Four Foods in the Mountains

Cen Ning took the tofu out of the cupboard, cut it into small pieces and blanched it in water to remove the beany smell.Since it was eaten in steamed buns, he chopped the tofu finely.

The water boiled slightly, scooped up the tofu, and scooped out the water in the pot with a gourd scoop.

"Brother Zhi, take the bowl and sit aside, the oily smoke will be very strong later, don't choke on it." Cen Ning said to Brother Zhi.

Brother Zhi was holding the bowl and eating the egg custard with a spoon.

After hearing this, he responded softly, first he put the bowl and spoon in both hands and put it away, then trotted back to move his small stool, and sat down again holding the custard, Brother Zhi said to Cen Ning: "Little mother , I'm fine."

Ginger and garlic were sautéed in oil until fragrant. Cen Ning picked out the dregs with chopsticks, opened the jar and put a spoon full of chili peppers in it.

Yao Chunling tilted her head and coughed twice: "Hey, this fresh hot pepper is just different, it's very choking!"

Cen Ning couldn't help but coughed twice, then covered his mouth and nose with one hand, stir-fried twice with the other hand, poured the tofu cubes in, and started to stew.

When stewing tofu, you have to pay attention to the heat and cook it slowly. If the fire is low, it will not be tender, and if the fire is high, it will break apart.

The hearths in the country are all integrated. Two large pots are used for cooking, stewing and steaming, and the two small ones in the middle can be used to boil water.

Yao Chunling was pinching corn buns at the side, and Cen Ning cut half a piece of pumpkin, steamed it and made a pot of pumpkin paste, and choked on dry steamed buns.

The corn buns had just been steamed, and the two brothers came back after smelling the smell.

"I saw the lights in the room ahead were dark, so I guessed that you brought brother Zhi here." Lu Yunlang stepped into the room and sniffed, "What do you two make so delicious?"

"Spicy peppers are being ground at the entrance of the village today, and we will eat spicy tofu stew tonight." Yao Chunling picked up the steamed corn buns while they were still hot and put them in the basket one by one. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Lu Yunlang reaching out to touch Brother Zhi, and stared and said: " Touch him if you wash your hands! He is eating well, don't make trouble with him."

Lu Yunlang withdrew his hand, shrugged his shoulders at Brother Zhi and hurriedly stepped out to wash his hands with Lu Yunchuan.

Cen Ning looked funny, glanced at Lu Yunchuan in the yard, then turned his head and continued to help Yao Chunling pick up cornbread.

There was no fresh meat at home, so Cen Ning cut a piece of bacon, because it was to be eaten in corn buns, so it was specially chopped finely, and fried with pickled capers and peppers.

Fearing that the two workers would not have enough to eat, Yao Chunling spread out some thick pancakes.

Dinner was served in the main room, Lu Yunchuan lit an oil lamp, Yao Chunling and Cen Ning brought the dishes and steamed buns to the table.

They are all fresh and spicy appetizers. Spicy peppers are spread in the middle of pancakes and Wotou, put minced meat and sandwiched. One bite is very fragrant and fills the stomach.

At the end of the day, the basket of corn buns and cakes was eaten clean.

Yao Chunling was talking about going to the entrance of the village to grind a jar of chili peppers tomorrow. Anyway, there were so many chili peppers in the vegetable garden that she couldn't finish them all.

In the blink of an eye, there was cold dew. Cen Ning pushed open the door early in the morning, and the cold air in front of him made him shiver. He was still a little sleepy, but now he woke up.

The kitchen was warmed up by lighting a fire. Cen Ning boiled the water and rolled out the noodles. After the noodles were cut, the water in the pot boiled, and the noodles were put into the pot. While the noodles were cooking, Cen Ning went to the chicken coop in the backyard to pick up the eggs laid today.

After the noodles are cooked, put them into a thick bowl, sprinkle with chopped green onion, then spread the eggs fried in lard, pour the hot noodle soup on top, and Lu Yunchuan's breakfast is ready.

Cen Ning had a small appetite in the morning and couldn't eat noodles, so he pinched a few steamed rolls and ate one in the morning, and the rest with vegetable soup at noon.

Lu Yunchuan cleaned the chicken coop and went into the kitchen.

Cen Ning picked up the noodle bowl: "It just so happens that I can eat it. It's windy this morning, so I'll be warmer when I drive up the mountain road later."

