As soon as Qin Qingman went out, she carefully checked the ground. She believed that everyone in the village had heard the wolf howling last night, and someone would definitely go out to check today.
Someone is arranged to clean the road surface in Kaoshantun every day.
In some places, a thick layer of ice has been trampled out. The ice has accumulated layer by layer, and no trace can be seen when stepping on it. The most likely to leave traces is the snow that has not been stepped on by anyone.
Qin Qingman was checking the accumulated snow.
Xiao Hei was very smart and did not leave any traces in the snow. He took the right path yesterday, and there was no trace of wolves on the path.
As for the Qin family courtyard.
As long as Qin Qingman and Chuchu don't tell each other, no one will enter the Qin family's yard to check.
Qin Qingman breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see any trace of Xiao Hei, and walked straight to Auntie Ayun's house.
It was just dawn at this time, and thick smoke was just coming out of the chimneys of many houses, which meant that the family had just got up.
Qin Qingman walked to Aunt Ayun's house and found that the white smoke coming out of Aunt Ayun's chimney was lighter and less, so she knocked on the gate with confidence.
This kind of smoke indicates that the owner has been up for a while, not just the awkward moment of getting up.
"Why are you here, Qingman? Come in and warm yourself by the fire."
When Auntie Ayun heard the sound of the courtyard door, she looked out of the window. Seeing that it was Qin Qingman, she lifted the curtain in the living room and invited the person in. Her house was already tidy, so she would not neglect the guests who came to visit.
"Auntie."
Qin Qingman didn't hesitate and really pushed open the gate and went into the house.
She had something to ask someone, so she wouldn't come empty-handed. Although she didn't bring much, she did grab a handful of candy and a few frozen pears. Frozen pears are common in Northeast China, but White Rabbit milk candy is not.
But it's not too expensive.
Because this is a forest area, there is no shortage of wild honey in the mountains. If your children really want to enjoy sweets, many families will go up the mountain to collect honey in summer and autumn.
"Girl, since you're here, why are you bringing things with you? We don't allow that kind of thing here. Take it back and give it to Chuchu to please her." Auntie Ayun quickly declined the candies Qin Qingman took out. White Rabbit milk candy has a milky taste, and many children in the village have never tasted it.
"Auntie, this is for my brothers and sisters at home to sweeten their lips, don't refuse it."
Qin Qingman held Auntie Ayun's hand to prevent her from giving the candy back to her, and even asked Auntie Ayun's youngest son to take the candy and share it with other children in the family.
Seeing this, Auntie Ayun was no longer polite, but took out various dried fruits from the storage room to treat Qin Qingman.
With the mountain at its back, there is no shortage of delicacies and snacks in summer and autumn as long as you are diligent.
The policy at that time did not allow these items to be exchanged for money.
Qin Qingman peeled a walnut and tasted it slowly. It was delicious, with a very strong walnut flavor.
"Qingman girl, do you have something to talk to me about?"
Auntie Ayun asked this question while inviting Qin Qingman to warm herself by the fire.
"Auntie, I really want to ask you something." Qin Qingman did not hide anything and said directly: "Auntie, do you know where there are cows or sheep around here that have just given birth and have milk in their stomachs?"
"You want milk?"
Auntie Ayun was surprised.
"Yes." Qin Qingman nodded. She had to find a decent reason to ask for milk, otherwise it would be easy to be misunderstood, so she explained: "Auntie, you have also seen my Chuchu. He is six years old next year and a little short. I think my mother must have lacked milk when she gave birth to Chuchu. Well, I heard that children who lack milk can make up for it the next day by drinking some cow or goat milk."
Cow and goat milk are calcium supplements, which are indeed beneficial to children's growth and development. Qin Qingman was not lying.
This time she really wanted to find out which family had milk so that Chuchu and the wolf cub could have a share and drink it together.
Auntie Ayun quickly recalled, and after a while she shook her head and said to Qin Qingman, "As far as I know, no team's cows or sheep have given birth recently. If it's after the spring, there's really no shortage of cow and goat milk. It's a bit difficult to find milk this season."
