Chapter 24: Next Year Will Be a Year of Harvest
"Hey, where's Nannan? Nannan?"
When Gu Yuehuai fell into deep thought, Gu Zhifeng's voice came from outside.
Gu Yuehuai came to his senses, put down the colored pencils and left the house.
Gu Zhifeng was sitting on the kang in the outer room, looking like she had just woken up, her eyes were still a little dazed, but the hint of fear on her face was very obvious.
Gu Yuehuai was slightly surprised and called him, "Dad? What's wrong with you?"
As soon as Gu Zhifeng saw her, he jumped off the kang barefoot, grabbed her arm and looked her up and down for several times. After a long while, he heaved a long sigh of relief, raised his hand to touch the cold sweat on his forehead and said, "Dad had a terrible dream."
Gu Yuehuai paused and looked up at Gu Zhifeng. He wanted to ask what the dream was, but in the end he said, "It's just a dream. Dad, don't worry, our family will get better soon."
It’s just a nightmare. What’s so scary about it when there’s this “evil ghost” like her who saved his life?
Gu Zhifeng nodded and gave Gu Yuehuai an affirmative look: "Don't worry, Nannan, dad will take your brother to the black market tomorrow..." As soon as he said this, he blinked in silence, suddenly remembering that he had promised his daughter that he would not go to the black market again.
Gu Yuehuai also looked at him dangerously and said in a serious voice, "Dad! You promised me that you would not go there again! You can't break your promise! Tomorrow, you and your brother will go to the fields to work together and earn work points!"
Gu Zhifeng smiled awkwardly and nodded repeatedly: "Okay! Whatever my daughter says is fine!"
After he agreed, he realized what was going on and asked in confusion, "Go with your eldest brother? What about your second and third brothers? Sit at home? When will we pay off our debt? No, no, they can't just sit there and do nothing."
Gu Yuehuai's calm eyes were filled with composure: "Dad, Ren Tianxiang just said that our family has been doing small business and speculation in the black market all day long, and the next day we all went to work. Isn't it obvious that there is something wrong?"
"Take your time. If someone asks you why you didn't go out on the street and come back to work, just say that the Party Secretary said that all the sons in the family, big and small, will get married soon. If you don't settle down, you'll have to pick up a stupid wife."
Gu Yuehuai spoke in a calm tone, and his words were clear and logical, and there was really nothing wrong with them.
As the saying goes, there are three types of unfilial behavior, and the worst is to have no descendants.
No matter how unreasonable the Gu family is, they still have to find a wife for their son. If the son hangs out on the street all day and does not do anything decent, which decent girl would be willing to marry into the Gu family?
Hearing this, Gu Zhifeng slapped her thigh and praised repeatedly: "Our daughter is still smart!"
While the two were talking, the sound of rain suddenly came from outside.
The door of the inner room opened, and Gu Tinghuai and Gu Ruihuai ran out with their clothes on. Gu Yuehuai stood at the door, watching the two of them hurriedly collecting haystacks and firewood in the yard, and smiled.
Gu Zhifeng was playing with two walnuts in his hands, and said with a smile: "It's raining, water the wheat, and next year will definitely be a good harvest year!"
After hearing his words, Gu Yuehuai said nothing.
A bumper year?
This year's grain harvest has dropped by 60%. It's a year of famine. Everyone is hungry and thin, not only do they have no energy to work in the fields, but the wheat seedlings are finally about to be harvested, and now they have to face a sudden locust plague.
These disasters were not as serious as the food shortage crisis during the "Three Hard Years", but people still went hungry. This situation lasted for more than two years before the lives of the brigade members gradually improved.
Gu Tinghuai and Gu Ruihuai packed up the things in the yard before returning to the house with wet hair.
Gu Yuehuai handed over two dry towels embroidered with pink peonies.
Gu Tinghuai grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and said with a smile: "Thank you, Nannan."
"Hmph." Gu Ruihuai snorted coldly and returned to the inner room with a trail of wet footprints. He was not willing to accept Gu Yuehuai's goodwill at all. In his opinion, Gu Yuehuai was still the annoying Gu Yuehuai as before.
This act of his made Gu Zhifeng's face darken again, and she cursed towards the inner room: "You ungrateful brat, who do you think you are? Nannan handed you a towel because she thinks highly of you! You are just pretending!"
Gu Ruihuai was too lazy to pay attention and let Gu Zhifeng's words go in one ear and out the other.
Gu Tinghuai was a good man, and he took the other towel from Gu Yuehuai: "Okay, okay, don't be angry, it just so happens that big brother has a headache and one towel can't dry it all! Let's think about what to eat tonight!"
As he spoke, he bumped Gu Zhifeng with his shoulder again and said helplessly, "Dad, what do you want to eat?"
Gu Zhifeng said unhappily: "Eat whatever you have!"
Gu Yuehuai was not angry, and said with a smile: "Brother, take a rest, I will cook."
"You do it?" Gu Tinghuai glanced at the empty grain bag. There were not many fine grains left, just some cornmeal, sorghum flour and bean flour. They always mixed them together and ate them, but they were afraid that Nannan would not be able to get used to it.
Gu Yuehuai followed his gaze and said, "I can do it."
She walked to the stove and looked at the braised pork and rice that were still warm in the pot. She pondered for a moment, then lit the fire and added water to continue heating it to save it for a dinner dish in the evening. She also made noodles by mixing bean flour and corn flour together.
The bean noodles are chewy, sticky and tough. They are delicious when tossed with the braised pork broth.
Four bowls of noodles were served on the table. Gu Zhifeng smelled the fragrant noodles and was about to cry. She wiped her eyes and said, "My daughter has grown up. She didn't even know how to make dough balls before, but now she makes noodles of even thickness and they are fragrant."
Gu Tinghuai said helplessly: "Dad, you always say these two sentences."
"What? Do you think your father is wrong? Do you think what Nannan cooks is not tasty enough?" Gu Zhifeng glanced at Gu Tinghuai, her eyes darting towards him like knives. If he dared to say yes, she would probably hit him with her fist.
Gu Yuehuai laughed: "I will always be a child with my dad."
Gu Zhifeng was stunned for a while, then nodded with satisfaction, but the moisture in her eyes became even more intense.
"I'll go call my second and third brothers." Gu Yuehuai didn't want to see his father crying, so he turned around and knocked on the door of the inner room: "Second and third brothers, the meal is ready!"
After saying that, she went to the stove to wash without waiting for the two to respond.
Seeing this, Gu Tinghuai asked in surprise: "Nannan, you only made four bowls of noodles?"
Gu Zhifeng curled her lips and said, "Four bowls? Are you not going to give it to the second child? Nannan is right! That brat should be hungry to let him know how powerful he is. Otherwise, who would be willing to marry him in the future with his horrible appearance?"
Gu Ruihuai was pulled out by Gu Xihuai. When he heard that Gu Yuehuai only cooked four bowls of rice, he sneered.
He knew that it was impossible for someone like Gu Yuehuai to really change. She would always find a chance to take revenge. So, she only made four bowls during dinner, just to make fun of him and embarrass him!
Gu Ruihuai thought so, clenched his fists, and looked gloomy.
Gu Xihuai frowned, and just as he was about to offer his bowl of rice to his second brother, he heard Gu Yuehuai finish cooking and said with a faint smile: "Second brother will definitely marry a virtuous and beautiful wife in the future."
"I want to lose weight, so I won't eat dinner."
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