Chapter 72 Injury
In this year without Zhao Guoqiang, Xu Wanxiu always felt that something was missing. She is here in the family building of the army. The furthest place she can go is the county seat, visiting the department store supply and marketing cooperative. If he is there, the two can still make an appointment to watch a movie.
But now in the first month of the month, they are going to the county seat, and if they can't catch a ride, they will definitely not be able to walk there. Xu Wanxiu felt for the first time how inconvenient it was to live in the family building.
When Mother Xu knew her daughter wanted to take her and her granddaughter out for a walk, she persuaded with a smile, "Xiuxiu, we don't have to go out at this time, since it's inconvenient, we just have to live a good life at home. "
That's fine, anyway? We don't go to join in the fun of the New Year anyway. Usually, when you want to go out, go downstairs for a stroll." Xu Wanxiu said with a smile, "It's all impossible."
For Xu's mother, going out to the department store to buy things is not her favorite. The old man has been frugal all his life, and when he goes to buy something now, it hurts a lot to see the price. Just watching her daughter spend the money, even if they went out together, Mother Xu still couldn't stand it.
What are you going to do? When you go out and spend money, it is better to stay at home. Mother Xu thought in her heart, if staying at home is boring, then just go downstairs for a walk. This year has been a little quiet, and it will soon be the fifteenth Lantern Festival of the first lunar month, which is another reunion festival. On this day, Xu Wanxiu taught Xu's mother how to make glutinous rice balls, and planned to cook it at night to please her. The baby also watched with great interest, playing with his hands from time to time, making his elbows covered with flour and glutinous rice flour. Fortunately, when she was making a fuss and wanted to help, Xu Wanxiu took off the peach-colored cotton coat she was wearing outside, and went to the closet to find the small scarf she wore when she was eating when she was a child. This little guy was having a good time, and sure enough, his elbows were all white. At this moment, he was carefully putting his elbows next to Xu Wanxiu, stretched out his elbows and put it in front of his mother, and whispered, "Mother, I just didn't Be careful of getting your sweater dirty."
If Xu Wanxiu could hear Mother Xu's inner muttering, she would die of laughter. On the contrary, the baby is the happiest one. She is still playing with the toy she bought a few years ago, and she likes it very much. She doesn't have a strong urge to go out, except to buy new toys.
The happiest thing for her is that her mother can play with her every day. Although it takes more time to learn to read and read Pinyin every day, the baby is still in pain and happiness.
Among those comrades-in-arms that Zhao Guoqiang had made in previous years, Li Weiguo was a political commissar, and he would not go on a mission unless he was on the front line. Xu Wanxiu also followed the habit of previous years, walking around with these families, and there was no shortage of gifts that should be associated with each other.
Wronged, without the usual coquettish spirit of fearlessness, for fear that her mother would scold him. After all, just before she started playing, Xu Wanxiu had already told her that she had to be careful when doing this, otherwise her clothes would turn white.
At that time, Bao Bao promised with a proud face, "Don't worry, mother, I'm so old, I definitely won't get this flour on my clothes." Thinking of those words, the child blushed shyly.
"It's alright, since the sweater is dirty, I'll replace it with my mother and wash it later. You can rest assured to learn and follow your mother's movements." Xu Wanxiu smiled and reassured her, and she also slowed down the movements of her hands. , show it to your baby, so that she can follow her own steps to learn step by step.
The glutinous rice balls were all kneaded by Xu Wanxiu. The baby only needed to reach out and grab a small piece from the large dough, put it between his hands, and knead it with the palm of his hand. This is not very technically demanding, even if the small dumplings kneaded by the baby are not too round, they can still be seen.
Xu Wanxiu immediately praised her without hesitation, "Ning Ning is awesome, these little glutinous rice balls are pretty good-looking, will I cook them for you later in the evening?
" She was satisfied, and she was looking forward to eating these little dumplings at the moment. After hearing Xu Wanxiu's words, she even raised her head worriedly and asked, "Mother, do I need to make a mark? This little dumpling is boiled, what should I do if I don't recognize it?"
