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17. Chapter 17
Early the next morning, the old Li family got up early. Osmanthus cut a piece of pork belly, fried a large bowl of meat sauce for Mingdong, put it in a canning jar, and put the steamed cakes yesterday afternoon in a clean furoshiki bag. it is good.
After breakfast, Mrs. Li took a puff of cigarettes and instructed Ming Dong: "When you arrive in Bingcheng, remember to write letters home from time to time, and if you have any business, go to your fourth uncle. If he doesn't care about you, you come back and tell me, I will Take a cigarette bag and pot and smoke him to death."
Mingdong couldn't help laughing. He stood in front of Mrs. Li, with a slightly thin and straight body: "Damn, I'm an adult. There are teachers and classmates in the school, what can be a big deal? Besides, if there is really something , I still have milk at home, I will write a letter and ask the milk to give me advice."
"Okay!" Mrs. Li was smoking a cigarette bag and grinning happily: "My eldest grandson is also an adult, and you should learn to call the shots yourself in the future." Looking at Osmanthus who was standing beside her with red eyes, Mrs. Li Tai got off the kang and put on his shoes to go out: "Okay, I'll go see Zhen Zhen, you two should talk too, don't delay catching the train."
Ming Dong glanced at Mrs. Li's figure disappearing at the door, then turned to look at Osmanthus who was standing in front of him, a complex emotion flashed on his face: "You should stay at home for a few more days after you go home today, a year It's rare to go back twice."
A hint of shyness flashed across Osmanthus' face. She touched the braided braid hanging on her chest and lowered her head, and said softly, "Just go home and have a look, and you can't stay too long. I can't be without me here and abroad."
"Actually, if you want to go home, you can tell me." Li Mingdong looked at her with a hint of urgency: "It's not that time ten years ago, you can go home anytime."
As if she didn't understand what Li Mingdong was saying, Osmanthus still maintained a shy attitude, with a tinge of pink on her face: "But this is my home. I got married when I was a child, didn't I?" She looked up. Looking at Mingdong, his eyes were full of admiration: "Brother Mingdong, you can go to study at ease. I will take care of you at home. I will wait for you to come home."
In such a conservative age, Osmanthus' words were warm and straightforward. Mingdong involuntarily took two steps back, with a bit of fear on his face. He looked at Osmanthus but didn't know how to reply. In the silence, he felt his throat It was dry and hot, and couldn't help swallowing.
The two looked at each other, Osmanthus stared at Ming Dong with big eyes, and looked directly into his eyes without hesitation, Ming Dong couldn't help but dodge under such fiery gaze, and then turned his head in embarrassment: " I have to go."
Osmanthus' face was a little disappointed, but when Ming Dong turned around, she put on a familiar and gentle smile: "I'll help you get something."
Ming Dong carried the already rolled up bedding on his back, touched the money sewn into the clothes, and then picked up the big bag containing the clothes and books with confidence. Osmanthus followed behind with a basket containing dry food, meat sauce, and pickles, like a virtuous little daughter-in-law.
The two walked to the door, and Li Mingdong went to the east room to say goodbye to Mrs. Li, Li Muwu, and Wang Sufen. Mingdong has been studying in Yidong since he was in high school. He has spent a lot of time away from home. The Li family is used to it, because it is not so sad. Li Muwu looked at his son, who was about the same height as him, but smiled honestly: "Listen to the teacher over there, study hard, and don't fight with your classmates." Wang Sufen hugged Zhen Zhen and instructed: "Don't stay up all night, in winter. Dress warmly, and write a letter when you are short of things, and I will ask your father to send it by mail."
Mrs. Li glanced at Osmanthus who was following Mingdong, and she thought about the marriage of the two children at the end of the year, but it was difficult to say this in front of the two children. Mrs. Li was thinking about turning back and Wang Sufen. Discuss what to do.
Mingxi came in from the outside, took the big burden from Mingdong's hand and carried it on his back, turned his head and said hello to Mrs. Li: "Mother, then I'm going to see my brother?"
"Go!" Mrs. Li waved her hand: "Osmanthus can be delivered to the door, and you will have to go back to your mother's house later."
Osmanthus responded, but still sent it out for a long time. It was not until Mingdong urged him again and again that he handed him the basket in his hand and watched the figures of the two disappear from sight before turning back three steps at a time.
