Chapter 143 New Year's Goods
He himself doesn't like snacks very much, but Liu Yinyin and her son eat some from time to time.
But I didn’t eat much, so there’s still quite a bit left at home.
Huang Xiaoyue has never eaten beef jerky in her life! The cows raised in the village have to work in the fields and cannot be slaughtered at will.
Liu Yinyin explained with a smile: "You can just eat it directly, it tastes good, you should be able to get used to it. Eating a little beef jerky every day is good for your health."
The beef jerky at this time is pure natural and additive-free, and is absolutely nutritious.
Huang Xiaoyue exclaimed: "It must be delicious."
This is meat, how can it not be delicious?
Huang Xiaoyue had never eaten mutton before. Mutton has a strong fishy smell and she didn't know how to cook it.
Huang Xiaoyue originally wanted to take four pounds of mutton back to her parents' home, but Huang Laizi insisted that he couldn't eat so much mutton by himself.
He only kept one pound of mutton for himself, and asked Huang Xiaoyue to take the other three pounds back.
Therefore, the Liu family also had four pounds of mutton to eat.
Huang Xiaoyue smelled the aroma of meat and knew that her sister-in-law was stewing mutton. She then learned from her how to stew mutton deliciously.
Afterwards, he asked Liu Yinyin for some spices, as she also wanted to stew mutton when he got home!
Huang Xiaoyue had just left when Gu Cheng came back on his bicycle.
Today my bicycle is filled with lots of stuff.
There were two large boxes tied to the back seat.
This is the New Year benefit distributed by the factory this year.
Affected by the natural disaster, the steel mills distributed less New Year goods this year than last year.
Last year, the factory distributed a whole truckload of supplies, but this year, only six items were distributed.
It’s because Gu Cheng is a leader, otherwise the benefits would be even less. Ordinary workers would only be given two things.
However, Liu Yinyin muttered casually: "This year's New Year benefits were distributed quite early."
In previous years, New Year’s goods were only delivered two or three days before the Chinese New Year.
There are still about ten days left until the Chinese New Year.
Liu Yinyin herself hasn’t started buying New Year’s goods yet…but she’ll have to send gifts to two families in a few days.
Gu Cheng: "It just so happened that the supply and marketing cooperative purchased a batch of materials from other places, and they were transported here together."
At that time, the transportation of supplies relied on either trains or large trucks to save money and effort.
The steel plant cooperated with the county supply and marketing cooperative and asked them to help transport New Year's goods.
This year's New Year's goods are a box of apples and a box of oranges, just like last year, both weighing five kilograms per box.
Other supplies were packed in bags, one bag of flour weighing ten kilograms.
A bag of rice also weighs ten kilograms.
Perhaps due to a shortage of supplies, the amount of flour and rice is half of what it was last year.
There was also a bag of cornmeal, weighing twenty pounds, and a bag of pork, weighing five pounds.
Although the New Year benefits distributed were not as much as last year, the things were very practical, especially the food.
It adds up to about 40 kilograms.
The steel mill distributed so much food because it was worried that the workers would not have enough to eat.
Liu Yinyin was quite satisfied anyway. With so many supplies, her family didn't have to buy anything during the New Year.
However...according to custom, we still have to send some New Year's goods to both families before the New Year.
Because the harvest season is bad this year, many people in the village do not plan to send New Year gifts to their parents’ home.
But Liu Yinyin's family is well off, so it would be inappropriate not to send her New Year's goods.
Liu Yinyin also wanted to give some as a gift, as her family didn’t lack these New Year’s goods.
Moreover, her family lived in Liujia Village, and she often had to trouble the Liu family to help take care of the children, so it would be unreasonable not to send them New Year's goods.
As for the Gu family...
For Gu Cheng's sake, he should give it to her. Liu Yinyin should just consider it as spending money to avoid disaster.
Gu Cheng also said: "I'll deliver the New Year's goods when I have time in the next few days."
No matter how difficult life is, we still have to celebrate the New Year.
However, this year's New Year's goods will definitely not be as much as last year.
This year, Gu Cheng’s monthly food ration was less, and the New Year benefits he received were not much either.
If I continue to send so many New Year's gifts, it will easily lead to gossip.
The two men agreed that each family would give four things: five pounds of flour, five pounds of rice, ten pounds of cornmeal, and two pounds of pork.
In times of famine, sending food is more practical than anything else.
This kind of New Year's gift is totally worth showing off.
Liu Yinyin crossed her fingers and calculated, okay, the New Year benefits given by Gu Cheng Factory were just enough to send New Year's goods to both families.
As a result, there was only one box of apples, one box of oranges and one pound of pork left at home...
It’s not bad actually, at least I don’t have to spend money to buy things.
To be honest, the prices outside have risen so high now that Liu Yinyin is a little reluctant to spend money. She really can't afford it, so she might as well buy it directly from the system.
Gu Yanyan walked around on his short legs and saw things piled on the ground.
The kid was smart, knowing that they were all food, so he squatted down and tried to pick up the apple cartons...
"Is the meat stewed at home?" Gu Cheng walked over and picked up his son. He smelled the fragrance as soon as he came back.
"Well, I exchanged a few pounds of mutton in the county town today. I stewed mutton and radishes. It should be cooked now. Let's go eat first."
Gu Yanyan must be hungry, so Liu Yinyin went to bring him food.
Shredded ginger was added to the mutton and cabbage porridge to remove the fishy smell. The mutton did not taste very good. The little guy was not picky about food. He held the small spoon and ate it with relish.
After stewing a whole casserole of mutton, Liu Yinyin didn’t cook any other dishes.
I just steamed a few corn buns, which was enough for two people.
While eating, Gu Cheng suddenly asked her, "Is there enough food at home?"
Liu Yinyin was slightly stunned, then nodded and said, "That should be enough. What's wrong?"
Over the past year, every time Liu Yinyin went back to the county town, she would smuggle some food out, plus the commercial food that Gu Cheng had collected.
The food supply each month is basically enough.
The food stored in the cellar had hardly been touched, and there was still so much food.
Two hundred kilograms of millet, two hundred kilograms of wheat, six hundred kilograms of corn cobs, seven or eight hundred kilograms of dried sweet potatoes, and a bag of sweet potato vermicelli.
Even without the food subsidies, this amount of food would be enough for the family to eat until the famine was over.
"I'll see if I can buy another batch of food later." Gu Cheng was thinking in his heart that if the harvest next year was not good, the food stored in the county would definitely not be enough to eat.
There are only 600 to 700 kilograms of food left in the county town.
Liu Yinyin ignored all this and just said, "Just take care of it. Don't worry about the family. There's enough food."
Even if it was not enough, she would have a way to exchange for food without having to spend a lot of money to stock up on food.
The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and there is no shortage of New Year's goods at home, but since it is the New Year, we have to prepare some delicious food.
Although the economic situation this year is not good, the Chinese New Year is the most important festival of the year and it is also everyone’s hope and reliance for the new year.
Good or bad, we have to celebrate.
Last year, Jiang Cuihua fried peanuts and sesame candies for her family, and also made some tofu and glutinous rice cakes.
This year, Jiang Cuihua is still going to fry peanuts, but she won’t make sesame candy because there are no extra sesame seeds at home.