The next morning, Xiang Jin got up and went downstairs. Then she saw Uncle Tao and Yan Chen driving a pickup truck back from the outside on the corridor upstairs, so she quickly went downstairs and walked to her grandma and
Grandma Mo asked in front of her.
"Where were Yan Chen and the others doing this morning?"
Her grandmother said, "Send those two butchers back."
"Ah?! Then all our sheep have been slaughtered?!" Xiang Jin looked surprised.
Her grandma and grandma Mo both had smiles on their faces, and her grandma said, "It's done, it's all done!"
Xiang Jin said, "But I didn't even hear the sheep's miserable cry. How could he kill it so quickly?!"
Grandma Mo smiled and said, "That is an old butcher, he is very skilled and can kill with one knife, so the sheep has been slaughtered without experiencing any pain, and the place where the sheep is slaughtered is some distance from our home.
So it’s normal that you didn’t hear it.”
Xiang Jin asked, "Then Tuzi and the others really came at four or five o'clock?"
Grandma Mo nodded, "Yes, I came around five o'clock."
"You guys got up around five o'clock too?"
Grandma Mo nodded, "Well, your grandpa and the others are going to kill the sheep together. Grandma and I will get up and make breakfast."
"So you've all had breakfast?" Xiang Jin asked again.
Her grandma nodded and said, "I've eaten everything. I've eaten it all. You're the only one who hasn't eaten yet, you little lazy boy. Go and wash up. After washing up, you can eat. We'll warm the meal in the pot for you."
Your great-grandma and I, let's go to the car shed to cook the mutton first, so as to save us a long delay."
"Oh!" Xiang Jin responded and turned around to wash up. When she had just finished brushing her teeth and was washing her face, Yan Chen came back.
Yan Chen saw her look and asked, "Just got up?"
"Well, why are you coming back alone? Did I just see Uncle Tao with you upstairs?"
Yan Chen said, "Uncle Tao went to the vegetable field."
"Oh," Xiang Jin nodded clearly and then asked, "What time did you get up?"
Yan Chen said, "Six o'clock!"
"It's so early, and you're not going to slaughter the sheep, why are you getting up so early?!" He actually got up more than an hour earlier than her.
Yan Chen said, "I woke up, then I got up, and then I went outside and ran around."
Xiang Jin hung the washcloth to dry on the rope, "Then did you go to the place where the sheep are slaughtered?"
"No, not interested in that!"
"Oh, okay, then I'm going to have breakfast?"
"Um!"
Halfway through the meal, Xiang Jin suddenly asked, "Hey, where is our mutton? Why didn't I see it? Could it be that it's all cut up and put in the refrigerator?"
Yan Chen said, "The two trees that were still hanging on the slaughtering site haven't been moved back."
"Hey, why is this? Why don't you move back and let someone break down the meat for us? The butcher's knife is very fast and can break down a sheep in three or two strokes. It might not be so easy for us to break it down ourselves.
Is it easy?”
Yan Chen said, "The pig butcher is also a cook. It is said that he took over the job of someone's wedding banquet, so he was in a hurry to go back and cook for others. He didn't even eat breakfast here, so he slaughtered it and skinned it.
After that, let us cut up the meat ourselves."
"Oh, is that so?" After his explanation, Xiang Jin understood immediately.
"Um!"
"Okay, just divide it yourself!"
After finishing the meal, Xiang Jin put away the dishes and chopsticks, and then asked Yan Chen, "Should we pack up?"
Yan Chen said, "Don't be in a hurry first. It's not too late to clean up after lunch. The other one is quick to clean up. Let's take those cured fish back to the room to hang up, and then give Han Che's cured meat to Han Che and his family."
Hang it in the shed and smoke it for them."
Xiang Jin heard, "Oh, yes, yes, their meat should be smoked."
So the two of them went to the yard to open the iron shed to collect the preserved fish.
When he saw the rows of dried fish hanging on the wire, Xiang Jin couldn't help but said with surprise, "Oh, it's not bad. It seems that the fish have no water left, and the color is also close to
That bright red color.”
Yan Chen nodded, "Well, it's really not bad. Hang it in the room and let it dry for two or three days before it can be stored."
"Um!"
The two of them took action and took the fish off the wire one by one and took them to the room dedicated to drying cured meats.
