Qin Qingman didn't care at all about the hustle and bustle of Zhu Hongxia's house next door. Without the worry of blind dates, she would rather live behind closed doors with Chuchu. Now it wasn't long before the Chinese New Year, and judging from the supplies they had left, they had to cut back on their clothes and diet.
Calculating the food in the storage room, Qin Qingman planned to make mixed-grain buns for breakfast.
"Sister, we still have a lot of dried wild vegetables at home, which are dried in the spring and summer."
Chuchu followed Qin Qingman and looked up at her. He was also worried about food. Since he had been hungry before, he would rather eat sparingly than have no food at all.
Without food, people will starve to death!
"I know that if we save food and mix it with various wild vegetables, we can eat it until spring. But we need to eat some meat to replenish our bodies. We are both a little weak." Qin Qingman touched Chuchu's worried little face.
After two months of dietary supplements, her and Chuchu's physical condition had recovered a little, but for their severely damaged bodies, what they needed most was meat.
Red meat can not only replenish iron, but also replenish many trace elements for the human body. Especially for growing children like Chuchu, they need to eat meat, otherwise their height will not be restored at all.
This is also the reason why she has been thinking about meat these days.
When Chu Chu heard Qin Qingman say that eating meat can nourish the body, she immediately recalled the delicious taste of chicken.
Licking the corner of his mouth, the child said with eagerness and understanding, "Sister, the village will definitely slaughter pigs before the New Year, and our family can get some. If we wait a little longer, we will be able to eat meat."
The 1970s was not an era of reform and opening up. All materials at that time belonged to the collective and could only be purchased or distributed with coupons. Fortunately, they lived in the village, and some materials did not require coupons like in the city.
They raised pigs, cattle and sheep. Most of them were handed over to the state, and some were returned to the village. During the New Year holidays, the brigade secretary would arrange for people to slaughter pigs and sheep. At that time, the villagers would distribute the meat according to the number of people, and their family would also get a share.
Qin Qingman traveled to this era and knew the characteristics of this era.
She was lucky enough to have been able to use the method of credit to get a few relatives to pay back some of their food supplies.
But when it comes to meat, there is really no way to change it even if you want to.
Because everyone was short of meat, and no one was willing to give up that piece of meat. If one wanted to eat a lot of meat, one had to go hunting in the mountains. Then, one only had to hand over half of the prey obtained through one's own labor, and the other half belonged to one.
Looking at the snow-covered mountains outside the window, Qin Qingman felt a yearning in her heart, but eventually gave up.
With her figure and physique, she would be out of breath just climbing a mountain, let alone going up the mountain to hunt.
"Sister, it's very dangerous on the mountain. Only hunters can go up the mountain. It's snowing so heavily these days that the hunters in the village dare not go up the mountain." Chuchu was very meticulous. She noticed Qin Qingman's eagerness and hurried to dissuade her.
Because of worry and fear, the child stretched out his hands and tightly grasped Qin Qingman's hand.
"Don't worry, I won't go up the mountain. I know it's dangerous up there."
Faced with Chuchu's concern, Qin Qingman's heart softened.
At the same time, she really didn't dare to go up the mountain alone. The mountains of this period were not the mountains of later generations. There were many wild animals on the mountains of this period, including bears, tigers, wild boars, and any kind of beast was not something she could afford to provoke.
"Sister, there is an old bear on the mountain that can eat people."
Chuchu was still worried and couldn't help but threaten Qin Qingman with words.
Qin Qingman: ...Bears don't eat people, but they can smash a person's skull with one slap.
After discussing the dangers on the mountain for a while, the brother and sister happily made breakfast. When making grain buns, Qin Qingman added black bean flour, corn flour, and a little wheat flour to ferment, and the filling was dried shepherd's purse and shredded radish.
When the mixed-grain buns were just steamed out, they were so fragrant that Chuchu almost drooled.
