Chapter 58
Ping An Zhuang had already given away all its sweet potatoes, except for the debtors who were unwilling to give away their sweet potatoes. The reason why men still cannot leave the kitchen is that every family has a few relatives who come to ask for help after hearing the news. Many people are too embarrassed to refuse.
Just as Xia Juhua had just arrived at the yard and was weaving mats for a while, Xia Long's youngest son Mantun came over and said, "Aunt, my mother and my second aunt are waiting for you at home."
Hearing that her two brothers' wives were coming, Xia Juhua was delighted from the bottom of her heart: in her previous life, she had a good relationship with both brothers' wives, and this time, she was meeting them for the first time after being reborn.
When she entered the house, she saw a small wheelbarrow tilted in the yard with four bags of sweet potatoes piled on the ground. Xia Juhua knew what was going on. Just as she was about to call for help, her two brothers' wives, Xu Hongcui and Zhang Fengling, came out by themselves, calling her "big sister" and observing her complexion.
It is said that people feel refreshed when they are happy. Xia Juhua's current mental state is obviously different from the last time Xu Hongcui and her husband met her: her face is still dark yellow from the sun and wind, but it has a slight red glow. There are still crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, but they seem to have smoothed out a lot.
The most important thing is that my elder sister-in-law has been smiling since she entered the yard. How can I describe that smile? It is not a smile forced out of politeness, nor is it a smile forced out to avoid worrying relatives, but a smile from the heart.
They had never seen such a smile on their elder sister-in-law's face before, and they couldn't help but laugh when they saw it: "Sister, we are here to cause you trouble."
"This is no trouble. Even if you don't come, I will send Zhiquan and his two brothers home in two days to give you some powder." Xia Juhua took one of them in each hand and walked towards the main room.
The two brothers' wives looked at each other. They remembered that their elder sister-in-law would not speak so straightforwardly before, and would not make the gesture of holding hands to let people in. Xu Hongcui and Zhang Fengling were not nosy people. Apart from being happy for their elder sister-in-law from the bottom of their hearts, no one asked why her elder sister-in-law had changed so much.
Xia Juhua entered the room and saw two cups of steaming water on the edge of the kang. She gave Wang Caifeng an approving look, which was enough to make Wang Caifeng's face light up and said, "Mom, can I go find Zhiquan?"
"Okay, look at whose house he is helping, and let him come back when he is done." Xia Juhua nodded and said to Mantun who was standing in the middle of the room, "Hurry up and sit down. Why are you being so polite when you come to my house?"
Mantun is seventeen this year and has grown into a grown-up man. Because he rarely sees Xia Juhua, he smiled shyly and said, "Aunt, I'm not tired."
"It's such a long way and you're still pushing so many sweet potatoes. How can you not be tired?" Xia Juhua scolded him, and then complained to Xu Hongcui and the other two: "Why didn't you bring all the children? Are you worried that his aunt can't afford a meal?"
Xu Hongcui is the sister-in-law, and it was she who responded to Xia Juhua: "Not all of us want to come, but our production team hasn't had a holiday yet, and Xia Long and his team are too labor-intensive to even take a holiday. If we weren't afraid that we wouldn't be able to push the cart, we wouldn't dare ask for leave even if Mantun came."
Xia Juhua knew it all too well. At this time, the emphasis was still on the principle of "one big and two big", and even if there was no work to do, the production team had to organize the members to find some work to do. Although the men of the Ping'anzhuang production team now stayed at home every day to leak powder, they said to the outside world that they were collectively cleaning up the leftovers.
Anyway, there was a notice from the grain station about collecting surplus grain, so no one deliberately made trouble and the brigade turned a blind eye.
So when she heard that it was difficult to ask for leave at Xiajiazhuang, she didn't take it to heart and chatted with the two brothers' wives. She learned that the two brothers got along well and that the children could help earn work points in the fields, so Xia Juhua was happy for her mother's family.
When Liu Zhiquan was found, he saw his mother smiling all the time, so he couldn't help but smile too: "Aunt, can you stay for a few days? Otherwise, you can leave after the powder leaks out."
