In the end, Aunt Han did not succeed. She did not bring her children to live with her because she had to start the busy New Year holidays at the end of the year. Mangang was so scared that she did not want to come to her grandmother's house anymore, for fear of meeting his third uncle.

Han Jinyu later went to the county town to look for Sun Yaowu again.

Sun Yaowu tactfully said that he could not solve Han Jinyu's employment and household registration problems. Even if they got married, she would still have a rural household registration, and it would also affect the children. If she did not have a city household registration and a job, then the food and oil relationship could not be transferred, and she would still have to rely on her parents' family. He simply did not have extra food to support her.

Han Jinyu had no choice but to give up and look for another blind date opportunity.

But after the Sun Yaowu incident, for some reason, several young men who had been lining up to go on a blind date with her suddenly disappeared, saying that they already had someone suitable and would not meet her anymore.

Han Jinyu was furious, but there was nothing she could do.

Finally, Mrs. Han asked various people to see if she could find a job in the commune. If she couldn't go to the county, the commune would be fine.

Anyway, it's better than farming in the brigades and earning work points.

Some people promised to introduce her to someone, but in return, there was no response. Most people would say something like, "Isn't your third son the director? He knows a lot of young and promising guys. Let him arrange it. Isn't it easy?"

It's not that easy anyway.

Now Han Jinyu went from being a popular commodity to being in need. It was clear that if Han Qingsong didn't help, she would have to look for one in the countryside. But how could she be willing to accept that?

She just doesn't want to stay in the countryside and farm!

She asked Old Lady Han to put pressure on Han Qingsong and let the third brother solve the problem. Old Lady Han was also planning to find a suitable time to have a good talk with the third brother.

Unfortunately, Han Qingsong is very busy and he is rarely seen from morning to night. Even when he returns home, he hasn't even seen his wife and children, so how could he possibly care about Han Jinyu's affairs?

And Lin Lan was also busy.

The Chinese New Year is coming at the end of the year, and all the teams are thinking of giving their members some pre-New Year benefits. Those who usually don't want to do so now want to invite them to promote the event, so the couples are rarely together before the New Year. If they have time to meet, they have to stay together and don't want to go anywhere else.

Lin Lan led the propaganda team to promote everywhere, and was invited to public events twice. She was awarded the title of propaganda red flag bearer and received two certificates of merit, which she posted in the team. Naturally, there were many rewards, including food, stationery and daily necessities. Anyway, Lin Lan said that whenever there is an invitation, she would first ask if there is anything to give. If there is something to give, she will go, otherwise she will not go.

In the middle of winter, unless you have your own team, who would promote for others for free?

It's not like you're full and need to eat too much.

After being so busy until the New Year's Eve, Lin Lan finally felt a little more relaxed.

She gathered together her industrial coupons and bought a new iron pot from the supply and marketing cooperative, and also bought a new bellows set from the market.

In this way, there are two pots in the house, and there is no need to burn fires for two kangs as before, and there is no need to go through the trouble of moving the pot and bellows back and forth every day.

Han Qingping also discussed with the team and decided to organize the final exams on the day of the Little New Year, and then take a break. He would officially go on vacation after the results were announced on the 25th, and school would resume after the 15th day of the first lunar month.

Actually, life at school has become much easier since the beginning of the Ramadan period. From 8am to 3pm every day, apart from learning Braille, we sing songs and tell stories. It’s quite interesting.

Little New Year is also a big festival before the New Year. Lin Lan made some preparations in advance and prepared spare ribs, pork, eggs, etc. In the evening, she would cook a table of sumptuous dishes to reward the children.

Sweet and sour spare ribs, stir-fried pork, salted vegetable egg drop soup, scrambled eggs with leeks, spinach and tofu, stewed meat with vermicelli and mushrooms, cabbage with vermicelli... Lin Lan wrote down the recipe carefully. Although there was not much meat at home and all the dishes could be cooked in one pot, she did not mind the trouble to make a few more dishes. The more varieties, the more the children felt that the meal was rich.

While thinking of a good recipe, Lin Lan put all the prepared stationery in a box. This was her savings, and she gave some to Han Qingping as school prizes to give to students, and she kept the best ones as rewards for her own children.

A nice fountain pen, the military schoolbag that Han Qingsong had brought back before, a relatively good diary, a dozen writing pads, and a small bundle of pencils.

She had told the children before that she would also give out prizes during the final exams, so she would take them out to tempt them first and then give them out after the results were announced.

While Lin Lan was busy, the children came home one after another.

This time, the first ones to enter were Mai Sui Er Wang and Xiao Wang.

Lin Lan greeted them, and then looked at Sanwang and Dawang behind her. Dawang was fine as usual, but Sanwang was not. He hung his head, looking like a frost-bitten eggplant.

