The Spring Festival without firecrackers has been going on in Dongjiang Town for several years.
All the salt and sulfur are saved and turned into weapons to fight against the rebels. This is a policy that everyone can understand and implement well.
But for ordinary people, it doesn’t matter if there are no firecrackers. There are gongs and drums, hanging lanterns, watching snow sculptures and ice lanterns, and holding social fires. They are all activities that can feel the atmosphere of the New Year.
More importantly, being able to eat dumplings stuffed with meat is already a happy and satisfying thing.
In the past few years, the main meat dish was fish, and people also learned to make dumplings with fish meat.
As life gets better and better, mutton, chicken, rabbit, and even pork have become the raw materials for dumpling fillings, and their proportion is getting higher and higher.
Of course, there are differences in living conditions. People who have settled in southern Liaoning for a long time will raise chickens and sheep at home. It is not difficult to improve it during the Chinese New Year.
As for the newly arrived immigrants, they can only use the New Year welfare provided by the government, which includes five pounds of noodles, two pounds of mutton, and three fish, to have a reunion dinner.
Pork is the least expensive in southern Liaoning and is also the most expensive. In order to save food, ordinary people raise almost nothing. Except for the army and government canteens, leftovers are not wasted.
In order to better publicize the good treatment of soldiers and military dependents, during the Chinese New Year this year, each household of military dependents was given two to three kilograms of pork. Even though this is not a generous welfare difference, it also makes other people envious.
When the hot dumplings were served on the table, Zhen'er's little nose twitched and she grinned. She could smell the stuffed mutton and radish. Is it terrible?
Wu Qing, Chen Wenxiu, and Xiaoqin were busy in the kitchen. The government was on holiday, and there were only a few people left in the courtyard. The three women gathered together to celebrate the New Year.
Xiaoqin opened the lid of the pot, and a smell of meat hit her face. It was chicken stewed with mushrooms. She poured it into the basin with a smile, and the noodles were still stained on her face, which looked very funny.
Wu Qing and Xiaoqin also made cabbage stewed with tofu, mutton stewed with radish, and a cold salad with shredded potatoes, making up four dishes.
Only Chen Wenxiu is very unfamiliar with cooking. She can only show that she has some cooking skills by making dumplings, and the rest is serving dishes.
When serving mutton and stewed radish, Chen Wenxiu saw that her daughter's mouth was tightly closed, but her cheeks were bulging, and her eyes were rolling guiltily.
"Be polite and everyone should sit down before eating." Chen Wenxiu was not willing to scold, but still taught her gently: "The meal will be served soon, just wait a minute!"
Zhen'er puffed out her cheeks, evaded her eyes, and nodded her head repeatedly.
"The dishes are ready, let's eat." Xiaoqin brought the last dish and greeted with a smile: "Sister Wu, I'm waiting for you."
Wu Qing agreed readily, walked in quickly, showed the bottle of wine in her hand to everyone, and said with a smile: "It's Chinese New Year, let's have a drink."
On the territory of Dongjiang Town, potato wine is the most popular. Because of its affordable price, it is widely welcomed by the military and civilians. High-end grain wine is mostly purchased from Shandong. Its sales volume is not high, and most people are reluctant to drink it.
In addition to these two higher-alcohol wines, there is also a kind of fruit wine brewed or blended by farmers, most commonly made from mountain grapes and high-altitude wine.
"Did you make it yourself?" Xiaoqin reached out to take it and asked curiously: "Or did you buy it?"
Wu Qing said with a smile: "The mountain grapes I bought were brewed by myself. I took a sip secretly and found the taste to be quite good."
Xiaoqin hurried out and took three smaller bowls, but only poured half of the bowl, apparently not knowing how strong the wine was.
"Zhen'er, just eat more." Wu Qing stretched out her chopsticks and gave Zhen'er a chicken drumstick. She chuckled and turned to her two best friends, picked up the wine bowl and said, "This is the first year in Liaodong. I hope we can get better and better in everything."
As one wishes."
Chen Wenxiu picked up the bowl with emotion and said: "Thank you Sister Wu and Xiaoqin for taking care of me. Before I came to Liaodong, I never expected that I would make such good friends and have such a good life. At that time, I and Zhen'er
..."
Xiaoqin chuckled and quickly changed the topic. Chen Wenxiu would make herself cry if she continued talking, "Come, let's eat and drink first. Happy New Year and everything goes well."
As she spoke, she touched the bowl to Wu Qing and Chen Wenxiu, and then took a sip.
Tasting the taste carefully, Xiaoqin's eyes lit up and she said with a smile: "It's sweet, Sister Wu added a lot of sugar!"
