The chicken is very fat. Because the Zhu family is rich, they are willing to drink chicken soup. Unlike some other families, the chickens are old hens that have been raised for several years.
Zhu An peeled off the skin of a quarter of the chicken and cut it into pieces. The chicken skin was a bit oily when boiled into soup, which was not suitable for her and Uncle Ren to eat, so she planned to save the chicken skin for frying and cooking tomorrow. Then she put a little more oil in the pan, and when the oil was hot, she fried the chicken pieces in the pan and added water after boiling for about a minute or two. Zhu An added water that was already hot in another pot. When the chicken soup was almost boiling, he added cornmeal dumplings, and then waited for the soup to boil.
"Brother, Xiaochen, I'm outside. If you need anything, call me." Zhu An told the two firemen.
"I know."
The two firemen replied in unison.
One minute... two minutes...
As the fragrance of cornmeal pimple soup continued to spread, the two people sitting behind the stove lighting the fire had become wooden men. Because they are not stupid, they are afraid that their mouths will drool.
Gululu...
Finally, someone found an opportunity.
Zhu Dabao's tutor is very good, and he is also very sensible. Although he is very greedy, he does not clamor for food. But now: "Sister, I heard Xiaochen's stomach growling." He shouted loudly in the kitchen.
Ren Jianchen's little face turned red. He hurriedly covered his stomach with his hands. His eyes widened and he looked at Zhu Dabao with an incredulous look. He wasn't. He didn't scream. His uncle must have heard wrong.
Zhu Dabao saw Ren Jianchen looking at him and showed him a big smile. His white teeth were really enviable and jealous.
Zhu An squatted in the yard. She soaked the original sheets and quilts with soap and soaked them in water. She planned to wash them tomorrow.
"Sister, I heard Xiaochen's stomach growling." Zhu Dabao didn't get a response from his sister, so he went out to call again.
Zhu An: "..." She thought it was her eldest brother who was hungry, but looking at his honest look, she couldn't find any evidence.
Zhu Dabao saw his sister staring at him, and he smiled at her with some confusion: "Sister?"
Zhu An stood up, thinking that Uncle Ren might be ashamed to death because her eldest brother shouted so loudly. Therefore, she could only walk to the door of the room and said loudly on purpose: "My stomach growled just now. It's time to eat."
Ren Jianchen was in the kitchen, but his little ears kept listening to what was going on outside. His uncle's loud voice just now made him He also heard it, and he was so angry that he wanted to hit his uncle. Why is his uncle like this?
But when he heard his aunt say that her stomach was also growling, he breathed a sigh of relief. But her little face was still red from holding back.
When Zhu An entered the restaurant, he saw a little head behind the stove looking toward the door. When he saw her coming in, he immediately shrank back. Seeing this scene, she felt very happy.
The soup on the stove was already boiling, and Zhu An put in the green vegetables picked today. The vegetables were mixed in the hot soup for a minute and they were ready. "Brother, Xiaochen, bring the bowls and line up to serve the meal."
"Here we come."
Zhu Dabao and Ren Jianchen took the bowls and started lining up next to Zhu An.
It's just that... the corner of Zhu An's mouth twitched. Uncle Ren was holding a rice bowl, while her eldest brother was holding a soup bowl. The contrast between the two was too obvious, wasn't it?
Zhu An held back his smile and served it to them. However: "Xiao Chen, the pimple soup is very hot. Let your uncle serve it." "
Xiao Chen, I will serve it." Zhu Dabao was on the side. Hearing his sister's words, he picked it up quickly and then walked to the dining table as if It was her imagination that the pimple soup had just come out of the pot, but it was actually already cold.
After each person had a bowl of pimple soup, she put all the remaining pimple soup into a large soup bowl, then washed the pot and poured cold water into it. When three people take a shower at night, a pot of hot water is obviously not enough.
The Zhu family's dining table is a square table with a large round table on top. When there are many people eating, a large round table is needed. If there are few people eating, the top of the large round table can be removed. Now the three of them were eating, and the top of the big round table was removed. The three of them sat on three sides, all sipping the pimple soup with relish.
