Chapter 30
The eighth day of the first month of the first month of the Yuanhe year was supposed to be a happy New Year, but in many places it was miserable because of the snow disaster, and even people died of freezing and starvation in many places. A small village called Zhanghe Village near the north is much better. This village is backed by mountains and eats mountains, and most of the homes have food stored in them, and there hasn't been any freezing to death or starvation.
Xu Cao and Fugui were busy happily in the kitchen. Today is the Chinese New Year. Xu Cao cut a half of a pork leg, two catties of wild pork, and sausage. she made a stewed pork leg with radish, stewed wild boar with cabbage, steamed sausage, and scrambled an egg that she had stored for ten days.
She didn’t want to kill the two pheasants. The hen lay a dozen eggs and refused to lay it anymore. Xu Cao planned to keep it and wait until next spring to let it continue to lay eggs. Then she will be buying a group of chicks. Raise, chickens to grow up and lay eggs, they can have a lot of eggs to eat.
Xu Cao finished the dishes, and went to see the steamed buns and enema in the back pot. They were not fully cooked and needed to be steamed for a quarter of an hour.
Taking a look at the heavy snow flying outside, Xu Cao sighed. The heavy snow stopped ten days ago. As a result, the snow stopped for three days before it melted. The heavy snow fell again and again, and it continued to fall. Until now. Chen Ru originally wanted to take advantage of those three days to go back. Unexpectedly, the road was still blocked by heavy snow, and there was no way to go. She had no choice but to spend a year at Yang's house this year.
Xu Cao was also curious about why the Chen mother was so good to Chen Ru. She seemed to be a little bit more pro-daughter than her daughter. Later, she learned that when Chen Ru's mother passed away, tChen mother raised Chen Ruyi. After more than a year, both have developed a relationship.
Looking at Xu Cao, who was staring outside, Fugui dragged her to sit next to the stove, and smiled, "wife, what are you thinking about."
Xu Cao turned and smiled: " husband, what are you saying about this heavy snowfall? When is it time to go? Are all the people in our village okay?" In this horrible weather, even a series of doors is difficult. they don't know what happened to the people in the village.
Fugui glanced outwards, "wife, don't worry, this heavy snow has only been under ten days, and the snow will begin to melt by then. Although the villagers don't have much food, it's okay to spend the winter."
Xu Cao sighed, melting the snow even colder, but fortunately, going out will not be as difficult as it is now. Now it feels like isolated from the world. Only the Yang family can be contacted this month. This feels really bad.
Since it was a New Year's Eve, the family was not easy to divide each other, and father Yang asked Fugui and Xu Cao to eat with the big family. The two brought the cooked dishes and steamed buns to the big table, and the family ate them happily. father Yang took out a jar of wine from nowhere. As soon as the wine seal was opened, a smell of wine spread in the air.
The brothers of the Yang family who provoked them all sniffed, and said with a smirk: "Father, where is the good wine? It smells really fragrant, good wine."
father Yang laughed: "Buried for several years, watching the Chinese New Year, Take it out and drink it.”
Several men drank small wines, while women ate vegetables and chatted, enjoying themselves. After eating this meal for an hour, Fugui wine volume seemed to be good, Dapeng, Xiaotong, and Father Yang were all a little drunk, and he was still fine. This is a happy day. The woman took down the dining table, and the men sat in the house chatting and drinking tea.
The dishes on the dinner table were almost clean. Xu Cao took some of her ceramic dishes back and washed them. There were still about 20 steamed meat buns left in the pot. She picked them up one by one and put them in a basket. The kitchen was covered with white gauze.
This Chinese New Year, Xiaobai and Heizi each got a bun, and both were cleaned up in twos or twos, and Xiaobai licked his mouth still intently.
After packing up the things, it was almost the end of the time. Xu Cao was about to go back to the room for a break, when she heard a knock on the door outside. She was surprised, who is here now? Could it be father and mother? This big snow. When she thought that it might be his father and mother, Xu Cao was very frightened. She stepped on the creaking snow and ran to open the courtyard gate in the wind and snow.
After opening the courtyard, there was a small figure standing outside. Xu Cao was stunned. The figure was trembling. It was a six or seven-year-old child.
Xu Cao stared at the child, and after a while, she hurriedly pulled the child into the house. In any case, take it in first, and she knows this child. A child from the same village, Fang Shitou, lives in Yang's house.
She closed the courtyard door and led the child into the house. A room was chatting. The child was stunned. Father Yang looked at the child and then at Xu Cao, and said in confusion, "Everyone, This.. Isn’t this Fang Shitou? Shitou child, what are you doing here?"
Fang Shitou’s mouth slumped when he heard Father Yang’s words, and he cried with a wow, "Wow, Uncle Yang, my mother is sick, Dad didn't reply, I'm hungry."
