Jiang Chunzao was awakened by this fright and could not fall asleep again. He tossed and turned in bed like a pancake until dawn.
The next morning, Captain Lu, who had a good night's sleep lying on the floor, got up to make breakfast. Seeing his wife's eyes like a panda's, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. When Jiang Chunzao told him about the dream she had last night in a listless voice, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What kind of dreams were these?
Seeing that his wife was still listless, Lu Lin considerately brought breakfast into the room. He watched Jiang Chunzao eat it bite by bite before he went back to the army with peace of mind.
Although it is winter now, there is still a lot of work to do in the army. The officers in the military district are very busy, but the sisters-in-law in the military district are very leisurely and comfortable at home.
Because the first winter snow had fallen a few days ago, it was white outside. Even going out to the toilet would make you cold as a fool. Before Lu Lin left, he heated up the kang at home early. The firewood he used was all thick wood cut from the mountains in autumn, and was piled in bundles in the stove room.
Now it is winter, and the sisters-in-law in the military area do not have to go out to work, and the children at home are also on holiday, waiting for their husbands to go to the army, so they take their children to warm themselves by the fire at home.
The Lu family was no exception. The snow in the yard was thick. Lu Lin cleared a path in the yard. Shitou and Moli, the two kids, wore thick cotton jackets and played in the snow in the yard like two fat kids.
Jiang Chunzao lit a brazier in the house, which he brought from his hometown in Lujia Village. Every household in Lujia Village has such a brazier. In winter, it is very convenient to light it up for the family to warm themselves by the fire, roast sweet potatoes or peanuts.
The house was warm with a fire, and the two kids in the yard built two little snowmen. Little Jasmine took two carrots from the kitchen to use as noses for the snowmen, and Stone donated his own headscarf to use as clothes for the snowmen.
After the chubby little snowman was built in the yard, Jiang Chunzao also roasted some fragrant sweet potatoes in the house. She picked out two roasted sweet potatoes that were golden brown, looked up and called the two children into the house:
"Shitou, Jasmine, the sweet potatoes are ready. Come in and eat them before they get cold."
After hearing this, Shitou and Jasmine ran into the house. The two children were playing in the snow in the yard. Their little feet were covered with snow and their clothes were wet and dry in patches.
Jiang Chunzao quickly took out new cotton-padded jackets and new shoes for the two children to wear. He asked the children to wash their hands and warm themselves by the fire in the brazier, while he put the wet cotton-padded jackets on the kang to warm them.
After finishing all this, the two kids in the main room each held a sweet potato and ate it sweetly. Jiang Chunzao watched the children eat with a smile, feeling more comfortable than eating it himself.
By the afternoon, Mrs. Zhao couldn't stay at home any longer, so she brought half a basket of peanuts and asked her two boys to visit Lu's house. The two families got together and the house immediately became lively.
Jiang Chunzao took out some sweet potatoes from home and added the peanuts brought by Mrs. Zhao, and roasted them all over the brazier. After a while, the house was filled with fragrance. Several children in the family stared at the brazier, and their greedy little looks made Mrs. Zhao and Jiang Chunzao laugh.
Several kids at home made their mother laugh at them, but they were not ashamed and ate the freshly-cooked sweet potatoes with confidence.
The children ate well. Mrs. Zhao also grabbed a handful of freshly roasted peanuts and ate with Jiang Chunzao while chatting:
"To be honest, winter is still the best. I don't have to work, and my kids don't have to go to school. Chunzao, you don't know, my two little brats count down to school all day long. Every time there is a parents' meeting, I don't know where to put my face. But your elder brother Zhao is so good. He eats and drinks all day long and doesn't care about anything. In the end, he still blames me for not being able to manage the children. Tell me, where can I go to seek justice!"
Mrs. Zhao's two sons, Qiangqiang and Zhuangzhuang, are both tough boys. Although they are smart, they just don't like to study. This has caused Mrs. Zhao a lot of headaches. She would complain about it whenever she thought of it, but she would just forget about it.
After Mrs. Zhao finished chattering about things at home, she started talking to Jiang Chunzao about things in the military region. It was nothing more than the latest news that had happened in the military region in the past few days. For example, yesterday Mrs. Fang's family made mushroom dumplings, which tasted so delicious that Mrs. Fang slept soundly at night after eating them, and her own son couldn't sleep because of his snoring. Also, Fang Man, the daughter of Captain Fang, is not quiet even after getting married. She fights with her old woman all day long at home, making the house full of smoky air. Fang Man couldn't live in her husband's family, so she threatened to get a divorce and come back to her parents' family.
It's not easy to get a divorce these days. Besides, the bad life in this family is all Fang Man's fault. She is so ungrateful.
After hearing this, Jiang Chunzao nodded repeatedly. That's right. In her last life, she suffered because she was not satisfied. She acted like a devil all her life, and only at the end did she feel regretful. People, you have to know how to be content. Only when you are content can you be happy.
Mrs. Zhao chattered for the whole afternoon at Lu's house, and when it was getting dark, she took the two boys home with a satisfied look on her face.
When Captain Lu returned from the army, the house was quiet. When he entered the house, he saw his well-fed wife sleeping soundly on the warm kang with her two children in her arms.
