Yan Yuzhen fell in love with the soybean paste made by Yu Xiangan. Her brother-in-law didn't like it, but her sister did. She could never make the same taste as the one she made herself, so they agreed that every month, he would send Yu Xiangan pig blood twice, and Yu Xiangan would send him two bowls of soybean paste in return.
He sent some pig blood today, and Yan Yuzhen handed it to Yu Xiangan, and asked: "Do you want some pig stomach? It's his turn now, and he wants to switch out." Pig stomach is a good thing.
Yu Xiangan nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, my sister-in-law is pregnant, and my nephew is five years old and just got pregnant with his second child. I want to buy some to nourish her body, so I'll trouble you, Sister Zhen."
Yan Yuzhen waved her hand: "It's okay, it's okay."
She just acted as a middleman, walked a few more steps, said a few more words, but didn't do anything. Besides, Xiao An made something new and delicious, such as pickled bamboo shoots she gave her some last time, and she ate with a good appetite. If she had something in mind, it was only natural for her to help out.
Then she saw Xiao An smiling as he took out a jar. "Sister Zhen, try this. This is the jam I made from the wild fruits that my grandfather picked. It tastes sour and sweet. You can use it to soak in water or mix it with rice. Try to see which one suits your taste better."
She tried it and it tasted bland when soaked in water, but when she used it to mix with rice, she ate one more bowl of rice than usual and still felt unsatisfied.
This made her feel a little worried when looking at the jam. This thing was good, and there didn't seem to be much of it. If there was too much, she was afraid that her food rations would not be enough.
The next day, Yu Xiangan was pulled out by Yan Yuzhen mysteriously, "I remember you said, Xiaoan, your grandfather is in the countryside, and your uncle's family is also in the countryside?"
Yu Xiangan nodded, "Yes, last time I went to my cousin's place to attend his wedding, I brought you fried peanuts and soybeans."
Yan Yuzhen just wanted to confirm. After hearing what she said, she continued, "I remember you said your cousin is tall and big, right? He's very strong."
Yu Xiangan was a little confused. "Yes, my uncle is not tall, but my aunt is quite tall. He looks like my aunt."
Yan Yuzhen then said the intention, "It's like this, my brother-in-law has a sworn brother who also works in the meat processing plant. He encountered an accident when he was slaughtering a pig. The pig broke free from the rope and kicked him, which happened to break his ribs. He went to the hospital for a check-up and was told that he needed to recover from his injuries. You also know that butchers need a lot of strength. He can't go to work now, and now we need to find a replacement. Don't do anything else. You just need to help catch the pigs, tie them up, and help boil water, get tools, etc. He also said that he was here to replace the formal workers for a short time, so he can only get the treatment of a temporary worker. However, a temporary worker also gets 18 yuan a month, and some tickets. Although it's not as much as a formal worker, it's still okay. His brothers all have their own jobs, and some are either not strong enough and not suitable, so I want to ask you, do you have a suitable candidate?"
Yu Xiangan held her back and thanked her earnestly, "Thank you, Sister Zhen, thank you for remembering me. I can definitely find someone there. The men in the countryside have everything except strength!"
Yan Yuzhen raised the corner of her mouth, "You're welcome. When will you go back and ask? They're in urgent need of someone now." As long as the other party knew what she had done and had an idea of it, her effort would not have been in vain.
Yu Xiangan: "I'll go to the post office and send a telegram later, and I'll get back to you tomorrow."
Yan Yuzhen: “Okay.”
At that time, the price of telegrams was calculated by the word.
So Yu Xiang'an's words were quite economical, but he also made his point clear, [There is a temporary worker named Manchang, please bring clothes with you as soon as possible]
Telegrams are used for urgent matters and will arrive at the commune on the same day.
When Yu Changyou found out, he immediately asked him to pack some clothes, go to Yu Shunwen that night to get a letter of introduction, and then set off.
Xu Xiaojuan had no objection at all. Although they had just been married, he should not be away from home for a long time. But he was a temporary worker in the county town. If he could find a way to stay in the city, she would really enjoy a good life in the future.
Yu Manchang was a tall and strong man. He rushed over overnight and was brought to Yan Yuzhen.
Yan Yuzhen looked at him and nodded with satisfaction. Without further ado, she immediately took him to the meat processing plant for an "interview".
