Chapter 113: Scouting

It snowed in the evening, and it got heavier and heavier.

The snow was so thick that many tree branches were broken. There was no trace of the roof tiles on the roof, and the snow on the ground was at least not above the feet.

The next day, before dawn, the second brother Lu got up with a long pole to scrape the snow on the roof to prevent it from being damaged.

The eldest brother Lu wanted to sleep in, but Fang Dihua called him to sweep and remove the snow, and to clear the snow on the fruit trees to avoid breaking the branches with many fruits.

So everyone in the family got up one after another, even the children did not sleep in, and bravely climbed out of the warm quilt to make snowmen and have snowball fights.

盼盼撅着小屁股趴在窗戶中間的玻璃上往外看, 玻璃上有厚厚的霜凍，他哈了幾下伸舌頭舔了舔，摳出透亮的地方向外看。

他學着爺爺的樣子, “哇, 瑞雪兆豐年！”

甜甜聽爺奶的話，起來要先穿衣服免得感冒着涼。

她拿着小棉襖往盼盼身上披, 學着爺爺慈愛的模樣, “來, 乖孫兒，穿衣服！”

盼盼：“……”

他還不想穿，還想玩窗玻璃。

“啪啪”屁股上挨了兩巴掌, 雖然甜甜打得不疼, 但是這說揍就揍的脾氣随誰？

他哎呀一聲，“你脾氣越來越壞了！要溫柔！”

陸安已經喊着堆雪人在院子裏開始行動了。

The two children also got anxious, and quickly dressed and rushed out to help.

Seeing Lin Shu and the children get up, Lu Xiuxiu came over to continue making clothes.

There are still the last two sets, which can be finished today, and people can take them away at noon tomorrow on New Year's Eve and wear them.

Lin Shu did not persuade her to play more or rest. Since her niece is willing to work, just do it. After all, she is young and not afraid of tiredness.

Today is the twenty-ninth day, and we have to make big steamed buns for ancestor worship.

The old dough was soaked yesterday. At night, the old dough was crushed into dough lumps, then water was added to mix the dough evenly, and it will rise today.

Pour all of this directly into a large basin filled with flour, knead the dough, and then make New Year's cakes and put them on the hot kang to ferment. When they rise, they are steamed in a pot.

This steamed bun is very particular. The dough must be hard and kneaded vigorously. The steamed bun is big and smooth without any cracks.

Because it is used to worship the ancestors and the heaven and earth on New Year's Eve.

Lin Shu is not strong enough, Fang Dihua asked Lu Dasao to knead the dough, and she and Lu Ersao helped to knead it.

Old man Lu has been busy writing Spring Festival couplets these two days.

Because other people's writing is not as beautiful as his, many people in the village come to his house.

Old man Lu asked his eldest brother Lu to help write couplets.

Lu Shaocai originally thought that if someone came to him, he would have to use the excuse to force people to vote for him.

As a result... I thought too much, no one came to him.

Who doesn't want the couplets on the door to look good?

During the New Year, every household not only has to put up Spring Festival couplets, but also has to pay the door money according to the custom.

The door money was cut out of colored paper and pasted on the door lintel.

Now it's all red paper.

Jin Ping'er was very good at paper cutting. Every year she cut a lot of paper to give to others, and others gave her eggs as a reward.

The Lu family naturally had some too.

There were also the sounds of children playing snowball fights on the street. Lu An, who was sweeping the snow, waved his broom and went out to sweep the front door and play snowball fights with others.

Tiantian and Panpan also ran out. Hu Zi and a few other children happened to be out playing, so they joined the battle.

While they were fighting, the two kids heard the voice of the second aunt and turned their heads in surprise to look over.

"Second aunt, second aunt!" Panpan screamed.

Tiantian also ran towards the second aunt with the crunching sound of snow.

Panpan ran over with joy.

"Puff", the snow was too thick, he accidentally rolled into the snow pile, and knocked down Tiantian and Chuang in front of him, and the two children rolled into a ball.

