Chapter 9 Chapter 9 I feel my life is miserable

"Don't worry, this mountain is not high and I will be in no danger." Han Lin touched Yang Dai's fingers when he took the small porcelain bottle, and there was some assurance in his words.

"It's getting late, you should go to bed first." Han Lin watched Yang Dai wash up, and then he packed his things and set off.

The mountain where the brigade is located is not very high. There used to be a Buddhist temple halfway up the mountain, but it was demolished a few years ago and the monks inside disappeared.

In the past, when Han Lin wanted to eat something greasy, he would go to the mountains. Occasionally, he would hunt some small prey and roast them in the Buddhist temple.

With the moon shining overhead, Han Lin didn't turn on the flashlight and walked quickly up the mountain.

There are many trees planted on the mountain. The trees below the halfway point were all planted collectively by the brigade in recent years. If anyone wants to make furniture or build a house, they need to apply to the brigade first, and then come to cut down the trees. Each household is limited to three trees.

But above the halfway point, there are many messy trees, all grown naturally, making it quite a mess and difficult to see the road clearly.

The team leader was worried that the team members would be in danger, so he made a rule that the team members could only go as far as the Buddhist temple on the mountain. If they went further up or in, the team would not help them if they encountered danger.

In the past, Han Lin just wanted to fill his stomach. He was not very courageous and his fighting skills were not high, so naturally he did not dare to go up the mountain.

But Han Lin is not afraid of these things now. The area below the halfway point of the mountain has been searched again and again by the team, and no good things can be found at all. There is only a chance on the mountain.

After all, it was night, so Han Lin didn't go too deep. Seeing that he had reached the right spot, he dug two traps to see if he could catch some pheasants or rabbits.

On the other side, Yang Dai had finished washing up, blew out the candle and lay down, but she always felt uneasy in her heart, and messy thoughts kept coming to her mind.

She sat up, lifted the curtain and looked outside. The door was closed and locked from the inside.

It’s just that the wall is low, so if someone wants to come in, they can just climb over it.

Yang Dai lowered the curtains and took out a pair of scissors and a sword from the warehouse.

He placed the scissors under his pillow, the sword beside the bed, and did not blow out the candle. Only then did he feel much more at ease and closed his eyes to sleep.

Han Lin jumped over the courtyard wall quietly, turned around and looked at the wall again, and the idea of making money became stronger.

Although this house is located in the center of the brigade and is surrounded by neighbors, and no petty thieves will easily come here to visit, but just in case, the courtyard wall is still too dangerous.

He walked to the door of the room and wanted to push it open, but then he retracted his hand and walked towards the kitchen on the other side.

Thinking about the prey on the mountain, Han Lin got up early and headed straight for the mountain.

The temperature is not high at this moment, but there is already a breath of spring. The small animals that have been hibernating in the mountains for a winter are coming out to look for food, and Han Lin has found harvests in the two traps he dug.

There were two pheasants and a wild rabbit.

But after being hungry for a whole winter, they had little meat on their bodies. Han Lin didn't mind, so he tied the meat together and stuffed it into his backpack and went straight down the mountain.

"You didn't come back all night?" Yang Dai got up and opened the gate, and happened to meet Han Lin walking to the door of his house and preparing to climb over the wall.

Han Lin shook his head. "I just went out again. Breakfast is almost ready. I'll go cook some more."

Yang Dai thought of the dish from yesterday whose original color could not be seen, and a bitter look appeared on her face. "No, there are still many pickles at home. I'll eat that in the morning."

"That thing..." Han Lin disagreed, but seeing Yang Dai's expression, he swallowed his words, "Then wait a minute, you can have breakfast soon."

"The chickens and rabbits in the backpack, as well as the lamb you took out yesterday, will all be ready when I get back at noon."

Yang Dai didn't say anything, but her expression showed deep thought.

She really couldn't praise Han Lin's cooking skills, and she always felt that it was not worth it for these things to fall into Han Lin's hands.

For a moment, Yang Dai began to miss the cook in Duke Cheng's mansion.

It would be nice if I could have a cook who could cook delicious food here.

Looking at the light white porridge on the table and the pickles that were so salty that they could drive people away with just one bite, Yang Dai felt more and more that her life was miserable.

Han Lin also felt that his cooking was a bit disappointing, but becoming a chef did not seem to be suitable for him at the moment.

"I have a lot of recipes in my warehouse. Do you want to take a look?" For the sake of her own taste, Yang Dai thought it would be better to save Han Lin's cooking skills.

Over the generations, the Chengguo Mansion has accumulated many hidden recipes, which are also part of Yang Dai's dowry.

"Okay, I'll wait for you to teach me how to cook." Han Lin raised his eyebrows and smiled at Yang Dai, "Miss Yang is proficient in everything, so teaching people how to cook is definitely no problem for her."

Yang Dai pursed her lips, feeling that Han Lin was being sarcastic again.

But it is impossible to ask her to cook by herself, and it seems unrealistic to find a cook for herself. Now the only person she can rely on is Han Lin in front of her.

Yang Dai pretended not to hear Han Lin's words, and even picked up a piece of pickled vegetables and put it in Han Lin's bowl. "Comrade Han Lin, you have worked hard. You are a great contributor to our family. Eat more."

Han Lin looked at the chopsticks of pickled vegetables and felt like he wanted to spit out the salt from his mouth, but he didn't say anything and just lowered his head to eat.

