Life went on in a dull manner. The heavy snow blocked the mountain and no one came to the cowshed and the Youth League Home.
Xu Ning hasn't gone out for several days. He and Xu An cook and read books at home every day.
She wrapped the brown sugar steamed cake she made yesterday and put it in a bucket, then took the shoulder pole to fetch water. Xiao Mo hadn't been here for four or five days, and she hadn't been there in the past few days, so the secret code between the two had not been used.
Xu Ning walked to the main road. Everything she saw was white and there was no one in sight. When she reached the door of the cowshed, she coughed twice, but did not stop. She went straight to the well with the bucket in her hand.
After a while, two meows were heard from the cowshed. Xu Ning was amused by the sound. Xu Mo inside did not get a response, so he meowed twice again.
Xu Ning drew water and waited by the well.
Xu Mo meowed a few times, but no one responded. He opened the door angrily and saw his sister standing by the well, laughing. He walked over and asked, "Sister, have you forgotten our secret code?"
Xu Ning suppressed his laughter and said, "Xiao Mo, can we change the code?"
"Sister, this is a great code. The kittens and puppies are cute, and their barks are beautiful."
Xu Ning discussed with him, "How about I say meow meow and you say woof woof?"
"Okay, I'll say woof woof from now on," he said, and imitated the sound of barking twice. After he finished barking, he was stunned.
Then he immediately said to Xu Ning, "Sister, let's change the code."
Xu Ning couldn't help laughing. Xu Mo felt a little embarrassed and said, "Sister, are you here to bring me something delicious?"
Xu Ning smiled and handed him a bag of steamed cakes and asked, "Xiao Mo, are you going to play with your sister today?"
Xu Mo nodded immediately and said, "Sister, wait for me for a while. I'll send the things back. It's snowing heavily these days, and my parents won't let me go out."
Xu Ning was carrying water, followed by a little tail. As soon as the little tail Xu Mo came into the house, he took off his shoes and lay down on the kang.
Xu An, who was studying on the kang table, saw him and asked, "Xiao Mo, why haven't you come over these days?"
Xu Mo sighed and said, "Second brother, I also want to go out and play every day, but my parents are very strict and won't let me go out. And I have to spend more time with my seventh grandfather. Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu's children are not around either, so I have to accompany them to relieve their boredom. I am so busy every day, oh."
Xu An looked at him speechlessly as he was acting cute. He shook his head and ignored the boy, continuing to read his book.
When Xu Ning filled the water jar and brought it in, he saw two people, one reading a book and the other lying on the kang with his legs crossed looking at a picture album.
She took off her shoes and sat on the kang. Seeing that Xu An was reading a book for the first grade, she asked, "Xiao An, why are you reading a book for the first grade now? Is this the homework assigned by the teacher?"
Xu An put down the book and said, "Sister, I plan to start the second semester of junior high school after the new year. I have already told my teacher and the principal, and he said that as long as I can get 80 points on the exam, he will let me start the first semester of junior high school."
Xu Ning asked in surprise, "But aren't you only in the fifth grade this year? Can you keep up with the studies if you skip a grade?"
Xu An smiled and said, "Sister, I have finished all the textbooks for the first semester of the first grade of junior high school. Now I am reading the books for the second semester. I will definitely keep up with the studies. Don't worry!"
Seeing that he was very confident, Xu Ning didn't say anything. It's a good thing to be ambitious!
Xiao Mo saw his sister coming and immediately got up and asked, "Sister, what shall we eat for lunch?"
Xu Ning pinched his little face and said, "You're hungry after just having breakfast."
"I just had two biscuits this morning and no meal,"
"Little lazy pig, did you get up late? You haven't even had breakfast."
Xu Mo pouted and said, "I'm not a lazy pig. I get up very early. Mom and Aunt Lu don't cook in the morning. We eat two meals a day."
Xu Ning was stunned for a moment and asked, "Why are you only eating two meals? Is there not enough food?"
"Mom and Aunt Lu said that there is not much to do in the winter, so two meals are enough. We can have three meals in the spring when the busy farming season comes. Grandpa Qi and I have some snacks in the morning, but Mom, Dad, Uncle Lu, and Aunt Lu don't eat in the morning."