He saw that Lu Yunchuan was still wearing the thin cotton clothes he used to wear, so he wiped his hands and went to find clothes for him in the back room: "Why are you wearing this? It's cold today, so you should wear something thicker. I'll find you some thick clothes and change them out. "

Lu Yunchuan held the noodle bowl in one hand and stopped him with the other: "It's just right to wear when you're working. You won't feel cold when you move. It's still a little hot. Sit down and eat."

Only then did Cen Ning sit down, reached out for a flower roll and said, "Before winter comes, I'll go to the town to buy some cotton and cloth and come back to sew you a cotton coat and trousers."

Lu Yunchuan fed him an egg with chopsticks. Hearing this, he shook his head and said, "I have cotton clothes, so you don't need to make them for me, but you need to buy some cotton and cloth. When the New Year comes, you should make yourself new clothes to wear."

After speaking, he was afraid that Cen Ning would get angry with him, so he thought for a while and said, "It's almost Chinese New Year, you brothers and girls should dress up more and look better. I don't pay attention to my clothes, even if I wear them for a few days, I won't let you down." It’s a waste, just wear a cotton coat to keep warm.”

Cen Ning sounded amused, last time when he was tidying up the cupboard, he found two thick cotton coats of Lu Yunchuan's, which must have been worn for many years, not to mention full of patches, and several places of cotton were exposed, it should have been cold by now.

But he didn't talk to Lu Yunchuan, thinking in his heart that when he was done, Lu Yunchuan would have to wear it.

"When will this job be finished?" Cen Ning turned to talk about other things.

Lu Yunchuan took a big mouthful of noodles, and took another sip of noodle soup: "Hurry up, hurry up, it can be done in three or four days. After finishing this work, I will go up the mountain with my elder brother to chop firewood and burn some charcoal."

The winter in the mountains is no better than in other places. The more firewood and charcoal the better, one is used for cooking pots and the other for heating.

After breakfast, Cen Ning filled Lu Yunchuan's water bottle as usual: "It's cold, you and your elder brother rested from work and drank more water, your mouth is dry."

As for how he knew that Lu Yunchuan's mouth was dry, Cen Ning pursed his lips, unwilling to speak.

After sending Lu Yunchuan out, Cen Ning washed the dishes and hands, went to the back room to get the quilt and came out.

The quilt was embroidered last night. He packed up the sewing basket brought by Ru's mother, tied up the extra colored thread according to the color and laid it on the bottom, put the two quilts on top, and carried it to Ru Sister's house.

Sister Ru's home was at the entrance of the village, and when Cen Ning walked to the gate of the courtyard, she happened to meet Sister Ru feeding the chickens in the courtyard.

Seeing Cen Ning coming, still holding a sewing basket in her hand, Sister Ru drove the chickens into the chicken coop, and while calling Cen Ning into the house, she called her mother: "Mother, Brother Ning is here."

"This girl, you don't have any manners. Did you call Ning Ge'er? You have to call Auntie!" Sister Ru and her mother came out of the kitchen muttering, seeing Cen Ning, she hurriedly put on a smile, "Ning'er hurry up!" Go into the main room to do it, the house is very chaotic recently."

Sister Ru was not annoyed by being scolded by her aunt, and muttered: "It's all Zhuge's fault, I learned from him." She hopped into the kitchen with two thick braids to pour water for Cen Ning.

Cen Ning handed the sewing basket to Sister Ru and her mother: "Auntie, these are two quilt covers. According to what you said, one bed is embroidered with double blessings, and the other bed is hooked with mandarin ducks. You can see if it's okay. Take it back and change the needle."

"It's embroidered so soon?" Sister Ru took the basket and looked at the quilt cover. She saw that the two beds were all stitched and embroidered with fine workmanship. She was so satisfied that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes burst out. The ones sold in the shop are alright, and my daughter-in-law is sure to be satisfied!"

After turning over the quilt and seeing bundles of colored threads underneath, I feel even more anxious, thinking that Mr. Lu Er is a husband who treats people and does everything inappropriately, and he can't fault him at all.

Satisfied in her heart, she made the move neatly, sister Ru and her mother went into the house and wrapped a hundred coins in red paper.

"Good Brother Ning, you keep the wages, my aunt has something else to ask you." After stuffing the red paper bag to Cen Ning, Sister Ru and his mother took Cen Ning's hand and said, "My boy will get married in five days, I should have invited you and the second boy to a wedding, but my aunt also wants to invite you to help me buy a new house on the day I get married, so that my son and daughter-in-law can enjoy the blessings of you and the second boy."