"Do you want to pack up the fish you brought back to the provincial capital right now?" Xiang Jin asked as she handed him the dried fish in her hand.
Yan Chen said, "Okay!"
Xiang Jin said, "Then I'll find two baskets for you later."
"Why are you looking for a basket instead of a plastic bag? How convenient are plastic bags?" Yan Chen asked.
Xiang Jin said, "Because the plastic bag is not breathable? The basket is breathable, and it can be dried again in the basket. Not only the fish will be put in the basket, but also the bacon and sausages will be put in the basket."
And after you go back, you have to have someone hang them up immediately and let them dry for a few days to dry out the moisture on them before storing them, otherwise they will easily grow mold if there is too much moisture."
"good!"
"When you go to bj this time, would you like to bring some bacon?"
"No need for now!"
"You don't want to eat?"
"inconvenient!"
"Um?!"
Yan Chen explained, "The house is not well decorated and there is no place to put it."
"Don't you mean to put it in a hot pot restaurant and let Uncle Duoji and the others cook it for you?"
Yan Chen said, "They are usually very busy, so I won't bother them. I will go to your place in Shanghai to eat during the summer vacation."
"Okay, then come over then and I'll cook it for you."
It took the two of them almost half an hour to put the fish into the house and hang them. It also took more than an hour to pick up the bacon from Han Che and his family, put it into a hot water pot, wash it and dry it.
I hung them in the iron shed and waited for more than an hour. After the meat stopped dripping water, I finally smoked them.
He followed Xiang Jin and said, "Then you stay in the house and I'll go to grandma and the others to see if there's anything I need help with?"
"good!"
Seeing her bring out two vegetable baskets from the house, and there was a pair of labor protection gloves and a sickle in one of the baskets, Yan Chen asked, "Are you going to pick vegetables in the field?"
"Ah, I'll pick up some pea tips and coriander then. I'll use them at noon."
"Be careful when cutting, don't hurt your hands!"
"I know, I went?"
"good!"
When Xiang Jin passed by, he saw two grandmas. One was putting two large basins of boiled mutton under the faucet on the sink nearby and rinsing them. The other was setting up a small wooden table on the table next to it.
White radish is cut on the cutting board.
"Grandma, do you need me to do anything?" Xiang Jin asked as he walked over and threw two large pieces of firewood into the stove holes of two large iron pots.
Grandma Mo said that she didn't have it for the time being. The mutton in her place would be cleaned immediately, and then it could be put into the pot to continue cooking. Xiang Jin and her grandmother said, "I don't need you here for the time being, but you can
Go back and peel some garlic and make a dipping sauce."
Xiang Jin said, "There's no hurry, it's still early. Since there's no need to use mine here, I'll go to the vegetable field to pinch some pea tips and chop some lettuce."
The two grandmas said "yes!"
Just when Xiang Jin had picked the vegetables she needed for lunch and headed home, her parents arrived.
Her brother stopped the car, her parents and aunts got out of the car, and then took the two vegetable baskets from her hand. Her mother said, "Why did you pick so many vegetables? This is carrying a lot of food."
Shen?"
Xiang Jin said, "It's not heavy. It looks like a lot, but in fact it's not much. The pea tips may only weigh about five or six pounds. There are only a few lettuces. The others are some chives and coriander.
Celery and some chili pepper.”
Her aunt asked, "Did you really cook a whole sheep?!"
Xiang Jin nodded, "Yes, a whole head, plus a sheep head!"
Her aunt asked, "Have you finished eating by then?"
Xiang Jin said, "You should finish eating. Our sheep are not big. They come from goats. The slaughtered sheep plus its internal organs only weighs about fifty kilograms at most. There are so many people.
There are more than 40 employees, not to mention so many people from our own family, and there seem to be two customers and their drivers will also stay for lunch."
Her aunt was surprised, "Are there any customers who want to stay for lunch?"
Xiang Jin nodded, "Ah, I'm here to wait for the goods, so of course I'll definitely invite you to have lunch with me then."
"Who?!"
Xiang Jin said, "I don't know, I just heard them talking when I was picking vegetables in the field, saying that Grandpa Zeng and the others were greeting others."
