On another day off, Gu Ye took his four children out for a morning exercise, while Bao Ni steamed buns in the kitchen.
"It's so cold!"
Xuanyu doesn't participate in morning exercises much, and he's finding it a bit too much to handle.
"Xuanyu, this won't do. Your younger siblings insist on doing morning exercises, and you can't fall behind at school."
"After you get back tomorrow, you must get up and do your morning exercise on your own, without fail."
Gu Ye looked at his eldest nephew, who was too weak to do anything.
"Understood, Second Uncle."
Gu Xuanyu was a little afraid of his second uncle, so he quickly agreed. Mainly, seeing the younger children running around so happily, he felt a little embarrassed that he was being outdone by his younger siblings.
"Dad, I want to eat sauerkraut stewed with pork bones for dinner."
"Okay, after we finish eating, let's go buy some big bones and some meat."
Gu Ye readily agreed, saying that they were all at the age where they were growing and had plenty to eat.
After breakfast, Bao Ni directed Gu Xuanyu to take Liu Jiu and a few others to the courtyard to get some pickled vegetables and salted vegetables, as they were all gone at home.
"Mom, aren't you coming with us?"
Sanqi was quite puzzled, but her mother was very disappointed with her dishes.
“I’m not going. The village is slaughtering a pig today, so I’m going to buy the meat. I’ll also buy some grain, chickens, ducks, and geese. It’s getting cold now, so they can freeze.”
Bonnie knew that the reform and opening-up policy would be announced in a few days, which was a major turning point.
Although it started as an internal reform, mainly targeting rural areas, once the signal was given, some bold individuals took the plunge, and things began to change.
"How about we have pork bone stew with sauerkraut for dinner, and some pork belly too? That should be enough."
Liu Jiu wanted to eat meat, so she ate it in big bites.
"Okay, plenty."
Bonnie looked at the group of teenagers whose eyes were practically glowing with envy, and knew that her decision to only have two children was the right one.
"Wife, how do we get there?"
Gu Ye looked at Bonnie, who was all dressed, and wondered whether he should drive her.
“It’s not far, we can walk there, and then have them deliver it by oxcart on the way back. We should also ask Xu Meifeng to come along, she wants to buy some too.”
After the clothes for Bonnie's family were finished, they attracted attention in the courtyard. Many people learned about Xu Meifeng's craftsmanship, and more people asked her to make clothes for them. As a result, her income increased, and she was willing to buy meat.
"Let's go, Fang Dali should rest too."
Gu Ye obeyed all orders; whatever his wife said went.
When the four arrived at the village, all the pigs had been slaughtered.
"Bonnie, you're here? Come and see, the pigs are so fat this year."
A woman in her fifties saw Bonnie and her group and quickly greeted them.
She was the captain's wife, and Bonnie had traded many things with her; she was a big customer.
"Auntie, thank you for your help. Have you prepared what I told you before?"
Bonnie had previously ordered food from her, including chicks and such.
"It's all done. It was just killed yesterday, and it's been cleaned very thoroughly, even the internal organs have been removed."
The brigade leader's wife is a very honest person. Bao Ni always goes to her when she buys things, so she doesn't feel bad about it.
"That's great! I love chicken giblets. Thank you. I'll go weigh the pork first, and then I'll come find you."
Bonnie was delighted. She could buy more things to freeze outside all winter, so she specially put up a shelf outside the north window to store some items.
However, most of them still need to be placed in the courtyard house, otherwise they would be too conspicuous. The people in the family compound are all detectives.
The village leaders are very decisive; they raised a lot of pigs in the spring, and this time they slaughtered seven or eight of them.
"Here it is. How much do you want?"
Bonnie took a look and they were all quite fat.
"Give me ten catties of pork fat, two racks of spare ribs, two pig feet, eight pig trotters, extra big bones, and a set of offal. You have to clean them for me."
After Bonnie finished speaking, Xu Meifeng was stunned. Could you buy meat like that?
"Sister-in-law, is this enough to eat?"
“Meifeng, there won’t be many opportunities. The next time we slaughter a pig might be before the New Year. That’s more than a month. Even a hundred catties of meat might not be enough to eat.”
Bonnie, thinking about her four big eaters at home, didn't feel like she had bought too much.
"Okay, I'll weigh it for you now. I guarantee it's all good meat, and I'll clean the offal for you too. I'll also give you two blood sausages."
The captain knew Bonnie and often asked her wife to buy things for him, and he didn't mind.
"Thank you very much, Uncle. I bought a lot of things, so you'll have to send a car to deliver them to me."
“Okay, the team has oxcarts, it’s no problem.”
Both of them were satisfied and were just waiting for the meat to be weighed.
Xu Meifeng lacked the courage; she bought ten catties of meat and four catties of lard, but forgot about the rest.
Bao Ni and the brigade leader's wife bought a lot of grain, all pre-ground, about a hundred pounds each, and they didn't buy any more after they finished eating it.
"Baoni, three chickens, two ducks, and two geese are all ready. These are dried vegetables I made this summer. Take them home and eat them. Come back for more when you run out. I make a lot."
The team leader's wife was generous with her large customers, as no household in the village lacked dried vegetables.
"Thank you so much, Auntie. This is for you."
Bonnie brought over the bag she had brought with her; inside were two pieces of flawed cloth, two enamel mugs, several bars of soap, and a packet of tea.
The captain's wife looked at what Bao Ni had taken out and thought it was incredibly valuable.
“Bonnie, that won’t do. Those are worthless dried vegetables. I can’t take so many of your good things. What kind of person would I be?”
While saying this, she pushed him towards Bonnie, saying that wouldn't do.
"Auntie, take a closer look. These are all defective products, they're not worth much."
"It's a defective product, but you can't tell."
The brigade leader's wife didn't believe it at first, but upon closer inspection, she found some bumps and scratches that were barely noticeable.
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