Lin Xia looked at them and laughed, "Oh, it's not even the New Year yet and they're already kowtowing to me to ask for kowtowing money." Lin Xia

took Tiantian and Panpan out of the snow pile and helped them pat the snow clean.

Huzi, Huahua and others also rolled over, followed the two children and called them "Second Aunt" enthusiastically.

Lin Xia laughed even louder, and put down her backpack to grab candies to share with them.

Panpan was quick-witted and grabbed Second Aunt's hand, whispering, "Second Aunt, I'll share!"

Lin Xia stuffed the candies into his pocket and let him share, while she took Tiantian home.

Panpan never divides candy equally among his friends. On special occasions, he gives one piece to each person, and gives one or two more to reward outstanding contributions.

For example, when he fights with Zhang Xiaoliang, Chang Xiaogang and others, he generously gives one piece to each person, and rewards Hei Zhuang and Hua Hua with two more pieces.

Today, everyone is playing in the snow and having a snowball fight. There is no special day, and it will be the New Year in a few days. Every household has prepared New Year's goods, and most families have killed pigs for meat.

As for this candy, we should save it.

It will be New Year's Eve next year, and we will definitely eat candy. We can eat candy again when we pay New Year's greetings in the first month of the year.

He gave Hua Hua one piece, and the others two pieces each.

Sweet mouth forgets, do you want to eat your fill?

After distributing the candy, he hurried home.

Lin Shu almost didn't recognize Lin Xia when she saw her.

She looked at Lin Xia's chapped face, and the two of them were so red that their cheeks were cracked!

"Sister, where did you go to the countryside? Why is the wind so vicious there?"

Lin Xia smiled and said, "Who is as lucky as you, enjoying the good life at home all day long? The wind here is also vicious if you blow it outside every day in winter."

The knife shaved her face, and soon her face became chapped, red and wrinkled.

Seeing Lin Xia coming, the Lu family came over to greet her, and then let Lin Shu and the second sister talk, and they went to do their own things.

Fang Dihua was concerned about where she came from so early in the morning, whether she was cold, sleepy or hungry, and asked her to get on the kang quickly to warm up.

Lin Xia: "Auntie, I took a bus here early in the morning. I left early but I'm not cold at all."

Fang Dihua thought, how could it not be cold? It was snowing heavily at night, and it must be difficult to walk on the road, so she asked Lin Shu to quickly make brown sugar ginger soup for her second sister to warm her body.

Seeing Lin Xia's chapped and red face, Lu Dasao smiled. At a glance, Lin Erjie looked like her sister. Look at this face, it's exactly the same as hers. Lu Ersao

greeted Lin Xia warmly on the surface, but in fact she was complaining in her heart: This person is really interesting. She doesn't go back to her mother's home first but to her sister's home. Is she trying to save food for her mother's family?

Lin Shu boiled water, scooped out half a bucket of warm water for her second sister to wash her face and hands, and then took some vanishing cream to apply on her.

Lin Xia tidied herself up, "It smells really good."

Panpan said loudly, "Second aunt, that was bought by my father, it must smell good."

Lin Xia: "Oh, I'm sorry, I used it. If I had known, I would have used yours."

Tiantian took out their vanishing cream happily. Theirs was no different from adults', just moisturizing facial oil. Fang Dihua used the same one as theirs.

Lin Xia drank brown sugar water and saw Lu Xiuxiu still making clothes, "Third sister, you are busier than those who work. The factory is basically closed for the New Year's Eve." Lu Xiuxiu

was afraid that people would say that Third Aunt made her do the work. Then Third Aunt would not let her do it anymore. She liked making clothes, "Second aunt, making clothes is much easier than others."

How can farmers be idle?

Her family loves her so much that they have never let her work in the fields.

She is so content.

After drinking the ginger soup, Lin Xia opened her backpack and shared the things inside with Lin Shu.

She carried two bottles of maltose, a few cans, two kilograms of sugar and a few apples on this trip. It was very heavy.

It was also because of her daily habit of carrying a tool bag. It would definitely tire her to death to carry it for Lin Shu.

She brought a red gauze scarf for Lin Shu, "I bought it when I went on a business trip to Qizhou a few days ago."