Looking at the cute sleeping postures of the mother and her two children, Lu Lin felt warm in his heart. He chuckled, carried the two children to their respective beds, covered his wife with a quilt, cooked a bowl of noodles for himself and ate it in big mouthfuls. After washing up, he hugged his wife and fell into a comfortable sleep.
~
Leisurely days passed one after another, and on the 23rd day of the Lunar New Year, a production brigade near the military region sent a message saying that they were going to kill several pigs they had raised this year, and anyone who wanted to buy pork could come and buy it.
When the sisters-in-law in the military region heard the news, they all said they would go buy some pork. After all, it was almost New Year, and there had to be some pork at home.
At the Lu family's side, Jiang Chunzao was pregnant and had to take care of two children, so she couldn't leave. She took money from home and asked her sisters-in-law to help her buy ten pounds of pork.
When the sisters-in-law heard that Chunzao was so generous, they all laughed and said that the Lu family was a wealthy family, as they spent ten pounds of pork at once. Jiang Chunzao laughed and said, what generosity? Normally, we don't dare to spend money so recklessly. It's the Chinese New Year. It only comes once a year. It's okay to be so generous this time. Lu Lin and the two children at home like to eat meat. It doesn't matter if we don't have meat at home normally, but we have to make sure everyone in the family has enough to eat during the Chinese New Year.
After hearing this, the sisters-in-law nodded one after another. Yes, as the old saying goes, it’s the New Year, and we have to celebrate it in abundance, otherwise what’s the point of celebrating the New Year!
Jiang Chunzao was talking to his sisters-in-law when old lady Fang passed by with a basket on her shoulder and a gloomy face. She did not even respond when people greeted her.
Seeing how Old Lady Fang behaved, several sisters-in-law secretly grumbled that something might have happened to Old Lady Fang again, as she gave everyone the cold shoulder she met.
Jiang Chunzao was in the crowd. Seeing Old Lady Fang like this, he felt strange for a moment, but without thinking much about it, he took the two children home.
Near noon, Mrs. Zhao came to the Lu family in high spirits, followed by her two strong boys, who came in carrying a large piece of pork. Jiang Chunzao was at home packing the parcels sent by her parents. When she saw Mrs. Zhao and her two daughters come in, she quickly poured hot water for them, and gave the two children some candies and snacks and invited them to eat.
It was cold outside. Although Mrs. Zhao and her two daughters were wearing thick cotton jackets, they were still freezing cold after being blown by the wind all the way. They went into the house. The two boys put down the meat and ran to the brazier to warm themselves. Little Moli saw that her brother Qiangqiang's face was red, so she curiously followed his hand to touch it. The icy little girl shuddered, which made everyone laugh.
Mrs. Zhao gulped down a cup of hot tea before describing to Jiang Chunzao with a beaming face how scary it was when the production brigade slaughtered pigs. But the pigs raised by the production brigade were really good, fat and strong, each weighing less than 200 kilograms. They were slaughtered with just a few clicks of a knife, and there would be less than 1,000 kilograms of pork meat lying there. It was a feast for the eyes just to look at.
After saying this, Mrs. Zhao happily took out two pounds of pork offal from the basket, and said that they bought it together with the pork. They bought four pounds in total, and they kept two pounds for themselves, so these two pounds would be given to them to eat.
When Jiang Chunzao heard this, he waved his hands repeatedly. That was not possible. Nowadays, even pig offal was a rare thing. Our family couldn't afford meat. We could just clean the offal well and add dried chilies that had been dried at home. It would taste spicy and fragrant, but very delicious.
Mrs. Zhao had expected that Jiang Chunzao would not take it in, so she dropped the pig offal in her hand and ran away very quickly with the two boys. In a short while, they disappeared. Jiang Chunzao stared at Mrs. Zhao and her two daughters in amazement. She had no choice but to pick up the pig offal on the table.
The cold wind was blowing outside. Lu Lin strode out of the car and walked into the house. There was a bright candle in front of the stove. Jiang Chunzao was busy in front of the stove, stir-frying pork oil and chili peppers in the pot and putting the chopped pork in the pot. The house was filled with tempting aromas. The two children were helping their mother.
That night, the Lu family had a rare feast and ate a meal of stir-fried pork with chili peppers, which was accompanied by white rice steamed in a big pot at home. The meal was delicious and satisfying.
The next day, Jiang Chunzao brought a piece of linen cloth that Grandma Jiang sent to her. The cloth was woven by Grandma Jiang herself. Although the cloth was a bit rough, it was also strong and durable. She cut off a few feet of it and went to Sister Zhao's house, asking her to make clothes for the two children, Qiangqiang and Zhuangzhuang. Sister Zhao liked the cloth she sent very much, and kept nagging that the two little boys in the family were like monkeys all day long, and wearing clothes was like eating, so this cloth was just right.
Jiang Chunzao smiled, and soon Sister Fang also came to the Zhao family. She said mysteriously that the production team that slaughtered pigs ahead would also slaughter a few sheep this afternoon, and asked Sister Zhao and Jiang Chunzao if they wanted to ask someone to buy some mutton.
Jiang Chunzao thought about it, and then heard his sisters-in-law say that mutton was nutritious and it would be good to buy more to take home for Lu Lin and the two children to nourish their bodies, so he nodded happily.
Unexpectedly, when he bought the mutton home and stewed it for Lu Lin in the evening, Jiang Chunzao cried loudly in the face of such a vigorous person.
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