Xu Wanxiu was amused by her, she really thought about it thoughtfully, and came up with a solution for the baby. She smiled and said, "Did Ningning see the little green dough? Just pull it down like this and stick it to your little dumplings, so even if it's boiled, you won't be afraid of not being able to recognize it."
She said with a smile. Demonstrated to show the children, a touch of green was added to the snow-white glutinous rice balls. The dumplings are wrapped with mung bean or red bean filling, and there is just a little white glutinous rice dough left for the baby to play with. At this time, I also used the remaining mung bean filling.
"Okay, so as long as there are green dots on the small glutinous rice balls, they are all made by Ningning." When the baby heard it, he clapped his hands with each other happily, and she immediately followed Xu Wanxiu's way, holding the star The last order of mung bean filling is on the small dumplings that I wrap.
After doing all this, the baby is satisfied to place the small dumplings one by one in a certain order and neatly put them on the plate specially for her. At this point, she can be regarded as inheriting the subtle obsessive-compulsive disorder of Zhao Guoqiang and Xu Wanxiu, which she learned from her parents when she was a child.
The little guy raised his head and smiled and said to Xu Wanxiu, "Mother, I will give you my little dumplings later, it must be delicious." Children always love to share what they think is good with those who like to cherish. thing, right now.
Xu Wanxiu was very happy when she heard the pretense, smiled and nodded, "That's really good, Ning Ning is so kind to her mother, and she will have to taste the dumplings made by Ning Ning later." The Xu Wanxiu originally thought she was going to tell a little secret, but she didn't expect it to be for this matter. She was stunned for a while, then reached out and gently touched the baby's little head, smiled and nodded in agreement, "Okay, that mother will listen to Ningning and keep it for your father. When he comes back, we will cook it for you. He eat, let him taste the small dumplings made by Ning Ning."
The baby was a little embarrassed to be praised, she rarely said with a shy face, "Mother is also good to Ningning." Then she thought of something, she mysteriously leaned over to Xu Wanxiu and whispered, "Mother, later You help me save some dumplings, I'm going to leave them for Daddy, he hasn't eaten the little dumplings made by Ning Ning." When Zhao Guoqiang just left, the baby would say "When will Daddy come back?" , I talked a lot, and I didn't see Daddy coming back. The baby changed from one recitation every day to two days, or even three or four days, and the days went on in endless waiting. At this time, she suddenly heard the baby mention about her father again, Xu Wanxiu was stunned for a while before she suddenly realized, helpless and gratified. A four-year-old child, Zhao Guoqiang usually loves her so much and plays with this girl, how can the baby forget people so easily? Xu Wanxiu also misses him very much. Zhao Guoqiang has been on the mission for almost a month and a half, and there is no news at all. She came back to her senses, just as all the dough and fillings were used up, and said to the baby, "Ning Ning, you go down to the living room to play first, mother cleans up the table, and grandma should prepare the food soon and eat it. " Just after Xu's mother made most of the dumplings with Xu's mother, thinking that it was getting late, she said to her daughter, "Xiuxiu, you are busy here first, and my mother goes into the kitchen to cook, In this way, after you finish here, you can have dinner." "Well, good mother, it's hard for you." Xu Wanxiu also thought it made sense after hearing this, so she nodded and smiled. Mother Xu has been busy in the kitchen for a while now, the roar of the stove burning vigorously, and the sizzling sound of scalding meat in the pot alternately mixed, scattered and very clear. The three of them were eating at night, and the baby was very happy. The three or four dishes on the table, except green vegetables, were all her favorites. She kept using a spoon to cut a piece of fried egg with minced meat, put it in her bowl, and ate it, looking very happy. But while she was happy, it was inevitable that several pieces of pickled Chinese cabbage were placed in her gradually empty bowl. After Xu Wanxiu was done, she sat beside her and said, "Ningning, don't just eat meat. , eat more green vegetables." Children can't eat too many pickled vegetables, but they can't eat only meat.
