Chapter 20: Training a Sister

Chapter 20: Training a Sister

Anyway, Chu Hong is very eloquent and her quotations are very coherent, making it impossible to refute her.

If someone said that the person who was extinct in her family was a child of similar age, she would beat him up and claim to be right: "I beat them for their own good. People with such thoughts should be arrested and sent to labor reform."

She is definitely known throughout the village for her hot temper, and since her father is the team leader, almost no one dares to provoke her.

She was so fierce that no one dared to act as a matchmaker for her, for fear that she would be invincible after marriage and would beat down all her in-laws.

This is also the reason why even her family members were not surprised when Chu Hong went to Shencheng alone.

They only had these three daughters, so naturally they hoped that one of them would be stronger and more protective of their sisters in the future.

Chu Hong went out and saw a few young men hanging around her cheap father and the others. She walked over and patted them on the shoulders and said, "Big brother, thank you for your hard work in carrying two bundles of dry straw."

As I recall, it should be my great-grandfather’s generation, five cousins ​​from my family, brought their parents and children here to take refuge.

After that, the number of descendants increased with each generation. Except for the Li and Wu families, the other families in the village were within five generations.

Song Hongqiang and Song Hongjun both subconsciously took a step back, a little unaccustomed to their cousin being so polite.

Old Man Song has a younger brother who got married and had three daughters and a son. After his daughter-in-law got married, she gave birth to two grandsons, Song Hongqiang and Song Hongjun.

To be honest, Chu Hongye did have to call them the eldest brother and the second brother, but in the past she just called them by their names.

Especially in the past few years, when food was in short supply, they were starving and wanted to snatch the sweet potatoes from Chu Hong, but they were beaten up by Chu Hong instead. They really lost more than they gained.

Of course they would never admit that they couldn't beat the little girl, they were just too hungry.

The most hateful thing is that this little girl holds a grudge and has been calling them by their names ever since.

They felt a little uncomfortable being suddenly called the eldest brother and the second brother, but they did not refuse and quickly went to pick up four bundles of straw.

Chu Hong took out two handfuls of candy from her pocket and stuffed them in front of them. "Don't bother two people with one thing. Go to my house and get a wooden bucket, a load of water, and some firewood."

The four elderly people and three children had nothing with them, so they could only bleed themselves.

This time she went back by herself, found a few bamboo bowls and a clay pot that she had made when she was bored, and asked her grandmother for two handfuls of rice, a few sweet potatoes, and bamboo chopsticks and other things before going to the warehouse.

"Cook some sweet potato porridge first, and then boil some hot water for more drinking."

Mr. Jin thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you so much, you are such a kind and good comrade."

Chu Hong also felt that he was being honest, so she asked, "Don't you have any luggage?"

She would definitely not make things difficult for these people. If they could survive until 1976, they would definitely be considered big names.

Especially when faced with such a blow, the old man was able to cheer up and speak eloquently.

Mr. Jin smiled bitterly: "There were some before, but they were all taken away after they were escorted here."

It is said that even ants try to survive, so of course he also wants to live. When he saw this girl beating her sister before, he admired her very much.

Now that he was so kind to them, he wanted to fight again for himself and his grandson.

"I'm from An City, which is not too far from here. I used to run a jewelry store, but I don't know who I offended, and my family was destroyed. Now only my grandson and I are trying to survive."

"But I have some things buried in my other courtyard. I only ask you to take care of them. The things in the other courtyard are my reward to you."

When Chu Hong heard that he actually ran a gold shop, she understood why he ended up like this. It was simply because he had too much gold and silver and people became jealous of him.

Even she was a little tempted after hearing this, but she also knew in her heart that he was using good things to keep her from taking care of them.

"No, it's not easy for you, keep it for your own use in the future." Chu Hong was reluctant to let go, but she said honestly: "My father is the team leader, I will definitely take care of you if I can."

Even though the team leader of Lingxia Village is the boss, the other three scorekeepers and she, who is in charge of the warehouse, are all considered small leaders.

Of course, the team captain and the scorer also have to take the lead in the work.

After she heard her cheap father calling her to go back for dinner, she didn't stay long and followed him home.

When he got home, he saw his grandmother boiling medicine outside. Song Youliang felt nervous: "Is mother Chu Hong feeling unwell again?"

"She said she felt a little stuffy in her chest, so I made her some medicine." After Grandma Song finished speaking, she smiled kindly at Chu Hong: "You guys go and eat, we've already eaten."

It was just that Chu Dan hadn't eaten yet, but Grandma Song felt that her little granddaughter was being too unreasonable, and she was too lazy to call her if she didn't come out to eat.

Song Youliang served a bowl of sweet potato porridge and ate it while going to see his wife.

While eating, Chu Hong also remembered that her stepmother seemed to have a heart disease.

She planned to wait and ask the other people in the warehouse if anyone knew anything about Chinese medicine.

But I also felt that it was unlikely to be such a coincidence, and if there really was a doctor, the old man would not ask me for medicine.

I have to go to town again and get some medicine from the hospital just in case.

To be honest, this porridge with sweet potatoes and green vegetables tastes okay if you eat it occasionally, but I just feel that it is too bland and I really want to eat meat.

No, Chu Hong finally remembered what she had forgotten. The black cat that came back with her has not returned yet.

Before I went to bed in the afternoon, the black cat said he wanted to go out for a walk to familiarize himself with the area. I don't know where he went, and he hasn't come back since dark.

But she didn't know where to find it, so after eating, she washed the dishes and prepared to go back to her room to sleep.

Although it is not yet eight o'clock, the village has no electricity yet and is lit by kerosene lamps or candles.

Moreover, everyone is very frugal and usually doesn't want to waste even candle oil, so they can definitely perfectly interpret the life of working from sunrise to sunset and resting from sunset to sunrise.

Before returning to the room, I heard my cheap father whispering something, and then I heard Chu Dan crying: "You are biased. Why do you agree when my second sister wants to marry an educated youth, but you oppose me dating Wu Wei?"

"He is still willing to arrange a job for me, so why do you say he is not good to me?"

"They say marriage is free, why do you oppose it?"

The man Chu Dan likes really can't let her continue.

Chu Hong paused, walked to her sister's small room, closed the door, glared at her and scolded her angrily: "Are you stupid?"

"Now our family has to keep a low profile and we can't go to town, otherwise, the way you embarrass those people today, they will embarrass you tomorrow."

He then warned her fiercely: "If you dare to contact Wu again, I will report him to the police for trafficking underage girls."

Chu Dan thought about the pain from the beatings he received and couldn't help but shiver all over. He refused to give in and said, "Didn't our mother be born to our aunt? And her family is all dead. What does she have to do with us?"

However, seeing that his father and second sister were staring at him, his voice became lower and lower.

Chu Hong couldn't hold back her anger, so she raised her hand and slapped her shoulder: "Is your head just for show? Li San used this name today, and almost made Dad unable to be the captain."

"If someone dislikes us in the future, they can use this incident to embarrass us."

Chu Dan felt even more aggrieved: "That's why I want to be with Wu Wei. As long as I marry him, no one will dare to use my mother's affairs as an excuse to make trouble, right?"

The more she thought about it, the more she felt wronged. She was clearly trying so hard to find connections for the sake of her family. She just wanted her family to look at her differently and make them understand that she was the most capable, sensible, filial and promising granddaughter of the Song family.

Of course, the Wu family is rich, powerful and prestigious now. If I marry into the family, I can live a good life.

When Song Youliang heard his youngest daughter's words, his heart softened. He knew that all his daughters were good people, and his tone softened: "Silly child, you don't need to worry so much. Just don't meet them again in the future."

He actually wanted to tell them not to get involved with Wu Wei, but it was not easy for a father to say such things, so he glanced at his second daughter and closed the door after leaving.

Chu Hong immediately understood what he meant. As soon as the door closed, she began to talk about the crisis she encountered after going to Shencheng. Finally, she tapped Chu Dan's head with her finger and said, "It's not so easy to climb up the ladder. Look, the Zhong family dared to kick me out. After you've been here for a year or two, Weiwu will despise you and will definitely kill you to make way for other women."

Chu Dan shuddered all over, but he did not forget to weakly retort: ​​"His name is Wu Wei, not Wei Wu."

Then she said with tears in her eyes: "Why don't you ask our father to go with you? That way at least we have a helper."

But the original idea has indeed faded.

Because she remembered that when she first met Wu Wei, there was also a young and beautiful girl by his side.

Later, he approached her first, either praising her beauty or treating her to buns and biscuits, and only then did she fall in love with him.

Now that she heard what her second sister said, she was also afraid. She thought to herself that he would see other pretty young women and despise her for being an eyesore, so he strangled her to death with a rope...

She shivered a little and said weakly, "What if he comes looking for me?"

"If he dares to come to you, I will naturally deal with him." Chu Hong glanced at her cheap sister and asked tentatively: "Tell me the truth, he didn't take advantage of you, did he?"

She had secretly looked in the mirror before and found that she was very similar to her original self, both with a slightly square round face, and the clear edges and corners made the facial features very attractive.

If her skin was whiter, she would look exactly like me.

Chu Dan was also very beautiful, with a round face, almond eyes, fair skin, and a look of youthfulness. Although she was only seventeen years old, her figure was fuller than Chu Hong's. She was indeed a little beauty, and no wonder she attracted so many admirers.

Chu Dan was a little embarrassed and said weakly: "I was just hugged by him, there is definitely nothing else."

Seeing her blushing and uneasy face, Chu Hong knew that she was not telling the truth, but she also knew that they were not really in a relationship, so she tried to comfort her: "I brought you a set of clothes, as well as vanishing cream, candy and biscuits. Come with me to get them."

Although my younger sister is a little vain, she can still get over it.

Don't ask her why she is so loving.

Of course, she also took the opportunity to question Chu Dan like a close sister, and made sure that she did not take the final step with Wu Wei, and then she felt relieved.

She originally thought she had taken a nap in the afternoon and was a little worried that she would not be able to sleep at night, but unexpectedly she fell asleep very quickly.

And I woke up late the next morning.

Wu Xiu was the only one at home feeding the chickens. When she saw her getting up, she said, "I left a bowl of corn soup in the pot for you."

Chu Hong swallowed her saliva, thinking of the corn soup she had eaten before, which was added with tofu, minced meat, shredded chicken and celery. The taste was really unique.

But when she brought out the corn soup and took a bite, she found that it was a bit coarse and made her throat hurt.

Although she couldn't eat much, she had to get used to it and talked to her cheap mother: "Did Dad and the others go to work?"

Wu Xiu was a little surprised by her address: "Does everyone in Shencheng call me dad?"

They are also in the south, and they call their parents "Adie Ama" or "Aba Ama".

Chu Hong didn't expect that she called the wrong name. She reminded herself to be more careful next time, but she smiled calmly, "Yes, they call me mom and dad over there. I think it's more intimate to call them that way, right?"

"That's right." Wu Xiu smiled and said, "We're going to dig sweet potatoes today. Your grandparents have gone to work. Your father was called away by the team leader early in the morning. Your sister was very good today. She went to the warehouse to open the door and register for you."

She was originally going to go to work, but her family members felt that she had a heartache yesterday, so they asked her to rest at home for a day.

Although the autumn harvest is now over and the public grain has been paid, we have to start digging sweet potatoes today, which is indeed hard work.

Digging sweet potatoes requires using a hoe, which hurts your hands.

Those who pick sweet potatoes have to squat and rub off the mud on the outside of the sweet potatoes, which makes their feet sore.

Picking sweet potatoes was even more tiring, and she didn't want to do it anymore, so she obediently stayed home to rest.

Chu Hong didn't know what her stepmother was thinking. Instead, she thought about the pain in her chest from time to time and suspected that she had a heart problem.

But the current medical conditions are not very good, so I can only wait ten years before taking her to the hospital for a thorough examination.

So she also advised her: "We are not short of money at home now, it doesn't matter if you rest at home for a while."

Wu Xiu felt that her second daughter was more considerate and filial, so she smiled and agreed: "I will listen to you."

Chu Hong muttered again: "I told my elder sister yesterday to bring Xiao Yuer here today, why hasn't she come yet?"

Wu Xiu laughed and said, "Our team is digging sweet potatoes. I guess your elder sister and her friends are also digging sweet potatoes and harvesting corn. How can they have time to come over?"

"Even if you want to come, you have to wait until after work."

After saying this, she was in a bad mood: "Hey, her mother-in-law is also a son-loving person. Your elder sister only gave birth to Xiaoyuer. I'm afraid she will suffer some grievances and losses."

Every time this happened, she was very grateful that her parents-in-law were open-minded and that they didn't give her a hard time since she only gave birth to three daughters.

Otherwise, these hard days will be even more difficult to endure.

Chu Hong listened to her gossip about her elder sister's mother-in-law and the gossip about which family in their village favored boys over girls. After eating the corn soup, she washed her own dishes and said to her cheap mother, "Mom, you stay at home. I'll go to the warehouse and ask Chu Dan to come back and cook lunch."

In fact, Chu Hong is a good cook, but a good cook cannot cook without rice. The seasonings now are only salt, lard, soybean oil and rice wine.

It's considered good if you pick up some lard with chopsticks when cooking.

Every day we eat vegetables such as greens, radishes, potatoes, winter melons, loofahs, long beans, and pumpkins, and we are reluctant to use oil. How can we cook them deliciously?

Besides, being able to cook doesn’t mean you like cooking. Chu Hong dislikes the excessive smoke in the kitchen.

Nowadays there are no range hoods or smoke extractors, only chimneys. Even if there is not much oil or water in the dishes, there is still smoke and wood ash when cooking.