After the family got home, her aunt and her brother took over the task of washing the vegetables directly. Her mother asked her if she wanted to steam some more rice or something?
Xiang Jin thought about it and felt that she should steam it. After all, they all did manual labor, and some of them had big appetites, so she told her mother that she wanted to steam it, and her mother told her to go
Steam.
Xiang Jin didn't refuse, and then she went to get a bunch of garlic to peel. After her father and Yan Chen saw it, they both joined in peeling the garlic.
After her aunt and brother washed the vegetables, her aunt came over and asked her, "What about the onions, coriander, peppers and other seasoning vegetables that I chopped?"
Xiang Jin nodded, "Yeah, but chop the pepper a little bit?"
Her aunt made an "ok" gesture.
Her brother then asked, "Do you have enough fermented bean curd at home? If not, I will drive out and buy some."
Xiang Jin said, "Go to the kitchen and take a look yourself. I don't know either."
After Ouyang Bo went to see it, he came out and said, "Sure enough, it's not enough. I'll buy some and bring it back!"
Yan Chen stood up and said, "Shall I go with you?"
Ouyang Bo hesitated for a moment and then nodded, "Okay!"
After they left, Xiang Jin and her father were the only two people peeling garlic. Xiang Jin asked him, "Dad, how have you been at home these days?"
His dad said, "It's not going well. It's just that several families in the compound took turns treating everyone to a meal together."
"Then when it was our family's turn, what did you cook for them?"
Her father said, "There are too many, there are more than a dozen dishes, beef and mutton, a fish, a yam pork ribs soup, a dish of white meat with garlic paste you taught me to make, and a fungus sliced meat, fried pork with yellow flowers, served cold.
I made a pig’s ear, cooked some bacon sausage, a vegetarian fried mushroom, and also made a braised lion’s head and fried pork with chili.”
Xiang Jin nodded, "It seems to be quite rich. There are twelve dishes and one soup."
Her father said, "They also make a rich meal, including chicken, duck and fish. Our family has mutton, but we don't make chicken or duck meat."
Xiang Jin said, "Okay, okay."
"What about you, what have you been doing in the fruit fields these days?" her father asked.
Xiang Jin said, "I'm very busy these days."
"Oh? What are you busy with?" Her mother happened to hear her words when she finished steaming the rice, so she asked jokingly.
Xiang Jin told them in detail, "On the third day of junior high school, I first went to the field to pick some vegetables for my Aunt Liao, and then Yan Chen, Grandpa Zeng and Grandma Mo sent those vegetables to them, and then Yan Chen
Chen then drove me to my grandparents’ house.
At two or three o'clock in the afternoon, I went to Aunt Liao's house to pick up Grandpa Zeng and Grandma Mo and return to the fruit field.
Then yesterday we made a day of baking bread, oh, by the way, you can also take some back then, we made maybe 400 of them."
Her parents were surprised, and her mother said, "Why did you do that? Are you giving it away again?"
Xiang Jin nodded, "You're right, I plan to give three or four to each employee after lunch, and then Uncle Tao will take some away and leave some for the grandparents.
, you can take it back with you when the time comes, so you don’t have to get up so early in the morning to queue up to buy steamed buns."
Her mother asked her, "How much flour did you use to bake so much bread?"
Xiang Jin stretched out two fingers and said, "Two bags of flour, twenty pounds!"
Her parents were a bit dumbfounded, so her mother said, "You don't mind it too much trouble?"
Xiang Jin said, "It's not troublesome. What's the trouble? I can bake so much bread. I feel quite accomplished."
"You're such a restless kid. Have you packed up all your things?" Her mother looked at her angrily and then asked.
Xiang Jin said, "There's nothing to pack. Aren't you guys packing all my things for me? All that needs to be packed here is a bottle of face lotion and a bottle of facial cleanser. Oh, by the way, I asked you
Have you brought all the receipts you brought for me?"
Her mother said, "Take it, take it, I'll show it to you later. Why do you want to give that house to Xiang Lan?"
Then Xiang Jin told them the reason, "It's impossible to live in that house, so I can't give her an advantage, right? Compared to her, Xiang Lan is closer to me, and besides, the uncles and aunts in that house
If you want to buy it, I'm happy to do it as a favor.