She pointed the red gauze scarf around Lin Shu's neck and smiled, "You look good in it, and it makes your face blush."

​​It's not that it's blushing, it's that Lin Shu's face is hot.

Although everyone loves this red scarf now, Lin Shu is not the soul of this era, and she really can't wear it outside.

Before, Lu Shaotang bought her one, and she stuffed it directly into the kang cabinet. One night, he took it out from the cabinet and wondered why she didn't wear it and hid it there.

In the end, the red scarf became a prop.

It was too embarrassing to mention it.

She quickly took it off and put it on Tiantian, "Little girls will look good wearing this." Tiantian

looked at the mirror happily, "Thank you, second aunt."

Lin Xia said, "I'm giving it to you anyway, you can wear it for your daughter or your mother-in-law, it's up to you." She also praised Tiantian for looking good in it.

The two boys did not go to watch their grandfather write couplets. They stayed here with their second aunt to care about their friends in the steel mill. How was their second uncle, how was Old Lady Jiang, Director Jiang, and how were their friends.

Lin Xia told them one by one.

Everyone else had work to do, so Lin Shu made breakfast first. There were two meals a day, and they had to eat before nine o'clock and rush out.

While Lin Xia helped the two boys show off the tractor, she told Lin Shu and the others the good news.

Because of her outstanding performance, she was sent by the Municipal Power Supply Bureau to the province on a business trip for a few days and attended a meeting. She heard from the leader that the reason why electricity could be sent to the countryside this time was because coal mines were discovered in the province, and more fuel and more electricity were generated, so they could send it down. Moreover, the whole province cooperated, and the flowers bloomed in various places. Next year, it should be their turn in Qing County.

She will come with us later, and we will fight for the commune first.

Everyone was very happy when they heard this. Panpan ran to her uncle's room excitedly, "Grandpa, uncle, my second aunt said that we can also get electricity next year."

The country people envy the city people for having electric lights. They don't need to buy kerosene. They can light up with a light turn, and they are many times brighter than kerosene lamps.

Lin Shu: "With electricity, it's not just for lighting. The brigade can also install an electric mill, which will save effort in the future."

She knows the hard work of grinding when she cooks. It's okay to grind some pulp, but it's tiring to grind flour.

If an electric flour mill is installed, it will really save effort. She is the first to support it.

After breakfast, the family was busy as usual. Lin Xia was not idle either, and helped Lin Shu to sew the buttons and buttons.

Lin Xia wanted to go back to her parents' home in the afternoon, but Lin Shu asked her to stay overnight and leave the next morning.

Everyone was around during the day, so the two sisters couldn't whisper to each other.

Time passed quickly in the busy work, and it was dark in the afternoon after steaming two pots of big steamed buns and one pot of dumplings.

After dinner, they went to bed early. The two children chatted excitedly with their second aunt for a while and soon fell asleep.

Lin Shu first asked how Aunt Jiang was, thinking that she would have a chance to go to the city to see Aunt Jiang again after the New Year. Lin Xia

: "Aunt is fine."

Lin Shu whispered and asked if the Qian family harassed her again.

Lin Xia: "No, didn't he go to the Huangxian branch factory? He found a woman there to take care of his mother in the factory."

Lin Shu was a little puzzled, "What does that mean?"

Lin Xia remembered that she had not told her third sister that Qian's mother broke her leg and asked her to take care of her.

Now that Qian's mother has someone to take care of her and won't bother her, she is not afraid to say anything.

Qian's mother broke her leg and couldn't go to work, so Qian Lisheng discussed with Qian's father to let Qian's father go to work for Qian's mother. He found an honest woman from the countryside to help take care of Qian's mother.

I heard that she only paid ten yuan a month.

Lin Shu smiled and said, "His family is quite good at making a profit. It would cost at least thirty yuan to find someone to take care of her in the city. They cook, wash clothes, turn over and take care of the patients. How tiring it is."

Lin Xia: "Otherwise, they are calculating."

In fact, they just think they are making a profit.

