Chapter 20 Chapter 20 (Update 1) He! Was! Wrong!
I had to remember a lot of rules and regulations, and my comrades teased me that I was too tight, but the result was still very good! Comrade Jiang accepted his invitation, and they will visit the small park again tomorrow afternoon, strolling around the lake and chatting.
Cheng Jin decided to consult again about the precautions for "boating on the lake" after returning!
Jiang Shuangshuang did not return empty-handed either.
In his hand were the snacks that Cheng Jin had brought with him but had not finished eating.
Each package was separated by oil paper, which prevented the smell from mixing and was easy to hold. I couldn't help but eat a lot on the way back. When I got home, only half a package of broad beans was left, so I handed it to the kid who was feeding the chickens in the yard.
Jiang Xiaozhou thought it was a reward for his hard work, so he took it with both hands and said, "Don't worry, sister, I will work hard!"
She pointed to a small broken pot beside her and said, "I also caught a lot of bugs to feed the chickens. I'll give them extra food every day. In two or three months, you'll be able to eat eggs every day!"
He hired someone to catch the bugs.
Labor is very cheap. A piece of cardboard candy can be broken into pieces no bigger than a sesame seed. Whoever helps catch the bugs can get a small piece. One piece of candy can fill a small pottery jar with bugs, enough to feed the lovely hens for seven or eight days!
"Keep it up!" Jiang Shuangshuang encouraged him. He said that he couldn't use repressive education. He should still praise and reward when necessary. He really couldn't use the stick education method anymore. He would have to behave himself even if he was not well behaved.
"Why are you back so late?" Xu Yingxia came out of the house and asked quickly, "I heard from Xiaozhou that you went out with the police? How is it going? Are you able to adapt?"
"Very capable." Jiang Shuangshuang exclaimed sincerely that this kind of paid and entertaining job is really suitable for her.
Have some fun from time to time and get paid at the end of the month.
Is there any job better than this?
"That's good." Xu Yingxia breathed a sigh of relief, and then she had the heart to ask, "Is it a disturbance at the slaughterhouse? I heard a few things while I was at work. They said that the mother-in-law was not happy with her daughter-in-law who came in?"
"Mom." Jiang Shuangshuang didn't answer but asked first, "Did you see Jiang Qing today?"
"No." Xu Yingxia shook her head, "But I met your aunt today, and she said that Jiang Qing should be getting married soon, and she discussed with me what gift to give her."
When her sister-in-law got married, she, as her sister-in-law, had to express her gratitude in some way.
There is nothing particular about this gift. If you have a good relationship with the person, you can give him/her something expensive. If you don’t have a good relationship with him/her, you can just pick anything.
Xu Yingxia was not too short of money now, and could afford to give her a pair of embroidered pillowcases for a few dollars.
But she was not willing to give it as a gift. She had already decided that she would give a pair of wooden chopsticks to Jiang Qing when he got married, wishing them a happy marriage.
"I'm afraid it won't work."
"Why?" Xu Yingxia was puzzled. "From what my sister-in-law said, even the old lady agreed, so why can't they get married?"
Jiang Shuangshuang suddenly exploded, "Today, Ma Jian married a worker from the slaughterhouse."
"Ah?!" Xu Yingxia's eyes widened suddenly. She had never thought of this possibility. "Yesterday Jiang Qing stayed at the Ma family, how come Ma Jian married someone else today? This is too bullying..."
As she spoke, she remembered something.
Didn’t the second sister-in-law say that Jiang Qing was shameless when she was mocking him earlier?
It turns out that Ma Jian really didn't like Jiang Qing, and it was Jiang Qing who was always trying to get him?
Jiang Shuangshuang found a place to sit down and shared with Xu's mother the fun she had seen before. She described it so vividly that it was as if she were there.
Xu Yingxia was also fascinated by what was being said, and would respond from time to time with “No way…”, “Is that so…”, “How is that possible…”
The mother and daughter were talking to each other and didn't notice that it was already time for dinner.
Jiang Xiaozhou felt that even if he interrupted, they would not necessarily pay attention to him, so he opened the cupboard to get some food, some cornmeal and some pickles, and then climbed through the window to the small corridor to get half a...
Unable to resist the temptation, he simply took one.
Today I had an incredibly delicious fish meal in the Public Security Bureau's small kitchen. Although Chef Cao used fresh fish, maybe he could try using dried fish and have the same success?