To put it bluntly, it is much more meaningful for the house to fall into the hands of my uncle and aunt than to fall into her hands. My uncle and aunt still bring me various local specialties every year.
Woolen cloth.
Last time on the third day of the Lunar New Year, when we left, they brought us a lot of things.
There were not only fifty or sixty kilograms of rice, but also twenty or thirty kilograms of noodles. They also brought us two pots of oil, one pot of rapeseed oil and one pot of sesame oil.
The rapeseed oil comes in a 20-pound pot, and the sesame oil comes in a 10-pound pot. My grandma said that we like to eat hot pot, and the sesame oil is the most delicious when used as seasoning.
Later, they brought us at least ten kilograms of peanuts and mung beans, and five or six chickens and ducks, which are still kept there to this day.
Originally, we were given sausages and bacon, as well as a large basket of chicken and duck eggs, but because Aunt Liao had brought us so many chicken and duck eggs before and we had so much bacon and sausages, we
Didn't answer.
Without the permission of my eldest uncle, aunt and uncle, and my second aunt and uncle, my grandparents would not have been able to bring me so many things, no matter how much they loved me.
You must know that some sons and daughters-in-law are the most stingy and stingy. Even if they are given to them by blood, their noses are not noses, and their eyes are not eyes. What’s more, I am not like them.
A little bit of blood relationship, don’t you think?"
Her parents both nodded, "That's right!"
Xiang Jin said, "So, since my uncle and aunt are so worried about their house, and also worried that Yang Hui will not be able to find a good wife because of the house, then I will help them."
It's impossible for Xiang Lan to live there alone with that house, and she will sell it to others when the time comes.
Others are buying it, even uncles and aunts are buying it, and others may not be able to pay such a high price.
You should know that I had put a lot of thought into the exterior and interior layout of that house.
And it also cost some money. My own investment totaled nearly 20,000 yuan, not to mention the four or five thousand yuan that Yang Juyun had on hand at the beginning.
Although she didn't spend all the four or five thousand yuan at the beginning, I told her to fully calculate the amount.
It costs 24,450 yuan, and not everyone is willing to pay that much money to buy it.
But the uncle and aunt are different. They can afford the price, and they are also relatively honest and kind people. From this point of view, they will not treat Xiang Lan badly.
Otherwise, my second uncle and second aunt would not do it. You know, my second aunt also wanted that house very much. When my eldest aunt expressed her desire to buy that house, my second aunt was bitter and envious.
of.
If she found out that my uncle and aunt had an affair with Xiang Lan's house, or bought that house with Xiang Lan at a super low price, she would never do it.
Therefore, even if my uncle and aunt were trying to stop her mouth, it was impossible for me to do such unethical things.
So not only can my uncle and aunt get the house they want, but also Xiang Lan can get more than 20,000 yuan in selling money. It's a win-win situation, why can't I make it happen?"
In fact, there is another reason why she didn't say it: she doesn't want to see Yang Juyun in Xiangjiawan again, it's so estranged!
Her parents nodded again, and Xiang Jin said, "No matter what, the girl must have at least a house of her own in the future. With a house that is completely her own, she won't be afraid of losing it."
Once you have a place to live, your heart will be at peace.
She can now live with her grandparents, uncles and aunts, and they won't say anything. But if Yang Hui, Yang Zhao and the other brothers get wives in the future, it will be hard to say to the grandchildren.
Rather than living there and looking at other people's faces, it's better to live in your own little nest and be comfortable.
She has her own house, and in the future, even if she is born in society, she can find any job and just get some salary, and she will be able to support herself, so I don't have to worry about her."
Her parents nodded again, and her mother said, "Can you suggest that they buy an apartment in a provincial or county town and add value there?"
Xiang Jin said, "I mentioned it to them last time, but they seemed to be reluctant because my two uncles said they watch TV every day and said that the economic crisis has a great impact on many people abroad.
After buying a house, they ended up losing a lot of money, and some people even chose to jump off the building because they couldn't sell the house.
So it’s not easy for me to continue talking. It’s okay when the time comes. If it’s not okay, they still blame me for instigating them and harming them. Anyway, I brought my suggestions and it’s their business whether they adopt them or not.
After all, we’re not related by blood, so I can’t continue to buy it, so I can’t force them to buy it, right?”
