Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Picking up bowls from the ditch.
Mu Mian, who was still in Yangliu Brigade, had no idea that her brother had created such a magical image for her outside.
She is still at her uncle's house. Everyone has just come down from the mountain and is preparing to cook.
The person in charge of cooking is naturally Liu Tao. People with good skills seem to have some special techniques.
They are obviously simple dishes, but after she tinkered with them this way and that, the taste instantly became different.
Mu Mian stayed in the kitchen and didn't leave. With so many adults around, there was actually nothing for her to do.
She stood next to the stove, watching Liu Tao working smoothly.
Because there was a fire burning on the stove, the kitchen was much hotter than outside, and several people had beads of sweat on their faces.
Liu Tao thought her cousin was hungry, so she used a spatula to pick up a few freshly fried snails and put them in a small bowl, then handed it to her, "Take it and share it with Nidan and the others. Why are you staying here all the time? You really don't mind the heat."
Mu Mian took it and reached out to grab one, then handed the bowl to the siblings Nidan and Xiaoxuehua who had also been squatting at the kitchen door.
Mu Mian chuckled, "I'm just trying to learn from you. Don't you think it's too hot?"
Liu Tao couldn't help laughing, "Isn't your grandma's skill enough for you to learn?"
Mu Mian opened his mouth and said, "Learn everything. It's definitely a good idea to learn more."
It is common for her grandmother to cook, but her cousin is usually very busy and rarely gets to hold the spoon.
Moreover, the two people's techniques are actually quite different. Liu Tao is a person who likes heavy flavors, and she cooks in a very fast and aggressive manner. Before she can react, the dish is already out of the pot.
The old lady's technique is steady after years of baptism. She is always calm and composed, and gets every step just right.
Come to think of it, Mu Mian often cooked for himself in his previous life, and he felt that the food tasted pretty good, even home-cooked dishes were no problem.
But she is a seasoning person and can't do without seasoning.
There aren't so many seasonings for her to use these days, it's more about the taste of the ingredients themselves, which really tests her skills.
Seeing that her little cousin wanted to learn, Liu Tao would impart some experience to her from time to time.
Well, from Mu Mian's perspective, this experience has a flavor that can only be understood but not expressed in words.
for example……
Just add a little bit of salt.
This needs to be stir-fried twice more.
The fire of this thing can't be too big.
Balabala and the like.
It can be said to be quite abstract. Mu Mian seemed to understand it the whole time, as if the knowledge went through his brain but went in through his left ear and out through his right ear.
But when the dish was served, all the feelings disappeared and my mind was filled with the delicious aroma.
Mu Fugui praised a lot throughout the whole process and never stopped talking.
In addition to snails, there was also a dish of braised pork ribs in soy sauce on the table, which Liu Dezheng had specially brought out and put back into the pot after the worship.
The big bone gave off a rich aroma, which made Xiao Xuehua drool. She kept chasing after Mei Haoli, shouting "Eat, eat, eat."
We are all family, so there is no need to be too particular about eating. We just start eating once everyone is seated.
Mu Mian sat next to Xiao Xuehua, picking up some food for his little niece from time to time.
Although he is small, he held the bowl very steadily and used the wooden spoon skillfully, and he didn't need anyone to feed him the whole time.
He ate in big mouthfuls, smacking his lips, and never stopped, like a little rabbit that had been hungry for three meals.
The adults didn't stop talking either, eating as they went along.
Mu Fugui touched his stomach and smacked his lips. "If you ask me, the food at the landlord's house was probably like this before. Maybe it didn't taste this good."
Liu Shuangcui glared at her man and said, "What's wrong with you? You just keep saying nonsense."
I have never seen anyone compare himself to a landlord.
Liu Cheng agreed with his second uncle's words, "Xiao Tao should have found a job as a chef in a state-owned restaurant, where she could cook but not be so busy as she is now."
Liu Tao was also very blunt when she talked back to her elder brother, "That's not what you said when I first joined the Public Security Bureau."