It was obvious that he wanted to keep the guests from the bottom of his heart. Xu Hongcui and Zhang Fengling laughed at the same time: "That won't work. If both of us stay, your two uncles will have to eat raw food at home."
"How can they not even cook porridge?" Liu Zhiquan asked as a matter of course. Xu Hongcui and the others looked at him and smiled, while Mantun asked in surprise: "Brother, you can do it?"
"Why not?" Liu Zhiquan said as if it was a matter of course: "My mother and your sister-in-law were too busy to cook the past two days, so I cooked it. Although it has a bit of smoke in it, it's edible."
When he said that, Xia Juhua remembered the burnt porridge she had eaten two days ago. She glared at Liu Zhiquan, who was talking excitedly, and he became speechless.
"Sister, you are living a very comfortable life these days." Zhang Fengling was happy for her elder sister-in-law from the bottom of her heart.
Xia Juhua also felt that her life was not bad now: "It's OK. Zhiquan and his wife don't give me any worries now, except for Zhishuang."
"Mom, what bad things are you saying about me again?" Liu Zhishuang's voice suddenly came from under the window, startling the people in the house. He had already entered the house.
Seeing him holding a strip of meat in his left hand and a small bag wrapped in paper in his right hand, Xia Juhua knew that the wheat might have been bought by someone. It was not easy to ask in front of his brother's wife, so she simply pretended not to know: "Why did you come back at this time?"
Liu Zhishuang greeted his two aunts and cousin with a playful smile, and then continued to show Xia Juhua the meat in his hand with a smile: "I calculated that my aunts would come today, so I bought some meat and came back."
He said it as if he went to buy meat on purpose. Xia Juhua secretly glared at him, and seeing that the meat was three-layered and weighed at least two pounds, she asked, "Where can such good meat be bought in the county?" Last time, this kid had to ask Wang Caixia to buy the meat. Who could he know in the county?
Besides, where did he get the hostage tickets?
When Liu Zhishuang heard his mother mention the county, he knew that he couldn't hide the fact that he was selling wheat. He begged his mother with his eyes to save some face for him in front of his aunt, but he still smiled: "Who is your son? It's not easy to buy a piece of meat. Mother, let's stew meat for my aunt at noon today."
With the nephew's words, even though they hadn't eaten the meat yet, the two aunts were already grinning from ear to ear: "What kind of meat is it? We're all family, so don't be polite. In two days, our production team will kill the pigs and we'll have meat to eat."
Liu Zhishuang pretended not to hear anything. He took the meat to the kitchen, ran back, opened the paper package with a bit of show-off, and asked Xia Juhua: "Mom, do you think this headscarf is nice? This is only available in the county supply and marketing cooperative. Our commune doesn't sell it."
As Liu Zhishuang opened his headscarf, a patch of earthy yellow appeared before everyone. It was just earthy yellow, but there were also small squares of gold lines on it. Xia Juhua remembered that she seemed to have seen Sun Hongmei wearing such a scarf in her previous life. She was so beautiful that she refused to take it off even in the spring.
But I don’t think the summer chrysanthemums are that pretty. The fields have been a khaki color since autumn. Isn’t that enough? And the gold thread. Aren’t farmers supposed to be hardworking and simple? Why do they have to use gold thread on their headscarves?
Xu Hongcui and Zhang Fengling looked at the headscarf with envy and even touched it: "It's so soft and thick. Big sister, Zhishuang is so filial, why are you still worried about him? It turns out that he is young and naive, and he will have a better life in the future."
Xia Juhua looked at the headscarf Liu Zhishuang held in front of her with a smile on her face. She was just hesitating whether to wear it or not, but Liu Zhiquan said, "What do you mean, second brother? Didn't we agree that I would buy a headscarf for you? Why did you buy it back?"
Liu Zhishuang pretended not to understand and asked, "I saw that I asked Mom to buy it herself last time, but she was reluctant to buy it, so I just bought it for her. What's the matter?"
