Chapter 11
Zhen Zhen rinsed the meat, cut it into cubes, and put it into water to cook.
After scooping it out and stir-frying it until golden brown, pour in the mushrooms and add light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Of course, these were all taken out from her space, and Jiao Huilan couldn't be seen at all when they were poured into the wine bottle.
When the heat is almost right, pour the water from cooking the meat into the pot, then add a large seasoning bag specifically for cooking meat and the cooked eggs. When the heat makes the brined meat in the pot bubble and the aroma fills the air, pour the hot brined meat over the rice.
Wow! It smells so good!
When Zhen Zhen came in with the broth rice, the three children and one child were waiting at the table with their bowls, crying for food. Zhen Zhen gave each of them a bowl, and gave Daya more meat, which made Daya very happy! She felt that her grandmother loved her the most.
Meng Eryong's eyes almost popped out, "Mom, what is this?"
"Braised pork rice! You two are leaving tomorrow, don't say that I don't love you. Give each of you a bowl of meat and two eggs. Eat well and then you can work!"
Zhen Zhen scooped a large bowl of brine for them, just like feeding fodder to the donkeys of the production team.
The rice soaked in greasy saliva and dipped in pancakes were both absolutely delicious. Meng Eryong was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He ignored the questioning and buried his head in the food. He was afraid that if he ate too fast he would lose the flavor and finish it, so he chewed it in small bites reluctantly.
Jiao Huilan was also hungry, so Zhen Zhen scooped a spoonful of fat for her and said, "Eat more to replenish your body."
Jiao Huilan agreed, "Mom, you eat too! Look at you, you give us all the fat and eat the lean meat without oil or water."
Zhen Zhen sighed, "Huilan, mothers are all like this. They keep the good things for their children and the bad things for themselves. As long as you are well fed and well watered, I will be satisfied."
Does this mean that she is treated like a concubine? Jiao Huilan's eyes are filled with tears. She feels that this broth rice is full of her mother's love.
Daya also had a mouthful of saliva, "Grandma, the food you cook is so delicious! It smells so good that I can't even speak."
How can you be so talkative when you can't speak? Kids have so many tricks!
What Zhen Zhen didn't expect was that Meng Eryong was simply a pig. He ate more than Meng Daguo and Jiao Huilan, and soon finished a big pot of rice. Zhen Zhen was so angry that he wanted to send him to work as a millstone right away.
Meng Eryong was reluctant to give up the soup at the bottom of the bowl, so he sat there and called out, "Sister-in-law, go get me a cake!"
Jiao Huilan responded and stood up like a servant.
Zhen Zhen couldn't bear it any longer, so he put down his chopsticks and said coldly, "Huilan, sit down, you are not allowed to go anywhere!"
Jiao Huilan was stunned, and saw her mother-in-law looking at the second son with a cold face. Under the gaze of her mother-in-law, the second son gradually felt guilty.
Zhen Zhen frowned and said in a bad tone, "Eryong, is that how you talk to your sister-in-law? An elder sister-in-law is like a mother. In order to make sure you can have food, your sister-in-law makes steamed buns and steamed bread for you and makes pickled vegetables. She is the one who takes care of everything in the house, not to mention that she is pregnant! Your sister-in-law has contributed the most to this family. What right do you have to order her around?"
Meng Eryong was stunned by the scolding. His mother had never said such harsh words before. What happened? Didn't his mother dislike his eldest sister-in-law the most? He had only been away from home for two months, and his status in the family was even lower than that of his eldest sister-in-law?
Meng Eryong didn't think he was wrong.
The atmosphere was a little off, Jiao Huilan tried to smooth things over, "Mom, it's just something I did, please don't blame Eryong."
"What's wrong with saying a few words to him? He worked for the Tao family for a few months, but he doesn't care about the lives of his own family! I bought the rice for this table, I bought the meat, and I cooked the meal. How can he act like a big shot?"
Meng Eryong was unhappy, but he was indeed in the wrong in this matter, so he went to the kitchen with a gloomy face.
Meng Daguo glanced at his mother's face, and very schemingly gave the only two pieces of meat left in his bowl to Jiao Huilan. Jiao Huilan looked outside and thought the sun was rising from the west.
Zhen Zhen looked at him approvingly, "Daguo is great, he is becoming more and more caring! This is my, Zhen Guizhi's, son!"