Her brother-in-law's sworn brother also suffered a work-related injury, and he was very busy during this period and could not be without someone to work, otherwise he would be overwhelmed. So the leader agreed to the situation of taking over the shift. After meeting him and confirming that Yu Manchang was very strong, he asked Yan Yuzhen's brother-in-law to help take care of him, so that he could come here to work when it was convenient for him.
Yu Manchang stayed at that time.
When he returned home in the evening, Yu Xianghai, Ye Qijiajia and Yu Mingjie were all there.
Yu Manchang had exerted a lot of effort today and was covered in sweat. Yu Xiangan said, "Go take a shower first. The water is ready. We can talk after you're done."
When he came out after washing, Yu Mingjie had already fallen asleep in Yu Xianghai's arms.
Children, go to sleep when they are told to.
Yu Qingshan: "How was your day? Did it go well?"
Yu Manchang: "It went smoothly. I'm here to help out today. It's just some simple work. I've also done it when the brigade was slaughtering pigs."
Yu Qingshan nodded: "That's good, be humble, talk less and do more, but if someone bullies you, don't keep silent."
Yu Manchang: "Uncle, I know."
The meat processing factory did not provide food and accommodation, but there were rooms at home. Yu Xiangyan's room had always been empty, so he could just clean it up and move in. As for meals, everyone ate breakfast together, and for lunch and dinner, they could eat in the cafeteria as long as they paid for food or meal tickets. He brought some rations with him, and Yu Qingshan made up for the shortfall.
I didn’t see any salary in the first month, but even as a temporary worker I could still get some bits and pieces, such as some bone foam, pig blood, etc., which were all unexpected receipts.
Yu Qingshan repeatedly reminded him, "You should learn more, but if others are afraid of you, don't get close to them. Killing pigs is also a skill. It's up to you how much you can learn. If you are too busy in the future, you may be able to stay."
Yu Manchang understood this principle.
Even if it doesn't work, he can still make some money if the other party recovers from his injuries for three to half a year.
Eighteen dollars a month means fifty-four dollars for three months. Even if five dollars are taken out every month to solve the food problem, it is still a huge sum of money.
Last year, with so many laborers working in the fields to earn work points, they only received less than 30 yuan, which was a whole year's salary. This amount is still relatively high in the village.
Later, grandpa fell ill. Originally, their eldest family should have paid for his illness, but they were short of money. Most of the money came from their uncle, and they only contributed a small portion. His father complained about it several times.
Now that he had a chance to make money, and there was a tiny chance that he could stay here, he put in all his energy.
Yan Yuzhen, who works hard and goes out early and comes back late, praised him in front of Yu Xiangan, "I heard from my brother-in-law that your cousin is very hardworking and efficient."
Yu Xiangan smiled and replied, "Yes, my cousin is a hard-working man."
"I heard that he even went to junior high school, right? What a pity." If he had a city hukou, he wouldn't have such a hard time finding a temporary job.
He also had holidays as a temporary worker, but he did not go back home in the first month. He only decided to go back after receiving his first month's salary.
As soon as he returned, he was surrounded by familiar people.
The villagers were very curious, "Did you find a job in the county? The clothes you are wearing must be the factory uniform, you look so smart!"
"How is the treatment? Can I eat enough?"
"What's it like there? Do all the people in your factory live in buildings?"
"Why do you seem to have grown taller? Have you been eating well..."
From the time he entered the village to the time he returned home, his mouth was dry all the way. Although he had said that he was temporarily covering for an injured worker and would come back when he recovered, everyone was still envious.
Others kept asking him if he still had such an opportunity, saying that they had nothing else but plenty of strength.
Yu Manchang could only smile bitterly.
He spent a month there and truly experienced how difficult it is to get a job, and that every job is done for a specific person.
Not to mention regular workers, even for temporary workers, it all depends on the situation.
Just like my second uncle, he has been in the city for so many years, and my second aunt is no longer a temporary worker. She is busy for a while and rests for a while.
He received 13 yuan as his first month's salary. He said he gave 5 yuan to his second uncle because his uncle helped him to buy the ticket, and this job was introduced by his cousin, so he could only give more and not less.
He gave Yang Huili thirteen yuan and said, "I need to carry some more food back this time and exchange it for some tickets so that I can eat in the canteen."
"Also, Mom, these are some of the tickets I got. I'm a temporary worker, and I only earn half as much as a regular employee. This month I got three taels of candy tickets. People say I'm lucky, and candy tickets are rare. Keep them. My second sister is pregnant, so save these for her to drink during her confinement."