What's more, the weather is getting colder and colder, and it is impossible to take a shower and wash her hair every day, so she is even more reluctant to cook.

The work in the warehouse is indeed easy. Everyone registered in the morning when they came to get hoes, rakes, baskets, etc. Now there is nothing to do. I just need to clean up the sweet potatoes that the team members brought back at the door.

There is a large open space in front of the warehouse, which is used to dry rice, beans and the like during the summer and autumn harvests. Now we are using it to dry sweet potatoes so that they can be stored more easily.

Of course, the sweet potatoes that are broken by the hoe and those that are too small should also be picked out.

When Chu Hong went over, she saw the few people who had come yesterday were sitting on the ground picking out the broken sweet potatoes.

Chu Dan was standing nearby, drinking water from an enamel jar, supervising their work: "Be careful, handle with care, if you break the skin it won't last long."

Seeing the second sister coming, she came over with a big smile on her face: "Sis, you are here, why don't you stay at home and rest for a while?"

He raised his head and looked at her: "Everyone says that I look very energetic in this outfit."

Chu Hong agreed perfunctorily, and when she left, she asked Mr. Jin, "Are you feeling better?"

She had only talked to him, and was not familiar with the others.

I just thought about what my adoptive mother said and felt sorry for them.

If she could help with small favors, she would do so. If it was a big favor, she would just pretend she didn't hear it.

"Everyone feels much better after taking the medicine you gave us." Mr. Jin, who once owned a gold shop, was very good at reading people's expressions and flattering them. "You are all good people. The captain came here early in the morning and asked us to take some of the broken sweet potatoes to cook later."

"That's good. If you have any questions, come find me. My name is Chu Hong, and I'm the captain's second daughter." After Chu Hong finished speaking, she saw more than a dozen people carrying sweet potatoes coming over, and Chu Hong also went to help: "Uncle Hua, these have been swept, and they are all put over here."

The village must be full of mud now. When drying rice, use large bamboo mats to dry it, so there will be less mud and sand in the rice.

And if the weather changes, the rice can be harvested faster. Just pull the four corners of the big bamboo mat and shake it, and all the rice will shake to the middle.

The villagers had heard Song Youliang and his friends praise Chu Hong for her ability yesterday, and they were even more curious about what Shencheng was like. They all asked her, "Are all the roads in the city asphalt?"

"I heard that everyone in the city has a bicycle. Are there a lot of bicycles on the streets?"

"I've been to the city before. It's full of tall buildings. It's really beautiful."

"How much food supply does the city have?"

After all, everyone knew that Chu Hong had been very capable since she was a child, but no one expected her to be so courageous.

Chu Hong complained in her heart: When men start to gossip, they are definitely better than gossipy women.

But these people were all uncles in the village, and within the five generations of mourning, so Chu Hong could only answer their questions one by one.

After gossiping with them for more than ten minutes, they were contented and continued to go to the fields with their empty loads.

Chu Hong also went back to the warehouse to rest for a while.

The land in the countryside is not valuable now. The five warehouses occupy a large area, and the wood and mud bricks used to build the houses are also very solid.

At the door of the warehouse was an old, unpainted desk with three drawers, all of which were locked.

She sat on a wooden stool without a back, took out the key from the corner of the old cabinet behind her, opened the drawer and looked at the register.

Although I have the original owner's memories, they are like a movie I have watched. I have to think about it myself to remember it.

Now she had to familiarize herself with her job.

She is still very satisfied with this job and plans to occupy this position for the next seven or eight years.

By the time she had finished reading the registration books, account books, and work points books in the three drawers, it was time to get off work and have lunch.

On the way back, the villagers would greet Chu Hong and she would respond gracefully.

At this moment, she felt that the food she ate was a little bit worse, and she felt like she had entered the retirement life early.

Only the Wu family has a dog in the village, but there are quite a few cats. When she saw the calico cat basking in the sun, she thought of the black cat that had been missing for less than 24 hours. She was a little worried that the black cat might have lost its way.

But the countryside is too big, with hills all the way back, so there's nowhere to look for it.

When she got home, her grandmother invited her to have lunch together.

There was rice cooked with cornmeal, fried long beans, a plate of dried pickled mustard greens, and a bowl of egg and loofah soup.

Without exception, there is not a single drop of oil to be seen.

But in the village, such food is considered very good.

Chu Hong remembered that there were some half-pound and one-pound meat tickets in the tickets she gave to her grandmother, so she acted coquettishly to Song Lao Niang: "Grandma, we haven't eaten meat for a long time. Let's go to the town to buy some meat tomorrow? Let's make some lard and make some dumplings."

Chu Dan's eyes lit up and he swallowed unconsciously: "If grandma is busy, I can take a bullock cart to the town to buy it."

Wu Xiu would not go to the town except to see a doctor, for fear of seeing something unbearable to watch, which would make her feel sad.

Therefore, when the family needed to buy needles, thread, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, etc., either their father would buy them, or their sisters and grandmother would go to buy them.

Old Lady Song felt a little reluctant, but when she thought about her granddaughter saying that it would expire next month, she could only agree: "Just let your father bring it back tomorrow."

He glared at his granddaughter again: "Don't always think about running outside. Go to work in the afternoon."

Chu Dan pouted and agreed, then worriedly said to herself: "I don't know if Dad will go to town tomorrow."

Chu Hong said, "Don't worry, if our dad doesn't go, I'll go buy it."

Or maybe she lacked experience. Although she brought back snacks such as biscuits and candies from Shencheng, life became difficult without meat.

Meat is only available in town, but it is more than ten miles from the village to the town. It is not realistic to buy meat every now and then, so she was thinking about doing some breeding.

Previously, the village also wanted to raise more pigs, but it was not successful. More than half of the 18 pigs died along the way, which made everyone worried and no longer dared to raise pigs on a large scale.

There are only five cows in the team now, and they are also important assets of the village. They are usually used to pull carts to carry people to the town, transport goods, and plow the fields.

In addition, each family is only allowed to raise four chickens, which serves as a chicken butt bank and can be sent to the purchasing station in town to exchange for money.

Their family also raised three hens and a rooster. They kept the eggs for themselves, and the rooster was kept for eating during the Chinese New Year.

When Chu Hong went to work in the afternoon, she was thinking, should she raise pigs in the name of the production team in the future? Raising chickens? Or raising rabbits? Watch the fun

Song Youliang came home when everyone was having dinner. He couldn't hide his excitement: "We went to the town for a meeting today, and the secretary praised Chu Hong by name."

"They also gave out a lot of prizes, and I brought them all back."

"There are still many educated youths coming to the countryside. We will also be assigned more than 20 people. The leader said that I have a high level of consciousness, so he made me the village party secretary and then selected another team leader."

It was his job, but now it is divided among two people.

The branch secretary only needs to take charge of everyone's thoughts and attend meetings, while the team leader is in charge of production. With division of labor and cooperation, it can be considered a promotion.

These are all good news, and my family will of course be very happy to hear them.

Chu Hong was filled with joy and went to the back seat of the car to get her prizes: a big red printed enamel basin, two white enamel pots with quotations printed on them, and two towels.

She wondered if her cheap dad had dropped some valuable prizes on the way: "Dad, is that all?"

How can this be considered a lot of prizes?

Seeing how excited her cheap dad was, she thought it would be a watch, a bicycle, or even a radio.

Song Youliang couldn't help but laugh: "There is also a new bicycle. The money and tickets have been paid for. Just take the receipt to the supply and marketing cooperative and ride it back."

After that, he carefully took out a stamped voucher and showed it to everyone: "A new Phoenix 28-bar bicycle."

Chu Dan came over and asked excitedly: "Dad, will our family have our own bicycle in the future?"

The bicycle that Song Youliang rides now is public property. He rides it only when he attends meetings. It is usually kept in the warehouse so that villagers can borrow it when they have urgent matters.

"Yes, we will have bicycles in the future."

Song Youliang was also very happy: "Xiaohong and I will go to town together tomorrow to ride the new bike back."

Chu Hong also wanted to go to the town to improve her food, so she agreed immediately.

The family gathered together again and listened to him talk in detail about the great event that he was praised by his leader today.

Chu Hong thought to herself: It’s quite interesting, it’s also good for the family to live in harmony, she likes this kind of family atmosphere.

Unfortunately, just when she thought the Song family was good, Song Youliang’s younger brother and sister-in-law came over.

Song Youfu is three years younger than his eldest brother. He is 42 years old this year. He married Wu Qiaofang, the third daughter of Captain Wu from Lingzhong Village.

After Wu Qiaofang got married, everything was peaceful. But when she gave birth to a son, she saw the three daughters born to her eldest sister-in-law and couldn't stand her parents-in-law praising her eldest sister-in-law.

What he can’t stand even more is that his nieces can eat egg custard just like his own sons.

She felt that since her son was the eldest grandson of the Song family and the only male, she should pamper her son more and cherish her little daughter-in-law.

As a result, she had conflicts with her sister-in-law and they quarreled several times.

In the countryside, not to mention quarrels between sisters-in-law, even fights are common.

But her parents-in-law always sided with her eldest sister-in-law, which made her so angry that she wanted to separate the family property.

In fact, she was just talking, trying to take advantage of her parents-in-law.

Unexpectedly, the elders were willing and even contributed money and effort to build two mud brick houses for them.

The house is newer than the old house here, and Wu Qiaofang can be the boss of her own house, so she is very satisfied with it.

As for the son, he was still left to be raised by his parents-in-law.

It was not until her son went to school that her mother's family reminded her that her son was too close to his parents-in-law and had become estranged from her.

Wu Qiaofang quickly sent her son to school and took the opportunity to let him move back home.

But the seven-year-old child has already gotten used to life at his uncle's house and still runs there every few days.

What made Wu Qiaofang even more depressed was that there had been no news since she gave birth to her son.

He felt that Wu Xiu had stolen his son and often made sarcastic remarks about him.

To the extent that Wu Xiu would turn around and walk away when he saw her. He really didn't want to make trouble with her. It wasn't because he was afraid of her, but because he was afraid of being laughed at.

Now that they had come in, he could only smile and greet them: "Youfu, you and Qiaofang are here, come in and sit down."

Wu Qiaofang asked anxiously: "Brother, I heard that you are the branch secretary? Then let the second brother be the team leader?"

When the newly appointed Party Secretary Song heard this, he choked on his own saliva and started coughing desperately.

Chu Hong was also very excited. She could actually see the living top-notch person in person?

"Aunt, are you kidding me?" Chu Hong said, "Do you think the leaders are all fools? Can they tolerate our family monopolizing the power in the team?"

"The leaders asked my father to be the branch secretary so that he and the team leader could supervise each other."

Wu Qiaofang was also afraid of this troublesome niece, so she held back her anger and said, "If he doesn't want to be the captain, you should let your uncle be the tractor driver, right?"

Her father is also the captain, and she is not stupid, so she naturally understands that the possibility of her man becoming the captain is not high.

But they rejected me once, they can’t reject me again and again, right?

"We are all family. My eldest brother has been promoted. He can't just ignore us, right?"

Song Lao Er also looked at his elder brother eagerly.

Wu Youliang finally stopped coughing and sighed helplessly: "The leader said that the position of captain will be given to Brother Sheng."

"The eldest son of Sheng Ge's family is the only one in our village who joined Team B. I heard that he is doing well and has many people now. He will definitely take good care of his family members."

"Besides, Brother Sheng has been to school and can work in the fields."

Besides, Shengge is his cousin from a different family, only one year older than him. He is also a capable man, no worse than his younger brother.

Chu Hong thought to herself: This is because I can't match their connections, and I can't match their abilities, so I can forget about getting that position.

"Li Qiang is the chosen tractor driver." Wu Youliang felt a little guilty: "When there is another opportunity in the future, I will definitely fight for you."

At the beginning, he also thought of his younger brother.

But the eldest son of the Li family is an official in the Railway Bureau, and the second son is a policeman in the town. If I do him this favor, it will provide an extra layer of protection for my family in the future.

Song Lao Er sighed with a frustrated look on his face.

He knew that there would be few good opportunities like this in the future.

But he was not stupid. He knew that his cousin's family and the Li family were more suitable than his own, so he advised his wife: "Okay, let's go back first?"

Wu Qiaofang put her hands on her belly and sat steadily on the bamboo chair, looking down at them like a queen: "Dad and Mom, I'm pregnant again."

"This is good news!" The old couple of the Song family were very happy to hear the good news: "If you have any problems, please let us know. It's cold now, so don't do heavy work. Just take good care of yourself."

Wu Qiaofang lowered her head and began to play the victim: "I am old now. I have not been pregnant for two months and my waist has been sore. I have vomited yellow water. I can't stand working in the fields. Can Chu Hong give up her position to me?"

Fearing that they would not agree, she said pitifully, "I will return the position to her when I give birth to a son."

Before, Chu Hong could think of herself as just watching the fun, but she didn't expect that the fire would burn herself.

Now she was not happy: "Second Aunt, do you think I have it easy? Not only do I manage the warehouse, I also work as an accountant. If I miscalculate the work points, I will be beaten."

Wu Qiaofang was a little skeptical: "Didn't your father just do it for you?"

Even if it was true, Chu Hong would not admit it: "I am a high school student, so I learned it quickly. Why should my dad work so hard?"

After saying that, he looked at her, as if to say: You little loser who hasn't even finished elementary school, and you want to compete with me?

Secretary Song, who is so diligent that he is still doing the accounting for his daughter, couldn't help but glance at his daughter. Seeing her expressionless face, he realized: the second daughter is indeed the one who is most like him. She has a good heart. He even thought that when he gets older, he will let his second daughter take over his position.