At home, Li Muwu put the meat to be delivered to Yue Zhang's house on the cart, and put two small wooden stools, which were prepared for Mrs. Li and Wang Sufen.
Mrs. Li went to the kitchen, put the lard boiled with sweet-scented osmanthus in the cabinet, and put two bowls of oil zila out, and put the rest in the cabinet and locked it. Ming Nan and Ming Bei both stood at the door of the kitchen, watching him lock things in the cabinets in the same way, and couldn't help crying: "It's locked up, what are we going to eat for lunch?"
"Didn't I leave you two bowls of oily pie? There are cabbage and pork vermicelli left over from last night, and there are a few pieces of big bones left, so it's not enough for the two of you?" Mrs. Li's mouth was quick and her hands and feet were even quicker. , in a blink of an eye, the kitchen has been cleaned up: "This life is about running water, how can you eat all the good things at one time? That's why the prodigal family won't live a life, I tell you, the life at home is not bad anymore. , who do you think has meat and fish like ours?"
Mingbei flattened his mouth, trying to gain some more benefits for himself: "Then there's no sugar sprinkled on the oil!"
Mrs. Li glanced at him and saw how greedy he was about to cry, so she had to open the cabinet again, took out the sugar bag, carefully spread a little in the bowl, and quickly put it back and locked it. Now white sugar is also in short supply, and Mingnan and Mingbei don't want much, as long as they can taste a little sugar.
Mrs. Li locked the door, straightened her clothes, and instructed again: "The meat in our house is kept in iron buckets and frozen in a large water tank, and there is still corn on the ground in the back, you two come out and go in. Lock the door, don't let anyone touch it."
Ming Bei's mouth was full of oil, and he waved his hand without raising his head: "Don't worry, milk, even if I lose meat, I won't lose it!"
Mrs. Li was immediately happy: "Okay, have ambition."
Outside, Li Muwu had already prepared the carriage. Wang Sufen came out of the east room with Zhen Zhen, a kettle, a quilt and a small bag of wild fruits in his hands. When Mrs. Li heard the movement, she hurried over to pick up the things: "I'll just take these. , you take care of Zhen Zhen and don't drop her."
Mrs. Li walked to the door chatteringly, and while closing her own door, she did not forget to shout inside: "Come out and plug in the door!"
Mingnan put down the bowl and hurried out. Mrs. Li wanted to give a few more words, but Mingnan put his hands together and quickly locked the door with the bolt.
"This stinky boy is on the way again at this time." Mrs. Li muttered, and walked to the carriage with her little feet, and got on the carriage with Li Muwu's hand.
It was the first time for Zhen Zhen to go out to visit when she grew up so big. She sat in Wang Sufen's arms and looked at the surrounding scenery with a pair of eyes curiously. I grew up in a city in my last life, and I am familiar with high-rise buildings of reinforced concrete. Sometimes I go to some farmhouses or the most beautiful rural tourism. It is also a row of neat houses and a wide and neat asphalt road, like this authentic countryside. It was the first time she saw the scene.
The carriage was running on the narrow road, with the continuous red pine hills on one side and the flat and low earthen houses on the other side. The courtyard doors were all open without exception. Some picked up their baskets and went out in a hurry, looking like they were going up the mountain.
As we walked further and further, the house gradually disappeared, and the carriage turned a corner and turned to a long and narrow forest path, with no other scenery on both sides of the path except the towering trees. But it's just a tree, Zhen Zhen also looks at it with great interest. She didn't study trees in her previous life, but now she seems to know what species it is just by looking at it. There are a mixture of red pine, spruce, birch, linden, poplar, and willow. Together they form a magnificent forest sea.
Zhen Zhen likes the feeling of being in the forest the most, feeling that every time she breathes, she can feel the vigorous vitality released by various plants. Zhen Zhen was sitting in Wang Sufen's arms, looking left and right restlessly, and occasionally turned her head to the tree behind.
The old lady Li and Wang Sufen, who knew Zhen Zhen's special abilities, were afraid that she was making something wrong, Wang Sufen held Zhen Zhen's little hand and coaxed her, "Good girl, someone might pass by here, we must not Let the branches fly over again, do you hear?"
