Chapter 28 Lamb stewed with radish.

He Xiuxiu cares about her mother's family's affairs. It is difficult to find a regular job that is easier, but temporary jobs that are a little harder and more tiring can be found if you look around carefully at the end of the year.

But now my younger sister doesn’t work in the county town, so without this convenient microphone, she had to exchange her break time with other colleagues in the workshop and run back home.

The brigade had entered the rest period, and every household stayed at home to avoid the cold. Some children did not have cotton clothes, so they stayed in bed all day long.

The He family also stayed at home. Only the three older children needed to go to school every day. The remaining two younger ones were also kept at home to avoid catching a cold while playing outside.

He's father was good at weaving, so he went to the back mountain to cut bamboo and made bamboo baskets, backpacks, etc. Others followed suit. These could be taken to the supply and marketing cooperatives to buy and exchange for money, so at least there was some income.

He Susu is the most idle person in the family. Sometimes when she feels like it, she would learn to weave backpacks. However, her hands cannot keep up with her eyes. She is really not cut out for this, so she just doesn't join in and make trouble.

Naturally, no diligence points related to weaving skills were earned.

He Xiuxiu came back after breakfast. When her mother heard the noise and opened the door, she was surprised to see her: "Xiuxiu, why are you back? Come in and sit down."

"I'm here to talk about serious business today." He Xiuxiu followed him into the house, still panting because she walked so fast.

Brother He was delighted to see her come back and couldn't help but feel hopeful that maybe there really was a temporary job available.

He Xiuxiu said bluntly, "Big Brother, I came back today to talk to you two about temporary work. Chengli heard that the steelmaking workshop in their factory has a lot of work at the end of the year, and they need two temporary workers to be responsible for slag change. There will be a master to teach you how to do it. It's just that this work is more tiring. If you can accept it, you can start from tomorrow and do it until the end of the year. You can earn about ten yuan a month."

This temporary worker was only allowed to stay temporarily after her husband gave the person in charge a bag of money. Her parents usually subsidized them with vegetables, and recently gave them bacon and sausages. She didn't intend to mention the cigarettes, and those who didn't know would think she was asking for money.

He was pleasantly surprised and said, "I will definitely go if there is work to do. No matter how tired I am, it won't be more tiring than during the autumn harvest. Thank you, sister."

He Erge was also very happy: "Yes, sister, I can do this job. I can earn ten yuan before the New Year, which is not a small amount."

He Xiuxiu nodded: "Okay, if you are willing to do it, you can come to my house early tomorrow. Chengli will take you to the factory to handle the formalities and you can start work. The factory doesn't have extra dormitories at the moment, and my house can't accommodate two people, so you can only run back and forth every day."

Brother He said indifferently: "It's okay. As long as there is work to do, I can make a few more trips every day."

He Erge also nodded: "Yes, these are all trivial matters."

He Susu was also happy for her elder and second brothers. She said, "It's okay to run back and forth. It's cold so just wear more clothes. I don't have to go to work anyway, so it will be convenient for you to ride bicycles back and forth when the time comes."

Being able to ride a bicycle naturally saves a lot of time and trouble. He Da Ge and He Er Ge had no objection to their family buying a bicycle for their younger sister, but they never thought that it would be convenient for them one day.

Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe were also very happy that the man was willing to work harder and bring back the ten yuan he earned. According to the mother-in-law's personality, he would definitely be able to keep it for himself.

Father He had a smile on his face.

He's mother was very happy and asked, "Xiu Xiu, what gifts did you use and how much money did you spend to get these two jobs? Tell me and I will make it up to you."

He Xiuxiu smiled and said, "There's no need to give gifts. It just so happens that Chengli is familiar with the person in charge of recruiting people this time, so I just want to say hello and have a chat."

He's mother didn't believe it. She thought that even if this temporary job was a bit tiring, one could still earn ten yuan. Once the news got out, who knows how many people would want to do the job. How could they just give you the job by saying hello?

But her daughter didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't ask any more questions. She just gave her the chocolate that Susu brought back from Shanghai last time, which was said to be very expensive, and asked her to take it back for her two grandchildren.