Zhu An rarely felt so relaxed and comfortable. In her previous life, she studied all day and all night because the conditions in the orphanage were limited. After nine years of compulsory education, only students with good grades could continue to study. When she was young, she wanted to be successful, so she studied hard. When she grew up, she added another goal in life to repay Uncle Ren, so she still studied hard.
But in fact, working hard alone is very tiring. Your body is tired and there is no one to take care of you. Mentally tired, no one cares about you.
But things are different now. She has a family and people who can help her. When she couldn't do the hard work, there were people around her who would do it for her. When she feels unwell, someone will bring her tea and water. She has an eldest brother who has a pure heart, and an uncle Ren who is smart and clever.
Zhu An looked at them, his eyes couldn't help but feel a little sour. She quickly lowered her head so as not to let her eldest brother and Uncle Ren see her. Especially her eldest brother, if he saw her crying, he would definitely be extremely worried.
Zhu An ate very quickly. It was a habit she had developed in her previous life. She ate well. Zhu Dabao and Ren Jianchen were still eating. She said, "Brother Xiaochen, you eat slowly. I'll take a shower first." She had two or three days. I haven't taken a shower anymore, I'm not used to it. Although I didn't take a bath every day when I was in the orphanage, that was when I was a kid.
Later, when she went to school, she was criticized by her classmates for not taking a shower. After that, she washed herself clean every day, so that this habit developed.
"Sister, I will eat slowly." Zhu Dabao was so obedient that it made people laugh or cry.
Ren Jianchen saw that his aunt had finished eating, and he wanted to eat faster, but when he heard his uncle's answer, he didn't know whether he should eat faster or slower. Finally, he hesitated and chose to follow his uncle. "Auntie, I will also eat slowly." "So
good." Zhu An praised them and went Take a shower.
The bathroom was in the kitchen stall. She put hot water mixed with cold water into a bucket, and then slowly carried it into the bathroom. The bathroom here is the same as the bathroom in the countryside. It is a simple version of the modern bathroom with separate dry and wet rooms. The outside is the place for changing clothes, and the inside is the place for bathing. The inside and outside are separated by a one-meter-high mud wall, so that when you take a bath inside, the water will not splash outside.
Zhu An put down the water and went to the room to get a change of clothes.
When Zhu An came out from the shower, he saw Zhu Dabao and Ren Jianchen squatting on the ground washing dishes. And the table has been cleared.
"Brother, Xiaochen." She called.
"Sister, we are washing the dishes." Zhu Dabao glanced at his sister and continued to wash the dishes.
Ren Jianchen said nervously: "Auntie, we will wash the dishes." He often washes dishes at Ren's house and has rich experience.
"Wow, you two are awesome..." Zhu An did not refuse, but praised them.
The two people who received the compliment seemed to be full of energy and energy.
After Zhu An put the dirty clothes in the laundry bucket and washed and dried the underwear, he found that the two of them had already washed the dishes.
"Brother, Xiaochen, you can take a shower too." Zhu An checked and found that the bowl was indeed clean, so he asked them to take a shower. It's been a busy day today and everyone is tired. Now she wants to go to bed. Otherwise, she wouldn't put the changed clothes to wash tomorrow.
"Hey, it's time to take a shower." Although Zhu Dabao's IQ is like that of a four or five-year-old child, his hands-on ability is not comparable to that of a child. He mixed the water and took a bath himself without Zhu An's help.
The elders and children took a bath more slowly. When they came out refreshed and refreshed, Zhu An said with a smile: "Brother, Xiao Chen, you should wash the underwear you changed first." She was willing to help with the washing. Yes, but she thought it wouldn't be a bad thing to teach her eldest brother some common sense in life.
"I...I don't know how to wash." Zhu Dabao was stunned. His sister had never asked him to wash his pants before.
"I can wash." Ren Jianchen said, "Uncle, let me teach you." Ren Jianchen was happy to be assigned to work.
