Chapter 113 Chopping Wood
After an autumn rain, the weather turned genuinely cold.
Lu Mingyue woke up early that morning and, still half asleep, reached out to touch the clothes hanging by the bed.
As soon as a section of her arm was exposed, the cold wind blowing in from the window made her shiver. She quickly pulled her arm back and burrowed deeper into the blankets.
"Are you cold?" Huo Zheng, who was already awake, saw her like this and reached out to pull her into his arms. The warmth from his body instantly enveloped her.
"You lie down in the room for a while longer. I'll go light the stove. Get up when the room is warm."
As he spoke, he threw off the covers, got out of bed, casually draped a thick coat over his shoulders, and turned to head towards the kitchen.
Lu Mingyue nestled in the blankets, still warm from Huo Zheng's body, listening to the sounds of him carrying coal outside, feeling a warm glow in her heart.
Lu Mingyue nestled in the quilt, which still held Huo Zheng's warmth. As the room gradually warmed up, she got up, put on a cotton-padded coat, and headed to the kitchen.
Huo Zheng was squatting by the stove adding coal when he saw her come in. He looked up and smiled, "Just in time to boil water for tea."
Lu Mingyue agreed, scooped water from the vat and poured it into the aluminum kettle, then grabbed a handful of brown sugar and ginger slices and put them in.
A little while later, the two children woke up. Leilei rubbed his eyes, grabbed Yaoyao's hand, and ran in, his little face red from the cold: "Mom, it's cold in the house."
Yao Yao nodded in agreement, bringing her little hands to the stove to warm them.
As the aluminum kettle began to steam, Huo Zheng had already placed the cornbread on the pan.
Lu Mingyue poured out four bowls of brown sugar ginger tea, and the warm, sweet aroma filled the kitchen.
The family sat around a small table, drinking ginger tea to ward off the cold, and taking a bite of the crispy on the outside and tender on the inside cornbread.
Lei Lei ate while telling his younger sister the story he had heard the night before. Yao Yao occasionally let out a clear laugh, and even the autumn rain outside the window seemed much gentler.
After several days of rain, the sun finally came out and dried the dampness in the corner of the courtyard. Lu Mingyue and Huo Zheng then planned to go up the mountain to chop firewood.
Although half a stack of firewood had been piled up in the corner of the yard, the winter on the island was bitterly cold, and this amount of firewood would only last until the twelfth lunar month at most. We must take advantage of the sunny weather to stock up on more.
"The coal ration isn't enough, so we have to make up for it with firewood," Huo Zheng said as he sharpened his axe.
Transportation is inconvenient on the island, and each household's monthly coal ration is allocated per person. In extremely cold weather, the coal often runs out before the end of the month, making firewood the "hard currency" for getting through the winter.
“We’re going up the mountain today, so let’s leave the two children at home.”
As Lu Mingyue stuffed dry food into her basket, she frowned and discussed with Huo Zheng, "The mountain path is slippery and difficult to walk on. If we encounter wild animals, I'm really worried about taking the child with me."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Leilei pulled Yaoyao out of the inner room, his little face flushed red: "Mom, we want to go too! We can walk by ourselves, we won't be a troublemaker!"
Yao Yao nodded in agreement, her little hands tightly gripping her brother's clothes, her eyes full of anticipation.
Huo Zheng put down the axe in his hand, squatted down and rubbed the two children's heads, then turned to Lu Mingyue and smiled: "Let them come along. The mountain road is difficult to walk, so it's a good opportunity for them to practice their footwork. Besides, with me here, I will definitely protect the children."
He then instructed the children, "When you get to the mountain, be obedient, stay close to the adults, and don't run around."
Leilei and Yaoyao nodded vigorously and turned to move their little baskets, afraid that their parents would change their minds.
Looking at the father and his two daughters, Lu Mingyue smiled helplessly and stuffed another thick coat for the child into the basket.
Since we're going, we need to think things through beforehand.
Before long, Huo Zheng, carrying an axe, led the way, followed by Lu Mingyue, who was holding Yao Yao's and Lei Lei's hands. The family headed towards the small hill behind the village.
As soon as we reached the foot of the mountain, we saw a lively scene ahead.