"Sister, they smell so good. I've never eaten such delicious mixed-grain buns." Chuchu's words were not exaggerated at all. The original owner's cooking skills could only be described as average. In addition, a good cook cannot cook without rice. In the case of saving on everything, she was reluctant to use even a little more oil whether cooking or making buns.
It would be strange if the mixed grain buns made that way could be delicious.
Qin Qingman is different.
Her cooking skills are superb, and she is willing to use a lot of ingredients, so she can make ordinary grain buns so delicious that you can't stop eating them.
Qin Qingman knew that she was different from the original owner. She broke off a bun, let it cool, and handed it to Chuchu, saying, "I put sesame oil, chopped green onions, and chicken soup in the stuffing. It would be strange if it didn't taste good."
After hearing this, Chu Chu was immediately convinced.
With more good ingredients, ordinary grain buns are of course more delicious than before.
Chu Chu took a big bite of the fragrant mixed grain bun and looked very satisfied. What's more, there was a bowl of chicken soup with a few pieces of chicken in front of him.
After finishing a hearty breakfast, the brother and sister both slumped down in their chairs.
Satisfied, extremely satisfied.
Just when Qin Qingman and Chuchu felt that the days were getting more and more promising, Zhu Hongxia's house next door was also full of laughter.
Even if Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia were unhappy with Liu Hechang being their son-in-law, they could not resist the wish of their daughter-in-law. Since her daughter-in-law was willing, there was no need for them to be the bad guys.
After all, Liu Hechang's becoming their son-in-law is also a boost to their two sons' work.
So after a brief period of awkwardness, Zhu Hongxia's family became happy.
Everyone has their own little thoughts, and this group of scheming villains can actually talk to each other.
Liu Hechang brought generous gifts, including meat and candy. Zhu Hongxia did not ask Qin Caiyun to help her cook, but took her little son to kill a chicken and soak mushrooms, making a real chicken stewed with mushrooms.
A strong aroma also began to spread from their home to the surroundings.
Qin Xiang's family was closest to Zhu Hongxia's family and was the first to be affected.
Smelling the aroma of chicken stewed with mushrooms in the air, her 15-year-old daughter Qin Dongmei couldn't help but snort and asked curiously, "Mom, why would my second aunt's family kill chickens and eat the meat during this non-holiday season?"
Qin Xiang didn't know the reason at first, but she saw a figure just now. After a brief shock and surprise, she chose to stay at home and not go to Zhu Hongxia's house to watch the excitement.
She didn't want Qin Caiyun to corrupt her daughter.
So when Qin Xiang heard her daughter's question, she immediately frowned and scolded, "Why do you care why your second aunt's family kills chickens and eats meat? How other people live is their own business and has nothing to do with us."
Jiang Dongmei had never expected that her mother would get so angry just because of her casual question. She was a little confused for a moment and looked at Jiang Linshan who was warming himself by the stove in confusion.
She is the only child in the family, and her father dotes on her very much.
Jiang Linshan had heard from Qin Xiang before about the reason why Zhu Hongxia's house was so lively. He and his wife had the same idea that this not-so-glorious matter should be kept secret from the young lady as much as possible, otherwise if her heart became wild, he would be the one to suffer in the future.
After all, marriage is never an easy thing.
Some things cannot be said directly to children, so Jiang Linshan quickly diverted his attention, "Dongmei, we're going to kill a chicken to eat today." It's been several months since the cat winter, and I've been eating vegetarian food for the past few months. It's not long before the Chinese New Year, so it's time to start eating meat.
Sure enough, when Jiang Dongmei heard that her family also killed chickens and ate the meat, she instantly forgot about why Zhu Hongxia's family ate meat, and hugged Qin Xiang and started to act coquettishly.
Originally, Qin Xiang didn't want to kill the chicken and eat the meat, but she only had one daughter. Seeing her daughter's craving for meat, she gritted her teeth and finally agreed to kill the chicken and eat the meat.