If this is fresh green vegetables, it will not be so few. Unless it is said that the number of green vegetables is too much, the baby can't help muttering, "This is too much." She likes winter the most now, and one of them is that she eats less green vegetables. Although the pickled Chinese cabbage is not as tasty as the fresh one, the quantity of these pieces is what the baby likes. Continuing to eat Chinese cabbage resignedly, the baby expressed that it was very painful, but it didn't seem to be as bitter as before, maybe it was because he thought he would eat glutinous rice balls later. This is the first time Mother Xu has heard of this stuff. She always felt that it was just some glutinous rice balls that were rolled into a circle, and the taste was probably faded. When she saw her daughter wrap mung beans or red beans in it, she felt a little relieved. . This mung bean and red bean is a little sweet, so the glutinous rice dumplings may taste okay. She knew that her daughter liked to ponder these things, and the previous mung bean cakes and red bean cakes were not even worse than the outside supply and sales stores. Sometimes Xu's mother thinks that if she can do business outside, she will not have to worry about making money with her beautiful craftsmanship. It's a pity that the outside world is tight and the management is strict. Mother Xu heard her daughter say that even the only clothing store in the county is closed. Of course, she doesn't know the deeper relationship between Xiuxiu and the clothing store. After eating, Xu Wanxiu and Mother Xu took turns to take a bath. As for the baby, she had already washed it in the afternoon. It's cold outside at the moment, and she always takes a shower in the afternoon to be a little warmer. After finishing this, Mother Xu sat on the living room floor to play with her granddaughter, while Xu Wanxiu went into the kitchen to prepare dumplings. Although she didn't know when Zhao Guoqiang would come back, she still followed the baby's wish and left a little white belt. Put the green dumplings. Even if it's cold now, this dumpling won't last long. But at least it's the baby's heart for daddy, and it's not a big deal. Xu Wanxiu is also happy to fulfill her careful thought. She can put it away for a few days. The sweet and greasy fragrance in the soup pot wafted with the volatilization of the heat, and even Mother Xu and the baby, who were having a good time outside, were all tempted.
The baby has fought wits and courage with his parents so many times over the matter of eating green vegetables, and he has long since given in. She wouldn't take the initiative to add green vegetables to eat, but as long as the parents or grandmother put green vegetables in her bowl, the little guy accepted it silently.
The water in the pot was hot, Xu Wanxiu first poured a sufficient amount of brown sugar into it, stirred it to melt it into brown sugar water, and then poured the newly made dumplings into it, stirring slowly with a long spoon.
Mother Xu never thought that the dumplings were so sweet, and seeing the baby looking in the direction of the kitchen so curiously, she asked tentatively, "Ning Ning, why don't grandma and you go to the kitchen to have a look. "
Okay, grandma, let's hurry over there." The baby nodded in response, almost without hesitation. She stood up and took the initiative to hold Xu's mother's hand, and was about to walk into the kitchen.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, she let go of Grandma Xu's hand, went forward and hugged Xu Wanxiu's waist, and asked coquettishly, "Mother, these dumplings smell so sweet and fragrant."
Mother Xu took advantage of the mother and daughter During the question and answer, I went directly to the end of the soup pot to see that the soup inside was dark and thick.
When she thought about it, she couldn't help looking back at her daughter and asked, "Xiuxiu, is there brown sugar added here?" Mother Xu was in the family building, and from time to time she would make brown sugar water for her daughter to drink, and she also drank less. I am still very sensitive to the taste of this brown sugar water.
Xu Wanxiu was about to answer the baby's question when she heard Mother Xu say this. She simply answered together, nodded and agreed, "Mother, you have a really smart nose. I added brown sugar to it, and the rice balls can taste delicious even when cooked like this.
" , it will definitely taste delicious." Mother Xu nodded and said, the dough is made of Fuqiang flour and glutinous rice, plus this brown sugar, so the daughter's family can drink it without worry and always keep it on hand.
Listening to mother and grandmother talking, Bao Bao seemed to understand, but she stretched out her hand to grab Xu Wanxiu's sleeve, raised her head and asked coquettishly, "So mother, is it the sweet brown sugar water we often drink?"
