Qin Qingman knew that Wei Ling would come to pick them up today, so she got up very early. When she got up, she saw that Huang Wanqing had not woken up yet, so she did not call anyone. Instead, she touched the kang and felt that the temperature was a little low, so she packed up and turned on the stove in the living room.
The firewood in the stove had been kept away all night and was only slightly warm.
The temperature of the stove was not high enough. Not only did the temperature in the living room drop, but even the temperature in the bedroom was not that high.
Qin Qingman grabbed a handful of peeled pine cones and threw some into the stove, then lit a match.
The pine cones instantly caught fire under the ignition of the match.
Pine cones are dried in the sun and have a lot of oil, making them the best fire-starting material in the north.
When Qin Qingman saw the fire starting, she added more firewood.
The fire started, and she added some firewood to the stove that heated the kang. Huang Wanqing and Chuchu had not yet gotten up, and she didn't want them to catch a cold.
The temperature in the hall soon rose due to the burning stove. At this time, Chuchu also got out of bed, rubbing her eyes.
The child took a look at Qin Qingman who was kneading dough, then ran to her and hugged her legs. He greeted her in his little voice, "Sister, what do you want to eat in the morning?"
“Sanhe noodles.”
Qin Qingman answered the child while kneading out the air in the dough.
Her family was poor and could not eat white flour, so they had to mix it with various grains.
"Sister, the noodles are delicious, I like them." Chuchu, who was still a little sleepy, suddenly woke up and added, "Sister, I'll go wash up."
"There is hot water in the jug, wash with hot water." Qin Qingman reminded the child.
"Got it." Chu Chu tidied herself up obediently.
The child was already able to take care of himself and cleaned up quickly. He finished taking care of himself in a short while and then ran to Qin Qingman to help.
In a corner of the hall, a lot of green onions and garlic sprouts were planted in broken pots and jars. The child picked a handful of green onions and sat beside Qin Qingman to clean them up. At the same time, he looked at the large dough in Qin Qingman's basin with curiosity and said, "Sister, there are only three people in our family, why do you knead so much dough?"
"Your brother-in-law must have skipped breakfast when he came to pick us up."
Qin Qingman has experience.
She could see that Wei Ling was actually a very picky eater. He could eat even bad food, but if there was something delicious, he would definitely choose it.
"Brother-in-law is coming?" Chu Chu was immediately excited.
"Yes, maybe more than just your brother-in-law will come." Qin Qingman thought of the things they bought yesterday and guessed that Wei Ling might bring someone with him. If he brought someone, she would have to make more noodles.
Chu Chu couldn't sit still after hearing what Qin Qingman said. She grabbed the green onions in her hand and ran to the window, then stood on tiptoe to look out.
In the early morning, white smoke came out of the chimneys of every household in the mountain village.
After a night, the temperature in every household has dropped a little, so it is a good opportunity to get up and add firewood. It is freezing cold outside, and the firewood in the house cannot be stopped all the time. Winter is also the season when every household consumes the most firewood.
Zhu Hongxia's house next door has been dead silent these past two days.
Firstly, Zhu Hongxia was in a bad mood because she had not recovered from her injury. Secondly, her two sons were detained by the director of public security and forced to work in the village. They had to get up at dawn. In such a cold day, she was worried about her sons and became anxious.
But no matter how aggrieved she was, she dared not make a fuss.
Zhu Hongxia was scared by the torture.
She couldn't afford to offend the brigade leader, nor could she afford to offend Qin Qingman, so she could only keep a low profile.
Zhu Hongxia was in a bad mood, and Qin Lei also looked listless. His hair and face were slightly injured by Liu Sangun's kick. After applying medicine on his face, it was no big deal, but his hair was burned and had bumps on it. He couldn't cut his hair in the middle of winter and had to wear a hat at home.
As a result, Qin Lei didn't want to speak either.
It would be lonely and dead at home if no one talked to anyone.
Even Qin Caiyun carefully concealed her own little thoughts and took extra care of Zhu Hongxia, for fear that Zhu Hongxia would cause trouble for her. After all, filial piety is always a huge burden on people's heads no matter what era it is.
Qin Caiyun got up very early today. She got up almost as soon as Qin Jianming and his brother got up.
After getting up, I have been busy at home.
I'm busy in and out, and I never have a moment of leisure.
In winter, firewood is consumed quickly at home, and there are a lot of things piled up in Qin Caiyun's living room. Just as she was about to carry a large bundle of firewood from the yard and was about to go into the house, she heard the sound of a car horn.
Their village is relatively remote, with almost no vehicles entering the village.
Qin Caiyun's face changed as soon as she thought of this.