On the day when people in the village get married, those who are more particular will invite a few married women who are harmonious in the family to press down on the new house, which can be regarded as a good luck for the new couple.

When Lu Yunchuan and Cen Ning got married, Yao Chunling also invited two sister-in-laws.

But Cen Ning had just gotten married, so he had never done such a thing before. He knew in his heart that Sister Ru and his mother valued him so he opened his mouth, but he was afraid that his inexperience would make things worse.

Just as she was about to decline, Sister Ru and her mother said again: "I was thinking about inviting your sister-in-law over too. I'm going to go to her house and tell her later that your sister-in-law's virtuous and capable personalities are fine. The two brothers in my family are also down-to-earth, and I will definitely agree to this matter."

Cen Ning couldn't help but nodded his head in response.

Sister Ru's mother laughed again, calling for Sister Ru to give Cen Ning some dried fruit.

She has lived for a long time, and she knows the affairs of every household in the village best. Men drink flowers and wine outside, and women steal men at home. There are many dirty things like this.

It seems that the two brothers of the Lu family are reliable, not to mention how rich they are, but they can eat enough and wear warmth, and the family lives in harmony.

Having experienced a plague, she also took it easy. She envied the face of the people in the town on weekdays, but when a disaster strikes, the first one suffers, which is not good.

On the contrary, it is a farmer, as long as God is willing to give him food and live a peaceful life, it will be fine.

This is also her greatest hope for her son and daughter-in-law. When people get old, they just hope for a peaceful home and a happy life for their children and grandchildren, and stop coveting those riches and honors.

After leaving Sister Ru's house, Cen Ning was not in a hurry to go home, instead he took half a dime and went to Aunt Xu's house in the village.

He asked Yao Chunling yesterday that Aunt Xu's family in the village raises chickens and ducks all the year round and sells them out.

It was cold, and he wanted to buy a duck to go home and make soup to make up for Lu Yunchuan. The weather is dry right now, so stewing a duck is good for nourishing blood and nourishing the stomach.

In the yard of Aunt Xu's house, a man was chopping firewood. When he looked up, he saw a brother standing at the gate of his yard. Before he could speak, he blushed.

Cen Ning asked: "Is Aunt Xu at home? I want to buy a duck with her."

"Yes, yes, my mother and my younger sister are in the room." The man stammered.

In the back room, Aunt Xu seemed to hear something, and went to the door to look out.

Aunt Xu's greatest joy in her life was sitting and chatting with a few old sisters under the trees at the entrance of the village, by the Huanyi River, or at the gate of any house.

When a few people get together, they can chat about the affairs of every household in a radius of ten miles. Some family on the main road has added a big fat boy, and some small family has stewed pork at noon yesterday.

So as soon as she saw Cen Ning, she recognized him as the husband of the second boy of the Lu family. After all, the marriage from the engagement to the marriage, to the last time when Lu Yunchuan accompanied Cen Ning back to his mother's house and took eggs and ribs, it was all up to them. Mouth turned a few times.

"Hey, Erfu Lu is here, come in and sit down!" Seeing Cen Ning, Aunt Xu was very enthusiastic.

Cen Ning smiled and said, "Auntie, I want to buy a duck with you, please choose one for me."

"There are plenty of ducks. Do you want to buy some ducks for stewing?" Aunt Xu became more enthusiastic when she heard that Cen Ning came to buy ducks. .”

As he said that, he went to the backyard to pick out a duck and showed it to Cen Ning: "This is good. I saw that your hands are white and tender, so they don't get bloody. If you want them, I'll kill them and scald them for you. Take them back and just stew them." .”

"Then thank you." Cen Ning was also afraid of killing his life. It would be best for Aunt Xu to help him clean up. "Then I'll go back first, and I'll pick it up later."

"No need." Aunt Xu waved her hand, "My yard is far away from your house. It's troublesome every time you come and go. You can sit in my back room for a while, and it will be fine soon. My daughter is inside. You can come together and talk."

As he spoke, he slapped his son on the head: "What are you doing in a daze! Chop your firewood."

The hospitality was hard to turn down, so Cen Ning had no choice but to go into the back room and sit down.

Sure enough, there was a girl in the back room. Seeing Cen Ning come in, she hurriedly called out: "Auntie, sit down, and I'll pour you some water. Just call me Swallow."

Cen Ning responded with a smile.