Just give it a try.
The young man still has the spirit of daring to try.
When the smell of fish wafted from the stove, the mother and daughter finally finished gossiping. Aunt Xu passed by outside and took a deep breath before calling out, "Xiao Zhou, you are getting more and more capable. They are all salted fish, but why is yours so fragrant?"
Jiang Xiaozhou puffed out his chest and raised his head, looking so proud.
He even pretended to give instructions, "When I have time, I will teach you."
Aunt Xu laughed a few times, "Okay, Auntie will wait."
Xu Yingxia also smelled the fragrance. She leaned over to take a look and said, "I didn't feel hungry before, but now I feel hungry. Why don't we ask Xiaozhou to get some more cornmeal so that we don't run out of food later?"
"No, I'm still full." Jiang Shuangshuang declined.
She was really full. In addition to some snacks, she had also had some glutinous rice balls in the cinema, which were particularly filling. Although they were a little cold, they tasted very good. They were also filled with some pickled mustard and dried meat.
The more I chewed, the more delicious it became. Before I knew it, I ate two in a row.
Each one is as big as an adult's fist.
She couldn't even figure out whether she was going to a movie or to have dinner.
"You went out to eat?" Xu Yingxia looked puzzled and couldn't help asking, "With the comrades from the Public Security Bureau?"
Jiang Shuangshuang hesitated for a moment, but decided that there was no need to hide it. "I'm going to the movies."
"Watch a movie?" Jiang Xiaozhou, who had just walked in and was about to call them to dinner, exclaimed.
The smug look on her still childish face instantly collapsed, "Ahhhhhhh, second sister, why didn't you take me with you to the movies!"
It’s a grievance, a grievance, a grievance.
If he had known earlier, he should have followed his second sister. He has never been to the new cinema to watch a movie.
Jiang Shuangshuang said "Oh" and continued to stimulate him, "Not only did I watch the movie, I also drank soda."
"Ahh——" Jiang Xiaozhou held his head and screamed.
He! Was! All! Wrong! What!?
Xu Yingxia pushed him in annoyance and said, "Go away, don't interrupt me. I'm talking to your second sister."
Jiang Shuangshuang confessed directly without her asking, "He's a nice guy. We plan to get along better. He packed the lunch box yesterday. Don't ask me anything else. I'll take care of it myself!"
"..." Xu Yingxia was silent. She opened her mouth but didn't know where to start.
He pushed her in annoyance and said, "You two siblings are getting more and more annoying as you get older."
Jiang Xiaozhou is like a dried up salted vegetable, this is totally out of control!
Next, the meal was served.
This meal should have been particularly delicious, and the mother and son should have been immersed in the embrace of delicious food.
But at this moment, the mother and son were not paying attention to the meal.
Jiang Xiaozhou was still thinking about the cinema. He had been to a cinema once when he was very young. His eldest sister saved money and took him and his second sister to the cinema. It was an open-air shed, and the characters appeared on the canvas, which was particularly interesting!
But later the cinema was rebuilt and he never went there again.
But other children had been to the family compound, and when he heard what they described, he looked disdainful, but in fact he was envious...
At this time, a pair of chopsticks picked up a piece of fish and placed it in his bowl. Jiang Xiaozhou listened to his second sister saying, "Go learn more from Master Cao. When your cooking skills improve, I will take you to the movies."
"real?!"
Jiang Shuangshuang nodded, "I lied to you that I was a puppy."
Jiang Xiaozhou's eyes lit up, his appetite suddenly increased, and he buried his head in eating.
Jiang Shuangshuang then served some food to Xu's mother. "Don't worry, I'll get to know him a few more times. If he's suitable, I'll bring him back for you to see. If he's not suitable, you don't have to bother him."
Although it is still a plus point status, it is not the right time yet.
"You..." Xu Yingxia snorted, and then said awkwardly: "You have a much stronger opinion than me, so I'll do as you say. If you think it's suitable, remember to bring it back to me as soon as possible."
Then he paused, and some words remained unsaid.
I planned to wait until Xiaozhou was not around and then give Shuangshuang some private instructions.
"I want to see it too!" Jiang Xiaozhou was also curious about his future brother-in-law. He didn't know if he was generous or not. Fengzi in their yard had a new brother-in-law last year, and he was particularly stingy! He was so stingy that he didn't even want to give him a piece of candy, and even took the candy from him when the adults weren't paying attention.