Hearing that his nephew knew how to wash trousers but he couldn't, Zhu Dabao became eager to learn. He can be stupider than others, but he can't make Xiaochen stupid because he is an uncle.
Ren Jianchen was used to washing clothes. He not only washed his own clothes at Ren's house, but also washed other people's clothes. So he was very careful and patient when teaching Zhu Dabao. Although Zhu Dabao has not been washed, Zhu's mother washed him before, and later his younger sister washed him. However, with Ren Jianchen as an example, he learned very happily.
After the two of them washed and dried their underwear, and Zhu An brushed their teeth and washed their faces with them, the three of them went back to sleep.
This night, the three of them slept very soundly. Zhu An doesn't recognize the bed. As an orphan, she adapts very well. Ren Jianchen was young and weak in physical strength, and it was a sign of strong perseverance that he could survive until now. So as soon as he got to bed, he fell asleep without overcoming the uneasiness caused by the unfamiliar environment. Especially sleeping with Zhu Dabao, the people around him gave him enough peace of mind.
The next day:
I went to bed around seven o'clock last night. Although I was tired after a long day, I went to bed early, so I woke up early the next day.
Zhu An yawned. She was usually a light sleeper because she was so preoccupied that she didn't expect to sleep so well until dawn. Zhu An stretched and got up. There were still many things to do today. First, he took Uncle Ren to buy some new pairs of shoes, and then took him to the hospital to check his health. When he came back, he still had a pile of clothes and bed sheets to wash. .
However, when she walked out of the room and saw Dai Yishi sitting at her door, her originally lazy spirit suddenly sobered up. "Brother, Xiaochen, what are you doing sitting here? Are you hungry?"
"Sister..." Zhu Dabao called out with grievance, "Look..." He pointed to the five-pointed star on Ren Jianchen's chest.
Ren Jianchen wears two clothes in total. Yesterday he changed into a hooded sweater. Today he is wearing a POLO shirt with a five-pointed star on the chest. Especially the five-pointed star is embroidered with red thread. For children, the temptation of the red five-pointed star is Too much force.
Ren Jianchen was a little embarrassed. After taking a shower yesterday, he only wore a small vest and shorts, and he didn't know there were five-pointed stars on these clothes. When he was getting dressed in the morning, he was really surprised to see the five-pointed star on it. Then the clothes were seen by his uncle. He felt that if his clothes were big enough for his uncle to wear, his uncle would definitely grab them and wear them. "Uncle likes this five-pointed star." Ren Jianchen explained sheepishly.
Zhu An: "..." I miscalculated. It seems that when preparing children's things in the future, I will have to prepare two copies. "Then when I have time, I will also embroider five-pointed stars on my brother's clothes, okay?"
Zhu Dabao nodded with satisfaction and finally smiled. However, he is no longer a three-year-old child, so he is not easily perfunctory by his sister. So he asked again: "Sister, when are you free?" "
...We have to go to the hospital in the morning and come back to wash things in the afternoon. Can I embroider the five-pointed star in the evening?" Zhu An was a little doubtful whether the eldest brother would do it every time. Every piece of clothing needs a five-pointed star.
In fact, although Zhu Dabao is considered well-fed and well-clothed among children in the countryside, he is still incomparable to his sister. He only had a few pieces of clothing in total. Because he is in the countryside and his activities are in the countryside. If he wears too many clothes, it will easily attract people and make people feel too high-profile. So what he usually wears is coarse cloth.
And because Xiao Zhuan is a girl and studies in the county town, if she is poorly dressed, she will be looked down upon. Plus she was out of sight of the villagers, so she could wear whatever she wanted.
Because of this, she has a lot of clothes, including several sets of pajamas. Some were made by Zhu Mu, and some were bought in department stores. Among them was a relatively famous Peony brand silk pajamas, a white short-sleeved pajama dress with a baby doll collar and embroidered with small red floral flowers on the neckline. In fact, little Zhu An's life is probably the Bai Fumei life of future generations.
But...
