In addition to chicken offal, she also used chicken skin to make chicken fat residue, and then stir-fried vegetables. It was as fragrant as stir-frying chicken with vegetables.
The third dish was homemade pickled radishes. She took out two and cut them into slices. The texture of pickled radish is not only crispy, but also has a sweet taste. It is also delicious as a snack.
The last, of course, is the egg custard.
While Zhu An was cooking, the two firemen were also very responsible. Of course, if they don't come out and stare at her from time to time. Knowing that they were greedy, Zhu An gave each of them a piece of chicken heart while cutting the braised chicken offal. The two of them were not greedy. They ate a piece of braised chicken heart slowly. After they finished eating, they didn't ask for more. They sat obediently and continued to light the fire.
Finally, the meal was ready. When Zhu An opened the meal, the two of them immediately went to get bowls and lined up. Zhu Dabao still took the soup bowl. He felt that he could eat more today than yesterday.
Lunch was much more delicious than the previous porridge, but Zhu An controlled the food intake of himself and Ren Jianchen. Their stomachs were not yet healed, so most of it ended up in Zhu Dabao's stomach.
After lunch, Ren Jianchen took Zhu Dabao to wash dishes in the kitchen, while Zhu An rubbed the sheets and quilt covers that had been soaked in water last night in the yard. After they finished washing the dishes and came out, Zhu An said: "Brother, we are going to do the laundry. Come and carry these two washing buckets." She couldn't carry the two buckets, and they were even heavier after being soaked in water. .
"Hey." When Zhu Dabao saw there were two barrels, he found a carrying pole himself and used the one he picked directly.
Zhu An was carrying a wooden basin, which contained the clothes he had changed from yesterday and today.
There are very few people in the laundry area.
When Zhu An started to wash the sheets and quilt covers, Ren Jianchen called Zhu Dabao to start washing his clothes.
"Uncle, you have to wet the laundry, and then rub it on the dirty areas..." Ren Jianchen's crisp voice was mixed with the sound of water, but it could still be heard clearly.
Several people heard the child's voice and looked at it curiously. Someone also praised: "Whose child is this? He is so good."
"That's right, my children only know how to make trouble."
"I've never seen him before. He's not from our alley, right?" Some people saw that Ren Jianchen looked unfamiliar and said suspiciously. The tap water and wells here are exclusively for residents in the alleys.
Zhu An listened to their chatter and did not speak to them. After all, these people did not ask themselves. When Zhu An washed the sheets, he called Zhu Dabao: "Brother, help me wring out the water and put it in this clean washing bucket." "Hey." Zhu Dabao, who had a lot of strength, wringed out the water from the sheets
. There was a clicking sound.
It was an hour later when they finished washing and returned home.
After drying, Zhu An didn't rest. She packed some dried vegetables and bamboo shoots in a cloth bag, and said to one big brother and the other small: "Brother, Xiao Chen, I want to go out for a while, you guys stay at home." "Sister, you want it
. Want to play?" Zhu Dabao asked quickly, he also wanted to play with his sister.
Zhu An said: "I'm not going to play, I'm going to do business. You and Xiaochen will wait at home for me to come back. If you are good, I will give you two white rabbit toffee when I come back." She thought of the hurried move yesterday. , I forgot to give yesterday’s candy to my eldest brother. But fortunately, my eldest brother doesn’t remember things.
Hearing his sister mention the White Rabbit toffee, Zhu Dabao remembered that he hadn't eaten it yesterday, so his eyes widened. "Sister, you didn't give me the candy yesterday." Between the one candy yesterday and the two sweets today, does that mean there are three candies?
If you ask him what 1 plus 2 equals, he may not know. But he knows how many candies are equal to one candy plus two candies, and he has a very magical brain.
Zhu An didn't expect that she would be slapped in the face so soon. She thought her eldest brother had forgotten yesterday's candy, but it turned out that he still remembered it. She really underestimated her eldest brother. "Then when I come back, I will make up for yesterday's candy, okay?"
Zhu Dabao nodded with satisfaction: "Sister, I will be good today. I want two today."
