Chapter 354 Educated Youth Sent Down to the Countryside in the 1960s (16)
The bean stalks and beans crackled and popped as they burned, releasing a fragrant aroma that energized everyone. They warmed themselves up quickly by the firelight, and someone said, "Hurry up and eat the beans, or they'll burn!"
Pick up a handful of blackened, shiny, oily beans from the soil, rub them in your palm, blow gently into your hand, and then pop the whole bunch of beans into your mouth, crunching them away.
Amidst the swirling snow and the roaring flames, roasting and eating soybeans around a campfire warms the body, relieves hunger, and refreshes the spirit.
After the snow subsided a bit, the team leader sent people to their homes to get warm clothes. Even though it was snowing, they had to keep working to prevent people from getting frostbite. Each group sent someone back to get them, and they even brought some hot water in case people caught a cold.
After the autumn harvest and threshing were over, things finally quieted down. It was already November, so the group processed the mushrooms and dried goods they had harvested this year, pickled the sauerkraut, stocked up on winter cabbages, and prepared the soybean paste. All the preparations for the winter were done.
None of the three of them plan to go home this year. They'll just go home once every two or three years. They really don't want to go through the hassle of a ten-day round trip, and they'd have to pay for the train tickets themselves. They'd rather use that money to buy some meat and send it back home.
After returning from the commune, the group had a lot more dried mushrooms in their baskets. They had traded them for the rabbits they had caught in the past few days. They had been incredibly lucky this month, catching a total of seven rabbits. None of the four of them kept any of the rabbits; they traded them all for dried mushrooms. To be honest, after two or three years, they were getting a little tired of eating rabbit.
So they took this opportunity to switch to dried mushrooms. These are lightweight, taste good, and they can also mail some home so they can add a dish during the Chinese New Year.
Besides mushrooms, there was also a bucket of oil in the basket. We'd been eating pork fat for quite a while, so we decided to change things up and also tried some beef and mutton.
After arriving home, the group unpacked their things, while Jiang Yue went to feed the chickens. These chickens had been raised for two years, and some of them had stopped laying eggs. This winter, Jiang Yue planned to eat the chickens that weren't laying eggs or laying few eggs, and then catch a few more chicks to raise next spring.
The chicken coop we built the first year collapsed, but the current one was just built this autumn. With the experience from before, it looks much sturdier this time.
After entering the house, the three of them put their things away, lit the kang (a heated brick bed), and prepared the beef brisket, potato chunks, and tomatoes. They also put the necessary seasonings in a bowl, waiting for Jiang Yue to show off her skills.
Seeing this, everyone knew what dish to make. While waiting, the four of them took stock of their current possessions. They had enough grain, sauerkraut, cabbage and green onions, a small jar of pickled eggs, a small vat of soybean paste, and enough dried eggplant, dried mushrooms, and dried green beans. They should be able to eat and drink well this winter.
After taking stock, the group smiled with satisfaction. This business was all accumulated by the four of them little by little. As the aroma grew stronger, the three of them became less and less interested in talking. Their eyes were fixed on the pot amidst the steam. Why was there so much steam? Because the aroma was too strong. None of them dared to open the door, intending to let the aroma dissipate slowly.
When it was almost time to open the pot, Jiang Yue announced that it was ready to eat. The group obediently lined up, each holding a bowl and looking at her expectantly. Jiang Yue inexplicably felt like a cafeteria worker in a kindergarten. She took their bowls and filled one for each person. She didn't waste the remaining broth; Zhang Wei and Wang Liang poured their rice into it.
The two of them stirred the pot and scraped it clean before they were satisfied. Only after making sure there was no broth left did they reluctantly add a few ladles of cold water. The way they ate was indescribable. With such high-quality beef and Jiang Yue's outstanding cooking skills, the bowl was completely clean after they finished eating.
"Ah~, whenever I feel down or want to go home, the thought of Xiaoyue's cooking strengthens my resolve to stay. I don't know what I would do without Xiaoyue."
"Who isn't? Look at the old educated youth, I heard some of them vomited from eating pickled cabbage in winter, how can they be as carefree as us?"
"By the way, have you heard? The new educated youth are coming down soon, it seems like it'll be in the next few days."
"Want to come again?"
"Yes, we originally had 11 educated youth, but 3 of them returned to the city before, so now there are 8 left. I heard that 5 more are coming this time."
"If you're coming, then come. If we get along, then we can stay in touch. If we don't, then let's just leave each other alone for now."
"If five more educated youths come, will there be enough room for everyone?"
"Yes, that can accommodate about 18 people. If we add 5 more, it will be 13 people."
After chatting for a while, the three of them washed the pot. Seeing that it was almost time, the four of them got dressed and went out. Zhang Wei slung his gun over his shoulder, preparing to go up the mountain. This winter, Xiao Hu's father wouldn't need to take them. If they didn't go deep into the mountains, the four of them and one gun would be enough. Actually, they were still missing two dogs, but they could manage by just setting traps and not hunting.
After entering the mountain, they headed straight for the traps. The first few traps yielded no results, so Jiang Yue observed the surrounding area and readjusted the positions of the traps. Once that was done, they continued towards the other traps. As usual, they caught a rabbit today. The weather was good and the visibility was decent. The group walked a little further in because they had run out of wood on the outskirts. They figured they should at least get some firewood to take back.
Zhang Wei stood guard with his gun, while Jiang Yue and the other two began collecting the scattered dry branches on the ground. They weren't greedy; each of them took a small bundle. Once they had collected them, they headed down the mountain. They had gone quite far today, and it was already rather late when they got home. They planned to deal with the firewood and rabbits tomorrow.
The next day, Jiang Yue and Yao Ling got up a little late. They had been chatting too late the night before. They had breakfast when they got up today: corn porridge and steamed sweet potatoes. After washing up, they ate breakfast and then washed the pots and pans with Yao Ling.
After breakfast, Jiang Yue asked them what they wanted to eat for dinner. Sometimes they eat two meals a day, and sometimes one meal is enough. They all said they would eat whatever she made. Jiang Yue thought about the beef brisket they had just eaten and suggested eating something vegetarian for the next few days: "Then let's make stewed sauerkraut. We also have a piece of frozen tofu."
"Yes, yes, yes, tofu is fine."
"There's nothing wrong with the tofu."
After deciding what to eat in the afternoon, the group began their study. This routine study had been going on for three years, and it hadn't been interrupted since Yao Ling suggested it. The main reason was that there was really nothing to do here. Apart from the production team's affairs, they were basically idle. Studying had become a way to pass the time. However, if they studied on their own, the progress would be relatively slow.
In the afternoon, Jiang Yue started cooking. The ingredients were all there, so no matter who cooked it, it wouldn't taste very good. It's just that Jiang Yue and the others have become picky eaters; otherwise, they would only buy tofu when guests came. After dinner, they went for a walk in the mountains as usual. Today was the day of the air force, and the weather wasn't very good, so they didn't go any further and went home early.
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