Chapter 4
Jiao Huilan cleaned up the dishes, Meng Daguo took Daya to the yard to digest the food, and Zhen Zhen returned to her room.
There was nothing in the original owner's room. The autumn wind was strong and wind leaked in from the paper-pasted windows from time to time. The quilt on the bed was damp and cold, and there was a layer of dry straw under the mattress. It was uncomfortable everywhere.
She opened a corner of the quilt and found that although the quilt was covered with cotton, the cotton had been used for who knows how many years. Not only was it gray and fluffy, but it was also hard and damp.
In my memory, the original owner seldom dried his quilt in the sun. When it was cold, he would just put on clothes and socks to sleep, and he could barely survive the winter.
But for someone like Zhen Zhen who doesn't like to wear too many clothes when sleeping, this kind of quilt can't keep out the severe cold at all.
Winter has almost begun in Batou Village since November. In addition, winters in this era are much colder than those in later generations, and it often snows half a person's height. Therefore, surviving the winter has become a very important matter.
Not only do we need to stockpile vegetables and grain, we also need to stockpile quilts, coal, and firewood.
The original owner never cared about the lives of his family members. Winter was approaching, Jiao Huilan and Meng Daguo were at work every day, and the others were not at home, so nothing was prepared at home.
If Zhen Zhen had come a month later, I'm afraid he would have frozen to death in this cold winter.
At night, she locked the door and took out the blanket from the space to cover herself. The down quilt she used was not windproof and the room was drafty. It was very cold before midnight. Zhen Zhen found another blanket and covered herself with it, which made her feel a little warmer.
The next morning, she put the quilt back and went out to see Jiao Huilan hanging around in front of her door.
After the autumn harvest, there was not much farm work to do in the brigade, so Jiao Huilan could rest at home for a few days. Before Meng Daguo got up early to go to work, he reminded her to take good care of her mother-in-law. She did not dare to neglect it and got up early to wait.
"Mom, what would you like to eat in the morning?"
There was some soup left over from last night, and Jiao Huilan planned to add some vegetables into the soup. The soup was full of essence, and eating it could replenish the stomach.
When Zhen Zhen thought about the soup being stirred by chopsticks last night, he lost interest in drinking the soup.
"There's noodles in the noodle jar. Use the leftover meat from yesterday to make some meat dumplings!"
Jiao Huilan's eyes widened. They ate meat last night and they ate meat again this morning? This is too extravagant! At least they should leave some time for them to look forward to. What are they going to eat next time after they finish eating this?
But she didn't dare disobey her mother. If her mother said to eat buns, then she should eat buns.
Jiao Huilan is a good cook. She first made the dough, then fried pork lard with pork skin, and then mixed the pork lard with cabbage to make the stuffing.
After the dough was risen, it didn't take long to make a big pot of buns. The folds of the buns were neat and tidy, and the white flour on the outside was soft. It was a pity that there was too little filling in each bun. Zhen Zhen frowned when he saw it.
"With this little bit of stuffing, are you making steamed buns or steamed bread?"
Jiao Huilan was a little embarrassed. "I just thought that if I put less stuffing, I could make more buns."
Mom really doesn't know how to live. If this big piece of pork were given to someone else, they could eat eighteen meals with it. But the way mom eats it, it won't even be enough for one meal.
"No need to save money for me. I still have some money left from the ring. I'll think of a way after we finish eating."
Jiao Huilan didn't dare to contradict her mother-in-law and did as she said.
Daya wanted a piece of noodles to play with, but her mother wouldn't give it to her, thinking she was wasting the noodles, so she had no choice but to help Jiao Huilan make a fire.
Children from poor families have to grow up early. When she was only three years old, she was already an expert at making fire.
The grass pot steamed quickly, hot steam rose in the kitchen, and the fragrance came out of the steamer, making Daya drool.
"Grandma, the meat buns smell so good."
Zhen Zhen replied: "From now on, you will have meat buns to eat every day."
Daya's eyes sparkled and she nodded happily. After she woke up from breastfeeding, she was like a different person. She used to be beaten and scolded every day, but now she was not only not beaten or scolded, but she was also always given delicious food.
This kind of grandma makes her want to get close to her.
Daya hugged Zhen Zhen's legs and rubbed them. Zhen Zhen wanted to pat her head, but he felt oil on his hand and quickly withdrew his hand.
Jiao Huilan was sad. Her daughter had never eaten meat buns since she was born. How could she dare to dream of eating them every day? Her mother-in-law was really good at lying to children.
When the lid was lifted, even Jiao Huilan began to drool. She held the steamer and said:
"Mom, Daguo can't come back for breakfast today, I'll bring him some buns."
"Come back!" Zhen Zhen glanced at her belly, "Don't you know your own situation? Even if you are thinking about Daguo, you have to feed yourself first. Sit down and eat a few buns to fill your stomach, and then send it to him after you are full."
Jiao Huilan blushed at what her mother-in-law said, "Mom, how can rural people be so delicate? This child works with me every day, so it won't be a problem if he's hungry."
Brainwashing is something that can only be done slowly.
Zhen Zhen was too lazy to preach to her, and said with a stern face, "I said you should finish eating, so just finish eating. It's okay for a man to be hungry for a few meals, but you are a pregnant woman. If you starve yourself, it will not only be a problem for you, but also for the baby in your belly."
"But……"
"There's nothing wrong with that. Just do as I say and eat first!"
Only then did Jiao Huilan sit down.
This big meat bun is so delicious! Jiao Huilan can eat more than ten of them. When she ate the sixth one, she glanced at her mother-in-law's face and secretly took another one.