"Brother, don't worry." Zhu Dabao said After An made her promise to Zhu Dabao, she said to Ren Jianchen, "The same goes for Xiaochen. Everyone in our family has a candy every day. Yesterday, my aunt was busy and forgot about it, so Xiaochen also has a candy. If today Xiaochen Just like uncle, Guaiguai also has two candies at home."
Ren Jianchen nodded: "Don't worry, aunt, uncle and I will be at home."
After hearing the two people's assurances, Zhu An went out with peace of mind. In fact, she didn't go anywhere, but went to inquire about the black market. Ren Jianchen's body needed to be replenished. She planned to get some milk powder or malted milk, but she had no tickets, so she thought of the black market.
It is now 1959. In 65 years ago, the control of the black market was not strict, and the food shortage period was about to come. She went to learn about the black market not only to buy milk powder, but also to take advantage of the fact that food prices have not yet risen. Three years of food harvesting. Of course, she doesn't just live in her own village. She also helps some families in the brigade who care about their families, such as Qian Shuhong's family, Mrs. Lin's family, and the brigade leader's family. When there is a shortage of food, you can sell some to them appropriately.
When Zhu An left home, he first went to Grandma Qin's house. The two families lived in the same alley in Hutong Lane. Not to mention, before the Zhu family moved to the countryside, the two families had frequent contacts and a harmonious relationship.
"Is Grandma Qin here?" Zhu An shouted at the gate of the Qin family's yard.
Grandma Qin came out of the house and saw Zhu An and said enthusiastically: "Xiao An, come in quickly." Grandma Qin was quite familiar with Zhu An. When Zhu's mother was alive, although the Zhu family moved to the countryside, she came to the county every month. When he comes to collect resident benefits, he will stay in the county for a few days. When Zhu's mother lives in the county, Zhu An, who lives on campus, will also stay at home.
"Grandma." Zhu An entered the courtyard.
"Why are you so thin, kid? I remember last time..." Grandma Qin thought carefully about the last time we met. When did you arrive in Zhu'an? It seems like last year? Thinking that it had been so long ago, she stopped talking, "My child, why is your mother so fine... is there an affair at home?" Grandma Qin is a few years younger than the
Zhu family's grandfather, but she is still very old. I am 65 this year. She watched Zhu's mother grow up. She had previously thought about marrying her son to Zhu's mother, but before she came to talk to her grandfather, Zhu's mother and Zhu's father were engaged, so the matter had to be forgotten.
In fact, in this alley, there are many grandmothers who originally wanted Zhu Mu to be their daughter-in-law. The Zhu family has only one daughter, and the conditions are good. After grandpa goes to the Zhu family, everything belongs to Zhu's mother, not to mention having money and a house, especially Zhu's mother is good-looking, has a good personality, and is diligent and intelligent. Modern is all about whiteness and beauty, who doesn’t like it?
Zhu An did not hide anything, and simply said that Zhu's father and mother died one after another: "This incident also started from me. In November last year, my father wanted to come to the county to pick me up from school..." Zhu An finished. Regarding Zhu's father and Zhu's mother, his eyes were a little red.
"This..." Grandma Qin didn't expect this to be the case. The old ladies were still talking about whether Zhu's father bullied Zhu's mother yesterday, but they didn't expect that the two of them were so close to each other and died one after another.
This is really unpredictable.
"Xiao'an, I won't say anything to express my condolences. Don't blame yourself. This is fate." Grandma Qin sighed, "But it is more important for you to be strong now. Your elder brother is in such a situation. You will have to do it again in the future." It's up to you."
Zhu An said, "Thank you, grandma, for your concern. I know. I also adopted a child for my eldest brother. He is an orphan of a martyr..." She also mentioned Ren Jianchen's identity. If she leaves for something later, Grandma Qin can also watch them if she is there. After all, she cannot always be by their side.
Grandma Qin didn't expect that she would be so decisive at such a young age and even adopt a child to Zhu Dabao. But when she heard that the child was an orphan of a martyr, Grandma Qin had a much better impression of the child. It was good that the child had a clean background. It's just that, "Xiao An, isn't it too early for Dabao to adopt a child? After you get married, wouldn't it be better to adopt the child to him? As your own nephew, you can feel more at ease. Besides, this way , your Zhu family’s things can be handed over to your children to inherit.”
