Chapter 19 Chapter 19 The fighting power of the aunts is comparable to that of an atomic bomb...
Fu Mingze was slightly startled, and subconsciously glanced at his arm. Shen Moer actually pulled it a little and then let it go, but Fu Mingze always felt that there seemed to be a warm and soft touch on his arm. He was stunned for a moment and said, "There are not many mushrooms and wild vegetables. You can leave them there."
He thought Shen Moer was talking about the mushrooms and wild vegetables he picked.
Chen Moer half-closed the door, took out three dying rabbits and wild ginseng from the bamboo basket, and poured the mushrooms and wild vegetables at the bottom into the bamboo basket. Then she said one by one:
"I'll ask my dad to take the wild ginseng to the purchasing station when he goes to the commune tomorrow to sell it, and we'll split the money. There are still three rabbits, we'll split them half as well. I'm not going to sell this one, I'm going to braise half of it myself, and make the other into jerky to eat as much as I can. Or you can keep half and I'll braise it for you as well? And these wild vegetables and mushrooms, I'll give you more mushrooms, we can keep them after drying them, and you can give me more wild vegetables, there are more of you educated youth, you can eat more while they're fresh and tender."
Shen Moer looked up at Fu Mingze and asked, "Do you think this is okay?"
Fu Mingze didn't expect that she would split everything with him in half. He was shocked and said, "You caught the rabbit, and you also found the wild ginseng. It has nothing to do with me. You don't have to share it with me."
After thinking for a while, he said, "Why don't I take some wild vegetables back."
Comrade Shen Moer was probably embarrassed to not share anything with him. Fu Mingze thought that there were only two of them in her family, father and daughter, and wild vegetables were the most difficult to store among all these things, so he took the initiative to choose wild vegetables.
Shen Moer couldn't help but laugh when she heard him say that.
Fu Zhiqing looked lonely, but he was actually a very nice person. He was so poor that his clothes were covered with patches, and he could only earn two eggs by writing letters to buy a few buns to satisfy his hunger. However, when faced with these things that could obviously be exchanged for a lot of money, he was not greedy at all.
However, it would not work if he didn't want anything.
Although Shen Moer believed in Fu Mingze's character, she still understood that everyone who saw it should have a share. Otherwise, she would not be able to eat meat with peace of mind, right?
"We found the things together. How can I dare to take them if you don't share any of them?" Shen Moer said directly.
Fu Mingze understood what she said, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he also understood. These days, everything on the mountain is collective, and if he didn't take anything that two people found together, people would really worry that he would report it.
In this day and age when even blood relatives can report on each other, it is completely normal to have such concerns.
Fu Mingze thought about it and compromised, saying, "Then I'll take a rabbit and some wild vegetables. You caught the rabbit, so you should get more. You don't have to give me the rest."
He said seriously: "I won't go out and say anything nonsense."
Shen Moer estimated that he would not want more, so she simply nodded: “Okay, then let’s not talk about anything else, I’ll cook the rabbit and give you half of it.”
Fu Mingze couldn't refuse any longer and had to agree. After a slight hesitation, he asked Shen Moli if she could help him burn the other rabbit as well.
One rabbit is roasted, two rabbits are roasted, what's wrong with that? However, Shen Moer still suggested that we do the same as her, roast half of the rabbit and make one into jerky. The roasted one can be eaten today, and the jerky can be kept for later consumption.
In fact, Shen Moer was a little curious. Why didn't Fu Zhiqing use the rabbit to exchange for some money? He could save up some money and buy a new pair of shoes. The shoes on his feet were so patched up that they were in a mess.
But think about it, these days when we can’t even get enough food to eat, clothes and shoes are really not that important, as long as we can wear them, that’s enough.
What Shen Moer didn't know was that Fu Mingze was also wondering why she had never thought of exchanging the rabbit for money. After all, her family was very poor. Even if she got back 300 yuan, she would not have much left after building a big brick and tile house and adding the bathroom she wanted. Moreover, the family was penniless, so it would cost a lot to buy more things.
But think about it, she fainted on the ground due to hunger before, maybe her desire for food was much greater than money.
The two of them, coincidentally, found excuses for the other person's poverty in their eyes.
After the deal was settled, Fu Mingze originally wanted to help Shen Moer clean the rabbit, but then he found that she was very good at using a kitchen knife and was very skilled at killing rabbits. He could never compare to her, so he borrowed a basket and took some wild vegetables away.