Qin Qingman was a little confused, "Auntie, why is there no shortage of cow and goat milk after the spring?"
Auntie Ayun laughed, "It's cold in the winter, and it's hard for cows and sheep to survive in this season, so cows and sheep generally don't get pregnant and give birth in this season. When the weather warms up in the spring, cows and sheep that have been resting for a winter will give birth together."
Qin Qingman was very disappointed, but she couldn't control this kind of thing, so she chatted with Auntie Ayun for a while before leaving.
Before leaving, Auntie Ayun was very polite and filled every pocket of Qin Qingman's clothes with walnuts and pine nuts. If Qin Qingman refused, Auntie Ayun could ask a few children to help her stuff the clothes into her pockets.
Faced with such enthusiasm from Auntie Ayun, Qin Qingman could only accept it with a smile.
After leaving Aunt Ayun's house, Qin Qingman was worried.
The birth of this little one in her family was too unexpected, and the family was not prepared at all. If they couldn't find fresh cow or goat milk, they could only go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy milk powder for the wolf cub.
Fortunately, the supply and marketing cooperatives still sell milk powder these days, otherwise it would be difficult to raise a wolf cub.
"Qingman girl."
Qin Qingman was looking worried when an unexpected voice came into her ears.
"Auntie Zhang." Qin Qingman looked at the willow basket in Zhang Hongmei's hand and suddenly realized that the other party's family had made tofu today, and the willow basket in her hand might be sent to her own family. After all, she had helped the other party at that time.
"What are you thinking about so intently? I called you several times."
Zhang Hongmei smiled and handed the willow basket in her hand to Qin Qingman, explaining: "It's great to meet you, I won't go to your house. I made some tofu at home today, and I saved a piece for you, you and Chuchu can try it."
Qin Qingman looked inside the willow basket and began to decline. "Auntie, it's too much."
There was not only a large piece of fresh tofu in the willow basket, but also almost a pound of frozen tofu. She was embarrassed to take so much.
"Tofu is not worth much. A pound of beans can produce a lot of tofu. I just spent some effort. Don't argue with me, girl. Take it back and taste it with Chuchu. Today's tofu is good and tender." Zhang Hongmei did not take the willow basket pushed back by Qin Qingman.
"Auntie, this is too much. I dare not accept it."
Qin Qingman continued to decline.
"Don't push me. I don't like to be pushed around. If it weren't for your family's help, my daughter-in-law wouldn't be able to produce milk smoothly. I haven't even thanked you properly for your help. It's just a matter of a few pieces of tofu. I'll get angry if you push me again." Zhang Hongmei said with a really droopy face.
This is pretending to be angry.
"Okay, auntie, I won't push you. I'll take it. I'll take it."
Qin Qingman knew that the people in the village were real, so she didn't care about the gains and losses.
"Now that I've given you the things, I won't go to your house. Just throw the willow basket in my yard when you are free. I have a lot of willow baskets at home and there's no rush to use them." Zhang Hongmei said this to Qin Qingman and prepared to leave.
Qin Qingman suddenly had an idea, and she took a step forward and asked, "Auntie, I want to ask you something."
"What's the matter?" Zhang Hongmei turned her head.
"Auntie, when my sister-in-law had trouble producing milk, how did the family arrange for her to eat and drink?" Qin Qingman asked this question at this time out of desperation; she had no idea at all.
Zhang Hongmei became a little nervous when she heard Qin Qingman ask this.
"What's wrong, auntie? Is there something you can't tell me?" Qin Qingman was a smart person. She could tell at a glance that Zhang Hongmei was cautious. Thinking back to the time when there was no such thing as private industry, she suddenly had some enlightenment.
I quickly explained, "Auntie, my son Chuchu will be six next year. He has a problem with his height. It is said that drinking cow or goat milk can make up for it. I plan to give him some supplements so that he won't be bullied when he goes to school."