This child Now I drink less malted milk, but I still like to drink sweet sugar water. Occasionally, Xu Wanxiu or Xu's mother soaks in brown sugar water, and will give her a taste.
She still likes to drink brown sugar water. At this time, she was overjoyed when she heard her mother's words, and she desperately wanted to get a positive answer.
The brown sugar water and the small glutinous rice balls made by myself make the baby's anticipation heightened to the extreme.
Seeing the baby's expectant eyes, Xu Wanxiu smiled and nodded, "This soup is brown sugar water, and even the small rice balls taste sweet brown sugar water." The At the other end, a group of people who were on the mission squatted for nearly two months, and finally prepared to close the net on this full moon night. Suddenly, the wind and grass moved, and the two sides confronted each other, fighting and fighting, and the cold light suddenly appeared.
When the soup pot was almost cooked, Xu Wanxiu turned around and took the time to take out the dumplings and the soup, and put them in three bowls.
Each bowl is simply filled with six small rice balls, small in size. Glutinous rice balls are difficult to digest. Now it is night, and mother Xu and babies, young and old, are not very good in digestion, and they are easy to accumulate food.
Less than two hours later, the three of them sat back at the dining table again, and the baby happily scooped up a small dumpling with a spoon and bit into it. Mother Xu also tried to bite in the same way, it was very sweet, sweet to the bottom of my heart.
Especially after drinking such a thick sweet soup, Mother Xu only felt that she would be happy to the end for the next year.
"It's so sweet, mother, I think it's even sweeter than wheat milk essence." Seeing that grandma lifted the bowl to drink, the baby also took a sip of the soup with a spoon, and immediately raised his head and said to his mother in surprise.
In her previous perception, malted milk was the sweetest in the world, brown sugar water was the second sweetest, and those colorful candies were the third sweetest. Today, this brown sugar water really surprised her.
After speaking, the baby thought for a while, and frowned again and said crisply, "But this little dumpling is a bit sticky to the teeth."
Mother Xu's teeth are also a bit large and slightly loose. Stick between teeth. Fortunately, the sweet taste could make her withstand the sticky teeth, and all the six small rice balls were eaten.
Tonight Xu Wanxiu is still the same as usual. When the time comes, she will call the baby to sleep and tell her bedtime stories.
The family building was quiet at night, and only Xu Wanxiu's soft voice was left in the room, telling the story of innocence. After a chill, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The comrade-in-arms standing beside Zhao Guoqiang was keenly aware that there was no joy in completing the task on his face at this time, but his face was pale, his jaw was tight, and his lips and teeth were biting, as if restraining something. "Old Zhao!" With his exclamation, the people around also noticed the movement here, and the relaxed atmosphere became tense again.
The next day, Xu Wanxiu had just finished breakfast, so she persuaded Mother Xu from the kitchen to accompany the baby, while she went into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Suddenly, there was a hurried knock on the door. Originally, Mother Xu was outside, so Xu Wanxiu didn't have to go out. But as the knock on the door came hurriedly, she was also panicked in her heart.
Did you decisively let go of the bowl in her hand, wiped her hands on the rag beside the stove, and Xu Wanxiu ran out.
Originally hearing the knock on the door, after Mother Xu and the baby agreed, she got up and was about to open the door when she saw her daughter rushing out, she hurriedly shouted, "Xiuxiu, slow down!" She put her
hand on the door handle and pressed it hard , the door opened, and Xu Wanxiu saw Li Weiguo standing outside with a not very good expression. It's the same as it was years ago.
She also turned pale.
Li Weiguo didn't feel good when he looked at her. Knowing what Guoqiang's daughter-in-law had guessed, he sighed and said, "Brother and sister, Guoqiang is injured. He's in the military hospital right now, you need to clean up and wait. I'll take you there with me."
These words were exactly the same as before, and they confirmed Xu Wanxiu's worried guess. Her face turned pale again, and her legs hidden under her trousers were shaking.
