Wang Sufen, who has been home for more than 20 years, naturally knew what Mrs. Li was thinking about, and quickly persuaded: “If there is Muwu in the grain store, how can you buy enough grain; Mingxi runs fast, he will go there. Buying meat is designated to be at the top of the list.”

“You’re right.” Mrs. Li nodded and stood up again: “I’ll take a look.” Mrs. Li stood at the door and waited for more than two hours, Zhen Zhen tried her best to restrain her drowsiness and silently She counted the number of times she opened the door. Finally, when Mrs. Li opened the door for the fifty-eighth time, the four brothers Li Mingdong came back carrying rice bags and pushing the cart, chatting and laughing.

“What did you buy?” Madam Li looked at the large piece of pork in the car and was very happy.

Li Mingdong put the rice bag in the corner, patted the soil on his body and said with a grin, “Each family sells two months’ worth of grain, two months’ worth of meat, and also buys a tael or two of sesame oil, a pound of Half a catty of sugar, a pound of salt, half a catty of peanuts and 2 taels of melon seeds, and a tael of sesame paste and a tael of tea leaves.”

Mrs. Li nodded again and again, smiled and said, “Okay, alright, hurry up and move to the kitchen, I will lock it in the cabinet.” As she spoke, she flipped through the basket containing the sundries, and there were some peppers, aniseed, and soda noodles class of things. As for the more than ten kilograms of Chinese cabbage in the car, because the Li family also grows a lot, they don’t think it is too rare.

Li Mingbei put the things away, leaned over and said, “Mom, I see that the non-staple food store also has cakes and biscuits. Give me the snack ticket, and then give me some money. I’ll buy half a catty of biscuits?”

Mrs. Li thought about the money left in the family, and shook her head firmly: “Your sister is still young and can’t eat biscuits and pastries. What do you buy that for?”

“I can eat it!” Li Mingbei protested with grief and indignation: “I’m only eight years old, and I’m still a cute child. Why do I have to have two cookies a day.”

Mrs. Li slapped Li Mingbei aside with a slap: “I think it’s beautiful! Even such a big person still wants to eat biscuits? Go and eat your sweet potatoes!”

With white noodles and pork, this year will be better. Mrs. Li happily locks the white rice and white noodles in the cabinet in the study, leaving only cornmeal, dried sweet potatoes, sorghum noodles and other grains outside.

After packing up her things, Mrs. Li turned her head again and saw her little grandson following behind her like an eggplant beaten by frost, so she thought about finding something to do for him: “Go catch two more fish and come back.”

“You can pull it down.” Li Mingbei was very clever: “Since my brother and I caught seven fish last time, many people go to the river to dig holes for fishing every day. I didn’t catch any fish either, so I guess my two trips were coincidences.”

“Let’s go.” Mrs. Li patiently coaxed him: “It’s just playing, no matter what comes up, the milk will make dumplings for you tomorrow, pork and cabbage.”

Li Mingbei was immediately happy when he heard the cabbage and pork dumplings: “Second brother, third brother, the milk said that the fish will be made for dumplings tomorrow, pork and cabbage!”

As soon as Li Mingxi heard that, he pushed the workbook forward, grabbed the big padded jacket and ran out: “Then why don’t you hurry up.”

Li Mingbei packed three large pancakes from the pot, wrapped them in paper and carried them in his arms. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to turn around to ensure, “We won’t bring any deceivers!”

“Go, let’s go, I promise not to lie to you.” Mrs. Li happily took the silly grandchildren away, and hid the meat somewhere, leaving only a half-pound hanging under the beam of the house, ready for Making dumplings tomorrow.

The Yongcui River that crosses Beicha District is frozen solid. The thick ice layer is half a meter thick. A group of half-year-old children are skating, playing ice, and playing with sledges. It seems that I don’t know the taste of trouble.

In the past, Li Mingbei would definitely have to rush over for a game of Bingga, but today he was so full of dumplings that he didn’t even hear his friends calling him.

To fish in winter, you must first dig an ice hole. In order to prevent people from falling, the locals have a custom to dig holes in a fixed area. Because there are many people who come to fish every day, the ice cave can’t be frozen. Li Mingxi found a long stick and poked it twice, and the ice layer was opened.

Three ice caves were opened in a row, and the three brothers squatted beside them with a fishing basket and a fishing rod. Li Mingxi also made a small net to catch fish inside.

After the three of them ate the big cakes brought by Li Mingbei, they squatted on the ice to fish seriously. The time passed by and the sun was about to set, but the three of them didn’t even see any fish scales. Li Mingbei patted the fishing rod in frustration: “Otherwise, if we get up at four tomorrow, I don’t believe that we can’t catch a fish.”

Li Mingnan sighed, stretched out his hand to pull the fish basket up, suddenly felt his hand sink, and immediately laughed: “Hurry up and help, there are fish in the fish basket, it’s quite heavy, I guess it’s a big fat head .”

Li Mingbei threw the fishing rod and rushed over to help pull the fish basket out and threw it on the ice, only to see a four or five pound turtle falling out of the fish basket, motionless, not knowing whether it was dead or alive.

Li Mingnan asked hesitantly, “I caught the tortoise, are there any dumplings to eat tomorrow?”

Li Mingbei nodded unconfidently: “It should be possible, this stew should also be quite nourishing.”

Hibernating Turtle:  …

The author has something to say:

small theater:

Turtle: Who am I? Where am I? Can you spare our turtles!

Kaka: Isn’t this a coincidence!

Turtle: My grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather was cut off by you in Nancha Village! New hatred and old hatred, what do you say?

Kaka: Didn’t he cut off his children? Where did you come from? Are you a bastard?

Turtle: …let me cook it!