Chapter 77: Division of the Family
Once the paper receipt is written, the family is truly divided.
There were originally 11 people in this family, but now it has been divided into three families. Everyone felt a little sad for a moment.
Liu Juan looked at the family sitting around a very crowded table and didn't know what to say.
Before, she had always wanted to separate and live her own life. Now that she has finally separated, she does not seem to be as happy as she had imagined.
She originally thought that Lin Heng would not be able to make a living after the family split up, but now seems to have become the richest.
Not to mention anything else, the suede, badger, rabbit skin, as well as Ganoderma lucidum and shiitake mushrooms that have not been sold are worth two or three hundred yuan.
"There's nothing to be sad about. Even if we split up, we're still a family." Mother Lin said with a smile.
"Yes, we are still a family even if we split up." Lin Heng said with a smile, picking up a piece of tofu and eating it.
"Yes, we will continue to help each other in the future." Lin Yue also nodded.
The emotion is short-lived and ends quickly.
When the meal was almost over, Father Lin looked at Lin Heng and said, "You said you wanted to borrow 200 yuan, but I don't have it now. The total is less than 100 yuan."
Lin Heng waved his hand and said, "It's okay, Dad. I'll have money after I sell the skins."
It is only June in the Gregorian calendar now, and there is still a long time before the price of Coriolus polypore increases at the end of August. It is still in time for him to make a big profit, and there is still plenty of time to make money.
And even if he couldn't make enough money from hunting, he still had other ways to get some money.
"That's good. Live a good life from now on and don't fool around with other people, or I will break your legs."
Father Lin looked at Lin Heng and warned him again. He was afraid that Lin Heng would make decisions on his own after the family business was divided and do something stupid again.
"Don't worry, it won't happen again." Lin Heng smiled and shook his head.
After the meal, everyone rested with a somewhat melancholy mood.
Lin Heng lay on the bed, looking at his daughter's sleeping face, planning for the future in his mind.
It has been a month since I was reborn, but I am still a long way from leading my family to a happy and healthy life.
Our current life can only be considered as barely enough to make ends meet.
"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
After taking a shower, when Xiulan went to bed to rest, she found that Lin Heng was not asleep and was in a daze.
"Nothing."
He didn't want to talk, he just reached out and held Xiulan in his arms, his chest against her back, quietly feeling the rhythm of her body.
"Xiu Lan, do you love me?"
Lin Heng suddenly spoke.
Xiulan turned over, looked at Lin Heng's face, and gently held it up: "What nonsense are you talking about? Of course, why would I marry you if I didn't love you."
Lin Heng suddenly grinned: "I love you too."
"What's going on?" Xiulan asked puzzledly.
Lin Heng shook his head: "Nothing, just want to confirm, go to sleep, dear."
He just suddenly felt how rare it was to have someone who loved and cared about him in this vast world.
He must let her live a good life.
Holding his wife's hand, he gradually fell asleep.
The next day, May 2nd in the lunar calendar and June 19th in the solar calendar, was a day with clear skies and gentle breezes.
Xiulan got up early and found a set of clean clothes for Lin Heng, and she also dressed up nicely.
"Honey, I think you'd look really pretty in a high ponytail."
Lin Heng looked at Xiulan and said with a smile.
Xiulan looked at him in confusion: "What is a high ponytail?"
"Tie your hair up like this, high." Lin Heng grabbed his wife's hair and demonstrated.
"Oh, I see. Let me try. I've never combed my hair this way before."
Xiulan followed Lin Heng's demonstration and tied her hair up high, revealing her white forehead.
Lin Heng also adjusted her bangs in front of her head, but she didn't do the straight bangs that every woman in this era would have.
Instead, it parted in the middle, turning into two strands that hung down from both sides of the cheeks.
"Does this look good? Isn't it a bit weird?"
Xiulan had never tied her hair like this before and seemed a little unconfident.
"How could it be strange? It's just too beautiful."
Lin Heng looked at his wife and said with a smile.
Xiulan wore a simple white short-sleeved top and jeans that I bought for her in the city before. With this hairstyle, she looked like a sister next door.
Lin Heng held his daughter and took Xiulan out. When Lin's father and mother saw Xiulan dressed like this, they couldn't help but be amazed.
"Sister Xiulan, you look so beautiful today. Your hairstyle is so pretty."
