Chapter 9 After the Little New Year, in six days it will be...
After the Little New Year, the real New Year will come in six days. This period can be said to be the busiest and most lively time in the countryside.
Chen Pan's pig hasn't been slaughtered yet. The house has been swept, but the windows haven't been cleaned. They've made fried dough sticks and fried meatballs, but not twisted dough sticks or fried dough sticks. Before the actual Lunar New Year, they still have to make a lot of flower rolls and steamed buns. Flower rolls, like twisted dough sticks and fried dough sticks, are placed on the table for guests to enjoy, while steamed buns are mostly used by priests for burning incense. There's also laundry, sheets, and curtains. In rural Longcheng, everyone washes and wipes everything they can before the Lunar New Year. They say they want to celebrate the New Year in a clean and tidy manner, but of course, they also clean up to entertain and show off to relatives.
"They've finally come to your house, you can't let them sleep with a dirty quilt and pillow, right? If the windows aren't clean and the curtains are filthy, people will blame you for the rest of their lives. By the way, Panpan, bring the sofa covers and TV covers over later. Since you're going to wash everything, why not wash everything first? And take off my apron and sleeves, and all the other things on your bed."
"good!"
The weather is not good today, and the wind outside is biting cold.
But even so, Grandma Chen started cleaning up as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning.
It was too cold outside, so she put a stool with a backrest next to the stove in the bedroom, and then put a large washtub on it and started washing.
In rural areas, such a large-scale washing is a big deal.
At this moment, Grandpa Chen Pan was lighting a fire in the kitchen, planning to boil water in a large pot to provide more hot water.
Chen Pan followed his grandmother's instructions and quickly removed the sheets and curtains in every room.
After taking out all the things that grandma asked to be washed and placing them next to her, Chen Pan went back to bed and cleaned the windows.
When he saw his grandmother had finished washing clothes, Chen Pan immediately took the laundry tub at home and put all the washed clothes in it. When he had enough clothes, Chen Pan followed his grandfather to the clear spring 600 meters away for the final washing.
"Old man, you must wear your rain boots and plastic gloves. Panpan, you should also find a pair of gloves. Don't go into the water when the time comes. Just help your grandfather."
Seeing that they were about to push the cart out, Grandma Chen in the inner room immediately ran out and gave them loud instructions.
"I understand. You can go in and wash it." Grandpa Chen, who had already put the black rain boots into the car, responded loudly.
"Grandma, I know. I've got the gloves." Chen Pan, who was wrapped tightly, shook the plastic gloves on his hands at his grandmother, then immediately ran to push the cart for his grandfather.
It was still early, not even nine in the morning, so they had to hurry over to buy clothes while everyone was still having breakfast or hadn't finished washing their clothes yet.
If it's late, they have to queue up to wash clothes. You know, the laundry area in their village is very small. With that little space, it can only accommodate one or two people to wash clothes.
"Grandpa, let me do the shopping when the time comes. I'm thinner and more flexible than you."
Not wanting to bother his elderly grandfather, Chen Pan pushed the cart reflexively.
"No, you're flexible, but you're not as strong as me. Your small body will be exhausted after just a few strokes." Grandpa Chen, who was pushing the cart, laughed out loud, noticing his granddaughter's concern for him. When he had finished laughing, he said seriously, "After I dump all the clothes in, you push the cart and take the empty bucket and hurry back home. We'll empty the buckets one by one, so no one else can take our place."
"I understand!" Chen Pan was very familiar with this matter. He knew that at the age of fourteen, he could not compare with his grandfather who did farm work all year round, so Chen Pan did not make a fuss.
After that, after his grandfather took all the clothes and basins off the cart, Chen Pan pushed the cart full of empty buckets and basins and hurried home.
It normally takes seven or eight minutes to walk from their home to the clear spring. If they push things and walk slowly, Chen Pan feels that it takes about ten minutes.
Ten minutes per trip, a round trip of twenty minutes. Adding the time it takes to move things and put clothes away, it takes at least twenty-five minutes per trip.
Twenty-five minutes, based on her grandmother's hand speed, was enough for her to wash out another large bucket.
In any case, Chen Pan kept running back and forth during the following period.
Whatever her grandfather washed out, she would quickly pull back. Whenever her grandmother washed out a bucket, she would immediately pull that bucket to the clear spring.
Because they washed clothes very early, from nine in the morning to eleven in the morning, they didn't actually encounter anyone competing with them for space by the river.
Later, when someone actually came with a cart of clothes to wash, both Grandpa Chen and Chen Pan were no longer worried, because by then, only a few of their clothes were left.
After hurriedly washing the clothes, Chen Pan thought he could take a short break.
Just as they sat down and planned to eat some fried cakes and sesame cakes for lunch, Xue Erniu, the husband of Grandma Xue from the pork shop, suddenly came to their house in person.