"Oh, little brother San, were you beaten?" Lin Lan laughed happily. It seemed that the test results were not ideal.

Sanwang looked worried, "Mom, why do we have to take exams? Just go to school, isn't it just about learning to read and write? What's the point of taking exams? Who invented exams? Are they bad? What's the point of taking exams? What if you get burned? It's just a waste of time."

Everyone laughed at what he said.

Mai Sui teased her, "If you got first place in the exam, you would definitely not say that. Without the exam, who would know whether you have studied well or not? Who is the best student?"

Sanwang rolled his eyes at her and said, "I know you are the best at learning, but you are showing off."

Mai Sui was very proud, "Mom said there is a reward, I must get it!"

Lin Lan announced the prizes. In addition to pens, school bags, etc., she said: "The top three students in the class will each receive a 50-cent reward. As long as they are not among the bottom five, each will receive a 20-cent reward."

Fifty cents is a lot, it can buy two books. Mai Sui and Er Wang immediately cheered happily. Although Er Wang was not as good as Mai Sui, he was also in the top three in the class, so he must have a share of the prize.

Da Wang looked nonchalant on the surface, but his tightly pursed lips revealed a little bit of nervousness in his heart.

Sanwang really wants it. He wants the schoolbag, the pen and the money!

You don’t know how impressive it is, but when you take it out in the classroom, your classmates will stare with envy.

Let alone the pride and arrogance.

Unfortunately, his grades were terrible, but he was unwilling to accept the result, so he lied to Lin Lan, "Mom, there are first, second, and third prizes in the class, shouldn't we have some too?"

Lin Lan rolled her eyes at him and said, "Oh, there's one first prize, one second prize, and one third prize. It's not your turn."

Sanwang: "Two second prizes are enough, and three third prizes are enough."

Erwang laughed at him, "That's great. Our family is not enough, we have to include Wangwang in the count."

Everyone laughed, even the usually quiet Xiaowang laughed out loud.

He is also attending classes now. Apart from studying music with Huo Yuan, he sits between his sister and second brother to attend classes.

Although he started late, he learned the first-grade Chinese and mathematics knowledge quite well.

In Mai Sui's words, it is definitely better than Xiao San Ge's.

Sanwang had been trying to persuade Xiaowang not to go to school, and not to take exams even if he went to school. Everyone knew what he meant, because he was the youngest before, and it didn't matter if he was a bad student, his mother didn't care. But now he has an even younger brother to compare with, and it's so embarrassing.

Xiaowang also learned to comfort his brother, "I'm not very good at writing."

However, Sanwang was not comforted.

Seeing their happiness, Sanwang was also infected by it and laughed, "Don't think I can't get the award, I will compete with you for it. My second sister and second brother want it so much, Xiaowang is also greedy... I am like Kong Rong giving up the plum."

Mai Sui: "Kong Rong gave up his pear! Don't teach Xiao Wang bad things."

Sanwang: "I know Kong Rong gave away his pears... Well, I am just like Kong Rong, I don't like eating pears."

Everyone: “…”

Erwang: "There are a few pears there, let's eat them."

They scrambled to get the pears to eat, and for a while the room was filled with laughter.

Lin Lan had a kind smile on her face, like an old mother. When she was alone at home, the big house seemed deserted. But when they came back, the house was noisy enough for them and became as lively as if there was a singing troupe in it.

Lin Lan looked at the sky and asked Da Wang to take his brothers to grind the mill, and asked Mai Sui to help with cooking at home. "I asked your aunt to line up, and now it's our turn. Go ahead."

At this time, the villagers all went to the millstones and millstones to grind the millstones. Every household had to grind the millstones every few days. Especially at the end of the year, there were so many people that they had to queue up. Lin Lan saw Zhang Caihong grinding the millstones before, so she asked her to queue up. Now it was almost time.

Mai Sui said, "Mother, let my second brother help you cook, and I will go to grind the mill."

Lin Lan thought about it and said, "Go see which team has a spare donkey and borrow one to push the cart."

Sanwang laughed and said, "Mom, don't you always say that my eldest brother is a donkey? What else do you want to borrow... um... help me..." Before he could finish his words, he was carried out by Dawang.

Lin Lan and Erwang were busy cooking at home.

When Erwang went to get the grass, he was stunned for a moment, then came back and said, "Mom, why is our grass so rare?"

Lin Lan: “…” I, your mother, cooked a lot.

She said, "We have two kangs at home." She needs to take a bath every now and then, and to heat the water she needs firewood.

Erwang: "It seems that there is not enough hard firewood. After we finish cooking, my brother and I will go to the river to look for some firewood and chop some wicker."

Lin Lan: "I'll talk to the team and ask them to buy some. It's late at night, so don't go out."

The reeds along the river near the brigade had long been cut down and used to make baskets, so there were no extra ones.