Zhu Anguo succeeded Jianchen just to take care of him legitimately, and never thought of letting him inherit the Zhu family’s things. She can earn these things herself. Besides, she has never thought about getting married and having children. If there is no accident, she will never get married in her life. But if there is an accident and she meets the person of her heart, she will also explain her family affairs clearly to him. In her heart, no one can surpass Uncle Ren and Big Brother.
Zhu An's feelings for Ren Jianchen originated from his previous life, and Zhu An's feelings for Zhu Dabao were not because Zhu Dabao was little Zhu An's only relative, but more because of Zhu Dabao's nurturing kindness to Ren Jianchen in his previous life.
So in this life, these two people are the most important people in her life.
"Grandma, even if my child doesn't have to be adopted in the future, he will still take care of his uncle." Zhu An said gently.
Grandma Qin thought the same thing, this was her nephew. "Xiao An, why are you here today?"
Zhu An handed the bag over: "These are dried vegetables and bamboo shoots that I dried at home. There are few people in the family and I can't eat that much. Bring some for grandma to try. Dried vegetables and bamboo shoots. It can be dried every year, grandma, don't be polite to me."
Grandma Qin was originally embarrassed to ask for it. There were only two brothers and sisters left in the Zhu family to depend on each other, so she was really embarrassed to ask for other people's things. But after hearing Zhu An explain that she could dry it every year, she readily accepted it. "Then you're welcome." She took the bag, "You come sit inside and have a sip of tea, and I'll pour the things out." "
Grandma, you're welcome. I drank a lot of soup during lunch, and my stomach is now I'm still excited." Zhu An made an excuse, "Actually, I have one more thing to ask Grandma. Does Grandma know where the black market is?" Chapter 21 ◎ Go to the Black
Market
◎
Grandma Qin heard Zhu An inquire about the black market and reminded her of concern: "In the old station, enter from the east gate... But you have to be careful when you go near the black market. There are people in charge of the black market, and no one dares to cause trouble. You have to be careful around the black market. Also, it doesn't matter whether you buy something or not when you enter the black market. You have to hand over two cents to those who stay at the door. The black market is open for two hours every day, from one to three in the morning...Xiao An, if you want to go, I will ask your uncle to take you there tomorrow morning." "Grandma, you don't have to.
" Zhu An hurriedly refused, "I can ask my eldest brother to accompany me." She indeed planned to ask her eldest brother to accompany her. Now that she has relatives, she has concerns in her heart and will not take risks on her own. It was not safe for a weak woman like her to go out in the middle of the night. Although her eldest brother was like a child, with his height and size, he could still bluff people as long as he kept silent.
Grandma Qin thought about it and felt that she was different. Although Zhu Dabao was stupid, but given his size, such a tall man could still hold up the scene.
Grandma Qin poured out the contents of the cloth bag. The total of dried vegetables and bamboo shoots weighed four or five kilograms. Even though four or five kilograms may not seem like much, once the dried vegetables and bamboo shoots were soaked in water, it was a lot. She thought for a while, then grabbed some kelp from the side and put it into the bag.
"Xiao An, I packed some kelp for you. This kelp is delicious in soup or salad." Grandma Qin thought Zhu An didn't know how to cook it, so she gave special instructions.
Zhu An's eyes lit up when she heard it was kelp. She loved eating kelp in her previous life. When I was in the orphanage, kelp stewed with potatoes was a dish that was never left on the table. "Thank you grandma, I will do it. Grandma, where did you buy this kelp? I want to buy some too."
Grandma Qin: "This is sold by your uncle's friend at the aquatic product supply station. I will wait for your uncle in the evening I'll ask when I get back. If there's anything else, I'll tell you."
Zhu An: "Thank you, grandma."
When Zhu An returned home and didn't see the two of them in the yard, she called out: "Big brother, little brother." Chen, I'm back." However, there was no response from the two of them.
