Xu Ning filled the water jar and saw that the sun was about to come out, so he thought about eating early at noon and going to the mountain in the afternoon. At noon, he had steamed rice and a dish of cabbage and pork stewed with vermicelli. After the three of them had their meal, Xu An washed the dishes.
Xu Ning went up the mountain carrying his backpack. Maybe it was because the sun came out in the afternoon, more people went up the mountain.
There are still a lot of pine cones at the place that Xu Ning and Xu An found last time. Xu Ning plans to pick them all up and knit the sweater in a few days. Xu Ning plans to send some to Xu Yang and tell him about Xu's father and mother's situation here to put his mind at ease. After all, he is only a 17-year-old child. He doesn't know how much pressure he must be under when such a change happens at home.
Xu Ning walked to the place and saw that there were still many that had not been picked up by anyone. He looked around and saw no one. Thinking that so many baskets could not be filled, he put them into the space.
After picking up all the groves, Xu Ning was about to go down the mountain with the backpack on his back. As he turned around, he heard a cooing sound in the grass, like a chicken. Xu Ning quickly put down the backpack and walked over quietly. He saw a pheasant squatting in the grass. He rushed over and hugged the pheasant that wanted to fly away. He pulled out some grass from the side to wrap around the pheasant's feet. He happily picked up the not-so-small pheasant and put it in the backpack, then covered it with some grass.
She thought to herself, today she was really lucky, she picked up so many pine cones and caught a pheasant. This was the first time she had picked up a pheasant since she came here.
Xu Ning was humming a song as he walked down the mountain. He lowered his head and didn't see the people coming from the opposite direction. When he realized that the road was blocked, he raised his head and saw that the person in the lead was a tall man with an elegant and handsome appearance. The one behind him was also of extraordinary bearing. Behind them were the heroine of the original book, Lin Miao, and a petite and lovely beauty with red lips and white teeth. This beauty was no less stunning than the heroine when standing together.
The cute and lovely beauty's words were not cute at all. She said to Xu Ning, "You didn't see anyone, but you didn't move out of the way. You are so tactless."
Damn it! Xu Ning's good mood was gone in an instant, and she rolled her eyes at her in the ugliest way possible. (She had practiced this countless times in front of the mirror and felt that this was the ugliest way to roll her eyes.)
"Hey, whose dog is this? If it hasn't been disciplined, let it out. Take it home and give it a good lesson so that it will know what a good dog means, not to block the road and not to bark at people."
Jiao Que Cute pointed at Xu Ning and angrily asked, "Who are you calling a dog?"
Xu Ning replied, "Whoever agrees is a dog."
The cute and lovely girl was so angry that she wanted to tickle her, but was stopped by the man next to her, who said, "Gu Wenjing, stop making trouble." After that, he glanced at Xu Ning and pulled the girl named Gu Wenjing up the mountain. Lin Miao said to Xu Ning, "Xu Zhiqing, we're leaving first!" The other male educated youth also nodded to her, and the two of them chased after the two people in front, one in front and the other behind.
Gu Wenjing, isn’t that the cousin of the male protagonist Gu Wenping? Doesn’t the book say that he came to Yushu Village a year after the male protagonist went to the countryside? Why are you here now?
Xu Ning walked down the mountain thinking about this. When she reached the foot of the mountain, she still didn't realize that there was no plot in the book that would allow her to come to Elm Village at this time.
Forget it. If I can’t figure it out, I won’t think about it anymore. I’d better stay away from that place in the future. It would be best if I don’t even have to say hello when I meet her.
When Xu Ning got home, he first killed the pheasant, planning to make pheasant soup in the evening. Pheasants are tough, so they need to be cooked for a longer time, so he put them in the pot to stew earlier.
Xu An was lighting the fire and Xu Mo was sitting next to him. The two of them were salivating as they smelled the aroma from the pot. Xu Ning put the peeled chestnuts in and two handfuls of mushrooms and simmered it slowly over low heat. A circle of pancakes was stuck on the edge of the pot. When it was almost ready, he cut a few potatoes and put them in. The two greedy little guys stood up and looked into the pot. Xu Ning served each of them a bowl and let them eat first.