Caiyun walked over, took Xiulan's hand, and looked at her in amazement.
Compared to the neat bangs that most women of this era wore from the top of their heads, Xiulan's high ponytail and center-parted bangs were too avant-garde.
"Yes, my daughter-in-law is really an eye-catcher." Mother Lin couldn't help but praise her, thinking that such a beautiful daughter-in-law was actually brought back by her son.
Although sister-in-law Liu Juan was dressed very beautifully and wore clean and tidy clothes, she completely lost her color in front of Xiulan.
"It's getting late, let's get ready to move." Father Lin said slowly as he looked at the people chatting.
"Okay, let's go put up the couplets first."
Lin Heng took Xiulan, prepared some paste, and went to the new house with the couplets.
The couplet was pasted on the door of the new house's courtyard wall, and two upside-down Chinese characters "Fu" were also pasted on the door.
There were some small banners in the room wishing everyone good luck and prosperity.
"I'm going to fire the cannon."
Lin Heng said this, then took out his lighter and lit the firecrackers.
The crackling sound echoed in the yard, expressing the joy of moving into a new home, and also driving away evil spirits and seeking peace.
Soon, firecrackers were heard in the yard of the eldest brother's house next door.
Many people in the village heard the sound of firecrackers and watched from afar.
They all knew that the Lin family was not planning on holding a wedding banquet, so no one came to congratulate them.
"Congratulations, good luck with your move."
The door of Lin Heng's yard was pushed open, and his uncle walked in with a red envelope in his hand, smiling.
Although the Lin Heng family said that they would not hold a banquet or invite guests, all the relatives who live nearby would definitely come.
"Uncle, you are too polite." Lin Heng accepted the red envelope helplessly. He couldn't refuse it on such a day.
"What you said is true. As your uncle, I will definitely come when you move to a new house."
My uncle Li Baiquan said with a smile.
Then he continued, "I will go to your brother's house first to give him a red envelope. We have agreed today that we will eat at your brother's house in the morning and at your house at noon."
After my uncle left, Lin Hengsan's father came over soon and also gave me a red envelope.
After the congratulations, everyone started to help move things. Xiulan made breakfast in the new home, and Lin's mother helped sister-in-law Liu Juan cook.
Just when Lin Heng and others had almost moved everything, three more guests arrived.
"Uncle, second uncle, third uncle, you are a rare guest."
Lin Heng and his eldest brother Lin Yue walked up together, greeted them and handed the prepared cigarettes to their three uncles.
Lin Heng noticed that his uncle Lu Honghai came with a hunting rifle. It was obvious that he was going to have a big fight with him in the mountains.
"Congratulations on your new home. You two should remember to live a good life in the future and stop arguing with your wives."
My uncle congratulated them with a smile and gave each of them a big pheasant.
"Congratulations, Lin Heng. You will really be independent from now on and rely on yourself."
The third uncle patted him on the shoulder and gave each of them a jar of wild honey.
"I'm going to give the red envelopes to your two wives." The second uncle shook the red envelopes, then walked into the house and gave them to Liu Juan and Xiulan respectively.
The gifts brought by these close friends and relatives were very valuable, which made Lin Heng's family a little flattered.
There wasn't much furniture, and after moving, the whole family sat under the pavilion in the backyard of Lin Heng's new house.
Looking at the layout of the backyard, everyone was full of praise for the beautiful stream and fish pond.
"Lin Heng, I'll get one later, and you can give me some guidance then."
His second uncle said with some envy.
Lin Heng patted his chest and said with a smile: "Okay, no problem."
"We'll have our lunch inside the pavilion today. It's very beautiful, and it's cool and breezy."
My uncle Li Baiquan said with a smile.
Naturally, everyone had no objection to this.
After staying in the pavilion for a while, everyone got up and went to Lin Yue's house next door.
After all, I have breakfast at his house, so I definitely can’t stay at Lin Heng’s house for too long.
After seeing everyone off, Lin Heng returned to his room.
On the first day of moving into a new house, you must have a meal at home.
When he came to the kitchen, Lin Heng saw Xiulan picking vegetables, while her daughter was making things worse by throwing the picked vegetables out.
"What do you want to eat in the morning?"
Lin Heng came over to help pick the fruits. Xiulan picked the green onion that he loved to eat.
