All the way, I listened to Old Yang's rambling on and on, recounting almost everything that had happened in the Unity Brigade this month.
Xu Ningyan was amazed. She never expected that Old Yang, who was usually so quiet, was actually so sharp-eyed and quick-witted. Almost nothing in the whole brigade could escape his notice.
What's even more impressive is Gu Zhiyuan. When did he get involved with Old Yang?
We chatted and laughed, and although the north wind was chilly on our faces, it didn't feel so bad.
Once inside the Unity Brigade, I didn't encounter many people.
The weather is strangely cold. If the sun were out, some people might come out and sunbathe against the wall.
The day was gloomy, and it looked like it was going to snow again, so everyone stayed at home warming themselves by the fire.
Only the children, who weren't afraid of the cold, were still running around the village with snotty noses.
When Xu Ningyan and Gu Zhiyuan returned, several children surrounded them, biting their fingers and staring at them for a long time before dispersing.
Old Yang drove the car to the entrance of the small courtyard, helped unload the things, led the cow back to the cowshed, threw a bundle of hay for the cow to eat, and then slowly went home.
Having not returned to live there for a long time, even though the brigade leader and others were helping to look after the small courtyard, a layer of dust still settled inside the house. As soon as the door was opened, a stuffy smell wafted out.
I opened both the front and back windows to let in some fresh air, then went to the kitchen first. Seeing that there was plenty of firewood, I boiled a large pot of water.
Using hot water, I wiped down the entire house.
Aunt Xie had already heard the news and came over with the washed and dried bedding.
She always remembered Xu Ningyan's kindness, and a few days ago, when the sun was out, she came over to wash and air out the bedding, which she then kept at Xu Ningyan's house.
We're just waiting for Xu Ningyan and the others to come back.
She brought not only bedding, but also her pickled vegetables, salted duck eggs, and a dried chicken.
Seeing that Xu Ningyan and the others were busy, they decided to stay and help with the cleaning.
The three of them worked together, and since the house wasn't very big and they didn't have many things, they cleaned it up quickly.
Xu Ningyan invited Aunt Xie to stay for dinner. She steamed a large pot of rice and also steamed half of the dried chicken that Aunt Xie had brought.
This air-dried chicken is also one of Aunt Xie's specialties. She raises free-range chickens at home, slaughters them, marinates them for a period of time, and then hangs them in the yard to be dried in the wind and sun.
Once the chicken skin turns golden brown and the meat shrinks, it can be brought indoors.
This air-dried chicken must be marinated and dried in the twelfth lunar month to get the right flavor; otherwise, it always feels like something is missing.
If you want to eat it, wash it with water and then steam it, or boil it directly in water.
Take it out, cut it into pieces, and it's salty, savory, and chewy—full of flavor.
A delicious dish to accompany drinks or meals.
With this dried chicken, I stir-fried an egg, chopped a large cabbage from the garden, and tossed it with vinegar—it was delicious!
Chinese cabbage that has been touched by frost and snow is the sweetest.
Aunt Xie also helped take care of this vegetable garden. Although it was the dead of winter, there were still quite a few vegetables in the garden.
The bright green spinach is at its freshest and most tender now.
The celery is about the height of a chopstick, with green leaves and white stalks; it's most delicious when stir-fried.
There's also red mustard greens, which have already started to bolt. The more you pick, the faster they grow. They're crisp and sweet when stir-fried, and refreshing when served cold.
Cilantro, Chinese cabbage, garlic sprouts, and scallions are also growing very well.
After the meal, seeing there was nothing more she could do to help, Aunt Xie prepared to say goodbye and go home.
Xu Ningyan took her home and gave Aunt Xie a newly made thick cotton-padded coat, made of maroon cotton cloth, which looked festive.
Aunt Xie loved it dearly. Over the years, she had never been willing to make new clothes for herself, let alone a new cotton-padded jacket. It felt thick and soft to the touch, with at least a pound of cotton filling.
This cotton-padded jacket is so rare at the supply and marketing cooperative that you need two meters of fabric to buy it. This maroon color is not common, and even the supply and marketing cooperative may not be able to sell it.
There's also cotton, and wages, which will probably cost seven or eight yuan.
Its high value made her hesitate.
Although she knew Xu Ningyan was not short of money, it was still too valuable, and more importantly, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to repay this favor.
Knowing Aunt Xie's temperament, Xu Ningyan simply explained things clearly: she gave Aunt Xie this cotton-padded coat because she truly regarded her as an elder, thanked her for taking care of the vegetable garden and the house, and hoped that Aunt Xie would continue to help look after the yard in the future.
Aunt Xie wasn't one to be sentimental. After thinking it over, she realized that Xu Ningyan genuinely wanted to give it to her, so she didn't refuse and readily accepted it.
She secretly made up her mind that she would not only help Xu Ningyan take care of the yard, but also protect it.
She also needs to keep a close eye on those in the united brigade who have bad intentions towards Xu Ningyan.
After dropping Aunt Xie off at home, they discovered that Gu Zhiyuan had already installed the heating table and stove they had brought back in her room.
This stove is larger than the previous coal stove; it's specifically designed for burning firewood.
If you throw a few sturdy wooden stakes in at night, it can burn all night.
The flue pipe went through Gu Zhiyuan's side so that the temperature in his room wouldn't be too low.
Xu Ningyan stepped forward to lend a hand, and before dark, the chimney was finally installed. The joints were sealed with yellow mud. After lighting it, they tried it out, and sure enough, the room warmed up quickly.
After a busy day, the two of them cooked a pot of noodles on the newly installed stove, picked some fresh scallions from the garden, washed the spinach and threw it into the noodles, and added two eggs.
In the dead of winter, sitting around the stove and eating a bowl of noodles like this is truly comforting.
With this stove, there was no shortage of hot water. After washing up, Gu Zhiyuan personally added a few wooden stakes to the stove and placed a few pieces of wood next to it, in case there wasn't enough firewood in the middle of the night, so he could add more firewood as needed. After checking it over, he went back to his room.
Nothing was said that night.
The next morning, the brigade leader and the party secretary came to knock on the door.
They went to a meeting at the commune yesterday and didn't return until almost dark in the afternoon, so it's not appropriate for them to come over.
They arrived early this morning and informed the two men that they should come to the brigade headquarters today to calculate their work points and receive their money and grain.
After we finish sorting the fish, we'll go fishing in the afternoon.
The brigade has two large ponds that haven't been drained for several years. This year, because the brigade is doing better, the brigade cadres discussed draining the ponds so they could catch fish and have a prosperous New Year.
The water was released in the morning, and you could go down to catch fish in the afternoon.
After breakfast, when they arrived at the brigade headquarters, the villagers and educated youth had already arrived long ago; the two of them were considered late.
Upon seeing the two, the villagers greeted them warmly, as they were all grateful to Xu Ningyan for their good fortune this year.
The educated youth stood a little further away, looking at Xu Ningyan and Gu Zhiyuan with complicated expressions.
Once everyone had arrived, the captain announced the start of the meeting.
The brigade accountant and scorekeeper checked the work points once and then began calling out names.
When a family's name is called, that family will step forward and tell the reporter how many work points they have in a year, how much grain they can exchange for, how many work points they have left, and how much money they can exchange for.
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