Chapter 20 Buying an Iron Pot

Lunch was prepared and served by Li Xiaoju. It was sweet potato and vegetable rice, cooked until very thick. In addition, there was a mustard green soup with two drops of lard in it. It looked pretty good.

This time, Li Xiaoju served Molly a full bowl, and Mo He glanced at it, seemingly satisfied.

However, when it was Mo An's turn, there was only half left in the bowl.

Snap!

Mo He slammed her chopsticks on the table and glared angrily at Li Xiaoju with her round almond-shaped eyes.

Molly and Zhao Shangxun also looked at Li Xiaoju. The former was calm, while the latter frowned and disagreed, saying, "Mother, Xiao An is at the age where he is growing, and his appetite is no less than that of an adult."

"It's okay, half is enough for me." Mo An said, his voice tinged with nervousness and fear.

"No." Mo He said sternly, got up, picked up Mo An's bowl, and started scooping rice from the pot until it was overflowing.

Li Xiaoju stared at the bowl of rice as if it were an enemy, her teeth grinding together.

Molly silently gave Mo He a thumbs up, thinking that her sister must have a high status in the Zhao family, otherwise she wouldn't dare to challenge Li Xiaoju like this.

fine.

In the Mo family, my sister suffered mistreatment from her stepmother, Liu Ahua. After coming to her husband's family, she finally no longer had to put up with other people's attitudes.

Li Xiaoju was no match for her older sister.

And look at Zhao Shangxun, he is impartial and will not let his sister suffer.

It doesn't matter how the Zhao family treats her and Mo An; as long as her sister is happy, that's all that matters.

After lunch, Molly sent Mo An home, telling him not to come again.

“There’s a lot to do at home. Besides housework, you also have to dry vegetables. You’ll be very busy.” Molly didn’t want Mo An to come and help. The boy was honest and had carried mud and stones this morning. She was worried that he would get tired.

Mo An originally wanted to say that he could handle the housework, but when Molly mentioned drying vegetables, he immediately shut his mouth. The three pigs at home ate too much, and two earthenware pots of pig feed were not enough for them to eat one meal. If they didn't prepare more dried vegetables, they wouldn't be able to survive the winter.

At this time, Mohe was unaware that her sister had bought two more pigs, making it three.

With Molly around, the soil underground is always soft and easy to dig.

As they dug deeper, Zhao Shangxun, who had a limp, found it difficult to climb up and down the well, so he was responsible for carrying the mud away and searching for stones outside. Molly and Mohe took turns going down into the well to dig, managing to dig about three meters deep each day.

They dug out water on the third day. Fortunately, the weather was good, the sun was out during the day, and it wasn't cold working with wet clothes.

On the fifth day of digging, the well had reached a depth of fifteen or sixteen meters, and the water level in the well was also rising. Mo He and Zhao Shangxun unanimously decided not to continue digging.

After two more days of laying stones, the Zhao family's well was finally dug.

The day the well was completed, Li Xiaoju was all smiles. There was an extra plate of steamed pork on the dinner table. The pork was wild boar meat that the brigade had distributed some time ago. Li Xiaoju hadn't been willing to eat it then, so she salted it and smoked it, planning to save it for when relatives came to visit during the New Year. But digging a well was a big event and worth celebrating, so she cut a few thin slices, steamed them, and each person could get two slices.

Molly put the thin, translucent slice of meat in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and the meat melted away.

It smells delicious, but the portion is too small.

After the well at Mohe's house was dug, Molly received a package mailed back by Ji Hefeng: more than 30 kilograms of corn kernels, more than 10 kilograms of soybeans, several kilograms of sorghum, and several kilograms of millet.

The bag was full, and Zhao Weiguo, the brigade leader in the brigade office, looked on with envy.

"Niece-in-law, can I trade you a few pounds of grain?" Zhao Weiguo felt a little guilty as he said this. In those days, everyone knew that grain was expensive and that you could only survive if you had grain. Asking someone for grain was no different from asking them for their life.

Mo He remained silent, her small face tense as she stared directly at the captain.

"I had no choice but to ask this out, even though it was a shameless thing to do." The team leader said with a bitter face, "My eldest daughter-in-law got pregnant by accident. She's a little over a month along, but the pregnancy isn't stable. We've been going into the mountains every day for food, but apart from the wild boar two months ago, we haven't found any other prey."

For more than a year, almost no newborn babies were born in the brigade, and even if they were born, they did not survive.

