"I learned how to make this sauerkraut filling from an old lady in Liujiatun. Just add a little lard, you can smell it!"
When it comes to things they enjoy, Tan Yajun and Lin Zhaodi are almost always very engaged. Chen Jianguo helps by scooping pickled cabbage and running errands inside and outside the house. As for Jian Dan, he's just there to cause trouble.
Actually, her cooking skills are, well, just average.
The young lady who loves watching food shows has a skill level that's like a rollercoaster.
If I like a dish from this streamer, I can prepare and chop the ingredients carefully, following all the steps from start to finish. But once I lose interest, well, sorry, she'll turn on me without a second thought. So she never intended to follow her lead.
"By the way, Jian Zhiqing, how come your little cabbage is so much bigger than ours?"
When winter first arrived, the female educated youth were craving simple green vegetables. They asked Liu Guangming to make similar wooden troughs for them. They carefully prepared everything, from digging soil to watering, and tended to the vegetables meticulously. However, the vegetables never grew very well. Every time they went to Jian Dan's place, they would complain at least once. They would work even harder after returning, but it was still not working, and the vegetables never grew well.
Simple doesn't know why, after all, what she grew was real, unlike others who have spiritual springs, this or that, or the ability to bring the dead back to life.
She had no other way to cheat except by putting the whole trough in.
She pondered for a moment.
"Maybe it's because of the stress associated with your cooking?"
"You're just spouting nonsense."
A simple, nonsensical tale told with an air of seriousness.
"That's not necessarily true. In my case, I eat alone, but there are several of you here. Maybe the pressure scared you away."
Chatting and laughing, the days were already short in winter. The group leisurely made dumplings, ate snacks, chatted about everyday things, and watched the children running past outside.
"The Spring Festival is the happiest time for children."
"Yes, yes, that's how I was when I was little. I would look forward to winter vacation, wondering if my parents had bought meat, candy, or new clothes. But most of the time, I could only dream about it."
There will definitely be meat, and I'll buy sugar, but I won't get to eat much of it.
Is it true that the whole family gathers together for the Lunar New Year? As for the meat, it's mostly for my grandfather and father. Among the children, I guess only a few boys get to eat a few slices. We girls are happy to get a taste of minced meat and broth.
The same went for candy; there was absolutely no share for girls. As for clothes, those who earned money for their families got to wear them first. We were only entitled to wear what others couldn't have. They'd bring them home, sew them up again and again, alter them again and again, and yet I was still incredibly happy, treating them like new clothes, so beautiful.”
Chen Jianguo, being the boy in the family, didn't receive such obvious differential treatment. Seeing the female educated youth speak up, he also spoke up.
Compared to you, my family is doing quite well.
I have an older brother and two younger brothers in my family, and I am the middle one.
When I was little, things were alright. My parents were busy, so my older brother took care of me. Whether we went to my grandparents' house or my maternal grandparents' house, I could eat whatever my older brother had.
Later, my older brother grew up and went to school, and then he gained two twin brothers. Suddenly, I became the eldest one. I had always been the youngest, so when I was suddenly asked to be the older brother and take care of the children, I just couldn't figure it out.
Maybe it's because my older brother set such a good example, or maybe it's because I was too immature before, but my mom felt that I was deliberately not taking good care of them, and she became increasingly dissatisfied with me. If they fell, it was my problem; if they cried, it was my problem; even if there were no adults at home and they were thirsty or hungry, it was all my fault.
I remember that before, although they didn't favor me as much as my older brother, at least they still remembered that I was their child, and their favoritism wasn't too excessive. But during the years they took care of my younger brother, their repeated dissatisfaction and inexplicable criticisms made their dislike for me almost reach the point of utter despair.
Whenever my younger brothers cried, I was always the one who would suffer. Later, I would ask my eldest brother, "Brother, am I our parents' biological child?"
Then, they all grew up, and they found jobs and wives for my older brother.
Then, the grain supply in the city decreased day by day. Coincidentally, my sister-in-law's neighbor brought up the topic of going to the countryside, and my mother found out about it.
My two younger brothers weren't getting enough to eat, and my mother was heartbroken. That very night, she told me, "Go to the countryside. There's plenty of food there, and you'll have enough to eat. Look at our family now; if you starve, I'll be heartbroken too. Go to the countryside, and as long as you're willing to work hard, you'll definitely have enough to eat."
I was so stupid back then, I didn't think much about it. After all these years of being ignored, this sudden attention made me feel pretty good. I thought to myself, "Oh, my mom finally knows how good I am. I can at least get enough to eat. This is such a great opportunity, and I'm the first person she thinks of."
The day before I left, I saw her giving her two younger brothers a private meal, and I realized, oh my, how could she be so silly?
My mom made it clear to my brother that he shouldn't worry, that we had enough food. She said she just didn't like him and didn't want him to waste food. She added that he was even getting a subsidy for volunteering, and that she would cook them a big meat feast after she left.
You don't know, at that moment, I wasn't actually that sad. I just had a feeling of, "Ah, I knew it."
Actually, my family isn't bad off. Both of us work, and my older brother has started working too. It's just me and my two younger brothers at home. So, we're not exactly poor, but that's not entirely true. She told me that on the afternoon she went to the countryside, I had just passed the exam for a permanent position at a factory. In fact, even if I hadn't gone to the countryside, I could have earned money.
I don't know what I was thinking at the time. I thought about it again and again, but I just didn't tell her.
After hearing their conversation, I understood even more. I remained incredibly calm and didn't utter a single word.
Then, at dinner time, when everyone in the family was there, I called her and said, "Mom, I received a notice to go to the countryside. Please give me my allowance so I can go and prepare my things."
She panicked, but my dad was home, so she didn't dare say anything else. Since I asked, she must know everything. She reluctantly gave me the money, glaring at me. I guessed she would try to take it back when my dad wasn't around. I was heartbroken at the time, so I didn't care. I took the money and went to my classmate, selling him the spot I had just taken. He then prepared the necessary items and mailed them to this address.
After I arrived here, I mailed two letters back home, but I didn't receive a single reply. Who cares about me?
Last time I mailed mountain produce, I just put my dad's workplace address. I did everything I could to help them, and that's all I cared about.
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