Xu Ning first went to the cowshed and looked around. He saw that the three people who had built the kang had left and there was no one around.
Xu Ning returned home and took out a clay pot. She filled it with half of the food, which was enough for the five of them. She planned to send it to the cowshed. She put the pot into Xu An's small backpack and carried it to the cowshed. When she reached the door, she called Grandpa Qi. When Grandpa Qi came out, she said, "Grandpa Qi, I caught a pheasant when I went up the mountain to pick up mountain products today. I stewed it. This is for you to try." After that, she handed the pot to Grandpa Qi. Grandpa Xie took the pot and said, "Okay, go home early. Let your parents take the pot back later."
After dinner, Xu Ning continued knitting sweaters, while Xu An and Xu Mo sorted out the pine cones she had picked from the mountain today. Xu An said, "Sister, when are we going to send them to Big Brother?"
Xu Ning said, "I'll wait for two days! I plan to finish knitting this sweater. I still have a lot of pork at home. I'll roast some meat jerky and send it to my brother. I won't go up the mountain for the next two days. I'll just knit the sweater at home."
Xu An said, "Sister, I will go up the mountain tomorrow. You stay at home to take care of Xiao Mo. We can still pick up some mountain products now. I will go a few more times. Sister, don't worry. I won't go inside. I will pick them up outside."
Xu Ning thought about it and decided that since there were many people in the village going up the mountain to chop firewood every day and it wasn't dangerous, he agreed and discussed with him about letting him go to school.
Xu An said, "Sister, I want to go back next year. I have finished reviewing for the third grade and have started reading the fourth grade books. I want to go directly to the fourth grade next year."
Xu Ning said, "Then ask my parents tonight."
When Xu's father and mother came back in the evening, they sat on the kang and talked. Xu Ning told them about Xu An's study.
When Xu's father heard that Xiao An could still go to school, he immediately asked in surprise, "Will the village agree to Xiao An going to school?" Xu Ning said, "I'll ask the village chief. Xiao An's job is to cut grass for pigs. He cuts four baskets a day and gets two work points. He can cut two baskets in the morning before going to school, and cut two more baskets after school in the afternoon. This will not delay his work."
Father Xu said happily, "Then go ask. It would be great if you can continue to go to school." He then asked Xu Ning how he hunted the pheasant in the mountains. "You don't even know that the can you brought over, the five of us ate it all. Your Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu said that this was the best meal they had since they went to the countryside. They didn't have such good food during the Chinese New Year. Your Seventh Grandfather also praised your cooking skills."
Xu's mother also praised, "Even if we are in the city, we can rarely eat such good food."
Xu Ning smiled and said while knitting, "Mom and Dad, we picked these on the mountain. There are a lot of chestnuts and mushrooms on the mountain. Xiao An and I picked enough for us to eat for the whole winter. I also picked a lot of pine nuts on the mountain today. I caught the pheasant when I was picking pine nuts. When I finish knitting the sweater and trousers, I will send it to my eldest brother. I will also send him some pine nuts and hazelnuts later to let him see how we are living here. There are endless wild fruits everywhere in the mountains. ”
Mother Xu said, "Also tell him in the letter that your father Xiao Mo and I have settled down here, and tell him not to miss home." She called Xiao Mo again, "Xiao Mo, come and try these shoes to see if they fit you."
Xu Ning saw the shoes her mother had made for Xiao Mo and asked, "Mom, you made a pair of shoes so quickly?"
Aunt Xu replied, "Your Aunt Lu helped make them during the day. There are still a lot of scraps of cloth and cotton left from you. I asked Aunt Lu to make two pairs. His and Uncle Lu's shoes are not thick, and they have been worn for several years."
After hearing this, Xu Ning immediately got off the kang and went to her room to get two sets of cotton-padded clothes and trousers and came over and said, "Mom, these are the defective items I bought at the supply and marketing cooperative last time. I bought four sets in total. Two sets are for you and my dad, and these two sets are for Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu. You can give them to them. There are also four pairs of wool socks inside, which can be worn when the weather is cold."