Qin Qingman simply repeated the excuse she had just given to Auntie Ayun.
Although the main purpose was to find milk for the wolf cubs, she really intended to let Chuchu drink with her. Besides, in those days, many families still had problems with food, so how could she dare to tell others openly that she wanted cow and goat milk to feed the dogs (wolves).
I guess if she really dared to say that, someone would definitely go to the Revolutionary Committee to report her.
"Girl, you are not an outsider, so I will tell you clearly."
Zhang Hongmei first looked at the road and saw that no one was passing by. But for the sake of safety, she pulled Qin Qingman to the corner and whispered, "I have a sheep at home, and it's pregnant. My daughter-in-law gave birth to a sheep a few days ago, and it has milk."
Qin Qingman was shocked.
"The sheep belong to the brigade. I brought them back to raise." Zhang Hongmei knew what Qin Qingman's eyes meant, and she explained further.
Qin Qingman understood instantly.
According to Auntie Ayun, cows and sheep generally do not get pregnant in this season, and therefore will not give birth in winter. Auntie Zhang's family probably guessed that their daughter-in-law might have trouble producing milk, so they bred the sheep in advance.
How should I put it? If no one reports it, people will definitely turn a blind eye to it. But if someone really reports it, people will have something to say. It all depends on how the people above deal with it.
"Qingman, the secretary and the others all know about my family's situation, so my family also informed the team in advance. It's a life, so everyone just turned a blind eye and tacitly allowed the sheep my family fostered to get pregnant."
Qin Qingman understood the whole story and her eyes lit up.
"Auntie, where is the sheep now?"
"We have it at home. We just go to the brigade to get fodder every month and take good care of it." Zhang Hongmei's family not only got a sheep to raise from the brigade, but also a horse. Horses have a wider range of uses. They can be used to pull sleds to transport things when going out, or to grind tofu at home.
Qin Qingman, who was eyeing Zhang Hongmei's goat milk, discussed with the other party, "Auntie, do you still want your goat milk?"
"Goat milk doesn't taste good. It smells fishy. Even if I cook it for my eldest grandson, he won't drink it." Zhang Hongmei knew what Qin Qingman was thinking and said it clearly, "Girl, if you really want this goat milk, fine, you can take the goat to your home and raise it. The fresh milk squeezed every day is the best and most nutritious."
"Can I raise it?"
Qin Qingman was a little dazed. If she were to raise the sheep, then their goat milk would be free.
Not only the wolf cub could drink enough, but Chuchu and she could also drink a little.
Seeing that Qin Qingman really wanted goat milk, Zhang Hongmei said, "These sheep have been through a long journey, so there is no hidden danger. If you have land that can keep warm, you can just take them home to raise. Every month, my family will go to the brigade to collect fodder and send it to you. Wait until the beginning of next spring, and you can return the ewes and lambs to the brigade together."
"Auntie, I'll raise the sheep. We have land to raise them, and we have enough firewood at home, so keeping warm won't be a problem."
Qin Qingman made a decision immediately.
She remembered that a sheep could produce quite a lot of milk.
"Do you know how to squeeze goat milk?" Zhang Hongmei looked at Qin Qingman.
"No." Qin Qingman shook her head honestly. Even though she knew a lot of things before she came here, she really didn't know how to squeeze goat milk.
"Come on, go to my house, I'll teach you how to milk a goat."
Zhang Hongmei enthusiastically pulled Qin Qingman towards her home. She wished she could send the two sheep away today. The main reason was that no one drank the goat milk she squeezed every day, and she didn't dare to throw it away. She drank most of it. Now she could taste the fishy smell of goat milk.
Qin Qingman naturally agreed to teach her how to milk a goat when she saw that someone was willing to teach her, and immediately followed Zhang Hongmei to Zhang's house.
When she arrived at Zhang's backyard, she saw two sheep, one big and one small.
The big sheep has a good physique and looks energetic. The little lamb is also very lively, jumping and playing behind the big sheep.
