By the time Yu Xiangan came back with his brother and nephew carrying a wooden barrel, lunch was almost ready.
The three of them had a pretty good trophy. They went to the creek to try their luck, and Yu Mingjie caught a yellow eel, which weighed more than a pound. Many girls are afraid of it because it looks like a snake, but for Yu Xiangan, fear was impossible, as it was a delicious ingredient.
Zhang Chahua handed the eel to Zhao Qiaoniang to deal with, and pulled her aside to talk, "Xiao An, grandma knows about this. What do you think? Talk to grandma. Grandma has eaten your meals for so many years, so I can at least give you some advice."
Yu Xiangan had thought about this scenario before coming here, and smiled: "Grandma, I'm not sad now, don't worry about me, I'm just cutting my losses in time. If I found out about this after I got married, it would be so bad. Now I have a job, so I don't have to worry about it in the future. I'm just thinking about working hard and living a good life!"
Zhang Chahua didn't see her granddaughter's reluctance and was very relieved: "It's good that you can get over it." She stroked her granddaughter's with her rough hands and felt relieved. She was afraid that she couldn't get over it. If she kept hiding this matter in her heart, she would never be happy in the future. It's good that she can get over it. Just like she said, she now has a formal job with a monthly salary and a stable job. Even if it gets out that she has divorced, there will still be people vying for her, so she doesn't have to worry about marriage."
Yu Xiangan's heart was full. She was really lucky. Her relatives were all good, both before and after the time travel.
One after another, my uncle and aunt, as well as my cousins, who were working outside, came back.
Yu Xiangan saw his uncle Yu Qingbao. He and Yu Qingshan were twins, but they did not look alike. His uncle was not as tall as Yu Qingshan and looked thin and not very healthy. In comparison, his aunt Yang Huili was not only taller than his uncle, but also stronger. If you didn't know and only looked at his back, you might think that his aunt was the man.
She was also a well-known capable person in the Red Star Production Brigade and could get 10 work points like other middle-aged men.
This couple is upside down. Yang Huili does men's work, while Yu Qingbao does the easy work.
There was no other way. Yu Qingbao had a physical problem from birth and could not support heavy work. Zhang Chahua hired Yang Huili specifically for her eldest son so that they could complement each other.
Apart from being poor, Yang Huili's family has no other shortcomings.
Her mother's family lives in the mountains. There is little arable land in the mountains, so it is impossible to grow crops on a large scale. Life is relatively poor, but there are a lot of mountain products there. Yang Huili was happy to see them coming back. "My brother sent me a cured rabbit last time. There is still some left. I cut it up today. Let's taste it together."
After Yu Xiangan matched them with the people in his memory, he also carefully memorized the three cousins.
My uncle and his wife had six children, one of whom died young. There were five left. The first two were daughters who were already married, and the remaining three were sons, named Manchang, Manwu, and Mansheng. Yu Manwu and Yu Mansheng were both younger than Yu Xiangan.
Yu Manchang is nineteen years old this year, two years older than Yu Xiangan. He stopped studying after junior high school. This level of education was enough for him in the countryside, because he could write and calculate, and he was occasionally called to the brigade to help with work.
The brothers Yu Manyu and Yu Mansheng did not continue their studies after finishing primary school. The current commune was indeed not suitable for students to study, so they simply returned home to work in the fields and earn work points.
Yu Mansheng was very enthusiastic. He went to the kitchen to take a look, then came out drooling and called Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie: "Come on, I'll take you to the mountains to pick wild fruits!"
Teenagers wander around looking for anything edible whenever they have nothing to do, and they all know some "secret bases" that only a few people know about.
Yu Manchang heard it and shouted, "Don't delay too long, we'll have dinner soon."
Yu Mansheng: "I know, it won't take long!"
Yu Xiangan shouted, "Wait, I'm going too." He followed them out and walked towards the hill.
Everything is public property now, including the grass and trees on the mountain. No one may pick them privately without permission. However, if the management was too strict, life would be unbearable. So specifically for the Red Star Production Team, trees on the mountain could not be cut down. If you wanted to burn firewood, you could only trim the branches. There was no such restriction on grass. Wildfires could not burn it all, and it would grow again with the spring breeze. You could also pick some wild fruits and vegetables in the mountains, and no one would care. However, if you harvested pheasants, rabbits, or picked up some bird eggs, you had to hide them well and not let anyone know. However, if you were discovered, they would have to be confiscated.
On the way, Yu Xiangan saw a lot of wild vegetables, some of which were old, and some were very tender. Yu Xiangan felt a little greedy. These wild vegetables tasted bitter and sweet. Those who liked them loved them, but those who didn't like them thought they tasted like medicine.
Yu Xiangan is the type who likes to eat them. Seeing them so tender, he couldn't help but pick some.
Yu Mansheng did not stop them, but helped them pick a lot of them quickly. Then he took them to a valley, under the dense shade of trees, and came to a familiar bayberry tree with many plums hanging on it. Yu Mansheng was very proud: "Few people know this. I came to see it yesterday. It's almost ripe. Let's pick the ripe ones today."
Yu Mingjie and Yu Xiangju cheered: "Is it sweet?"
They haven't eaten fruit for a long time.
Bayberries are easily infested with insects, so they need to be soaked in water first. When Yu Xiangan saw the bayberries hanging there, his mouth watered and he immediately recalled its sour and sweet taste.
Yu Mansheng laughed and said, "This bayberry is quite sweet. I found it last year, but there weren't many fruits then. There are more this year."
Yu Xiangju cheered, "Let's pick them quickly."