Because she thought of Qin Qingman's boyfriend. It was said that the boyfriend was a regimental-level soldier from the XXX division. Soldiers of this level were qualified to drive. It was said that a car from the division entered their village yesterday. So was there a car going to Qin Qingman's house?
It was hard to explain what she felt at this moment. Qin Caiyun shrank her body behind the firewood pile as if possessed by a ghost, then stuck her head out to look towards the Qin family's gate.
In the distance, a majestic jeep drove steadily towards Qin Qingman's house.
They were getting closer and closer to the Qin family, so close that Qin Caiyun could see the two people in the car clearly. She had seen Wei Ling from a distance and knew he was Qin Qingman's boyfriend, but she didn't know the other man who looked young. However, the man who was with Wei Ling must be a soldier with the same identity.
Qin Caiyun held her breath with her heart pounding.
At the Qin's house, when Wei Ling honked the horn, Chu Chu, who had just washed the green onions, heard it. The child put down the green onions and then, under the gaze of Qin Qingman, she wrapped herself in a cotton coat with a blushing face and rushed out.
"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law——"
The cheerful voices of children echoed outside the house.
Not only did it attract the attention of Wei Ling and Du Hongyi, it also woke up Huang Wanqing who was still sleeping in the west room.
Huang Wanqing immediately climbed up from the kang, opened a slit in the window curtain and looked out. When she saw Wei Ling's car, her face immediately flushed and she hurriedly got up and put on her clothes.
It's so embarrassing. Not only did I fail to help the host when I was a guest at someone's house, but I also overslept.
The more anxious you are, the more chaotic you become. Huang Wanqing hasn't put on her clothes for a long time. At this moment, there is a knock on the closed door. Qin Qingman's gentle voice comes from outside the room in time, "Wanqing, don't worry. A Ling and the others still need to move things. They won't come in for a while."
“I…I understand.”
Huang Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief after Qin Qingman's reminder, and her hands and feet were finally not so busy.
As long as she didn't panic, she wouldn't mess up her work. Huang Wanqing got dressed in just one or two minutes. Without even having time to tidy up her blanket, she rushed out of the room to wash up.
It is very rude to meet your host with unkempt hair and dirty appearance.
Qin Qingman had already kneaded the dough. When she noticed Huang Wanqing got up, she helped to prepare the water for washing her face. When she saw Huang Wanqing, she reminded her that she could wash up directly.
Huang Wanqing looked at Qin Qingman gratefully and quickly tidied herself up.
While Huang Wan was washing her face, Qin Qingman covered the dough with a clean towel, washed her hands and went into the east room.
By the time Huang Wanqing had tidied herself, Qin Qingman had also tidied the east room, with the covers of the three beds folded and placed against the wall.
"Qingman..." Huang Wanqing looked at Qin Qingman embarrassedly.
"It's okay. I can understand that you're getting used to your bed on your first day at my house." Qin Qingman made excuses for Huang Wanqing.
Huang Wanqing was immediately moved.
Qin Qingman is so considerate and gentle. Even her mother is not used to her.
But it was indeed because of Qin Qingman's comfort that Huang Wanqing was no longer nervous or ashamed, but followed Qin Qingman to help.
Outside the house, Wei Ling saw Chu Chu running out happily before he got out of the car.
"Chu Chu, open the gate. I'll drive the car in and bring in all the things we bought at the supply and marketing cooperative in the county yesterday." Wei Ling stuck his head out of the car window and spoke loudly to Chu Chu.
In fact, this was also meant for some people in the village who were secretly paying attention.
He and Qin Qingman got married, and the betrothal gifts were also delivered.
In the 1970s, there were four major items for a wedding: three turning machines and one radio. Except for the bicycle which will be delivered later, the sewing machine and the radio will arrive today.
As for the watch, Wei Ling had already asked Zuo Gaopeng's cousin to buy it at the supply and marketing cooperative in the provincial capital.
He prepared for Qin Qingman whatever the city people needed for their marriage.
Wei Ling, who is wealthy and generous, has no shortage of money or tickets.
Just as the jeep was getting closer and closer to the Qin family's gate, Chuchu had already opened the gate in advance. Without stopping the car, she drove directly and steadily into the yard. However, Wei Ling glanced at the firewood pile at Zhu Hongxia's house next door when entering the gate.
“Brother-in-law!”
The clear and loud voice rang out happily again.
This prompted many families in the village to go out and take a look.
Such a blatant call must have meant something big had happened. Perhaps Qin Qingman had already registered her marriage with Wei Ling. Thinking of this, many people looked at the jeep eagerly. They wanted to see with their own eyes what Wei Ling had brought.
Whether the betrothal gift is expensive or not also shows how much the man values the woman.
Wei Ling didn't know what the villagers were thinking, so he opened the door and got out of the car as soon as it stopped.
Then he caught Chuchu who was throwing it towards him.