Holding the thirteen yuan and the tickets, Yang Huili's eyes were red. Her son had only been away for a month and he had already brought back so much money.
"You should work hard, and you should also remember what Xiao An did for you. Remember her no matter what you do. Don't worry about your family, everything is fine."
Xu Xiaojuan kept nodding and smiling beside her.
It was normal that the money didn't reach her, as she had just gotten married and she hadn't thought about getting the money herself.
And this money is real. No matter who takes it, it is earned by her man.
"I'm pretty good at making shoes. I'll make two pairs for my cousin. Mom, do you know Xiao An's size?" She was returning the favor. Although she had no other skills, her shoe-making skills had been praised by many people.
"I know, but I don't know if her feet have grown longer now, so I'll make them bigger." Yang Huili was very pleased with her eldest daughter-in-law's understanding. "Xiao An has inherited her mother's kindness. Her mother is not very good at needlework. I've seen the shoes you made. The stitches are fine and they are comfortable to wear. When you have time, make her two more pairs of shoes."
Yu Manwu and Yu Mansheng held Yu Manchang tightly. They had not been able to get a word in before, but now they found an opportunity to speak up, one after another, "Brother, tell us what your factory is like? Is it prosperous?"
"Did they give you any trouble?"
"Did you bring any gifts?"
Yu Manchang: "You ask one by one. There are no gifts. All my money is here."
Yu Manchang even forgot to buy anything for his family.
Yang Huili, "Don't buy it. I will buy whatever the family needs. Don't waste your money. You know it's useless."
There are still two boys in the family who are not married yet, and there are many places where they need money.
Yu Manchang: "Okay, Mom, I understand."
Yu Manyu and Yu Mansheng looked at each other in disappointment and sighed together.
Yu Manchang: "I am helping to slaughter pigs at the meat processing factory. There is a shed that is about the same size as our grain drying field. Now a batch of pigs are ready to be slaughtered. Everyone is very busy. Next to it is a pig farm with a lot of pigs. You know that the pigs scream very loudly when they are slaughtered. The factory is not built in a prosperous place, it is quite remote, but not very far away."
Yang Huili: "Where do you live at your second uncle's place?"
"I live in Brother Xiang Yan's house."
Yu Manwu: "Brother, you haven't answered me yet, will your colleagues give you a hard time?"
"No, the person who brought me here is familiar with Xiao An. He was very nice to me and reminded me of some of the things I should pay attention to."
Yu Mansheng: "Have you met that person? I remember he also worked in the meat processing factory."
Yu Manchang knew who he was talking about. Everyone in his family knew that Xiao An's fiancé worked in the meat processing plant and was a formal employee there.
"I was at the slaughterhouse, and he was at the warehouse. We were not in the same place. I met him twice, and he couldn't do anything. The person who led me protected me. As for Xiao An, the master who led me told me that he despised people who didn't keep their word the most, and he wouldn't be friends with such people."
Yang Huili breathed a sigh of relief when she heard him say that. She was worried that someone over there would bully her son in the name of a regular worker. Now it would be easy for one to be bullied by the other in the name of a temporary worker. Fortunately, it was a good thing.
On this day, Yu Xiangan went home from the canteen. When she got home, Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie were picking ants under a tree. When they saw her coming home, they ran over with joy, pulled her into the yard, and excitedly told her a good news. Yu Mingjie lowered his voice, "Aunt, you're back. When my uncle and I were out playing today, we happened to hit a bird with a stone. We brought it back and we'll have meat tonight!"
Zhao Qiaoniang is plucking the feathers now. This bird, whose name cannot be told, is not very big. It would probably weigh only two or three taels after removing the feathers. There is only a thin layer of meat, but it is indeed meat.
"You two are awesome today, but have you finished your homework today?"
Seeing that the two of them were so idle, Yu Xiangan assigned them tasks and asked them to practice strokes and numbers.
They are all simple things, just writing and drawing on the sand with sticks, you can learn a little bit.
Nowadays, people usually start school late, and there are no kindergartens or anything like that.
Yu Qingshan planned to wait until Yu Xiangju was 7 years old next year before sending him to school.
They would not listen to homework alone, so Yu Xiangan used food as a carrot hanging in front of the donkey to urge them to study.
Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie were also very obedient and nodded, "We have finished writing. We will go out to play after we finish writing."