Erwang disagreed, saying that firewood also costs money, which is too extravagant. If there is no reed, there are still cattails and reeds. At worst, he can walk farther away from the village.

Now that there are two pots, cooking is much faster. In one pot, I stew meat, steamed buns, and baked pancakes, and in the other pot, I stir-fry vegetables. If the stir-fried vegetables get cold, they can be kept warm in the big pot, waiting for Han Qingsong and the children to come home for dinner.

When it got dark, Da Wang and his three companions came back. They had pushed 20 kilograms of wheat. Before the New Year, they would push more sorghum, cornmeal, etc. when Han Qingsong was at home.

Lin Lan thought that the sweet potato flour made from dried sweet potatoes tasted the worst, so since she had more work points and could earn food by going out to promote the cause, she tried to eat more corn, sorghum, millet, and less sweet potato flour. She would rather eat boiled sweet potatoes than steamed dried sweet potatoes and sweet potato flour paste, which were too disgusting and really tasted like pig food.

Erwang thought it was almost done, so he asked Mai Sui to help Lin Lan light the fire. He said to Dawang, "Brother, let's go cut some cattails. We don't have enough grass for the firewood at home."

Da Wang didn't say much. He went to get the sickle and rope, and brought the lantern from home to the river to light it.

Lin Lan was worried, "Let's go tomorrow. It's very dangerous by the river at night."

Erwang couldn't wait: "Maybe other people are also short of grass and want to go tomorrow too."

It was the end of the year, and some families were bound to be short of firewood, so he had to be the first to do so.

Moreover, the places where cattails grow are all near rivers with shallow water. In winter, the water has dried up, and some water has frozen, so there is nothing to be afraid of.

Lin Lan had no choice but to let them go, and asked Sanwang to stay at home and not to cause trouble for his brothers. She also asked them to go to the brigade to borrow a wheelbarrow.

After a while, Han Qingsong came back from outside. He rode his bicycle back with a round basket filled with a lot of things.

Lin Lan and the children came out to help. She asked in surprise, "Where did you get this?"

The things Han Qingsong brought back were either rewards from some unit or thank-you gifts from somewhere.

He and the people from the Public Security Bureau were busy all day long, and even when someone fell into an ice hole in the commune reservoir, they led people to rescue him.

Han Qingsong handed her half a pig's head and said, "These are the thank-you gifts from the Yellow River Brigade to our Public Security Bureau. Divide them among us, and give me an extra half a pig's head."

Every time things were distributed, everyone gave him double the portion; this was customary.

Lin Lan was very happy. This was something he had earned legitimately, so he should accept it.

She looked and saw thirty kilograms of flour, thirty kilograms of rice, thirty kilograms of millet, two roosters, two kilograms of pork, and four ribs.

"Why is there still rice?" It was really surprising.

Apart from eating glutinous rice once, I have never seen rice since I came here.

The children were also curious to see the difference between rice and glutinous rice.

Sanwang was anxious, so he grabbed a few and stuffed them into his mouth. After chewing them, he felt that they were not as delicious as wheat.

Han Qingsong explained to them that the Yellow River Brigade was next to the river and had abundant water resources, so during the Great Leap Forward, the superiors allowed them to set aside rice experimental fields. Later, most of the fields were planted with wheat and corn, but a dozen acres of land were retained.

"They don't pay the public rations, they eat all of it themselves, and give us some to try."

Lin Lan smiled and said, "In addition to making porridge, we can also try steaming rice."

Han Qingsong didn't see Dawang and Erwang, so he asked, and Lin Lan told him that she had gone to cut cattails.

"I said I would go tomorrow, but Erwang was worried that everyone would cut them down tomorrow, so he was very anxious."

Han Qingsong said he would go pick them up.

There are limited water sources near them, only a few rivers. Everyone knows that there are cattails and reeds by the rivers, and he also knows where to find them.

It was already late when they came back.

Lin Lan scooped up some hot water and asked them to wash their hands and faces quickly. The man had short hair so she washed his hair as well, as it was covered with dust and grass clippings.

After washing everything clean, the family sat around the table to celebrate the New Year's Eve, with hot and sumptuous meals on the table.

In addition to several dishes on the recipe, Lin Lan also made a candied sweet potato. The orange-red sweet potato and golden sugar shreds looked sparkling under the light, and were particularly beautiful and attractive.

Sanwang drooled over the plate of shredded sweet potatoes as if he were drooling over a large bowl of meat.

Lin Lan also took out the sorghum wine that she hadn't finished drinking, poured half a teacup for Han Qingsong, and poured a small cup for herself.

Sanwang: "Mom, let me have a taste too."

Lin Lan: "Children should not drink alcohol. You are not fully grown yet, and your head is not fully grown yet. Drinking alcohol will make you stupid. Drink sugar water instead."

