"Auntie, Auntie, we're here."
Lu Fangfang had just accepted a bunch of things from her sisters-in-law when a group of little kids ran in through the gate of the courtyard.
Each of these little kids was holding a branch or firewood.
As soon as they ran into the yard, they shouted, "Auntie, Auntie, we've brought you firewood. We won't eat your food for nothing!"
Lu Fangfang was both amused and exasperated, and quickly told the children to put the children down.
Looking at these little ones, she was quite touched. Don't underestimate them because they are so young; they are much better than some of her sisters-in-law who only know how to say strange things.
"Auntie, wait for us a moment, we'll go pick them up later."
"Hey? Slow down."
Lu Fangfang watched as the group of "little bean sprouts" rushed out again.
She glanced at the branches and firewood on the ground and looked at them with some confusion.
The firewood that the kids brought had obvious signs of being split open. I don't know where they picked it up. Maybe their sister-in-law asked them to bring it.
Lu Fangfang shook her head, too lazy to think about it anymore.
She had to make sure the soup was cooked properly, otherwise she would feel bad for letting these little ones down.
She picked up the hammer, thinking about smashing the last bit of bone, when Wang Shufen entered the courtyard.
Seeing that Lu Fangfang had already smashed two large basins of beef bones, she took a tin bucket and went to fetch water.
After a while, Wang Shufen returned carrying two buckets of water, followed by Yang Yufeng, who was carrying a child.
"Wow, you bought so many bones!"
Yang Yufeng's eyes lit up when she saw the two large basins of bones in the yard.
She brazenly said ingratiatingly, "I knew Fangfang was just joking with me. You don't look like you're short of money at all."
Lu Fangfang gets a headache whenever she sees Yang Yufeng.
"Sister-in-law Yufeng, I'm not joking. I don't know when Mingcheng will be back, and I really don't have much money on me. Why don't you lend me some?"
"ah……"
Yang Yufeng completely ignored this, "Ahem, the weather is quite nice today, neither too hot nor too cold."
Lu Fangfang: "..."
She pretended that Yang Yufeng didn't exist and continued with her work.
Yang Yufeng wasn't embarrassed at all. She looked around, touched things, and carefully examined the yard.
After a while, she turned around and saw Lu Fangfang scooping water into the enamel basin, and was startled.
"Don't wash it, don't wash it, please don't wash it. Washing it will wash away all the oil on the bones. Just put it in the pot and boil it directly."
Lu Fangfang rolled her eyes and ignored Yang Yufeng.
Not washing it? Let alone the dirt on the bones, the bloodstains alone need to be washed off, otherwise it will smell too fishy.
She filled the enamel basin with water and began washing it herself.
When she finally pulled out the bones, the basin was filled with blood-red sewage. Just as she was about to throw it away, Yang Yufeng stopped her.
"What a waste of things, what a waste of things."
"Fangfang, don't spill it! Wait for me a moment, I'll go home and get a bucket to take it back to feed the chickens."
Yang Yufeng, holding the child, hurriedly walked out.
Her home is right next door, she'll be back soon.
In the courtyard, Lu Fangfang and Wang Shufen looked at each other, both at a loss for words.
"Girl, this guy is even more frugal than you and me."
Lu Fangfang nodded in agreement.
She only thought about grinding the bones into bone meal to feed the chickens and quails, but this sister-in-law is something else, she even thinks of using the blood.
Yang Yufeng's husband and Zhuang Mingcheng were comrades-in-arms. Lu Fangfang was not in a hurry until her sister-in-law arrived, at which point she poured the bloody water into the bucket her sister-in-law was carrying.
Seeing Yang Yufeng about to leave with the bucket, Lu Fangfang quickly said, "Sister-in-law, there's still a basin of bones to wash, don't you want them?"
"That's enough, that's enough. I only have two hens. They can't drink that much even if they're full."
Hearing this, Lu Fangfang laughed.
She shook her head, too lazy to care anymore.
After washing the bones, she poured them into a large black pot, filling it completely.
Adding water, Lu Fangfang took the firewood the little boy had brought, stuffed it into the bottom of the pot, and started a fire.
This is a time-consuming task; to extract the oil from the bones, it takes at least half a day to cook them.
She hasn't added any spices yet, planning to add them after rendering the butter.
With nothing else to do, Lu Fangfang took out beef liver and tripe, and while cleaning them, she chatted with Wang Shufen about everyday things.
The two were chatting when Yang Yufeng arrived again, carrying her child.
She didn't interrupt, but just stared intently at the big pot, seemingly lost in thought.
The two continued chatting, pretending she didn't exist.
"Hey girl, I'm planning to start hatching the eggs tonight. The chicks will hatch by the end of next month, and I'll get you two chicks then."
"By the way, if you find any quail eggs, give them to me and I'll hatch them for you."
Lu Fangfang nodded, "Okay, I'll ask my sisters-in-law tomorrow morning to see if they have any quail eggs."
"Sister Shufen, come over early tomorrow morning and see if your sister-in-law has any goose eggs or duck eggs. If she does, buy a few from her."
Hatching a chick is no easy task; you have to keep the fire burning every day to maintain the temperature of the heated kang (a traditional heated bed), and you can't leave it unattended for a moment.
From the start of incubation to the hatching of chicks, it takes about twenty days, which is very time-consuming. It's best to hatch them together.
The two then discussed the land reclamation project, as it was getting hot soon and couldn't be delayed.
The farm tools and seeds have been bought, and the two plan to go to the regiment tomorrow to inform them, and then go to the fields by the river to clear the land.
Thinking about it, there's a lot to do.
Lu Fangfang didn't mind being busy; being busy was good, as it saved her from constantly thinking about Zhuang Mingcheng.
"Auntie, Auntie, we're here again..."
As the two were chatting, the shouts of a little kid rang out from outside the courtyard again.
Lu Fangfang turned her head and saw the little kids running in again with firewood in their hands.
"Auntie, Auntie, I... hiccup."
Da Ya was initially in high spirits, but when she saw Wang Shufen was also there, she immediately fell silent.
"Da Ya, where did you get the firewood?"
"Mom, we found it."
"Found it? Where did you find it? I'll go find some too."
Wang Shufen looked at the firewood the children were holding and felt it was quite sturdy.
The area around the family compound was covered in grass. She took a rake and gathered some, but it was not enough to withstand burning.
The chicks will be hatching soon, and it would be even better if we had some firewood to burn.
"Ah... that..."
Daya panicked. She dropped the firewood, turned around, and ran outside, shouting, "Mom, let's go out and play!"
Seeing this, the other children followed suit, dropping their firewood and running out.
"Da Ya? Da Ya? Slow down, slow down, don't bang your head."
Wang Shufen looked somewhat helpless. Back in her hometown, her daughter was always either fishing in the river or climbing trees to steal bird nests; she was quite the little rascal.
Now that she's in the troupe and has her father as a backer, she's become even more lawless.
"Sister Shufen, Daya is quite well-behaved."
Lu Fangfang looked at the firewood scattered on the ground and was very happy.
These few little kids solved her firewood problem.
When the beef bone soup is ready tomorrow morning, she'll have to give the children extra meat.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