Mrs. Li took out the washed wild fruits and handed them to Zhen Zhen: "Hoobao, milk has brought you fruits, let's eat this, and we can pick them in autumn, okay?"
Zhen Zhen took a blueberry and put it in her mouth, showing a lovely smile to Mrs. Li. Seeing that the little granddaughter smiled so sweetly, Mrs. Li couldn't help laughing along with her: "My good treasure is so good, the longer she grows, the prettier she gets. It's a blessing to look at her eyebrows."
"It's a blessing to be appointed." Wang Sufen agreed with Mrs. Li's words. She lowered her voice and said in Mrs. Li's ear: "With Zhen Zhen's ability, you can never go hungry."
Mrs. Li nodded, but she instructed Wang Sufen not at ease: "This matter must not be leaked out. When Zhen Zhen is older and can understand the words, she will have to see God's instructions. In the past, it was like having a cornucopia, who wouldn't be jealous."
"Don't worry, mother, Zhen Zhen is my daughter, can I still not love her?" Wang Sufen quickly assured her, and then she was a little worried: "Mother, you said it's okay at this time, although the wild fruits are not ripe, it is fortunate that there are many mountains and fields. It's all, no one will think about it. If Zhen Zhen gets greedy in the winter and gets a pot back, what would you do?"
Mrs. Li was also a little worried: "I will give her some dried blueberries and diced cherries in the fall. I really can't do it. There are also frozen pears and frozen persimmons. I think she also likes pine nuts and hazelnuts. Just coax her."
Zhen Zhen sat on Wang Sufen's lap with a moved face. At that time, she couldn't hold back her curiosity when she saw that there were no outsiders. She didn't expect the old family to be so worried.
Thinking of the seeds of various wild fruits that she threw under the back eaves from the window, Zhen Zhen snickered in her heart, and then eat one and grow one, so that no one will find it.
Talking along the way, the carriage walked for about an hour and finally turned off the mountain road. In the distance, saw rows of low earth houses, with some wood piled up on the side of the road.
Zhen Zhen stuffed the last lantern fruit brought by Mrs. Li into her mouth, then stretched out both hands towards Mrs. Li and said vaguely, "Wash."
"This child loves to be clean." Mrs. Li said cheerfully, took out the small handkerchief that Zhen Zhen was carrying with her from her pocket, poured some water from the kettle, and helped her wash her hands and face.
"Fenzi is back?" An old man driving a donkey cart came towards him, Li Muwu quickly gave the cart to the side and let the donkey pass first.
"Uncle Zhu, are you pulling the wood?" Wang Sufen replied cheerfully.
"Well, Mu Tou won't talk to you for now. You can go home quickly. A while ago, your aunt Zhu listened to your mother talking about you." The old man said as he drove the donkey cart to the foot of the mountain. .
Speaking of which, Wang Sufen has not been able to return to her mother's home since she became pregnant. She was so busy talking about home that she couldn't think of home. When she really got home, she looked at the familiar grass and trees, the warm neighbors and folks, and she was immediately excited. She shivered, and regardless of whether Zhen Zhen understood or not, she kept introducing her: "Zhen Zhen, have you seen it, this is the Qingsong Forest Management Office, and grandma's house lives here."
Zhen Zhen nodded cheerfully, Wang Sufen couldn't help but kiss her: "My treasure is smart and can understand everything."
During the conversation, the carriage had already arrived in the village, and there was an endless stream of people coming in and out. Anyone who heard the news came out to take a look, and when they saw Wang Sufen, they greeted warmly: "Fenzi has returned to her mother's house, are you the little girl of your family? Is he really handsome?"
"It's a good day now, take her back to show my parents while I'm not busy at home." Wang Sufen replied with a smile.
"Sufen will come to sit at home in a while, we haven't chatted for a while. Hey, Sufen, is this your mother-in-law? Hi, auntie!" Another woman who was about the same age as Wang Sufen came out of the gate.
Mrs. Li squinted and nodded with a smile, and explained to herself by the way: "I haven't seen my in-laws for more than half a year, so I came to visit."
When I saw the boy who was playing outside, Pidianpidian ran to Lao Wang's house, entered the yard and shouted, "Aunt Wang, my aunt Sufen is back."