Zhen Zhen saw it all and smiled in her heart. The buns were big and she felt a little full after eating one, but Jiao Huilan ate seven and still wasn't full.
As expected, people these days have little fat in their stomachs, and their appetite is not comparable to that of people in later generations.
After cleaning up the dishes, Jiao Huilan was afraid that her husband would be hungry, so she took Daya with her and carried a basket to give Meng Daguo some buns.
Meng Daguo didn't feel hungry at all.
I ate four bowls of rice last night, and also ate a lot of pork and cabbage. I was savoring the aroma of the meat and rice all night. When I got up this morning, I didn't feel hungry at all.
Dachuan, who worked with him, complained, "I'm starving! I haven't had a full meal in months, and I have to do such tiring farm work every day. If I could have a full meal, I would be willing to die!"
Meng Daguo also rested for a while on the field ridge. "That's right. Who doesn't want to have a full meal? People of our generation grew up hungry."
"When your father was alive, how could you have ever been hungry? Look at me, if I wasn't hungry, I wouldn't be this short."
"Your height is genetic! Your mother is short, your brother is short, your brother is short, so what else can you do if you are not short?"
This made Chen Dachuan angry.
As they were talking, Chen Dachuan's wife brought in some food. Although it was not white flour, it was not bran either. Like most families, they ate coarse grains.
He originally wanted to be polite and let Meng Daguo eat a piece of cake, but his wife stopped him.
Dachuan's wife is a harsh person, but she is not a bad person. It's just that life is not easy for everyone these days, and their family is also very tight. The little food they have is saved from the women and children and fed to the working men.
Chen Dachuan had no choice but to lower his head and eat the cake.
Meng Daguo didn't care. After his father died, his family had been living in poverty. He knew there was no food at home. Fortunately, he had a full meal last night, so it would be worth it even if he was hungry for a day.
"Daguo, isn't that your wife? Oh! Daya is here too. I haven't seen her for a few days. Daya has gained some weight and her face is starting to have some flesh." Dachuan's wife smiled.
Meng Daguo looked up and saw from a distance his wife and daughter coming over. Indeed, after a good meal last night, Daya's face has become a lot rounder and she looks a bit cute like a child.
"Dad!" Daya called out crisply.
Meng Daguo smiled and took his daughter by the hand, and asked Jiao Huilan, "Why are you here?"
Jiao Huilan greeted Dachuan and his wife, then smiled and said, "Mom asked me to make some meat dumplings. I was afraid you were hungry, so I gave you some to try."
Meng Daguo lifted the cage cloth and took a look, and immediately started drooling.
Wow! The man could see the meat filling through the soft white flour skin of the big buns, and the meaty aroma made him want to swallow his tongue!
Without bothering to ask her where the meat came from, Meng Daguo picked up one and stuffed it into his mouth.
Jiao Huilan also brought him a jar of salty soup, which was also oily and smelled of meat.
Meng Daguo ate eight meat buns in one breath. When the basket was empty, he realized that he had eaten too much and then he remembered to ask.
"Have you eaten? Has Daya eaten?" You wouldn't be hungry so you saved the food for him, right?
"I ate it. Mom asked me to give it to you after you finished eating it. Daya also ate two buns."
Only then did Meng Daguo realize that he had been being too sentimental.
It's strange. In the past, my wife always put him first and everything depended on him. But today, is the sun rising from the west?
The people working nearby smelled the tempting meat and their stomachs growled with hunger.
Didn't they say that the Meng family was so poor that they couldn't afford to eat? But now Meng Daguo was eating meat buns, and the buns were full of stuffing. How could someone who couldn't afford to eat eat this?
Sure enough, the rumors were true. After Daguo's father died, the army must have received a lot of subsidies.
However, no matter how much subsidy is given, it is useless. Zhen Guizhi is not a good person. She will spend the money early in the morning. This money will definitely not reach the hands of the three sons! She can only make a few meat buns to buy off the sons.
Chen Dachuan also felt that the cake in his hand was no longer fragrant.
Jiao Huilan took the children out to deliver meals, and Zhen Zhen had nothing to do, so he simply tidied up the room.
No matter how you clean up the mud and thatched house, it always looks untidy.
Actually, the original owner's house is quite old. It was built by Daguo's grandmother when they got married with the subsidy from Old Man Meng's army.
The walls of this mud and straw house are made by mixing mud and wheat straw, which are then forked up with iron forks to form walls.
It should be warm in winter and cool in summer, but the workmanship is not good enough. The walls are peeling and there are many holes. Not only do they leak air, but they also easily attract insects and rats in spring and summer. They cannot be blocked, so the living experience is very poor.
Zhen Zhen really wants to build a tiled house.
In fact, according to Mr. Meng's level, he should have received a death benefit of 550 yuan after his death, and his parents could each receive 8 yuan in security benefits per month.
However, when Old Man Meng died, a rumor emerged from nowhere that Old Man Meng was a spy sent by the enemy. Although the army later confirmed that this was a slander, the subsidy was delayed again and again and has not been issued for several years.
If he could get this money, Zhen Zhen would think of a way to replace all the houses in his family with tiled ones.
It took me half an hour to clean up.
"Milk."
"What are you doing?" Zhen Zhen passed by the yard. Jiao Huilan had come back at some point and was sitting in the yard. Daya was leaning her head on her knees.
"Mother, the eldest girl has lice. I am combing her hair with a comb."
From time to time, Jiao Huilan would comb a louse and pinch it with her fingernails, making a crackling sound. The sound made Zhen Zhen feel itchy all over.
The lice jumped high, and Zhen Zhen didn't want to be infected, so he stood farther away.
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