Mother Xu followed behind her daughter, and naturally heard what Li Weiguo said. At that moment, there was a thud in her heart, and she was so shocked that she made an "Ouch". She hurriedly stepped forward to support Xiuxiu, and quickly asked aloud, "How is my son-in-law now? Is it serious?"
What kind of life is this? This has been expected, and after waiting for such bad news for two months, Mother Xu also collapsed. What she was most afraid of was that her daughter-in-law couldn't hold it, and she was also afraid that her son-in-law couldn't hold it.
Xu Wanxiu quickly got out of her grief, barely speaking in a steady voice, "I'll go in and get something."
She reached out and patted Mother Xu's hand on her arm, comforted in turn, and then He walked quickly into the room and flipped through the money, not caring about anything else.
The baby felt that the originally peaceful atmosphere at home suddenly froze, and she got up and wanted to find her mother.
However, Xu Wanxiu was intent on rushing to the military hospital, but she hurriedly explained to the baby, "Ning Ning, listen to your grandmother at home, and mother go out first. On the other end, Xu Wanxiu followed Li Weiguo all the way to the military hospital. On the way, Li Weiguo was afraid that she would be tired and asked her if she wanted to rest.
She didn't even pause in her footsteps. As soon as the words fell, she had already walked outside the door, and said to Li Weiguo, "Brother Weiguo, let's go over now."
Li Weiguo knew that she was in a hurry, and immediately nodded to Xu's mother, and hurriedly agreed with her . Xu Wanxiu left together.
The baby didn't even look at himself when he saw his mother, and with a puffed mouth, he wanted to rush out to catch up with his mother, but was held back by Xu's mother.
Mother Xu looked out the door worriedly, and the figure had long since disappeared, so she lowered her head and embraced the baby's soft body, barely showing a kind smile and coaxed, "Ning Ning, your mother has something to go out, and grandma will play with you. "
Fortunately, the child's grievances come and go quickly, and being coaxed by Mother Xu's clever words, the grievances soon dissipated, and she said generously, "Forget it, I won't disturb her when she is busy, grandma. Come and play with me."
"Well, I'd rather be really good." Seeing that she had coaxed her granddaughter well, Mother Xu felt a little more relaxed. She took the baby's hand and walked to the living room, sat down and continued to play the game just now. game.
It's just that the baby will often dislike it and say, "Grandma, have you heard me? Why are you in a daze again?"
"Okay, grandma won't be next time." Mother Xu came back to her senses, took a deep breath, and forced herself Get up and keep playing with your baby.
Xu Wanxiu refused everything, she shook her head and said, "No, I'm not tired, let's go to the hospital quickly."
Li Weiguo couldn't explain Zhao Guoqiang's injury in a few words, or he couldn't bear to say it, so Xu Wan Xiu is not very clear about Zhao Guoqiang's injury now, and it is this unknown that makes her more worried.
In this way, he walked forward without stopping, and even the speed was close to running. The original thirty-minute journey arrived in twenty minutes.
When she walked into the military hospital, Xu Wanxiu's calf was shaking.
Li Weiguo had visited Zhao Guoqiang once before , and he immediately led Xu Wanxiu to Zhao Guoqiang's ward. He turned around and said to Xu Wanxiu, "Brother and sister, Guoqiang is inside." Xu Wanxiu, who was looking forward to going to the military hospital, was now timid. She was afraid, afraid that Zhao Guoqiang was hurt too badly, and she couldn't bear it.
Li Weiguo pushed the door open and led Xu Wanxiu into the ward. After Xu Wanxiu took a deep breath, she walked in, subconsciously looking in the direction of the hospital bed.
Having slept in the same bed for several years, so familiar people were lying on the hospital bed so weakly, Xu Wanxiu only felt that her heart was dull and complicated.
Zhao Guoqiang heard the sound of the door being pushed open and knew that this was Xu Wanxiu. He opened his eyes slightly tiredly, looked at the gentle woman outside the door, and said with a smile, "Xiuxiu, you are here."