"The first meal after moving into a new home is of course rice. In the morning, I'll cook three dishes: a plate of pickled radish and bacon, a plate of gray-gray vegetable, and a plate of pumpkin vines."
Xiulan looked up and said.
Lin Heng nodded: "Sure, do you need my help to chop the chicken?"
They now have one and a half chickens, one of which is a pheasant given by their uncle Lu Honghai. It has been cleaned and weighs about two kilograms.
The other half was the golden rooster he won last night, and the other half was given to his elder brother Lin Yue.
"Yes, chop it all up. We'll have some pheasant in the morning and some golden chicken to entertain the guests at noon." Xiulan nodded and added another dish to the breakfast.
Lin Heng went out to get an axe and a wooden board. Just as he was about to chop the chicken, Xiaoxia came running over and said, "Dad, hold me."
"I'll hold you for a while. You and Xiongba can play the stick throwing game first."
Lin Heng called Xiongba, who was basking in the sun in the front yard, over and asked him to play games with Xiaoxia.
"Woof woof~"
Xiongba was a little reluctant, and Lin Heng rubbed the dog's head to comfort it. Then it started playing the game of throwing wooden sticks with Xiaoxia.
Lin Heng was chopping the chicken while chatting with his wife.
"Third father, uncle, and second uncle, how much money did you give in the red envelopes?"
Lin Heng asked curiously.
"Third father and uncle-in-law both received red envelopes of two yuan, and second uncle received three yuan."
Shirley said.
"It's quite a lot." Lin Heng was a little surprised. In this era, most gifts are half a pound of rice or a pound of noodles, and the better ones are half a bag of sugar.
There was a funeral in the village a few days ago, and his mother gave a pound of rice as a gift.
Two dollars is already a lot. People started giving money as gifts in the 1990s, and the amount was usually only five dollars.
Xiulan nodded: "Yes, I am a little surprised."
"When the time comes, go get them a piece of soap."
Lin Heng thought for a while and said that his third father and uncle-in-law lived nearby and were already overworked, and he hadn't visited his three uncles yet.
Xiulan had no objection to this.
After chopping the chicken, Lin Heng went to make a fire. Although the clay stove had been left to dry for half a month, it was still a little damp, making it difficult to make a fire.
It took three tries before the fire was finally lit. When dry wood was put on the stove, it started to crackle.
After the fire started, the entire earth stove began to smoke and water vapor evaporated.
When Xiulan saw that the pot was burning red, she took a piece of pork fat and opened the pot.
The pot was ready, so she first heated some oil and mixed the cold gray vegetables, then poured in a small piece of lard and stir-fried the pheasant.
“It smells so good.”
Lin Heng couldn't help but feel hungry when he smelled the aroma of the chicken, and his stomach started to growl.
"Here, try the salt." It was almost done, and Xiulan scooped a piece for Lin Heng.
"The saltiness is just right. Chicken should be a little salty to taste good."
Lin Heng blew on it, put it in his mouth and chewed it, praising it highly.
Xiulan is a good cook, or it can be said that in this era, being able to cook is a necessary skill for women, and if you can't cook, you may not be able to get married.
After receiving Lin Heng's praise, Xiulan smiled and said, "As long as it tastes good."
Scoop up most of the chicken, leave a portion for a plate, add pickled radish slices and hot and sour sauce and stir-fry.
Then I fried the half golden chicken in oil. This is a last resort since there is no refrigerator. Frying it for every meal can effectively extend the shelf life.
After frying the golden chicken, Xiulan fried the tips of the pumpkin vines while there was still oil in the pan. Lin Heng ate two more in the name of tasting the salt.
After copying the dishes, Xiulan cooked for Xiongba, mixing cornmeal and flour with the innards of the golden rooster that was killed last night.
"Let's have white rice today."
Adding water to the pot, Xiulan smiled and took the scooped rice to wash.
"It's really rare." Lin Heng said with a smile as he added firewood.
The firewood is burning fiercely, the rice has been washed, and the water is almost boiling.
Pour the rice in and cook until the rice grains have expanded and swelled, which means they are almost cooked.
At this time, you need to scoop up the rice soup, drain the water, pour it back into the pot, and then pour some water from the edge of the pot.
Then extinguish the fire in the stove, leaving only the charcoal, and use the temperature of the charcoal to further evaporate the water vapor, and finally the rice is ready.
