Chapter 5: Delivering Meals in August…
The Su family got up before dawn on the morning of August. The life of the poor did not seem to require much rest. Old man Su got up early and went to the river to pick up clams. When Su Li got up, she saw her grandfather squatting in the yard opening clams, while Mrs. Wu and Chen were feeding the chickens and cooking breakfast.
Smoke from cooking rises under the rising sun, accompanied by the calls of people feeding chickens. There is an indescribable feeling of a lively life, a feeling that Su Li has never experienced before.
"Are you two up? There's hot water in the pot." Chen opened the fence gate and walked in, holding a bucket for feeding chickens. The Su family's chickens were fed in the bamboo forest at the door, blocked by a fence. It was cleaner than feeding them at home, at least it didn't smell bad.
Su Tao rubbed her eyes and asked the same question that Su Li wanted to ask, "Mom, why did grandpa go to get the clams back so early?" Didn't they say they would go and get them today?
Upon hearing this, Chen said unhappily, "By the time you two lazy bums get up, the sun will be shining on your butts."
Originally, Chen wanted to ask Su Tao and Su Li to go catch clams together this morning, but was stopped by Old Man Su. "It's been so rare to get a good night's sleep in these days. Let them sleep."
Not to mention children, even adults would feel a little tired after being tired for so many days. This morning when Old Man Su got up, he actually felt a little tired, but he was used to it and didn't think it was a big deal.
Su Tao and Su Li felt a little embarrassed when they heard this, "Master, we are here to help you."
"Okay, go wash up quickly, your grandfather is almost done." Chen put the bucket used to feed the chickens in the yard and rinsed it with water.
Su Li still felt a little guilty and wanted to go over and work with her grandfather, Old Man Su, but was stopped for the second time.
"What are you doing here? It will be done in no time."
Su Li looked over and saw that the entire basin of clams had been almost processed, so she gave up, but still went to help fetch water for washing.
Only after everything was settled did Su Li go to wash up.
It's called washing, but in fact it just means washing your face and then rinsing your mouth with clean water. Although Su Li has been here for almost a week, she is still not used to not brushing her teeth. She always feels uncomfortable in her mouth if she doesn't brush her teeth. However, the Su family is too poor. They haven't even solved the problem of food and clothing, so naturally they can't afford tooth powder and toothbrushes.
Sighing inwardly, Su Li decided that when she made money in the future, the first thing she would do was buy a toothbrush and tooth powder.
In addition to that, she also had to buy toilet paper. Yes, toilet paper. Su Li felt uncomfortable all over whenever she thought about having to wipe her butt with corn leaves these days. And that stinking toilet, Su Li didn't even dare to think about it. As soon as she thought about it, she would lose her appetite.
"What are you dawdling about? It's time to eat." Mrs. Chen couldn't help but say when she saw her little daughter taking a long time to wash and brush her teeth with bamboo leaves.
"Here it comes." Su Li quickly spat out the water in her mouth and went home.
The Su family's breakfast is still porridge and pickles, but today's porridge is particularly clear, and compared with the porridge of the previous few days, there is much less rice.
Su Li was a little confused. Hadn’t they just harvested the rice?
"There's no rice, just water..." Su Tao complained in a low voice.
"It's good enough that you have something to eat. Besides, I'll sew up your rice mouth." Chen threatened deliberately, and Su Tao didn't dare to speak.
Mrs. Wu, who was standing by, suddenly said, "The rice is a little short. Let's stick to yesterday's order from now on."
"Mom..." Chen was a little embarrassed. It was not that she didn't want to put more rice, but the grain that had just been harvested had to be eaten sparingly, otherwise the whole family would starve.
"It's not that big of a deal." Mrs. Wu knew she had to eat sparingly, but if she didn't eat enough, she wouldn't have the energy to work, and it would ruin her health, which would be even worse.
For example, the severe cold Wu Ya had this time was probably due to her daily lack of food and clothing. That day, as she held Wu Ya's thin body, Granny Wu regretted it. She had always been so frugal, but what good had she achieved in the end?
Not only did the money get wasted, but the granddaughter's health was also ruined. It would have been better to spend the money early so that at least she could have food in her mouth.
Chen didn't understand why her mother-in-law suddenly changed her usual frugal lifestyle. Although she had some objections in her heart, she didn't dare to say it out loud.
Mrs. Wu has lived to this age, so how could she not see it? After thinking for a while, she said:
"After all, health is more important. It's not worth it to ruin your body just to save this little bit."
When Chen heard this, she was stunned. So this was what her mother-in-law meant. She thought about it and thought about her youngest daughter's illness. This was indeed the case. No matter how important other things were, health was the most important.
"Mom is right."
Chen was completely convinced.
Su Li watched Chen and her grandmother Wu chatting, and thought to herself that no wonder her mother Chen had never quarreled with Wu in all these years. Communication was really important. Unlike her family, her parents never communicated. They kept everything in their hearts and then brought it out to settle the score.
Here, "I'm done eating." Old man Su put down his chopsticks and said.
Seeing this, Mrs. Wu quickly drank a big mouthful of porridge and said, "You go first, I'll be there soon."
"Okay. You and Qingshan's mother don't have to rush. Just take your time."