Liu Zhiquan clenched his fist tightly. Xia Juhua believed that if the two of them had not had their aunt present, Liu Zhiquan would have given Liu Zhishuang a beating. She waved her hands weakly at the two of them: "What is there to argue about? I went to the supply and marketing cooperative for business, so I didn't buy it. Next time, next time I will buy it back."
Liu Zhiquan's clenched fists relaxed at once, and Liu Zhishuang was still smiling: "Mom, buy me another one so we can wear them alternately."
I won't change your khaki color. Xia Juhua looked at the headscarf that Liu Zhishuang was holding with disdain, and took it reluctantly. Xu Hongcui and the others urged Xia Juhua to try it on, but what could Xia Juhua do?
When she put it on, everyone exclaimed that Xia Juhua looked several years younger. Xia Juhua wanted to ask, don't they think their faces match the color of this headscarf?
Mantun also kept looking at Xia Juhua wearing a headscarf, and suddenly said to Xu Hongcui: "Mom, don't worry, I will buy you a new headscarf next year when I earn work points."
Xu Hongcui was delighted when she heard this: "You said it. If you don't admit it, your aunt and your aunt can prove it for me."
Xia Juhua had already taken off her headscarf and asked Xu Hongcui and the others to sit down while she went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. The two brothers' wives were not willing to let the eldest sister-in-law work alone and said they would help.
There are few polite words between close people, and they just do practical things. Xia Juhua didn't bother to be polite with the two brothers' wives. She let Wang Caifeng take a break for lunch while she quickly cut the meat into pieces, blanched it, rinsed it again, and poured oil on it.
"Sister, you are really willing to add oil." Zhang Fengling, who was lighting the fire for Xia Juhua, said with concern.
Xia Juhua smiled and said, "Why would you be reluctant to give it up? If you don't have enough food, you won't have the energy to work in the fields. Don't be too frugal when you cook at home."
