Xiao Jiu shook her head vigorously: "Sister, that's enough, that's really enough, any more wouldn't be appropriate."
While the older sisters were preparing the fish and shrimp, Xiaojiu put the corn grits that had been soaked the night before into the pot to cook, and also threw in half a pumpkin. This made the porridge even sweeter and softer.
The corn grits were from their local corn, not as soft and glutinous as those from Northeast China, so she added a handful of milky white corn grits. The combination of the two types of corn grits made the porridge even tastier.
Grandpa and Grandma got up quite early too. When they saw their daughters bring so much seafood, they thought about it for a moment, but in the end, they didn't ask anything or say anything. They just sat quietly in front of the stove in the yard, preparing to help start the fire later.
Xiao Jiu, Cui Hong, and Cui Hua exchanged a knowing glance, breathed a sigh of relief, and continued with their work.
So why live so clearly?
Sometimes, being carefree and oblivious can be a kind of happiness.
Sweet and savory snacks are a type of fried food with local characteristics, made by kneading cornmeal, steamed sweet potato puree, diced persimmons, and white sugar into a dough, rolling it into long strips, and then deep-frying it.
Radish balls are coated in a batter with seasonings, deep-fried, and then taken out. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They are crispy on the outside and crunchy on the inside when eaten hot, with the unique crunchy and spicy flavor of radish. They are very delicious.
Lotus root slices are made by filling two slices of lotus root with minced meat without cutting them in half, then coating them with batter and deep-frying them. This year, since there was no large piece of meat, I used chopped pork cracklings instead.
Add vermicelli, chopped cilantro, flour, shredded ginger, and bean sprouts to pork cracklings, mix well, sprinkle in various seasonings, and squeeze into round meatballs using your thumb and forefinger. This is how you make this year's round meatballs.
Clean the ribbonfish, chop it into sections, marinate it with seasonings, coat it with batter, and deep-fry it.
The tofu I made yesterday was cut into large slices and deep-fried one by one. No seasoning is needed. Adding it to stews adds a unique flavor.
Finally, a large bowl of fermented wheat and corn flour mixture was brought out. It was rolled into a round shape and deep-fried to make oil cakes. It was rolled into an oval shape and pressed down in the middle with chopsticks to make sesame candy.
All morning, except for a break when we had corn porridge, the rest of the time we were busy frying various ingredients.
The aroma of oil filled the courtyard and wafted for over a hundred meters. This was with blended oil; if lard were used, the aroma would be even stronger.
While they were frying the oil, the door outside was being banged on loudly. Grandpa was embarrassed, so he pretended not to hear it. Eventually, after the door was banged on so many times, he and Grandma simply went back to their room to sleep, wanting to avoid the noise.
Even without opening the door, you can tell from the sound that it's those lazybones from the village. Anyway, they all have the same goal: it's amazing that these people haven't starved to death. It's truly unfair that they're lazy, selfish, and troublesome. But because they treat themselves well enough, they live a more comfortable life than anyone else.
They spend all day wandering the streets and alleys, watching what other people eat. Their skin is as thick as a city wall. Some people will give them some food out of politeness, but that only leads to trouble. They come to their house every day asking for more. The older sister and her family have heard of such stories, so they simply locked the doors of both houses and refused to open them for anyone.
Anyway, everyone in their family is home, no one is outside, so go ahead and knock on the door, they just won't open it.
Unable to get a response, the men outside the door continued to hurl nasty insults. Xiao Jiu, annoyed, stood by the door with a bucket, intending to use a gourd ladle to scoop water out and splash it.
Fourth Sister was worried that she wouldn't have enough strength, so she took over. In the dead of winter, hearing the people outside being doused with cold water was incredibly satisfying.
"Get out of here! If you keep cursing, we'll just throw sewage at you!"
"Fine, you two, surnamed Tao and Tang, you just wait!"
After Xiao Jiu recounted what the other party had said, Fourth Sister immediately opened the door and went out. Before the two scoundrels could react, she grabbed them by the collar from behind. As they screamed and struggled in vain, they could only watch helplessly as Tang Cuihong threw them into the stinking ditch not far away.
Then, with a look of disgust, he clapped his hands and said, "I, surnamed Tang, am waiting for you to take your revenge!"
"You, you, you're not deaf or mute? Are you faking it all this time?"
"Whether it's fake or not, you can try a few more times!"
Xiao Jiu made a disdainful face at them and followed behind her fourth sister, who exuded a strong sense of security. She couldn't be more smug.
The village scoundrels may not be able to get the good food from their family, but that doesn't mean the families who are involved with them can't get it.
The village chief, the Party branch secretary, and the brigade leader are all good people; they each gave each household a bowl.
The accountant's wife is from the second branch of the Zhou family, and she resolutely refuses to deliver the gifts.
The Zhao family next door is the family of Zhao Maiya, the little sister who lost an eye when she was picking walnuts and got pricked in the eye by a tree branch.
Also, when I was a child, I saved Lin Jinbao from drowning, which led to our families staying in touch quite often afterward. When my grandmother was sick, they would visit her every few days.
When they have plenty of vegetables at home, knowing that the other family doesn't grow many, they quickly deliver some to them. This shows that they are grateful and repay kindness.
