Xu Xiangyang had just finished cleaning up the snow in the yard when he saw Xu Guangtian come out of the house.
"Hey, Gou Dan, what are you doing? I'll do these things from now on. You go inside and take the tools with you." Xu Guangtian snatched the tools from his hands.
The yard had already been swept clean, so Xu Xiangyang didn't insist and turned around to go back inside.
He usually keeps his yard very clean, and he really can't stand seeing other people's yards so clean while his own is covered in snow.
Inside, Wang Xiumin had already started cooking. This time, she had cornmeal on hand, and since the children were home, she steamed a pot of cornmeal buns.
The pot with 32 seals has two layers of steamers on top, and it can steam quite a lot in one pot.
I stir-fried some cabbage and potatoes, and that was breakfast done.
After the meal, the team started distributing the pork, and Wang Xiumin took a rope and went ahead first.
Xu Xiangyang had never seen it before, but he didn't go out to watch the excitement.
What's so interesting about this? A pig is divided among hundreds of households, and each household only gets about a pound of meat.
"Brother Xiangyang!" A male voice came from outside, and then the door was opened.
Zhang Tiequan entered the house with a smile on his face. "Brother Xiangyang, I heard you came back yesterday. How's work?"
Xu Xiangyang is now a celebrity in the team. Everyone knows that Xu Laosan, the third son of the Xu family, went out to work in the city.
Everyone was incredibly envious; they'd finally made it through the tough times.
Xu Xiangyang gave him a handful of melon seeds and asked him to sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
He then said, "It's alright, what are you doing now?"
The original owner was quite close to him, and was kind of like a follower. He didn't have any other special abilities, but he was very obedient.
For example, regarding the issue of how to address someone, after mentioning it last time, it has been changed this time, and I have never called him "Dog Egg Brother" again.
Zhang Tiequan chuckled as he cracked sunflower seeds and replied, "What can I do? Just sit around all day."
Before, Xu Xiangyang would take him out for walks, but now that Xu Xiangyang is gone, he has nothing to do.
Xu Xiangyang nodded. There's no work right now, so who wouldn't stay at home?
Zhang Tiequan asked many questions about things in the city, and Xu Xiangyang answered them all without reservation.
For these people who rarely go to the city, hearing such things is already a rare treat.
A short while later, Wang Xiumin returned carrying a small piece of pork, her expression not very happy.
Seeing that someone was home, she composed herself and greeted them. "Blackie's here."
Zhang Tiequan nodded, noticing that the other person was not happy, so he said goodbye and left.
Xu Xiangyang went down to see the person out, then came back and asked her, "What's wrong?"
Anyone could tell she looked so upset; something was definitely wrong.
Wang Xiumin put down the pork, sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and said angrily, "It's because our family hasn't worked much this year, so we only got half a jin (250 grams) of meat."
Actually, every household does this, just two ounces per person, since the pig weighs over a hundred pounds.
Logically, their family should have received six ounces, but this time they'll get five ounces of meat.
When she first arrived, several people flattered her and said that Xu Xiangyang had made something of himself by becoming a factory worker.
She grabbed half a pound of meat in the blink of an eye, and everyone else looked at her with schadenfreude.
Even with her thick skin, Wang Xiumin didn't linger under the watchful eyes of so many people.
She was originally planning to talk to the brigade leader, but the brigade leader didn't even glance at her.
Xu Xiangyang was somewhat helpless; it was just an ounce or two of meat. However, he didn't say anything, since an ounce or two of meat was still quite precious at this time.
Some people will do anything for a bite of meat.
A single piece of meat can be made into a whole pot of soup, which the whole family can enjoy together – this is a common practice.
So he didn't say anything like, "It's just a little bit of meat, is it really that big of a deal?"
Xu Xiangyang patted her back to soothe her and said, "Mom, don't be angry. I'll buy you a pig later, and our family's life will get better and better. Right now, aren't they just jealous that you're doing well?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiumin realized, "Isn't that exactly right?"
Others, seeing their family's life getting better and better, naturally felt resentful and wanted to say something sarcastic!
Once she understood this, her anger subsided.
But it's impossible to say that I'm not angry at all.
Wang Xiumin squinted and said, "Isn't that right? I think they're just jealous! The brigade leader's family is the same, deliberately giving them less stuff."
She knew perfectly well why.
The brigade leader's family also has a son who works in the city. Is it wrong for Xiangyang to steal the limelight from him and have his things confiscated?
Xu Xiangyang didn't reply; he didn't want to know the intricacies of the situation. He could get whatever the family needed, as long as the couple was safe and sound at home, that was more important than anything else.
Remembering that someone had been eyeing his meat the night before, he said to Wang Xiumin, "Mother, bring the meat back from the rafters. We can make some salted meat. Anyway, it's almost New Year's Day. We don't want the rats to eat it and waste it."
He did not mention that someone had stolen something last night, since there was no evidence.
What if Wang Xiumin gets angry and goes to confront them? Wouldn't that cause a huge scene?
He didn't care, but the couple wanted to continue living there, and there was nothing they could do if others tried to trip them up.
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiumin felt there was some truth to it. She couldn't skimp on the salt; she wouldn't lose the big picture for a small gain.
After taking the items down from the roof beam, Wang Xiumin immediately began refining oil.
Now that everyone has brought back meat, let's take the opportunity to cook it all ourselves.
In just one afternoon, they were rendering oil and chopping meat. The aroma of meat wafted from other people's homes, but only a few did.
After all, there are still two days until the New Year. If we eat meat now, we'll have to smell other people's cooking during the New Year.
Zhang Xiufen came out to get something, smelled the delicious aroma wafting from next door, and spat out a curse.
"A bunch of lazy, greedy, and cunning people. They just devour the meat as soon as they get it. They have no ambition whatsoever."
She rolled her eyes, swallowed hard, and then turned to go inside.
The door to Old Master Xu's house next door opened, and Xu Xiangmin walked over to the old lady.
"Grandma, I've been studying hard these past few days, but I always feel hungry." His tone was somewhat helpless and full of self-reproach.
Zhang Xiufen looked at her eldest grandson with affection, then frowned and said, "We haven't run out of eggs these past few days. You go back first, and I'll have them cook you some meat dishes tonight."
We got three pounds of meat at home, which is enough for us no matter how we eat it.
Save some for making dumplings on Chinese New Year, and use the rest as you like.
Hearing this, Xu Xiangmin smiled with satisfaction, "Thank you, Grandma. I'll take good care of you after I graduate and get a job!"
As long as they can eat meat, they'll shower you with compliments like they're free.
The old lady was very receptive to this, and nodded with a smile, agreeing, "Okay, okay, Grandma will enjoy your blessings from now on."
It was also because the Xu family had Xu Xiangmin that no one else thought it would be a problem for Xu Xiangyang to go to work in the city.
Even if he works, he's not a cadre, and he can't compare to Xu Xiangmin.
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