Duo Luyong eagerly shared his thoughts: "I know that red envelopes can be used to buy firecrackers. I want to get lots of red envelopes and buy lots of firecrackers."
This person was still thinking about what Gao Guojing had said yesterday, and when it came to playing games, he had absolutely no memory of what a fish usually does.
Duofu snuggled up to Yu Rujia and said softly, "Auntie, we want to go out and play."
Duo Shou and the others also looked over expectantly; firecrackers were indeed very attractive to boys.
Yu Rujia agreed, "Okay, go ahead. Please keep an eye on your younger brother, Duofu."
On the other side, Gou Dan also received Huang Guihua's permission.
A large group of children ran outside, and Gao Guojing followed them.
Peach Blossom didn't go out; instead, she returned to Huang Guihua's side and sat down on a stool.
Xu Huiniang asked, "Why isn't Taohua going? It's lively outside, why don't you go out for a stroll with them?"
Peach Blossom said softly, "I don't want to go out."
Huang Guihua said, "Taohua is shy and doesn't know how to greet people for the New Year, so she can stay here and listen to us talk."
Xu Huiniang took out the dried sweet potatoes she had brought and placed them on the table: "These are dried sweet potatoes I made, have a taste."
Huang Guihua took out the small taro she had brought: "I just made them yesterday. I dried them in a pot, and they're soft and fluffy. I really like them. You should try them too. We don't have to work today, so let's have a good chat."
Yu Rujia picked up a piece of dried sweet potato and ate it: "Hey, this sweet potato tastes just right. It's not sticky or hard, and it's very chewy. How did Sister Hui manage to do that?"
Xu Huiniang: "My sweet potato chips have a few more steps than usual. They are steamed and dried three times. This is how they turn out. If you like them, I will bring you more later."
Huang Guihua tasted it and said, "It is indeed much tastier than regular dried sweet potatoes, but steaming and drying it three times is too laborious and wastes too much firewood."
“Our dog, Gou Dan, often takes sweet potatoes out to roast and eat when we're not looking. He eats them happily even without cooking them. If we really make them like that for him, no matter how much food we have at home, it won't be enough for him.”
Xu Huiniang: "That's how kids are. My son Hua Zi is the same. He's always touching the food at home."
Yu Rujia: "They are at the age when they are growing, so they should eat more to grow taller."
Xu Huiniang: "That's true. Your Duofu is two years younger than our Huazi, but he's much stronger and more robust than Huazi. All the good food you gave him didn't go to waste; it all went to his body."
Yu Rujia: "Hua Zi is a healthy child, and children like that are easy to take care of."
The Shangfen Brigade has more than 1,000 members. When Yu Rujia sees patients, he only charges the members' family for some things. Most of the consultation fees are for eggs, and sometimes he will also pay for grain, wild game from the mountains, or a little cash.
The people in the brigade were worried about the eggs and grain. Although they didn't stubbornly refuse to go to the hospital when they were sick like before, they also didn't come to Yu Rujia for every little problem.
Yu Rujia sometimes goes for days without seeing a single patient. Luckily, she doesn't rely on seeing patients for a living, otherwise she would starve to death.
Rather, it's more accurate to say that this relaxed lifestyle is just like Yu Rujia's. She sees more than a dozen patients every month, which proves her worth without being too busy. It's quite nice.
Hua Zi and Gou Dan would occasionally come to Yu Rujia's place with their mother, and when she had nothing else to do, she would sometimes give them a medical check-up.
Her medical skills were superb; even with a cursory examination, she could discern the general condition of the person's body. Both of them were robust children.
Xu Huiniang: "He's just too resilient, always running around everywhere. I'm always worried about him." Hua Zi had been abducted by human traffickers before, and Xu Huiniang was like someone who had been bitten by a snake once and was now afraid of even a rope for ten years.
Huang Guihua: "Gou Dan is the same. He runs around every day. He doesn't care at all about being abducted by human traffickers before. He's not growing fast, so his brain is even slower."
Yu Rujia: "The brigade checks strangers more strictly, so not many human traffickers can sneak in. The children in the brigade play outside every day and are all that big, so nothing will happen to them."
Huang Guihua: "Your Duofu and his family are very well-behaved. I can't even see them when I'm in the team."
Yu Rujia: "Before, it was because Duolu and the others had weak legs, and Duoxi couldn't even walk. I was alone and couldn't take care of all the children, so I asked Duofu to help me look after my younger brothers."
"Now that they can all walk and jump, they should start going out more often starting this year. I'd appreciate it if you two sisters could ask Hua Zi and Gou Dan to take care of them more."
Xu Huiniang: "Hua Zi gets along well with Duo Fu and the others. Even if you don't call him, he'll come over on his own."
Huang Guihua: "Kids have their own circles, and they get better so fast that it's hard to keep up. Just don't say that our Gou Dan has corrupted Duofu and the others."
Yu Rujia: "Gou Dan is at a lively and active age. I feel at ease with him leading Duo Fu and his brothers."
As the group chatted, time slipped by unnoticed until mid-morning. After seeing the two off, Gao Shujing finished washing the clothes and started tidying up the old hen she had bought at the market next door.
Yu Rujia walked over and said, "Fourth Brother, let's just have something casual for lunch today. We'll have barbecue and a big meal tonight."
Gao Shujing continued to fumble with the chicken feathers on his hands and legs, and said softly, "Okay, I'll listen to you. How about we make some spicy and sour chicken giblets, stir-fried pork belly, steamed ribs, and some bok choy for lunch today?"
Yu Rujia: "We have enough side dishes and food for the kids. That's fine. We'll keep some of the chicken for grilling and use the rest for soup. The kids can't eat too much grilled food, so soup will fill their stomachs."
The old hen weighs seven or eight pounds. The chickens here don't have as much moisture as modern ones. Even after cleaning, the meat still weighs six pounds. Half of it is enough to make soup.
As she spoke, she picked up a basin and filled it with water. Gao Shujing's voice came from the side: "Rujia, there's not much work. I can handle it. You can just sit here and wait for a while."
Yu Rujia: "It's okay, the two of them can finish quickly. It's already past eleven o'clock, they should be back by now."
The two had only exchanged a few words when a flushed-faced child ran in through the front door—it was Duolu.
His pockets were bulging, and he had a lot of food in his clothes, including cookies, fried food, candy, pastries, and all sorts of other things.
Duolu, still clutching a half-eaten oily ear in his chubby little paws, said, "Auntie, lots of grandpas, grandmas, and aunties gave me this to eat, and I brought it back for you."
Yu Rujia: "Our Duolu is so good. Where are your brothers?"
Dorothy raised her chin and said, "They can't run as fast as me, so I left them behind."
This silly boy, with his limited memory of fish and having rarely left the house, doesn't even seem afraid of getting lost when he runs back by himself. He's got a really big heart.
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