Jiang Shuangshuang thought, this kid has already met Comrade Cheng, and she didn't know if he would be surprised in the future.
"Oh, right." Xu Yingxia remembered something. "It's your uncle's birthday the day after tomorrow. I haven't been back for a long time. Why don't I go back and visit him on his birthday?"
"Uncle?" Jiang Shuangshuang raised his eyebrows.
She has never been to her uncle's house.
Mother Xu married into the city from the countryside. Her parents' home is two or three hours' drive away, and she has to go to the street office to get a letter of introduction, which is very troublesome.
We haven't had any contact in the past six months. The only memory I have is that two months ago, Xu's family asked someone to send two baskets of vegetables over.
Jiang Shuangshuang recalled the situation at her uncle's house, and suddenly seemed to remember something, "I remember there were a few mountains near the Changnan Production Brigade, right?"
"Yes, yes." Xu Yingxia also missed her hometown and recalled the past. "My mother used to go to the foot of the mountain from time to time, especially after rainy days. You could pick a lot of mushrooms there. They were especially fragrant when stewed in a pot with a little salt."
"Okay, I'll go with you the day after tomorrow!" Jiang Shuangshuang decided happily. She had been thinking about going to the mountains for a long time, but unfortunately there were no mountains nearby. If she wanted to go to a far place, she had to get a letter of introduction. What was more troublesome was that if she really wanted to get some prey, it would be difficult to bring it back from such a long distance.
It’s different at my uncle’s house.
The mountain is right next to the production team, so after getting the prey, I can clean it up at my uncle's house. It's perfect!
"You want to run to the mountains, right?" Xu Yingxia saw through her plan at a glance, but she didn't refuse. She even suggested, "If you want to go, go ahead. Then ask your uncle to invite Aunt Wu to go with you. It will be no problem with her around."
"Aunt Wu?"
"Have you forgotten?" Xu Yingxia thought for a moment, "Yes, you and your sister were still young at that time. Not long after your father passed away, Aunt Wu came here specially and brought a few pheasants and rabbits."
When talking about her hometown, Xu Yingxia couldn't help but say a few more words.
She had never left the production team in the first half of her life. If she had not met Lao Jiang once in the Dove Market and had not met him several times later by chance, she would not have been able to marry here.
She has been married for more than 20 years, and the number of times she goes back to her parents' home is getting less and less every year, especially after her parents passed away. There are only two brothers in the brigade. She gets along well with her younger brother and his wife, but the relationship with her older brother and his wife has long been strained.
It's outrageous.
After Old Jiang passed away, even the people in the old house had no objection to her taking over. However, her own brother and sister-in-law came to her house and said that the Jiang family must not let the job go to waste, and asked her to give the job to their nephew who had just come of age.
He said that only a nephew would remember his aunt's kindness. He would keep the job quota for Xiaozhou first and give it to Xiaozhou when he comes of age.
His own brother-in-law had just died, and he was already plotting against his own sister.
If she believes it, she'd be a fool.
She drove him away without any courtesy and had been treating him coldly for the past few years. After her parents left, even when she returned to the brigade, she only stayed at her younger brother's house and never set foot on the threshold of her eldest brother's house.
Xu Yingxia didn't want to tell her children about these bad things, so she picked up some interesting topics and said, "You don't know how powerful Aunt Wu is. Her father used to be a veteran hunter in the village. The father and daughter lived halfway up the mountain all year round and rarely interacted with the villagers at the foot of the mountain. Later..."
It must have been thirty years ago.
There were a few playful boys in the village who ran up the mountain to hunt when the adults were not paying attention. They shouted that they were going to catch prey, but they were almost eaten by a wild leopard.
Fortunately, Aunt Wu arrived in time and drove the wild leopard away with a wooden bow she made herself.
Xu Yingxia was full of admiration, and couldn't help but praise her after she finished speaking, "You don't know, she was only fifteen or sixteen years old at that time, but she was already very remarkable."
After saying that, he looked outside the door and whispered, "There was another famine, and every household had no food to eat. I was almost so hungry that I had to eat dirt. Later, Aunt Wu took a few men into the mountains. They were gone for several days. Just when we thought they couldn't come back, guess what happened?"
"Did they return with the game?"