She heard Aunt Jiang say that the country woman looked hardworking but was actually very cunning.

When someone saw her, she looked like she was working hard. She would be lazy when no one was around. In the cold weather, Qian's mother got bedsores and lost several pounds.

She also stole Qian's mother's maltose, eggs and flour. In order to make Qian's mother go to the toilet less often, she only gave her a little water a day, which made Qian's mother constipated.

Qian's mother was so angry that she pounded the bed and scolded Qian's father all day long, asking him to kick her out, but she had no choice because if a woman didn't serve her, no one would serve her. And Qian's father was thinking about going ice fishing with others after work in the cold weather.

Lin Shu hugged her second sister, "Second sister, you can't be so pitiful to the old woman."

Lin Xia: "It doesn't matter. Can I feel sorry for her? That's impossible."

The second sister didn't say anything. Lin Shu was relieved.

She said: "Mrs. Qian is so powerful, but now she is caught by someone. It's true that one thing conquers another."

Lin Xia: "That woman seems to have suffered a lot. She doesn't seem to be ashamed. She is very shameless and tells people how miserable and hard she is. People in the family compound feel sorry for her and persuade Mrs. Qian to be more tolerant of her."

Lin Shu heard that this person is more powerful than Mrs. Xu?

The two sisters talked until late at night.

After breakfast the next day, Lin Xia had to go back to Linjiatun. She hadn't been back to her parents' home for a while. The main reason was that it was not good to stay at the third sister's house for too long during the New Year.

Although her parents-in-law were kind and didn't care about it, she still paid attention to it. After all, she was divorced and it would be embarrassing to tell others.

Lin Shu couldn't keep her, so she packed her backpack and asked her to go to Linjiatun first. "We'll go there on the second day of the Chinese New Year. We can stay for a few days and have a good reunion." She asked again, "Second sister, are we going to my grandmother's house this year?"

Lin Shu really didn't like the grandmother and aunt of the original owner.

But with my mother around, it's impossible for Lin's mother not to go there in the first month of the year, otherwise she would be criticized.

Lin Xia: "Don't worry about it. Lin Yue and I will go later."

Lin Shu smiled, sent her second sister away, and went home to chop stuffing.

Today we have to make dumplings for New Year's Eve.

She heard someone came to borrow flour. Fang Dihua borrowed from one family, and the other family was asked to go back.

Most families were very careful with the wheat rations distributed in May. They would not eat them on weekdays, but would save them for making dumplings and steamed buns for the New Year to worship their ancestors. They couldn't let others make dumplings during the New Year while they ate black-faced steamed buns and made their children cry, right?

However, there were always families in need. If they didn't have enough rations, they would exchange them for coarse grains or sell them for money if there was an emergency at home. But there were also those who were greedy and didn't care whether they had enough rations or not. They would eat as much as they wanted, even exchanging coarse grains for fine grains. What should we