Her parents said yes, that's the truth, and then Xiang Jin said, "So, when the time comes, you can bring those receipts and other things directly to them. My uncle and grandpa will also come to visit me tomorrow."
Let’s have a wedding banquet at my aunt’s house.”
"Okay," her parents nodded, and then the couple asked how her grandparents, and uncles were doing, and Xiang Jin answered them one by one.
After peeling the garlic, Xiang Jin took it into the kitchen to make dipping sauce, and her mother asked, "Have you packaged the bread for the employees? If it hasn't been packaged for us yet,
Have they been packaged for you?"
Xiang Jin said, "It's packed. It's all packed. It's in the cabinet. I'll bring it over later."
Xiang Jin's mother said, "Then let's take her there. If we have nothing to do, we'll go to Grandma Mi and the others to have a look."
Xiang Jin nodded, "Okay!"
Not long after Xiang Jin and her aunt made the dipping sauce, Yan Chen and Ouyang Bo drove back. Seeing them both getting out of the car with nothing in their hands, Xiang Jin said, "No.
Did you buy it?"
Yan Chen said, "I bought it and took it directly to grandma and the others."
"Oh," Xiang Jin nodded clearly, and then said to Yan Chen, "There is nothing wrong with the reaction now. How about we start packing all the things that are going to be taken back to the provincial capital?
?”
Yan Chen said, "Okay!"
So Xiang Jin went to find some bamboo baskets, and then they packed up their things together.
Xiang Jin said, "Just pick out the dried bacon and sausages and take them away."
"good!"
"Do you want to bring these pig's feet, pig's head, and these pig's ears?" Ouyang Bo asked.
Xiang Jin said, "Take it. If his grandpa doesn't eat it, Uncle Tao and the others can eat it too. Uncle Tao usually likes to eat pig's feet, pig's head, and pig's ears."
Yan Chen said, "My grandfather is not picky about food."
Ouyang Bo nodded, "Okay, then bring some."
After they had packed the bacon, sausages and fish, Xiang Jin asked Yan Chen again, "Hey, what about the mutton? Hasn't the mutton been sent back yet?"
Yan Chen said, "It's been sent back and has been put in the car."
Xiang Jin nodded, "Is it divided, or is it a whole sheep?"
Yan Chen said, "Well, it has been divided."
"Who divided it? So capable!"
Yan Chen smiled and said, "My grandpa and your grandpa were separated."
Xiang Jin nodded, and then asked, "Then their sheep have been put in the refrigerator?"
"Well, let it go!"
Xiang Jin said "Oh" while putting a few pieces of bacon into the frame, and then went to get new ones.
After packing up the bacon, sausages and fish and putting them together, Xiang Jin said, "Let's just leave them here for now and then move them into the car before we leave."
"Can!"
"Oh, by the way, don't forget those chicken and duck eggs that Aunt Liao brought for you?" Xiang Jin reminded again.
"Yeah, okay," Yan Chen agreed, then went to pick up the two baskets of chicken and duck eggs and put them together.
"There are also yams," Ouyang Bo reminded again.
"Oh, yes, there's this one too!" Xiang Jin responded, and after saying that, he turned around and headed towards the room next door where the yams were piled.
Yan Chen said, "Don't move it, we can just go."
Ouyang Bo also said, "Oh, yes, it's heavy. The whole bundle is very heavy. Just don't move it. We can just move it. We will put it directly in the car later."
Xiang Jin thought for a while and nodded, "Okay, you can go ahead and move it, but you can move a little more, and then you can also get some for Secretary Qin, Uncle Duoji, Uncle Zheng Gang and their families, oh, and
Han Che and his family should move four or five bundles. Anyway, Uncle Tao is driving a pickup truck, so he won’t be afraid that he won’t be able to put them down when the time comes.”
"Okay!" Yan Chen responded again.
While Yan Chen and Ouyang Bo went to move yams to the next door room, Xiang Jin also went to bake bread.
When Ouyang Bo saw her carrying two big bags of toast, he couldn't help but be surprised and said, "So much? Don't you want to distribute some to the employees?"
Xiang Jin said, "Don't worry, they have all been distributed. Yesterday we baked more than 400 loaves. I gave four to each of them. For more than 40 people, it was less than 200."