"Old brother, what do you think about the thing my wife told you last time? The New Year is coming soon, and now is the time to make money--"
The man sat on the edge of her kang, picked up the fried cake her grandmother handed him, and ate it. Chen Pan was also smart and immediately poured him a large cup of old brick tea. Of course, when pouring the tea for him, Chen Pan also added two longans, red dates, and a large piece of sugar, which they only put in when they had guests.
"I know you're anxious, Brother Xue, but the price you quoted is still too low. You know, pork prices are bound to go up during the Lunar New Year. And this isn't sick or frozen pork; it's quality pork that we've painstakingly raised all year long, feeding them with wheat bran and potatoes. In the summer, I cut grass for them, and in the fall, I fed them corn kernels and sweet potatoes. I've worked so hard to take care of them for over a year, isn't it just to make a few extra bucks this time of year? You said you'd give us two dollars and a half, but that was the price last year and during the off-season, not the price right now during the peak of the year."
Grandpa Chen, who has been in the breeding business for many years and earns hundreds of yuan every year by raising pigs and sheep, was not at all nervous and immediately expressed his ideas.
"I know, I know, but we want your pig by the pound. If you want pig blood and offal, I can give them to you. We're just earning hard-earned money, and two dollars and fifty cents is not a low price—"
Holding up the hot tea, Boss Xue, who faintly smelled of blood, immediately started bargaining with Grandpa Chen.
After the Chen family finished eating four sesame cakes and four hot oil cakes in one breath and drank three large cups of old brick tea, the business between the two families was finally settled.
Then soon, Boss Xue went home to call his three sons.
So from then on, Chen Pan stood at the gate of his own yard and watched everyone catch and weigh pigs.
The three fat and strong old sows were frightened and screamed. Several big men rushed into the small pigpen with their arms stretched out as if they were facing a great enemy.
It took everyone quite some time to lift the three old sows into the Xue family's hand tractor.
The handcart rumbled along, and soon, with smoke billowing out of it, it carried away the four elders of the Xue family, along with Chen Pan's grandparents. The scale they had just used might not have been accurate, so they planned to go back and weigh it again and again, and of course, the all-important matter of getting the money.
After they left, Chen Pan looked at the dirty yard and cleaned it up again consciously.
"Panpan, what's going on? Have you sold all three pigs? If you sell them all, what are you going to eat for the New Year?"
"Yeah, I thought you would keep one for yourselves and sell the other two. By the way, Panpan, did the Xue family tell you how much they would pay you per pound?"
Chen Pan was concentrating on sweeping for the second time with a small broom in hand when Chen Xiufen, the daughter-in-law of the Yang family next door, and Grandma Zhou, who always liked to join in the fun across the street, came to her door again, specifically to join in the fun and inquire.
"Grandma Zhou, my grandfather seemed to have said that we should leave a few dozen kilograms after they finish slaughtering the animals. We have a small family, so a few dozen kilograms should be enough."
Chen Pan, holding a broom, answered the elderly Grandma Zhou through her large wooden door. Then, she politely addressed the thirty-something Chen Xiufen, "Sister-in-law, I didn't notice the final price they agreed on, but I heard Boss Xue say it would be fair. If your family wants to sell the pigs, wait until my grandparents return and I'll have them come to your house to discuss it."
"No, no, I'm just asking casually. And even if I did ask, I'd be the one to take the initiative to ask. How could I let your grandparents come to our house?"
"That's right, your grandparents are the elders, and your sister-in-law is the younger generation. It's really not right for your grandparents to come to our house."
Chen Pan chatted with the two of them with a broom in hand. Later, a child came to her and told her that her grandmother asked her to bring a few clean washbasins to Xue's house.
Then I realized that it was going to be filled with blood and intestines.
Chen Pan said something to the two of them, and then hurried to his house to find a clean vegetable sink and a large iron basin.
Behind the Xue family's shop was his yard. For the next two hours, Chen Pan was busy at the Xue family's.
The Xue family has killed so many pigs that they are no longer interested in the pig blood and offal.
But Grandma Chen and Grandpa Chen, who had been accustomed to saving money all their lives, collected all the pig blood and offal without wasting a single bit.
Pig blood can be used to make blood sausage or to cook dishes. The intestines can be washed and used as the raw material for stuffed blood sausage, or they can be fried and eaten alone.
Anyway, after carrying the blood to the spring, Grandma Chen asked Grandpa Chen to take the pig blood back, and she took Chen Pan to the downstream to clean the pig offal. After washing it downstream, they carried the offal to the upstream to wash it, so as not to be scolded and not to pollute the water upstream.
Chen Pan always said that the countryside is nice and rebirth is also good.
But after tossing and turning from morning to night this time, Chen Pan really felt that life in the countryside could sometimes be quite difficult.
At least if there was no washing machine, Chen Pan would definitely collapse if he washed a few more times like today.
In winter, you have to soak your hands in cold water for a long time to wash things. Only those who have done that know how it feels.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