"Yes." Xu Yingxia nodded. "I remember it very clearly. Aunt Wu led the way, carrying a wild boar cub. The men behind her either dragged or carried the boar. They had everything in their hands. Except for two elderly men who didn't survive the winter of that year, the others survived with the food."
Later I heard that the Changnan Production Brigade was the brigade with the fewest deaths among the surrounding brigades. In some brigades, every household had people starving to death, but their brigade was the only one that survived safely thanks to the food hunted by Aunt Wu.
It was only much later that the team learned that hunt was particularly dangerous. The main force depended on Aunt Wu, who was exhausted but still had to protect the others. No one knew how many scars she had on her body that time.
and……
She didn't know whether the rumor was groundless or not. Someone in the team mentioned guiltily that Mother Wu had been frostbitten during the winter hunting and was afraid that she would not be able to have children.
This fact cannot be verified because Mother Wu has never been married and her only daughter was a baby girl she picked up more than 20 years ago.
But no matter what, their entire team is indebted to Aunt Wu, and it is no exaggeration to say that she saved their lives.
This is why everyone in the Changnan Brigade, regardless of gender, age or status, calls her "Auntie Wu".
"I'm already looking forward to the day after tomorrow." Jiang Shuangshuang put one hand on her chin, "I must meet such a powerful person!"
"Of course you have to meet me. I didn't have enough money before, and I never brought any good gifts when I went back home. This time I have to plan to bring something back." Xu Yingxia was also looking forward to it.
When she was in the most difficult time, people still came from far away to bring her pheasants and rabbits. When it was her turn, although she did return home empty-handed every time, the things she brought back were not of much value.
Now that she has money in her pocket and confidence, she has to plan carefully. "Auntie Wu's daughter got married two years ago, and I don't know if she has given birth yet. How about I bring some brown sugar back? It just so happens that we have more than half a pound of brown sugar at home."
Brown sugar is definitely a hot commodity. Even if you haven’t given birth yet, drinking it on a daily basis can help nourish your body.
"Just take a can from the thank-you gift that Mr. Liu gave me." Jiang Shuangshuang was very generous. This was not only a return gift, she also wanted to go into the mountains with him.
It's not that I can't do it myself, but it's obvious that Aunt Wu is an expert in hunting and is particularly familiar with the mountains near them. It will definitely be much more convenient with her leading the way.
"...Okay." Xu Yingxia felt bad, but she agreed. "Your uncle won't take these. I'll see if I can exchange some food for it tomorrow. As long as there's food at home, there's nothing to worry about."
"I still have more than half a foot of cloth and cotton left from making the quilt, so I'll take it to my uncle." Jiang Shuangshuang could still remember the two baskets of green vegetables. Although they were a little wilted on the way over, it was obvious at first glance that they were of good quality leaves that had been specially picked.
"Okay, add two dried fish as a birthday present for your uncle." Xu Yingxia did the math.
After being married to the Jiang family for so many years, this is definitely the most generous gift she has ever brought back to her parents' home. It also makes her younger brother and his wife feel at ease. Her life is getting better and better now.
After making the plan to return to the production team, Jiang Shuangshuang did not go out for a walk the next day, but found Mr. Zhou who lived in the same courtyard.
Mr. Zhou is very skilled at his craft, as can be seen from the cock cage he made. Besides being easy to use, it is like a work of art in Jiang Shuangshuang's eyes.
So she came this time to ask for advice.
"Crossbow?" Mr. Zhou looked at the drawing in his hand. "Girl Jiang, why are you making this?"
Jiang Shuangshuang didn't hide it, "I plan to go to the production team tomorrow and take a walk in the mountains. If there is any harvest, you will get a little bit."
"Then I'll wait." If it were someone else, Mr. Zhou might not believe it, but from what he saw these days, the girl from the Jiang family seems to be quite capable. Although the Jiang family didn't tell anyone, who doesn't know that the smell of salted fish wafting through the compound comes from the small corridor behind the Jiang family's house?
He looked at the drawing carefully and said, "It doesn't look that difficult. Wait a minute, I'll get the tools and give it a try."
Jiang Shuangshuang nodded, she thought she could do it too.
The simplest crossbow can be made with a few toothpicks and leather ropes. The style she drew is more complicated, but the key parts are also detailed. All the parts are polished and then assembled together.
When she was little, she didn't like dolls or skipping ropes, she just loved playing with these things with the uncles in the same courtyard.