Nowadays, everyone is using contraception, but his eldest daughter-in-law is pregnant.

Zhao Weiguo had no choice but to try everything he could to find food.

Mo He thought for a moment, then took out the few pounds of millet. "Here, take this."

Five or six pounds, that's quite a lot.

"Thank you, thank you. Here's the money, one yuan per jin, is that alright?" Zhao Weiguo's hand trembled slightly as he held the millet. Millet is good for health, and perhaps his eldest daughter-in-law's pregnancy could be saved. In two more months, the crops in the fields could be harvested, and the whole family would focus on feeding their eldest daughter-in-law. They just needed to get through the winter.

Millet used to cost five or six cents a pound, and you needed grain coupons. If you didn't have coupons, the price doubled. Not to mention that nowadays, even with coupons, you might not be able to buy grain, and the price of grain will only be higher.

One yuan per pound, that's a bit low.

Molly stared at Zhao Weiguo for a few seconds. Seeing that Zhao Weiguo was embarrassed, she coughed twice as if to say, "My family is large, our expenses are high, and we are poor."

Molly then looked away and nodded, "Okay."

Molly took the money and was about to leave with the grain when Zhao Weiguo hurriedly reminded her, "Take the road behind the village where there are no people. The postman is delivering packages today, and not many people will know. You'd better not let anyone see you."

Only he, the captain, had any conscience; otherwise, this package would never have reached Molly.

Of course, Zhao Weiguo would not admit that the reason he dared not keep the package was because Molly was a military family member.

Along with the package, there was also a money order for thirty yuan and various coupons, including eight industrial coupons, two cloth coupons, and two sugar coupons.

so much!

Molly was surprised. After reading the letter, she learned that most of these items were obtained in exchange for the beef jerky she had mailed to Ji Hefeng.

In the letter, Ji Hefeng also mentioned that he was going on a mission and would be unable to contact Molly for a long time, telling Molly not to worry.

The letter did not specify what mission the person was going on or where they went.

Molly put the letter away and counted the votes again. "I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a pot tomorrow."

"Are these industrial vouchers enough?" Mo An remembered that his mother, Liu Ahua, had always wanted to buy a pot. She had saved up industrial vouchers for several years and finally managed to buy an iron pot that was only slightly larger than the palm of her hand.

If you want to buy a large iron or aluminum pot, you'll probably need a lot of industrial rolls, right?

"I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow to ask, and if it's not enough, I'll figure out another way."

The next morning, Molly headed to town with two pieces of smoked wild boar meat and a dozen bunches of greens.

She went to Sister Qian's house first. Sister Qian's eyes lit up when she saw her, and the first thing she said when she entered was, "Is there any meat this time?"

"I have two pieces of smoked wild boar meat, two pounds each. I don't want money, I want industrial coupons." Coupons and coupons are harder to come by than money. Molly isn't short of money right now, but she's short of all kinds of coupons. Besides industrial coupons, she also needs cloth coupons, cotton coupons, and the like.

"Give me both of these smoked meats, and I'll go get you some industrial vouchers right away." After saying this, Sister Qian asked her mother-in-law to take care of Molly, and then she hurriedly went out.

Sister Qian's mother-in-law brought Molly a bowl of water with some sugar added, giving it a slightly sweet taste.

After finishing her drink, Molly licked her lips. Among the tickets Ji Hefeng mailed back were two sugar coupons, one for three liang (150 grams) and the other for half a jin (250 grams). She would buy the pot later, and if she had any money left, she would use it to buy sugar.

Half an hour later, Sister Qian returned.

"I only managed to borrow six industrial vouchers. It's the beginning of the month now, and last month's vouchers are all used up. Very few people have any left. How about I give you six industrial vouchers and give you ten yuan more?"

Molly was a little disappointed, but she still nodded, "Okay."

As soon as Molly entered the supply and marketing cooperative, she saw a large iron pot hanging on the wall. There was only one pot, and it was more than a meter wide.

If this pot is used to cook pig feed, one meal is enough to feed three pigs in the family for a day, which can save a lot of trouble.

"Hello comrade, how much is that iron pot?" Molly pointed to the iron pot on the wall.

The sales clerk glanced at Molly and saw that her clothes were drab and made of the most common rural cloth, covered with patches and with several holes in the trousers, as if they would tear at the slightest touch.

Such a person cannot afford that big iron pot.

The little girl's eyes were bright, like the purest lake water, which made people feel inexplicably good towards her. The salesperson couldn't feel any malice and simply said, "Fourteen industrial coupons, plus twenty-five yuan."