At that time, this guy was so proud that he asked everyone he met, "How did you know that my sister was admitted to the Public Security Bureau?" ', so showy, you can tell at first glance that he learned it from his second uncle.
It seems that all men in the Liu family are afraid of girls. Liu Cheng scratched his head and said, "How could I know that you are so busy now? I only see you once a month."
Liu Tao is a bit carefree. "What kind of work is not busy? All workers have to be busy. I like running around. It's boring to sit in front of the stove. I do the same thing every day."
Mu Mian gave his cousin a thumbs up and said, "I support Sister Taozi."
Liu Tao curiously picked up her little cousin and rubbed her. When she let go, she looked to the side and asked, "What is Xiao Xuehua doing squatting under the table?"
Mu Mian turned his head and found that his little niece had slipped under the table at some point and had not gotten up for a long time.
Mu Mian lowered his head and found that a large bone that someone had chewed on had fallen to the ground. The little girl was sitting under the table chewing on it, and her face was covered in dirt.
Mei Haoli was so angry that she couldn't even speak. "You idiot, I didn't even look at you and you ended up like this."
As he spoke, he picked up the little girl, threw away the bones, and took out a handkerchief to wipe the person's mouth.
Little Snow Flower stretched out her little arm towards the bone that fell on the ground, "Eat it, I eat it, I can eat it."
Mei Haoli: "There is no meat on it. It looks like a reincarnated puppy, gnawing on the bones."
Mu Mian's eyes twitched when he saw this. It seemed that two or three years old was indeed the age when children liked to pick up things from the ground to eat.
When Xiao Mi Miao and her sister grow up, their uncle and aunt will probably have a lot of troubles to deal with.
Just as Mu Mian was thinking this, she heard her father say, "Mian Ya also liked to do this when she was a child."
Mu Mian opened his eyes wide, "Is this true? Dad, don't lie to me."
She didn't believe it. She wouldn't eat anything she picked up from the ground.
Liu Shuangcui smiled and continued, "Really? But you didn't eat anything. You stuffed everything you picked up into your brother's mouth."
Mu Mian: “!!!!”
Her brother must have worked hard to raise her. When she gets home, she should find some more things to send to her older brother.
---
After helping to clean up after lunch, Liu Shuangcui was not in a hurry to leave. It was a rare visit for her, so the whole family chatted.
Mu Mian helped to look after the children. Nidan was a person who couldn't stay at home. Even in the middle of the day, he was not afraid of the sun and ran outside with a few other boys.
At this age, Xiao Xuehua likes to run around, so she takes her short legs and chases after her brother.
Nidan had no patience to take care of his sister who couldn't run fast, so he ran away like a monkey.
The little snowflake who kept fiddling with her legs but couldn't catch up was left crying and shouting, "Wait, wait for me, brother..."
I don’t know if it was because he had been chased too many times, but this ruthless little boy was indifferent to his sister’s calls.
Mei Haoli shouted, "Why are you following him? It's so hot outside! Look at your brother, he's as tanned as a lump of coal. You can't even tell which is which in the coal pile."
The little girl didn't listen and stamped her feet anxiously, "Brother, coal! Wait for me..."
Mu Mian was amused and ran a few steps to pick up his little niece, "I'll take you there!"
Little Snowflake finally stopped crying and pointed ahead, "Chase, chase brother!"
Mu Mian teased the child, "Wrong, it's chasing coal."
Little Snowflake opened her mouth and learned, "Chasing the coal!"
Mu Mian was smiling. It was said that kids of this age were fun to play with.
The little boys didn't run very far, they were just at the foot of the mountain.
When Mu Mian chased after them with Xiao Xuehua in his arms, they had already started playing. There was a small ditch nearby, and a few little boys were pulling grass and throwing it around for fun.
We had a lot of fun competing to see who could throw the ball across the ditch.
Little Snowflake struggled to get down, "I want to throw it."
One of the little boys, who was probably only five years old, looked over and asked Nidan, "Who is holding your sister? Do you have a sister?"
Nidan: "Not my sister, but my cousin, my dear cousin."
