After a while, Jian Dan came out carrying a bag, seemingly unaware of Cheng Rui's red eyes.
"I've already packed the cotton and cloth inside; there should be more than enough."
Cotton-padded clothes, cotton-padded trousers, outerwear, cotton shoes, cotton hats, cotton hand warmers—see if you need anything else made, just tell Grandma Liu San, there's definitely some left over.
"Never mind, I'll go with you in a bit."
She suddenly realized that it wasn't appropriate to send a child alone to her door to ask for help.
"Let's eat. After we finish eating, we'll go together in a little while."
Cheng An, who was inside the room, slightly opened his eyes, looked at his surroundings, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
He simply pushed the door open and came in, glancing at the kang (heated brick bed).
"Huh? Xiao An is awake?"
It's perfect for putting on the table to eat.
Xiao An, can you sit up? We're putting the kang table on today,"
He then called out to the kitchen.
"Xiao Rui, Xiao An is awake. Time for dinner?"
"Okay, I got it, sis."
Upon hearing that Xiao An had woken up, Cheng Rui's voice became even more cheerful.
"Sis, you can put it on the table now, I've already served the food."
Cheng An slowly sat up, leaning against the fire wall. He watched as Jian Dan and Cheng Rui quickly placed the food on the table, and soon the dishes were served.
Having just returned from the mountain, Cheng Rui didn't make any trouble. He found some green beans, eggplants, and potatoes stored in the cellar from the autumn, and also took some spare ribs that he had specially dug out. He stewed them all together in a pot, making a rich and dark sauce. He steamed a pot of rice on top, and the three siblings ate until their bellies were round.
The two brothers, Cheng Rui and Cheng An, have been receiving extra help from Cheng Jin, both openly and secretly, these past few days.
However, compared to simplicity, no one can match it when it comes to the amount of oil used. For example, which family would be willing to use a large spoonful of oil in a single dish? In an average household, the amount of oil used in that one meal would be enough to feed someone else for a month.
Furthermore, the food is basically sustained by oil and seasonings. It's obvious that bland, watery food can't compare to food with plenty of oil and salt.
Even Cheng An, who was ill, ate an extra bowl of food compared to usual.
Seeing that Cheng An had taken his medicine and was lying down, and was starting to feel drowsy again, the two sisters packed the burlap sacks and cloth into their baskets, tidied up the fire in the fire wall, and prepared to go to the Liu family.
The weather was getting colder and colder, and it looked like it was going to snow. The temperature was even lower in the morning and evening, and it was already hard to stand going in and out in just a single layer of clothing.
Cheng Rui simply snatched the basket and carried it on his own back.
"Let's go, sis. I miss Xiaohu too. Let's go see him."
I know that villagers usually eat only two meals a day after the weather gets cold, so the timing is a bit tricky. It would be most awkward to visit someone right at mealtimes.
They have three meals a day. Today's lunch is still early, actually a little early noon. It's only noon now, so Jian Dan isn't worried about catching their lunch break.
Sure enough, when they arrived at the Liu family's house, Hu Zi was out playing and hadn't come back yet. Uncle Liu was not home, Liu Guangming was still fiddling with wood in the woodshed, and Liu's mother and daughter-in-law were making shoes on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Xiao Hua was also playing with her galaha on the kang (a heated brick bed), having a lot of fun by herself.
Upon seeing them enter, the old lady immediately smiled, and Sun Xiang quickly got out of bed.
"Why are you guys here? Oh? Cheng An's here too?"
"Come and sit down, it's warm on the kang (heated brick bed), come and warm up here, it's getting colder and colder outside."
She simply helped Cheng Rui put down the basket, then sat down on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) with a smile.
"You bet it's really cold today, Third Aunt. Do you think it's going to snow soon?"
The old woman tidied up the scraps of cloth that had covered the kang (a heated brick bed) to one side, making room for her carrying basket.
"It'll be here soon."
What are you carrying? So much of that!
The old lady touched the bag, then looked at Cheng An's slightly short sleeves and trouser legs, guessing...
"Are you making clothes?"
He simply reached out to untie the bag.
"Yeah, I'm doing alright. My head hasn't grown much in the last two years."
Look at Xiao An, hasn't she grown taller again?
The old lady watched and nodded repeatedly.
"You've grown so much! You've really grown quite a bit. It's such a growth spurt. It's only been a short time since I last saw you, and you've already grown so tall!"
"Yeah yeah,"
It's simple, but it also gives parents a sense of pride when others praise their children.
“They’ve already surpassed me. They’re only this short. How many more years can they grow? I don’t think they’ll be short.”
The old lady got off the kang (a heated brick bed), took a soft measuring tape, and measured Cheng Rui's shoulders.
"That's for sure. Your eldest brother is so tall, none of you will be short."
A simple chuckle.
"Third mistress, according to you, I can grow even longer?"
The old lady had heard of simple complaints before, and couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"Yes, you're still so young. If you get enough nutrition, you'll grow."
She knew that while other families might not have enough to eat, Xiao Jian's family might not. Who else could not have enough to eat and still have so much cotton and fabric to support their two younger brothers with several sets of clothes a year?
Whether it's true or not, this is something I simply like to hear.
"Hehe, then I'll take your kind words."
After taking Cheng Rui's measurements and also taking measurements based on Cheng An's build, Cheng Rui went out to play with Hu Zi and chatted with the old lady for a while.
"You haven't been here for quite a while,"
The old lady joked, and Jian Dan smiled happily.
"Sigh, the autumn harvest is over, and I was looking forward to going up the mountain, but then Xiao An got injured. After he came back, I was still worried about him. We also have to harvest the autumn cabbage, so I didn't feel like going out."
Third Aunt, is it cold early this year?
Last year, I think it was more than a month after the autumn harvest before we started wearing warm clothes.
The old lady nodded as she measured the fabric.
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