Chapter 57
The weather turned cold in November, and the villagers began to prepare for the winter. Zhen Zhen prepared charcoal, firewood, and food for the winter as she did in previous years. She also had enough bedding and cotton clothes, so she didn't make any special preparations. She only prepared new clothes for the children to wear during the New Year.
There was a heavy snowfall just after the Chinese New Year, and as luck would have it, the Meng family's house collapsed.
It was midnight when Zhen Zhen heard the news. Meng Daguo and Meng Eryong had gone to help, and she quickly put on her clothes and rushed over as well.
The Meng family has a mixture of new and old houses. The collapsed one was built more than 20 years ago and had long been in disrepair. However, as there were many children in the family, they had no money to build a new house, so they had been living in this house to make do.
When it snowed last night, Mr. Meng was so worried that he didn't sleep all night. Who knew that what he feared would come true? In the middle of the night, he heard a loud bang and the part near the window collapsed first. Mr. Meng woke up the children and they ran out quickly.
Unexpectedly, the collapse also caused the house next door to collapse. His eldest son Meng Dazhui was sleeping next door and was buried because he ran a little slower.
Fortunately, Meng Dazhui was lucky enough to be protected by a cupboard, but he was buried underneath and couldn't get out for a while, so Boss Meng went to call the villagers for help.
Meng Daguo and Meng Eryong were not afraid of the cold as they wore their military coats, but other members of the Meng family were not so lucky.
Several children were wearing sweaters and woolen trousers, shivering in the north wind.
Zhang Qiaohong was not wearing an outer coat either, and it was a bit awkward to be surrounded by people.
Meng Daguo took off his military coat and asked Jiao Huilan to hand it to Zhang Qiaohong. Zhang Qiaohong's nose turned red and she felt so warm in her heart.
Mrs. Meng was worried about her son, "What should I do?"
"Dazhu is in good spirits, don't worry. But with such a large group of people, they need a place to live."
Zhen Zhen asked Cheng Su to go to Li Decheng's house, borrow the oilcloth used for the banquet, and set up a simple tent. Although it was not as warm as the house, it was at least a place to shelter from the wind, and the things rescued from the house could be piled in.
Meng Dazhu was rescued before dawn. He was lucky and was unharmed, but the house was beyond saving.
Before, Zhen Zhen's family built a new house, and Mrs. Meng was envious. She had been frugal in the past few years and wanted to build a bright and big house like her family. However, she had been saving money but it was never enough, so the matter of building the house was on hold. Now she had no choice but to build it.
Mrs. Meng pulled Zhen Zhen aside and said a little embarrassedly:
"My family wants to build six rooms. Qiaohong and Shufen gave me all the money they had, and I borrowed some from my parents. I still have 300 yuan on hand, and I still need 200 yuan. Last time, Mengli said she could lend me 100 yuan, but I really have no place to borrow the remaining 100 yuan, so I had to ask you if you have any money on hand."
Mrs. Meng was not so sure. Although the second branch lived a good life, Tao Aihong was a lazy person and Zhen Guizhi did not work in the fields. The whole family depended on Daguo, Eryong and Huilan to earn work points.
Although the second son's wife managed the household well, she was too greedy. She ate a lot of meat and fish every day and had to go to the county town every three to five days. However, what she earned was not enough to eat.
Mrs. Meng felt that her sister-in-law might not be able to come up with a hundred yuan.
A few years ago, Meng Daguo sold some pigs. Because the market was not good, he sold them to Zhao Meilan for 70 cents. The income was not as high as in previous years, but he still made some money.
We had six pigs at home. We gave one to the state and slaughtered one, making some profit.
Zhen Zhen didn't say anything else. She only helped in emergencies, not in poverty. The eldest wife had never asked her for help, but she was indeed in trouble now.
But she was still embarrassed, "I have to go back and make some money. You know me. I never earn enough to spend, so how can I save any money?"
Mrs. Meng felt a little guilty about what she said. She knew her sister-in-law was stingy and couldn't save any money, but she still came to expose her secrets.
Mrs. Meng smiled and said, "If I don't have it, I'll just build one less room. It's no big deal."