The children also had something to drink, which was hawthorn syrup that Lin Lan had made herself. It was sour and sweet, and each person had a bowl.

Lin Lan raised her wine glass and said, "Director Han, please speak."

The children also picked up their bowls and laughed, "Director Han is giving a speech."

Sanwang was particularly loud, and he wanted to stand on a stool to show how tall he was.

Han Qingsong smiled and clinked his wine bowl with Lin Lan's small wine cup. "Let Comrade Lin Lan handle all the talking."

Erwang smiled and said, "Deputy Director Lin, please speak."

Lin Lan was almost choked by her saliva and waved her hands, "Don't talk nonsense."

"Captain Lin of the Propaganda Team." Mai Sui changed his name.

Sanwang clapped his hands, "Welcome, welcome!"

Xiao Wang raised his fist and said, "Hello, Captain Lin!"

Lin Lan was about to be overjoyed by them and cleared her throat, "Then let me say a few words. First, thank you to Director Han for working hard and earning wages for you to go to school and buy us food and clothing. Secondly, thank you to Brother Dawang for taking care of his younger brothers and sisters, helping the family to do manual work to earn work points. Thank you to Sister Mai and the second brother for studying hard to earn honors, helping me with cooking and housework, and reducing a lot of burden. Thank you..."

Whenever she mentioned someone, she would look over and clink bowls with the other person.

Da Wang glanced at her quickly and then lowered his head to look at the bowl, obviously a little embarrassed.

Erwang and Mai Sui exchanged glances with Lin Lan happily.

Sanwang's eyes were shining as he waited for Lin Lan to praise him. He could hardly hold the bowl in both hands.

Lin Lan walked around him and touched Xiao Wang beside her, "Thank you, Xiao Wang, for being optimistic and positive. Your eyesight is getting better and better. You can sing and play the harmonica, and bring us the most wonderful music."

Xiao Wang blushed and looked at Lin Lan happily. His hands were not big enough to hold the big bowl of sugar water, so he lowered his head and took a big gulp.

Only then did Lin Lan look at Sanwang.

The light in Sanwang's eyes was about to go out, and now it was burned to the roof.

Lin Lan reached out her hand and touched his. "Little Third Brother is the joy of our family. We should thank him for his self-sacrificing spirit. He constantly entertains us and brings happiness to our whole house."

Sanwang was delighted and laughed out loud, "Mom, let me tell you, if you paid me, I would tell more jokes."

Lin Lan: ...I won't give you the chance to take advantage of me!

"Okay, everyone, enjoy your meal."

Han Qingsong stretched out his arm towards her, and Lin Lan clinked her wine cup with his. Sanwang and the others immediately raised their bowls to clink with his.

Boys love it most when they learn what adults do at the drinking table.

"Don't touch it, or the sweet water will spill onto the vegetables." Lin Lan reminded Sanwang.

So the children buried their heads in the food. Sweet and sour spare ribs, candied sweet potatoes, and scrambled eggs with leeks were the most popular. Han Qingsong liked stir-fried pork with a hint of chili the most. Xiaowang Maisui liked to eat spinach and tofu in addition to meat.

The sweet and sour spare ribs are sweet and sour in color, the meat is tender, and the taste is full and layered. Lin Lan thinks this is the most delicious sweet and sour spare ribs she has ever made.

It turns out that as long as you put in the effort, there is no home-cooked dish that cannot be made.

She took a sip of the wine, her face wrinkled from the spiciness, and offered it to Xiaowang to tease him: "Try to drink it, kid."

Xiaowang covered his mouth and laughed, shaking his head.

Sanwang was anxious: "Mom, I taste it, I taste it."

Lin Lan made up a story to scare him. There was an old man in someone's family who loved to drink. When he looked after his grandson, he would dip chopsticks in wine to let his grandson taste it, and when the grandson was three or four years old, he would drink it from a small bottle.

"As a result, the child became a drunkard, didn't grow tall and was stupid, and couldn't even find a wife."

The children laughed. Mai Sui said, "Mom, please give him something to drink, or he will be too worried to fall asleep."

Sanwang was least interested in getting married at this time, "What's the point of getting married? To come to our house and eat meat? No no no!"

Everyone laughed.

Lin Lan: "If I say you can't drink, then you can't drink. At least wait until you graduate from high school."

When Sanwang heard this, he counted on his fingers. How many years are left? It's over. I won't be able to drink it in this lifetime.

Seeing him like that, everyone laughed again.

Lin Lan really couldn't drink this 48° liquor, so she gave it to Han Qingsong.

Han Qingsong leaned forward, bit the wine cup directly, drank it in one gulp, and put the cup aside.

Sanwang's eyes widened as he watched, and he looked eager to try.