Mrs. Wang was sitting in the yard picking wild vegetables with her daughter-in-law. Hearing this, she quickly stood up, wiped the mud on her hands from her apron, and hurried out.
At this time, the carriage had reached the door, and Li Muwu got out of the carriage and called out to the old lady Wang who ran out: "Mother!"
"Hey! Mu Wu is here!" Mrs. Wang greeted with a smile, and she was overjoyed when she saw the car: "Aiyo, your in-laws are here too, hurry down and I'll help you!" She turned around and shouted again. : "Eldest daughter-in-law, come out quickly, your sister's mother-in-law is here."
He Dongmei, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family, put the wild vegetables aside, and then took the broom and swept the rotten roots and leaves into the corner, and then came out quickly.
When Mrs. Li and Wang Sufen got out of the car, Li Muwu drove the cart to the open space next to it and tied it up. The people in the Qingsong Forest Management Office basically make a living by pulling wood, so each household is separated by a In the large area, there are thick wooden stakes in the middle, which are specially used for tying horses and donkeys. After the horse was tied, Li Muwu took out the basket containing the wild boar.
He Dongmei and Wang Sufen walked in while chatting. She looked at Wang Sufen holding a white and tender little girl in her arms, and couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Is this the girl you gave birth to in the twelfth lunar month last year? Did you name it?"
"I got up, my real name is Li Mingzhen, and my nickname is Zhen Zhen." Wang Sufen said with a smile.
"Zhen Zhen..." He Dongmei clicked her tongue: "It sounds strangely foreign."
"It's the name given by her eldest brother. It means grass and trees are very prosperous. My mother-in-law called it this as soon as she heard that the name is easy to support." Wang Sufen tipped Zhen Zhen in her arms and pointed at He Dongmei. : "Bao, this is auntie."
Zhen Zhen showed two small teeth and had a sweet smile on her face, He Dongmei couldn't help laughing: "He's not afraid of life, so what, Sufen, hurry into the house with your child, I'll pour some for you Water." He hurried to the kitchen to flush three bowls of sugar water and brought them in, handed one to Mrs. Li and the other to Wang Sufen.
Madam Wang still had mud on her hands, and after saying a few words, she came out to scoop up water and washed her hands. When she looked up, she saw Li Muwu came in with a basket. Seeing that it was not too light, she asked casually, "Come on, come on. , what else are you taking! Well, what are you taking?"
Li Muwu smiled honestly: "Yesterday I went up the mountain to hunt a wild boar, so I'll bring you some pork."
"Wild boar?" The old lady Wang was surprised and delighted, she hurried over and lifted the leaves over the top of the tree, and saw a large piece of pork belly inside. Seeing that it was 30 to 40 kilograms, she suddenly laughed. I couldn't close my mouth: "Why did you bring so much meat, you can keep it and eat it."
"I still have it at home. This is for you." Li Muwu rubbed his hands and carried the basket into the kitchen. Seeing that there was only half of the water left in the water tank, he took the pole and went out to fetch water. Seeing this, Mrs. Wang quickly grabbed him and said, "Come in and drink water, and your brother will come back and let him fetch water later."
"It's okay, I can't sit still, mother, go into the room and talk." Mrs. Wang couldn't argue, so she could only watch Li Muwu go out with a bucket, and after entering the room, she couldn't help but praise: "You said Mu Wu is such a good boy, he is always restless, he has to fetch water without a sip of water."
"Let him carry water for you. Come over here and let's have a good chat." Mrs. Li moved her buttocks to make room for Mrs. Wang.
Mrs. Wang sat next to her, and she couldn't hide the joy on her face: "Why did you bring such a big piece of pork? You have a lot of family, so just keep it and eat it."
Mrs. Li smiled and patted Mrs. Wang's hand: "Isn't this a new product? Now the weather is hot and I can't let it go. It's not as delicious as fresh. No pork was provided, and I managed to get a wild boar, and all my relatives had to taste it.”
Mrs. Wang grinned happily and thanked him again and again. She turned her head to see He Dongmei sitting next to her and looked stupid, and glared at her: "Hurry up and pack up the pork, and cook a pot at noon. By the way, bring some rice out. , steam a bowl of rice for my in-laws to eat."