Cooking rice with firewood is much more troublesome than using an electric rice cooker in later generations, but it tastes better too.
The rice was steamed, and Xiulan said, "Let's go and serve the dishes."
Generally, the meal will be ready after a while of eating the dishes.
"Okay."
Lin Heng smiled and brought the dishes to the main room. He had already set up the new table and chairs.
The table is made of pine and it smells like pine.
"It's time to eat."
Lin Heng brought his daughter over and placed Xiongba’s dog bowl at the door.
Since it was the first meal in the new house, Lin Heng poured himself a glass of sweet wine, and Xiulan also poured herself a glass of syrupy wine.
Tangxi is a very sweet drink made from sweet potatoes. In rural areas, people usually add wine to it, making it a wine with a very special taste.
Xiaoxia also had a small bowl of honey water.
"Wife, cheers!" Lin Heng raised the wine glass.
"Cheers." Xiulan showed a bright smile on her face. This kind of life was what she had longed for when she married Lin Heng.
After they finished their wine, Lin Heng handed the honey water to his daughter who was sitting next to him.
Squeak! Xiaoxia made a squeaking sound when drinking water, just like a little mouse.
“Dad, yes!!”
After drinking, Xiaoxia raised the small wooden bowl and made crisp sounds.
"Eat some vegetables, I'll give it to you later."
Xiulan handed over a piece of gray vegetable and the little girl opened her mouth and ate it.
At the door, Xiongba lowered his head and ate very enthusiastically.
Lin Heng and the other two took turns eating the food, while Xiaoxia took a bite.
"Wife, let's drink the wedding wine."
Lin Heng picked up the wine glass again and said with a smile.
"It's not a marriage." Xiulan looked at him, but still reached out and drank the wedding wine with him.
“Dad, yes!!”
Xiaoxia grabbed Lin Heng's clothes and shouted that she wanted to drink too.
"You can only drink after you eat."
Xiulan looked at her daughter sternly, then took the bowl and scooped up the rice.
“Woof woof!!”
Xiongba had also finished his food and walked over to look at them eagerly.
"for you."
Lin Heng threw the chicken bones down.
Lin Heng scooped up some rice and used the bowl to feed his baby daughter.
From time to time, Xiulan picked out some boneless pheasant meat and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Eat yourself too, don't just feed me." Lin Heng said helplessly, his wife was too concerned about him.
"No, we each have one." Xiulan said with a blink.
But it was obvious that what she ate had less meat and more bones, while what Lin Heng ate had more meat and fewer bones.
After feeding his daughter, Lin Heng gave her a small bowl of honey water and asked her to drink it slowly with a spoon. Then he picked out several pieces of chicken with less bones from the plate and stuffed them into his wife's bowl.
"Eat it and don't give me any more." Lin Heng stared at her and said.
Xiulan smiled and nodded: "Okay."
Xiongba stared at the two of them intently, hoping to get some food bones.
The meal took more than half an hour. Except for a little bit of fried bacon with shredded pickled radish, the two of them finished all the other four dishes.
There was some rice left in the pot, which was intentionally not eaten, implying that there would be surplus every year.
"Oh, what a hug." Lin Heng burped and said with a smile.
"You look after our daughter, I'll clean up the dishes," said Xiulan.
"Okay."
Lin Heng nodded, picked up his daughter and took her to the backyard.
Xiulan was stunned when she looked at Lin Heng and her daughter's backs. It had only been a month, but this had become her instinct.
Before, she always carried her daughter in a sling to do housework and farm work.
Then a smile appeared on her face and she went to the kitchen with the dishes.
"Come, let's sit on the swing."
Lin Heng took his daughter to sit on the swing and rocked gently.
“Shake!! Shake!!”
Xiaoxia shouted loudly and danced happily.
"Okay, okay." Lin Heng kicked the ground hard, and the shaking suddenly increased, and his daughter's laughter also became louder.
Lin Heng leaned back in his chair, enjoying himself very much. It really is true that no matter how old one is, a swing can make people happy.
"Xiu Lan, you come too."
Seeing his wife finish washing the dishes and come to the backyard, Lin Heng waved and called her.
After a while, the family of three sat on the swing chairs, rocked gently, facing the breeze, and enjoying the good time.
(End of this chapter)
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