"That's good. Come, I'll make you some honey water."
The two of them completed their homework, so naturally she had to fulfill her promise.
Yu Xiangan took out honey from the kitchen cabinet, scooped a small spoonful for each of them, added boiled water, made honey water, and handed it to the two of them.
The two of them drank it slowly in small sips, cherishing the sweetness of this small bowl. The honey was so sweet! How could there be something so delicious?
It would be wonderful if I could drink it every day.
Yu Qingshan came back, and Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie ran to him again to show off what they had gained today.
Yu Qingshan said cheerfully, "This bird has a cold nature and cannot be eaten by pregnant women. We solved it ourselves today."
A small bird was stewed with vegetable leaves and everyone drank the soup together. The two thighs of the bird were given to the two children, and the breast was given to Yu Xiangan. Yu Qingshan and Zhao Qiaoniang took care of the leftovers.
Yu Xiangan: “…”
This is the heavy love of father.
After everyone had finished taking a shower and Yu Mingjie was taken back by Yu Xianghai, Yu Manchang came back, smelling of blood and holding a gourd ladle half filled with pig's blood.
Yu Xiangan took it and said, "Let's eat pig blood vermicelli tomorrow morning."
Sweet potato flour is made from sweet potatoes. My grandfather's family grows a lot of sweet potatoes. Although the quantity required to make sweet potato flour is reduced, the taste is good. As long as there is a good harvest of sweet potatoes, they will make some.
After we make some, we will send some over here.
"Then add sour beans, peanuts, and a little chili."
Hearing him say this, Yu Xiangju showed an expectant expression. It sounds delicious.
Yu Manchang also grinned. The dishes on his wedding banquet proved Xiao An's good cooking skills. After coming here, he could always feast on the food whenever his cousin cooked.
The next morning, Yu Qingshan and Zhao Qiaoniang went to work. Yu Xiangan was taking a day off, so he went out with Yu Xiangju, each wearing a straw hat and holding a vegetable basket and a rope in their hands.
Seeing the three of them like this, the neighbors knew that they went outside to dig wild vegetables today.
There are also mountains near the county town, but this area is relatively flat.
When it first started to develop, people settled here because they saw that the terrain was relatively flat and there were sufficient water resources. Gradually, it developed into a county town.
The county town is surrounded by low mountains. During the famine, groups of people came out of the county town to dig wild vegetables. It is obvious that there are basically no old trees on the low mountains closest to the county town.
The bark was peeled off and they died.
There are also wild vegetables and fruits here, as well as various prey, but here they only have small ones, no big ones.
In Yu Qingshan’s hometown, wild boars can still be seen from time to time, but they have not appeared around the county town for many years.
Such mountains also have many advantages. For example, it is convenient to pick wild vegetables and go on outings without worrying about danger.
Although Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie are not very old, they are already very familiar with digging wild vegetables. They know quite a lot of wild vegetables. Yu Xiangju also has an important responsibility, as he is responsible for feeding the only laying hen in the family.
The tender wild vegetables we dig are eaten by ourselves, and the older ones are fed to chickens. If the chickens are well fed, they can lay more eggs.
Today, the two little guys have been paying attention to the movements around them, thinking that it would be great if they could catch another bird, even a small one, and roast it over the fire.
It is autumn now. When Yu Xiangan was digging wild vegetables, she happened to come across a field of chrysanthemums. Naturally, she did not intend to let it go. In addition to using them to make tea, they can also be used as pillow cores and sachets.
It has many uses.
Seeing her picking chrysanthemums, Yu Xiangju called out, "Fifth sister, you are picking flowers again."
"This is chrysanthemum. I told you before that it can be used to make tea, which can clear the liver and improve eyesight. Go back and dry it, then soak it in water and drink it."
While picking the last few chrysanthemums from the bushes, Yu Xiangan saw a nest. Upon closer inspection, he saw three pheasant eggs inside.
Yu Mingjie and Yu Xiangju came over in amazement, "Fifth sister, you are so lucky."
"Aunt, how did you find out?"
"It happens. I also think I'm really lucky." Yu Xiangan was a little surprised. This was an unexpected gain. She put the three small pheasant eggs at the bottom of the basket and covered them with wild vegetables. In this way, no one would know what was here unless they looked through it.
Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie looked at each other and said, "Let's look for it again. Maybe there are more here."
"It would be even better if we could catch that pheasant while we're at it!"