So, Zhu An went to the two people's rooms to take a look and saw that they were sleeping soundly. She walked into the room and covered the two of them with a thin quilt. Looking at their peaceful sleeping faces, she had a feeling that time had passed peacefully.
When Ren Jianchen woke up, Zhu Dabao was still sleeping. He did not wake him up and climbed out of bed carefully. Ren Jianchen felt his mouth was a little thirsty, so he went to the kitchen to get some water. The Zhu family and the Ren family are really different. When he was at the Ren family, he drank water directly from the bucket, but at the Zhu family he drank cold water.
As soon as Ren Jianchen walked out of the room, he saw smoke coming from the chimney in the kitchen, and there was faint movement inside. Is his aunt back? He hurried to the kitchen: "Auntie?" He called softly.
Zhu An was cooking when he heard Ren Jianchen's voice and turned around and said, "Xiaochen woke up, did you sleep well?" "
Very good." It was better than he had ever imagined. The past two days had exceeded his expectations. He imagined that he could sleep in a clean bed, have a clean quilt to cover himself, and also eat meat buns, noodles and White Rabbit toffee. Ren Jianchen thought as he walked into the kitchen and consciously walked behind the stove to help light the fire. He wants to be a diligent child and not let his aunt think he is lazy, otherwise he will not like him. If the aunt doesn't like him, she might send him back to the Ren family.
He didn't want to go to Ren's house. It's not that he is greedy for the things from his aunt's house, but that he likes his aunt's house and the person who can hug him and kiss him.
If he is sent back to the Ren family, the aunt will give him away again. She will definitely not get back the 120 yuan that the aunt gave her. The eldest aunt will not pay her back.
"Xiao Chen, there's no need to light the fire. The meal will be ready soon. Go and ask uncle to get up and eat." Zhu An said. When she saw him going to light the fire, she understood what the little Uncle Ren was thinking. Just like when she lived in an orphanage as a child, she would clean the house and do many things to prove that she was a good child almost without stopping. , just to get the love of the dean and staff. Because orphans who are loved can get more things than orphans who are not loved.
"Hey." Ren Jianchen ran out again.
After a while, the two of them came in talking. The eldest brother was never vague about food, so he got up so quickly.
Dinner is kelp and potato soup, chicken stewed with dried bamboo shoots, and stir-fried vegetables. Whether it's potatoes or chicken, she stews them very soft and glutinous, which is beneficial to the digestion of the stomach.
After dinner and everyone had washed up, Zhu An called Zhu Dabao and Ren Jianchen together: "Brother, Xiaochen, I want to tell you something." Hearing that his sister (aunt) had something to
say , the two of them immediately listened with rapt attention.
Zhu An always feels like laughing every time he sees them acting obediently. So, she also showed a bright smile: "It's like this, I want to buy something at night, but the thing is too heavy, I can't carry it alone, I need the help of my elder brother. But the place where I buy things is not allowed for children Go in, so Xiaochen wants to stay at home alone, will you be afraid?"
Ren Jianchen was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "No, aunt." If it was in the countryside, he would not be afraid of sleeping alone. On the contrary, He prefers to be alone at home. But in a strange place, he didn't want to be alone at home. He wasn't worried that his aunt would leave him. After all, this was his aunt's home. He just didn't want to be alone. However, he didn't want to cause trouble to his aunt
.
Zhu An looked at his determined expression and felt unbearable for a moment. But it is even more inappropriate to go with children. Or should she go alone? It's not suitable for her to go by herself. She has little strength and can carry few things. It has to be a long way from the black market by bicycle, and she is riding a bicycle alone in the middle of the night. What if something happens and her eldest brother and Uncle Ren are left behind?
After thinking about it again and again, she still said cruelly: "When aunt and uncle come back, I will bring delicious food to Xiaochen." "
Yes." Ren Jianchen responded obediently. He never refuses food. Because he never had enough to eat before, he would not refuse food as long as there was something to eat. This has become a habit.
In the middle of the night, Zhu An and Zhu Dabao got up and went to the black market. Before going, they woke up Ren Jianchen and greeted him.