do if we don't have fine grains to make dumplings at the end of the year? Borrow from the production team or the well-off people in the team. No one likes to see someone crying and wiping tears in their own home during the Chinese New Year. Basically, they would lend the flour, after all, they were calculating that the other party was talented. Fang Dihua didn't care about this. As long as the person was not really pitiful and needed help, those greedy and lazy people would pout and say no. You cry in my house? Do you believe that I will slap you in the face? The women who didn't borrow flour walked away with a sullen face. When they turned out of the alley, they had to spit and cursed bitterly: "You are a wicked thing. You kill pigs and make steamed buns at home, but you don't want to borrow flour from me! Aren't you afraid that you will choke to death if you eat alone!" At this time, Baldy and Lu Changfu came with red paper to ask Old Man Lu to write couplets. Speaking of which, Father Lu used to be unfamiliar with some families in the back of the village and didn't interact with them much. He was mainly familiar with his own old men and tenants, and didn't interact much with outsiders. But since he became a barefoot doctor and Big Brother Lu became an accountant, everyone in the village knew them. Baldy was a street slicker, and Lu Changfu boasted that he had also been in the capital when he was a kid, so the two of them had similar interests and hit it off. Of course, Baldy deliberately got to know Lu Changfu. In the past, he disdained to interact with Lu Changfu. After all, Lu Changfu was just a donkey with a shiny appearance, but a poor guy. He originally wanted to make friends with Big Brother Lu and Second Brother Lu, but he found that they didn't have much of an opinion about him and were always lukewarm about him, so he changed his target and set his sights on Lu Changfu. Lu Changfu is a man without much brains. He looks honest but is actually vain and lustful. He brags to his peers and likes to play cards in private. In the past, people could still gather together to play cards in the winter. In the past two years, especially this year, the branch secretary has been very strict. After the beginning of winter, he starts patrolling the village with Deng Da Loudspeaker at 8:30 every day to tell everyone to go home and sleep, and not to walk around at night. The branch secretary said that those who don’t sleep well in the winter and are still hanging around at 10 or 11 o’clock are either trying to steal things or people! Or they are trying to gamble! He punishes anyone he sees! Because of his strict management, the atmosphere in Lujiazhuang Brigade is good, unlike other villages where people gather together to play cards and gamble in the winter. Some men, who earn a little money at the end of the year, don't care about their wives and children, but just spend the money on gambling. Some even spend their rations when they are so drunk. If such a man dares to show up in the Lujiazhuang Brigade, the branch secretary will break his legs. Lu Changfu couldn't get money to play with, so Baldy brought people to play with him in private. It was all small amounts, and the wins and losses were not big, but it made Lu Changfu have a good time. Lu Changfu now often visits Widow Sun's house, and has a good relationship with Baldy, so it is normal for him to bring him to write couplets. Baldy stood in the Lu family's yard, marveling at the spacious yard. It was really big enough for horse racing! However, with such a spacious yard, if someone sneaked in at night, the Lu family would definitely not be able to hear it. When the men are not at home, it is better for the women to stay at home. When they are asleep... it should be possible to harvest the wheat. As he was thinking, he met a pair of big dark eyes and was immediately startled. Panpan looked up at him, "Uncle, isn't your head frozen?" The bald man raised his eyebrows at him, "I am strong and not afraid of the cold, but others must be afraid." Panpan touched his head. It was so cold in winter, and he was wearing a cotton jacket, cotton pants and a cotton hat. He asked, "Are you Zhang Xiaoliang's new father?" The bald man: "Yes." Panpan: "Zhang Xiaoliang said you are very fierce and beat people. Is it true?" The bald man's face darkened, "Nonsense, I have a very good temper." Lu Changfu had put down the red paper and asked him to come and get it later. He pulled the bald man and hurried away. After he left the house, he whispered, "Don't dare to quarrel with that brat, he's really evil, he'll let his father beat you later." Bald man: "No, Lu Shaotang is a soldier. Besides, I'm not bad at martial arts, I'm not afraid of him, I'll have to fight him if I get a chance..." He couldn't say any more. A man came to the entrance of the alley from the east, he was wearing a military uniform inside and a military coat outside, he was tall and strong, he was steaming hot when he walked in the snow-white sky and earth!

Lu Shaotang walked quickly and quickly, and arrived in front of him in a blink of an eye. He was eager to go home, but his heart was boiling in the cold weather. However, because he had no expression on his face and pursed his lips, he looked cold and cruel.

He felt that the eyes of the people in front of him were a little strange. He glanced at him, and Lu Changfu was so scared that he immediately stood at attention and saluted in panic, "Third Uncle!"

Lu Shaotang glanced at the bald man, snorted, and walked home without stopping.

After he passed by, the bald man realized that there was a layer of ice on his head.

He actually broke out in a cold sweat just now!

This man is too... tough!

He had heard people say that Lu Shaotang knocked out three teeth of Xu Ermao with one punch, and later he also saw Lu Shaotang from a distance, but he had never felt as shocked as seeing

him face to face! It felt like a ferocious lion was walking past him.

If Lu Shaotang was dead, he would be 100% sure that he could get money from the Lu family.

Now that Lu Shaotang is alive, what should he do?

Try to get Lu Changfu to steal?