Chapter 127
These days, regardless of whether you are in the city or the countryside, men in a family are considered old when they are over 20, and girls are considered old when they are over 19, and their parents have to arrange a marriage for them.
Besides, in Nan'an County, it is considered a formal age. In the countryside, there are many young men in their 17s and 18s who go on blind dates and get married, and they can become fathers at the age of 19.
Girls can get married even earlier. If they are not married in their 20s, not only will the villagers point fingers at them at home, but even their parents will not look at them well.
Gu Shidong is also a man of 23 or 24, which is definitely considered an old age in Nan'an County.
However, Gu's family was well-off, and Gu Shidong himself was a talented young man. He was a transport soldier in the army, and he was a company commander. He would be promoted in the future, and even if he retired and returned to his hometown to work, it would not be bad.
Since ancient times, marrying a daughter of a noble family has always been a top priority.
As soon as Gu Shidong came back, the uncles and aunts on the street were very enthusiastic about him. As soon as they opened their mouths, they either said that they had a daughter of a noble family, or a niece or something. Gu Shidong was startled, and before the uncles and aunts could speak, he quickly said goodbye and ran home.
The uncles and aunts thought that the young man was young and shy, and that good young men were hard to come by, and that they would never come back again. A group of uncles and aunts set their sights on Lin Yao. Lin Yao was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Gu family. As the saying goes, the eldest daughter-in-law is like a mother. Isn't the girl introduced by the sister-in-law better than those outsiders say?
A group of uncles and aunts transferred their enthusiasm to Lin Yao.
Lin Yao couldn't hide away and complained a lot. She had agreed with Deputy Director Gu to pick her up after work.
Gu Shian couldn't ask for it. Since they gave birth to two children, Doudou and Yuanyuan, the couple had no time to walk hand in hand on the street with their family.
At the end of the work time in the afternoon, the handsome Deputy Director Gu rode his bicycle to the gate of the cotton textile factory on time, with his long legs on the ground, attracting the attention of many girls.
Gu was waiting for his wife at ease, his handsome face expressionless, and only when Lin Yao's graceful figure appeared in front of him did he reveal a gentle smile.
It is autumn now, and dead leaves have fallen on the streets of Yunshui County. Lin Yao jumped on the back seat of the bicycle and kept talking to her husband about the girl that Dongzi introduced to her.
It's not that she, as a sister-in-law, is urging her to get married, but the neighbors are too enthusiastic. Yesterday, even Director Ge found Lin Yao, took out a photo from his pocket, and secretly said that this is his distant niece, how about introducing her to Dongzi.
Lin Yao said that she couldn't make the decision on this matter. Nowadays, young intellectuals value free love.
Director Ge strongly recommended his niece and asked Lin Yao to take Dongzi to the girl's house to look for a girl
. Dongzi is shy and his sister-in-law will have to worry more. Gu Shian smiled.
"Dongzi is shy?"
Director Ge didn't know where the illusion came from.
Lin Yao asked him not to talk nonsense. She had told her parents-in-law about this matter before. Zhang Cuilan made the decision to let the old son go to see the girl Director Ge mentioned. To put it bluntly, both parties should look at each other's family situation, knowledge and upbringing. If they can succeed, it's a good match. If not, forget it.
Comrade Cuilan's idea is very beautiful, but I don't know what Dongzi thinks.
As soon as the couple turned to the entrance of the alley, they were caught by the old lady next door who was waiting for them.
The old lady came over anxiously, insisting on taking Lin Yao to see her "beautiful" granddaughter.
Fortunately, Doudou yelled at home, saying that his sister was crying because of hunger at home, and asked his mother to go home to cook.
In addition, Deputy Director Gu looked unkindly, so the old lady let go of Lin Yao's slender white wrist in dismay.
Lin Yao was still worried that Yuanyuan was really hungry, so he hurried home to take a look.
Well, his little fat girl was guarding a plate of red bean cakes, eating while nodding her head to listen to the radio.
Seeing that her parents were back, the little girl was still attentive.
"Dad and Mom, do you want to eat red bean cakes?"
The old father said that he didn't want to eat it, and let the daughter eat as much as she wanted.
"We have pumpkin cakes at home. Dad will fry some sweet pumpkin cakes for Yuanyuan."
Yuanyuan, who likes sweet food, was very happy. She ate a plate of pumpkin cakes and blinked her eyes and said, "Dad, can I have two more pieces?"
Deputy Director Gu wanted to agree to the fat lady, but he could only keep silent when he met his wife's cold eyes.
Lin Yao tapped the lady's chin and said coldly, "Gu Yuanyuan, look at your fat face. If you eat more, you will be as fat as the second brother." The
second brother is Zhu Bajie.
Yuanyuan knew this. The little fat girl touched her belly and her little face and argued with her mother.
"Mom! I am much slimmer than Zhu Bajie."