Looking at the yellowish skin on the stone and hearing him hungry, Xu Cao hurriedly went to the kitchen to bring two meat buns and gave them to the stone. He cried and ate it all over again. When the two steamed buns were finished, they wiped away the tears, raised his small faces and looked at the crowd, "Uncle Yang, that's it. My dad worked in the town and said that he paid his wages to buy food and came back for the New Year. But since then, There was no news of father after it snowed. My mother said that it was heavy snow, so father couldn’t come back. But there was no food at home. My mother and I waited for father to come back. Father hasn’t come home yet, so I ate food a few days ago. Now, my mother is sick again, I... I come out here to ask the uncles to borrow some food, but the uncle said that there is no food, and said that I and my mother orphans and widows will definitely not be able to repay him in the future. ..." Shishi said here, whimpering and crying again.
Speaking of this, everyone already knows what happened. The Shitou family is also poor, and there is no field in the family. The family relies on the hands of Shitou father to eat. The father went to work in the town, but he hasn't come back because of the heavy snow. Shitou and Shitou Niang waited for their father's wages and food to come back to live. Now that father hasn't gone back, the days of these mothers son can naturally be imagined. I'm afraid that this child really can't help but go to the uncle to borrow food.
Shitou wiped away his tears and said, "I'm going to find the uncles and aunts in the village to borrow some food. It's too cold. I can't walk because of the cold. I have to knock on Uncle Yang's door. Uncle Yang, can you Lend me some food, and I will pay it back when my father comes back. Uncle Yang, really, I promise, my father will definitely pay back the food."
It's all from the same village, and there is no reason for Father Yang to refuse. Chen said: "Old lady, go to the cellar and get some food for the stone baby."
Chen looked reluctant, "I don't know where the key to the cellar was lost. Besides, his father Shitou knows if something happened in the town, in case his father can't come back later, Who is going to return with the borrowed grain?"
Father Yang became angry as soon as he heard it, "What nonsense are you talking about! What is the meaning of Shitou father can't come back, don't you know the road is blocked by the heavy snow, he can't come back.Don’t you hurry up to get food!"
Chen became angry at the first hearing, and said with a dullness: "Why are you yelling at me on the Chinese New Year? I just won’t go this time!"
Chen Ru on one side saw the two elders quarreling. When she got up, she was about to persuade her. Fugui on the side had already pulled Shitou and walked towards his house, "Shitou, go, uncle will take you to get food." Xu Cao also hurriedly followed.
Xu Cao loaded 20 catties of brown rice and another 20 catties of coarse noodles and gave it to Fugui, saying: "You can send Shitou back. It's good to see how Shitou mother is. It's a cold day. Fortunately, this kid hasn't freezing? Our family is not short of food now, you take these and let them eat first. By the way..." She said, suddenly remembering something, and hurried to the kitchen. After a while, he saw her wrapped a few meat buns in white cloth and gave them to Shitou with a smile: "Shitou, today Chinese New Year, take this bun back and eat it with your mother, don’t worry, your father must be delay because of the heavy snow. He can’t come back when on his way. You have seen it. Isn’t it such a heavy snow?”
Shitou heard Xu Cao’s words, and his tears fell " even if father is not bring food, I will certainly return it back to you! "
Xu Cao smiled, then entered the room took two hats for them," Dear husband, be careful on the road. "
With a gratitude, Fugui picked up his things and went out with Shitou.
Fugui only left the house, and Xiaoan and Shen came over here to look for Xu Cao. Both of them looked a little ugly. Xiaoan glanced at Xu Cao, and her expression was a little embarrassed. Seeing that Xu Cao didn’t look down on her. she angrily said: "Sister-in-law, my mother is really too much, I really didn't expect her to be like this."
.
They are all in the same village. If they don't give Shitou their food, the children and mother may be starving to death, . She was so embarrassed of her mother , she was so ashamed.
Shen also followed with a sigh.
Xu Cao couldn't say anything. Just trying to comfort Xiao An, Chen Ru knocked on the door at the door. Xu Cao saw it and smiled and said, "Cousin, come in quickly."
Chen Ru walked in and sat next to Xiao An. When she got down, she rushed to Xu Cao and said: "Cousin, thanks to my cousin just now, my aunt is a bit stingy, but she really didn't do this thing today. Actually, my aunt told me just now, it’s not that she doesn’t want to lend. It was uncle who yelled at her, and she was upset in her heart, so she said something unpleasant."
Xu Cao don't saying a word.
After received cold answer, Chen Ru was a little embarrassed, sitting there in a serene manner, not knowing what to say. The room is quiet.
After more than an hour, Fugui came back, covered in snow, knocked down the snow for him, Xu Cao hurriedly pulled him back to the house, sat down and bake water, "My husband, how about it? is Shitou mother okay?"
Fugui smiled and said, "It’s okay. She's hungry. She has been saving rations for Shitou to eat during this period. The two steamed buns just eaten are considered to be relieved. I helped them boil hot water and cook porridge. After drinking the porridge, I saw Shitou mother wake up after sleeping.”
Several people in the house were relieved. They belonged to the same village anyway, and they didn't want anything to happen to Shitou house.