Sister Yan used to play with Brother Zhu's sister Ru very often, and often heard the two of them say how good Cen Ning was, but this was the first time she had seen her.

"Sure enough, she looks so handsome." Sister Yan thought to herself, poured a glass of water for Cen Ning, and scalded the glass with clean water.

Sitting on the kang, Cen Ning saw a few handkerchiefs scattered on the kang table in front of him, but he didn't pick them up, he just glanced at the patterns on them.

After pouring the water, Sister Yan saw Cen Ning looking at the handkerchief on the table, she was a little embarrassed: "I wasted my time and embroidered it blindly, and the embroidery was not good."

Cen Ning smiled at her and said, "The pattern looks pretty good, but the stitches are not fine enough. It will be better if you practice more."

"Really?" Sister Yan was a little surprised.

Her mother doesn't know how to embroider. When she got married, the wedding dress was cut directly from red cloth, and there was no pattern on it.

A Niang said that life was difficult at that time, as long as you can eat enough, you don’t care whether you can embroider or not, because you can’t get a bite of food if you embroider real.

But now life is getting better. Seeing that her sisters and brothers of the same age around her can embroider, no matter how bad they are, they can embroider a purse or something, so they are busy practicing.

Her mother doesn't know how, the two sisters-in-law are too busy to take care of the family and take care of the children and don't have time to pay attention to her, so she goes to learn from Sister Ru later, at least she can embroider a few simple patterns.

She knew that Cen Ning's embroidery work was particularly good, and that she could send handkerchiefs to shops in the town. Sister Ru and her mother even paid for him to embroider quilts, so she blushed and asked Cen Ning in a low voice, "Auntie, look at me!" The handkerchief, how long do I have to practice before I can send it to the town to sell like you?"

Cen Ning was startled, carefully looked at each handkerchief, and said, "I'm really not sure about that, do you want to send the handkerchiefs to the town to sell?"

"Yes." Sister Yan replied, her voice was like a mosquito, "I want to earn some money to keep as pocket money."

Before they get married, girls and elder brothers in the village will save some small money for themselves in addition to the dowry bought by the family, in case the life of the husband's family is not going well after marriage, and there is not much money in hand to suffer.

Cen Ning used to be at home, and his parents and two elder brothers would give him some copper coins when they sold their prey on weekdays, and told him to keep them well, and save them to take to his husband's house when they got married.

Sister Yan plays with Sister Zhu and Sister Ru all day long. Brother Zhu and Sister Ru have a happy life at home, or during New Year’s holidays, or helping the family look after poultry at ordinary times. money.

But Sister Yan is different, she has three older brothers, and the bride price for the marriage of the three boys and the money for building a new house are not small sums, so even though her family has so many chickens and ducks, life is still tight.

Sister Yan usually helps the family look after the chickens and ducks, but she is too embarrassed to ask her parents, brother and sister-in-law for money, so she can only find a way to earn by herself.

If the girl's family wants to make money, it's not just embroidery. Anyway, the needlework at home doesn't need her to pay for it.

After hearing this, Cen Ning pursed his lips and thought for a while and said, "I'm afraid they won't accept your handkerchief when you send it to the shop in the town, but you can try to give it to the shopkeeper, or you can wait until the winter market to get it." sold at the market."

"Can it be sold?" Sister Yan asked.

"I only know that there are peddlers who collect handkerchiefs in the village and sell them to some ordinary people in the town, but I don't know exactly whether they will collect them, where they will be collected, and how they will be divided. But there are people selling them in the Winter Fair. For handkerchiefs, it’s not easy to set a high price at the winter fair, but if you sell more, you can earn some money.”

Selling handkerchiefs is a thankless job, unless the embroidery work is excellent and can be sold in shops in the town like Cen Ning and Yao Chunling, this kind of handkerchiefs or handkerchiefs at fairs can only be sold at a low price go out.

Therefore, there are few people in the village who do this. If you have the time to embroider, it's better to fatten up the chickens and ducks at home and earn more money.

But this is different for Sister Yan. She can't take away her natal family's things, and she also knows that her dowry will not be very rich. It is good to earn a penny by herself.

Sister Yan looked a little excited: "There are only [-] or [-] days left in the Winter Fair. I have to take this opportunity to embroider more. It's best if I can sell it. If I can't sell it, I will practice it."

Cen Ning also said, "Winter Fair is the New Year's Eve. You don't need to embroider too elaborately. You only need to embroider more auspicious patterns and embroider with colored threads to make it more festive. In addition to handkerchiefs, you can also embroider some sweat towels, which must be sold." out."