When she grew up, short videos on self-media became very popular, and this was one of the things she loved to watch.
It's just that there were more tools at that time than now, and it was more convenient and simpler to make the accessories by yourself. But it's not possible now, so she can only come to Mr. Zhou for help and use the simplest tools to polish the accessories one by one.
Jiang Shuangshuang chose a crossbow.
It is mainly composed of crossbow arms, crossbows, bowstrings and crossbow mechanisms.
Everything else is easy to deal with, but the bowstring is not something that can be made in one day. Grandpa Zhou looked at the leather rope in his hand, which was no different from the one tied on his granddaughter's head. He frowned and said, "Girl Jiang, isn't it a bit too sloppy to use a leather rope as a bowstring?"
"It's okay." Jiang Shuangshuang explained with a chuckle, "Just a few more will do. Although we can't shoot at long distances, we can still fire at closer distances."
The crossbow is only the size of two palms, and she doesn't use it mainly to shoot prey, but also to protect herself at critical moments. Once a close combat occurs, she also needs a weapon for self-protection to feel at ease.
"Okay then." Grandpa Zhou nodded, and without asking any more questions, he plane out the rough shapes of several parts, and then scraped them bit by bit with a medium-sized carving knife.
From early morning to noon, we have already completed half of the work.
Jiang Shuangshuang directly packed Zhou Daye's lunch, which was a crispy pastry with five or six pieces of steamed fish, and some spicy black beans in the middle of the pastry, which was particularly fragrant.
After eating three cakes bigger than his face, Mr. Zhou felt energetic. "Come on, let's do it all this afternoon and try to finish it by evening!"
"I won't accompany you this afternoon. I have an appointment to go boating on the lake, so I'll have to trouble you to do the work." Although Jiang Shuangshuang was the boss, he still brought a coolie with him, "I'll let Xiaozhou accompany you. If there's any hard work, you can leave it to him."
"What kind of trouble can this be? You can go out and do nothing. I can handle it by myself." Grandpa Zhou was not exaggerating. After all, he was an experienced craftsman. There were indeed some things he didn't quite understand at first, but after asking and thinking about it for a whole morning, he realized that there was generally no problem.
If there really is a problem, we can put the finished parts aside and wait for Miss Jiang to come back.
After making the arrangements, Jiang Shuangshuang went to the appointment.
We just had a meal at the cinema yesterday and neither of us talked much.
Could you please tell me more about today's lake cruise?
Comrade Cheng Jin also thought so. In order to avoid letting his words slip, he even consulted his comrades on some topics. Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing to keep quiet.
Of course, he doesn't think so.
As long as we are together, quietness is good.
But one of his comrades-in-arms, who was fired by his former partner because he was too quiet, stressed that you must not be a mute person. Even if you don't know what to say, you have to say something and give enough emotional value! You also have to find some interesting and funny topics to make the other person happy.
Cheng Jin thought this proposal was very good and adopted it directly.
It's just that he is a person with a cold temperament and few words. He never paid attention to the fact that he has to talk a lot when interacting with people. He may not even respond to one sentence out of ten sentences spoken by others.
Now, if we ask him to become the one looking for topics, he will inevitably be a little clueless.
He specifically asked his comrades to provide some topics, filled a notebook with them, and put a check mark on the ones he thought were feasible, and put a big cross on the ones he thought were not feasible.
I thought that having made all the preparations would make him more calm.
But when he saw Jiang Shuangshuang in the small park and walked around the lake for a while, it was not that he had nothing to say. Instead, he instinctively wanted to get to know her better, and he spoke a lot more often than before.
He also felt that it didn't matter if they didn't talk much, as occasionally looking at each other and smiling could make the atmosphere particularly good.
There was an old man fishing by the lake in front, and a little boy was digging in the mud next to him.
The old man's attention was not on the fishing rod, but he looked towards them from time to time.
Cheng Jin reminded the people around him, "Is this the grandfather whose child was abducted that day?"
Jiang Shuangshuang looked in the direction he was looking, nodded, and then raised his hand and called out to the people who were looking over at the lake: "Master Liu, how was your harvest today?"
This shout actually called the two grandparents over.
Mr. Liu first responded to her, "Yesterday I carried four pikes and walked three streets back home. I can't tell you how many people envied me along the way!"
Many people used to tease him, saying that he spent so much money and effort but ended up catching very few fish.
