The tender green grass was hidden under the hay in the truck bed; the old ox has a very keen nose.
At noon, Yan Xiaoqiang arrived at the old house of Cuihua's parents. The village chief was leading the villagers to help Old Man Chen reinforce the house.
Yan Xiaoqiang walked into the house and took a look. The house was not big, with a room on each side and a main room in the middle.
There are two thatched houses on each side of the courtyard, one is the kitchen and the other is the farm tool shed. The two thatched houses opposite have collapsed and cannot be repaired.
He walked into the house and looked around. The mud walls in every room were riddled with holes and drafty. He cursed Old Man Chen's three sons in his heart for being heartless.
The five or six people present were all villagers from Chenjia Village, and there was no sign of the three brothers-in-law.
Yan Xiaoqiang didn't say much. He took out 100 yuan and handed it to the village chief. He wanted to buy some bricks and other things to temporarily plug the leaky hole in the wall, and the stove needed to be built today.
They also took out candy and gave it to the villagers who had helped them. It wasn't even the Lantern Festival yet, so they wanted to sweeten their mouths.
The villagers were overjoyed to receive the candy. They had only come because the village chief had promised to give each of them five centimeters a day, and now they were really getting a good deal.
There are brick-making workshops in Chenjia Village, and Yan Xiaoqiang has exceptional organizational and practical skills.
Before dinner, not only were all the walls of the rooms and the main room repaired, but the stove was also set up, and even the kang (heated brick bed) was unclogged and lit.
Chen's father brought back water, but since there was no water vat available, he would use buckets instead, which would only require a few more trips.
"Dad, Mom and I will go to town tomorrow to buy everything. Can you tell me what we're missing?" Cuihua asked.
"A water vat, a kitchen knife, and a pot and bowl, and so on," Yan Xiaoqiang said, looking at the dilapidated things in the kitchen.
Looking at the time, Chen's mother and Cuihua started cooking dinner. They hadn't eaten properly for the past few days, but their eldest and second daughters-in-law brought over two bowls of noodles and a basket of steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water.
"Mom, buy a few more small jars tomorrow. We need a place to store all this rice and flour." Cuihua couldn't find a place to put the rice and flour, but the sweet potatoes could be put anywhere.
The two hens were released and fed some rice bran. The new environment frightened the hens, and they huddled by the rabbit's burrow, too scared to move.
Chen's mother scooped out a bowl of rice and two bowls of flour, then took the two bags back into the house. Inside the house was a wooden box, which was Chen's mother's dowry.
"Cuihua, it's best to keep the good stuff in a box so it's less likely to be stolen," Chen's mother advised based on her experience.
"Mom, why don't we dig a cellar in the house when it gets warmer? It'll be warm in winter and cool in summer, and we can store our things there." Cuihua thought of her family's cellar.
Chen's mother was tempted when she heard this. "Okay, let's wait until it gets warmer before digging. Right now, the ground is rock hard in the dead of winter."
Cuihua took out the marinated pork, roe deer meat, sugar, and oil, which made Chen's mother tremble with fear.
"Cuihua, does your mother-in-law know about these things?"
Cuihua took out another two hundred yuan and handed it to Chen's mother: "Mom, my mother-in-law will give you one hundred, and Qiangzi and I will give you two hundred. We just used one hundred yuan to buy bricks."
Chen's mother wanted to refuse, but there was nothing left in her box except a few coins. This division of the family property made her see her youngest son's shrewdness and greed.
He remembered exactly how much money they made from selling the rabbits, and it was supposed to be split 50/50 between them. However, he didn't include the money that was spent, which meant the elderly couple basically left with nothing.
Cuihua sneered, "Mother, it's fortunate that we separated from the family. You and Father are not old yet and can live your lives on your own. If you get old and can't work anymore, they will definitely mistreat you."
Chen's mother nodded in agreement. "Once a daughter-in-law is born, she forgets her mother. This old saying is really true."
The table was missing a leg, so Yan Xiaoqiang used a piece of wood to prop it up, and it was usable for the time being.
"Qiangzi, don't worry about it. Eat. When the weather gets warmer, I'll go to the mountains and cut down a tree, then we won't lack tables and chairs at home," Old Man Chen said.
"Dad, get up early tomorrow and reinforce the roof a bit more. This house will be basically habitable. I'll go chop some firewood and fetch some water for you," Yan Xiaoqiang said after eating a steamed bun.
"Dad, Cuihua said we should dig a cellar. What do you think? Let's dig it when the weather gets warmer," Chen's mother said to her husband.
Old Man Chen nodded. Digging a cellar was a good idea.
Cuihua took out her cotton-padded coat, gave Xiaoqiang's cotton-padded coat to the two elderly people, and also laid out a quilt for them.
Yan Xiaoqiang and I will be sleeping here tonight, so I've left a bed for myself.
Lying on the warm kang (heated brick bed) and covered with soft quilts, Chen's mother and father felt at ease. After raising so many children, they were finally relieved to have a good one.
Early this morning, several villagers from yesterday arrived. They had received such precious candies, so they felt embarrassed to shirk their duties.
Six people worked for two hours to make the roof completely sealed, so they no longer had to worry about wind and rain.
They also rebuilt the collapsed thatched hut, since it was still necessary to have a thatched hut to provide some cover when piling firewood in winter.
Seeing that he wasn't needed here, Yan Xiaoqiang quickly found a machete and rope to cut tree branches.
They filled the thatched hut with goods in just one morning. Cuihua and Chen's mother also rented an oxcart to come back. They didn't buy much, but it was heavy.
We'll have to rent an oxcart to get the water tank and stuff back. As for Uncle San's old ox, forget it, neither of them knows how to drive.
Yan Xiaoqiang wanted to fill the water vat again, but Old Man Chen stopped him, telling him to hurry back, as it was getting late and it would be dark by the time he got home.
"Okay, I'm off then. Let me know if you need anything." Cuihua knew that if she didn't go back now, it would be really dark by the time she got home.
Chen's mother took out the food she had prepared yesterday and asked Cuihua to take it with her on the road. The mother and daughter said goodbye with some reluctance.
"Dad, Mom, why don't you two come to my house for Chinese New Year next year?" Yan Xiaoqiang invited.
Old Chen's eyes lit up. "Great!" he exclaimed, nodding quickly. "I'll definitely come next year."
At home, Grandma was teaching Yan Xiaonan how to cook rice, but Yan Xiaonan really didn't know how to use this big pot.
Southwest helped tend the fire, worried that Nannan might hurt herself while tending it. Zhongnan obediently lay down and slept by the stove, where it was warm.
Yan Xiaonan couldn't help but kick him, "You scumbag, you came back after your two wives left."
Zhongnan yelled, "Didn't you say that my dog wife isn't good enough for me? I'm going to find a wolf wife!"
Yan Xiaonan was momentarily speechless. She thought to herself, "I think I did say that, maybe, perhaps, possibly."
"Did you find it?" Yan Xiaonan asked him telepathically.
Zhongnan crashed heavily to the ground; there was no good sight to behold.
Yan Xiaonan laughed to death, "Don't all wolves look the same? What's so good or bad about them?"
Zhongnan wouldn't have it anymore. With a howl, he said, "Of course, there are good-looking wolves too. I am good-looking."
Yan Xiaonan looked Zhongnan over carefully several times. What was so good about him? If you had to pick something good-looking, it would be the fur all over his body.
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