The winter fair is a gathering held in the town every year before the snow falls. People in the town watch it to watch the excitement, and the villagers can take advantage of this opportunity to sell things if they have something to sell, so as to earn some money.

If there is a way to earn some money, Sister Yan is very happy. She doesn't care about the lack of money. Now that she has less money, when she embroiders more and stitches better, she will earn more. Maybe one day she can also Like Cen Ning, she supplies goods to shops in the town, so she is still too early to get married, so she is not in a hurry.

Cen Ning returned home with the ducks that Aunt Xu had packed up, and passed by the front room, he stood at the gate of the courtyard and shouted to the back room: "Sister-in-law, I will stew duck soup at night, and I will eat at the back at night."

"Okay." Yao Chunling led Brother Zhi in the back room, and heard Cen Ning's voice answer.

Cen Ning didn't stay too long, and went home after hearing the response.

He put the half-pocket money given by Ru's mother into the money bag under the bedding, opened the box again, and took out the money in the money box and counted it again.

The work in Lu Yunchuan's hands will be paid in two or three days, and he can also earn some money when he goes to the town to sell firewood, charcoal and cabbage in the winter market. He has been busy embroidering quilts these days, and now the quilts are embroidered Every day, he embroiders a few more handkerchiefs, and before the snow falls, he sends them to the shops in the town and sells them for another sum of money.

In this way, you won’t have to worry about money for the winter, and you can buy some new year’s goods to have a good year.

Cen Ning was happy counting the silver coins, and took another tael of silver and put it in the money bag to buy cotton and cloth, and put the money box away carefully.

He knew that the villagers secretly joked about the poor Lu family. It was because they thought that Lu Yunchuan and Lu Yunlang had separated from their parents, and they didn't have much land and no livestock.

The field is the sky of the farmers. Only when you see that your family has so many fields that the whole family can't collect them when the farming is busy, and you have to ask someone outside to collect them, you can be regarded as a serious and wealthy household.

But in fact, compared to those families with a dozen or so members relying on a few fields for food, the life of the Lu family is actually better.

Both Lu Yunchuan and Lu Yunlang are hardworking and hardworking people, unlike many men in the village who work in the fields when they have work, and rest when they don't.

The two brothers of the Lu family have always been looking for another job after finishing their work in the field, and they never let their family members intervene in the dirty work.

All the money he earns is handed over to his family for collection, and he never spends it on prostitution, gambling, or drunkenness.

Cen Ning rejoiced many times in his heart that he nodded and chose to marry Lu Yunchuan.

Xianggong is considerate and reliable, his sister-in-law is harmonious and harmonious, and he can earn food and drink with his own hands. For him, this kind of life is already the best day he could think of when he was still in his boudoir.

At noon, Cen Ning heated up the steamed flower rolls in the morning, and boiled a pot of vegetable soup with dried vegetables. After a simple lunch, he nestled in the back room to embroider handkerchiefs.

He didn't sit on the kang either, he moved a bench and sat at the door of the house, and after a while he looked at the mountains in the distance to rest his eyes.

The Lu family's house is backed by Yunxi Mountain, and looking out is the rolling green hills in the distance. The scenery is excellent all year round.

After embroidering the two handkerchiefs, it was mid-afternoon, Yao Chunling brought Brother Zhi to come, and brought a small jar.

"You said you want to stew duck, I'll help you first, it takes a long time to stew." Yao Chunling said and handed the small jar to Cen Ning, "This is the loquat paste I boiled myself, take the jar and seal it Yes, when you have dry mouth and sore throat in autumn and winter, take a spoonful and mix it with water to drink."

Cen Ning took it over: "I'm just saying, I always feel like I forgot something this year, I forgot to go up the mountain to pick loquat leaves."

Yao Chunling smiled and said: "I see that you must be too busy to embroider the quilt. This year, I have boiled a little more. I also made some wine. It's too cold now. I guess I can open the jar when Xiaoxue is around." Drink it, then make some balls and cook it together. Drink a bowl of it on a snowy day to keep your body warm. It is said that the old men in the town will move stools to enjoy the snow and make tea when it snows. I want to say that tea is drunk all year round. , what is so rare, it is more beautiful to watch Xue drink a bowl of rice balls!"

Cen Ning also smiled after hearing this: "Okay, then I'll ask my sister-in-law for some wine when it snows."