What made Qin Qingman most satisfied was the belly of the sheep.
There are a few bulging nipples on the top of the goat's head, and you can tell at a glance that the goat's milk production is very good.
"I chose this sheep because it was young, healthy and could produce a lot of milk. After giving birth to the lamb, it did produce a lot of milk, but it was a little too much. The lamb couldn't eat it all. I had to help squeeze out the milk every day. If I didn't squeeze, the ewe would feel uncomfortable and would keep crying."
Zhang Hongmei went into the sheep pen carrying a small bucket.
It is called a sheep pen, but in fact it was converted from the Zhang family's utility room. The ground was covered with thick stalks, including wheat stalks and corn stalks. With so much stalks piled on top and firewood burning, it was not as warm as the house, but much warmer than the outdoors.
The Zhang family raises sheep for milk, so they clean the sheepfold every day. There is no odor and it is very clean.
Qin Qingman followed Zhang Hongmei into the sheepfold.
The ewe saw that Zhang Hongmei was not angry at all, but came closer to her on her own initiative. It seemed that her milk supply was high.
"Girl, first watch how I milk the goat."
Zhang Hongmei put down the stool, put down the bucket, sat next to the ewe, then rolled up her sleeves and stretched out her hand.
Not only had the hands been washed, but they had also been warmed by the fire for a while.
The hands are not cold, and grabbing the ewe's milk can stimulate the ewe.
Although Qin Qingman had never learned how to milk a goat, she had seen some of the techniques on TV. Zhang Hongmei's technique was not much different from what was shown on TV. Plus, she learned most of the tricks by listening to Zhang Hongmei explaining how to milk a goat, so she learned it in a short while.
"Come on, girl, try it."
Zhang Hongmei's main purpose was to bring Qin Qingman here to learn, so it was impossible for her to do everything by herself.
Qin Qingman obediently sat in the seat where Zhang Hongmei had just sat.
When the ewe saw that the person had changed, she looked at Qin Qingman again and again, and finally lowered her head to eat a mouthful of grass without kicking anyone, which made Qin Qingman breathe a sigh of relief.
Being able to get close to the ewe is not far from successfully milking the goat.
At the beginning, Qin Qingman used too little force and didn't squeeze out much milk.
"Qingman, it's okay. Just use more force. It won't hurt the ewe." Zhang Hongmei taught Qin Qingman how to squeeze goat milk.
"Yeah." Qin Qingman was indeed afraid of hurting the ewe, so she used very light force.
It was much easier after adjusting the strength the second time.
Qin Qingman mastered the strength and speed of squeezing goat milk. Not only did she not hurt the ewe, but the milk also filled the bottom of the bucket in a short while.
"It takes half an hour to squeeze milk at a time, and you can get half a bucket of milk. Squeeze milk once in the morning and once in the evening, so that the lambs don't miss out on their milk."
Seeing that Qin Qingman had mastered the process of squeezing goat milk, Zhang Hongmei quickly stopped her and brought the freshly squeezed milk to the kitchen and covered it with a lid.
"Girl, go home and clean up the place for the sheep first. I'll bring the sheep and fodder to you later." Zhang Hongmei had a lot of things to do at home, so she couldn't stay in the backyard milking sheep all the time.
"Well, auntie, I'll go home and clean up first. I'll let Chuchu notify you when I'm done."
Qin Qingman was not in a hurry at this moment. After discussing with Zhang Hongmei, she took the tofu and went home.
It should be fine if the wolf cub doesn’t drink milk for a meal. If not, just make some rice soup and feed it first.
Qin Qingman returned home, and before she put down the willow basket in her hand, she saw the wolf cub holding a bowl with his head buried in it.
"What is this food?"
Qin Qingman was shocked.
"Dudu was barking so loudly that it ran around the house. Finally, it stopped in the east room and kept barking. I found some White Rabbit milk candy. Dudu had no teeth, so I dissolved the candy in hot water and gave it to it to drink when the water was warm." Chuchu looked at Qin Qingman in a daze and a little at a loss.