Such scenes were happening in several homes around Zhu Hongxia.
The day before yesterday, I smelled the fragrance of chicken soup from Qin Qingman's house, and today it was the chicken stewed with mushrooms from Zhu Hongxia's house. I was tortured by the aroma for two consecutive days. Those families who raised a few chickens really couldn't stand such torture.
Anyway, the winter is so long, and before the New Year, if the weather is good, the village will organize a large-scale trip into the mountains, where there will be meat to eat. In order to prepare for the trip, we can kill a chicken now to replenish our bodies.
In this way, every family could eat meat.
The weather today was indeed very good, and there was no sign of snow or wind until noon. Liu Hechang enjoyed the treatment of a new aunt in advance at Zhu Hongxia's house. While drunk, he also agreed to ask Qin Lei to help arrange for his brother-in-law to enter the farm.
This made him more popular in Zhu Hongxia's home.
Since it was the daughter of the bride who made the choice herself, Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia accepted their fate. Moreover, since they could arrange for their eldest son to work on the farm without spending any money, the couple immediately became very optimistic about this marriage that could not be changed.
What's more, Liu Hechang became their aunt, so when the younger son started working, it would definitely not be a big deal.
Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia felt that sacrificing a young lady was worth it in exchange for so many benefits.
The smile he showed towards Liu Hechang also became extremely sincere.
The meal lasted until around 2:00 p.m., and during this meal, Qin Lei not only agreed to marry his daughter off, but the two sides also set a specific date for the wedding, which was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month the following year.
The best day for reunion.
After having a good meal and a good drink, Liu Hechang and the matchmaker planned to return to the town while the weather was good.
After recognizing the new aunt, Qin Lei's family was sure to escort her out of the yard in person. Qin Qingman happened to be carrying some firewood back to her house in her yard, and the two sides met each other unexpectedly.
Seeing Liu Hechang, Qin Qingman muttered bad luck in her heart.
To be honest, she didn't want to see Liu Hechang at all. Whenever she thought of how Zhu Hongxia and the others had plotted against her because of this man, she felt extremely disgusted with Liu Hechang. If she had known that she would run into him, she would rather wait until the firewood ran out before leaving the room until he left.
With an unwelcome mood, Qin Qingman pretended not to see anyone and walked towards the main room with her head down while holding firewood.
Qin Caiyun might have been a little too proud, or she might have thought her marriage was stable. When she saw Qin Qingman, she greeted her enthusiastically for some reason, "Sister Qingman, are you carrying firewood?"
Her greeting was unexpected and loud, and everyone's eyes were focused on Qin Qingman's yard.
Qin Qingman was upset, but she couldn't pretend to be deaf, so she could only raise her head and look at Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia and greet them politely, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt."
"Qingman, come in quickly. It will be cold in the house when the stove goes out."
At this moment, Zhu Hongxia was so frightened that cold sweat ran down her back.
Liu Hechang, who was originally going to be introduced to Qin Qingman, became her son-in-law. This was so fucked up no matter how she looked at it. How could she have the nerve to introduce the two of them to each other?
Qin Qingman didn't want to get to know Liu Hechang, so she followed Zhu Hongxia's instructions and went straight into the house.
At the door of Qin Lei's house, Liu Hechang stared at the yard where Qin Qingman's figure had disappeared for a long time, unable to recover.
Although it was just a startled glance, he saw Qin Qingman's appearance clearly.
Her face is as pretty as the most beautiful flower, and her figure is as perfect as a goddess in a dream.
"Aunt, this lady's name is Qingman, Qin Qingman?" Liu Hechang looked at Zhu Hongxia's family with a scrutinizing and deep gaze.
Looking at Liu Hechang's gloomy face, Qin Caiyun's heart skipped a beat.
After more than two months of good food and drink, Qin Qingman had already become as radiant as a phoenix that had been reborn from the ashes. She worked hard every day but could not compare with the other party at all, nor could she compare...
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