There are only fifty or sixty here at best, and there are more than a hundred and nearly two hundred left over there, which will be left to my grandparents and parents."
Ouyang Bo gave her a thumbs up, "Awesome, you baked so much!"
Xiang Jin said, "I thought it would not be easy to bake it once, and they would definitely be busier in the next few days, and they might not even have time to eat breakfast, so I baked a little more, and then they would have breakfast in the morning.
When you get up, you can make a cup of milk and eat some bread directly, so you don’t have to worry about them having to endure hunger in order to catch up with work.”
Ouyang Bo nodded, "That's true."
Xiang Jin looked at Yan Chen and said, "Let's just put this in the car and put it in the back seat. Anyway, there are only four of us in total, two in the front and two in the back. There is still one seat left in the back.
Just enough space for these two bags of toast."
Yan Chen nodded, "Okay!" Then he took out the car keys, opened the car, and then put the two bags of bread in Xiang Jin's hand inside.
After Yan Chen went to wash her hands, Xiang Jin pulled her brother aside and whispered to him, "Brother, can you go find your aunt to get the key, and then help me move a box of Maotai liquor up from the ground?"
Her brother was surprised and said, "One box? Why do you need so many?"
Xiang Jin said, "Yan Chen and his aunt prefer to drink this wine. It is said that he spent the Spring Festival at home this year. If we meet each other then, we must give them a meeting gift, right?"
After her brother heard this, he nodded immediately, "Oh, okay!"
Since there was still a few hundred kilometers to go back to the provincial capital, Xiang Jin and the others did not stay too long after lunch. After saying goodbye to their families, they drove off.
However, before setting off, Uncle Tao still took out two hundred yuan and handed it to Yan Chen and his grandfather, asking them to bring it to Aunt Liao and the others tomorrow, as a congratulation.
Because it was only the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the road back this time was relatively smooth, and there were not many vehicles. In addition, the three male compatriots took turns driving, so their speed was much faster than before. The original plan
It was expected that they would not arrive at the provincial capital until seven or eight o'clock in the evening, but they arrived at half past five.
"Ajin, you and your brother will stay in the military compound tonight. I will send you to the house on the first ring road to settle down tomorrow morning?" Suddenly, Yan Chen faced Xiang.
Jin and his sister followed the advice.
Xiang Jin said, "Okay, but it's just a side issue?"
Yan Chen said, "It's convenient. This is what my grandfather meant. He has asked Aunt Jiang to prepare a room for you. He said that it will be almost late after dinner, so there is no need to worry about it anymore."
"
"Oh, okay!" Xiang Jin responded.
Ouyang Bo asked, "Who is in your family tonight?"
Yan Chen said, "There are no outsiders, just my grandfather, my aunt, my uncle, and a few others. The other ones are Aunt Jiang and two orderlies, plus a few of us."
Ouyang Bo asked, "Is your room enough?"
Yan Chen said, "It's enough. My aunt and uncle will go back after eating and won't stay at home."
Uncle Tao interjected, "You don't have to worry about this. Xiaochen's family is an independent villa in the courtyard. It is divided into two floors, with four rooms on the bottom and six rooms on the top. I, including two
The orderly, and his Aunt Jiang, we all have our own rooms at home, so it’s just right for you two to come over."
Ouyang Bo and Xiang Jin nodded, and then Ouyang Bo went to ask Yan Chen, "Yan Chen, does your grandfather look serious and majestic?"
Yan Chen said, "It's okay, I don't think so!"
Uncle Tao smiled and said, "His grandpa is indeed very dignified and serious when he treats his soldiers in the army, but he is definitely very gentle when he treats you juniors, so there is no need to be nervous."
Ouyang Bo nodded, "Oh, that's good, that's good!"
Xiang Jin handed a small bag next to him to Uncle Tao, "Uncle Tao, I heard that you like to drink Xinyang Maojian. I brought you some from Shanghai for you to try."
"Oh, you brought me a gift?" Uncle Tao was immediately surprised.
Xiang Jin said, "Of course, you are our elder. I not only brought it for you, but I also brought a share for Aunt Jiang. But I didn't bring the two orderlies because I didn't know them and didn't know them.