So, under Grandpa's arrangement, Xiao Jiu also sent a bowl of wine to the Lin family.
Some families with poor financial conditions but good character should not be missed by Grandpa, who will take the young man to deliver them.
Instead, those who had been craning their necks to inquire about their house from the very beginning hadn't even fully smelled the aroma of the oil.
With so many people in my family, we spent the whole morning frying and the rest of the afternoon frying before we could finish frying all the food that needed to be deep-fried.
While their hands were still oily, the sisters prepared several more basins of dough, preparing to make steamed buns, bean paste buns, steamed bread, and flower rolls on the 27th and 28th of the lunar month.
At 9 p.m. that night, my third brother, who was studying in X city, was brought back by my father on his bicycle, along with a change of clothes and ten kilograms of Yuanyang rice.
This rice is a local specialty, and it tastes delicious. Tao Qing was able to bring back ten jin (5 kg), which shows that he put in a lot of effort.
"Brother, how much is this rice per pound? Did you buy it on the black market?"
Tao Qing shook his head. "I tutored his child for a semester, and his child got first place in the class in the final exam. They promised me that. This family works at the grain station and has connections. Moreover, this was earned through a semester of hard work. I didn't charge tuition. I'm just waiting for these ten kilograms of rice at the end of the year."
Xiao Jiu looked at her brother with a pained expression: "Aren't you afraid they won't give it to you?"
Tao Qing shook her head. "How could that be? They're not that kind of people. This family is quite reasonable."
Ten kilograms of rice in six months, at the black market price for this kind of high-quality rice, would be worth about a hundred yuan.
Of course, if you buy it from the grain station, it won't cost more than 50 cents per pound, even in the current situation where food is scarce.
On a normal day, it would only cost two or three cents. It sounds like a good deal, but actually, the person who managed to get their hands on the cheap rice is quite capable.
You can't use the black market price to calculate the profit just because ordinary people can't get their hands on this kind of refined rice; that would definitely be a huge profit.
In reality, the cooperation was achieved by both parties in a way that was most advantageous to them.
Of the four sons in the Tao family, the eldest, Tao Zui, was a studious and studious man with the air of an old scholar or cadre. He was taciturn and not good at talking, so even when he sent things or letters home, he would only write a few words and would never tell you about his life. That's why he went to study mechanical and electrical engineering.
Tao Ran, the second brother, is much more outgoing than Tao Zui, the eldest brother. He is good at socializing, eloquent, and has excellent mental and physical qualities. He is the perfect candidate to become a pilot, since the dropout rate in this field is extremely high. Tao Ran's ability to overcome all obstacles proves his remarkable strength.
Although the third brother, Tao Qing, is not as smart as the eldest and second eldest, he is the type who can make up for his lack of talent through hard work. He is a down-to-earth, patient, and very steady person. You can see how calm he is by exchanging a semester's worth of classes for a bag of rice.
People who study the history of Henan Normal University will most likely develop a career as teachers.
Compared to his older brothers, the fourth brother, Tao An, is someone who dislikes being controlled by others or bound by rules.
When I was a child, I had no pressure to study and just played all day. When I grew up, I realized the importance of culture and felt ashamed before I worked hard.
Judging from the speed of progress, he's not unintelligent, but he's not using his intelligence for studying. Nobody knows what he'll do in the future.
On the morning of the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, Xiao Jiu, who wanted to be a sweet and caring daughter, got up early to make breakfast for her father.
I scalded the cornmeal with hot water, made a few cornmeal cakes, and chopped two sweet potatoes and threw them into the pot to cook.
Adding the fried sesame candy from yesterday, Tao Changyi ate while sighing with delight.
"Life is so comfortable here; the advantages of having many children are really evident."
"I used to regret not having a daughter, but now that I've had so many, Dad is truly blessed!"
While handing over the pickled vegetables, Xiao Jiu sneered, "That's because you've met filial children like us. No matter how many children you have, it's all for nothing if they're not filial."
Even if you have few children, as long as one is filial, you've gained something; it's not about how many you have.
Tao Changyi looked at his daughter in surprise: "How can you see through human nature so clearly at such a young age?"
Xiao Jiu sighed: "I've just heard a lot and seen a lot. Look at my eldest sister's biological father, I heard he's gone missing."
Tao Changyi looked around and whispered to his daughter.
"What do you mean missing? I heard that he was beaten to death for stealing, and nobody wanted his body, so they sent it to the medical school for research."
Xiao Jiu's eyes widened: "Really? Dead?"
Tao Changyi shook his head. "He deserved it. He had a perfectly good life, but he insisted on having a son. Now look what happened, he even lost his life."
"Where did this all come from? Dad, how did you know about this while you were in the county town?"
"Your father is somewhat well-known in this town. Back in the day, our family sold wine and built up a lot of connections."
Later, the news of your sister starting her own business caused quite a stir. Knowing that our two families have a good relationship, someone specifically came to tell me about it.
"So my older sister knows too?" Tao Changyi nodded. "She probably knows. I didn't tell her, but some people can't stand seeing others do well, so they'll definitely let them know. Didn't their mother come back once before, only to find there was nothing to eat here? That idiot actually went back to the mountain valley, saying she could hunt and eat meat in the mountains. Isn't she stupid?"
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