After dinner, the bell for work rang again, and the neighbors around were also clamoring to go out to work.

Yang Dai thought of what happened yesterday and found two sets of worn-out clothes to change into, but the clothes underneath were still made of good materials that she took out of the warehouse.

Otherwise, she would always feel uncomfortable wearing those old coarse cloths close to her skin.

Yang Dai didn't want to go to work, but remembering what Han's mother said yesterday, she followed Han Lin out reluctantly.

Han Lin wanted to persuade Yang Dai, but he also knew Yang Dai's temper, so he simply didn't waste any more words, and the couple walked towards the gathering place together.

"Yang Dai, Yang Dai." Halfway through the journey, a voice suddenly called Yang Dai. When she looked closely, it turned out to be Yang's mother.

Mother Yang held a newspaper in her hand and a backpack on her back. "You just moved, so the house must not be tidied yet. I brought you some newspapers. Let's clean up the house together."

Cleaning the house is definitely better than going to work, so Yang Dai followed her mother back home.

"Are you angry with your mother-in-law? She still cares so much even though we have separated the family business?" On the way home with Yang Dai, Yang's mother looked at her daughter with some heartache.

Ever since Yang Dai got married, her mother has been worried. But once her daughter is married, she will become someone else's daughter-in-law, and even as her biological mother, it is not easy for her to stay by her daughter's side every day.

Moreover, Yang Dai has a second brother who is still single. Since Yang Dai got married, Yang's mother has been busy with the second brother's marriage.

Just yesterday, I heard that Yang Dai's mother-in-law looked for Yang Dai in the fields but couldn't find her, and she even asked the couple to go home for dinner in the evening.

Yang's mother was worried that Yang Dai would be angry with her mother-in-law, so she rushed over early this morning just because she didn't want her daughter to go to the fields to earn work points.

"I went there late yesterday, but my mother-in-law has already greeted the team leader. From now on, I will still be doing the work of collecting pig grass in this team." Yang Dai followed Yang's mother home and poured her a cup of hot water.

"This basket contains vermicelli, half a pound of pork belly, sorghum flour, corn flour, and some elm seeds. Wait for mom to knead the flour and steam it. It will be convenient for you to eat it then." Mother Yang put down the basket behind her, took out the things one by one, and looked her daughter up and down.

She had just seen her daughter the day before yesterday when Yang Dai moved, but today she felt that her daughter had lost weight again.

"These are the outdated newspapers your father brought back from the brick kiln. Our task today is to paste them on the wall."

"I'll stew the pork belly and vermicelli together first, and we'll have it for lunch." After arriving home, Yang's mother was busy all the time without stopping.

As he spoke, he moved things to the kitchen.

"You don't know how to steam buns. I'll steam some for you later. It's enough for you and your wife to eat for seven or eight days. I'll come back after seven or eight days." Mother Yang considered every aspect for her daughter and was always worried that she would suffer. But when she walked into the kitchen and saw the pheasants and rabbits tied next to the firewood pile and the chopped mutton soaking in blood in the cupboard, she was speechless.

"Where did this come from?" Mother Yang looked at Yang Dai in shock, her voice trembling a little.

Although it is not a time of famine and hunger now, there is a limit to the amount of grain in the fields and a limit to the number of pigs raised by the brigade. It is still difficult to eat better and have some meat.

"Han Lin went to the mountains to dig traps yesterday and brought them back early this morning."

Mother Yang's expression changed. "Did Han Lin go up the mountain? Did he pass by the ruined temple?"

"This is a matter of life and death, why don't you stop him!"

"You're going to lose your life for a piece of meat. Then you'll be a widow right after you get married. You won't even know where to cry!"

This was the first time Yang Dai saw Yang's mother so powerful. Recalling the mountain of the brigade, she wanted to ask something, but Yang's mother did not give her a chance.

"If you want to eat meat, I will send you some when your father gets his salary. The mountains are not peaceful. If you encounter a large wild animal, there won't even be any bones left." Yang's mother softened her tone, taught her daughter a lesson, and started to get busy again.

"Today I'm going to stew the pork belly and mutton. After plucking and skinning the chicken and rabbit, I'll marinate them with salt and store them for a couple of days. I'll eat them whenever I feel like eating meat."

"Your father recently heard that the commune purchasing station seems to be recruiting a temporary worker. You should be prepared. My daughter is pretty, has a good temper, and is well educated. She will definitely be selected." Yang's mother looked happy, but did not tell Yang Dai that the family had already started preparing things to give as gifts to the leader of the purchasing station.

As long as the gift is well-deserved and she has the face of the brick kiln factory secretary, and no one else interferes, it is a sure thing that Yang Dai will get the job.

Yang's mother didn't say it explicitly, but Yang Dai had heard the conversation between her parents before and knew that it would definitely cost a lot.

"Mom, don't worry about me. I will go to the elementary school for a trial class in a couple of days. After I pass the trial class, I will become a teacher. I will teach eight centimeters a day and get ticket rewards at the end of the semester. It's close to home and it's easy. I don't have to rush to the commune every day." Yang Dai really thinks that being a teacher is a good thing. It's not easy to say such things to her mother-in-law, but she doesn't have to worry so much to her own mother.

"The elementary school teacher in our team?" Mother Yang's face was a little stiff. She wanted to say something, but when she saw Yang Dai's happy face, she swallowed it back.

He just sent Yang Dai out of the kitchen and said, "Go count the newspapers and see which wall we should start pasting them on first."