I understand them, but we bring a lot of cured meat and cured fish, so they can eat our cured meat when the time comes.
Uncle Tao, you are the same. This year we didn’t bring you the cured meats alone. Thinking that you also lived in the courtyard originally, you also kept the cured meats we brought you at home to eat with everyone.
"
Uncle Tao said, "No need to take it, no need to take it. I don't cook alone. I usually live in the courtyard and eat at my house in the courtyard. What else should I take? I don't need to take anything!"
But this, Uncle Tao, thank you, huh?"
Xiang Jin said, "No thanks, no thanks, I just bought you half a catty. When you finish drinking it, I will bring you another."
Uncle Tao said politely, "No, no, half a pound is enough for me to drink for a year."
Xiang Jin nodded.
The car soon arrived at the military compound of Yan Chen's family. After passing through several checkpoints, their car finally stopped in front of a very unique small foreign-style building.
Xiang Jin and the others had just gotten off the car when they saw Yan Chen and her aunt Yan Shu quickly coming out of the house wearing a plaid apron.
"Chen Chen, you are finally back. Your grandpa has been looking forward to you all afternoon, and Jin Yatou, Xiao Bo, and you too, hurry up, come inside and sit down!"
Seeing her face filled with enthusiasm and joy, brother and sister Xiang Jin and Ouyang Bo said to her generously and politely, "Aunt Yan, Happy New Year!"
"Oh, okay, okay, happy new year, happy new year! Come on, come on, please come in and sit down," said Yan Chen and her aunt walked down the stairs and went to hold Xiang Jin's hand.
Then Xiang Jin saw two upright security guards standing at the door. He looked at them and glanced curiously at them from time to time.
Uncle Tao said to the three of them, "You all go in first, I will be responsible for unloading the goods."
Several people nodded, and then entered the house together. Following Xiang Jin, they heard Uncle Tao calling the orderly to hurry over and help move things. After hearing Uncle Tao's call, the two orderlies hurriedly said, "Oh oh oh
"Running down to move things, Xiang Jin heard them sighing, "Wow, there are so many things!"
"Come on, come on, girl Jin, Xiaobo, come and sit here quickly." As soon as they entered the house, Yan Chen and her aunt Yan Shu quickly led them to the living room.
Xiang Jin and the others nodded, and followed her there casually.
At this time, another middle-aged aunt with short hair and an apron, who was probably in her forties, also walked out of the kitchen with a happy face, and then looked at Xiang Jin and his brother and sister and said,
He greeted them warmly and said, "Girl, sit down? Are you there too, young man?!"
Yan Chen introduced them, "This is Aunt Jiang."
The brother and sister called each other politely, "Hello, Aunt Jiang!"
"Oh, okay, okay, the chief told us early in the morning that distinguished guests are coming to the house today, and he asked us to cook early and make a few more delicious things. So you guys can chat first, and I will go and continue cooking?"
"Oh, okay, Aunt Jiang, thank you for your hard work," Xiang Jin said.
Aunt Jiang said, "It's not hard, it's not hard," and she turned back to the kitchen.
Yan Chen and her aunt poured water for them, "I thought you wouldn't arrive until around eight o'clock, so we started making dinner."
Xiang Jin said, "There are not many vehicles on the road today, so I drove a bit fast."
Her aunt nodded, and Yan Chen asked, "Why don't you see grandpa? Is he not at home?"
His aunt said, "I'm at home, talking about something with your uncle in the study upstairs."
Yan Chen nodded, and her aunt was stunned when she saw the things that Uncle Tao and the others had moved in, "Oh my God, why did you bring so many things back? How can you fit the refrigerator at home?"
Yan Chen said, "The bacon is from a whole pig. We brought almost a quarter of the pork sausage and mutton sausage."
Yan Chen's aunt asked, "How many kilograms of sausages have you filled this year?"
Xiang Jin said, "As for the pork sausage, it's about seventy or eighty kilograms of meat. Mainly because my aunt and the others went to Aunt Liao's house last time to pull pork, and then on the way they met a pair of grandfathers from my previous yard.
Grandma and the others went to town to sell meat, and my aunt watched them
It was hard to carry, and their pork was also produced by pigs fed purely on grains, so they bought it directly for them, so almost half of the pig’s meat was used to make sausages. The situation was similar for mutton sausages.