He didn't know whether he was doing the right thing or not.
"You did the right thing." Qin Qingman recalled the recipe of White Rabbit Milk Candy, which can be used as milk.
Because this type of sugar is very high in milk.
It's just that the sweetness is a bit high, so it's not suitable for wolf cubs to drink too much.
"Sister, will Dudu be okay after drinking it?" Chuchu was still worried.
"It's okay. It's okay to drink it occasionally." Qin Qingman comforted the child and told him the good news. "Auntie Zhang has a ewe that just gave birth to a lamb. She agreed to let us raise it until spring. Now we have goat milk to drink."
"real?"
Chuchu jumped up excitedly, disturbing Dudu who was drinking milk candy water. Dudu raised his hind paws and kicked Chuchu's feet hard.
Chu Chu retracted her feet helplessly.
Qin Qingman looked at the interaction between Chuchu and the wolf cub and smiled with relief, "Let's go clean up the utility room so Aunt Zhang can bring the sheep this afternoon."
"Sister, isn't there a pile of coal in our utility room?"
Chuchu reminded Qin Qingman.
"I know, but the coal pile is not full. There is still a small half room. We can separate it with firewood and spread straw on the ground, then we can raise sheep." Qin Qingman dared to agree to Zhang Hongmei because she had thought of a solution.
"But you can't light a fire inside, it's all fuel." Chuchu's little face was tightly knitted.
"I know." This was also within Qin Qingman's consideration.
"Then how do we keep the sheep warm?" Chuchu still knew the conditions for the brigade to allow people to adopt cows and sheep.
"Do you remember that Ling had someone bring back a lot of iron pipes?"
Qin Qingman plans to use a simple version of the radiator in the sheep pen.
"What's the use of iron pipes?" Chu Chu didn't understand at all.
"Hot water in the iron pipes can increase the indoor temperature." Qin Qingman knew that before the liberation of my country, some buildings in Beijing and Shanghai had adopted radiators for heating. In 1968, Shenyang was the second city in China to implement national centralized heating after the liberation of my country. So Wei Ling, who was born in Beijing, asked someone to buy radiators when he bought coal in the provincial capital.
This radiator was originally intended to be used after the new house was built, but now Qin Qingman is willing to give it to the wolf cub and Chuchu so that they can have a drink of goat's milk.
The stove she used in the west room was equipped with a small boiler, and as long as the pipes were installed, there would be no problem heating the utility room.
Anyway, the stove in the west room is burning 24 hours a day.
However, installing pipes was not something that she could accomplish alone. Qin Qingman cooked some dumplings and planned to ask Zheng Ankang's grandson, a furniture maker, for help after eating.
Shanwazi is very strong and has no problem carrying the pipe.
Uncle Ankang's furniture is made meticulously and his staff is attentive, so they will definitely be able to connect the pipes properly.
After all, the pipes are already made and can be fixed by just tightening the screws.
When Qin Qingman's dumplings were cooked, the wolf cub had finished drinking the sugar and milk in the bowl, and started whining while holding Qin Qingman's ankle.
Qin Qingman touched the wolf cub to comfort it, then hurried to eat. After eating, she asked Chuchu to play with the wolf cub, and then she hurried out again.
This time we went to invite Zheng Ankang and his grandchildren.
After a busy period, the radiator was finally installed in the Qin family's utility room at noon, and the hot water was also turned on. As the hot water circulated in the pipes, the temperature in the utility room was slowly rising.
"Qingman girl, your kitchen is really warm."
Zhang Hongmei sighed as she drove the sheep back. At the same time, she saw the wolf cub in Chuchu's arms. "This little dog is so fat. It must be a baby."
The wolf cub bared his teeth at Zhang Hongmei who was making fun of him.
Qin Qingman and Chuchu tacitly did not correct Zhang Hongmei's understanding of the wolf cub.
After seeing everyone off, the two men and the wolf drooled at the shivering ewe that had just entered the house.
They have goat milk to drink at home!
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