"Okay." He was satisfied when he heard that his sister would make him a five-pointed star at night. However, Zhu Dabao remembered something again,
"Sister, I also want the clothes to have a hat and a big pocket in the front, just like Xiao Chen's."
Zhu An knew he was talking about the one Ren Jianchen wore yesterday. She thought for a moment: "Okay, but take your time. Make the five-pointed star first, and then make the hat and pockets tomorrow." There was no extra fabric in his clothes. If he made the hat and pockets, he would have to find fabric. But she didn't have any cloth tickets in her hand, so... she thought she could cut Father Zhu's clothes. Brother Zhu couldn't wear Father Zhu's clothes, and leaving the clothes would be a waste. She wouldn't be able to part with them if they were given away. After all, Zhu's father has passed away, and maybe others will have ideas in their hearts, so it is good to keep it for his own family who will not shy away from it.
"Sister, you are so kind." Zhu Dabao showed his standard big white teeth and his eyes almost narrowed when he smiled.
Zhu An sighed helplessly: "Have you brushed your teeth and washed your face? If not, go brush your teeth and wash your face first. If you have washed your teeth, come and light the fire for me. I have to cook." "You have washed it." Zhu Dabao said, "Xiao Chen
and I We've also heated the hot water."
"Have you boiled the hot water too?" Zhu An was a little surprised, how early did they get up? Did she get up late? But she looked at her watch just now and it was clearly only after seven o'clock.
"Well." Zhu Dabao said again, "Xiaochen and I went to fetch water." When he got up in the morning, he originally planned to sit at the door of his sister's room until she woke up, but Xiaochen said that he was going to boil hot water. Brush your teeth and wash your face. Later, when there was no water, Xiaochen said to fetch water again.
When Zhu An heard Zhu Dabao's words, he lowered his eyes and looked at Ren Jianchen.
Ren Jianchen felt a little embarrassed when she saw him. He pursed his lips, wondering if his aunt would be angry with him for taking his uncle to do housework. He just... He just...
"Xiao Chen, you are so amazing."
Suddenly, Ren Jianchen heard his aunt's praise. His worried eyes suddenly lit up.
"You can make a fire, wash dishes with your uncle, brush your teeth and wash your face with your uncle, and boil hot water and carry water with your uncle. You are a treasure boy." Zhu An gave him a thumbs up.
Ren Jianchen's pupils slowly dilated. Although he had never heard of Treasure Boy, he knew about the treasure and how good the treasure was. So I subconsciously think that these are words of praise for a person who knows a good boy like a treasure.
Ren Jianchen curled up his lips, feeling a little happy. His aunt said before that he was the cutest kid in the world, and now he has become a treasure boy again. He... was so happy...
Looking at the little boy's shining eyes and slowly blushing face, Zhu An also smiled.
Breakfast was vegetable and white porridge, and she also fried dried radish and scrambled eggs as a side dish. While making porridge, the chicken hearts, gizzards, and gizzards were braised. Three chickens were also made into cured chickens to be dried, and the remaining three-quarters of the chickens were kept for them to eat.
After breakfast, Zhu An took the whole family to the department store. Because I didn't go out too early and missed the work hours of the workers, I didn't meet many acquaintances in the alleys.
There was no one in the department store early in the morning. After the three people entered, they looked around curiously. Zhu An was curious because there was a big difference between the department stores of this era and those of later generations. This kind of place full of the atmosphere of the era inevitably made her look at it a few more times. Zhu Dabao is curious because he is a big child and is curious about everything. Even if he has been to the department store several times, his curiosity will not fade away. In comparison, Ren Jianchen's curiosity is based on the exploration of new things and the surprise of the unknown.
However, Zhu An still remembered that when she took him to the supply and marketing cooperative that day, the little hand held by her was tense and the little mouth was also pursed. At the same time, his body was very close to hers, and he was slightly hiding behind her. At that time, he was like a wolf cub entering a strange place, alert and defensive. Like a little lamb, a little inferior.
But today, he is neither as vigilant as a wolf cub nor as inferior as a little lamb. He looked at everything around him openly, like a newborn baby, recognizing things he had never seen before.