Zhu Xiaofang was helping her husband straighten the rope of the basket on his back when Niu Niu from Zheng Xiuhua's family was already chasing after them with a small axe.
"Commander Huo, Mingyue, you've come to chop firewood too?" Zhu Xiaofang waved first, a smile on her face.
Huo Zheng stopped and replied with a smile, "That's right, it's good to stock up while the weather is sunny, so we'll feel more secure in winter."
Zheng Xiuhua leaned over and pointed to the mountain: "There's a pine forest on the slope ahead. The pine branches are easy to burn. Let's go there together to cut them. It'll be good to have more people to help each other out."
Lu Mingyue nodded and pulled Yao Yao closer to Zheng Xiuhua: "Perfect, the children can keep each other company and won't feel bored."
Upon arriving at the pine forest, the families immediately divided up the tasks and got to work.
Huo Zheng, Qin Lie, and Ji Dashan gathered together, selected several vigorous old pine trees, and wielded their gleaming axes.
The sounds of chopping echoed as thick pine branches fell to the ground.
The women led the children through the woods.
Lu Mingyue taught Yao Yao to identify the dried-out twigs: "These brown twigs are dry and burn very well."
Zhu Xiaofang and Zheng Xiuhua chatted as they gathered firewood, the bundles of firewood in their hands piling up higher and higher.
The children weren't idle either. Lei Lei led a few friends to gather the scattered dry branches together and even had a competition to see who could gather the firewood the straightest. Laughter could be heard from time to time in the woods.
By the time the sun was halfway up the sky, the men had already chopped several large bundles of firewood, and the women's baskets were full.
Huo Zheng used hemp rope to firmly tie the thick firewood to the carrying pole, while Lu Mingyue helped the children tie the smaller firewood bundles to both sides of the baskets on their backs.
Several families carried firewood down the mountain. The heavy firewood bent the carrying poles, but it couldn't hide the smiles on their faces.
This shoulder full of firewood is the most reassuring source of strength on the island during winter.
After stacking the last bundle of firewood into the woodshed, Huo Zheng patted the dust off his hands, looked at the neatly stacked woodpile in the corner of the yard, and smiled at Lu Mingyue: "With this firewood, we'll definitely have a warm winter this year."
Lu Mingyue wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead, looked at the woodpile in the setting sun, and felt at ease.
After a long day of work, the whole family was exhausted.
Lu Mingyue was thinking about dinner when she suddenly remembered the pickled cabbage in the jar and the pork belly frozen in the vat, and her eyes lit up.
"Let's have hot pot tonight, it'll be warm and refreshing."
Huo Zheng immediately agreed, squatted down by the stove, set up the iron pot, added a few pieces of freshly cut dry pine branches, and the flames shot up quickly, heating up the iron pot in no time.
Lu Mingyue put the thinly sliced pork belly into the pot, and then added sauerkraut, frozen tofu and cabbage grown by herself.
Soon, steam began to rise from the pot, filling the room with a tangy and meaty aroma.
Leilei and Yaoyao had already moved their small stools and gathered around the stove, holding chopsticks and waiting eagerly.
Once the meat slices were cooked until translucent, Lu Mingyue first put a piece on each of the two children's plates.
Huo Zheng then picked up the warm rice wine and clinked bowls with hers.
As darkness gradually fell outside the window, the fire in the stove inside reflected the smiling faces of the family. The ingredients in the pot were bubbling, and even the air was filled with a warm, smoky aroma.
This is probably the most comfortable day after a busy day.
The sauerkraut and pork belly in the pot were bubbling and smelling delicious. Lei Lei stared at the bubbling meat slices, picked up a piece, blew on it to cool it down, and first offered it to Yao Yao's mouth: "Little sister, I've picked out the lean meat you like for you."
Yao Yao took a small bite and mumbled "Thank you, brother," then scooped up a piece of soft, frozen tofu with a spoon and put it into Lu Mingyue's bowl.
Lu Mingyue accepted it with a smile, then turned to add a spoonful of rice wine to Huo Zheng's bowl: "Is the firewood you chopped today enough to last until spring?"
Huo Zheng took a sip of rice wine and picked up a piece of cabbage with his chopsticks: "That's enough. Once we prepare some more straw, our chickens can have a warm winter."
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