She took out two more coats that were similar to the ones worn by Xu's father and mother and said, "These two coats are worn outside so that others can't see what's worn inside. Mom, ask Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu what size shoes they wear tomorrow? Sister Hongying told me last time that there will be another batch of defective products in a few days. I will buy a few more pairs then."
Mother Xu looked at Xu Ning with relief and said, "Mom will give these to your Aunt Lu tomorrow. Your Uncle Lu saved your and Xiao An's lives. From now on, treat your Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu just like you treat me and your dad. Do you understand?"
Xu An and Xu Ning both said, "I understand."
Father Xu said to Xu Ning, "Xiao Ning, the kang over there has been built. Your uncle Lu will light it tonight. Your uncle Lu said it will be done in one night. Your mother and I will not come to live here tomorrow. It would be bad if someone with ulterior motives saw us. Xiao Mo is a child and no one pays attention to him. If he wants to stay here, he can live here with you.
Xu Ning nodded in agreement. It was indeed inconvenient to run back and forth, but the two sides were close anyway, so he could take care of anything.
After Xu's mother finished making shoes for Xiao Mo, she started knitting the trousers. It would be much faster if one of them knitted the sweater and the other the trousers, so they could send them to Xu Yang earlier.
The next day after breakfast, Xu An carried the backpack and went up the mountain. Xu Mo also wanted to go, but he was too small and the weather was cold, so Xu Ning let him stay at home.
When Xu An came back, there was only half a basket of chestnuts in his backpack, and firewood on top. Xu Ning quickly made him a bowl of milk to drink. Xu An said, "Sister, these mountain products are becoming less and less. I went to several places and only found half a basket."
Xu Ning comforted him, "Xiao An, this half basket is enough for us to eat for a long time. We won't go out in the afternoon. You see, we have saved several hundred kilograms and now we have no place to put them. These are enough for us to eat. We can play with Xiao Mo at home in the afternoon."
At night, Xu's father and mother stayed in the cowshed. After dinner, Xu Ning took out the quilt and planned to send it to them. Before he left, Xu's father and mother came in. Xu Ning quickly asked them to go into the house and get on the kang.
After sitting down, Aunt Xu took a stack of money and put it on the table and said, "Today I gave the things to your Aunt Lu, but she and her family refused to accept them. After your father and I persuaded them, they accepted them, but gave them a hundred yuan. Your father told them that you knew someone at the supply and marketing cooperative, and that these were defective products, and they didn't need a ticket and were cheap. They didn't believe me at first, and it was only after I pointed out the defective parts that they believed me. But they refused to take back the hundred yuan no matter what."
Xu Ning glanced at his father and asked, "Dad, what should I do with this money?"
Father Xu said, "Xiao Ning, I'll keep this money with you. Your Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu need a lot of things. If you have the chance, you can help them buy some food. If you can buy some, buy some. And the cotton-padded clothes I'm wearing, do you think you can buy me another set? Your Seventh Grandfather is a good man. He hasn't changed his cotton-padded clothes for many years, and there are only two old quilts on his bed that are who knows how many years old."
Xu Ning said, "Dad, I should still have some cotton-padded clothes and quilts. I'll bring them back when I go to the city in a few days. I'll also buy other things."
The sweater for Xu Yang has been knitted. Xu Ning is now roasting pork slices. He cuts the pork into large slices, marinates it with sauce, and roasts it in a pan until it is dry.
More than three pounds of dried meat were roasted out of five pounds of pork, and some was left for Xu An and Xu Mo. Xu Ning wrapped the whole thing in oil paper, intending to send it to Xu Yang when he goes to the city tomorrow. There were also pine nuts and hazelnuts picked up from the mountain, three pounds of dried meat, two pounds of White Rabbit milk candy, and three pounds of biscuits (the biscuits were taken out of the space and unpacked), four pairs of cotton socks, two pairs of cotton shoes, two pairs of cotton gloves, and a thick hat. Xu Ning also took out a thick cotton coat from the space, as well as a set of knitted sweaters and trousers. Xu Ning found a piece of thick cloth and sewed a big pocket to put all these things in.
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