"This thing is super sweet. They say it's a kind of chocolate that adults and children in Shanghai love. I'm not used to it. You can take it back and give it to the two children."

He Xiuxiu refused: "No need, mother. You can keep the food that Susu bought for you. If you can't, share it with Guifang and the others."

He's mother shook her head: "Guifang and the others have some to eat. These are my portions, so you can take them without worry."

Only then did He Xiuxiu accept it. The two children in the family loved snacks the most and would accept any candy or biscuits. They would definitely love the chocolate if she took it back.

She sat at her parents' house for a while, but didn't stay for lunch, and hurried home to eat. It was a rare day off, and since Haohao and Juejue were not sent to the nursery today, she had to go home to cook and spend more time with the children.

Vegetables are hard to grow in winter, so last month I harvested a lot of Chinese cabbage from my family’s vegetable garden and pickled it, so I can fry some for every meal. I also harvested a lot of white radishes, cut them into pieces and made pickled radishes. Of course, white radishes can be kept for a while, so I also kept a lot of them whole to eat slowly.

Since vegetables cannot be grown in the countryside, there is naturally little supply of vegetables in the city. He's mother picked up a lot of pickled Chinese cabbage and pickled radish for her daughter to take back home.

He Xiuxiu didn't refuse. Vegetables are not available in grocery stores in the city, and the child cannot go without vegetables for a long time.

Thinking of something important, she said, "Oh, by the way, mother, there is a canteen in the steel plant, but temporary workers don't have a share. If you want to eat, you have to spend money and food coupons to buy it. It's best to bring lunch from home. There is a special stove in the canteen that can heat it up, so you don't have to worry about the food getting cold."

"Brother and his friends have worked hard, so please don't be reluctant to give them food. Make them some good lunch."

Mother He smiled and agreed: "That's my son, how can I treat him badly? Don't worry."

Only then did He Xiuxiu pick up her things and prepare to leave.

Because there was no oxcart to take back to the county town and walking would be too tiring, Brother He was smart for once and said he would ride his bicycle to take our eldest sister home.

He Xiuxiu was naturally happy to agree.

So the next day, Brother He and Brother Two got up early, changed into neat clothes, had breakfast, took their lunch, and rode their bicycles to the county town.

Fortunately, the family is well-off. When He Susu was in school, she disliked the lunch box because it was too old and bought another one. Now there are just two lunch boxes to pack lunch for them.

He's mother didn't have to cook lunch. The eldest and second daughters-in-law were idle at home, so they naturally cared about their husbands' lunch when they went to work, and agreed to take turns cooking.

With the permission of the mother-in-law, they were willing to add grain to the lunch. They cooked rice and fried some meat in it, and also added pickled cabbage, which was very nutritious.

After getting up, He Susu heard that her elder and second brothers had already gone to the county town. She guessed that they had already completed the procedures at the steel plant and started working. She admired them in her heart.

The eldest and second brothers are indeed people who can endure hardships. He Susu asked herself that it would be difficult for her to go to work in such a cold weather.

The day passed quickly, and the He brothers came back later than He Susu usually did when she got home from get off work. The food at home had already been cooked, and they were waiting for them to come back and eat.

Brother He explained: "The factory doesn't get off work until 6:30, so I came back a little late."

The family sat at the dining table, eating and chatting. He's father asked with concern: "How was your work today?"

Brother He said with a smile: "It's good. The master helped my second brother and I get the hang of it quickly. It's a bit tiring, but it's acceptable."

He Erge nodded: "The workers in the workshop are also easy to talk to. My eldest brother and I can always find someone to talk to. It's not crowded when we heat up the food at noon, so we can get there in a short while."

Most of the factory workers eat in the cafeteria or take their meals home. Only a few temporary workers bring their own meals.

He's mother was happy to hear this: "I hope you go to work smoothly today."

After dinner and taking a shower, Brother He and Brother He went back to their rooms. After talking to their wives for a few words, they fell asleep on the bed. Their snoring could be heard in the main house.