Meng Eryong walked to the door with the cake in his hand and became even angrier when he heard this.
The next morning, when the roosters crowed for the second time, it was still dark and Meng Daguo and Meng Eryong got up. The slag heap was more than ten miles away, so they had to leave early.
With a creak, the door opened. Meng Daguo looked and saw his mother coming out in the dim light, holding something in her hands.
Meng Daguo went to meet her and said, "Mom, it's cold outside, why are you up so early?"
Zhen Zhen looked at his cotton jacket, which was as thin as it could be, and smiled: "Isn't mother afraid that you would be cold? Look, your father left behind two military coats. I had locked them in the cupboard, fearing that seeing them would remind you of your father. But mother couldn't stand by and watch you freeze, so after thinking about it, I decided to take out the military coats and let you wear them! If people ask about them outside, just say they are your father's relics."
Meng Daguo had always dreamed of owning a military coat, but he never expected that his father would leave him such a good thing.
Meng Daguo put on his military coat. "Mom! This coat has cotton on the outside, but why is there a layer of fur on the inside? My palms are sweating!"
Of course it's warm! She spent hundreds of dollars on it. She originally planned to wear a down jacket and a military coat to cope with the extremely cold weather in the apocalypse and be the warmest kid in the apocalypse. Who would have thought that it would be a bargain for these two people.
Meng Eryong also felt that he looked impressive. He looked left and right in the mirror and found that he looked really handsome in his military coat.
He was surprised but also felt strange. He searched his mother's closet but didn't see any military coat.
After sending her adopted son away, Zhen Zhen sat in a sheltered spot, knitting in the sun.
She planned to knit a cardigan for Erya so that she could wear it next autumn, and also knit some small hats and shoe covers for her to practice.
Jiao Huilan was hiding in the house, worried. She had prepared Erya's diapers, but she hadn't prepared any cotton clothes, quilts or socks. Although she still had a few cents on hand, she had no tickets and could not buy anything. She didn't know what to do.
Just when I was worrying, my mother-in-law came in with a pile of things.
Zhen Zhen placed the quilt, cotton coat, cotton pants, cotton shoes, cotton socks and cotton hat neatly on the bed.
"Mom, what is this..." Jiao Huilan picked up the pink blanket in disbelief. It was a pink blanket that she had never seen in the supply and marketing cooperative, but it was obviously something for a girl.
"I prepared this for Arya."
Jiao Huilan touched the brand new clothes lovingly, "Mom, whose girl wears so many new clothes right after she is born?"
Zhen Zhen glanced at her and it seemed that the road to brainwashing was still long and arduous!
"Of course it's our Meng family. Girls in our Meng family must be pampered. No matter what anyone says, it's useless! What's the big deal about wearing more new clothes? In the future, I will send them to big cities to study, and to foreign countries to see the world, so that they can all stand out!"
Jiao Huilan was stunned. Now that the school was closed, where could she go to study? She couldn't even think about going abroad. There were many dangers abroad. It was safer to stay in our own place.
"Take a look at what you're still missing and tell me what you want to eat during the confinement period," Zhen Zhen said.
My mother-in-law bought so many clothes, how could Jiao Huilan be lacking anything?
There is nothing to ask for during the confinement period. Rural people are not that delicate and can eat anything.
Of course, if her mother had no objection, she would like to soak the bread at home in sugar water to drink. If she thought it was a waste for her to give birth to a girl, then she could just eat the bread without soaking in sugar water. If she took a step back, she could even eat coarse grains!
The only thing she has during the confinement period is a big appetite. I hope mother doesn't mind her wasting food.
The next morning, Zhen Zhen went to the county town again. This time he had experience riding a trolley, so he specially brought a scarf to wrap his head. To put it in a more fashionable way, it is called a balaclava, but to put it in a more common way, it is the way an old lady wears it.
The car wobbled all the way to the county town, and Zhen Zhen went to the place where he had agreed to meet the uncle last time to wait for him. He thought he would have to wait for a long time, but the uncle was already waiting there.
The two of them came to a quiet alley, and the uncle whispered, "Sister, you are finally here! Did you bring anything?"
"I brought it! Brown sugar and an old hen! See if it works."
The brown sugar was packaged in the most common old brown sugar packaging. The old hen was killed and there was a lot of meat on the chicken leg. The uncle was very satisfied.
