After the children left, grandma said to Liu's mother, "Li Niang, why didn't you tell me before that Xuemei won the prize in the competition yesterday?"
"Mom, I was planning to tell you about this when I came back today. I saw that Dad hadn't come back yet, so I planned to tell you when he came back. I didn't tell you, second brother, because I wanted you and Dad to know it first and be happy. I didn't know that you like children who are good at studying the most."
"It's time for dinner, kids," Grandma called out. When Xuemei and the others came out, Grandpa was already sitting at the table. The younger siblings were staring at the food, drooling. Grandma had stir-fried bacon, bamboo shoots, spinach, and egg soup.
"Old woman, take out the wine that Li Niang bought for me. I want to have a few drinks today." Grandpa said to grandma.
After grandpa poured the wine, everyone sat down and prepared to eat.
"Before we eat, I want to tell you something. From now on, if you rank in the top three on an exam or win a prize in a competition, your grandma or grandma will give you a prize, but you have to show us your certificate. Xinyan, the same goes for your second, third, and fourth brothers. Yesterday, Xuemei won a prize in the essay competition, and grandma and grandpa also got a prize. Xuemei, come here, this is from your grandma and grandpa, you have to keep working hard. The others should also learn from Xuemei."
Grandpa took out fifty cents from his pocket and gave it to Xuemei. Xuemei was very happy. She didn't expect that she could eat meat and eggs again today and get money. Now Xuemei had two dollars and fifty-five cents in her hand. The other children looked at Xuemei with envy.
After dinner, Liu's mother helped grandma wash dishes in the kitchen.
"Li Niang, wait a little longer before coming back. Your father is out buying fish. You can take one back later. The team caught some fish in the pond today. Also, your eldest brother sent some things, and there's something for you in it. I'll get it out for you later. If you didn't come today, I was going to wait until the third brother was on vacation to send it to you."
"How are Big Brother and Sister-in-law doing lately? Is Zhiqian a freshman in high school like Zhiwen?"
"Everything is fine in the letter. Your eldest brother said Zhiqian is doing well academically and plans to have him apply to military school. He also bought some roe deer meat from a local hunter, made it into bacon, and sent back several pounds. He asked me to give you and your second brother a pound each. He also sent you a can of malted milk to nourish the child."
"Big brother has been in the wrong for the two little ones these past two years. Malted milk isn't cheap, and it requires a ticket. The harvest is better this year, and Feifei's health has improved a lot. His father said he'd take the kids to practice military boxing when he has time in the winter. Can big brother and the others come back for the New Year this year?"
"I don't know yet. The letter didn't mention it. In all these years, the family has only been back three times."
…
It was around three in the afternoon when Liu's mother returned home with the children. There was a small pile of bamboo shoots in the middle of the main room, which must have been because Liu's father had returned. Liu's mother put away her things and planned to go to the mountain to see if there were any mushrooms.
"Xuemei, Qingya, have you finished your homework?" asked Liu's mother.
"Mom, I finished last night, Qingya still has some."
"Then come with me to the mountains to see if there are any mushrooms, and bring back some firewood. Qingya, finish your homework at home, and then take your brothers to dig some earthworms to feed the chickens."
Qingya tucked the wooden spear into her pants and saluted Liu's mother like a little soldier. "Okay, Mom, got it. I promise to complete the mission." Then she turned around and marched back to the room with her two younger brothers, much to the amusement of Liu's mother and Xuemei.
"Xuemei, let's go to the mountain behind the house. There are a few places there that usually have a lot of mushrooms."
Xuemei and Liu's mother walked up the mountain. If they saw mushrooms, they would pick them up. If they didn't see any mushrooms, they would chop wood or pick up branches and put them in Xuemei's space.
An hour later, Xuemei and her friends found several nests of mushrooms. After picking them, Wangmu's large backpack was already full of mushrooms, and Xuemei's backpack was also full. Xuemei also had a pile of mushrooms and a few bundles of firewood in her space. It seemed that the villagers on the mountain behind Xuemei's house had not been here much.
"Xuemei, let's go down the mountain! It's still early. Come with me to the purchasing station to sell the mushrooms. They've drooped a lot overnight. I'm afraid they'll undercut me if we go tomorrow."
After reaching the back of the house, Liu's mother looked around to see if there was anyone around. Then she said to Xuemei, "Please bring me two bundles of firewood from the space. Xuemei, wait here and avoid being around. I'll go home first. I'll open the back door and call you over."
"Okay, Mom. I'll pay attention. You go back first!"
After waiting for a while, Liu's mother called Xuemei. Xuemei entered the yard from the back door and waited for Liu's mother to close the back door. Xuemei whispered: "Mom, I haven't taken out the things in my space yet. What should I do if Qingya and the others are at home?"
Qingya and the others are out, probably digging for earthworms. The front door is already locked. Go to the woodshed and put the firewood away, then come to the main room.
Xuemei put away the remaining four bundles of firewood and immediately ran to the main room. Liu's mother had already set out a pair of baskets. One basket contained the bamboo shoots that Liu's father had dug up, and the other contained a large vegetable basket with some bamboo shoots underneath.
"Xuemei, quickly take out the mushrooms from the space and put them in the big vegetable basket." The basket was full, but some were still left. Liu's mother brought a small basket to complete the task. She then covered the large vegetable basket, the large backpack, the small backpack, and the small vegetable basket with straw, leaving only the basket filled with bamboo shoots loosely covered with straw so others could see it was bamboo shoots.
The family's dry straw was distributed by the village after the autumn harvest. Each family received 50 bundles, about 1,000 kilograms. Villagers generally used this for annual roof replacement. Xuemei's brick house had a tiled roof, and Liu's father would go to the commune every year to buy a few tiles to replace any broken ones. However, Xuemei's kitchen, firewood shed, toilet, and pigpen needed to be replaced annually. Liu's father would choose a sunny day to do this, and usually only about 20 bundles were left. Liu and his mother would weave these into mats for the bed or make straw pillows. If the family raised pigs, they would frequently change the straw for their sleeping areas. When villagers ran out of straw, they would use sun-dried reed stalks for roofing or exchange them for work points from the village. However, most people were reluctant to exchange their work points and would go to the river to collect reed stalks for their roofs.
Liu's mother, carrying a basket and a sling, and Xuemei, carrying a small basket and a small vegetable basket, walked together to the commune's purchasing station. On the way, they met Qingya and her two younger brothers. Liu's mother asked Qingya to come home later to steam sweet potatoes. They also met many young wives and aunts coming down from the mountains. When asked what they were doing, Liu's mother would always answer that they were going to the purchasing station to sell bamboo shoots.
Forty minutes later, Liu's mother and Xuemei arrived at the purchasing station. The staff at the purchasing station saw them and said they were very lucky. After waiting for another ten minutes, the staff would go off work at six o'clock, and they helped to take the things in.
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