As a result, they actually found another nest not far away and received two eggs.
After that, no matter how hard I searched, I found nothing else.
However, Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie were both very satisfied. Although they didn't catch any birds today, they did pick up pheasant eggs!
Yu Xiangju, "Fifth sister, come this way, let's go this way. There is a wild fruit tree over there. I don't know if it is still there. When I came here to dig wild vegetables some time ago, I saw that the fruit was still small, so I didn't touch it."
Yu Xiangju took Yu Xiangan and walked a little further inside, and found the bush.
This fruit is called green fruit. It is the size of a thumb, has green skin, tastes crispy, and has a light sweetness.
After searching everywhere, they only found four wild fruits. The rest were picked. "We are late." Yu Xiangju regretted for three seconds. "I don't know who found this place and picked them in advance."
Each person got one, and Yu Xiangju, as the discoverer, got one more. When leaving, Yu Xiangan saw the reflection below and said, "I'll go over there and see if there's any water."
She knocked on the grass with a long bamboo pole so that any snakes could be scared away in advance. She knocked all the way and found a small stream. She shook the bamboo pole under the water. It was very shallow and almost clear, and there were no fish.
She felt a little regretful.
Yu Xiangju chuckled from above, "Fifth sister, you are here to look for fish, right? I already looked for it last time, but there were no fish. It was too shallow."
Yu Xiangan: “…”
Yu Xiangju: "Fifth sister, this way, keep going down, it's a little deeper there, see if there are any fish."
Yu Xiangan followed the instructions and pushed aside the dense grass to go over. Sure enough, there was a small pond with small fish below. She caught a palm-sized fish from the farm. Now she could make some fish soup today.
Yu Xiangju saw the fish: "!!!"
He was careless when he looked at it last time. He should be more careful next time!
"Okay, okay, it's too hot, let's go back."
In this hot sun, wearing a hat is to avoid direct sunlight. Touching the brim of the hat makes you feel especially "warm".
In the afternoon, Yu Xiangan sat at the table, took a pen and paper and started writing the manuscript.
She will continue to submit articles, even though she has not received any response to her later submissions. She can't just give up. Besides, she can also pick up some stamps to collect when she goes to the post office.
Don't get her wrong, she has no hobby of stamp collecting. She did this because she heard her father talk about some famous stamps that cost millions of dollars each in her previous life.
She didn't listen carefully at the time and didn't remember what it was called. Now she can only regret it. There is nothing she can do. If she sees anything special, she will just collect it.
Things that are in large quantities should not be very valuable, as scarcity makes things valuable.
But stamps are quite cheap now, so she doesn't feel any pressure in collecting them. If she gets lucky and finds one that is valuable, then she can make a lot of money.
Yu Mingjie and Yu Xiangju were also sitting at the table, each taking a nap. They were using pencils and old newspapers to do the math problems that Yu Xiangan had given them.
It's all very simple. I just saw that they wanted to go out and play in the hot sun and were not afraid of heatstroke at all, so I just detained them.
Yu Xiangju sat for a while, twisting his butt and wanted to go out to play. However, when he looked up and saw his fifth sister sitting at the table with a serious look on her face, he felt embarrassed to go out. He could only pout and do his own questions honestly, filling in the answers one by one.
Forget it, he just finished it. It wasn’t much anyway, and he could go play after he finished it.
After finishing two manuscripts, Yu Xiangan stretched his body. It was not difficult to write this, but the talent for writing about medicine was quite outstanding, and one had to be more careful in order not to violate any taboos. At the beginning, he wrote and crossed out paragraphs, but now he was getting more and more comfortable with it, and such a situation would not occur again.
Once her level has improved, when she wants to submit again, the response rate will be higher.
When she finished writing the manuscript, Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie were already whispering in the yard, and no one knew what they were playing.
Yu Xiangan would "correct their homework".
They all wrote seriously, regardless of whether they were right or wrong. This attitude deserves praise. After looking at the answers one by one, the accuracy rate is acceptable.
Let’s make something delicious tonight. She has worked hard today. Well, what should we cook? Should we use the fish to make soup?
Or fried?
Frying will consume a lot of oil. Forget it, the oil tank at home is almost empty, so I might as well make soup.
At this time, someone shouted outside, "Is Yu Xiangan home? There is a package for you."
pack?
Who sent it? It’s impossible for the newspaper to send a package in reply, right?
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