Well, it was a rare big harvest and he had to show off.
However, her attention was not on fishing at this time. Instead, she looked at the tall and strong man in front of her and asked uncertainly, "Is this the police officer who saved Xiao Maoer with you? Thank you so much. I went to the police station to ask about you and I didn't see your person..."
As he spoke, he pulled Xiao Mao'er to the front and said with great gratitude: "Come on, Xiao Mao'er, kowtow to your savior."
"..." Jiang Shuangshuang covered her forehead.
Why is this happening again?
Cheng Jin was quick and grabbed Xiao Mao'er over. "I appreciate your thanks. This is what I should do."
"Master Liu said that this matter is over, why do you keep bringing it up?" Jiang Shuangshuang really didn't want to stay any longer, so she made up an excuse and ran away. "We are planning to go to the pavilion in front, so we won't disturb you from fishing."
Only then did Mr. Liu realize that there was something wrong with the two young comrades in front of him. He seemed to have thought of something, and a strange smile appeared on his old face. "I understand, I understand, I understand!"
After all, he is an experienced person. Isn't this how everyone went through when they were young?
He looked the man up and down and whispered to Xiao Jiang, "Not bad, not bad. The master is waiting to prepare a dowry for you!"
"..." Jiang Shuangshuang laughed twice.
Grandpa Liu's voice was not loud, but Cheng Jin next to him still heard it clearly. His ears felt a little hot, and he rummaged in his pocket unnaturally, took out a few candies and stuffed them into Xiao Maoer's palm.
Xiao Mao'er's eyes sparkled, and he called out in a crisp voice, "Thank you, Brother-in-law Shuangshuang."
“…”
“…………”
Jiang Shuangshuang was afraid that she would be embarrassed if she stayed here any longer, so she quickly took her people and ran away, deciding not to come to Mr. Liu to fish for at least a week.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened afterwards.
They circled the lake in the small park twice, but neither of them paid much attention to the surrounding environment. When it was time to leave, Jiang Shuangshuang said, "I have to go back to the production team tomorrow. I'm afraid I'll have to stay for two or three days. When I come back, I'll have to go to work. I'm afraid we won't have much time to see each other in the future."
Cheng Jin immediately responded, "It's okay, I can arrange the time during your lunch break and after get off work."
He never thought that he needed Jiang Shuangshuang to adjust his schedule. He could also cooperate with her throughout the process and try his best to spend some time with her.
One of his comrades-in-arms, who was separated from his wife, knew nothing about anything he was asked. The last time he contacted his wife was half a year ago, and he even gave a few uncertain dates for his children's birthdays.
Cheng Jin immediately regarded him as a negative example and never adopted any of his opinions. He even wanted to learn from his mistakes and never make the same mistake again.
Before leaving, the two agreed to go to the state-owned hotel to celebrate at noon on the day Jiang Shuangshuang started work.
They also sent him to the entrance of the alley, and Jiang Shuangshuang waved goodbye to him and went home.
Although she was just strolling around the small park, it took her several hours. When she came back, Mr. Zhou had already polished all the parts and was waiting for her to come back to assemble them.
"Try it on. If the size doesn't fit, I can help you make changes."
Assembly was not a big problem for Jiang Shuangshuang, and he even seemed very skilled. Before Mr. Zhou could even see the crossbow clearly, Jiang Shuangshuang had assembled it and was holding it in his hand.
She held it in one hand, aimed at a small tree in front of her, and shot.
With a whoosh, the arrow shot out and pierced into the tree.
"Hey, it really works!" Mr. Zhou laughed happily. Actually, he was confident at first, but he was still excited when he saw it with his own eyes.
He rubbed his hands and said, "Then I'll wait at home for you to collect the big money and give me a little bit of it?"
"Just wait." Jiang Shuangshuang was in a good mood.
In fact, the accuracy was still a little off. The place where the arrow landed was a few centimeters away from where she was aiming.
But I can understand it.
After all, the material is of poor quality, and it is already very good to have such an effect.
After thanking Grandpa Zhou for drawing a big cake, she took the crossbow and went home. Just then, Xu Yingxia came back with a basket. She whispered, "I was lucky. I got ten kilograms of corn flour, eight kilograms of sorghum flour, and three kilograms of soybeans."