He's father and mother were still awake. He's mother sighed, "It seems that the eldest and second child are really exhausted today."

He's father thought it was normal: "The eldest daughter said earlier that this job was tiring. If the two of them can do it, let them continue."

Making money is not easy. No matter how much parents love their son, they will not stop him from working.

He Susu could also hear some snoring in the room. She sighed in her heart but it didn't affect her sleep.

In the following days, Brother He and Brother Two rode their bicycles diligently to work in the county town every day, and He Susu also insisted on earning her 1 point of diligence value every day.

Without the one diligence point she had to earn by washing lunch boxes at work, He Susu could only seize the only opportunity - sweeping the yard.

The water was freezing cold in this weather, and washing dishes was a torture, so she gave up decisively. The cold wind was blowing wildly, and even sweeping the yard with a broom required courage to persist.

She persisted because of her desire to eat meat and her desire to let her family eat meat as well.

That day, He Susu was browsing the shopping system as usual and found that there was mutton for sale. Mutton is more rare than pork, and it can warm the body in winter. What's more rare is that there is a discount for redemption.

Different from the previous offer of halving the required diligence points for redemption, this time, exchanging one kilogram of mutton will come with two kilograms of mutton bones, requiring 3 points of diligence points.

Although it was a bit expensive, thinking that it could warm the body and provide nutrition, and that the eldest and second brothers had lost some weight recently due to work fatigue, He Susu still chose to exchange it. She exchanged two kilograms of mutton at one time and got four kilograms of mutton bones for free.

In order to bring back mutton and mutton shanks with a legitimate reason, He Susu decided to go to the county town tomorrow.

She told her mother about this, and her mother thought it was normal. Her daughter used to love going to the county town, even if she went to the supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores and didn't buy anything in the end, she was willing to do so. It was normal that she couldn't help herself after being idle at home for several days.

She said: "Go if you want to. It's convenient to go back and forth with a bullock cart. Just be careful on the road."

He Susu smiled and agreed. When her mother wanted to give her money and let her buy whatever she wanted, she refused: "No, I have money in my hand."

Seeing that she was so determined, He's mother thought that she still had some money saved, so she didn't insist.

The next day, He Susu woke up early, which was rare for her. She put on her cotton clothes, washed up, and had breakfast. Then she went out to the village entrance to catch a ox cart.

The cold wind blew all the way, scratching her cheeks and making them hurt. Fortunately, she applied some clam oil to moisturize her face before going out, otherwise it would have been even more uncomfortable.

When we arrived at the village entrance, Uncle Dali was already waiting there with a ox cart.

He Susu greeted with a smile: "Uncle Dali, long time no see."

Uncle Dali smiled and nodded: "Susu, it's been a long time since we last met. Let's go shopping in the county town, right? Come on in the car."

He Susu paid two cents, got on the ox cart and found a good seat.

Then a few more guests came, some were village aunties and some were young wives, carrying bamboo baskets on their backs, probably going to buy things. Some were also carrying baskets of eggs, which they were going to buy from the supply and marketing cooperatives.

After winter, the two chickens in the family laid fewer eggs, so He's mother generously decided to keep all the eggs for herself. In addition to steaming egg custard for her daughter, she could also stir-fry it as a meat dish.

On the way, several aunts inevitably asked, "He girl, are you not working at the county cinema now?"

When the women in the village are free, they get together and love to gossip. Naturally, they noticed that the daughter of the He family at the head of the village has not ridden her bicycle to the county town to work recently. Instead, her two sons ride their bicycles to the county town every day.

He Susu nodded and said generously: "Well, I agreed to help someone with the work for half a year. I just finished it last month, and I haven't been to work this month."

The fat aunt understood and said, "So that's how it is. At that time, your mother said that you were going to be a temporary worker, and we thought it was temporary and that you could get a permanent job in the future. What a pity."

Auntie Shou said, "It would be great if you could have a job and get paid. At least you can help support the family. Now you are not working, and it is the slack season for farming. You still need to work and earn some money next year."