Xu Ning and Xu An looked at each other.
Seeing that his sister and second brother were silent, Xu Mo knew that he had said something wrong, so he hurriedly said, "Sister, second brother, there is food over there. Dad and Uncle Lu heard from the villagers that many families only eat two meals in winter, so they asked Mom and Aunt Lu not to cook in the morning and cook the lunch earlier."
Xu Ning sighed. In the winter, they don't have to work, and the families with less labor in the village can only eat two meals a day. But it's different for Xu's father and Lu's father. Although they don't have to do farm work in the winter, the six cows need a lot of water and fodder every day.
During the busy farming season, they worked with the villagers, doing harder work than the men in the village. They also ate lunch in the fields, and they didn't dare to eat good food, just a few black-flour cakes. When they got off work in the evening, while others could rest, they still had to take care of the cows when they came back.
How can we survive the winter if we don’t take good care of our bodies? Mom and Aunt Lu are so confused. It’s not like there is no food, so why are they saving money like this?
After dinner, Xu Ning put dozens of kilograms of rice and flour into his backpack, and then took some eggs and meat from the basket.
He said to Xu An and Xu Mo, "I'm going to the cowshed. You two can stay at home and play. Xiao Mo, don't go back. There won't be many people coming here in winter. You can stay here."
Father Xu opened the door and saw his daughter carrying a backpack. He quickly took it and said, "Daughter, why are you bringing something here again? There is no shortage of food here."
Xu Ning ignored him and went straight into the house. Seeing that his daughter had a sullen face and didn't even call him, Xu's father wondered, could it be that that brat Xu Mo said something bad about him?
Mother Xu and Mother Lu were sitting in the house making cotton shoes. When they saw her coming, they quickly asked her to sit on the kang. Father Xu followed in carrying a backpack.
After Xu Ning entered the house, his face looked better. He said to Xu's father, "Dad, go sit with my uncle Lu for a while. I want to talk to my mom and Aunt Lu."
Father Xu looked at his daughter's face and said hurriedly, "Okay, daughter, then you two can talk. I'm going to your uncle Lu's place."
Father Lu was talking to Grandpa Qi. When he saw him come in, he asked, "Is Xiao Ning here?"
Father Xu nodded and said, "The three of them were talking in the room and chased me out. I saw that she didn't look very happy. She didn't even call me when she came in. She had a sullen face. I wonder if that brat Xu Mo went to complain to her sister."
Aunt Xu and Aunt Lu also noticed that her face looked strange.
Mother Xu asked, "Daughter, what's wrong with you? Did Xiao Mo make you angry?"
"Mom, how can Xiao Mo make me angry? He is so young, how can I argue with him? He is so well behaved."
Xu Ning looked at the two of them and said, "Mom, Aunt Lu, I heard from Xiao Mo that you didn't eat breakfast in the morning."
Mother Lu smiled and said, "That's right! Your Uncle Lu and your father said that many families in the village only eat two meals a day in winter. We thought that there is not much work to do in winter, so we won't be hungry, so we eat one less meal."
Xu Ning sighed, "Mom, Aunt Lu, why are you so confused? Villagers don't work in winter, they just lie on the kang every day, and they don't get hungry even if they eat two meals a day.
My dad and Uncle Lu still have to take care of a few cows. They have to grind flour for the cows, fetch water, chop grass for the cows, clean the cowshed, and get up to watch over the cows at night. It's such a heavy workload, and you don't even let them eat enough.
During the busy farming season, you have to work in the fields and take care of these cows, which requires constant work all day long. If you don't nourish them well in the winter, how will their bodies hold up for a long time?
We don't lack food now. My brother and Brother Lu send you money and food coupons every month. But you are living frugally here. By the time your bodies are broken, what are they still doing outside to make money? ”
Both of them felt a little regretful after hearing this. When they heard their husbands say that, they thought that there was less work to do in winter, so they could eat less to save food and reduce the burden on the children, but they hadn't thought about these things.
Mother Xu said, "Okay, from now on, listen to my daughter and don't be stingy with food. We will all take good care of our bodies and watch you grow up."
Mother Lu also said, "Xiao Ning, you are right. It is us old people who think too much."
Xu Ning breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the two of them had listened to him.
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