She opened the bag, grabbed a handful of soybeans and looked at them: "These beans are full. When the time comes, let your aunt make fermented bean curd. She makes the best bean curd in the whole brigade. It's full of spicy flavor."
Although she had exchanged so much food, she did not plan to bring so much with her. Apart from taking the soybeans for her sister-in-law to make fermented bean curd, she only planned to bring about five pounds of corn flour and sorghum flour.
"Make more!" Jiang Shuangshuang really wanted to eat this, "It goes really well with rice."
"That's enough. One pound of soybeans can make two pounds of fermented tofu." Xu Yingxia said, "Let her make it first. We can go back during the Chinese New Year and eat it. We can add some oil and chili to seal it when we get home. It will be more fragrant in a week or two."
While talking, she had already started packing her things for tomorrow's trip.
There were also food, cloth, and cotton, two dried fish wrapped in oil paper and put in a basket, and a jar of brown sugar for Mother Wu.
A jar of brown sugar weighs more than two or three kilograms, which is considered a heavy gift, but it still needs to be given. On the one hand, it is to repay the favor in the past, and on the other hand, it will definitely cause her a lot of trouble this time when we go back together.
But she felt more at ease with Aunt Wu leading her into the mountains.
As they were talking, Auntie Xu came over and knocked on the door. After making sure there was a response from inside, she walked in with a small bag in her hand. "I heard you were exchanging food? I have two kilograms of white flour here. How about exchanging it with you for some dried fish?"
"Change!" Jiang Shuangshuang agreed without hesitation.
"That's fine." Aunt Xu grinned, "The fish cooked by your Xiaozhou these past two days is particularly delicious. I was thinking of exchanging some for him to teach me. The kids at home have been thinking about it for a long time."
"That's easy. Just ask him when he comes back." Xu Yingxia went to the back to get some fish pieces. She didn't want to let him down by charging a little more than the market price for that small piece.
Auntie Xu took the things but did not leave. Instead, she found a chair and sat down, looking like she wanted to gossip. "I heard that your Jiang Qing was hospitalized?"
Xu Yingxia was speechless. She didn't go to the old house, but the land they lived in belonged to the family area of the textile factory. When she was at work, someone came to her to inquire about her curiously. "Not only Jiang Qing was hospitalized, but even the old lady was hospitalized because of anger."
When the news of Ma Jian's marriage spread, it was like a thunderclap, shocking everyone in the family.
Things got so bad that even the old lady compromised and agreed to let Jiang Qing marry into the Ma family.
But now that this has happened, it will be really difficult for Jiang Qing to find someone to marry in the future.
Apparently, Auntie Xu hadn't followed up in real time, and didn't care if it was abrupt or not, so she started asking with her eyes shining, "Why is your old lady in the hospital too?"
"I'm still angry about those things." Xu Yingxia really didn't want to talk. She said tactfully, "I'm packing my things and planning to leave tomorrow morning. How about I chat with you when I get back?"
"Okay then..." Aunt Xu felt a little regretful.
But he was not the kind of person who would shamelessly refuse to leave. He even said, "Just have fun when you go back. My son has entrusted our two chickens, Xiaozhou, to us, so we must take good care of them."
After hearing this, Xu Yingxia finally remembered what she had forgotten.
After all, the chickens at home were all taken care of by Xiaozhou, and she never spent any energy to take care of them. This time when she went out, she actually forgot to take care of the hens. She laughed twice, "It seems that this boy has really grown up, and is more thoughtful than I thought."
"Is that so? Children will indeed become sensible when they grow up, and it's time for you to enjoy your life." Aunt Xu didn't say anything more when she saw that she had something to do, and left.
As soon as the others left, Xu Yingxia quickly ordered, "Hurry up and pack your things. We have to catch the bus early tomorrow morning. Let's not get involved in the mess at the old house."
What she just said was true.
Not only did Jiang Qing live in the courtyard, but the old lady also moved in. Together with the second sister-in-law who had her head broken, there were three people living in the old house in total.
If you mix too much, you might end up with bad luck.
She also heard that even though he needed to be hospitalized, it wasn't a big deal.
Jiang Qing looked half dead. After a thorough examination, nothing was wrong with him. However, he just lay in bed without saying a word, looking heartbroken.
The old lady was so angry that she wanted to go to the motor factory to find trouble with the Ma family. However, old lady Ma was not there, but there were a few tall and strong people from the Li family. Seeing that she could not get anything out of her situation, she returned in disgrace and got so angry that she ended up in the hospital.