Another aunt with a black mole on the corner of her mouth said jokingly, "Maybe next year Miss He will find a new job. You guys just like to worry about it. The He family was able to support her until she graduated from high school and never thought of letting her work in the fields."

He Susu listened to them talking and looked into the eyes of several young wives she had never met before. She understood the helplessness in each other's eyes. She did not argue or explain, but just said, "Thank you for your concern, aunts. Let's talk about next year after the New Year."

Seeing this, the aunts changed the topic and talked about other things.

Soon the cart arrived near the supply and marketing cooperative, and the group of people got off the cart. Most people went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things directly, while some went to the non-staple food store. He Susu had nothing to do, so she also went into the supply and marketing cooperative to have a look.

After winter comes, the most in-demand item is cotton. Those who don’t have cotton clothes are waiting to buy cotton to make them for the winter.

At this moment, many people gathered in front of the counter to ask when the cotton would be available. The salesperson said impatiently, "We are not sure about this. If it is available, it will be listed in advance. Everyone just needs to prepare the cotton tickets in advance."

The items sold at other counters were similar to usual ones. After shopping around, He Susu only had half a pound of milk candy in her hand. When she passed by the candy counter, she suddenly wanted to eat the milk candy with a strong milky flavor. Fortunately, she had candy coupons and money in her hand, so she just bought it.

She went to the grocery store again. There were not many vegetables in winter, and the pork had been sold out long ago, leaving only some scattered dried goods.

He Susu didn't buy anything. She went to the department store to kill time. She finally waited until the oxcart was about to arrive in the county town, and walked back to the supply and marketing cooperative to wait for the bus.

She carried a bamboo basket with half a pound of milk candy in it, covered with a piece of cloth, so that people on the same bus could not see what was in her basket.

After getting off the car at the village entrance, He Susu walked to a deserted place and used her mind to transfer a pound of beef and two pounds of lamb bones into the backpack.

There was no way. Mutton was too rare. It was already a good amount that she could bring back. If she brought more, she was afraid that it would arouse her parents' suspicion.

Thinking that it would be boring to kill time in the county town, and that the next time would have to wait at least a few days, He Susu simply exchanged two kilograms of pork, one kilogram of pork belly and one kilogram of lean meat, saving enough for the family to eat for a few days.

When she got home, He's mother took the basket for her daughter and asked in surprise, "Wow, you actually bought mutton today?"

He Susu nodded: "Yes, it's a rare opportunity to have mutton so I bought some, they say it can warm the body. I also bought two kilograms of mutton shanks, we can make soup later and drink it together to replenish our nutrition."

Mother He smiled and nodded: "It is the most nutritious thing to eat mutton in winter. Susu, you made the right decision to go to the county town today. I see there is still some meat on these mutton shanks and bones. We made a profit."

She also saw two kilograms of pork. During this period, because the eldest and second sons were doing hard work at work, she wanted to give them more oil and water, and the pork at home was consumed quickly. With these two kilograms of pork, they could eat for several days.

Mother He smiled when she saw the bag of candy under the basket. Her daughter really loved sweets. "I'll give you the total amount of money we spent today. You're not working now, so it's great that you can help buy meat."

He Susu did not refuse and quoted the price for the mutton and pork: "You don't have to give me the money for the candy, I bought it for myself."

Seeing that her daughter was willing to pay for the meat, He's mother was very happy and agreed immediately.

Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe were very happy to see mutton and mutton shanks and bones. Their men were tired at this time and needed to replenish their nutrition. It was really a good decision for their sister-in-law to buy these.

As for money, they don't care too much as long as they have something to eat.

He Susu took the bag of candy and stuffed one directly into her mother's mouth, and gave one to her eldest and second sisters-in-law to let them taste it. Several children in the family came over with expectant faces, and she generously gave one to each of them: "Take it and eat it."

"Thank you, aunt."

She stuffed a piece of candy into her mouth, and soon she could smell the rich milky aroma and sweetness. Her mood also improved, which was really nice.