Wu Qiaofang thought of herself as a smart person. She had thought about what she would face before coming here. But at this moment, her face was still flushed, and she didn't know whether she was angry or embarrassed.

She was unwilling to give up: "Then Dad and Mom will have to live with us for a few years."

Now that we are here, we cannot return empty-handed. We must get some benefits.

Old Man Song couldn't help but speak up: "Your mother and I will live with the eldest brother. We will help with the work on the private plot. When you give birth, we will also take care of you for a month."

Mrs. Song also agreed: "Yes, I will take care of the child after you are out of confinement."

Wu Xiu also spoke up: "It just so happens that Youliang told me before that Dad and Mom are old enough and it's time for them to take a break. After a few months, they will help my brother and sister-in-law take care of their grandchildren. After another two years, they will help Xiaohong take care of her great-grandchildren."

What she said sounded nice. There are many elderly people over 60 years old in the village now. They no longer go to the fields to earn work points, but instead take care of their private plots and children at home.

There are also people involved in doing laundry and cooking.

Of course, Secretary Song had previously advised his parents not to go to work, but the old couple felt that the eldest daughter-in-law was often sick and the granddaughters did not earn many work points, so the family was poor and they had to work harder.

Now that their granddaughter has become successful, she brings them cookies and candies, and gives them 200 yuan, so they have finally come to terms with it.

The main reason was that they had paid most of the money to build a house for their second son, and they also borrowed some money.

You could say that the debt was paid off only last year.

This is why Chu Hong went to Shencheng earlier and robbed Mrs. Song of the twelve yuan and eighty cents she had before leaving. That was indeed the only savings the old couple had.

Is this tight enough?

So when Chu Hong gave them a huge sum of 200 yuan yesterday, they felt so happy. It was the largest amount of money they had in their hands in the past ten years.

The old couple felt relieved now, and they were even happier when they heard what their eldest daughter-in-law said, saying that letting them hold their great-grandchildren meant that they could still live for many more years.

The old couple's faces were so happy that they looked like chrysanthemums: "We all listen to the eldest brother's wife."

Wu Xiu almost couldn't breathe. It was obvious that his idea of ​​taking advantage of his sister-in-law had come true. He should be happy, but when he heard the old man praising his sister-in-law, why did he feel so sour as if he had eaten a lemon?

Song Lao Er pulled her aside awkwardly and whispered, "Okay, it's getting late, and Dad and the others should rest, shall we go back first?"

Just as the couple left, the old couple of the Li family also came with Li Qiang, carrying large and small bags.

Uncle Li is very good at speaking: "Captain, no, it's the Party Secretary. This time it's our Third Brother who let you down. Thank you for your generosity."

"If you have anything to ask in the future, just tell us. We will never refuse."

Aunt Li also took Wu Xiu's hand and said affectionately: "When you want to go out in the future, just go to our boss, and you don't have to buy tickets."

Chu Hong thought to herself: I don’t want to travel far in the short term.

You can't just keep taking advantage of the Zhong family.

This was exactly what Secretary Song wanted to hear. He was polite and declined the gifts they had sent. In the end, he kept all the gifts and sent them off properly.

The main reason is that it is dark now and most people are in bed. Giving gifts at this time means it is something you really want to give.

He did help. It is hard to find a job nowadays, and being a tractor driver is a stable job. The Song family members felt that it was not a big deal to accept some gifts.

Chu Dan smiled as he held the net bag: "What a big piece of meat."

"There are two tins of biscuits." Song Lao Niang couldn't let go: "After the biscuits are finished, this iron tin can can also be used to store things, which is good."

Chu Hong took out a piece of green cloth from her net bag, turned it over and saw money wrapped in red paper inside.

Before she could say anything, Wu Xiu had already taken the cloth and said, "This cloth is resistant to stains. Make a coat for your grandfather and your father."

After everyone went to bed, she whispered to her daughter, "I was afraid your sister wouldn't keep her mouth shut, so I didn't let her know."

"Besides, I'm worried that your grandparents might accidentally let the secret slip to your second uncle."

Chu Hong felt that her stepmother was very thoughtful.

She wouldn't say that this was wrong. Buying and selling jobs is allowed now. She just said it in a more euphemistic way, saying that the job was taken over by a distant relative.

In fact, there are no such good distant relatives. They can only be replaced by money and tickets.

When Chu Hong was about to fall asleep, she remembered that the little black cat had not come back yet.

Although more than twenty-four hours had passed, she still had no way to find the missing kitten. She just hoped that there were no wild animals in the mountains ahead or behind.

After thinking about it carefully and seriously, he confirmed that he had not heard any wild boars or wolves nearby, so he went to see Zhou Gong with peace of mind.

She had no entertainment at night and could only sleep.

I don’t know what happened, and I had a rather weird dream.

In the dream, there was Zhong Guobing, as well as two of her former boyfriends with whom she had a close relationship...

Oh oh oh.

Hearing the crowing of the rooster, Chu Hong opened her eyes and saw that it was still dark.

She didn't get up either, just thinking about whether she should find another man.

Otherwise, it would be too lonely in the long night without a warm bed.

Food, sex and nature are all part of human nature. She is not old-fashioned. She was aiming for marriage before she started dating him. Unfortunately, marriage is not a matter for two people, and they eventually broke up.

She doesn't think that divorced women should feel inferior and can only look for men whose wives have died.

Thinking about the arrival of a group of educated youth, she felt that she could also take the opportunity to find a like-minded boyfriend.

She was not worried about being abandoned in a few years. After all, she was definitely looking for a son-in-law, and it was possible that ten years later, she would be eager for him to abandon her.

Besides, in ten years or so, there will be many opportunities to make money, and it will not be difficult to become a millionaire.

Anyway, she was sitting in the back seat of the car, going to town with unspeakable hopes.

Unfortunately, the educated youth had not arrived yet, and her cheap father had to go to the commune for a meeting, so she went to the state-owned restaurant and bought ten big buns. She ate two herself and prepared to take some back for her family to try.

It was almost noon when Party Secretary Song came out, complaining to his daughter with a sad face: "I heard that the Party Secretary is in charge of ideology. It makes me almost dizzy. It would be better to be a team leader. I have a meeting in the afternoon. How about you ride the new bike back first?"

Chu Hong handed him a big meat bun.

Secretary Song just glanced at it and refused: "Put it away quickly and take it back to eat later. We provide lunch here."

Nowadays, steamed buns are considered a rare food.

You need one or two grain coupons to buy a bun for ten cents, so it is definitely more cost-effective to buy the meat and make it yourself.

Only workers are willing to buy it.

In recent years, he has often come to the town for meetings and business, but he has never even stepped into a state-owned restaurant.

Fortunately, my daughter brought back a lot of money and tickets this time, so I was able to try it.

"Then eat one." Chu Hong curiously asked, "What did they talk about in the meeting?"

Secretary Song was also hungry, so he took the buns and squatted under a remote wall: "We must protect the lives of the educated youth who went to the countryside and supervise their hard work in the vast countryside. We must contribute to the construction of the motherland."

"He also said that the leaders pointed out that the allocation of medical and health resources was unreasonable and that every village must have a "barefoot doctor." ”

"Also, we need to do some ideological work for everyone before they start work."

"I have to come to town frequently to study, recite quotations, and make ideological reports..."

There are very few high school students in the village, let alone college students.

Secretary Song was originally a high school student, and this time he was appointed as the branch secretary because he had made contributions to the town.

Chu Hong felt deeply sympathetic, but she comforted him: "Dad, you can definitely do it. You are the first top student in our village."

Secretary Song was just complaining. After eating the big, fat and lean buns, he also lamented: "It's a pity that you didn't get to go to college."

When my second daughter wanted to go to college, the university had already suspended classes.

Last year, his daughter finally had the opportunity to go to the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University, but she missed it, which made him feel upset whenever he thought about it.

Chu Hong said with a playful smile: "I can't bear to leave home, Dad, just wait for me to find a live-in son-in-law, right?"

Then he asked curiously, "How many educated youth are there this time? Aren't they supposed to go to the frontier?"

Secretary Song also sighed: "We are not much better in the south. The weather in the north is bad, but there is plenty to eat. We should be diligent or we won't starve to death."

"Besides, this is what the higher-ups said, so we just listen to them."

He heard a bell ringing not far away, and he stood up: "I'm going to eat. Do you want to eat at a restaurant? Or eat buns?"

"Dad, go and do your thing." Chu Hong also wanted to go somewhere else for a stroll: "I'm going to the supply and marketing cooperative to ride the new bike back. I won't wait for you."

Who knows how long his meeting will last, and she doesn't have the patience to wait.

Secretary Song told her, "Go back and ask your seventh uncle to lead people to dig the foundation. Who knows if there will be more educated youth coming here in the future? At least six houses must be built."

Chu Hong responded and when she went to the supply and marketing cooperative, she saw the hospital and thought that the medicines she had at home were almost used up, so she went in to get some medicine.

Nowadays, the only common items in hospitals are the stethoscope, tongue depressor and sphygmomanometer. There are even fewer medicines available, and the only medicines prescribed are gentian violet and analgin.

The only anti-inflammatory drugs are gentamicin and penicillin.

The only medicine for cough is licorice tablets, and for enteritis, there is berberine.

Chu Hong asked around and found out that the hospital only had more than 40 kinds of medicines.

This made her determined to take good care of her body.

There will be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future, but if you don’t hold on to your life, there will be no future.

She had originally been thinking about becoming a barefoot doctor, but now she's decided to give up.

There is a huge gap between a psychologist and a doctor who saves lives.

I should go back and ask if there is anyone among those who have been sent down who knows any medical skills.

Except for the medicines that the doctor refused to sell, she bought all the medicines she could before leaving the hospital to go to the supply and marketing cooperative.

This morning, Mrs. Song gave all the tickets that were going to expire next month to Chu Hong and asked her to buy them.

Chu Hong bought them all.

Lighthouse brand soap costs five yuan with a ticket, and it costs seventy-five cents.

One pound of fried dough twist required two ounces of food coupons, plus thirty-five cents.

Jiangmi noodles do not require tickets, but the price is a little higher, 80 cents per pound, so she bought two pounds.

Matches were a necessity, two cents a box, and she bought ten packs.

I have also used up all the brown sugar coupons and sugar coupons.

She went to the meat section again and saw that it was afternoon and there were only a few large bones left. No ticket was needed, and it was 10.2 cents a pound, so she bought them all.

Then he took the voucher and went to get a brand new 28-bar Phoenix brand bicycle. He tied all the things he bought on the back seat, and under everyone's envious eyes, he pedaled a few steps and got on the 28-bar bicycle swiftly and rode away.

Today's bicycles are even more eye-catching than the cars of later generations.

But Chu Hong's legs and buttocks hurt when she rode the bike on the bumpy yellow mud road, so she decided to go out less in the future.

But when she rode her bicycle back to the village, she was surrounded by people.

"Wow, this is a Phoenix brand bicycle. I heard it costs a bicycle ticket and nearly 200 yuan?"

"It's really beautiful. When my boy gets married, Xiaohong, you must lend it to us so that he can ride his new bike to pick up the bride."

"Yes, yes, yes, my son is getting married in December, you have to lend it to us."

"Sure." Chu Hong agreed immediately: "The aunts can just tell us a day in advance."

Some people also saw the big bone she hung on the bridle and said tactfully: "This bone is expensive and heavy, it's not worth it."

There was a carrying basket tied to the back seat, but no one was too embarrassed to look through it, so they only saw three large bones hanging on the bridle, and some soap, matches and other things in the basket.

Chu Hong played the victim: "There are many people in my family, and meat is too expensive. I can only buy some bones to make soup."

I am very thankful that my house is at the back of the village, so if I cook something delicious it won’t attract too much attention.

When I got home, no one was at home; everyone had gone to work.

She packed up all her things before going to the warehouse.

Today was another day when Chu Dan was on the bench. She saw her elder sister walking over and asked anxiously, "Where's the new car? Did you get it back?"

"Put it in the yard." Chu Hong sent her home: "You go back first, I also bought some buns and put them in the cupboard, you can heat one up and eat it."

Chu Dan couldn't help swallowing and said, "Second sister, you are so kind. I'll go home first."

He turned around and ran away happily.

Chu Hong then walked over to Mr. Jin and the others who were working, and asked kindly, "Are you feeling better?"

Mr. Jin greeted everyone with a smile: "Thank you for your concern, comrade. Their fever has subsided."

This man was very weak after he fell ill. Just as he finished speaking, another old man next to him fell backwards with a pale face.

The old lady next to him panicked and rushed over to help him: "Lao Chu, Lao Chu, don't scare me, okay?"

The two children next to them were so scared that they cried and called for grandpa.

Chu Hong suspected that she had heard wrongly. There were not many people with the surname Chu. How did she meet one by chance?

Maybe there is the word "Chu" in his name, or maybe he is called Lao Chu? Traditional Chinese Medicine

Chu Hong was also afraid that someone would die. According to the opinions of the leaders above, it would be best if nothing happened to these people who were sent down. They needed ideological education and were urged to work.

She quickly stepped forward and put her hand under his nose. After feeling that he was still breathing, she called out to the man who was carrying sweet potatoes in the distance, "Uncle Gangzi, someone has fainted over here. Come and give me a hand."

The fainted person was very heavy and she couldn't help him up by herself.

Gangzi came over and helped carry the man in. He also took the opportunity to talk to her: "Xiaohong, tell your father that we need a barefoot doctor here."

"Uncle, you are right. I will give my father my suggestions when he comes back." Chu Hong said a few perfunctorily and ran back home.

It’s obvious that if this person is not dead, he is just malnourished and needs to drink some brown sugar water.

After all, brown sugar water is considered a very good tonic nowadays.