At noon, the old ladies who had gone up the mountain together with their children went to Aunt Chen's house. Everyone was not empty-handed, each holding a bowl of rice and some vegetables grown by themselves.
It is not uncommon to see rural people walking around with their rice bowls in their hands after eating. Some who like to join in the fun can even walk around the entire village with a bowl of rice in their hands.
No matter how carefree Shen Moer was, she was still a princess who had received more than ten years of royal education. She still had some psychological obstacles when she was asked to carry her rice bowl and walk across half the village to Aunt Chen's house for a meal.
Fortunately, her father got some flour from somewhere a few days ago. It was not the fine flour she used to eat, but a coarse flour mixed with bran. However, even this poor quality flour called 95 flour was hard to come by in those days.
Chen Moer scooped a little flour, added water and made a very thin paste, then cut the tender pumpkin that the aunties had given her but had not eaten into thin strips and stirred it into the paste. Then she used a little fat cut from the processed rabbit to boil a little oil, added scallion to remove the fishy smell, and spread the paste made by stirring the pumpkin strips into the pot with a spatula, and made six palm-sized pancakes.
It’s almost done when both sides are golden brown.
After taking the food out of the pot, Shen Moer tore off a little bit and tasted it. The aroma of flour wrapped in the sweetness of pumpkin tasted pretty good.
Chen Moer took a bowl and put the cake in it, then chopped a rabbit and put it into the pot, added onion slices, ginger slices, star anise, cinnamon, and peppercorns, and then added soy sauce and cooking wine. After boiling over high heat, she removed two pieces of firewood, leaving only one particularly thick piece of firewood in the stove hole to simmer over low heat.
Fortunately, her father went to the kiln factory, and the section chief Xu Weiguo treated her father well. As long as he did his job well, he would basically do whatever he asked for within his ability. Her father was not shy to ask for help, and within a few days he got a lot of money from Xu Weiguo, and bought some soy sauce, vinegar, aniseed, and peppercorns. Finally, the dishes he cooked were no longer bland and only had a little salt.
The cooking wine was not bought. It was called cooking wine, but it was actually the daughter's red wine stored in the treasure house. It was aged for nearly twenty years, and Chen Moer put some of it in a small jar to use as cooking wine.
It sounds like a waste of resources, but there is no other way because wine is too difficult to buy.
Leaving the pot burning, Shen Moer put the bowl of pumpkin pie into a straw basket, locked the door and walked towards Aunt Chen's house.
There was only one bamboo basket in the house, and the basket was borrowed by Fu Mingze. She couldn't carry the cakes in the bamboo basket to Aunt Chen's house.
Fortunately, the original owner's father knew how to weave baskets. Without bamboo, he made a few small baskets out of straw. The original owner often used these small baskets to bring food to her father, so it was no problem to carry some food. Shen Moer came a little late because she had to pick up the rabbits. Unexpectedly, she ran into Fu Mingze at the door.
Fu Mingze was also holding a basket in her hand, um, her family's basket. There was a bowl in the basket with half a bowl of porridge in it. I guess this is what they ate at noon at the educated youth center.
With the experience of eavesdropping, catching rabbits, and digging wild ginseng together, Fu Mingze naturally couldn't ignore Shen Moer anymore. He took the initiative to greet her: "Comrade Shen Moer."
Shen Moer paused and motioned Fu Mingze to come closer. Fu Mingze was a little confused, but still walked closer. Shen Moer lifted a piece of vegetable leaf that she had covered the bowl, wrapped two pumpkin cakes with the leaf and put them in Fu Mingze's basket.
"It's made of pumpkin. Try it and see if it tastes good."
Her movements and tone were extremely natural, as if what she gave were not two pieces of cake but two handfuls of worthless grass. Fu Mingze wanted to refuse but didn't know how to start.
Just as they hesitated, Aunt Cai came over with her grandson Dazhuang.
Aunt Cai: "Mo'er, Fu Zhiqing, why are you standing at the door? You are too embarrassed to come to our house for dinner, right? Hey, what's the big deal? Don't say that you made that thing. Even if you didn't, don't be polite when Lao Chen calls you."
She is an old sparrow in Dongting Lake. She would never mention the rabbit outside. She would only talk about that thing. Everyone knows it.
Aunt Cai said with a smile: "Your Aunt Chen's private plot is well taken care of. You can't afford the grain, and you can't afford the vegetables? Come on, let's go in quickly."
Da Zhuang also slurped his saliva: "Let's go, Sister Mo'er, Fu Zhiqing, let's go!"