Ji Hefeng mailed back eight sheets, and together with the six sheets we got from Sister Qian, that made a total of fourteen sheets.

The sales clerk was astonished to see the industrial vouchers and money in front of her. This little girl could actually afford it, and there were eight vouchers in the voucher that were valid nationwide.

You really can't judge a book by its cover!

Molly bought an iron pot and some sugar, which used up most of the money she brought. She would have to buy other things next time she came.

The iron pot was very large. Molly carried the basket on her chest and the iron pot, tied with straw rope, on her back.

Worried that buying the iron pot would attract the ire of the team members, Molly avoided the main road and took a side path, returning home from the foot of the mountain. The iron pot was very heavy, weighing over thirty pounds, and Molly carried it for two hours with light steps.

Mo An, who was staying at home, had been eagerly waiting. When he saw Molly, he ran over. When he saw the big iron pot behind Molly, his eyes turned red with excitement. Even Liu Ahua couldn't buy it, but his second sister had actually bought it!

At that moment, Mo An felt that his second sister was the most amazing person in the world.

"Second sister, wait a minute, I'll go to the door to start a fire?"

"Why start a fire?"

"Of course, it's better to buy new furniture, light a fire to ward off evil spirits, and bring good luck."

"........"

Molly didn't understand, but she didn't object.

Under Mo An's excited gaze, Molly carried the large pot across the fire and walked into the house.

"Second sister, the iron pot needs to be seasoned before it can be used."

What is "opening the pot"?

"Two years ago, I saw Liu Ahua rubbing a piece of fatty meat in her newly bought small iron pot until the piece of fatty meat was burnt and the oil covered the entire pot before she was done."

"Then I'll go cut a piece of fatty smoked meat."

"Okay, I'll go start a fire."

The sizzling sound of the fatty meat scraping against the pan was incredibly pleasant to Molly and Moan's ears.

The siblings held on until the pot was boiled before eating lunch.

After the meal, Molly took out the candy she had bought at the supply and marketing cooperative—the cheapest kind of hard candy, wrapped in pretty colored paper. She cut the candy in half, giving one half to Mo An, saying, "Keep it for yourself to enjoy slowly."

"Second sister, can I share some with eldest sister?"

"Sure. You can give it to whomever you want."

As the weather gradually turned colder, Molly went into the mountains every day to cut pig feed. She went to far places, and if she was lucky, she could encounter small animals such as wild rabbits or pheasants.

There was almost always meat in the house. While the rest of the group looked pale and thin, Molly and Moan had rosy complexions and had grown quite a bit taller. Their clothes and pants were too short for them.

Molly also had her first period.

That day, when she was in so much pain that she couldn't stand up, Mo An panicked and ran to find Mo He.

To her surprise, when Mo He saw the bloodstains on Molly's pants, she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It's nothing serious, every girl has to go through this. Before, when your second sister was late, I was worried that she hadn't been eating enough since she was little, and that her body was severely depleted, leaving her with some kind of chronic illness. Now it's all right, your second sister is just like a normal girl."

Molly remained silent; in truth, she would rather not be a normal girl.

In those days, hygiene conditions were poor, and she worried that improper handling of her period might cause her to develop some illness.

Molly gave Mohe a few cloth coupons and some money, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, elder sister."

“We’re family, don’t say such formal things.” Mo He didn’t want to accept the tickets and money, but she didn’t have any tickets and didn’t have much money left. She couldn’t buy what Molly needed on her own.

“Everyone stuffs their cloth bags with wood ash, and if you change them frequently, it’s not unbearable. Those who are better off can put in cotton. Since this is your first time, I’ll go ask if I can give you some cotton instead. If I can’t buy any, I’ll have to stuff your bag with wood ash.”

Molly frowned. "Then make a few more."

"Okay, I'll make you a few more. I'll use the remaining fabric to make you two more little outfits." My little sister has grown up, and her chest has developed, so we can't just make do with clothes like before.

Molly was feeling uncomfortable with the bulky fabric around her chest, which kept bouncing around every day. When Mohe offered to make her a bra, she immediately smiled and agreed, "That would be perfect."

"If we're lucky enough to find some scraps of cloth, I'll make you and Xiao An a pair of cloth shoes."

"Sister, you've thought of everything so carefully."

"Since you can't touch cold water or do heavy work these days, why don't you come with me and learn needlework?"

".......good."