"Then I'll leave." After saying that, Old Man Su pulled out the stool and left.
Today we are going to weave a bamboo stool, so the first thing we need to do is cut the bamboo.
Due to its special geographical location, Qingshui County is mountainous and has many trees, the most common of which is bamboo. There is a bamboo forest at the door of almost every household in Xiaoxi Village.
There is naturally a large bamboo forest in front of the Su family’s door, and you don’t have to go too far to find it.
Bamboo is a very resilient thing. It will grow again after being cut. A lot of bamboo shoots will pop up after a spring rain. Old Man Su cuts a lot of bamboo every year to make baskets or stools. The baskets he weaves are famous for being sturdy in the surrounding area. Every year, people come to him to weave them, but this thing is not worth much. Every time Old Man Su helps people weave, he only charges a few eggs or some rice.
I discussed it with Mrs. Wu this morning and decided not to make the broom for now. Today we will hurry up to make a few more bamboo stools and some fish baskets. They should sell well. It's almost the beginning of autumn and the fish in the river are fat. There will always be people who need them.
On this side, not long after Old Man Su left, Mrs. Wu and Chen soon finished their meal. Before leaving, they specifically reminded Su Tao and Su Li about what to do today.
There is nothing else to do, I just cook lunch at home and then take it to my father and two brothers.
This was agreed upon last night. In fact, even if Chen and Grandma Wu didn't say it, Su Li would remember it.
.
"Fifth sister, you cook and I'll light the fire for you." Su Tao was particularly excited at the thought of eating delicious fried river clams with chili peppers again. To be honest, she didn't eat much last night!!! She even dreamed about it!
"Okay, then I'll go pick some vegetables first." The vegetables we eat at home are freshly picked for every meal, and we have eaten all the vegetables picked last night.
"No need, just tell me what you want and I'll pick it for you." For the sake of delicious food, Su Tao changed her usual laziness and became very active.
Su Li had no choice but to tell Su Tao everything she needed.
Upon hearing this, Su Tao picked up the basket and went out without saying a word.
It just so happened that Su Li had time to process the clam meat.
When Su Tao comes back, everything will be ready.
Let’s get started!
Some were making fire, some were cooking, and soon smoke rose from the kitchen, along with a rich aroma mixed with a spicy flavor.
The Wang family not far away next door, "Who is cooking? It smells so good?" Wang Tiezhu stopped what he was doing with the bamboo rake.
His son Wang Ergou, standing by, took a deep breath while holding his bowl. He then scooped up a large mouthful of rice, savoring the aroma. Then, he felt frustrated. There was meat in his bowl, too, so why was it so unpalatable?!
"I smelled it last night, and you still don't believe me."
Wang Tiezhu didn't act like a boss at all: "Hey, hey, that doesn't mean you didn't smell it, right?"
"I think it's coming from the Su family." After all, all the other families in the village had gone out to work, and only the Su family's house was still emitting smoke.
"It looks like it." Wang Ergou also looked up.
But are the dishes cooked by the Su family so delicious?
"How about we ask them to cook when we hunt something in the future?" Wang Ergou, who had had enough of the pig food made by his father, couldn't help but suggest.
"I'm afraid it's not a good idea." We had never had any contact before, so it would be a bad idea to bother others if I had something to do.
Yes, Wang Ergou also thought of this. After all, although his family did not look down on the Su family like other families in the village, they did not have any contact with them and did not have much friendship. It would be a bit embarrassing to trouble them just for a bite of food.
Thinking this way, Wang Ergou gave up the idea. But it was still a bit of a pity...
Forget it, at worst I can catch a big one next time and go to Xiangmanlou to have a good meal.
Su Li and the others naturally didn't know these words.
"Ah! It's so delicious!" Su Tao took a piece of the dish and stuffed it into her mouth the moment it came out of the pot, exclaiming happily.
"Wow, it's so delicious! How can it be so delicious!"
When Su Li saw Su Tao grabbing with her hands again, she didn't know what to say. When would she change this habit?
"Fourth sister, chopsticks..."
"Hehe, it's really delicious, I can't help it..." Su Tao swallowed the clam meat in her mouth, and smiled triumphantly like a greedy cat that had successfully stolen some fish.
It's not good to use your hands... It's unhygienic, there are so many bacteria on your hands. Su Li thought of a lot of things to talk about with Su Tao, but then she remembered that this was ancient times, and the other party wouldn't understand even if she told them about hygiene.
So he deliberately put on a stern face and said, "If you keep eating with your hands, I won't make any delicious food for you."
This was much more effective than talking about hygiene. Su Tao said nervously, "Okay, Fifth Sister, I was wrong. I will wash my hands next time. Is it okay to use chopsticks?"
She is not a coward! Who made the fifth sister's cooking so delicious!!!
After saying that, in order to show his determination, Su Tao quickly ran to scoop water to wash his hands, and then took a pair of bamboo chopsticks.
Today, her grandfather, Old Man Su, specially picked up a lot of river clams and fried them into a big pot. Su Li also specially added some green peppers to it. The red and green colors looked very beautiful. It went well with rice at first glance, and it was so delicious to take a bite.
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