Xu Hongcui and Zhang Fengling looked at each other without saying anything. When they heard Xia Juhua ask Zhang Fengling to turn down the heat, they became even more confused. When they found that Xia Juhua had poured two large spoons of sugar into the oil pan and slowly stirred it with a spatula, they no longer cared about looking at each other, and both wanted to remember what Xia Juhua did.
這也是夏菊花上輩子生活好了以後學會的——生活不好的時候，只要把肉炖熟了就人人喊香，在生活好了之後，家裏人就開始追求味道了。
眼看着糖色熬的差不多了，夏菊花一面讓張鳳玲燒大火，一邊飛快的把焯好的肉倒進鍋裏，迅速用鏟子翻動肉，免得上糖色上得不均勻。
等把佐料加足、事先燒好的熱水倒進鍋裏，鍋蓋一蓋，就可以等着紅燒肉出鍋了。不過今天紅燒肉裏夏菊花不止放了土豆塊，還特意放了泡好的粉條。
收湯之後，鍋蓋一掀，無論肉塊還是土豆塊，以及粉條都散發着暗紅的光澤，蒸汽氤氲之中撲鼻的香氣，把劉保國饞的把着廚房門叫奶奶。
“真香，等過年的時候咱們也跟姐這麽炖肉。”許紅翠對張鳳玲說道，見妯娌毫不猶豫的點頭，噗嗤一聲笑出來：“你剛才不是還覺得大姐做菜費油嗎，怎麽現在又願意了？”
夏菊花一面涮鍋準備再炒個雞蛋，一面對兩個兄弟媳婦說：“還沒嘗鹹淡呢，你們就這麽誇我，一會兒不好吃也得多吃點兒。”
聞着都這麽香，能不好吃？劉保國在飯桌上的表現告訴夏菊花，那是不可能的。
家裏來了客人，夏菊花除了炖肉、炒雞蛋外，又炒了一個白菜粉，還拌了個糖醋蘿蔔絲。劉保國吃的小嘴流油，眼睛一直盯着肉碗，看都不看以前自己最愛吃的炒雞蛋。
幾個大人則盡量挾土豆和粉條，夏菊花見了忙給滿囤和兩個兄弟媳婦各夾兩塊肉到碗裏：“都嘗嘗，這可是我新學的法子。”在哪兒學的，就不必說了，大家的注意力都在肉上呢，沒時間追問。
滿囤吃完兩塊肉，就專門挾粉條吃。夏菊花讓他吃肉，他還振振有詞：“姑，這粉條比肉還香呢。”
“這麽愛吃，那你留下來跟你哥他們學着漏粉吧。”夏菊花樂了，粉條受歡迎好呀，越受歡迎漏粉的人家越多。
許紅翠有些遲疑的問：“姐，這合适嗎？不是說這是你們生産隊自己的法子。”
“啥自己的法子，這法子都是我教給他們的。能教給他們，還不能教我侄子了？你們回家去問問幾個孩子，有願意學的明天讓他們都來。”夏菊花說完又看看兩個兄弟媳婦：“這法子不用藏着掖着，要是你們娘家人想學，等滿囤學會了教他們。”
許紅翠兩人都不知道說什麽好了，肉都不想吃就想回夏家莊去通知人：掙工分是好，可冬天地裏能有什麽活，掙幾個工分了？跟着劉志全兄弟學會漏粉的本事，那可是一輩子的手藝。
請假，必須給孩子們請假，生産隊要是不同意就直接讓孩子裝病。
滿囤聽說自己可以留下學漏粉，也高興夠嗆，連着吃了兩大塊貼餅子。氣的許紅翠這個瞪他，沒心沒肺的小子，學手藝還不知道機靈着點兒，咋這麽實心眼呢。
“大姐，等明天幾個孩子來了，我讓他們自己背着口糧過來。”張鳳玲也覺得自己家四個男孩，都到夏菊花家吃飯，負擔太大。
王彩鳳想都沒想：“舅媽說的是啥話，表弟他們能呆幾天，還用得着自己背口糧過來，這不是打我娘和志全他們的臉嗎。”聽劉志全說，這些年舅舅家沒少幫了婆婆，所以婆婆現在對舅舅家人親，她就得比婆婆更親。
她說完，劉志全才反應過來：“就是，這些年舅媽幫了我們家多少忙，我們心裏都記着呢。以前家裏日子過得不好，也不敢留表弟他們在家裏住。現在日子好點兒了，盡管讓表弟他們過來。”
劉志雙跟着點頭，夏菊花看着王彩鳳微笑。真好，不用自己開口留娘家人的感覺，讓夏菊花心裏升起一種久違的溫暖。
見夏菊花一家子态度堅決，許紅翠和張鳳玲沒再堅持，兩人吃過飯就要回夏家莊，夏菊花給她們一人裝了十斤花生和一袋子白糖。
又吃又拿，眼看着孩子還要過來吃夏菊花家的口糧，許紅翠兩個說什麽也不想拿，夏菊花不得不把臉沉下來：“又不是給你們兩的，是讓你們有機會換成油，做飯的時候多擱點兒，給我侄子侄女補身子的。”
話說到這個份上，許紅翠兩人紅着臉把花生袋子藏到筐裏，又囑咐滿囤在大姑家要有眼力見，多幫着幹活。
滿囤是個懂事兒孩子，等他娘一走就拿起扁擔，要去給夏菊花挑水，被劉志雙搶過來：“這可是我娘給我安排的活，你不能搶。”