The little boy shouted, "Cousin, do you want to play?"
Mu Mian: “………………”
It's okay to have an extra nephew for no reason.
Mu Mian put Xiao Xuehua down and said, "You guys play.
, I'll sit next to you for a while. ”
She has no interest in these little boys' games.
Mu Mian was not interested, but Xiao Xuehua was very interested. She picked one and threw it, having a lot of fun, even though no one was competing with her.
Mu Mian found a nearby shady spot to sit under, glancing at the child from time to time to prevent the little snowflake from accidentally falling into the ditch.
She brought this person up, so of course I have to keep an eye on him.
Mu Mian was bored, so he just picked up some grass and weaved it casually. The grass was not hard, and after he had woven half of it, the thing in his hand became soft, neither like a dog nor a rabbit.
The legs hanging down the side of the ditch were shaking from time to time. After finishing weaving a weird creature, Mu Mian glanced at the little snowflakes who were still playing, and stood up to pick some wild flowers not far away.
Maybe she was influenced by Xu Lele, now whenever she sees wild flowers she wants to pluck a few and put them on her ears.
As a result, as soon as he exerted a little force with his heel, he kicked something and something rolled down with a clatter.
Mu Mian leaned over to look. He thought it was a stone just now, but when he looked closely, he found that it seemed to be a broken bowl with a thick layer of mud on the outside.
Mu Miansuo went to the bottom of the ditch, picked it up and looked at it, then casually knocked it on the slope next to him. It seemed that it was not made of ceramic.
It looks like it's in good condition. I'll take it home and use it to fill water for the old hens.
The broken bowl that was used to feed water to the old hens was cracked again by their pecks. It would probably break completely in no time.
Mu Mian picked up the bowl covered with a thick layer of mud and climbed out from under the small ditch. When he came back after picking a handful of wild flowers, Nidan and the other little boys had already started playing other things.
Mu Mian didn’t understand, but they were just chasing each other and running towards the mountain.
I don’t know if it was because of the sun or if kids just sleep too much, but this time the little snowflake didn’t run away. Instead, it yawned several times in a row, looking very sleepy.
Mu Mian walked over with the bowl and wild flowers, picked up his little niece, and walked towards her uncle's house.
Little Snow Flower was dazed. She lay on her cousin's shoulder, pointing her little arm in the direction where Nidan ran, "Go after me, brother."
Mu Mian: “………………”
She was so sleepy and still wanted to chase him. She didn't want to go up the mountain with the child in her arms.
Mu Mian patted the child's back with his arm and coaxed him, "Chase, chase, chase. Let's chase you now. We'll catch you when you wake up."
The magical thing is, Xiao Xuehua really fell asleep as soon as she finished speaking.
Mu Mian's eyes twitched. It would be ok if it only took a second.
It's like sleeping like turning off the computer.
The two-year-old girl didn’t weigh much, so Mu Mian carried her easily with one hand.
When we arrived at the door of the house, the adults inside were still talking. I don't know what they were talking about, but Comrade Mu Fugui burst into laughter.
The little girl in my arms moved instantly, as if she was disturbed.
As soon as Mu Mian stepped through the courtyard gate, several people sitting under the eaves looked over.
Mei Haoli stood up and walked over here, "I knew she would fall asleep halfway through the journey. Are you tired from carrying her all the way?"
Mu Mian shook his head, "I'm not tired, cousin, the little snowflakes are very light."
Liu Shuangcui didn't move. "What are you holding?"
Mu Mian raised his hand and shook it. "I found it by the ditch. It looks like a bowl."
Liu Shuangcui laughed, "Why are you picking up a broken bowl?"
Mu Mian looked at me with a look that said, "I'm so smart," and said, "Take it home and fill it with water for the old hens."
Maybe it was because they were talking too loudly, but when Mei Haoli came over to take Xiao Xuehua away, the little girl's humming became even louder.
Mu Mian: "It seems like he's about to wake up."
Mei Haoli stretched out her hand and said, "It's okay. It will catch fire after a while if you put it on the bed."