The meal took a long time to finish, and by the time I washed up it was already half past nine.

Fortunately, I don’t have class tomorrow and don’t have to do homework.

Sanwang: "Dad, we don't have to do morning exercises tomorrow. We are all on holiday."

Han Qingsong: "Do morning exercises all your life without a break."

"Hahaha..." Mai Sui laughed the loudest.

After the children fell asleep, Lin Lan and Han Qingsong were the last to go to bed.

Han Qingsong was a little tipsy and had a fever. He took off his cotton jacket and was only wearing the sweatshirt underneath.

Because of the alcohol, his cheeks were stained with deep pink, and his originally deep dark eyes were stained with bright waves by the alcohol. At this moment, he was leaning on the kang cabinet, looking soft and lazy, and when his little eyes drifted over, they were surprisingly seductive... No matter how you look at him, he is not the cold and serious Director Han before.

It was the first time that Lin Lan saw him like this, so she crawled over and reached out to tease him, "Hey, who is this handsome boy? Did you walk into the wrong door?"

Han Qingsong grabbed her hand, put it on his lips and kissed it, then pulled her closer with force, his eyes locked on her and his voice was low and magnetic, "Who do you think it is?"

Lin Lan's ears felt numb from his voice, and she said softly, "...Han Qingsong...Director Han...Third Brother...Brother Qingsong~~"

The world spun around and she was pressed down on the kang. In front of her was his rosy cheeks and eyes that seemed to be about to burst into tears. When he kissed her, she was thinking, this usually cold and serious person must not drink, because drinking and having sex are not a joke.

…

…

Lin Lan learned another lesson: don't flirt with men who look reserved on weekdays, especially when they are slightly tipsy and half drunk, all the coquettishness that has been suppressed for half a lifetime is aroused.

She got up late the next day. Fortunately, the children didn't have to go to school. Han Qingsong led them to do morning exercises, and Mai Sui cooked. When she got up, it was time for dinner.

The life we ​​live is so corrupt.

Whenever she got up late, the children thought she was tired from working.

Lin Lan was naturally too embarrassed to explain, as she was indeed very tired.

After breakfast, Dawang, Erwang and Sanwang continued to cut cattails.

Erwang always had a sense of crisis, afraid that he would run out of food or run out of grass.

When he listened to poor farmers talking about their family histories in class, many of them said that they had no firewood to keep warm in the winter and some froze to death. Some people cooked dried sweet potatoes in the pot and burned them underneath. Some even tore down their houses to use as firewood.

It’s so pitiful just thinking about it!

Erwang didn't want it to be like that at home, so once he found a place to cut the grass, he would definitely be rude.

Lin Lan didn't stop him. It was a good thing for the child to have ideas, so let him do it.

Twenty-four cleans the house, and she leads the children to clean at home.

There is naturally not much to clean in a newly built house, but washing and rinsing is still inevitable.

As a result, Dong Huaihua came to her again and said that there was a meeting in the commune and asked Lin Lan to go with her. "I heard there are gifts to be given away."

When she heard that there were things to be distributed, Lin Lan wiped her hands and told Mai Sui to look after her brother while she went to a meeting.

After a morning meeting and lunch, we were given a hand towel and a pair of white cotton socks.

Lin Lan was very happy. Her daughter had wanted a pair of new socks for a long time, and this was the perfect gift for her as a New Year gift.

It's just a little big, but as long as Mai Sui likes it, who cares?

When Lin Lan and Dong Huaihua finished the meeting and were about to go home, they happened to meet Han Qingsong coming back.

After a few words, Han Qingsong said, "Let's go back together."

"Are you off work now?"

"I went to the farm and got a load of charcoal."

"Really?" Lin Lan was already happy to have received the hand towel and socks, and now she was even happier, "Then Erwang must be happy too."

Dong Huaihua was surprised to hear that Lin Lan's family had no grass left to burn. "You distributed so much grass, and you burned it all?"

Lin Lan was embarrassed and smiled, "No, it's just that our Erwang was afraid that there wouldn't be enough to burn, so he went to cut cattails."

Dong Huaihua said enviously, "Lin Lan, your children are really sensible. Look at my children, they only know how to eat and sleep when they are that old."

Lin Lan laughed and said, "Nonsense, don't you think your kids are very sensible when they just think about earning work points all day long?"

When her own child was still a naughty kid, she thought Dong Huaihua's child was so good.

The two of them praised each other for two rounds, laughed, and then went home in Han Qingsong's mule.

Seeing that there was charcoal in addition to coal in the car, Lin Lan suddenly thought of making a barbecue for the children.

When they reached the village intersection, Dong Huaihua jumped out of the car, said goodbye to them and went home, while Han Qingsong hurriedly drove home.

When the children heard that their parents had returned, they rushed out to see. They were delighted to see that they had brought back a cartload of coal.