Chuchu is small, and looks like a tiny ball standing next to Wei Ling.
Wei Ling simply picked up Chu Chu and carried her on his shoulders, which made the children in every household envious. They had brothers-in-law, but none of them were willing to carry them like this.
At this moment, all the children in Kaoshantun were extremely jealous of Chuchu.
Chuchu was so happy that her face was flushed.
"Old Du, move the things." Wei Ling had someone on his shoulders, so of course he didn't plan to move the things by himself. He immediately ordered Du Hongyi, who got off the car a step slower.
"Okay."
Du Hongyi did not feel embarrassed about being ordered around, and happily moved the items in the car.
A festive red porcelain basin, countless daily necessities, large pieces of cloth, a beautifully packaged radio, and finally a sewing machine.
Everything is very conspicuous when placed on the snow.
As soon as the onlookers saw these equipments, they knew that Qin Qingman and Wei Ling’s marriage was settled, and what Wei Ling presented today was the most prestigious betrothal gift of that era.
"Congratulations, Comrade Wei. I wish you and Qin Qingman a long and happy marriage and may you have a son soon."
The Qin family's happy event was the first happy event in the village this year. No matter whether the people in the village were familiar with Wei Ling or not, they all congratulated him happily.
This is a good omen, the most auspicious thing.
Qin Qingman, who followed him out, happened to hear the villagers' congratulations and her face turned red.
But she didn't shy away. Instead, she bent down, took out the candies she bought yesterday from a pile of gifts, and threw them to the people outside the gate.
At the same time, he said, "Thank you for your blessings. My family is limited and I haven't packed everything yet. I won't invite you in for now. This is the wedding candy that Wei Ling and I bought at the county supply and marketing cooperative yesterday. Please accept the good luck and I will invite you to the wedding ceremony on the day of the wedding."
Her actions and words were in accordance with local customs and there was no disrespect.
"Qingman, today is your big happy event. Don't worry, we will all say happy words to you." Everyone in the crowd picked up candies and blessed the newlyweds Qin Qingman and Wei Ling with the most auspicious and festive words.
This was the first time that Du Hongyi witnessed the enthusiasm of the local villagers, and he developed a better impression of the folks in Kaoshantun.
Because Qin Qingman openly admitted her relationship with Wei Ling and also spread wedding candies, people were noisy for a while before everyone went home.
Only at this time did Du Hongyi and Wei Ling move all the items placed on the snow into the Qin family.
All the things were piled up in the west room where Qin Qingman lived.
Huang Wanqing followed Qin Qingman to help, but when she saw Wei Ling, her face turned red and she tried to hide herself, which made Wei Ling puzzled. He didn't know what happened that night, but there was definitely something wrong with Huang Wanqing.
Huang Wanqing's matter was a bit complicated. Because of the presence of an outsider, Du Hongyi, Qin Qingman was not in a position to tell Wei Lingming about it, so she planned to go to the division headquarters to deal with it.
She remembered that Wei Ling had said that the teacher Wang Chengping could be considered a "matchmaker", so such a difficult problem should of course be left to the teacher to handle.
"Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Du Hongyi. I'm Wei Ling's comrade-in-arms. My rank is lower than his, at the deputy regimental level. I'm 29 years old this year, single, and live in the division dormitory. I eat in the cafeteria every day. I'm from Sichuan and I like spicy food." After moving all the things into the Qin family, Du Hongyi solemnly introduced himself to Qin Qingman.
It was the first time he met Qin Qingman, and he admired her very much at first sight.
She is beautiful, elegant, and generous. You can tell at first glance that she is a very easy-going person. From now on, he can come to the Wei family for meals without worry.
Qin Qingman didn't know what Du Hongyi was up to at first, but after hearing Du Hongyi's self-introduction, she immediately understood the reason and laughed, "Comrade Du, have you tried the sausages that Wei Ling brought back to the division headquarters?"
"Yes."
Du Hongyi's eyes suddenly became brighter than the sun that had just risen.
This was the smartest girl he had ever met. She understood his needs just by her introduction. He was so moved that he was just thinking about how to ask for a free meal.
"Comrade Du, please come to my house for dinner when you have time." Qin Qingman understood Du Hongyi.
In this era, there are indeed few people who are good at cooking. If the other party can have a satisfying meal, they must seize the opportunity. If it were her, she would choose to do the same as Du Hongyi.
Du Hongyi was immediately relieved, "Sister-in-law, I will give you my monthly food coupons."
"Okay." Qin Qingman nodded with a smile.
Du Hongyi achieved his goal and quickly made way. Didn’t he notice that Wei Ling had been staring at him with a cold gaze for a long time?