Mu Mian was about to let go as he spoke, and then a small accident happened.
Before she extended her arm, she suddenly felt her chest and arm getting warm. A warm current went straight to her chest and dripped onto the ground along her arm.
Mei Haoli reacted quickly, "Oh my God! I peed!"
As he spoke, he quickly picked up his daughter.
Little Xuehua, who didn't know what she had done, nestled in her mother's arms, hummed a few times and then fell asleep again.
Mu Mian was left standing there, stunned for two seconds.
Unexpectedly, the first love in her life came from her little niece.
She had held the two sisters, Xiaomaimiao, in her arms so many times before, but neither of them had ever peed on her.
Liu Shuangcui took two or three steps forward and took a look. "It's still quite wet. Wring it out and it will be dry in a while."
Mu Mian came back to her senses, stared up at her mother with wide eyes, her face full of...
Are you serious?
She won't twist it!
She even dislikes her own little niece.
Liu Tao laughed, "You're lucky. I've been pulled on by her before. I'll find you some of my old clothes to change into. It'll be uncomfortable to wear them if the smell dries."
Mu Mian found a dry place and pulled up a corner of his clothes, trying to move the wet fabric away from his body.
After hearing Liu Tao say this, she followed her cousin into the house at a very fast pace.
Liu Tao rummaged through the boxes and drawers for a long time and found a tattered and wrinkled piece of clothing with many patches on it. It was what she used to wear when working in the fields, and it was also altered from Liu Cheng's clothes.
The clothes were two sizes larger than Mu Mian's, the hem reached her knees, and the sleeves were as long as those worn by opera singers.
Anyway, it's better than clothes stained with urine.
Although it is broken, at least it is clean.
When Mu Mian got changed and went out, Mu Fugui started laughing first, "Now I really have become a rag picker."
Mu Mian picked up the broken bowl that he had just placed beside him, raised his body and began to act, knocking on the bowl with a staggering look, "Dear uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters-in-law, please be kind and give me some..."
Several adults were so amused that they slapped their thighs. Liu Shuangcui pointed at her daughter and said, "You are just making trouble."
Mu Fugui pointed out with interest, "My girl, this won't do. You are too fair. You should at least put two layers of ash on your face."
As the eldest uncle, Liu Dezheng was quite cooperative and actually took out a dime from his pocket and said, "Look at this poor fellow. He hasn't eaten for half an hour, right? Use this to buy some candy."
Mu Mian's eyes sparkled, and he acted perfectly, "Thank you, thank you, good man, good man, good people live a long and peaceful life!"
Liu Cheng patted his thigh and touched his pocket, "Just for this, this dime is worth it."
Mu Mian was very happy to get another dime, and then he heard Mei Haoli, who had just finished cleaning up her daughter, ask, "Where did you get the money?"
Liu Cheng froze, "My father gave it to me."
As a gay man who once hid his own private money, Liu Dezheng nodded silently for the sake of the harmonious relationship between his son and daughter-in-law, "Yes, I gave it to you."
Mu Mian, who almost caused a conflict between his brother and sister-in-law, turned around and left, putting the two cents in his trouser pocket.
When Nidan came back and found out, he followed his grandfather and father's example and started asking for more, which made the adults laugh again.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Liu Shuangcui called out to Mu Mian and his daughter, telling them that they had to go back.
Mu Mian climbed onto the back seat of the bicycle, holding his dirty clothes in one hand and the water bowl for the old hen in the other.
Liu Shuangcui: "Put it in the net bag in front."
Mu Mian stretched out her hand and handed it over. She had just rinsed the bowl with water. Some places with less dirt were rinsed away, but there were still many places that could not be rinsed away. She had to go home and get a brush to clean them.
It's a copper bowl, very sturdy, and it will definitely not be cracked again this time.
When Liu Shuangcui threw the dirty clothes and broken bowls into her pocket, Mu Mian glanced at them casually.
I didn't notice it just now, but the more I look at it now, the more I feel that the exposed pattern looks familiar.
I seem to have seen it somewhere, but I can't remember where it is at the moment.
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