Especially Erwang, he was so happy!

"Dad, where did you buy the coal?"

Han Qingsong: "Shanshui Farm." He first brought down two baskets of charcoal, then took out a large piece of something wrapped in newspaper and handed it to Lin Lan, "This is the lamb leg they shared." There were also two dried chickens and ducks.

leg of lamb?

Lin Lan was happy. She was just planning to make a barbecue when mutton was delivered. How thoughtful.

She smiled and said, "I have to thank Director Song very much."

Han Qingsong glanced at her and said, "After being ordered around by him for so many days, it's only right that you give her a leg of lamb."

Lin Lan immediately touched his back and said, "Third brother, you have worked so hard. My third brother has helped him so much, why shouldn't he get two lamb legs? Haha."

Han Qingsong put his arm around her waist, then let go and took the children home to collect coal.

They placed the coal directly under the west wall, and a small portion and the two baskets of charcoal were placed in the south room.

Lin Lan went to look at the lamb leg. It was a whole leg with a large body attached. The meat was plump and tender and looked very delicious.

"You will announce the results tomorrow. We'll have a barbecue to celebrate, and we can make braised lamb with the leftovers." Lin Lan also froze the lamb in a vat outside.

It's now more than ten degrees below zero outside, and the freezing effect is very good.

In winter, the sun sets early and it starts to get dark around five o'clock. Without glass windows at this time, the house is extremely dark.

Lin Lan asked Mai Sui to light a fire while she and Erwang prepared dinner.

Boil a pot of sweet potatoes, steam a pot of rice in a small pot on top, and then stew a cabbage and egg.

In addition, mix a small bowl of pork head with green onions. The pork head is cooked until it is soft and fragrant. It is a bit fat for modern people to eat, as there is a shortage of oil and water at this time. However, children are not afraid of it. Instead, they think it is fat but not greasy, and it is smooth and delicious.

Two pots can cook meals quickly. Lin Lan also made a small bowl of spinach soup, and fried it with mushrooms and diced meat, which the children also loved.

Since the beginning of the Ramadan lunar month, the quality of their family's food has risen rapidly, with thin noodles, dumplings, steamed buns, spare ribs, pork head... The children are happy every day. In Sanwang's words, they are like living gods.

Now that she had obtained so much coal, Lin Lan was very happy. The next day, while the children went to school to announce their grades, she prepared a charcoal barbecue at home.

Cut off the piece of mutton attached to the ribs and grill the ribs directly. Cut some fat and lean parts into small pieces and marinate them with salt, sauce, pepper, onion, ginger, basil and the like. Then use skewers sharpened by used chopsticks to skewer the meat. Also cut some pork belly and put some leeks, garlic cloves and tofu rolls on it. Unfortunately, there is no eggplant in this season.

Han Qingsong bought tofu and bean curd skin for Lin Lan in the afternoon, and then stayed at home to help her.

According to Lin Lan's request, he built a simple stove with bricks outside the west room wall, placed bricks underneath, put red-hot charcoal in it, and placed an iron grate on top.

The iron grate was discarded by the commune canteen and was about to be sold as scrap. Han Qingsong brought it back and it just came in handy.

As soon as the meat skewers were placed on the red charcoal fire, there was an immediate sizzling sound of the fat being roasted, followed by the aroma of the meat.

Lin Lan fanned herself, "It smells so good, Third Brother, you should practice hard. If you don't become the director in the future, we can sell barbecue skewers."

Han Qingsong held her hand with his big hand, "If you feel cold, go inside and wait."

Lin Lan shook her head. "It's not cold. I'll go check outside. They should be back soon."

As soon as she reached the gate, she saw Mai Sui and Er Wang leading Xiao Wang. The three of them were running home like the wind. Da Wang was following behind them at a leisurely pace. San Wang hung his head as if he had been sentenced.

It seems that you didn’t do well in the exam.

She smiled and took Xiaowang, "Are you cold?"

Xiao Wang shook his head, his cheeks and nose were red from the cold, "Mom, it smells so good!"

The aroma of barbecue had already spread out. Sanwang, who had originally felt hopeless, suddenly raised his head and ran home, not even caring about his elder brother who had been waiting for him.

Dawang: “…………”

The children gathered around Han Qingsong, chattering, not at all afraid of the biting cold wind, just smelling the delicious meat.

Lin Lan looked at them with extremely gentle eyes.

This kind of family living together happily, sharing happiness and sharing hardships, is the meaning of home she expects.

So she closed the door before it got dark, and the family roasted and ate together, with the children joking around and having a lot of fun.

It was the first time for the children to eat lamb, kebabs, and do this and that...so they were particularly happy and had a very deep impression.

Mai Sui and Er Wang sang a duet and reported what happened in school today.