After the old man drank half a cup of brown sugar tea and ate a few glutinous rice sticks, he finally felt a little more energetic.

The sweet and crispy glutinous rice noodles were naturally also brought by Chu Hong.

She not only gave some to the fainted old man, but also to several other elderly people and children: "Eat something sweet, and you will feel better."

Then she kindly asked the three children, "Tell your sister, what are your names?"

She paid special attention to the little girl's facial features, but from her face, she really couldn't tell that she looked like her adoptive mother's biological mother.

"My name is Jin Shaocheng." Grandpa Jin's grandson took the lead in taking the glutinous rice noodles and started eating.

Even though they had lived a life of luxury before and looked down upon rice noodles, they had been short of food and clothing during this period and almost everyone had lost a lot of weight.

Jiangmi noodles are also a delicacy that people cannot refuse.

The other two children only dared to carefully take the glutinous rice noodles from their grandmother when they saw her nod at them.

Chu Hong suppressed her excitement and asked, "How sweet! What are your names?"

Grandma Chu also knew that the two children had been frightened these days, so she said, "My grandson is called Chu Feng, and my granddaughter is called Chu Lan."

Chu Hong almost jumped up, pretending to be calm and said, "Is it the charming Chu?"

Grandma Chu thought that all the country people were so enthusiastic, so she nodded and said, "Yes, our surname is relatively rare."

"That's great." Chu Hong saw that they were all looking at her in surprise. She suppressed her excitement and changed her words: "What I want to say is what a coincidence. My name is also Chu Hong."

Old lady, can you believe that I am your great-great-grandson?

Grandma Chu was somewhat happy: "Your last name is Chu too?"

She also knew that some people would think that people with the same surname were from the same family five hundred years ago, and might take extra care of them because of their surname.

If it weren't for her grandchildren, she really wouldn't want to live. She wouldn't have enough food to eat or warm clothes to wear, and would be pushed to the streets to ##.

Chu Hong almost agreed, but luckily she had enough reason to not run away from home, so she smiled and said, "My last name is Song, and my name is Chu Hong."

Looking at the young and old in front of her, she began to worry.

My adoptive mother told me that her grandparents and brother all caught a cold and had a fever in the middle of winter, and there was no way to treat them or take care of them, so they would die soon.

She was left alone and was raised as a child bride by the villagers. Eventually, she was kicked out of the house because she couldn't give birth to a son.

Now that she has come to her grandmother's childhood, she is determined to change the fate of her grandmother and her family.

But given the current situation, she couldn't be too nice to them overtly.

If I want to help secretly, these people live together, and the problem is not the lack of treatment but the inequality of treatment. If I treat them differently and it gets out, it will implicate the Song family.

Thinking of the lack of talent in the village, she asked hopefully, "Do you have any medical knowledge or pig farming skills?"

Seeing that they were all looking at her warily, Chu Hong looked at them with sympathy: "You don't have any luggage, you are not young anymore, and you have never done farm work before."

"If I have a skill, then I will have a reason to take care of you."

Mr. Jin smiled bitterly: "I used to run a few gold and silver shops, but now they are useless."

Grandpa Chu was also helpless: "My husband and I used to teach at Shencheng University."

The other middle-aged woman who had no sense of presence finally spoke up: "My mother's family used to work at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital, specializing in gynecology."

She lowered her eyes and said coldly, "My maiden name is Jia, and my daughter-in-law wrote the big #report herself... Not only was I kicked out of the house as a bad element, but I was also sent down here."

"You dare to ask me to treat patients?"

She thought she was nice to her daughter-in-law, but who could have thought that her daughter-in-law would resent her so much? Her husband and son said nothing and cooperated in publishing an announcement in the newspaper to dissolve their marriage and mother-son relationship.

She has managed to survive until now, but she is unwilling to give up.

Now after hearing Chu Hong's words, I felt that this was my chance.

She didn't want to die, but even if she died, she had to see what would happen to them first.

Chu Hong didn't expect that there was actually Chinese medicine here.

She stared at Grandma Jia and asked, "Then you take Grandpa Chu's pulse first."

What she wanted to ask was: Since you are a Chinese medicine doctor, why did you turn a blind eye when Mr. Chu fainted?

Moreover, she had had a fever before, and she did not help herself, and only recovered after taking the medicine she had given herself.

This made Chu Hong worried that her medical skills were not very good.

But Chu Hong was afraid of meeting a half-baked doctor.

"A good cook cannot cook without rice." Grandma Jia said bitterly, "I know without taking your pulse that all of us are weak due to hunger."

But now I can’t even fill my stomach, how can I possibly nourish my body?

Chu Hong also sighed: "Okay, I'll think of a solution."

It’s not for Grandma Jia, but mainly for the Chu family, and to take care of them at the same time.

And Grandma Jia's knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine is a good excuse.

But I'm also worried that my family might not agree.

No one is rich now, and food is important to them.

It is only because of this unexpected fortune that we can live a better life.

She thought of her adoptive mother's poor health, and she started to think about what to do.

After a while, Chu Dan came out riding her new bike crookedly to show off. Chu Hong asked her to stay at the warehouse and went home to cook bone soup.

In the past, she would blanch the ribs before cooking them, but now she can’t bear to waste them. After the water boils, she skims off the foam, then adds rice and starts cooking porridge.

It’s not that she couldn’t bear to give up white rice, but Grandma Jia said that they were all too weak to be nourished and just needed to drink some rice porridge.

Fortunately, there was plenty of firewood at home, so she cooked for nearly an hour before adding the finely chopped vegetables and continuing to cook, and finally adding some salt.

She tasted it herself first and found that the aroma of rice and bone broth was delicious enough and there was no need to add MSG at all.

Of course, even if she wanted to add MSG, there was none at home.

As I recall, there was also Tianchu brand MSG in the supply and marketing cooperatives, but unfortunately it was too expensive and was daunting.

People in the countryside would definitely not be willing to buy it.

After all, being able to eat enough is a very happy thing now, and I don’t pursue delicious food at all. Consultation

Chu Hong served all the hot porridge and took it home to eat since there were not many people in the village yet as the workers were still working.

The main reason is that the warehouse is located in the middle of the village, with many people coming and going. It would be bad if someone saw it.

On the contrary, their house is located in a remote area, behind the village.

When they arrived at the Chu family, several people picked up their bowls and started eating the porridge in small bites, regardless of the fact that it was still hot.

Not to mention the adults who eat three bowls in a row, even the children eat two large bowls and their stomachs are bloated.

While they were eating, Chu Hong had already boiled water in a large pot and gave them some old towels from home so that they could use them and wash themselves up.

By the time they had finished cleaning up, those who had gone to work had returned one after another.

Chu Hong asked Grandma Jia to take her stepmother's pulse.

"You have palpitations." Grandma Jia was not in vain. After taking her pulse, she asked curiously, "But I've taken the right medicine over the years, and you're doing pretty well."

"If conditions permit, increase your nutrition and try not to rush when things happen."

"It's just that your recipe hasn't been changed for a long time. I can give you a different recipe. Would you like to try it?"

He also explained her symptoms in detail and confirmed all the medicines she was taking.

The city is now undergoing a campaign to destroy the four olds, and even traditional Chinese medicine has suffered greatly.

In rural areas, however, medical conditions are poor, there are not many Western doctors, and medicine is in short supply. Most people still seek Chinese medicine treatment secretly.

I am afraid of meeting a half-baked Chinese medicine practitioner. I spend money but the disease is not cured, and the reputation of Chinese medicine becomes even worse.

After listening to her, Wu Xiu also felt that she was very reliable. In recent years, the situation was tense and she indeed did not go to the provincial capital to see a doctor and get medicine.

Besides, she knew a little about the saying "one has to suffer from illness to become a doctor". After hearing what she said, she knew that this man was not just a name, so she agreed immediately.

Then he said to her, "Aunt, please take a look at my parents as well."

Her parents-in-law have been really good to her over the years, and now that the doctor is right in front of her, she is naturally willing to say more.

Another thing is that my parents-in-law are getting old, and I’m afraid that if they endure the discomfort, it will develop into a serious illness in the future.

Grandma Jia knew that she was now a phoenix that had fallen to the ground and was no match for chickens. She had to rely on them to survive, so she cooperated in diagnosing their pulses and said, "You two are in good spirits, so your health must be good. However, I can prescribe some medicine to treat some minor ailments."

After taking the pulse for the last time, the doctor said that Mrs. Song had a weak spleen and stomach, and also pointed out that Mr. Song had a bad knee.

Old man Song was very impressed: "The doctor is very good. My leg was broken more than 30 years ago. Now that I am old, it hurts when the weather changes."

Grandma Jia said, "I can prescribe a prescription. Take it for a period of time. It's best to do acupuncture at the same time. It can relieve your condition."

She didn't dare to talk nonsense, let alone say that she could eradicate the problem.

Chu Hong immediately said, "Then please ask grandma to prescribe a prescription? When the time comes, we will build a few houses next to us and you can live here, so it will be convenient for acupuncture."

She didn't expect that she was so lucky. Not only could she find her adoptive mother from her previous life, but she could also easily find a doctor with good medical skills.

This requires them to live near their homes, which will be like having a private doctor in the future.

Old Man Song agreed: "Just build a few houses next to the bamboo forest. I'll have people start digging mud tomorrow."

They were sent down to the countryside, so they certainly couldn't live too well. They just had to build a mud wall and cover the roof with thatch.

Hearing what Old Man Song said, Old Man Jin and the others showed joy.

At this time, they will not despise the mud house.

Mr. Chu said worriedly, "Brother, will it have any impact on you if you arrange for those people who escorted us here earlier to stay here?"

Although they were happy to be able to live in the house, they understood more clearly that if the Song family was implicated by them, they would have a harder time in the future.

Old Man Song smiled with his dark and thin face: "I said you have a bad background, I don't feel comfortable letting you live next to the cows."

"Live here so I can supervise you."

He is old and wise, and he is not stupid. It is not difficult for him to deal with it: "Those people can't come every day. When they come, I will treat you badly."

Chu Hong had never expected that her grandfather, who was usually taciturn, was so smart. She immediately flattered him: "Grandpa is really thoughtful."

Then she gave him a flattering smile and said, "Grandpa, they all came here empty-handed. They can get some food first, but it will be hard for Grandpa to eat."

Iron pots and steel pots are expensive nowadays. Even if Chu Hong is willing to buy them, they can’t keep them.

However, people of my grandfather’s generation were mostly skilled in carpentry and could make simple and rough wooden bowls and basins.

Old Man Song pondered for a moment, then said, "First, ask your father to buy a few clay stoves, pottery basins, buckets, wooden bowls, backpacks, etc. There are carpenters and bamboo craftsmen in the village, so it shouldn't be difficult."

"As for the other bedding and clothes," he looked at his wife, "you figure out how to get them."

Mrs. Song agreed immediately: "I will find our winter clothes for them to wear later."

Older people are afraid of getting sick, because not only will they burden their children, but they will also suffer.

This person is capable, so she is willing to be generous for once.

After all, her daughter-in-law used to go to the provincial capital to see a doctor for prescriptions, which was not only costly but also time-consuming.

It just so happened that they now had some money and tickets, so they could buy a new cotton-padded jacket for the New Year.

When Chu Hong heard this, the corners of her mouth twitched. As far as she could remember, her grandparents had worn the same cotton-padded jacket for several years.

Of course, nowadays clothes are all patched up and worn for three years.

But the cotton in their coats was too old and not warm enough.

However, considering their status, it would be more appropriate for them to wear old cotton-padded jackets. At worst, I could secretly buy some wool and let Grandma Chu and the others quietly knit sweaters to wear inside so that they would not be noticeable.

After Song Youliang came back, he heard his parents say that Aunt Jia was a good doctor, so he agreed to their arrangement.

Their dinner was also bone and vegetable porridge, and of course they sucked out all the marrow, wishing they could bite the bones into crumbs and swallow them.

"This porridge with bone soup tastes really good." After Chu Dan finished eating, he still pestered his father: "Dad, when you go to the town for a meeting next time, remember to buy some bones back?"

She couldn't even think of buying meat from time to time because her family didn't have that many meat coupons.

But bones don’t require tickets, so stewing them and drinking the soup can be considered an improvement in the food.

Secretary Song agreed immediately: "Okay, I will buy more bones in the future."

Chu Hong asked curiously, "Dad, did those educated youth also come back with you? How did you settle them down?"

Secretary Song shook his head: "They said the train is late. I will pick them up tomorrow."

He stood up and walked out again: "I have to go and discuss with Ah Sheng. While there is sunshine these few days, we should allocate labor to build the house starting tomorrow."

The Asheng he was talking about is the newly appointed captain.

Chu Hong took the opportunity to make a suggestion: "I don't want too many people here, so let's arrange the accommodation for the educated youth in the front."

Early the next morning, the large iron bell tied with a rope next to the warehouse was rung.

This was the work number. Within three or five minutes, everyone came over in groups of three or four, chatting and laughing, ready to go to the warehouse to get farm tools to dig sweet potatoes.

This time, Party Secretary Song stood on a high place and started ideological education with a loud speaker for more than ten minutes. Finally, the team leader assigned the work.

The scorer led a group of people, young and old, to continue digging sweet potatoes, and also collected some sweet potato vines and piled them up for the cows to eat.

The others started digging the foundation and going up the mountain to saw wood.

We borrowed some mud bricks that were already made and stored in someone else's house. With more people, we could build a simple mud house in just three days.

Mr. Chu and his family moved in.

Chu Hong went in and found that the house here was a bit short.

Nowadays, most houses in rural areas are more than three meters high. Such adobe houses are warm in winter and cool in summer. As long as they do not crack, can they be lived in for decades?