Zhang Cuilan also came over and smiled.
"Our Yuanyuan is not fat. Look at how thin her calves and arms are. It's better for girls to be a little fat. They are white, tender and cute. If the face is thin, it will not look good."
Yuanyuan's eyes lit up, and she almost wrote the word "agree" on her forehead.
Gu Doudou rubbed his sister's head, and his beautiful eyes that looked like his mother curved up, tempting: "Yuanyuan, there will be chestnut cake for breakfast tomorrow."
When the little fat girl heard this, she immediately put down the pumpkin cake and said obediently that she was not hungry. In fact, she was waiting to eat the chestnut cake.
Lin Yao went back and complained to Deputy Director Gu that his two children were more clever than the other.
In the evening, Gu Shidong rode back from reminiscing with his old classmates, holding a piece of pork belly in his hand. "Sister-in-law, I just bought some pork belly. Let's have a braised pork dinner tonight?"
Lin Yao looked at the pork belly, cooked a large plate of braised pork, two stir-fried vegetables, and the leftover steamed buns from lunch were not enough, so she scooped some flour and took out two large cabbages to make a pot of noodles.
After the family finished eating, Gu Mancang called his old son back to the house, wanting to tell him about the blind date with Director Ge's distant niece, but the guy's head shook like a rattle after hearing it, saying that he wanted to be like his eldest brother and consider life events at the age of 27 or 28.
Zhang Cuilan scolded him as a bastard.
"You two are such bad guys, you're dreaming all day long!"
At night, Deputy Director Gu, who was dreaming, hugged his wife. Lin Yao got into a comfortable position in her husband's arms and said in a half-asleep state:
"What time is it?"
"Half past twelve, go to bed."
"Okay."
Gu Shian tucked the quilt tightly and kissed Lin Yao tenderly.
The next morning, Gu Shidong looked at the sweet-scented osmanthus tree in the yard listlessly. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he clapped his hands and said, "Mom, the sweet-scented osmanthus flowers in our house are in bloom. How about I pick some for you to put in the house?"
The old lady was stunned. Putting sweet-scented osmanthus flowers in the house? This is a bit...
Gu Mancang suddenly came over and scolded his old son for not cherishing food, "Osmanthus flowers are for eating. You put them in the house and you can only look at them but not eat them.
" Lin Yao also craved for sweet osmanthus candy. Before he traveled through time, there were two sweet osmanthus trees in the back garden of his old house. In autumn, he would pick a basket of sweet osmanthus and either make flower arrangements or make sachets to put in his closet for incense. He could also have a bite of sweet sweet osmanthus wine, dip it in bread, or eat wine-brewed dumplings, candied rice cakes, and sweet osmanthus lotus roots.
He hadn't eaten it for a long time, but now he suddenly remembered it and still craved it.
Making sweet osmanthus candy is also simple. Pick a bunch of fresh sweet osmanthus flowers and bring them home. Find a clean glass bottle and wash it clean. A room full of sweet osmanthus flowers and a layer of candy. Making sweet osmanthus candy can relieve his craving.
When Gu Shidong mentioned it, Yuanyuan Doudou at home followed him around.
The osmanthus tree in the Gu family yard has been there for who knows how many years. Anyway, it has been there since the family moved in. It blooms every year, but no one comes to pick it. In the eyes of the people in Nan'an County, this thing is different from wild grass and mountain mushrooms. It can be eaten after boiling and picking. Besides, ordinary people don't know how to make osmanthus candy.
The old Gu family picked osmanthus flowers at home with baskets and children.
The neighbors saw this and thought something had happened, "Cuilan, what are you doing?"
"Why are you all out?"
Zhang Cuilan said happily, lifting the big bamboo basket in her hand, "The children are eating sweet-scented osmanthus flowers, sister, can you pick some and send some home?"
Everyone present laughed, "How elegant! We didn't have such a good life in the old society."
"That's right, now we are living a good life following Chairman Mao and the Party."
"We can all eat big white flour steamed buns."
*
The old Gu family was standing under the osmanthus tree and looking up. This osmanthus tree was taller than the others. One of them was the tallest and thickest, more than three meters tall. Its crown was like an umbrella, and the beige flowers were all over the tree. It was just not easy to climb.
Fortunately, the brothers Gu Shian had been good at climbing trees since they were young. They learned from Gu Mancang. Before liberation, the family was poor and had nothing to eat. In the spring, they relied on Gu Mancang to dig wild vegetables and climb trees to eat. Now that life is better, they don’t have to do the same thing as before. The brothers Gu Shian still have the skill of climbing trees.
Gu Shidong supported the tree trunk, turned around and smiled at the old lady, "Mom, the osmanthus flowers are blooming beautifully."
"Brother, up there, the bunch at the top."
"Dad, climb higher."
"Big brother, be slow, we'll be down soon."