In order to motivate the children, Han Qingping cooperated with several nearby schools, and the test papers and examination times were the same.

Everyone was ranked uniformly, Mai Sui won first place in the joint competition, Er Wang came second, and the teacher gave them certificates and prizes.

The award certificate was drawn by Huo Yuan a long time ago and it is very beautiful.

The prizes were pencils and notebooks. Mai Sui got ten pencils and ten notebooks, and Er Wang got five.

Naturally, the two of them didn't get it. Although Mai Sui Erwang didn't say anything, they pretended not to hear it. But judging from the looks of it, it must be a countdown!

In order not to affect the appetite and the cheerful atmosphere of the meal, Lin Lan did not ask.

She brought over some cakes and steamed buns, brushed them with homemade farm sauce and chili sauce, and baked them until they were soft and crispy, and they tasted delicious when paired with meat.

Mai Sui and Xiao Wang especially like it.

Da Wang and San Wang were not willing to eat any of the dishes and only wanted to eat meat.

Lin Lan ate two skewers and had to replace Han Qingsong.

He refused: "It's cold outside, go inside."

Lin Lan leaned against him, "It's not cold." She took a skewer of roasted meat and put it next to his mouth, "Hurry up and eat it, it's delicious."

Han Qingsong bit off a piece of meat and chewed it. "One year we had a roasted whole lamb, but we had no experience and didn't know how to roast it, so it was either half-cooked or mushy."

The children were very curious and asked one after another whether the roasted whole lamb was especially delicious.

Especially for Dawang and Sanwang, for them, holding a big chicken drumstick in each hand, or tearing a big piece of meat with their hands, it was a life like heaven.

Erwang held the skewers in his left hand and the baked cake in his right hand, and ate the skewers. "Dad, I'll bake for you. You and mom can go inside and eat."

Han Qingsong handed it to him and reminded him not to get it mushy and not to flip it over too often.

Erwang smiled and said, "I'll learn it."

Lin Lan was a little disappointed: "It tastes better without cumin."

The children didn't know what cumin was and kept asking.

Lin Lan said, "Don't you know what the radio said? The herders in Inner Mongolia always add cumin when they grill meat."

Sanwang anxiously asked her what it smelled like.

Lin Lan was about to describe it, but immediately said, "I don't know either. I've never eaten it, but from what I heard, it seems that cumin and lamb are a perfect match!"

The children now kept thinking about it and wanted to eat barbecue with cumin in the future. From then on, cumin became a mysterious and high-end word in their family.

It took more than three hours to eat and play with the barbecue.

What they didn't know was that Lin Lan had the foresight to close the shop early, thus preventing the curiosity and discussion of the entire village.

Groups of people "passed by" the door one after another. When they smelled the delicious meat, their mouths were watering.

At first, the children couldn't help but smell it, and then the adults couldn't help but wonder what Director Han and his family ate at home.

However, the door was closed and they did not dare to knock, for they were afraid of Han Qingsong.

A brave boy got a ladder, leaned on the wall and looked around. What they saw was shocking: Lin Lan's family was roasting meat over a fire outside!

It’s a really novel way of eating it, they have never seen it before.

Some people who have never tasted it and are a little jealous can't help but say sourly, "That greedy woman is so lazy and greedy. She is too lazy to even heat the pot or clean it. She just cooks it over the fire. What a waste of firewood."

In the middle of winter, firewood has to be burned on the kang to keep warm. Only lazy women who can't make a living would do this!

Besides, if there is meat at home, who wouldn't save a little bit to eat, wishing to eat it for a year? How could you eat it all in one meal?

Therefore, Lin Lan's hat, which was lazy, greedy and incapable of living, was as safe as if it had been soldered on, and could be called an iron hat.

Of course, her supporters also defended her, "They don't steal or rob, they eat their own food, why do you care whether they roast or grill it? If you have the guts, why don't you grill it too?"

After chatting and laughing for a while, everyone went home to cook dinner.

After eating the barbecue, Lin Lan, who was named the Iron Hat King, took the children to clean up and save the remaining lamb bones to make lamb soup tomorrow!

After washing up, the whole family crowded onto the kang in the west room.

Lin Lan coughed and said, "I didn't say anything so depressing when we were eating barbecue. Do I have to take the initiative to explain it now?"

The children took out their test papers one after another.

Mai Sui naturally got full marks in Chinese, literature and mathematics, especially Han Qingping's 100-point essay, which was written in a very lively manner, which made him particularly happy.

Erwang ranked second, naturally scoring 95 points, and the others got full marks.

Da Wang passed all three subjects, which surprised Lin Lan a little, as she thought he would fail.

After all, Han Qingping said that he would fall asleep during class, sitting straight! After class, he would either fall asleep or disappear!

It’s really good that I can pass the exam now, and I even got 76 in math.