Six rooms are already the minimum. There are many people in the big house, not to mention the four old people. There are six people in Meng Dazhu's room, and there are also six people in Meng Dajian's room. It is very difficult for a family of sixteen to live in six rooms. Any fewer would be really inappropriate.
Zhen Zhen went back and brought back a hundred yuan for her, and he even took out change.
Mrs. Meng was deeply moved. She had never expected that her sister-in-law would be so willing to lend her money. Looking at the wrinkled money, she was afraid that she had taken out all the money from the bottom of her box.
Old Mrs. Meng knew some people, and since the incident happened suddenly, the village had to help, so the red brick was approved within a few days.
These days, if someone is in trouble, the whole village will help.
It was not yet the time for spring plowing, and there was no work to do in the village. Everyone knew that if something happened to the Meng family, those who had money would contribute money, and those who had labor would contribute labor. The wood was prepared in a few days, and when the weather became warmer after the thaw, the Meng family began to lay the foundation and build a house.
Zhen Zhen's family also came to help. Meng Daguo and Meng Eryong helped with the chores, and the two daughters-in-law helped with cooking.
Zhen Zhen knew that the eldest wife had no money, and the stored vegetables and meat had been buried and could not be eaten.
She brought some big bones to cook in the hot pot.
A makeshift pot was set up at the door. Zhen Zhen first cooked a large pot of bone soup. When he opened the lid of the pot, the soup was white and clear. The aroma of the bones made the hard-working people drool.
It's time to eat something hot in winter, so Zhen Zhen cut the cabbage, radish, sweet potato, winter melon and pumpkin. Gou Zi Niang gave some tofu and Zhang Cuihua gave bean sprouts and potatoes, which were also put into the pot.
These dishes are not worth the money, you can add as much as you want, just take the dishes out of the pot and dip them in sesame chili sauce. Needless to say, they taste great, and the main thing is that they warm you up.
It's freezing cold, and the workers' hands are frozen. Who wouldn't feel happy to have such a hot meal?
If you don’t have enough to eat, there are still steamed buns waiting for you. These are white flour steamed buns. They are delicious even with some salted vegetables, not to mention they are paired with hot pot.
Mrs. Meng was very grateful to her and turned to Mrs. Meng and said, "A friend in need is a friend indeed. I am so sorry for Guizhi's failure this time."
Old Mrs. Meng never expected that her second son's wife would be so generous.
The snow collapsed the house, damaged a lot of furniture, and crushed all the food in Maodong Village. Old Mrs. Meng felt extremely distressed. Fortunately, the house was built smoothly, and the two sons' families lived in harmony. Old Mrs. Meng felt relieved.
Meng Li and Jiang Dongping also came over to help.
Jiang Dongping also brought over the meat and vegetables distributed by his unit. The front bumper of the car was full of them, which looked like a lot.
Mrs. Meng was a little embarrassed. "You guys keep it for yourselves. How can I take your food?"
"Meng Li and I are paid and usually eat in the company cafeteria, so we don't lack these things," Jiang Dongping said.
Mrs. Meng is becoming more and more satisfied with her son-in-law Jiang Dongping. How much money he gives, or whether he gives gifts or not, are secondary. What matters most is that he knows how to do things and behaves, and he has the intention. The thought is worth a thousand gold, and this is the most important thing.
Building a house in winter is not as fast as in summer. It took more than half a month to put up the beams.
After the houses were built, they still looked very impressive. The six new houses plus the ones that did not collapse were very conspicuous among the straw houses in the countryside.
In this way, both branches of the Meng family built new houses, which was the first of its kind in the countryside.
Daguo's father was a soldier, and old lady Meng's father was a very particular person. In addition, Meng Daguo's generation was able to support themselves, so no one in the village dared to bully the Meng family. After they built the house, they would be looked up to even more.
But building the house these days has made Meng Li very tired.
Zhen Zhen served her a bowl of red date ginger soup. Caoguo has been cooking ginger soup every day these days. Whenever someone feels cold, they can have a cup of it. It is the most effective way to ward off the cold.