夏菊花聽了眉頭一皺，着意看了劉志雙一眼——這小子怕是有啥事兒。劉志雙感覺到親娘在看他，臉上裝出不在意的樣子，可惜挑扁擔走的太急，後面的水梢都磕到小腿上了。
一下午的時間，劉志全就帶着劉志雙和滿囤兩個把夏家運來的紅薯，都洗淨絞好，還過了兩遍漿——這道工序除了把紅薯絞得越碎越好，沒啥需要注意的，不用特意等着夏家的孩子們都來了再做。
夏菊花放任他們三個鼓搗，自己倒閑了下來。人一閑，思想就跑的遠，夏菊花琢磨起新花樣的事兒來：福字席供銷社前前後後會收六百多張，等縣供銷社的四百張編完了，就該上新花樣的席了。
這一次她準備把“四季平安”四個字編到四角上，就是對季字怎麽編還有些含糊。
正想着，劉志雙進屋了，沖着夏菊花嘿嘿笑個不停。夏菊花沒眼看他的傻樣，直接問：“有話快說，我忙着呢。”
親娘，你說忙的時候，手裏是不是應該拿着點兒啥東西？
劉志雙也就敢心裏想想，嘴上卻說：“娘忙啥呢，用不用我幫忙？”
夏菊花定定的看着他，眼神裏的不信讓劉志雙有點兒尴尬，撓了撓腦袋說：“娘，我今天把那五十斤麥子背到縣裏去了。”
知道呀，早知道了。夏菊花還是神情不動的看着他。
劉志雙不得不接着說下去：“我沒交到糧站去，去了，去了縣裏的黑市。”
夏菊花一下子坐直了：“你咋知道縣裏黑市在哪兒？”
劉志雙小心的看了親娘的臉色一眼，看不出什麽有用的東西只能低頭：“我扛糧食包的時候，認識了一個家在縣城的職工，他跟我說的。”
糧站還在縣城裏的職工？夏菊花想起來了，上輩子劉志雙算是平安莊最早出門打工的人，最開始就是糧站一個人給他介紹的。那個人跟劉志雙的關系一直都不錯，直到夏菊花喝藥前，還見過兩人走動。
不得不說，劉志雙在對外交往上，比起劉志全是強多了，簡直不象夏菊花教出來的。可是這麽一個能快速跟糧站職工打好交道的人，怎麽就在孫紅梅身上犯了胡塗呢？
夏菊花心想，可能根本不是劉志雙會識人，而是人家糧站那個職工本身是個厚道人。可別讓劉志雙把人家厚道人給坑了：“他說的你就信？要是他坑你咋辦？”
“不可能。娘你不知道，小林人可好了，自從那次我幫他扛過自行車之後，就跟我無話不說。”
就因為劉志雙幫忙扛了自行車，就跟劉志雙走動了一輩子？夏菊花怎麽那麽不信呢？
在她懷疑的目光之下，劉志雙不得不把他為什麽幫小林扛自行車交待清楚：說來還真是劉志雙能幹出來的事兒，他去扛糧食包的時候，就存了跟糧站職工打好關系的心思，一直尋找機會。
那天恰巧小林的自行車紮了，糧站那地方前不着村後不着店的，沒有修理鋪，小林只能下班後推到公社去修理。平安莊的人扛完糧食包之後碰見了，除了劉志雙外誰也沒跟小林說話。
劉志雙一路跟人說着話，遇到不好走的路還替人扛扛自行車，可把小林給感動壞了，第二天就主動來找劉志雙。連劉志雙買回家來的庫底子，都是小林幫着說和的，哪怕劉志雙扛完糧食包，兩人也沒數斷了聯系。
夏菊花不信：“也沒見你請假去公社，你們是怎麽聯系的？”
劉志雙又要去撓頭，夏菊花心裏一個機靈：“那個小林是男的還是女的？”別是跟上輩子不一樣，這回變成了個女的吧？
劉志雙哭笑不得：“娘，糧站的女職工，那都是些什麽人，能搭理我們這樣的農民？人家小林有時候會來咱們生産隊，跟我說兩句話就走。”
不是女的就好，夏菊花心裏暗暗松了口氣——按劉志雙的說法，他和小林認識的時候可還沒跟孫紅梅離婚呢，這要是個女的，夏菊花不敢保證自己不揍死劉志雙。
覺得自己交待清楚的劉志雙，湊到夏菊花跟前：“娘，跟你商量個事兒呗？”
夏菊花問的是：“你跟着交豬的人一起走的，他們知道你去黑市了沒有？”
Liu Zhishuang had to clarify himself again and explain to his mother that he parted ways with the pig dealer before reaching the county town. He even disguised himself before going to the black market to ensure that Xia Juhua would not recognize him in front of her.
Xia Juhua didn't say anything except rolling her eyes at Liu Zhishuang. But Liu Zhishuang didn't want to give up. Regardless of whether Xia Juhua rolled her eyes at him or not, he wanted to finish what he was saying: "Mom, I really want to discuss something with you."