But the houses here are only a little over two meters high, the windows are very small, and the light in the room is very dim. If you stay in there for a long time, it will seem depressing and dull.

There are also newly built mud-brick houses that are very damp.

There was no bed in the room, just two benches with two wooden boards placed on them, covered with some straw, and some wooden barrels, bamboo baskets and other things that other people didn't want.

It's really simple.

But when I think of the cowshed, the environment here can be considered very good.

She returned home and prepared to pack some things and then secretly send them to them in the evening.

Xiao Hei, who had disappeared without a trace since he came back, has finally returned.

No one knew where the black cat had gone. Its body was covered with cockleburs and tree debris. If Chu Hong hadn't been able to understand what the black cat said, she wouldn't have believed that the disheveled black cat in front of her was the sleek Little Black from a few days ago.

"Meow meow, I'm so hungry. Do you have any meat?" Xiao Hei wanted to jump onto her.

Chu Hong quickly stopped Xiao Hei and said, "I'll go find you something to eat. When you're full, I'll give you a bath."

People nowadays are frugal. Last time, the Li family secretly sent the meat, but no one in the family was willing to eat it, so Mrs. Song rubbed it with salt and prepared to eat it during the New Year.

Chu Hong was craving for meat, so she said this morning that she would cook her own lunch.

I stewed the meat and radish in the same pot without mercy, and now the aroma is coming out.

She also knew that if her family saw her feeding Xiao Hei meat, it would be as painful as cutting flesh.

I can only prepare some special food for Xiao Hei when they are not at home.

A spoonful of rice was added to the stewed radish and meat, and it was stirred before being poured into Xiao Hei's special coarse porcelain bowl with a chip on it.

Xiao Hei didn't care about the heat and started eating in small bites. Chu Hong plucked the Xanthium sibiricum off Xiao Hei's body.

After Xiao Hei had eaten his fill and the cockleburs were all picked, Chu Hong gave Xiao Hei a bath with hot water and dried him. Then she hugged Xiao Hei and asked, "Where have you been these past few days?"

After disappearing for five consecutive days, she suspected that Xiao Hei had become a missing person.

I am even more worried that Xiao Hei will become meat in someone else's pot.

"This place is big, and it's fun in the mountains." Xiao Hei was also very excited: "I also found Xiao Bai, and we played in the mountains together."

Chu Hong was a little jealous: "You have found a companion?"

I didn't expect that humans are not as good as cats. Before I found my other half, Xiao Hei was abducted by a stray cat.

I was also very curious: "Bring Xiaobai back someday, so I can try to see if I can chat with Xiaobai."

She thought about it carefully these days and realized that it was the black cat that suddenly appeared before she got into trouble.

Logically, I shouldn't have been scared at that time. When encountering such a thing, I should have pretended not to see it and just drove past it.

It was just that my brain was like a mess at that time, which caused me and the car to fall off the cliff.

She even suspected that Xiao Hei was the medium.

Xiao Hei felt a little regretful: "What if Xiao Bai doesn't want to come?"

Anyway, it feels so good to be able to communicate. Xiao Hei decides to go to the mountain to look for it after he has eaten. Who knows, maybe he can find many friends with whom he can communicate?

At this moment, someone outside timidly asked, "Is the second sister home?"

Chu Hong immediately responded: "Is it Chu Chu? I'm at home, come in."

Chuchu is Grandpa Chu’s granddaughter. She is only eight years old this year. She used to be a fair and plump little girl, but the Chu family suffered a disaster and she fell ill. Not only did she become much darker, but she also became extremely thin.

But Xiao Hei still recognized him. This was the little friend who used to feed him meat.

So Xiao Hei rushed to Chu Chu and meowed enthusiastically.

Chu Chu unconsciously widened her eyes, with a look of disbelief: "Is this Xiao Hei? Xiao Hei, why are you here?"

Chu Hong also thought it was a coincidence, so she served Chu Chu a bowl of stewed radish and meat: "Chu Chu, eat something first."

This is feeding grandma, which makes her feel so accomplished.

I wish I could feed the person until he becomes plump and white immediately.

Chu Chu smelled the aroma of meat and couldn't help swallowing, but still refused in a low voice: "No, I ate a lot in the morning and I'm not hungry at all now."

Seeing such a well-behaved grandma, Chu Hong's motherly love overflowed, and her voice was so gentle that it became like a clip: "Be good, you taste it for your sister."

Seeing that the little girl still refused, she whispered: "When you finish eating, sister will tell you how you met Xiao Hei."

Chu Chu was indeed craving for meat, so she shyly whispered thanks and took the bowl and chopsticks and started eating in small bites.

Chuchu originally wanted to eat only two pieces and take the rest back for her grandparents and brother.

But when she heard her sister talk about how to get to Shencheng and how to deal with the bad guys, she couldn't help but finish the whole bowl of delicious food.

The meat, which is half fat and half lean, is particularly fragrant when you take a bite.

The radish is also delicious, a little spicy, and especially tasty even with the soup.

After listening to Chu Hong's adventures, she heard the bell for the end of work in the distance. Her frail body trembled, and she whispered nervously, "Sister, I came to borrow needles and thread."

Chu Hong gave her the needle and thread, and after she left, she quickly served them a large bowl of food.

The seven people who were demoted were Mr. Jin with his eight-year-old grandson, the old couple of the Chu family with their grandchildren, and the lonely Aunt Jia.

Rice, flour and other food were first distributed to them from the brigade. Each family had one room, they ate together and took turns cooking.

It was not to save trouble, but because the pot was too expensive and it was difficult to buy one without a ticket. The three families only had one steel pot, a clay pot, a blower, and a few large coarse porcelain bowls with chips on them.

These were given to them by Chu Hong's family.

When Chu Hong carried the dishes over, she saw Grandma Chu cooking.

There was less rice in the steel pot, but more sweet potatoes and some green vegetables. When Chu Hong came over with the dishes, he quickly declined: "You have already helped us a lot, we really can't ask for more."

"We feel bad for always eating your goodies for free."

In the past, they had no shortage of meat every day, but now we know that people in the countryside rarely get to eat meat. Uncle Song

In order to make the Chu family accept her good intentions, Chu Hong told them the whole story of her trip to Shencheng, encountering the black cat, and being rescued by the young man.

She was also able to understand Xiao Hei's words, and realized that the young man who had inadvertently helped her was the grandson of the old couple of the Chu family.

But even if she told the truth, no one would believe her, so she could only tell a white lie and say that the person who helped her was the landlord's grandson.

I originally thought that there would be no chance to repay my kindness, but unexpectedly, Chuchu recognized the black cat I brought back.

"It's really like searching for something without any effort, but it's finally found."

After hearing what Chu Hong said, Mrs. Chu felt something was a little strange. Then, when she saw the little black cat slowly coming over and lying on her black cloth shoes, she could only sigh, "It is indeed fate."

Chu Hong concluded the matter: "No wonder I felt so close to you when I saw you."

Old Mrs. Chu also felt that this was indeed fate. She was even more concerned about her grandson, so she couldn't help but ask a few more questions: "Is my Ah Ci really okay? Did he say anything to you?"

Chu Hong looked regretful: "The situation was urgent at the time, so we didn't say much."

"But looking at his appearance, you can tell he's doing well."

Then he asked her, "Grandma Chu, can you still adapt?"

They also have to work now, and since they don't have the strength to swing the hoes, they all go to pick sweet potatoes.

However, one person is allowed to come back half an hour earlier to cook.

Old Madam Chu and the others all understood that it was a blessing to meet the kind-hearted Song family, and they believed that they would not complain about anything. They said gently: "Don't worry, we will get used to it. It's good here."

Even when they were working, some women in the village complained that they were not working efficiently, but they did not beat or scold them.

They can pretend they didn't hear it.

Chu Hong was afraid that they would be too negative and would not be able to hold on. Now she felt relieved after hearing her words. She touched Chu Chu's head and said softly, "Come to me if you have any problems. I'm not at home. I'm at the warehouse."

Chu Chu held Xiao Hei in her arms and nodded, saying softly, "Thank you, second sister."

At her age, she is considered sensible and feels that Chu Hong treats her really well, just like her own sister.

She had secretly asked her grandparents before whether Sister Chu Hong was their relative.

Unfortunately, it is not.

Chu Hong's home was separated from where they lived by a vegetable plot, so Chu Hong returned home quickly.

Grandma Song had already served the stewed carrots and meat. When she saw her come in, she couldn't help but sigh, "I can't let you cook. You're so extravagant that you've even taken away most of the meat."

Chu Hong then acted coquettishly and confidently: "I am craving for meat?"

Grandpa Song smiled and said, "Okay, we've been busy all morning, and everyone is hungry. Let's eat quickly."

Nowadays, most people’s earthen stoves have two pots with a copper pot in the middle. When the fire is lit, the water in the copper pot can be boiled, saving the need to boil water separately.

Chu Hong used a big pot to cook vegetables and a small pot to cook rice.

Mainly these days, my grandma would add sweet potatoes or cowpeas to the rice she cooked.

This can save some rice, but the taste will be worse. Even if you tell yourself that this is a nutritious diet meal, your stomach will revolt if you continue like this.

That's why I asked my sister to look after the warehouse for me today while I came back to cook.

Even though Grandma Song grumbled that her granddaughter didn't know how to live, the white rice was really delicious, and the stewed radish with meat was even more delicious, and the whole family enjoyed it very much.

In the end, Chu Dan shared the remaining rice crust with his second sister, and nibbled on it like a little hamster, looking very satisfied: "Second sister, what are we having for dinner?"

Grandma Song felt sorry for the food, so she rushed to say, "If we don't eat the beans now, they will go bad. Pick them all and save them for cooking noodles tonight."

After hearing this, the Chu sisters remained silent.

Old man Song asked his son, "Are the new educated youths still well behaved? When will the houses be built?"

Mr. Jin and his family lived in a simple house, with mud walls and a thatched roof. It took only three days to build it and move in.

But the houses for the newly arrived educated youth are still under construction.

They had to use stones to build the foundation, dig mud and sand, borrow mud bricks from people in the village who had them, and purchase tiles from the commune's brick kiln.

And they don't have tractors, everything is done manually.

"It will take another three to five days to complete the construction." In addition to attending meetings at the town's commune, Party Secretary Song has been supervising the educated youth in building their houses and doing ideological work for them these days.

Then he asked Chu Hong: "Without my and the captain's consent, you can't give them any more food."

Chu Hong nodded: "Don't worry, Dad, I've remembered everything."

At this time, Song Youfu came in carrying a bamboo basket: "Dad, mom, have you eaten yet? I'll put some fish in it for you to eat in the evening."

It is said that if you live by the mountain, you can eat from the mountain; if you live by the water, you can eat from the water. There is not much to eat in the mountains here, but they can get some fish and shrimp from the ponds and rivers, and they can even catch snails in the summer.

However, it takes some skills to catch fish in a bamboo basket.

Many people have tried it, but unfortunately most of them return empty-handed. Those who can persist are the ones who know a little bit about it.

Song Youfu is one of them, and he gained something in two out of three chapters.

However, there are not many chances to catch big fish. Most of the time, they are small fish and shrimps. Not only are they difficult to repair, but they are also reluctant to add oil. Therefore, Wu Qiaofang has eaten so much that she doesn't want to eat it anymore.

Even though Song Youfu acted like a deaf-mute and did not help his wife when she came to make trouble.

But in private, they would quietly send some fish and shrimp over every now and then.

If his wife asked him about it, he could say that he was unlucky and no fish or shrimp entered the cage.

Chu Hong leaned over to take a look, and her scalp tingled: "Ah, it's a snake."

She is particularly afraid of this thing.

Song Youfu laughed: "Silly boy, it's a Tulong."

He even deliberately moved the cage towards her.

The bamboo cage has a big belly and a thin neck, and is woven with bamboo strips inside. It is easy for fish and shrimp to enter the cage, but if they try to get out, they will be pricked by the bamboo thorns at the exit of the cage.

Chu Hong hid behind her cheap father and instigated, "Dad, go and deal with your disobedient brother."

But I have already thought of several ways to eat eel.

She was still afraid of the eel when it was alive, but when it was cooked and served on the table, she especially liked to eat it because it had few bones and the meat was tender and delicious.

Wu Xiu said in a gentle voice: "This is a good tonic. Why don't you take it back and give it to your sister-in-law?"

Although her sister-in-law was a little annoying, her second brother was still a good person. Even for the sake of her parents-in-law, she was willing to endure it.

Song Youfu sighed: "Now she can't stand the smell of fish, and she just likes to eat pickled vegetables."

"When you have a child, your taste will change." Grandma Song also reminded her youngest son: "She is not young anymore, and she must be tired at this time. You should be more accommodating to her. After all, nice words don't cost money."

Song Youfu responded and asked Secretary Song: "Brother, will there be quotas for workers, peasants and soldiers in the future? Will there be no college entrance examination next year?"

It's no wonder that he is anxious. His son Song Weibin is already fifteen years old and is in the third year of junior high school this year. He will take the college entrance examination next year. Prying

But he still hoped that his son could go to high school so that he would have the opportunity to go to the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University in the future.

Thinking about how Zhong Guobing got that university spot a few months ago, he felt particularly sorry that his son was not a high school student.

Especially himself, who didn't like studying at first and now can only dig for food in the fields.

Since the eldest brother had received education, he could become the team leader and the branch secretary even though his eldest sister-in-law had a bad background.

"Don't worry, I've been keeping an eye on him." Secretary Song also hoped that his eldest nephew would have a promising future and be able to take care of his own girls in the future, so he was willing to write a blank check to his younger brother: "When our Xiaobin graduates from high school, even if I can't get him a place in college, I can still get him to the town to eat public food."