There was mutton at home, so of course we had to try it while it was fresh, so the He family cooked mutton that night. He's mother remembered that there was white radish at home, and it is said that radish is eaten in winter and ginger is eaten in summer, so radish stewed with mutton is perfect.

She directed the second son's wife to blanch the washed mutton to remove the fishy smell, then light the stove and stir-fry about half a pound of mutton, add water, add green onions and bay leaves, and start stewing. When half of the time is over, add the chopped white radish and cook together.

If the kitchen doors and windows were not closed, the aroma of white radish mixed with mutton would probably have drifted to the next door.

When the elder and second brothers He came back, they were also surprised to see the pot of mutton stewed with carrots on the table. They all knew that mutton was hard to buy and was a rare tonic, which could warm the body in winter.

He's mother called out, "Hurry up and sit down to eat. The mutton your sister bought is delicious."

The family started to eat.

He Susu deliberately did not order sweet potatoes, and directly scooped up the radish, mutton and milky white soup into a bowl and started eating.

The mutton was stewed until soft and tender, without any smell of mutton. It was very fresh and juicy. The white radish was also very soft and tender, and it became sweeter because it absorbed the aroma of the mutton. The milky white soup also had a strong meaty aroma. After eating a bowl of hot soup, I felt warm all over.

Because only half a pound of mutton was cooked, each piece was neither too big nor too small, so each person ate about one piece. He Susu ate two pieces of meat in a row, plus a lot of radish cubes and a bowl of soup, and she was almost full.

The other children also liked to eat mutton, but Kerou took a bite and gave it to her parents because she was not used to it. She liked to eat white radish and took some with her chopsticks several times.

Fortunately, He's mother thought that there were still several large white radishes at home, which would go bad if they were not eaten, so she cooked a little more. This was exactly what everyone wanted. After the mutton was eaten, it was also good to eat some radish cubes that were full of mutton fragrance.

In the end, the whole pot of stewed lamb with radish was eaten up, not even any soup was left.

Everyone felt warm and even a little hot after eating.

As soon as Gui Xi took off his cotton-padded jacket, his mother slapped him on the head and scolded him: "You are not afraid of death, what if you catch a cold? Put it on quickly!"

Gui Mian and Ke Jie, who had taken off their cotton-padded jackets halfway, were so scared that they stopped moving and put their jackets back on silently.

On the other hand, the eldest and second brothers He were young and energetic, and they also took off their cotton-padded jackets because they were too hot. They were all adults, so He's mother said one thing and they didn't care. Anyway, they would put on clothes when it was cold, so as not to catch a cold.

I thought that I still had lamb shanks at home, so I cooked some soup early tomorrow morning, and my eldest and second child could have a bowl of it before going to work, so they wouldn’t feel so cold when riding on the road. My daughter could also have a bowl of soup to warm herself up when she wakes up.

At night, after washing up, He Susu stayed in her room bored and picked up her pen to finish the article. During this period of time when she was idle at home, in addition to resting, she also wanted to pick up the way of writing articles to earn royalties again.

Of course, the first choice is to write articles suitable for submission to the people in the alley. She still has some materials in her head, and she can conceive a new article after a little sorting.

It's just that because there was no pressure, I was sporadic in writing the article. It was not until I ate mutton tonight that I took advantage of the momentum to finish the article.

After reading the article through and making sure that the meaning was clear and the logic was correct and there were no typos, He Susu put the article away in the drawer of her desk.

She didn't think of writing a new article, so she packed up her paper and pen and went to bed. She wanted to sleep, but she couldn't help but check the shopping system before going to bed.

She saw a product called Milk Dumplings and read the details which said it took ten kilograms of milk to make one kilogram of Milk Dumplings. Not only was the product rich in milk flavor, it was also very high in calcium and had great nutritional value.

The milk candy she bought today was just candy with a milky flavor, different from these milk lumps which were made entirely of milk.

The detailed description was too tempting. One point of diligence could be exchanged for one pound of milk lumps. He Susu couldn't help but exchange one pound.

She wanted to eat, but after brushing her teeth she felt uncomfortable eating anything else, so she had to bear it and save it for tomorrow.