Talking and laughing, the two went into the kitchen to start a fire. The old duck soup had to be stewed slowly over a low fire to be delicious, and it had to be stewed early.

Cen Ning broke the firewood and stuffed it into the stove hole to start a fire, and asked Yao Chunling, "Sister-in-law, did Sister Ru tell you that she wants you to put down the house?"

"Say it." Yao Chunling settled down and brother Zhi was cutting ducks aside, "It's also strange. In the past years, no one in the village has ever called my house when we got married. Why did sister Ru and her mother call us both this time?" shouted?"

After thinking about it carefully, he said affirmatively: "I'm afraid it's better to see how well you are embroidered."

Cen Ning didn't understand this: "I've never been held down by anyone, and I don't even understand the rules."

Yao Chunling has never been pressured by anyone, but she has seen a lot of them, and she knows the general process. After thinking about it, she said, "Actually, there are no rules, just dress festively that day, and dress up... as rich as possible."

"Be richer?" Cen Ning raised his head from the stove.

"It's good for the newcomers to be happy, and it's a good fortune to be rich. I saw the aunts in the village put down houses, and the makeup boxes in the house were probably emptied. There were several hairpins on one end, and the wood and silver dazzled the eyes."

After hearing this, Cen Ning probably had an idea in his mind.

After the duck was chopped, Cen Ning put the duck meat into the water to blanch, and when the blood boiled out, Cen Ning scooped up the blood water, took the duck to the yard and washed it twice with well water, so that the duck meat would be firmer.

After processing the duck meat, sauté the ginger and garlic with lard until fragrant, then put the duck meat into the pan and stir-fry together, open the cupboard, and pour half a spoonful of wine into the pan.

Yao Chunling brought a soup pot at the side, and Cen Ning put the duck meat into the soup pot and simmered it over low heat, then threw a few dried red dates into it.

The duck soup was stewed, and the other dishes were not in a hurry. Yao Chunling and Cen Ning watched the fire, eating melon seeds and chatting.

"Can the sweet potatoes in the field be picked out?"

Cen Ning shook his head: "No, I asked Chuanzi, and he said that the family didn't raise pigs, so they only planted a small piece of land, which is probably not much, so they used it to roast in winter."

Yao Chunling said: "After two days, we can pick up the noodles before Xiaoyangchun, so that in winter, we can eat sweet potato vermicelli and fry some noodle balls. When the sweet potatoes are cleaned up, the radishes in the field should grow well."

"When the radish grows, go to the town to buy some pork belly, and make a white radish pork belly soup to eat."

Yunxi Village is a good place, as long as there are no natural disasters, the things in the ground all year round will never make people hungry.

Cen Ning peeled the melon seeds and fed them to Brother Zhi. Thinking about making winter clothes, he asked, "Sister-in-law, winter is coming soon. Do you want to go to the town to buy cotton and cloth?"

"Yeah!" Yao Chunling nodded hastily, "I'm about to ask you too, the padded coat on Brother Zhi's body is a bit shorter and needs to be made new, and I have to make a suit for your elder brother too, do you want to do it too?"

"I have cotton clothes to wear. I want to make a new body for Chuanzi. I want to put them on before the snow falls. I have to start making them now, otherwise I'm afraid it will be too late."

Yao Chunling nodded: "That's the reason, then shall we go to town tomorrow?"

"Row."

In the evening when Lu Yunlang and Lu Yunchuan came back from work, Yao Chunling and Cen Ning came out with food.

In addition to a pot of old duck soup, I also steamed dried rice and fried a plate of dried bamboo shoots.

The old duck soup is stewed clear and mellow, the duck fat is bright yellow, and the meat is crispy and rotten. When you touch the chopsticks lightly, the duck meat will peel off from the bones.

The four of them drank a lot of duck soup, including brother Zhi, and the rest was delicious to make rice with, and there was no duck meat left.

Brother Zhi with two legs ate one, and Yao Chunling gave the other to Cen Ning. He watched him take a bite before turning his head to eat by himself.

After dinner, Cen Ning and Lu Yunchuan told about sister Ru's mother asking him to go to the house and going to town tomorrow.

"The pressing of the house is a good thing." Lu Yunchuan said with a smile in his eyes, "The day of the house pressing was very lively, so you just go and have a look."