"A Ling, come and help me cut the noodles. I've kneaded the dough. We have some brines at home. Let's have breakfast before going to the division headquarters." Qin Qingman smiled and pulled Wei Ling away. She had already noticed that Wei Ling was a little jealous.
"Yeah." Wei Ling was pulled by Qin Qingman, and all his dissatisfaction disappeared immediately.
"Sister, I'll help you too." Chuchu's eyes were full of life, and she followed Qin Qingman and Wei Ling.
Du Hongyi was also a person who couldn't sit still. He turned around and saw that there was not much water in the water tank in the hall, so he immediately took the bucket and went to the well to fetch water.
Only Huang Wanqing was left standing there, not knowing what to do.
Qin Qingman would not ignore Huang Wanqing as a guest, so she calmly said, "Wanqing, help me check if the water in the pot is boiling. It must be boiling so I can cook the noodles."
"well!"
Huang Wanqing regained her vitality immediately after having something to do.
Wei Ling has good control over strength and is indeed an expert at cutting noodles. All the noodles cut by him are of the same thickness.
The noodles were just cut and the water in the pot was boiling.
Qin Qingman deftly shook the noodles and put them into the boiling water.
Hand-rolled noodles are very durable. While cooking the noodles, Qin Qingman also cut some bean sprouts. There are few vegetables in winter, so homemade bean sprouts are an indispensable side dish.
"A Ling, go and dig some brine from the altar." Qin Qingman instructed Wei Ling.
She made the brine from the pork head into brine and stored it in a jar. This brine not only absorbed the flavor of the meat, but also became more fragrant due to the blending of various seasonings. It was even more fragrant than Northeastern soybean paste and was the best ingredient for noodles.
Although Wei Ling had not been in the Qin family for a long time, he had already figured out the entire Qin family clearly.
As soon as Qin Qingman gave the order, he immediately took the bowl and went to work.
Du Hongyi, who had filled the tank with water, looked at Wei Ling's back with great envy.
This guy is so lucky that he found such a good wife. It's like pie in the sky. He also wants a pie in the sky.
Thinking of this, Du Hongyi shifted his gaze to Huang Wanqing.
He could see that this female comrade was incompatible with the villagers of Kaoshantun. From her words and actions, it seemed that she came from a well-off family, was educated, and had some knowledge. However, he did not know whether she could endure hardship or whether she was willing to live among them.
Huang Wanqing felt a little frightened by Du Hongyi's gaze and quickly moved closer to Qin Qingman.
Just at this time, Wei Ling came back with some brine.
A bowl of not-so-white Sanhe noodles with halogen sauce, chili oil, chopped green onions, bean sprouts, and a few pieces of cut fatty intestines. The final result was the same as last night, with not even any soup left.
Du Hongyi was particularly exaggerated. He ate a large spoonful of Qin Qingman's homemade chili oil.
I felt really satisfied after eating it.
Qin Qingman’s homemade chili oil is spicy, fragrant and numbing, which really suits the taste of Du Hongyi, a Sichuanese.
"Comrade Du, I'll give you some chili oil to take back later. You can also add a spoonful of chili oil to season your meals in the cafeteria." Qin Qingman was shocked by Du Hongyi's arrogance and generously handed over a bottle of chili oil.
She remembered that there were canning jars at home.
The canning jars are made of glass, so after you finish eating the cans inside, you can wash the jars and reuse them.
"Sister-in-law, that's great. Thank you. Thank you so much." Du Hongyi's face flushed with excitement. "By the way, sister-in-law, don't call me Comrade Du. Just call me Old Du like Lao Wei."
Young people of this era do like to call it that.
Qin Qingman didn't pretend to be rude and nodded in agreement.
After eating and drinking, the group got in the car and headed towards the XXX Division Headquarters. Wang Chengping had already received the news and was waiting in the office.
However, his information did not include Huang Wanqing's true situation.
Wang Chengping was in a very bad mood with a frown on his face. He had never thought that at his age he would still have to clean up Wei Ling's butt.
What a fucked up thing.
Wei Ling and his team arrived very quickly. Wang Chengping had just walked around the office for a few rounds when they arrived.
The matter involved Huang Wanqing's family affairs and private matters, so Du Hongyi definitely couldn't get involved. As soon as he arrived at the division headquarters, he found an excuse and left with the chili oil.
Finally, Qin Qingman and her family of three took Huang Wanqing to the teacher's office.
All of them were very good-looking and attracted a lot of attention along the way. When Wei Ling and his companions arrived at the door of Wang Chengping's office, a group of men and women had already followed them.
The gay men came to see what kind of girl could conquer Wei Ling, and the lesbians came to compete with Qin Qingman in all aspects.
Seeing Qin Qingman and Huang Wanqing, both gays and lesbians were dumbfounded.
Which one is Wei Ling’s daughter-in-law?
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