Mrs. Wang quickly waved her hand: "It's enough to eat pancakes, you can eat something as expensive as rice." After a while, she remembered that Zhen Zhen couldn't eat pancakes, and quickly added: "If there is rice, make a bowl of porridge for Zhen Zhen. Let's eat, she can't eat anything else." He Dongmei agreed and hurried to the kitchen.
When Wang Sufen's family arrived at the door just now, although He Dongmei looked very happy, she couldn't help but feel a little worried. If sister-in-law Shan came back by herself, it would be easy to say what happened, but she brought her son-in-law and mother-in-law with her. The son-in-law in Beicha is a distinguished guest, not to mention his in-laws, he must be a guest of honor. He Dongmei thought that there was not much rice and noodles at home, and was thinking about whether to kill a chicken to entertain guests, but when she thought that the chicken had just laid eggs for a few days, she felt a little reluctant. When she didn't know what to do, she heard her mother-in-law say that her brother-in-law brought wild boar, and she was overjoyed.
He Dongmei came to the kitchen, took the pork out of the basket, first cut a pound of meat, washed it, cut it into pieces the size of mahjong, and extravagantly put some sugar in the big pot to fry it, ready to make a braised pork stew with potatoes .
The meat was simmering in the pot. He Dongmei took the pot and went to the garden to pick a pot of beans, four or five eggplants, and the wild vegetables that were just picked from the mountain yesterday. Washed and dipped in the sauce is the most delicious in summer.
But even so, He Dongmei still felt thin, so she thought about cutting a little meat and went to the next door neighbor's house. After a while, she returned with a few cucumbers and a few foreign persimmons. The cucumbers were cut into strips and put together with the wild vegetables. The foreign persimmons were prepared with eggs. Put it together and fry it, and mix it with porridge for the sister-in-law's daughter.
He Dongmei was working in full swing in the kitchen. In the room, Mrs. Wang looked at Zhen Zhen who was sitting on the kang and was playing with a handkerchief. She inevitably asked her grandson, "Why didn't you come here?"
Wang Sufen smiled and said, "Dongzi's train today goes to Bingcheng to go to college, and Mingxi will send him off; Mingnan and Mingbei are too naughty and eat a lot, so I let them watch the house."
When she heard it, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but blame her: "I don't come twice a year, don't I miss them? It's okay to eat one meal, but I can't eat a few meals a year, so it won't be like this next time."
"Then I'll bring them during Chinese New Year." Wang Sufen quickly assured.
Seeing that Zhen Zhen was playing with the handkerchief for a while, Mrs. Li lowered her head and dozed off, she hugged her quickly, rubbed her little face and coaxed: "Is Bao sleepy? It's time for my treasure to sleep, Bao is here. Is it okay to sleep in grandma's arms?" Zhen Zhen shook her head, struggling to lie down on the kang.
When Zhen Zhenda could stand up, she consciously didn't let anyone hug her to sleep. She thought it was uncomfortable and tired to sleep in such a crouched position. Madam Li also knew her fault, so she quickly asked Wang Sufen to put the quilt she brought on it. , put Zhen Zhen on it carefully, and gently patted her to sleep.
Although Mrs. Wang had seen Mrs. Li's ecstatic look when Zhen Zhen was born, she never imagined that the old lady who spoke so eloquently would be so patient when coaxing her granddaughter.
Old lady Li was humming an out-of-tune tune, and clapping her hands, it only took two or three minutes before Zhen Zhen fell asleep.
"Oh, why does this child have such peace of mind?" Mrs. Wang was envious when she saw this: "That stinky ball in my family plays a donkey when he takes a nap, and he still doesn't stop at the age of three."
Seeing that she was so loud, Mrs. Li quickly waved her hand in fright: "Don't make a noise, my granddaughter feels light, or we can talk in the yard."
Madam Wang couldn't help smacking her tongue: "This girl from your family is too precious."
"That's it!" Madam Li was very proud, she stretched out a hand and shook it in front of Madam Wang: "It has been passed down for five generations, and finally such a girl has been found. That is, my Dongzi gave her the name Zhen Zhen.name, or I'll call her Jin Gudao."
Zhen Zhen, who had just slipped out of consciousness, heard Mrs. Li's words and was so frightened that she slipped and fell to the ground.