To put it bluntly, this was all their own fault and she doesn't feel sorry at all.
Besides, the old lady is in the hospital, and she might be asked to take care of her. If it were in the past, she might actually go.
But when she thought about what the two siblings had said before, she was very angry about the old house. She could tolerate not scolding them, let alone asking them to take care of it.
It’s better to get away early to avoid getting angry.
…
So they got up at around five o'clock the next day, and the three of them went to the bus station carrying large and small bags.
It is particularly inconvenient to go to Changnan Production Brigade.
First they had to go to the bus station and take a three-hour bus, then walk five or six kilometers to the east. If they were lucky, they could catch a passing ox cart, but if they were unlucky, they had to walk all the way by themselves.
But this time they were really lucky.
Xu Yingxia happened to meet an acquaintance at the place where she got off the bus. She didn't recognize them at first, but the other person saw them first and greeted them, "I thought I was seeing things. You didn't even mention going to the commune to make a phone call. Shuisheng can come and pick you up."
"It's even more troublesome to make a phone call." Xu Yingxia forced a smile on her face, introduced her children and asked, "Uncle, why are you here?"
Xu Guodong sighed, "A few days ago, I heard from the people in the neighboring brigade that they could get some outsourced manual work here, so I came here to ask if it would be helpful to increase the income for the villagers."
It’s a pity that it’s in vain to come here.
I rushed over early in the morning, and after wandering around for a long time, I couldn't find a way out.
He waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Get on the bullock cart and I'll take you back."
With the ox cart leading the way, the three of them felt much more relaxed.
Xu Yingxia sat in the front, and kept asking the team leader about her younger brothers and the team's situation. She had not been back for almost a year, and even if she came back in the past, she did not stay long. Each time she sat for several hours, she would rush back before nightfall.
"It's not easy these days." Xu Guodong frowned, "The crops we planted this year don't look as good as last year. We..."
He seemed to have thought of something and changed his words: "But don't worry, even if life is not easy, it is still much better than when you were a child. You can't eat enough, but you won't starve to death. Just stay in the city and rest assured. The team is doing well."
"That's fine." Xu Yingxia sighed inwardly.
She didn't understand that the captain was trying to comfort her, but she couldn't do anything to help her. She could only ask about the situation at her younger brother's house.
"I almost forgot." Xu Guodong suddenly laughed twice. "You came at a good time. Your nephew's girlfriend's family is visiting today. You may be able to meet them when you go back."
"Miss Xu Moxiang?"
"It's not Xu Mo, it's his brother Xu Tan."
Xu Yingxia was a little puzzled. "Isn't Xu Mo still unmarried? Why is it Xu Tan's turn first?"
Her younger brother's family conditions are not very good.
My parents on my mother's side were also biased people. When the family property was divided, most of the belongings were given to my eldest brother's family. My younger brother and his wife just took their belongings and moved into a shabby house at the foot of the mountain.
At the beginning, there was really no shelter from the wind and rain. Fortunately, the couple were capable people. After a few years, they repaired the house and even fenced off a small piece of land outside as a yard, which was not bad.
But there were too many things to add to the family property, and she had never saved any money. Her eldest nephew Xu Mo must be twenty-three or twenty-four years old now, and he still hasn't found a wife.
Xu Tan is two years younger and is only about 21 years old now.
Xu Yingxia never imagined that the first person to find a wife would be her little nephew.
"Why else? Xu Tan is a smart kid." Xu Guodong said with a smile, "Your younger brother sent him to school to learn calligraphy for a few years. He didn't learn much, but he found a date for himself in school. If the other party's family hadn't wanted to arrange a blind date for their daughter, they wouldn't have known that their daughter had been dating someone for several years."
"..."Xu Yingxia was stunned when she heard this. If it were her daughter, she would beat the boy to death!
She felt that she had returned at a really bad time. She hoped that they wouldn't start a fight as soon as they got home.
She was very nervous all the way, thinking of countless words of persuasion to stop the fight. Even after they entered the intersection of the big team, she pulled Shuangshuang and whispered, "Be gentle when you try to stop the fight. Who knows, you might be relatives in the future. Don't hurt anyone."
But Xu Yingxia's worries were in vain.
When the three of them stood outside the yard, they could hear hearty laughter coming from the house from time to time.
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