Sanwang...

Lin Lan frowned and glanced at Sanwang who was picking his teeth. He had just started to change his teeth, and his baby teeth were severely engorged with flesh.

Sanwang's test paper looked like it had been chewed by a dog. He did the questions and took it home, but after just two times, it was already wrinkled to the point where it was unbearable to look at.

That test paper was so dark, so dark... She couldn't understand why it was so dark.

She could almost imagine that when Sanwang couldn't do the questions, he would just write them randomly and then rub, rub, rub with his fingers...

It is the question that knows him, but he does not know the question.

Oh...it's such a headache.

She reached out to take Sanwang's test paper, but Sanwang held it tightly, lowered his head, pouted, and hummed in a mosquito-like voice, "First... let's take a look at Xiaowang's first."

Lin Lan was surprised: "The child is also doing the questions?"

Xiaowang smiled brilliantly, and Xianbao handed the test paper to Lin Lan as usual.

The paper should be clean and tidy. Anything that is written should be done carefully and neatly. If you don’t know the answer, leave it blank.

There are both Chinese characters and pinyin written on it. Although the characters are not very powerful, they are very beautiful. I have to say that Xiaowang is a really likable child.

Lin Lan looked at Sanwang again. If he wasn’t their biological son... if he didn’t have other advantages... if he wasn’t... which parent wouldn’t be partial to him?

"Sanwang..." Lin Lan called him.

Sanwang shivered. If Sanwang was called, it would definitely be bad news.

Fortunately, I had enough barbecue, so even if I got beaten...it wasn't a loss.

He glanced at Han Qingsong secretly, and Han Qingsong looked over at him. The cold look in his eyes made him shiver. It seemed that he really couldn't escape a beating?

Lin Lan sighed, sighed again, and silently said to her own children, she should be a Buddhist mother! Especially when the children are doing homework or have poor test scores, she should be more Buddhist! !

I would rather sit and die than get so angry that I smoke.

Sanwang thought again, it would be better to have barbecue like yesterday, which would be more enjoyable.

Lin Lan didn't say anything in the end. She just took out all the prizes. She gave the pen, diary and a dollar to Mai Sui, and the schoolbag, a dollar and a diary to Erwang. After all, they only shared one schoolbag, so it didn't matter.

Dawang got fifty cents.

Xiaowang got fifty cents.

The children were all stunned. Was their mother so angry that she gave them so much money?

Didn’t you say you would give 50 or 20 cents?

Seeing Lin Lan's sad face, they knew that she must be very angry.

Han Qingsong reached out and hugged Lin Lan, then took three pencils and three notebooks from the pile of prizes and placed them in front of Sanwang. "These are yours."

Sanwang: "...Ah? I still have a reward?"

Han Qingsong sneered.

Sanwang understood immediately, OMG, this is not a reward, this is a punishment!!!

Children who go to school are given pencils and notebooks at home, so there is no need for rewards.

He didn't do well in the exam, so I gave him a notebook and a pencil to encourage him to write more every day!

Lin Lan nodded. The punishment of the third brother was very satisfactory. She had originally thought that he should be beaten. It seemed not good. After all, Sanwang was still young. So it was good to let him write well first. It didn't matter how beautiful it was, but at least it had to be clean!

It is unacceptable to draw ghost characters.

Han Qingsong glanced at Sanwang and said, "Starting tomorrow, you don't have to run exercises. Get up and write. Finish writing in three notebooks during this winter vacation. Make sure you write cleanly."

He specifically emphasized cleanliness.

Sanwang's eyes widened, "Dad, I want to run!"

I would rather run exercises than write!

Han Qingsong said, "Oh," and held Lin Lan's hand. "Since you like running so much, then you can do some writing after running. Anyway, you don't have classes during the holidays."

Sanwang suddenly became dispirited. Who the hell wants to take a holiday? What kind of holiday is this!

…

When going to bed, Lin Lan felt a little guilty and asked Han Qingsong: "Third brother, are we too strict with Sanwa?" After all, he is still a child. It doesn't matter if he ranks last in the exam. He should be fine after he grows up two years.

Oh, it seems that parents’ feelings when facing their children who ranked last in exams are probably the same, both in ancient and modern times, in China and abroad, with the same sadness and subtle feeling.

Han Qingsong hugged her and said, "You have to be strict with naughty boys."

How can it be considered severe if I didn't beat or scold him?

After being comforted by him for a while, Lin Lan felt that it was nothing.

Because they had eaten mutton, the two of them couldn't fall asleep for a while, so they had to do something else.

By the time everything was cleaned up, Lin Lan was already too lazy to open her eyes, and fell asleep in Han Qingsong's arms in a second.

In the middle of the night, Han Qingsong was suddenly awakened by some noise.

Out of habit for many years, he sleeps