Hearing that it was sweet, Zhen'er was a little greedy. She looked up, licked her lips, then lowered her head and gnawed on the chicken legs.
Wu Qing and Chen Wenxiu also drank wine, ate food, chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere in the room became cheerful and lively.
They were unfortunate but lucky. They were not knocked down by the disaster, but gained a new life in southern Liaoning.
Although there are differences in development and living standards, the future is bright, as long as we continue to work hard.
Xiaoqin's face turned red and she smiled more cheerfully, but she looked silly.
"Drink less and eat more food." Wu Qing stopped Xiaoqin from pouring wine and said with a smile: "When we recruit people after the new year, you won't have to work in the canteen. By the way, how about Osmanthus?
Will she come?"
Xiaoqin was very obedient, mainly because Wu Qing helped her a lot and acted like a teacher. She took the dumplings and ate them, and said uncertainly: "After the New Year, I have to ask her carefully. I hope her father can agree.
"
The traditional concept is deeply rooted. Osmanthus father hopes that his daughter will stay at home, find a good family nearby, marry her, and live a stable life.
Osmanthus naturally hopes to go out to work and see the world like Xiaoqin. But she is still not so bold when it comes to disobeying her father's wishes.
As soon as the words were finished, Wu Qing just interrupted, not wanting Xiao Qin to get drunk.
Chen Wenxiu only tasted it briefly. The wine tasted pretty good. She felt it was like a fruit wine from her hometown, and she couldn't help but sigh secretly in her heart.
"I heard that after the new year, there will be resettlement of immigrants?" Chen Wenxiu took a piece of mutton to her daughter and asked Wu Qing: "It's really miserable to escape to Tianjin and board a ship in this freezing weather."
Wu Qing shook her head helplessly and said: "If you can escape to Tianjin, you are lucky to save your life. The hardships on the road - well, let's not talk about it. The higher-ups have told us, so we will do it."
Chen Wenxiu nodded and said with a smile: "After dinner, let's go out for a walk. It should be very lively, right?"
It was both Wu Qing's and Xiaoqin's first time to celebrate the New Year in Liaodong, but the government had made arrangements before and distributed some candles and lanterns, and the shops in the town were required to put up lanterns at least on New Year's Eve.
Wu Qing and others are lamenting that people have different fates, but they don't want to talk about the miserable things during the New Year.
The refugees in Tianjin, however, feel warm and safe. The arduous journey is finally over and they no longer have to suffer or even fall to the ground.
The steaming dumplings, exuding an alluring aroma, were served in front of Gao Jialiang's family.
Ten per person is not enough for adults, but there are other meals, and these dumplings are a New Year treat.
The little girl stared longingly and swallowed hard. But the parents hadn't started yet, so the child waited sensibly, even though she was so greedy that her saliva almost came out.
The wife's tears flowed down and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. She was feeling bitter and sad, or she was crying with joy, probably both.
Thinking about the wanderings along the way, she almost died in the snowy wilderness. It was finally over. Although she had not reached the final destination yet, this plate of dumplings made it difficult for her to suppress the joy and sorrow in her heart.
"It's Chinese New Year, let's eat dumplings." Gao Jialiang forced a smile and used chopsticks to pull the dumplings into the bowls of his wife and daughter. Only two or three were left and placed them in front of him. "Eat it, I smell it is pork and cabbage."
The little girl giggled and bit off most of the outer dumpling in one bite. While eating, she nodded her little head and said crisply: "Dad, you guessed it right, it's stuffed with pork and cabbage."
The wife pulled the dumplings out of the bowl to her husband, but Gao Jialiang picked up the plate, blocked it with his arm, and said, "I'll have a taste of yours. You and the girl have suffered along the way."
My wife's nose felt a little sore, but there were many people around her, so she put down the bowl and slowly ate the dumplings without further fussing.
The aroma of meat, vegetables, and seasonings fills your taste buds, and the deliciousness almost explodes in your mouth.
It was a taste that had been absent for so long that it was almost forgotten. Almost everyone in the hall was immersed in it, but from this
And the emotions aroused are different.
"Before my parents died, even if they could eat one meat dumpling like this, they would be able to rest in peace."
"When the baby died, he still had grass roots in his mouth."
"My wife didn't even have a mouthful of porridge. I'm sorry for her."
It was originally a festive foil to the New Year, but after experiencing the misery and sorrow, it almost became a bitter memory.
No one complained that there were not enough dumplings to eat. They never expected that Dongjiang Town would be so thoughtful and allow them to feel the New Year atmosphere.
If you can give them the best possible care before arriving in Liaodong, then what should you worry about when you arrive in Liaodong?