You can smell the fragrance even when standing at the door.
Meat!
This is eating meat!
If you are not positive about eating meat, there is something wrong with your thinking.
As the grandparents talked, they swooshed in. Shen Moer quickly followed. Fu Mingze looked at the vegetable leaves wrapped in the pancakes in the basket and had no choice but to follow as well.
Aunt Chen is not only a warm-hearted person, she is also a particular person. Normally, when the rabbit is cooked at her house, the rest of her family should be able to have a bite, but after everyone gathered, she directly distributed the meat to everyone using a large enamel pot, only giving it to those who went up the mountain with her in the morning, and not giving any meat to the rest of her family.
There were still a few extra pieces at the end, and she wanted to share them with Shen Moer and Fu Mingze, who had contributed the most. However, after being persuaded by them, she gave the pieces of meat to her children who had not gone up the mountain with her.
However, although the other people in her family did not eat meat, they were quite satisfied after eating potatoes and mushrooms stewed with the rabbit meat.
Normally when we cook potatoes and stir-fry mushrooms, there is hardly any oil at all. But when stewed with rabbit, it not only has the flavor of meat, but is also shiny with oil. It is a rare and delicious dish.
There were too many people and it didn't matter where to sit. Everyone just had a bowl and squatted anywhere to eat.
The aunties were not the kind of people who didn't care about details. They remembered the people who dug the well when they drank water, and praised Shen Moli and Fu Mingze when they ate meat.
Praise them for being clever. Rabbits run very fast. Normally, it is difficult to find them even if you encounter one. It is very impressive if you can catch one.
Praise them for being generous. They were the ones who caught the rabbit. They were not with anyone else at that time. If they didn't want others to know, they could have just put the rabbit in the bamboo basket. Now everyone can eat it together. Isn't that generous?
The children also chattered and said nice things. How could they not say nice things? These were the two people who took them to eat meat!
These children were not familiar with Shen Moli and Fu Mingze at first, which was normal. After all, they had hardly any contact with other people except when they went to work. Moreover, both of them looked difficult to approach, so even if the children met them on the street, they would not dare to talk to them.
It’s different now. In the eyes of these kids, they are super, super powerful people who can catch rabbits in the mountains and take them to eat meat.
The children all looked at Shen Moer and Fu Mingze with admiration.
Shen Moer was okay. She was really good at catching rabbits, and it was normal for the children to admire her.
Fu Mingze felt a little ashamed. After all, he didn't catch the rabbit. He didn't even touch the rabbit's fur.
Fortunately, he never showed any expression, so others could hardly notice his embarrassment.
"Just eat the meat, and don't tell anyone about it when you go out," Aunt Chen reminded them, stressing on her children. "If anyone asks, just tell them that we cooked mushrooms picked from the mountains."
She didn't mention other children, but several aunts immediately understood what she meant and warned their own children.
The children naturally understood that these days every family would secretly get some delicious food, such as catching a fish from the stream or a bird from a tree. Whenever they secretly ate something delicious, they would wipe their mouths clean before going out, let alone run outside and make a fuss.
Although each person didn't get much meat, there were a lot of potatoes and mushrooms in the meat, so everyone was still very satisfied with the meal.
What's more, even when Zhou Mancang called the whole village to the threshing ground for a meeting in the evening, some people were still reminiscing about the "big meal" they had at noon.
Zhou Mancang called everyone together, naturally, to talk about the soap being lost at the educated youth site and the fact that Shen Laoqi's house was broken into.
"Our Yangliu Brigade is one of the best brigades in the entire Liuqiao Commune, and the atmosphere has always been very good. Even during those three difficult years, some brigades sold their children in disguise, some brigades fought to the death for food, or robbed and stole, but our Yangliu Brigade never had these things!"
Zhou Mancang's face was as gloomy as water. His stern eyes swept over every member present, and his voice was filled with obvious anger: "I think life has been better in the past two years. People can eat more or less and not go hungry. But some people have started to make trouble. I'm going to say this today. No matter if you are an educated youth or a member of the commune, no matter if you are thinking about other people's soap or something else, from now on, I advise those who have evil intentions to put their thoughts back!"
He said coldly: "Otherwise, if the team finds any clues, we will immediately report to the police and have them arrested and put in jail!"
The incident of soap being lost at the educated youth's point had been circulating in the village for a while, and most people knew about it. However, except for Zhou Mancang, everyone else heard about the break-in at Shen Laoqi's house for the first time.
Zhou Mancang was speaking at the top, and many people were whispering below.