Meng Li took a sip and said, "Thanks to your ginger soup, I didn't catch a cold. It was really too cold today."
"How are the kids?"
"They are being taken care of by their grandparents."
Meng Li mentioned that she missed her children very much.
Her belly was already quite big, and Zhen Zhen was afraid that she would catch a cold, so after she finished drinking a bowl of ginger tea, she brought her a bowl of red date soy milk.
Meng Li is so meticulous at home, and his aunt's cooking is delicious, so he has not only not lost weight in the past few days, but has gained two or three pounds.
Jiang Dongping was also very grateful to Zhen Zhen for taking such good care of Meng Li.
Da Ya led Si Ya over. Si Ya walked steadily, but her speech was not very clear. There was nothing she could do as she was only one and a half years old.
"Grandma." Si Ya called in a baby voice.
Si Ya Liu Hai is soft and looks timid and cute.
Zhen Zhen smiled and picked up Si Ya, "Call me auntie and uncle."
Si Ya was a little shy, pouting and calling out in a wronged tone, "Aunt, Father."
"It's aunt and uncle," Meng Li thought Si Ya was very interesting, so she took out a piece of candy and gave it to Si Ya, "Si Ya, is the baby in your aunt's belly a brother or a sister?"
Si Ya stared at Meng Li's belly for a while and said, "It's a little sister."
Meng Li was happy.
Zhen Zhen thought that it was not easy for rural children these days. Whenever someone got pregnant, they would ask them about the situation until they got a satisfactory answer.
"What? Do you have any hard targets? Even if you give birth to a son, Jiang Dongping won't blame you."
Meng Li held her waist and sat down. "We have two sons, right? We are not interested in having more sons. We just want a daughter. Besides, Jiang Dongping also hopes to have a daughter. He said that two sons and one daughter is the best combination. With brothers loving them, no one will dare to bully the daughter whether she is in school or getting married."
"Jiang Dongping has fair skin. If you two had a daughter, she would definitely be very pretty."
Meng Li smiled and said, "I hope it will come true!"
The work of building a big house lasted until March. The village had already started preparing for spring ploughing. Cheng Su and Meng Zhaodi also went out to earn work points. Zhen Zhen had nothing to do so he lay on the rocking chair and basked in the sun.
The sun was warm, my back was warmed by the sun, and my body and mind were relaxed, probably because I had nothing on my mind.
Zhen Zhen had just finished knitting the sweater when Zhang Cuihua came in and said mysteriously:
"Explosive news. No charge if it's not nice."
Zhen Zhen smiled as she knitted without raising her head, "What explosive news can you have? When Gou Zi Niang delivered a cow in labor, it was like telling a story in 81 chapters."
Zhang Cuihua grabbed a handful of melon seeds. "Let me tell you, this is really explosive news. Do you remember Yin Zhiqing who was taken away for reform? Wasn't she released before the Chinese New Year? Who knew that Yin Zhiqing suddenly vomited last night? Li Decheng's wife sent her to the health center, and after checking, they found out that she was pregnant."
Zhen Zhen then raised his head. It has only been a few months and Yin Xue is already pregnant?
"Whose child is it?"
"Whose else could it be? It must be Meng Yi's!"
Zhen Zhen almost spit out water, "Meng Yi's?"
She thought it was Pan Dongming's. Without the female lead as a stumbling block, and Pan Dongming doing a transformation for Yin Xue, wouldn't there be a love story between the two? Why did Yin Xue follow someone else?
"I think Yin Xue has nowhere to go. She thinks Meng Yi is a formal employee of the post office. If she marries Meng Yi, she can settle down in the county town and won't have to work in the village all day." Zhang Cuihua analyzed.
Zhen Zhen didn't know what to say. The news of resuming the college entrance examination would be announced in October. It would be a loss for Yin Xue to do this.
Given her personality, if she could get into college, would she be with Meng Yi?
If she wants to go back to the city, she has to abandon her husband and child. Unfortunately, the child is still young and will be without a mother.
However, there were quite a few such cases in the next two years. Many educated youth divorced their wives or husbands in the countryside in order to return to the city.
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