Zhu An would not be surprised at all by Uncle Ren like this. Without such adaptability, without such courage, how could Uncle Ren, who was penniless, without any background or support, start from scratch? Become a nationally renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist.
The three people came to the clothing area, where there were cloth and ready-made clothes. Their goal was children's shoes. There are not many styles on the children's shoe counter, including leather shoes, coarse cloth shoes handmade by women, and canvas shoes.
What Zhu An likes is coarse cloth shoes and canvas shoes. But she only had a shoe ticket and could only buy one pair. After thinking about it, I could spend some money to have the women in the alley make the coarse cloth shoes, so I chose canvas shoes. "Hello, comrade, please try on a pair of these that are suitable for children."
The young saleswoman said with a smile: "What size of shoes does the child wear?"
"I don't know, what size do you think these should be?" "Zhu An really didn't know. She asked Ren Jianchen, but the child didn't know what size she wanted to wear. All his shoes were leftovers from his cousin's shoes. The saleswoman leaned out of the counter. She was inside and couldn't see the child's feet. But when she leaned out and saw the child's feet, she was dumbfounded. What was going on? The three of them were neatly dressed and very decent, but what happened to the shoes on the children's feet? Not only was it dirty, it was also tattered, and most of the big toe was stuck out of it. And the big toe is still wearing white socks. Isn’t this too strange?
The salesperson immediately said: "Sister, you can't try on this child because his feet are so dirty. It would be bad if the shoes get dirty." When she saw the child's feet, she noticed that the boy was tall and strong. Although this woman is thin, her skin is fair and tender. But this child is so skinny. This is really...
Ren Jianchen was originally looking forward to the shoes, but when he heard the salesman's words, his bright eyes suddenly lost their light. He lowered his head and tugged at Juan's clothes with his little hands: "Aunt, I...I don't need to buy shoes." His voice was still crisp, but these words seemed to have exhausted all his courage.
But just as he finished speaking, another honest and honest voice sounded angrily: "Sister, Xiaochen's feet are not dirty. He took a bath yesterday. He also washed his feet when taking a bath. They were very clean." Ren Jianchen heard that Zhu
Dabao If so, he looked at him sharply. "Uncle..." His voice was choked with sobs, filled with many, many grievances.
Although the saleswoman was older than Zhu Dabao, she felt a little strange when she heard Zhu Dabao call her sister. Shouldn't most people call her eldest sister? Moreover, this big man speaks a little strangely. However, she didn't think much about it and explained: "Comrade, we have regulations here, and I can't do anything about it."
Zhu An didn't mean to blame the salesperson, after all, what she said at the time was the truth. So she said to Zhu Dabao: "Brother, pick up Xiaochen."
"Huh? Oh." Zhu Dabao honestly picked up Ren Jianchen.
Then, Zhu An took off Ren Jianchen's shoes, and the white socks he put on in the morning were also a little dirty. Zhu An took off Ren Jianchen's socks again. Although the feet in the socks were thin and the bones on the feet were somewhat protruding, they were clean. "Comrade, look, my child's feet are very clean. Can we try it on barefoot?"
The salesperson saw that the child's feet were indeed clean, so she didn't refuse. She took out two pairs of shoes: "Compare the soles of the child's feet to see which pair is the right size."
After Zhu An compared the soles of Ren Jianchen's feet, he put one pair on Ren Jianchen, and then said gently: "Xiaochen, you Take a few steps on the ground and see if it hurts your feet."
The salesperson reminded: "Don't go to unclean places."
"Yes." Ren Jianchen's voice was soft and waxy. He got out of Zhu Dabao's arms and walked a few steps on the ground, "Auntie, it doesn't hurt your feet." ."
"Are the shoes comfortable? Do the toes touch up? Are they too small?" Zhu An asked again carefully.
Ren Jianchen shook his head: "There are still some empty ones in front. But aunt, you can make it a little bigger. I can wear it when I get older." "Then listen to
our Xiaochen." So, Zhu An asked the salesperson for a big one. Shoes of size 1, and then said, "Come here, Xiaochen, you can wear new shoes today."