"Sister, how much do you want for this old hen?"
Zhen Zhen inquired about the price. A hen costs 1.3 yuan per pound and a ticket is required. It is very difficult to buy on the market. The price on the black market must be at least double that. Zhen Zhen's old hen weighs more than four pounds. Even if she intends to sell it at a lower price, she still has to charge eight or nine yuan.
The uncle was silent for a moment after hearing the offer, "Girl, where's the brown sugar?"
Brown sugar is even rarer nowadays, costing 0.80 cents per pound and supplied by coupons. Many families would only buy half a pound of brown sugar during Chinese New Year or during confinement after childbirth.
"One pound per bag, one yuan and five cents per bag."
The uncle didn't think it was expensive, but he only had ten yuan on him, and he wanted to buy two more packets of noodles from Zhen Zhen, so this amount was not enough.
"Sister, I don't have enough money. Can I give you something in exchange?" The uncle was a little embarrassed. It was obvious that he had never encountered such an embarrassing situation in his life.
Zhen Zhen didn't care about the few dollars and wanted to just forget it, but the uncle's personality probably made him not accept it.
"What do you want to pay for it?"
"Can you come back with me? I have my stuff at home."
In the previous life, Zhen Zhen would definitely not have been able to go with him, but in this era everyone is transparent, and he probably wouldn't dare to do anything bad. Zhen Zhen thought for a moment and followed him. The uncle's house was in a very clean alley. The house was exquisitely decorated. The north-facing bookshelf was filled with books, and there were some propaganda posters on the wall.
The uncle poured her a glass of water and said, "Big sister, there is nothing good to treat you at home."
Although she knew there were no sleeping pills these days, Zhen Zhen still didn't drink it. She was not used to sharing a cup with others.
The uncle took out a box from the cellar and when he opened it, he found a very plain glazed porcelain bowl.
The uncle couldn't let go of the bowl, but he still handed it to Zhen Zhen heartlessly.
"Sister, this is a porcelain bowl from the Song Dynasty. It is top quality. I have only come across one like it in my life. I want to use this bowl to pay for the noodles."
Zhen Zhen doesn't understand antiques. In her opinion, this porcelain bowl is no different from those in the museum. It is beautiful, but not as tempting as fried chicken.
The uncle thought she didn't believe him, so he said:
"Sister, this is a really good thing. When the world gets better, you can take it out and buy as much brown sugar as you want. I was reluctant to give it away at first, but I'm afraid my house will be smashed and destroyed in a few days. Rather than having it smashed to pieces, it's better to give it away, at least leaving a memory for future generations."
"Do you trust me so much?" Zhen Zhen was puzzled.
The uncle smiled bitterly, "How can I be relieved? I just can't do anything! You are from the village, you can just find a deserted place to bury it, unlike me..."
Even if he was carrying a bag, a book or a basket, people would stare at him and report on him.
This bowl cannot be taken out. Even if you can take it out, it may easily get bumped and scratched, and then it will be worthless.
This kind of thing is like a hot potato. Those who dare to take it these days are the robbers and looters. How can ordinary people dare to touch it? He saw that Zhen Zhen was brave and dared to come out to sell things. She was not an ordinary person, so he decided to give this bowl to her.
Zhen Zhen couldn't tell how much this thing was worth, but fortunately she didn't care about that. The uncle was a cultured man, and she couldn't bear to see a cultured man fall into poverty. Even if he didn't give her a bowl, she would still help him.
Zhen Zhen thought about it, then took out five packets of noodles and a net bag of eggs from the sack.
"Brother, I can see that you're having a hard time. Your loved one must have eaten well while in the hospital. Here are some of my gifts. Please accept them! Just think of it as buying this bowl!"
The uncle smiled with some emotion. Who could have thought that the person with the most conscience would be this country woman?
Although his integrity prevented him from accepting help from others, his current situation made it impossible for him to refuse. He finally accepted the offer, but asked Zhen Zhen to send the things directly to the hospital to avoid the unsafe situation at home.
Zhen Zhen made some money and went to the supply and marketing cooperative. She wanted to buy an iron pot. Iron pots were rare these days and sold at a high price. Fortunately, she had a few in her room. Although they were not famous brands, they were much more practical than the pots at that time. She could just use this as an excuse to take them out.
As she walked to the door of her house carrying a sack, she saw several familiar figures.
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