After Jiang Xiaoxiao received her share of meat, it was He Jianian's turn. Wu Meili didn't have many work points, so her family didn't use them when grain and money were distributed. At least she could get her share of meat back. He Jianian was a new educated youth; half of his work points weren't even enough for his own food rations. He also had to ask for money. So he could only get meat on credit, but he wanted to buy a portion on credit.
Captain Wu, whether openly or secretly, didn't want him to gain any advantage. How could he possibly agree?
He Jianian kept pestering her, saying that Wu Meili was pregnant and craving meat.
Based on the captain's past practices, he certainly wouldn't break this precedent for his own family.
Doesn't He Jianian know? He's trying to get the brigade leader to give him meat from his own family, isn't he?
Everyone was watching the spectacle.
Those queuing for their share of meat are usually women. Women can go and ask for the best cuts without restraint, and can haggle as they please. The men can just stand by and wait to take their meat home.
Other families usually take them home. But Jiang Xiaoxiao brought a huge pile of bones, which she had to carry on her back.
Sister-in-law Cheng Er and Sister-in-law Cheng San were in line, and they were so anxious! The boy was like a wild donkey, and who knew how he would kick up his heels!
Moreover, their younger brother-in-law has always been spoiled by the whole family.
Second Sister-in-law Cheng and Third Sister-in-law Cheng weren't in the mood for watching the commotion. They only relaxed when they saw Cheng Youfu return, and return very quickly.
Cheng Youfu clearly saw the relieved expressions on the faces of Cheng Ersao and Cheng Sansao after they saw him.
Cheng Youfu felt a dull ache in his heart. He hadn't thought things through enough. Didn't everyone advocate free love these days? Jiang Xiaoxiao was so wonderful; it was perfectly normal for him to be interested in her, right? He never imagined that Jiang Xiaoxiao would be criticized because of his age.
Cheng Youfu initially didn't believe it. Since the people saying this were all close to him, he had no reason not to believe them. Knowing that this would embarrass Jiang Xiaoxiao, he certainly wouldn't do it. He even called her "sister" today. His second and third sisters-in-law...
Cheng Youfu felt like crying. But he wouldn't cry! Wasn't he an adult? He lowered his head, idly kicking at the snow beneath his feet…
Every household is busy before the New Year. They put up colorful flags, stick them to treetops, and make lanterns.
Nowadays, colorful flags are made by buying colored paper, cutting it into triangular shapes, and sticking them one by one onto a string. They're only a few meters long, and you can just string them down under the window. Unlike in the future, when colorful flags could be strung around the yard without a care in the world. Calling them "colored paper" is an understatement; they're more like five different colors of paper. The colors are very old and dull, and the paper is thin.
But Wei Ping and Wei An, these little kids, were happy.
Lanterns are hung up before the New Year.
Cut a willow branch or a large pine branch, stick some colorful flags on it, and tie it to a wooden pole. Pile a pile of snow in the yard, stick the pole in, pour water on it to freeze it, and hang the lanterns on it.
Some lanterns have frames made of wire, while others use bamboo strips. Red paper is then pasted onto the outside of the wire or bamboo lantern, and a candle is lit inside. These are the red lanterns for the New Year.
Neither of these two items is easy to obtain; some families make them on the spot using willow twigs. The simplest one is even just a square column with red paper pasted on it to make a lantern.
Those who don't want to spend money simply freeze one and place it in their yard. There are quite a few families like that.
The colorful flags have been put up in many homes, which means the festive atmosphere of the New Year is here.
We have plenty of food at home, so we can make lots of delicious things. Today, I'll start by rendering the oil and making dumplings with sauerkraut filling that's been rendered in oil.
Traditionally, we should also make sticky rice cakes. Song Yan doesn't like them, and it's not good for the digestion of the elderly and children of Wei Da Niang, Wei Ping, and Wei An. Jiang Xiaoxiao and Chang Xiaohu like to eat them, and we originally planned to make a small batch. However, we didn't manage to make any due to other commitments.
Other families would give away a little bit of this and a little bit of that. When Aunt Wei saw that she had a whole basin full, she realized there was no need to make any more. She would just heat up a few every day at mealtimes for Jiang Xiaoxiao and Chang Xiaohu to dip in sugar.
We had flour at home, so we made a lot of frozen dumplings. We also gave a lot to Lao Zeng and his family.
It's Chinese New Year, and most adults are reluctant to buy new clothes. Song Yan wasn't reluctant, but rather afraid of being too flashy. Wei An and Wei Ping had new clothes made during the winter. So, for the New Year, each of them got a new pair of shoes.
Aunt Wei makes exceptionally comfortable shoes that fit perfectly. She made them all in advance. When Chang Xiaohu came, Aunt Wei quickly made shoes for him again. There's only a little left; they should be finished today.
Today, the aroma of meat wafts from every household in the brigade. As for the wolf meat that was allocated, let's set it aside for now.
Chen Xiaodong took the wolf pelt meant for Song Yan and asked his father to tan it. Animal hides can't be used directly.
Aunt Wei is going to make meatballs, braised meat, and fried radish balls tomorrow…
Wei Ping and Wei An swallowed hard as they listened to their grandmother's ramblings...
After Wei Ping and Wei An fell asleep that night, Song Yan entered the space. Now, Song Yan was certain that Da Mei's life depended on this second spring.
Tonight, Song Yan made steamed cakes using the spring water and cornmeal from the space. Surprisingly, Shuanzhu and Damei said they were delicious.
Previously, they were barely managing to eat. Now that the spring's flow has increased, they actually say the food they cook tastes good! What a huge improvement! It seems that as long as the spring in the rescue space can be upgraded, they need to work harder in the future. Song Yan cheered himself on…
There's no such thing as a duvet cover now. When the bedding gets dirty, the mattress lining and the outer lining of the duvet are taken apart and washed. After washing, they're sewn back on. All of this has to be done before the New Year. The custom here is not to use needles and thread during the first month of the lunar calendar.
This busy period lasted until New Year's Eve.
When Wei An was sick, Li Yuanzhao took good care of the family. Aunt Wei treated Jiang Xiaoxiao like her own child, and Li Yuanzhao also helped a lot with Cheng Yi's matter. The educated youth were also the ones who came to clean up the snow the most when it snowed. When it snowed heavily, they had to shovel the snow off the roof to prevent it from collapsing. Huang Guoqing and Pan Bo, those two young men, also helped. Even Shen Hanyang, who had the least contact with the Wei family, braided Wei An's hair quite often. Wei An had her baby hair cut once after birth, and now her hair was quite long. Shen Hanyang braided her hair in various ways, and Wei An was very vain about it.
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