There are still several years left anyway.

Song Youfu smiled when he heard his elder brother's words: "If that boy doesn't obey you in the future, I will be the first to disagree."

Then she smiled at him and said, "Brother, you are not going out this afternoon, can you lend me your bike?"

"Okay." He then whispered to him, "You better be careful. The town has been cracking down hard lately."

Now everything is supplied by tickets. An ordinary worker gets 20 or 30 kilograms of food tickets, as well as meat tickets, snack tickets, and the like, for a monthly salary of 20 or 30 kilograms.

This is almost enough for one person.

But if there are many children in the family, these will not be enough to eat.

In fact, the current prices are not expensive. An egg costs 5 cents, rice costs 1.4 cents a pound, flour costs 1.6 cents a pound, and the best pork belly costs only 9.6 cents a pound.

But you have to buy it with a ticket.

Those who have money but cannot spend it can only take the risk of buying it on the black market at a high price.

For example, rice could be sold for 25 cents or even 30 cents per pound on the black market without a ticket.

Even if the price doubles, there is no shortage of buyers, so those who take things to sell will also be twice as happy.

The rural areas were divided into production teams, where food was distributed to team members based on their work points each year, and those who did not have enough work points would receive cash as compensation.

When Wu Qiaofang wanted to split up the family business, Song Youfu did not stop her because he liked to hang out on the black market. But if the family business was not split up, his parents would keep a close eye on him.

After the separation, the couple could earn ten work points and eight work points every day. Their son often went to his eldest brother's house for meals, and they also had their own private plot of land, so they could save a lot of food.

After that, Song Youfu went to the black market every now and then. He could sell any grain or rice and flour at a high price.

I even went to the valley to plant some pumpkins, winter melons, peanuts and other easy-to-care-for crops that can be grown as both vegetables and food.

Not to mention, the winter melon that costs one cent per pound in the grocery store can be sold for three cents per pound on the black market.

He dared to sell tender corn for seven or eight cents each, and he could even sell leeks.

Secretary Song is now afraid that his younger brother will be caught by the joint defense team, so he gives him earnest advice.

Chu Hong heard this from the side, her eyes lit up, and when he dragged his bicycle away, she immediately followed him quietly: "Uncle, no matter when you go to town, bring me some chicken, duck, fish and meat when you come back."

She only dared to think about beef in her dreams.

She felt that her face was already green after eating long beans, eggplants, green vegetables, potatoes and other oil-deficient vegetables every day.

But she heard that the black market started at two or three in the morning, and she was still dreaming and couldn't wake up at all.

Even if she could get up, she didn't have the courage to go there in the dark, nearly twenty miles away. "If you don't have chicken, duck, fish or meat, pig's feet, pig's bones, chicken eggs or duck eggs will do."

After she finished speaking, she took out a handful of money from her trouser pocket and gave him the largest denomination of ten yuan: "I'll give you the money first."

Song Youfu also knew that his niece was rich now, so he readily accepted it and whispered, "Then you have to lend me your bicycle more often."

Chu Hong agreed immediately: "Sure, as long as it doesn't delay my dad's use, just come and ride it."

Song Youfu looked at her with new eyes: "You are really completely different from before."

In the past, when she went to borrow a car by herself, she was often reluctant to do so, complaining that she had borrowed it too many times.

Or maybe it was because his wife and sister-in-law had a quarrel, so his niece gave him a cold look.

At the beginning, I advised her that Zhong Guobing was unreliable and asked her to sell her quota to avoid wasting both talent and money. But she still thought I was meddling in other people's business.

Chu Hong sighed with a sad face: "Uncle, is this the price of growing up?"

Song Youfu was also unreliable. He whispered to her, "I think there are a few good male educated youths among the educated youths who went to the countryside this time. How about picking another one?"

It doesn’t matter if we get divorced again. We might be able to get some extra money from each other. It’s a good deal just thinking about it.

He was extremely envious and wished he were a woman.

Chu Hong rolled her eyes at him and said, "Okay, pick someone who is better looking than Chen Shimei, has a higher education, and whose family is a worker. When there is a university quota, I will let him go to university."

It's not impossible. When someone comes to poach your wife, you can make some money.

She said sincerely, "If there is a next time, I will definitely ask uncle to go with me, and we will split the money 30-70."

Song Laoer was defeated by his niece's shamelessness. He waved his hand and rode away on his bike.

As the old saying goes, many hands make light work.

The power of the masses should not be underestimated. In less than half a month, all the sweet potatoes in the field were dug up and all the corns were harvested.

The houses for the educated youth have also been built.

On both sides of the village entrance, there are five rooms each for male and female educated youth, all of which are made of mud bricks and tiles.

It’s not that the village cadres are generous, but that the commune leaders promised that if they built the houses, they would not have to pay for coarse grains this year.

Coarse grains are the corn, sweet potatoes, beans, etc. that are harvested now.

If you don't have to pay it, everyone can get more, which will come in handy when there is a shortage of money.

There are also cow sheds, which have all been demolished and rebuilt not far behind Grandpa Jin and his family.

With the help from the Song family, both overt and covert, the four elderly people and three children gradually got used to life in the countryside.

Chu Hong was willing to spend money, and the food at home improved a lot.

Song Laoer went to the town every now and then and would bring back some pork, pheasants, wild rabbits and the like for her.

It was less than eight o'clock in the morning on November 10th, and Chu Hong was absent-mindedly counting work points in the warehouse.

Last night, Song Laoer quietly borrowed the old bicycle stored in the warehouse, saying that he wanted to transport several hundred kilograms of sweet potatoes that were distributed to him to sell.

In the past, he would leave in the middle of the night and come back around five or six in the morning so that he wouldn’t be late for work the next day. Pickled mustard greens

At around nine o'clock in the morning, Song Laoer finally came back riding his old bicycle.

He first put the bicycle in the corner of the warehouse, then sat down on the ground, patted his chest, and said with a pale face: "I was scared to death, and I was almost caught by those people."

"I'm glad you're back. Uncle, why don't you take a rest for a while before going?" Chu Hong was very glad that she didn't go. Not only did she have to get up early, but she might also be seen as a show of excitement by others.

God knows she just wants to watch other people's fun.

Song Lao Er wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with a sympathetic heart: "I listened to you. This time, thanks to the educated youth I met, he led the people away for me, otherwise I would not be able to come back."

Chu Hong asked curiously, "Is it the educated youth from our village?"

There are now twenty-two educated youths in the educated youth site, twelve female and ten male.

Secretary Song appointed Wang Dong, the first one to arrive, as the team leader of the educated youth, and no major problems arose for the time being.

Chu Hong also had to deal with the educated youth. She knew that they had money but lacked tickets, so they often asked her privately to help buy eggs, duck eggs and grain from the village.

Chu Hong did not refuse and agreed immediately.

This is certainly not because she is kind-hearted, but under the pretext of serving the people, she can secretly buy some eggs, duck eggs and food.

This way, our family will be inconspicuous, and we can also support Mr. Jin and others.

Of course, this is also beneficial to the villagers. The price of eggs sent to the purchasing station is 3.6 cents per pound, and those that are a little damaged will not be accepted.

Chu Hong received one quarter.

Nowadays, there are about nine to ten local eggs per pound.

They don't have to deliver it to a town twenty miles away, which is much more convenient.

In addition, if the educated youth needed to bring something, they would ask Chu Hong to ask Secretary Song, who often went to the town for meetings, to bring it.

Therefore, the educated youth were very familiar with the Song family, including Song Laoer.

Chu Hongjiu thought that only the educated youth from the village dared to take such a risk to help his second uncle escape from trouble.

"It's not from our village." Uncle Song had been chased by the joint defense team several times. Even though he was almost scared to death every time, he could quickly recover after he was safe: "It's the educated youth from your eldest sister's village. He is very righteous."

Even though his legs were still weak and he couldn't stand up, he was already full of gossip: "That educated youth looks pretty energetic, do you want to go and take a look?"

Chu Hong rolled her eyes at him and said, "It's not like I can't get married, why are you worried?"

Although she had been divorced once, the tractor she "applied for" from Shanghai had arrived at the commune a few days ago.

People who went to learn about tractor operations said that Miss Song was amazing and that she even got a large sum of money from her ex-husband's family after the divorce.

Thinking about the fact that although Song Chuhong was married, she had no children, was young and beautiful, and most importantly, she was rich, there were many young men in Lingtou Village and Lingzhong Village who were not married or whose wives had died, and they all secretly asked people to mediate between them.

Chu Hong thought it was too troublesome, so she said bluntly that even if she wanted to find another husband, his appearance could not be worse than her ex-husband, and she had to invite a son-in-law to live with her.

Now, most people calmed down.

After all, there is still a lot of discrimination against live-in sons-in-law, and most people want to save face, so they have to give up.

However, it is Zhao Hongjun, the nephew of my eldest sister's mother-in-law, who wants to become a son-in-law.

Unfortunately, Chu Hong looked down on her, but he refused to give up and came over every now and then to seek a sense of existence.

Chu Hong was afraid that if she refused too harshly, it would make life difficult for her elder sister in her husband's family, so she could only avoid Zhao Hongjun.

When I was angry, I even murmured to Uncle Song: "Even if I want to recruit a son-in-law, I have to pick a pretty boy who is pleasing to the eye, right?"

Chu Hong rolled her eyes at him and said, "Don't be like those gossipy old ladies and keep nagging me. Why don't you show yourself in front of Second Aunt? Don't get in the way of me settling accounts."

She has only been in this time and space for more than a month, but she has already integrated into it.

"Did your second aunt go to work today?" Uncle Song tapped his legs a few times before he stood up, ready to hang around his wife for a while before going back to catch up on some sleep.

"It's time to go to work."

Not long after Song Lao Er left, Chu Dan came over to drink tea again.

Now that the weather is cold, the main crops in the fields have been harvested, but there are still radishes and vegetables to weed and fertilize. Even after these are done, there will be arrangements for digging canals, hoeing the fields, and fertilizing the fields, so everyone still has to go to work.

Chu Dan did not despise her second sister. She picked up her enamel pot and drank most of the remaining water before complaining, "The new educated youth are just not good at work. It's annoying to watch them."

Chu Hong laughed: "Don't laugh at me when you are alone. If you were a diligent person, you wouldn't be here with me, right?"

Chu Dan was helpless: "It was my second aunt who asked me to come back to see if my second uncle has arrived home."

He looked worried again: "I went to my second uncle's house to check, but he didn't come home yet. I don't know if anything happened to him."

"Don't worry, Second Uncle is back." Chu Hong pointed to the bicycle in the corner and said, "You missed him on the road, just let Second Aunt rest assured."

Chu Dan finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, I'll go back and talk to Second Aunt."

The main thing is that after going to work, you can’t go home often, otherwise your work points will be deducted.

Wu Qiaofang had already returned and could not leave the fields in the morning, so she had to send her niece back.

She was about to leave after she finished speaking, but then she turned around and asked in a low voice: "Sister, what are we having for lunch?"

"Second Uncle was almost caught," Chu Hong rolled her eyes at her, "How could he bring us food?"

Chu Dan did not give up: "Are the pickled duck eggs from a few days ago ready to eat? Can we try some at noon?"

She was particularly grateful that her second sister brought back a lot of money. While the educated youth asked her second sister to buy chicken and duck eggs, her second sister secretly left hundreds of eggs for the family.

To be honest, she had never seen so many eggs at home since she could remember.

She satisfied her craving by making delicious dishes such as egg custard, scrambled duck eggs, and egg pancakes in turn.

The second sister also pickled some chicken and duck eggs, which she had been thinking about for a long time.

"Okay, I'll cook a few for lunch."

Yellow mud pickled duck eggs is also a delicacy that most aunts and daughters-in-law in the village eat. However, some families are afraid that their children will eat too much, so they deliberately add more salt. In fact, it doesn’t taste good, but it saves food.

Chu Hong knew that her mother could pickle more than 50 duck eggs, and she specifically reminded her to use less salt.

It’s almost twenty days now, and she also wants to try the pickled duck eggs.

Unfortunately, at noon, Grandma Song made two kinds of rice, and the only dishes were two plates of stir-fried vegetables and meat with pickled mustard greens.

Of course, it is difficult to find meat in the pickled mustard greens, but it would be good enough if you can find some oil residue.

Even so, Grandpa Song was still very satisfied eating the pickled mustard greens with rice: "In the past, the pickled mustard greens were steamed, but now they are fried with pork, and they are greasy and delicious."

Chu Hong smiled and said, "Grandpa, let's eat pickled duck eggs tonight, they are more delicious."

Grandpa Song also laughed: "Okay, let's cook dinner tonight."

Grandma Song muttered, "You all just think about eating."

Then he asked with concern: "Is your uncle okay?"

"My second uncle is smarter than a monkey, nothing will happen to him." Chu Hong knew that they were worried: "Grandpa and grandma, you will know after you go to my uncle's place."

Mrs. Song thought the same thing and said, "Then you guys wash the dishes, I'll go over and take a look."

When she got off work in the afternoon, Chu Hong, who originally wanted to come back early to cook dinner, was stopped by several educated youth. When she returned home, her grandmother had already cooked dinner.

Dinner is not rice, but rice cooked with sweet potatoes to save rice.

Chu Hong could only comfort herself and think of it as a nutritious and healthy diet meal.

However, pickled salted duck eggs are very popular. The egg white is not very salty, but fresh and delicious with a strong aroma. The egg yolk has a dense and sandy texture, comparable to crab roe.

Unfortunately, Grandma Song was used to being frugal, so for a family of six, she only cooked three salted duck eggs, and each person could only get half an egg.