It is easy to imagine that the soap was thrown at the educated youth point by the educated youth themselves.
Breaking into Shen Laoqi's house was a different matter. Many people thought that this was not the same as stealing some soap. The educated youth might not have such courage. This was most likely done by the members of the commune.
This is very bad.
If someone dares to pry open the door of Shen Laoqi's house today, he might dare to pry open the door of someone else's house tomorrow. This matter concerns the safety of life and property of all members.
If there are bad elements like this among their members, everyone could become a victim.
The captain is right. There has never been such a thing in their team before. This bad guy is hiding very deeply. Who knows, maybe he is right next to them?
Looking around, they couldn't help but look suspiciously at the people around them.
Aunt Chen stood with Shen Moer and couldn't help but patted Shen Moer: "Oh, kid, such a big thing happened, why didn't you say anything? Did you see that person last night? You were scared, right?"
Shen Moer nodded: "I vaguely saw a little bit, a tall and thin man."
The members who were eavesdropping nearby looked at each other, and the short men immediately straightened their chests.
Did you hear that? He’s a tall and thin guy, and has nothing to do with those short ones!
It's rare that I feel proud of my short stature.
Aunt Chen spat and cursed, "I don't know which bastard is so shameless. Nowadays, although everyone is not rich, at least they are not starving to death. How can they do such a shameless thing!"
She patted Shen Moer soothingly again: "You are different. You fainted from hunger last time because some people are not human. Oh, you are such a child, you have suffered so much. None of your relatives are good, and there are those ruthless people who are watching your family in the dark. But it's okay, Moer, don't be afraid. Look, the captain is arranging militia patrols, right? I will go with you and talk to Qingguo later, and let the patrol team go around your home more often."
The militia captain is Zhou Qingguo.
Shen Moer knew that Aunt Chen really cared about her and was sincerely planning for her, and she couldn't help but feel warm in her heart, and she nodded with a smile.
"Tsk, even a three-year-old child knows that one shouldn't show off one's wealth. It's just that the poor man who suddenly became rich is showing off and attracting attention. Really, there's no point in causing trouble for the militia." Someone said sarcastically.
Shen Moer turned her head and took a look.
Oh, it’s Cao Mei.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes and heard what she said, Shen Moer almost thought it was her eldest aunt Liu Huihua or second aunt Tian Fang. After all, the money was provided by these two families.
I can only say that it is Cao Mei as expected. She is really brainless. She jumps out to stir up hatred for something that has nothing to do with her.
Shen Moer was too lazy to pay attention to her. She was afraid that she would become stupid if she said one more word to such a brainless person.
If she doesn't speak, others will.
Since Aunt Chen was here, the other aunts who were on good terms with her naturally stood not far away. They had just eaten meat together at noon, and they certainly couldn't just stand by and watch Cao Mei bully Shen Moli.
"Cao Mei, you are really a dog trying to catch a mouse. What do you have to do with this? The money was given by the first and second wives. If anyone is jealous, it should be the first and second wives. Besides, they are not losing out by paying 300 yuan for two big blue brick and tile houses, so there is nothing to be jealous about."
"Who says it's not true? At least it's true that the first and second houses have lived here for so many years. If we rent it, it must be quite a lot, right? You brothers and sisters-in-law have taken advantage of Old Seven Shen for so many years. When he was young, he helped you guys chop firewood every day. You don't remember his kindness, but you can't just bully him and his daughter like this, right?"
"There's a thief who broke into the team, which means someone has evil intentions and wants to get something for nothing. You're still mad at Mo'er, the poor victim. Just because you have a little money at home, you deserve to be targeted and robbed, right? Then there are so many people in our team who deserve to be robbed. Take your family for example. Your third son Shen and your son Shen Jianhui have earned a lot of work points by helping to repair the reservoir, which can be exchanged for a lot of money. Don't you deserve to be targeted by thieves?!"
"You are awesome. The militia is supposed to be trained to patrol. There was a thief in the brigade, so what's wrong with them strengthening patrols? How can it be considered a nuisance?"
…
The aunties’ fighting power was comparable to that of an atomic bomb, and they immediately silenced Cao Mei.
There was no way. Two fists were no match for four hands. She couldn't win with one mouth. Cao Mei was so angry that her face turned red. She could only glare at her daughter-in-law Zhang Guiqin and youngest daughter Shen Chunfen. These two useless things didn't even know how to help out.
Shen Chunfen shrank her shoulders. She didn't dare to raise her head. These were the most powerful old ladies in the village. If her mother couldn't win the argument, then she would be even less likely to win.