Four of them joined the battle, Yu Mansheng was responsible for the ones on the tree, and the other three were responsible for those under the tree.
All the dark-colored bayberries were picked in a short while.
By the time they got back, lunch was almost ready.
There is a dazzling array of items on the square table.
There were fish head and mushroom soup, steamed eggs with green onions, braised fish fillets, fried black fungus with diced bacon, and cured rabbit with taro, as well as wild vegetables dug from the mountains, and meat slices fried with dried bamboo shoots and dried mushrooms brought by Yu Qingshan and his friends, making a total of eight dishes.
This is a delicious dish only available during the Chinese New Year. Yu Manchang is older, and Yu Manyu and Yu Mansheng can't move, so Zhang Chahua lifts them by the ears to go wash their hands.
How can I get to the table with my hands full of plaster?
There are thirteen people in total. Fortunately, there are many people in my family and the table is relatively large, so we can all sit together even if we squeeze together.
Yu Xiangan was treated well. Zhang Chahua gave her half of the fish head and the other half to Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie. Yu Xiangan was eating the tender fish head meat and was already "eating from the bowl and looking at the pot". She would wait for a while to make sure that there was no problem with the food in Xixi Farm. Then she would use all her cooking skills, steaming, braising, pan-frying, sweet and sour, deep-frying...
When eating with so many people, you have to act quickly. If you are slow, the delicious food will be gone. Even children have developed a good speed.
By the time everyone put down their chopsticks, the bowls and plates on the table were all empty, and even those that contained meat were now as clean as if they had just been washed.
Yu Changyou sighed with satisfaction, loosened his belt, and then told Yu Qingshan the good news at home, "Before, Manchang's wedding was postponed because of my illness, but now the date has been set. It will be on the sixth of two months later, which is also a good day. If you miss it, you will have to wait until the end of the year or next year."
When Yu Manchang heard this, his tanned face turned dark red. He lowered his head in embarrassment, and Yu Manwu next to him nudged him with his elbow, "Brother, you're going to have a sister-in-law, be happy."
Yu Manchang coughed and said, "Don't be weird."
Yang Huili couldn't stop smiling. There was going to be a new member in the family, which was a happy event. In a year or two, she would be able to hold her grandson.
Yu Qingbao glanced at the white and fat Yu Mingjie, and couldn't help but think of his grandson in his mind.
They are twin brothers. The younger brother's eldest grandson is five years old, and his daughter-in-law hasn't married yet. If things go quickly, he will be able to see his eldest grandson next year.
"What is your family's plan?" Yu Qingshan asked.
Yu Changyou: "Nowadays, no family holds a big wedding, so we just follow the crowd. When the auspicious day comes, we borrow the brigade's ox cart and bicycle to pick up the bride, and then invite relatives to watch the ceremony. If other villagers come to congratulate, we will offer them a cup of tea and a handful of fried beans, but we won't treat everyone to a meal."
Yu Qingshan: "How is the betrothal gift calculated? Have you agreed on it?"
Yang Huili smiled and said, "It's already been agreed upon. The betrothal gift is thirty yuan, and the other party will give two boxes, a cabinet, and two quilts as a dowry."
A betrothal gift of thirty yuan is considered high in the countryside. Last time someone in the brigade got married, the betrothal gift was twenty yuan, and the bride's dowry was just a few sets of clothes and two pairs of shoes. Their betrothal gift is a bit more, but the bride's dowry is not small either. Judging from the situation, they might give some money as a dowry.
This daughter-in-law was carefully selected by Yang Huili. After Yu Manchang saw her and was satisfied, she immediately decided to marry her.
Yu Xianghai patted Yu Manchang on the shoulder and said, "Once you get married, you will be a grown-up."
Ye Qijia smiled and said, "I had the opportunity to save a piece of red cloth at the supply and marketing cooperative before. They said it was a defective product, but you can't tell if you don't look carefully. Next time I will bring it here and give it to the bride. If you don't mind, it can be used as a red veil."
Yang Huili said bluntly: "Xiang Hai's family, Auntie will remember your kindness."
Nowadays, when getting married, men wear military uniforms and women wear red clothes. However, red cloth was rare at that time and it was difficult to buy it even with money in hand. So people either went out wearing other colored clothes or borrowed from others.
The woman has a red dress that can be borrowed, and it would be even better if they give her a red veil. As for saying that defective products are not nice, well, who would mind?
Yu Xiangan: "..."
Once again, she deeply realized the scarcity of materials in that era. When her sister-in-law and eldest brother got married, they had three sets of wedding dresses: a wedding gown, an ancient red skirt, and a red suit. Her mother spent a lot of time deciding on the dishes for the wedding banquet. They had to be perfect, not only with nice and festive names, but also to make the guests happy and satisfied. Now, wedding dresses have to be borrowed, and there are no banquets at all.
Although most young people of their generation are unwilling to go to great lengths to hold a wedding banquet, not wanting to hold one and not being able to hold one are two different things.
Unmarried "children" had no say in this kind of topic, and Zhao Qiaoniang remained silent from beginning to end.
She looked at Yu Xiangju and wiped her eyes inadvertently. She had never given birth to a son in her life. If she wanted to hold such a happy event, she could only wait for Xiaoju to grow up. He was raised by her, and although he was not her biological son, he was almost like one.
After lunch, Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie went out to play for a while and were about to go back. When they went back, they brought back a lot of vegetables and local specialties. When they got back, Yu Xiangan was a little overwhelmed. She had her period, but she didn't have any sanitary napkins at that time. When her period came, she used a cloth strip filled with wood ash, or stuffed straw paper inside.
Yu Xiangan: “!!!”
Go crazy!
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