The family stood in the shade of the tree, watching Gu Shian picking the osmanthus flowers and throwing them down skillfully.
Lin Yao took Yuanyuan Doudou and put the osmanthus flowers he picked into a basket with branches and leaves, and went into the kitchen to sort them out carefully later.
There were many family members in the family, and they were all foodies. They picked three large baskets full of osmanthus flowers, and the family went into the house with satisfaction.
After entering the kitchen, Yuanyuan Doudou followed her mother's instructions and carefully removed the leaves and branches of the osmanthus flowers she had picked, leaving only the small yellow flowers and soaking them in salt water for ten minutes, then draining them.
Lin Yao found the empty canned glass bottles at home and instructed the two brothers, Deputy Director Gu, to boil and disinfect them, then carefully layered a layer of osmanthus flowers and a layer of sugar, sealed the jars, and placed them in a dry and cool place. After a week, they would be able to eat the fragrant, sweet, and delicious osmanthus candy.
Because of her mother's order, the osmanthus candy in the jar could only be looked at and not touched. The children were greedy and squatted by the side, watching eagerly.
Just looking at it made her feel happy.
Grandma told me that the osmanthus flowers at home can be used to make tea after drying, and even in the winter, we can drink a book of strong and fragrant osmanthus tea. The brother and sister have not eaten sugar yet, but they are already looking forward to the taste of osmanthus tea.
The family waited and waited, counting the days on their fingers at home, one day, two days... Finally, a week has passed.
The autumn wind blew that day, and sparse leaves fell in the newly swept yard of the old Gu family. Gu Doudou looked at his little notebook for counting days and felt that it was time. He took Yuanyuan to the main room with a serious face. In the
main room, Lin Yao was knitting a sweater for Deputy Director Gu. He had just hooked a thread when the brother and sister came in.
"Mom."
Lin Yao raised her head and smiled, "What's the matter today?"
The brother and sister laughed, "Is our sweet-scented osmanthus candy ready?"
These days, Lin Yao was busy and had forgotten about the sweet-scented osmanthus candy. When the kids talked about it, she remembered that the sweet-scented osmanthus candy at home had not been opened yet.
"Oh, let's go and have a look."
Lin Yao got out of bed, followed by Yuanyuan, Doudou and Zhang Cuilan.
The sweet-scented osmanthus and white sugar in the glass bottle blended perfectly together, looking crystal clear and beautiful. When the lid was opened, the sweet-scented osmanthus frosting was about to overflow. Hey, the unique sweet smell of sweet-scented osmanthus came to her face.
Doudou and Yuanyuan could hardly hold back and swallowed hard.
The sweet-scented osmanthus candy in the glass bottle stuck together. Two spoonfuls were scooped out with a small spoon. The children each took two spoonfuls. Lin Yao also held a bowl and ate it. She gave it to her grandmother. She said it was too sweet. The old lady smiled and watched the children licking it with their tongues. It tasted sweeter than when she ate it herself.
The children saw that their grandmother only looked at them and didn't eat it themselves. They ran over and held up the bowl to compete for their grandmother to eat.
Zhang Cuilan waved her hands and smiled, "Grandma won't eat it. It's too sweet. You guys eat it."
The children then remembered that their grandmother didn't like sweet things. It was a pity. Such delicious sweet-scented osmanthus candy.
At noon, the family came back and ate sweet-scented osmanthus candy with steamed buns. That was a must.
After filling the stomachs of the children, Lin Yao began to think about how to dry osmanthus flowers and make tea with them in winter. Osmanthus
flowers cannot be exposed to the sun directly, but should be placed in a ventilated, dry and cool place to dry naturally. The color of the dried osmanthus flowers will not change, and the tea brewed from them will also have a strong osmanthus fragrance.
Gu Shidong took some time to go to the countryside to help his two uncles. He came back from the Dongfanghong production team on Friday. The boy was so dirty, with untidy beard and long hair. It was obvious that he had no time to take care of himself.
When I got home and asked, I found out that the bastard had gone into the mountains with his second uncle Zhang.
Gu Shidong cleaned up and ate two large bowls of egg and pork noodles made by his mother. He then burped and laughed, "Finally, I can eat hot noodles made by my mother."
The whole family was about to cry when they heard this. The reason why
this guy went into the mountains was because of his old classmate's family.
Gu Shidong's old classmate's family background was not good. His grandfather was a landlord and his grandfather was a country gentleman. Before liberation, he also funded the Red Army to fight against Japan. He was caught by someone with ulterior motives and the family was driven out of the old house. They cleaned toilets during the day and lived in a thatched house at night.
The old classmate's sister-in-law remarried and took her son away. The family lived in the open air and had poor food. When the weather turned cold, the old classmate's grandfather got frostbite and coughed for more than half a month. His condition did not improve and he wanted to see a doctor but had no money.
Gu Shidong wanted to help his old classmate.
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