Zhang Guiqin is not as simple-minded as Cao Mei. She is a smart person. Seeing so many people speaking for Shen Moli, she is not willing to interrupt.
Anyway, it's her mother-in-law who is embarrassed, not her.
It wasn't the first time that her mother-in-law had embarrassed herself. She'd get used to it after a while.
Zhang Guiqin pretended not to hear anything, but she was secretly wondering why Shen Moli suddenly became so popular and why so many people were defending her?
After arranging the militia patrol, Zhou Mancang gave a few serious instructions, asking the members to supervise each other and report any clues to the brigade in a timely manner, and then announced the adjournment of the meeting.
Shen Moer walked with a group of old ladies, and many people in the village cast their eyes on her. After all, Shen Shaoyuan was not there, and there was only Shen Moer, the victim, so everyone couldn't help but look at her curiously.
However, many people have the same doubts as Zhang Guiqin.
Wasn't Shen Laoqi's daughter originally not very friendly with anyone? When did she become so close to this group of old ladies?
"Mo'er."
Someone called out from behind. Shen Moer stopped in her tracks, turned around and saw it was Tian Fang. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly. It was really strange that Tian Fang took the initiative to look for her.
Tian Fang came over and sighed, looking very worried. She said, "That thief was so abominable. How could he be so bold as to break into the door? Fortunately, you were alert, otherwise, I really don't know what would have happened."
Shen Moer couldn't guess what she wanted to do, so she nodded and waited and watched.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Tian Fang could only continue, "It's not really safe for just you and your daughter to live there. If anything happens, you won't be able to call for help."
She said earnestly, "Mo'er, you are not young anymore. Actually, building a house is not the most important thing. Finding an in-law family is the most important thing. When you marry into an in-law family, you will have your husband to protect you and your in-laws to look after you. Which little thief would dare to target you? Don't think it's bad to leave your father here alone. Doesn't your father work in the commune? It's troublesome to go back and forth every day. It's better to rent a house in the commune and live there. Don't you think so? He has his own salary. You can visit him occasionally, which is considered filial piety. It's good for both you and him."
"Don't think I'm up to something bad. I'm just being considerate of you."
Aunt Chen listened from the side and felt that what Tian Fang said made a lot of sense. It was very difficult to find a son-in-law these days. It would be a shame if she found a heartless man who would ruin the family. Shen Moer would have a hard life in the future. It would be better for her to find someone to marry and then find a way to settle Shen Laoqi.
After all, Mr. Shen has only one daughter, and he can earn money. Any son-in-law with a clear mind will not ignore him.
She patted Shen Moer's hand: "Your second aunt is right. It's difficult to recruit a son-in-law. It's easier to find a husband's family. As long as the man has good character, you won't have to worry about him not taking care of your father in his old age. Leave this matter to me. I will help you find one later..."
Seeing that Aunt Chen also said that it was not safe to recruit a son-in-law, Tian Fang smiled. However, when she heard Aunt Chen was going to take charge of Shen Moer's search for a partner, Tian Fang interrupted her and said, "Sister-in-law, you don't need to bother with this matter. Ever since Moer said she wanted to recruit a son-in-law, I have been worried about her day and night. I have been thinking about this matter for a while. I have asked around for people of similar age in several nearby brigades. Now, after careful selection, I finally chose one."
Aunt Chen didn't expect that Tian Fang had already chosen the person. She was stunned for a moment: "You have already chosen the person?"
Tian Fang smiled and said, "Yes, he is a very good guy. He has already come here."
Aunt Chen was even more surprised, her voice even higher: "Everyone is here already?!"
Tian Fang nodded: "This young man has a very good family background, personality and appearance. Young men with such good conditions are very popular. If you don't hurry up and meet him, someone else might take him away. Don't you have to hurry up?"
Aunt Chen felt that what Tian Fang said made sense, but she still found it weird. How could the woman bring the man here without knowing anything?
Tian Fang urged: "Moer, let's go, he is waiting at the entrance of the village."
She was not afraid that Shen Moer or Shen Shaoyuan would cause trouble for her because of this matter. She had made it clear that she was considering both of them, father and daughter. A girl should get married when she grows up. It couldn't be said that it was wrong for her, as an aunt, to help worry about and help find a partner, right?
Shen Moer watched Tian Fang perform a good show with cold eyes, and then she said indifferently: "Second aunt, this so-called best young man, what kind of relative is he to you?"
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