It was almost twelve o'clock when I got home from work. In the kitchen, Shen Anyu and Shen Anxuan were arguing about who would light the fire.
Shen Anning leaned against the door, watching the twins' quarrel with amusement. On the stove in the kitchen, yes, the rice had been washed.
Finally, he spoke, "Okay, everyone, get out. You're only affecting my performance here. Go study inside first. You have to go to school in August, okay?"
In the Northeast, because of the winter hibernation, school starts a little earlier than in other places. Shen Anning had already brought her elementary school textbooks when she arrived, and she planned to send them directly to the second grade in August.
After driving the two away, Shen Anning filled half the iron pot with water and started the fire.
I closed the kitchen door and entered the space. I steamed the washed rice in the rice cooker in the kitchen of the space courtyard. I also steamed a sausage, fried some Chinese cabbage, and made a shrimp and seaweed soup. Tomatoes and cucumbers are not on the market yet, so they cannot be taken out for the time being.
Control the time, about half an hour, put the things on the kitchen stove, scoop out the hot water in the pot and put it into a tin bucket for use at night.
"An Yu, An Xuan, come and serve the dishes."
Afraid that the two of them would get burned, Shen Anning found two wooden trays for them.
Two dishes and one soup, one bowl of white rice per person, Shen Anyu burped while eating.
Seeing the two of them eating so happily, Shen Anning told them something they should pay attention to, "An Yu, An Xuan, we can't tell others what we eat in the future, understand?"
Shen Anyu and Shen Anning nodded in agreement. "We know, sister, just like when we were in Beijing, we can't tell the people in the tube building that we are going to Lao Mo and Quanjude." Shen Anxuan said very politely.
Ana Shen was so amused that she said with a smile, “Well, we have to keep a low profile now. When others ask what they eat at home, you just say something similar to what they eat.”
After lunch, after cleaning up the dishes, Shen Anning took the two of them to rest for lunch and take a nap. After all, they were crazy all morning and were tired.
At half past one, the gong sounded again. Shen Anning opened her eyes, feeling quite helpless. Seeing Shen Anning about to leave, Shen Anyu and Shen Anxuan wanted to follow her to help her.
"Are you really not tired? Why don't you rest at home?"
In fact, Shen Anyu and Shen Anxuan did not do anything in the morning. They just followed the children in the village to pick some pig grass and wild vegetables in the mountains. "Sister, we have already prepared the pig grass this morning. The big brother in the village said that the team has arranged for children to cut pig grass. Two baskets a day, only one centimeter. We have finished it all this morning."
Okay, the child understands the hard work of the adults at home, so of course she can't refuse.
I found a small straw hat for Shen Anxuan to wear and applied sunscreen on myself. As for Shen Anyu, that was it.
He packed some more food in his bag, took the water bottle and asked Shen Anyu to carry it, then went out with seven pairs of gloves.
I handed out the gloves at the entrance of the educated youth center and received two yuan and ten cents for them.
The fields were busier in the afternoon. I took two people to identify the wheat seedlings. Children have strong learning abilities. They followed behind and watched for a while before starting to work. Shen Anning took a look and found that no one was pulled out incorrectly.
At half past four, Shen Anning's task was almost completed. It was easier with the help of his younger brothers and sisters. Children have soft bones and don't feel tired even if they squat all the time.
Aunt Dashuan next to her had also finished her work and called the scorer. She watched the scorer carefully turn over the weeds and confirm that there were no wheat seedlings. She then scored six centimeters for Shen Anning.
Because they could leave after finishing their work, Shen Anning found where Xu Hongxia and the others were working and said to them, "Hongxia, I'm going back first."
It was the busy farming season these days, and all the young men in the village had gone to the fields, so the arrival of the female educated youth did not cause much of a commotion. However, the male educated youth vaguely saw a few girls from the village delivering water.
Shen Anning didn't care. She was destined not to fall in love and start a family here. Besides, she was only fifteen years old now, and she would be 21 in 1977, which was still too early.
When they got home, it was almost five o'clock. Shen Anning planned to take her younger brother and sister to visit her grandparents in the evening, so they needed to eat and sleep early.
Each person had a bowl of egg noodles with臊子 (sauerkraut sauce). After boiling some water and washing it, Shen Anning took her younger brother and sister to close the door and go to bed. It was already dark at this time.
Half past ten.
The alarm clock that Shen An Ning set rang, waking up her younger brother and sister. She put the things prepared for her grandparents in two small backpacks and asked the two little ones to carry them. She carried a five-pound quilt and two patched thin cotton coats, and the three of them quietly crossed the bridge.
It was late at night and still a little cold, so I stood at the door and knocked twice, and Grandpa Shen opened the door.
After entering the house and closing the door, the kerosene lamp was lit. Grandpa Shen and Grandma Shen looked at the three siblings, speechless with joy.
Let the two little ones sit on the kang, Shen An Ning lifted up the grandparents' original mattress, spread their original mattress underneath, and put the quilt he brought with him on the kang.
Grandma Shen saw it and said nothing, she just pulled Shen Anning’s hand and patted it gently.
Shen Anning said: "Last time I felt that your mattress was a little hard, it must not be warm. You and grandpa have bad joints when it's cold, so you have to be careful."
"My eldest granddaughter is so careful." Shen Zhaolin touched the thick cotton quilt. The quilt cover looked a little old, but he knew the cotton inside was good stuff just by touching it, and he felt very proud.
Shen An Ning took two more baskets, took out the milk powder inside, and made a bowl for each of them. She knew that if the little ones didn't drink it, their grandparents would definitely not drink it either.
Shen Anxuan was very active in taking things out of her backpack, and six packs of snacks filled her small backpack to the brim.
Looking at the Taishi cakes, Sachima, Wandouhuang, Donkey Rolls, Walnut Cakes and Mung Bean Cakes on the kang, Shen Zhaolin and Yin Shiqing were a little dazed.
Pushing the food in front of the two elderly people, he said, "Grandpa and grandma, try it quickly. This was made by the master chef from the old Beijing restaurant."
Because it was already night, eating too much would be difficult to digest, so several people shared and ate a piece of each. Shen An Ning then wrapped it in oil paper and put it in the kang cabinet.
Then he took out twenty eggs and two packs of noodles from the bamboo basket that Shen Anyu was carrying.
As Shen Anning put the things away, she said, "You are not allowed to keep the things. I will come here every now and then. If I see that something is missing, I will be angry."
The two elders naturally agreed, and the grandparents and grandchildren talked for a while, kissed each other, and then Shen Anning took Shen Anyu and Shen Anxuan back.
She has to get up early in the morning because she has to go to work tomorrow!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