The two went there by bicycle. Xiao Zhuan had been attending school in the county town from kindergarten to high school, so she was relatively familiar with most places in the county town, especially iconic places like the old station.
Before the two went to the black market, they also made some disguises. She used charcoal to draw her and Zhu Dabao's eyebrows thick and ugly, and also added a few black moles on their faces. In addition, she used ink pad to make a birthmark on their face. She also repeatedly told Zhu Dabao not to speak in the black market unless she asked her to speak.
She was not worried about Zhu Dabao's words. Zhu Dabao was an obedient friend.
After riding their bicycles for fifteen minutes, the two finally found the entrance to the black market.
In the dark county town, the warm yellow lights of the black market are still very conspicuous. It is in the waiting room of the old station. There are two strong men standing at the gate. Grandma Qin said that you have to pay two cents to enter.
Zhu An paid four cents and went in. Zhu An was not surprised that his disguise did not attract their attention at all. There were many people here, and he was naturally not the first one to disguise himself. These people must be used to it.
There are indeed a lot of things on the black market, and there are all kinds of things, but Zhu An has not been to the bank today, and she only has 40 yuan in total, so her goal is clear, milk powder or malted milk. Zhu An took Zhu Dabao to find several stalls, and finally found milk powder and malted milk in a large room at the end.
And the owner of this stall is different from the small stalls outside. This stall is owned by a black market boss. He not only sells things, but also buys things.
After Zhu An learned about the situation here, he bought the remaining four bottles of milk powder and two cans of malted milk. In supply and marketing cooperatives or department stores, this 500-gram bottle of milk powder and malted milk costs about three yuan a can with milk powder coupons. There is no ticket here, but it costs six yuan.
After buying six cans of milk powder, Zhu An still had six yuan left, so she bought eggs and flour. Eggs don't cost 0.6 yuan per catty, so she buys two catties. The reason why she didn't buy more was because when the physical examination report came out, if they were healthy enough to travel, she would take her uncle Ren and her eldest brother to the army to understand Ren Guoyong's condition. Eggs cannot be stored and would spoil if she bought too many.
In addition, I bought another 16 pounds of flour. The flour that does not require tickets costs 0.3 yuan per pound, which is twice as expensive as the flour that requires tickets in the market.
After buying these things, she left with Zhu Dabao.
When I got home, it was already two o'clock. Zhu An was worried about waking up Ren Jianchen, so he and Zhu Dabao walked quietly together. Little did he know that she had just pushed the door of the courtyard and heard Ren Jianchen's clear voice coming from inside: "Is it your aunt?" Inexplicably, Zhu An
suddenly Somewhat sad. She suspected that he hadn't slept since they left. Sure
enough, Zhu An opened the door and saw Ren Jianchen standing at the door of the room wearing a coat and trousers, holding a small wooden stick. Seeing her push the door open, he ran forward: "Auntie..."
Zhu An couldn't hold it back, so he stepped forward and hugged him: "I'm sorry for making you worry."
Ren Jianchen has become somewhat accustomed to her in the past few days. On the way from the countryside by bullock cart, he was hugged by her all the way. So now when Zhu An hugged him, he was used to it. However, what she said shocked him. A hazy, indescribable feeling spread from his heart. Finally, he stretched out his little hand and hugged Zhu An. "It's okay." Although, he didn't know why his aunt wanted to apologize.
Behind them, Zhu Dabao came in pushing a bicycle and said: "Xiao Chen, my sister bought milk powder. It tastes delicious." When Zhu Dabao spoke, he didn't forget to take a sip. He had drunk milk powder. , it’s just that he has grown up and hasn’t drank for a long time. When he saw the milk powder today, he remembered it again... He couldn't remember the taste of the milk powder, but he knew it tasted good.
Ren Jianchen had never drunk milk powder and didn't know about milk powder, but when he heard that milk powder had the word "milk", he thought of White Rabbit toffee, so he asked: "Is it as delicious as White Rabbit toffee?" Zhu Dabao asked this
question I don’t know how to answer. Milk powder is a delicious thing in his memory, and White Rabbit toffee is a delicious thing that he knows now. So, this question confused Zhu Dabao.