"It's so delicious," Chu Dan was reluctant to swallow it, and said with a look of aftertaste: "I'll come back to cook tomorrow, and we'll each have one."

Grandma Song glared at her and said, "At most, we can eat once every three days."

She felt that her family was already the best in the village: "The amount of eggs they eat throughout the year is not as much as what we eat in a month."

"If you continue to live like this, you won't be able to save a penny throughout the year, and you will end up in deficit."

Although what she said was the truth, Chu Hong could not tell her that in a few years, the production would be contracted to each household and they would be able to trade freely. Even if they sold tea eggs at the town station, in front of the hospital, or near the shopping mall, they could still make money.

Therefore, she began to think that she could improve her life by starting some collective business in the village.

Now she also understood that although individual transactions were not allowed, collective economy was allowed to support national construction.

Fortunately, her father is the village party secretary who is the most powerful person in the village, and the team leader was recommended by her father, so she is very grateful and will not refute her own cheap father.

Even so, the starting point cannot be too big, after all, there are too many uncontrollable factors.

Raising livestock is afraid of encountering plagues and the initial investment is too high.

But there are no deep mountains and wild forests here, but there are many hillsides, and no precious trees, just worthless pine trees, mulberry trees, locust trees, wild peach trees, fir trees, willow trees, and maple trees.

The vegetation seems to be lush, and there are many snakes and insects, but it is a bit difficult to make a living from the mountains.

I did find that there are wild ponds in several valleys here. There are few big fish, but there are quite a few small fish.

She thought about trying raising ducks.

Ducks can lay eggs after four or five months of raising. They are also relatively easy to raise and have a sense of teamwork. They will not run around unless they are frightened.

Duck eggs can also be made into salted duck eggs, and she can also make preserved eggs, which will definitely be popular.

So she shared her thoughts with her family.

Chu Dan was the first to agree: "This is a good thing. I will raise ducks in the future."

Secretary Song was a little hesitant: "I heard that last year, the chicken farm over at the bridgehead had a chicken plague, and almost all the chickens died."

Old Man Song also agreed: "Yes, we raised pigs in our village before, but didn't something go wrong?"

Chu Hong knew what they were thinking: "I also know that the breeding industry is too risky. If it succeeds, it will be fine. But if something goes wrong, we will be blamed behind our backs."

Wu Xiu smiled and asked, "You know everything, and you still dare to speak up? What do you think?"

Chu Hong did think about it: "I heard that there is an Animal Husbandry Bureau in the town. Chu Dan or I will go there to learn for a while."

"I'll buy 100 ducklings for the first time. I'll pay for it. I'll let Lao Jin and the others look after and feed the ducks. This way, if there's any loss, it won't be too big."

"Once we have gained experience, we can raise more in the future."

"Also, ducks are cheap to raise and are less likely to get sick or get plague."

"The most important thing is, if we develop this habit, not only can we improve our own food, but the villagers will also benefit."

She feels that it is easier to tie interests together and it will be easier to manage.

She has also noticed these days that everyone is used to obeying orders, working from sunrise to sunset, and although they are materially poor, they do not have any mental pressure.

There are no mortgages or car loans, and no high betrothal gifts.

If only I could be less tired and eat better, this uncompetitive life would be pretty good.

Wu Xiu's eyes lit up: "If this can be accomplished, it would be great."

Before she was eighteen, she lived a good life with everything provided for her.

Later, in order to survive, I had to go to the fields to work.

Otherwise she was afraid that others would think she was not hardworking.

Who said that these days, only those who love to work are good comrades?

But she didn't want to work from the bottom of her heart and just wanted to eat delicious food. The second daughter's words really touched her heart.

Secretary Song couldn't bear to disappoint his wife and daughter: "Then I'll go to the town to find out tomorrow."

Chu Dan was already worried: "My second sister already has a job, so if I go to the Animal Husbandry Bureau to study, will they let us go?"

Wu Xiu also spoke up: "Didn't you say earlier that the commune leaders required each brigade to recruit a barefoot doctor?"

"I want to learn. They are all doctors, and I can also go to the Animal Husbandry Bureau to learn for a while."

Secretary Song didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "There's a huge difference between humans and ducks."

But thinking that she really liked to play with herbs and read medical books, he took it to heart: "I'll go ask her tomorrow."

It would be nice if she could be a barefoot doctor, then she wouldn't have to work.

Secretary Song rushed to the commune early the next morning, and when he came back, his family had already had lunch.

Wu Xiu, who was washing dishes, swiftly served him the sweet potato rice left in the pot: "You eat first."

The green vegetable dumplings in the morning had no oil at all. Secretary Song was already starving. After eating half a bowl of rice, he smiled at her and said, "You will go to the hospital for training in three days. I have already signed you up."

Wu Xiu rarely lost her composure: "Really?"

Secretary Song smiled and nodded: "Really."

"That's great." Chu Dan was more concerned about whether he could raise ducks, and asked anxiously: "Dad, can we raise ducks?"

Secretary Song also nodded: "Yes, I have asked, there is no Animal Husbandry Bureau in the town, only a veterinary station. If you want to buy ducklings, you have to go to the Animal Husbandry Bureau in the city."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Chu Hong and said, "But we need to hold a meeting. We can't all pay for it. Even if each family pays a few cents, it will be considered collective."

"This way, even if someone wants to cause trouble, we will be in the right and won't have to worry about being accused of something."

Chu Hong also nodded: "I didn't think it through enough."

Old Man Song also stood up and said, "I'll go tell Ah Sheng right away. While it's cold now and there's not much work to do, let's build the duck house first."

This is the captain's nickname. According to seniority, the captain should call him uncle, right?

As he walked to the door, he almost bumped into someone.

When he saw it was the captain, he smiled and said, "Ah Sheng, I was just about to look for you."

"Uncle, you heard the news too." Captain Song said anxiously, "Those people are here again, saying they want to take Lao Jin and the others to Y Street in town."

Captain Song also knew that his cousin was quite nice to those who were sent down.

Sometimes, people just follow the example of their superiors.

Captain Song has finally become the captain, so naturally he doesn't want his cousin Secretary Song to have any opinions about him.

It happened that their house was right in the front, and when they saw those people coming, they ran out from the back door like a thief to report the news.

Secretary Song, who originally wanted to have another bowl, immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks: "I will go with you to greet them."

He glanced at Chu Hong again and said, "You should go as well."

Their family had thought about this matter before, how to make those people give up and take them away.

There was no way he could say anything nice, especially since he had offended the Wu family last time.

Therefore, Chu Hong immediately responded and urged her younger sister: "Hurry up and ask them to go to the pigpen."

She felt that the villagers were a bit too cautious.

Because more than half of the pigs died of disease the year before last, they are now particularly afraid of encountering such a tragedy again, so they only raise seven pigs now.

Five of them are pre-purchased pigs that need to be handed in, and the other two are just in case.

I’m afraid that some pigs won’t perform well and won’t be handed in if they’re not heavy enough, and they will be criticized and punished.

Today's pigs are also pitiful. People don't have enough oil and water, and have to eat sweet potatoes and corn as their staple food, so the pigs' food is even worse.

In spring, summer and autumn, there are wild grasses, with some rice bran and wheat bran added. In winter, you can only cook sweet potato vines, corn stalks, and some rice bran and wheat bran in a pot.

Of course, in addition to the seven pigs, there are also four cows. These cows are the strong laborers in the village. They plow the fields and transport grain.

Now it is Lao Jin and his colleagues' job to clean the pigsty and cattle shed.

Even children like Chuchu had to collect grass for the pigs and help clean the pigsty.

The countryside nowadays is not very dirty.

Because each family could only raise three chickens and ducks, everyone kept their chickens and ducks in captivity for fear that they would be dragged away by weasels.

They clean very diligently, for fear that the chickens and ducks will get sick, and besides, those things can also fertilize the fields.

Chemical fertilizers are rare nowadays. There are only pesticides, ammonium water, and a white kind of fertilizer that can burn your hands.

Therefore, they would never miss the chicken and duck manure, and would bury it in their own vegetable garden to fertilize the fields.

The pig and cow manure in the team must be taken to the collective land to be fermented as fertilizer.

So Chu Hong used yellow mud, added some chopped straw, smashed vines, black mud, rice bran and the like, and finally added hot water to mix it. It was really horrible.

When Chu Hong arrived at the pigpen, she had already called Jin Lao and the others over, and had even cleared out a pigpen.

Hearing the slogans coming from not far away, Mr. Jin was the first to grab the still hot yellow mud in the bucket and smear it on himself.

The others rushed over, not wanting to be left behind.

After all of them, young and old, were covered in dirt, they rolled around in the pigsty.

The pigsty hasn't been cleaned today, but they immediately start to smell bad.

When Captain Wu came over with a dozen people, they saw Chu Hong with her hands on her hips cursing: "…If anything happens to the pigs, I will beat you to death."

"Clean it all up for me, and then clean the pigsty."

When Captain Wu and his men saw the miserable looks of the people in the pigpen, they all felt like vomiting. Not only did they not move forward, they also took a few steps back in a rare act of tacit understanding.

Captain Wu frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

"The pigs are sick." Secretary Song also had a worried look on his face: "These are all pre-purchased pigs. We have finally raised them to this size, but they have not yet reached the purchase standard. I am afraid that something will happen, then all our efforts this year will be in vain."

Chu Hong also looked angry: "Don't worry, Dad. I saw that they also ate pig food. They are fine, so our pigs will definitely be fine. I will boil a few more pots of hot water later..."

Captain Wu also felt that he understood. These people really were not getting enough to eat, so they had to compete with the pigs for food.

Looking at the work they are doing now, I give up the idea of ​​taking people away.

You know, their joint defense team only has one tractor. If they were asked to stand on it, they would be vomited by the smoke due to the close contact.

Therefore, Captain Wu said with a serious face: "Since they already understand that labor is the most glorious, there is no need to bring them to accept the supervision and education of comrades."

"You must also firmly grasp their thoughts and supervise their work in the future."

After giving Chu Hong a long lecture, he turned around and led his men away.

Chu Hong was afraid that they would come back and attack, so she waited here. After waiting for more than ten minutes, Secretary Song strode back and said, "Everyone has left. Let them go back and change their clothes first."

While waiting for someone, Lao Jin and the others took the opportunity to clean up the pigsty.

In fact, as long as Captain Wu and his team go forward and observe carefully, they will be able to find clues.

Too bad they all got stinked away.

Lao Jin and the others also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that they had escaped a disaster. After expressing their gratitude repeatedly, they went back to wash up, shivering.

To be honest, even though they are dirty and smelly now, they would rather be dirtier than being pushed to Y Street.

Wu Xiu had already boiled two large pots of hot water at home, and Old Man Song personally brought it to them. Chu Hong also contributed some Lighthouse soap that she bought for 1.46 cents.

The price doesn't sound too expensive, but you need a ticket to buy it.

She even personally gave Chuchu a bath, but she almost couldn't do it. She could only say silently in her heart: This is my grandmother, my little ancestor, and respecting the elderly and loving the young is a virtue.

First, the children and Grandma Chu and Grandma Jia washed up, and then they carried a load of hot water for Lao Jin and the others to wash up.

It is winter now, and the temperature is in the single digits both morning and evening. Grandma Jia uses the brown sugar and ginger contributed by Chu Hong to make a big pot of ginger tea.

Chu Hong still reminded them worriedly: "You don't have to go to work this afternoon. If you feel uncomfortable, come to me."

She felt a little worried. It was not even the 1970s yet, so it was still too early for that. If she could avoid it this time, she wouldn't be able to use this method next time.

A few days later, Secretary Song sent Wu Xiu to the town to attend the barefoot doctor training.

The town arranged food and accommodation for her, but Secretary Song was still worried and went to the town to see her every now and then.

Fortunately, he was the party secretary, and everyone thought he was going to the commune to attend a meeting.

In the blink of an eye, it was December 7th.

They are in the south, and although it's not as cold as in the north where people are afraid of freezing to death if they leave the kang, it's still cold enough that many people start carrying fire buckets to keep warm.

Especially when it started raining in the morning, Chu Hong was reluctant to leave the warm bed when she heard the sound of raindrops hitting the tiles.

It was raining, so everyone didn't have to go to work. She lay down peacefully, without worrying about anyone coming to visit.

While she was half asleep, Chu Dan pushed the door open and said happily, "Second sister, hurry up and get up. The eldest sister and the others are here."

Chu Tong married to Lingshang Village from Lingxia Village, which was only about five miles away, and more than ten miles round trip.

But in more than a month, he has only been back twice.

Chu Hong looked at the little alarm clock beside her, which sounded like a chicken pecking at rice, and saw that it was almost ten o'clock. She also got up quickly: "Ask grandma to fry a few more eggs for lunch, and then make some steamed egg custard for Xiao Yu."

"Grandpa and grandma have gone to Second Aunt's house and haven't come back yet." Chu Dan wished that the elders were away so that he could cook eggs at will. He was eager to try: "I'll go cook. Can I cook for lunch?"

If the elders at home scold me for being a spendthrift, my second sister can speak up to help me out.

She now understands that her second sister, who is rich, capable, and has promised to find a son-in-law, is definitely the favorite of her grandparents, parents, and grandparents.

In the past, whenever my second sister asked me to buy some vegetables, my father would agree.

My second sister decides what dish she wants to eat, and even if grandma complains about wasting oil, we can still see it at the dinner table.

Chu Hong, who didn't have to cook for herself, also thought that this cheap sister could stay for a few more years: "Okay, put three eggs in the egg custard, and stir-fry four eggs with chives."