They are hungry people who have no one to take care of them. They are not treasures. Should Dongjiang Town spend manpower and material resources to trick them into Liaodong?
In southern Liaoning, those immigrants who have been "cheated" to Liaodong are also eating dumplings, but they have enough to eat.
There is also a difference in eating dumplings, just in what kind of fillings they are, but for ordinary people, it is their own business and it is the motivation to work hard.
For example, those who belong to the military can eat pork, cabbage, and pork stuffed with green onions. That is a standard of living that other people would envy.
"Eat slowly, don't burn it." Mrs. Yang smiled happily, watching her son devouring the food with joy from the bottom of her heart. The only unsatisfactory thing was that her husband, Yang Daman, was in the army and could not go home for reunion.
Yang Xiaohe swallowed the food in his mouth and chuckled, "Mom, you eat too!"
"Okay, Mommy will eat too." Ms. Yang nodded happily and ate slowly. She also took the time to say, "Today is the Chinese New Year and we will cook a lot of dumplings. We both have to be full."
Yang Xiaohe slowed down his eating and drinking speed and said: "Mom, after dinner, I will accompany you to go out for a walk. I heard that everyone will come out and carry lanterns and torches. What do you call ***?"
Yang hesitated for a moment, but then nodded in agreement and said, "Okay, just take the pasted lantern."
Since he was a military relative envied by the villagers, and he had to live here for a long time, Yang felt that he should not be too out of place, but should try his best to have a good relationship with the villagers.
Moreover, this is also for the sake of the husband, so as not to embarrass the man.
It would be better if men were also at home. It would be more enjoyable for the family to get together during the Chinese New Year, talk, laugh, and eat good food.
Mrs. Yang couldn't help but feel filled with emotion when she saw her son eating deliciously. From being on the verge of life and death to now being well fed and clothed, it was simply unbelievable, as if it was a dream.
Alas, this is life! Neither my parents enjoyed the blessings, but I and my son experienced all the hardships.
"Mom, our family also raises sheep, right?" Yang Xiaohe looked up at his mother and asked uncertainly, "I heard dad told you about this."
Yang nodded with a smile and said, "I don't want to raise too many. I am farming and herding sheep. I'm afraid you will be tired."
"I'm not tired." Yang Xiaohe was afraid that he would lose a job, so he hurriedly said: "I see how other people raise them. Just feed them with corn straws. You don't have to rush to eat green grass every day."
Yang said: "Well, your father also said so, he wants our family to grow some corn and potatoes. There are about twenty acres of land, which is enough for the family to eat and drink."
Yang Xiaohe grinned and said: "Who told us that our family belongs to the military? As long as we pay a little tax, the rest is ours. When I am old enough, I will join the army."
Although Yang didn't have much knowledge, he still heard about it in three years of Pingliao. He thought about it in his mind. By then, there would be almost no need to fight and he would be able to live a peaceful life.
Yang nodded perfunctorily. She didn't want to pour cold water on her son now, so she changed the subject and said, "Your father wants you to study hard and be literate. Don't be lazy. When he comes home to visit relatives again, you can make him happy."
Yang Xiaohe laughed twice and immersed himself in eating and drinking, showing that he was not very willing.
"Reading and literacy are very useful." Yang said patiently: "It is very important that your father can become an officer."
Yang Xiaohe didn't want his mother to nag anymore, so he nodded repeatedly and agreed: "Don't worry, Mom, I'll study hard and don't miss the night classes."
Yang then smiled and said
He said: "Tomorrow I will stew the chicken, and the day after tomorrow I will make fish to eat. I will satisfy your craving for food during the Chinese New Year."
For military family members, the food and salary are enough for a family of three, and are even more generous than ordinary people. The benefits during the New Year's Day are also enough to make people eye-catching.
Of course, if there is no other business, it will soon be surpassed by those ordinary people who are still ordinary. After all, the number of cultivated fields and whether they are hardworking and willing to work are the more important factors.
If ordinary people have labor, it is no problem to buy two more cattle and cultivate a hundred acres or even more fields.
But like Yang and her son, even if they don't work, they can still have enough food and clothing, and they won't let the men in the family worry about it.
And this is what Dongjiang Town, or Guo Dajing, wants to achieve. Only when soldiers have no worries can they fight bravely.
If the result of bloody battles is that even the food and clothing of the family cannot be guaranteed, then what is the point of relying on the slogan of patriotism and loyalty to the emperor?
Except for Dongjiang Town, this phenomenon exists in the Ming army everywhere, that is, lack of food and pay. The weakening of combat effectiveness and lack of fighting will also stem from this.