He also talked about going to the town to buy things, "Lu Yuan, it's not easy for you and sister-in-law to walk alone. If brother Zhi can't find someone to take him, it will be even more tiring to carry him. My brother and I always meet the village chief these days. Er Zhuzi drove the ox cart to the town to pull goods, I will go to the village chief’s house to talk to him later, you will go with Er Zhuzi’s ox cart tomorrow.”

Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Yunchuan took a cake baked by Cen Ning and went to the village chief's house. When he came back, the matter had been settled, and Er Zhuzi was waiting for them at the entrance of the village in an ox cart tomorrow morning.

The two slept on the kang at night, and Cen Ning looked at the roof and muttered, "Not only do you need to buy cloth and cotton, but you also need to buy some big sticks and bones. After all the work is almost done, I'll cook more soup for you these days, great There is no bone and meat is not expensive, but the soup is the most delicious."

"The sugar at home is almost gone. It's good to buy some snacks for Chinese New Year. I also need to buy some salt and vinegar. Don't worry about preserved fruits. You can buy them together when you buy new year's goods after the winter fair. There are many people selling preserved fruit, so maybe the price can be cheaper.”

Cen Ning's voice was soft and soft, and Lu Yunchuan liked to listen to him the most. Even if he was talking about his family's scandals, the two of them stuck together under the quilt, revealing the intimacy of whispering in the middle of the night.

It was midsummer when he and Cen Ning got married, and it was going to snow in no time. Lu Yunchuan was lying on the warm quilt, listening to Cen Ning's whispers in his ear, and felt that the days were getting more hopeful every day.

On the second day, Cen Ning and Lu Yunchuan woke up at the same time as usual, the pancakes baked last night were still in the pan, and the pancakes could be eaten cold, so Cen Ning didn't regenerate the fire to do other things.

Afraid of delaying Erzhuzi's delivery, Cen Ning ate a few mouthfuls of pancakes before going out with a bamboo basket on his back.

Yao Chunling and Brother Zhi were already waiting for him at the gate of the courtyard. It was cold in the morning, and Brother Zhi obviously didn't get enough sleep. Yao Chunling wrapped her in a small quilt and hugged her to keep out the wind.

"I'll sleep in the car later, huh?" Cen Ning coaxed brother Zhi while walking.

Brother Zhi lay in Yao Chunling's arms and smiled, because he knew that Auntie and Xiaomao were going to take him to the town to buy delicious food, so he was well-behaved along the way.

On the bullock cart, Yao Chunling and Cen Ning surrounded Brother Zhi, but the wind didn't blow at all.

When we arrived in the town, Lu Yunchuan had already given the money last night. Cen Ning took out a cloth bag from the bamboo basket and handed it to Erzhuzi: "Inside are two cakes that I baked myself. Erzhuzi, take it and buy a bowl of hot cakes at noon." It’s also good to eat with soup.”

Erzhuzi thanked them for accepting them, and made an appointment with them to meet in the village in the afternoon.

As the sun came out and the wind subsided, Yao Chunling put the quilt wrapped by Brother Zhi into a bamboo basket, and walked while holding Brother Zhi's hand.

Brother Zhi came to the town very rarely, and now he opened his big eyes, and he was surprised to see everything.

First, he went to buy cloth and cotton. Since he planned to make a warm cotton coat and trousers for Lu Yunchuan, Cen Ning bought a solid dozen of cotton and pulled a dark cloth.

Yao Chunling also picked one, and when she saw a red cotton cloth on the counter, her eyelashes twitched, and she couldn't help touching it with her hands: "Oh, this cloth is really soft, and the color is also pretty."

The clerk at the counter saw it and hurriedly said: "This is a high-quality cotton cloth. I bought it from Fucheng. It is the most beautiful to make clothes for the little dolls. The fabric is soft and comfortable to wear. It is also festive to wear red for the New Year."

As he said that, he glanced at Brother Zhi next to Yao Chunling, and then spoke more sincerely, "Your little doll is really good-looking, with white skin and big eyes. You can use this red cotton cloth to make clothes that look good!"

Yao Chunling touched the cloth, and her heart became more and more excited when she heard this, but she also understood that children grow fast, and if they wear cotton padded clothes this year, they may become smaller in the next year.

Seeing that Yao Chunling and Cen Ning didn't have any jewelry on them, but even the little doll had been tidied up, the man said, "The little doll is small, so you can't waste much fabric. You can take half of it and go back and cut it into a cotton coat. The fringe can also be used to sew a headband for the doll.”

Yao Chunling touched the cloth again and again, gritted her teeth: "Take half of it for me."