Oh, I've really fallen. I never thought that there would be a day when I would think eggs are a delicious food.

Chu Dan agreed happily, turned around and ran away.

Chu Hong also put on her old cotton jacket with a slanting collar.

Nowadays, most of the clothes people wear are black, gray, green and blue. Woolen and other materials that are rare in city dwellers are rarely seen in the countryside.

People in the city like Zhongshan suits and Lenin suits, but in the countryside, more people still wear slanted-collar clothes.

In order not to attract attention, the cotton cloth of her old black cotton-padded jacket had been washed to a gray-black color, but the cotton inside was newly bought this year.

Not only her, but everyone in the family changed the lining of their cotton-padded jackets and trousers, and gave the old cotton-padded jackets to Lao Chu and others.

Even with this little bit of cotton, my dad still bought nine pounds from regular channels, my second uncle bought fifteen pounds at a high price on the black market, and my grandmother collected eight pounds from several families in the village. It was only then that there was enough cotton for everyone in the family to buy new cotton-padded jackets and trousers.

This forced Chu Hong to give up the idea of ​​replacing even the quilt with a new one, and she could only hope to replace the straw on the bed with quilt next year.

When Chu Hong went out, she saw her elder brother-in-law holding a teacup, sitting with his legs crossed, drinking hot tea and warming himself by the fire.

He looked so comfortable, like a big boss, that Chu Hong wanted to kick him out.

This is also the reason why she still wants to recruit educated youth.

Most country people have old ideas. They think that it is too tiring for men to work in the fields and earn enough work points to support the family, and that they should not get involved in housework.

Otherwise it would seem not manly enough.

There are also many men who still beat their wives, and they even have excuses: I married my wife and bought a horse, I can ride her and beat her as I please.

Moreover, nowadays, few people in rural areas are willing to divide the family property. Parents always hold the money in their hands and will not let go until the day they die.

Chu Hong definitely doesn't want to go to someone else's house and suffer grievances, so if she chooses to marry a son-in-law, she has the final say.

Moreover, even if the man wants to divorce in the future, the son-in-law who comes to marry him cannot take his money or children.

The most important point is that most of the educated youth had some education, especially the male ones, most of whom graduated from junior high school and had been educated with new ideas.

In the corner of the yard outside, the eldest sister was washing vegetables, and Xiao Yuer was held in Chu Dan's arms and chatting and laughing.

"Sister, brother-in-law." Chu Hong greeted them, went to wash up first, and then went to wash vegetables with her elder sister.

Their family did not dig a well. It should be said that there were only two wells in the village, and Secretary Song would go there every morning and evening to fetch water and pour it into a large water tank.

The water is too cold in winter now, so Chu Hong is very glad that there are many women in her family, so she doesn't have to wash vegetables and clothes every day.

She took the opportunity to ask in a low voice: "Sister, is your mother-in-law treating you well?"

In her opinion, her cheap elder sister was too kind, easily influenced, and easily taken advantage of.

Especially since her eldest sister only gave birth to a daughter, and her mother-in-law's nephew wanted to be her son-in-law, but she rejected him. She was worried that old lady Su would dislike her eldest sister even more.

I feel that my eldest sister is like a poor young wife who is troubled by an evil mother-in-law.

Therefore, she really didn't want to get married. If she could find a male educated youth who was good-looking and had a good temper, she wouldn't mind keeping a gigolo.

No, it’s about trying to be a househusband.

It doesn’t matter even if he wants to go back to the city in the future. By then, I may already have children and be able to find ways to make money.

She never thought about a lifelong love between two people.

After all, she has already started working. Even though she doesn't see many patients, she hears a lot of stories. Some are about women who found out their husbands were scumbags after getting married, and some are about women who got pregnant but found out their husbands were cheating on them... If it weren't for too much psychological pressure, who would go to a psychologist?

Their industry simply relies on scumbag men and women to survive.

Chu Hong prefers to enjoy life to the fullest. Besides, once she has money, why would she be afraid of not having a man she likes?

Chu Tong was just good-tempered, but she was not soft and without temper. She also whispered: "She made things difficult for me, so I brought the child back to stay for a few days."

She knew that her mother-in-law was not very happy with her because she had not given birth to a son.

But it’s not like you can have a baby just because you want to.

He whispered to Chu Hong, "I heard that Wang Dazhi also joined the joint defense team. He even brought a piece of meat to visit his aunt yesterday."

Wang Dazhi is the son of Chu Tong's mother-in-law's younger brother. He had been married before, but the woman died during childbirth.

When Chu Tong followed her mother-in-law back to her parents' home to visit relatives, they happened to see someone arguing with Aunt Wang. The other party pointed at her nose and called her a beast, saying that her daughter-in-law cried out when she gave birth to a daughter, but she covered her mouth and nose.

They say she is so heartless that she doesn't even want her granddaughter.

Of course, Aunt Wang would not admit it. Even if she heard it herself, she would have thought it was just a verbal abuse.

But the mother-in-law was also very cold to her granddaughter. When her granddaughter fell ill, she would mutter that she was a waste of money and should have been thrown into the urinal.

Chu Tong was extremely sad and scared, so she kept a close eye on her daughter.

Naturally, he was unwilling to help Wang Dazhi when he wanted to marry his second sister.

This time she went back to her parents' home to stay for a few days because her mother-in-law brought her some folk remedies, which included incense ash, dried earthworms, ground sheep bones and so on. She didn't want to eat them, and her mother-in-law pointed at her and scolded her for not being able to lay eggs and occupying the toilet without defecating. She was so angry that she packed some clothes and took her daughter back to her parents' home.

Chu Tong also gossiped with her: "We also had more than 20 educated youths come here, and there are two male educated youths who are particularly handsome and pleasing to the eye."

"Many young girls in the village have taken a fancy to them."

"Especially my sister-in-law, who has taken a liking to both of them. As soon as they get off work, they take their books to ask for advice."

"When she saw them washing clothes, she came over to help."

"She even secretly took eggs from home and gave them to them to eat. The two male educated youths looked down on her and immediately returned the eggs."

"Now, the two male educated youths dare not be alone, whether they are going to work or leaving work, and they avoid Jin Xiang."

Old Lady Su gave birth to two sons and two daughters, and now only the youngest, Su Jinxiang, is still unmarried.

Everyone in the Su family is good-looking. Su Jinfang married into the town, and Su's mother accepted a high betrothal gift of 200 yuan, as she also wanted her younger daughter to marry better.

Originally, she wanted to marry her younger daughter to a man in town, but now she heard that Chu Hong was dumped by a male educated youth and made a fortune, so she also tried to find out the family background of those male educated youth. contradiction

Although Chu Hong and her family told others that her ex-husband only gave her a little over a hundred yuan, everyone had heard that Chu Hong "begged" for five tractors.

Everyone guessed that she would not be so selfless as to extort five tractors from the commune, which would earn her at least a few hundred dollars.

In addition, Captain Song was promoted to Secretary Song. With the five tractors, the commune leaders would remember his kindness and even want to marry Chu Hong.

Unfortunately, Chu Hong has high requirements and hasn’t found anyone she likes yet.

Now after listening to what my eldest sister said, I feel a little dissatisfied with my eldest brother-in-law.

Su Hongqi came up to her and said, "Second sister, you can't find a good man to marry. If there is a suitable person, why don't you just marry him?"

Seeing his sister-in-law holding her daughter and roasting peanuts by the fire, he said with a look of "I am doing this for your own good" in a low voice, "Anyway, there is still your sister-in-law at home, why are you so stubborn?"

His uncle had only one son, so naturally he would not agree to let his cousin become a son-in-law. But his cousin fell in love with Chu Hong, which caused unrest in his own family.

Of course, he also felt that his cousin now worked in a good company, had a high salary, and good benefits, so no one dared to mess with him when he went out.

He also knew in his heart that his cousin's thoughts were related to him.

When Chu Hong came back, she specifically asked them to go back to the Song family. Not only did she give them good materials such as Dacron, nylon, polyester, and polyester, she also gave her daughter a pound of milk candy and gave him two packs of good cigarettes.

He also secretly gave Chu Tong twenty yuan, but he accidentally found it out.

Later, Wang Dazhi came to him for a drink, and after drinking too much, the two speculated that she must have extorted a large sum of money from her ex-husband's family.

Otherwise, why would Chu Hong be willing to take out so much?

In addition, the three sisters of the Song family are all good-looking, so it is no wonder that Wang Dazhi was determined to marry them home.

Before Chu Hong could refute, Chu Tong cursed with a cold face: "My second sister will never marry Wang Dazhi. It's like a toad wanting to eat swan meat. Forget this idea."

"I don't want to see you now, go back to your house!"

Chu Tong usually speaks in a gentle voice and rarely loses her temper, which scared Su Hongqi, but then he felt that she had embarrassed him in front of his two sisters-in-law.

He subconsciously raised his hand to hit someone. Chu Hong had been paying attention to her eldest sister's husband's expression since her eldest sister started swearing.

You could tell something was not right by looking at the anger and shame in his eyes.

So when he raised his hand, I knocked him with the wooden spoon I was using to scoop water: "Brother-in-law, what do you want to do?"

"This is the Song family, not your Su family."

"It's a new society now. If you don't like my elder sister, then divorce her."

The wooden spoon hit his wrist, causing Su Hongqi to scream in pain: "Ouch!"

He didn't expect that Chu Tong, who was always gentle and kind, would be so aggressive, and he didn't expect that Chu Honghai would dare to attack him.

At this moment, he was so angry that he wanted to hit someone.

But in the blink of an eye, I saw my sister-in-law, who was holding Xiao Yu'er, rushing over with the door bolt in her hand, and said fiercely: "Who do you want to hit?"

Su Hongqi shuddered in his heart and didn't dare to teach Chu Hong a lesson anymore.

He's not sure of winning against three alone.

So he pointed at Chu Tong and yelled, "If you have the guts, live in your mother's house for the rest of your life."

After saying this, seeing that the Chu sisters looked at him unfriendly, he immediately turned around and ran away.

To be honest, if Chu Hong wasn't afraid of having to explain to her elder sister when she returned, she would have wanted to close the door and beat the dog.

She still remembers that wise saying: There are only zero times and countless times of domestic violence.

But she knew better that no matter what the time, she would persuade people to reconcile rather than separate.

Moreover, the eldest sister only gave birth to a daughter. In the eyes of many people, she was a sinner who was incapable of giving birth to a son.

Chu Hong was wondering if her cheap brother-in-law had other thoughts.

Not to mention that in today's rural areas there is still the old idea that the three major unfilial acts are to have no descendants, and even after a few decades, there will still be people who will do anything to have a son.

When Chu Tong saw him running away, she couldn't help but cover her face and cry.

Not only did she feel that he made her lose face in front of her sisters, she also blamed him for treating her worse and worse, and she hated her mother-in-law even more for always trying to sow discord between them.

"Mom, Mom..." Xiao Yuer saw his mother crying, so he ran over and hugged her legs and continued to cry.

Chu Hong signaled her younger sister to cook lunch, and she held the younger one in her arms and pulled the older one into the room. She first wiped Xiao Yu'er's tears with a handkerchief, then took out a biscuit box from the drawer and coaxed the younger one, saying, "Be good, Xiao Yu'er. Auntie will give you something delicious to eat."

Chu Tong also took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and tried to flatter her man: "Your brother-in-law has never hit me in these years. It's just that his mother always says bad things about me in front of him, which caused discord between us."

Chu Hong thought that this was just self-deception.

She swallowed the words of persuasion she was about to give her, and just comforted her: "Then stay at home for a few more days."

Even if I persuade her to divorce, who knows if she will regret it or feel that I have broken up her family?

She admitted that she didn't care about her enough, otherwise she wouldn't be so rational.

She won't turn back until she hits the wall. When she can't bear it anymore, she will divorce on her own without you having to persuade her.

Chu Hong felt that Su Hongqi was desperate to have a son and that peace would not last long.

Then I thought that there were a lot of educated youth coming everywhere now, and I wondered if there were a lot of good-looking female educated youth coming to Lingtou Village?

At noon, there is fragrant white rice, tender and smooth egg custard, fragrant scrambled eggs with leeks, and stir-fried vegetable stems.

Chu Hong mixed egg custard with Xiao Yuer's rice and also gave her several pieces of scrambled eggs, which Xiao Yuer ate without even raising her head.

Chu Tong looked at so many eggs and felt distressed: "You guys really don't know how to live. How can you eat like this? How many eggs and oil did you waste?"

Grandpa and grandma went to my second uncle's house for dinner today, and my parents are in town. Chu Dan originally thought that he would not hear anyone nagging, but he did not expect that he could not avoid it after all.

She picked up a piece of greasy and fragrant scrambled eggs and ate them, and even argued: "Sister, you really wronged me. Normally, I would not be willing to eat like this."

"Aren't you guys back? Look how thin Xiaoyuer is. As her aunt, I love her so much that I want to make more delicious food for her."

Xiao Yu'er was also very well behaved: "Thank you, auntie, I like it very much."

Chu Tong's eyes were sore. Who doesn't like eating eggs?

But in the Su family, the son born to Su Hongqi's younger brother and sister-in-law is already four years old. The mother-in-law has always favored her grandson, not to mention that his sister-in-law is now pregnant.

Even if you steam a bowl of egg custard, a small half will go to your grandson, and the rest will go to your father-in-law, sister-in-law, and the Su brothers.

In the past, Su Hongqi would share some with his daughter, but later her mother-in-law said that men were too tired from working outside, so she urged her eldest son to eat more.

He also thinks Xiao Yu'er is a money-loser who does not work and just eats.

When I think back to when I was not married, whenever there was some delicious food at home, we would share it with everyone.

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