Chapter 22
◎Preparing to go to the army◎
Zhu Dabao's eyes widened, he couldn't believe that Xiao Chen would ask such a question. He moved his mouth, wanting to answer, but he didn't know how to answer. His parents had taught him that if he met someone he didn't know, he should ask his sister, so Zhu Dabao looked directly at Zhu An: "Sister, is the milk powder as delicious as White Rabbit toffee?"
Zhu An was amused by the two of them, and she smiled. Answer: "It's equally delicious. White Rabbit milk candy is made of milk, and milk powder is also made of milk. They are the same."
Zhu Dabao listened: "Xiao Chen, my sister said they are equally delicious."
"Yeah." Ren Jianchen responded.
"Brother, come here. I'll wash your face first. You go to bed early. You can sleep in tomorrow without getting up early." Zhu An mainly said this to Ren Jianchen, because the eldest brother couldn't get up. She would sleep in, and she was worried that Xiaochen would be embarrassed.
"Here we come." Zhu Dabao followed his sister and ran into the kitchen.
Zhu An seemed to have thought of something: "Xiao Chen, we didn't wipe off our faces when we came in. Aren't you afraid?"
Ren Jianchen replied: "I heard my aunt's voice." He then added, "It's dark. , I can’t see clearly what my aunt and uncle look like.”
Zhu An: “…” That’s it. There were no lights in the yard and no street lights in the alleys. They still relied on flashlights for lighting. But be careful next time, lest they accidentally scare him with their disguise.
After Zhu An washed Zhu Dabao's face, Zhu Dabao and Ren Jianchen walked back to the room side by side, one big and one small, one tall and one short.
Zhu An looked at their backs and smiled, then continued to wash his face.
Two days have passed by in a flash, and today is the day to go to the hospital to get the physical examination report. The family of three packed up and went to the hospital early. In the past two days, Zhu An and Zhu Dabao had bought 200 kilograms of rice and 200 kilograms of flour on the black market. I buy some from each small stall, and the stall of the black market boss buys the most. But every time she went shopping, the disguises were different. Like the first time she went there, the two siblings had black moles on their faces and red birthmarks painted with ink pads. The second time they went, the two wore hats and masks. The third time they went there, the two of them had tampered with their clothes and disguised themselves as fat men.
In fact, if the rice is stored for a long time, rice worms will develop, and the flour will turn yellow if it is stored for a long time. However, compared with the lack of food and the serious rise in prices, the rice worms and the flour will turn yellow. What does it matter?
The reason why Zhu An did not buy coarse grains was because the food distributed by the brigade in the second half of the year was basically coarse grains.
Now, their family has a total of more than 700 kilograms of grain.
About 200 kilograms of rice, about 200 kilograms of corn kernels, about 100 kilograms of corn flour, about 116 kilograms of flour, and about 100 kilograms of sweet potatoes. It's okay to store this food in the county town. Generally, no one will come in and grab it. If it were in the countryside, with one of their families being stupid, one small, and the other weak, they probably wouldn't be able to keep the food.
...
The three members of the Zhu family walked to the hospital today. While taking a walk after breakfast, they showed Ren Jianchen the way. It's been three or four days since she moved to the county town, and she hasn't taken Ren Jianchen out for a walk yet. Even on the first day I went to the department store to buy shoes and went to the hospital for a physical check-up, they were all in a hurry. Now that her family has bought food and milk powder and malted milk, she feels a lot more relaxed.
Next there are three things, one is about her high school studies, one is about Xiaochen's kindergarten. The five-year-old child can still go to kindergarten in the second half of the year and then go to preschool. The third thing is about her eldest brother. She couldn't keep him at home all the time, but she didn't feel comfortable letting him go out, so she had to think carefully about what she could do with him.
"Xiao Chen, do I look good?" Zhu Dabao was particularly happy today because his sister also embroidered a five-pointed star on his clothes, the same five-pointed star as Xiao Chen. But he is an adult, so his five-pointed star is bigger than Xiaochen's.
Hey...
Ren Jianchen sighed helplessly.