The guy smiled and went to cut the cloth.

"It's just a small amount of money. This year, I will embroider more handkerchiefs and sell more radishes and cabbages, and I will come back." Yao Chunling and Cen Ning said.

Turning her head and smiling, she touched Brother Zhi's face again: "This year, mother will make you beautiful clothes, and dress up Brother Zhi as a New Year's picture doll, okay?"

When they came out of the cloth shop, the bamboo baskets behind them were full, and they went to buy salt, vinegar and sugar in turn.

At noon, the three of them found a stall and sat down, and ordered a bowl of small wontons for brother Zhi, while Yao Chunling and Cen Ning ordered a bowl of steaming haggis soup.

Brother Zhi held the spoon and was able to scoop up the wontons by himself, and even puffed his mouth to blow on them when they were hot. Cen Ning took out two cakes from the bamboo basket and handed one to Yao Chunling: "Sister-in-law, soak it in the soup and eat it." .”

After a hot lunch, there is still a while before the time agreed with Er Zhuzi, and the three of them rarely come to town, so they simply take this opportunity to take a stroll.

"Hey, it's still different in the town. It really sells everything." Yao Chunling sighed.

The three of them strolled down the street, and met an old man selling candied haws with a straw rake on his back. Brother Zhi felt strange looking at the red and round thing, and the old man walked away with the rake and turned around to look .

Yao Chunling noticed it and asked, "You want to eat that, don't you? That's candied haws, made of hawthorn fruit wrapped in syrup."

"Candied haws." Brother Zhi read after A Niang.

Yao Chunling smiled, caught up with the old man a few steps, and bought a bunch of candied haws for four cents for Brother Zhi.

Brother Zhi had never eaten this before, so he squeezed the stick underneath with both hands and licked it, his eyes narrowed because of the sweetness.

"When I was young, I loved to eat the wild hawthorn on the mountain." Yao Chunling said with a smile when she saw Zhi Ge'er licking the candied haws. , There is a cattail bag for every money.

"At that time, my mother had just given birth to a younger brother, and life was tight at home, and I had no money to buy it. I was greedy watching others eat it, so I had to go to the mountains with my eldest sister to pick wild hawthorns. The two of us stuffed large quantities into our mouths. I don’t need money to enjoy it, I just tasted the taste of cherry fruit. Later, I became a family and had money in my hands, but I never saw anyone selling this for food, and I don’t know what the taste of cherry fruit is. .”

Cen Ning's heart softened when he heard this. Yao Chunling usually saves money, but she has always been very willing to give up to Brother Zhi.

Following Erzhuzi back home, Cen Ning tidied up the things in the bamboo basket, put the remaining money into the purse, and began to dismantle Lu Yunchuan's old cotton-padded clothes and trousers.

These can be removed and some cotton can be added inside to sew a small quilt to cover the feet in winter.

Remove the cloth and wash it in the yard. After Xiaoyangchun, the sun in front of Xiaoxue will become rarer and rarer.

After the old cloth was washed and dried in the sun, Cen Ning went to the backyard with a hoe to chop sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are forbidden to eat, full of stomach, and there are many ways to make them. It is delicious to make sweet potato porridge and sweet potato vermicelli. It is more delicious to fry sweet potato balls and sweet potato chips.

Cen Ning piled up a basket of sweet potatoes in the granary, picked some big ones, washed them by the well, peeled them, cut them into strips, and planned to dry them and eat them.

The sweet potatoes with red hearts do not use oil or sugar. They are very sweet after being simply dried, and can be chewed as snacks.

When Cen Ning was still at home, he embroidered on the kang alone in winter, and he chewed up a plate of sweet potatoes after a while, forcing his face to round up.

Dried sweet potatoes can be cured after two days in the sun. Once the two days are over, Cen Ning puts the dried sweet potatoes in a cloth bag and puts them away. Today is the day when sister Ru and her brother get married.

On weekdays, Cen Ning dressed plainly, with cloth clothes and shoes, and his hair was tied up with a cloth belt. He never wore flowers or jewelry.

But thinking about what Yao Chunling said to go to bed press to dress up richly and festively, he sat in front of the dressing table and stretched out his hair band, took a wooden hairpin from the dressing box, wrapped it with red thread a few times, and tied his hair Curled up.

He opened the closet again and changed into a blue cotton-padded coat. When he was ready to put it on, he thought about it, opened the dowry box, and put a pair of heavy silver bracelets that his mother had made for him on his wrists. .