Ren Jianchen actually didn't want to wear them because he was worried about getting the new shoes dirty. However, he had to go to the hospital later, and he was worried that if he went there wearing old shoes, he would be criticized again. He wasn't afraid of being criticized, but he didn't want to embarrass his aunt because of him. His aunt is so kind, and he doesn't want others to gossip about her. So he nodded: "I listen to my aunt."
After the three of them came out of the department store, Zhu An could see that Ren Jianchen was absent-minded. He was not as cheerful as when he entered, and his little face looked even sicker. Yes, even the vitality in his eyes was gone. Zhu An naturally knew the reason. She asked softly: "Xiao Chen, do you know why aunt asked you to take off your socks and try on shoes?" When Ren Jianchen heard his aunt ask this, he raised his head and looked at her
.
"That aunt just now said that your feet are dirty and she's worried that the new shoes will get stained when you try them on. So if we take off our socks and try them on, we can prove that the new shoes won't get dirty when we try them on, right?" Ren Jianchen nodded
. Head: "Well, the shoes are dirty, but my feet are not." "
So when we encounter problems, we can't escape, we must learn to find ways to solve them. If we just didn't think of ways to solve the problem of trying on shoes that would stain them, then the shoes would be We can’t try them on, and we can’t buy the shoes. But we took off our socks to try them on, which means we found a way to try on the shoes without getting them dirty, so we can buy the shoes, don’t you think?” Zhu An slowly analyzed it for him. She knew that this was a child's self-esteem, just like when she was teased by her classmates for being an orphan when she was a child, she would feel inferior and sad. However, she cannot use the topic of inferiority to explain it, she has to explain it from the other side.
Although Ren Jianchen is a precocious child, he still doesn't understand many profound principles. But he will remember what his aunt said. He cannot run away from problems, but must learn to find ways to solve them. "Auntie, I remember."
Zhu An chuckled: "But our Xiaochen is a child. If a child encounters a problem, he can ask the adults in the family to solve it. Besides, our Xiaochen is so powerful, he can wash clothes and light fires. They can do it all, but what about the almighty kid? "
The almighty kid? Ren Jianchen was attracted by Zhu An's words, and the gloom just now slowly dissipated. What he wanted to know now was, the cutest kid, the treasure boy, and the all-around kid. Which of these three kids is the most powerful?
There are also not many people in the county hospital. After all, this is an era when illness can be tolerated as long as possible. However, the speed of their physical examination was not as fast as expected, because it was not just Ren Jianchen who had the physical examination, but all three members of the family were examined.
The detailed examination report will not come out until three days later, but the doctor gave a rough outline of the situation.
Zhu Dabao's body is really great. After all, he eats good nutrition (eggs, toffee, white rice, meat), exercises all the year round (works), and has a broad heart (except for sitting on the bed because he wants a five-pointed star). My sister's grievance at the door has nothing else to worry about), so can Zhu Dabao's body be unhealthy?
Ren Jianchen's condition is the same as what the doctor at the town health center said. He is malnourished and has slow growth. He needs to take good care of his body.
As for Zhu An herself, because her parents died one after another, little Zhu An was subjected to gossip from the villagers, and the verbal violence caused her to be worried and depressed. She also needed to pay attention to her health. But fortunately, the foundation is good and the problem is not big.
So the most serious one is Ren Jianchen.
However, when thinking about Ren Jianchen's situation in the future, Zhu An was worried but not in a hurry. After all, in addition to having difficulty walking in later generations, Uncle Ren was also a tall and handsome uncle.
Chapter 20
◎Inquiry into the Black Market◎
Lunch was very rich. When I went to the hospital in the morning, I had been warming the braised chicken offal in the pot. By noon, the braised chicken soup had been absorbed. Although the ingredients are not as abundant as those in later generations, the Zhu family has more ingredients than ordinary people. Some ingredients such as star anise were collected by Zhu's father when he went to the mountains to pick herbs.
Except for braised food