I almost drank a whole head of it."
Yan Chen and her aunt nodded, "The good thing about being in the countryside is that you don't have to worry about food. If you want to eat pigs fed with pure grains, and local chickens, ducks, and local eggs, you can still find them everywhere. It's different in cities like us."
, the meat and egg products we eat are basically produced by feed.”
Xiang Jin nodded, "Yes, yes!"
Yan Chen said, "Our meat and sausages are produced by pigs and sheep fed purely with grain and grass, so you can bring more with you when you go back later."
Her aunt smiled and said, "Then I won't be polite. You called me last time and told me not to make bacon. You said you would bring local pork back. But I listened to the truth and didn't make a piece of bacon."
, just waiting for your meat to come back to eat."
Xiang Jin and his sister just smiled, and then Xiang Jin said, "Well, we are serious local porkers. At the beginning of last year, we made an order with Aunt Liao, and she has always been
We are fed pure grains, not only their pigs, but also their chickens, ducks and geese are fed pure grains.”
Yan Chen said, "The two baskets of chicken and duck eggs over there are all native chicken and duck eggs. You should also take some back when the time comes. Aunt Liao brought them to us."
When her aunt saw the two large baskets of chicken and duck eggs over there, she was immediately surprised, "Why did your Aunt Liao bring you so many eggs? Isn't this costing them too much?"
Yan Chen said, "They raise hundreds of chickens and ducks, and dozens of geese, so they have to collect hundreds of eggs every day."
His aunt was stunned, "Are hundreds of them fed with pure grain?"
Xiang Jin and Yan Chen nodded, and Xiang Jin said, "Well, there are hundreds of them. They only sell local chickens, ducks, and eggs. She said that people come to buy these local products from her."
, but you can’t lose your conscience.”
Yan Chen and his aunt nodded, "It seems that your Aunt Liao and Aunt Liao are really kind people?"
Xiang Jin said, "Aunt Liao has always been sincere and kind to others. Not only did she bring you two big baskets of chicken and duck eggs, but she also brought about three or four hundred to my grandparents, Grandpa Zeng, and Grandma Mo."
An egg.”
Aunt Yan Chen nodded again, "Then if she raises so many native chickens, ducks, and native pigs, won't it cost a lot of food?"
Yan Chen and Xiang Jin nodded again, and Xiang Jin said, "That's true. All their fields are used to grow sweet potatoes and corn, and all their slopes are used to grow pumpkins and winter melons."
, these grain and vegetable products are mixed with some pig grass and wheat bran and rice bran bought outside to feed the livestock."
After hearing this, Yan Chen's aunt said, "Aunt Liao is really a very capable person."
"Well, it's just that Xiang Min's father left early. At that time, Sister Xiang Qun and Brother Xiang Yang were still in their teens. Then I, Aunt Liao, provided for them both to study and live alone. Later, it wasn't until I Xiang Qun
My sister graduated from middle school and then got married, and my brother Xiangyang graduated from high school. He didn’t want to go to school anymore and joined the army.
It stands to reason that her two children no longer need her to bear financial responsibilities, and she should also enjoy a happy life, but she has no intention of stopping yet, and still manages herself every day like a top."
"Who is using whom to control like a spinning top?" At this moment, a lively joke came from the corridor entrance, and several people looked there in unison, and at the same time
Yan Chen stood up from the sofa, and Xiang Jin and his sister also stood up from the sofa. Then they saw two stalwart, resolute and upright figures walking steadily up the stairs step by step.
Come down.
Both of them were wearing military uniforms, one was middle-aged and the other was old. However, neither of them had the epaulettes on their shoulders that showed their status in the army. They must be wearing the regular uniforms of cadres.
The skin on the middle-aged man's face is a little dark, but it has a strong sense of three-dimensionality. His eyes are particularly bright, like a pair of stars shining on the black screen. The old man has gray hair, but his face is rosy and his energy is shining.
They were extremely angry, with warm smiles on their faces.
"Oh, you two have finished talking. Are all our guests here?" Just a few breaths after the old man finished speaking, Yan Chen and his aunt Yan Shu suddenly said jokingly.
The old man nodded and explained, "Well, I know, I know, we heard their car upstairs when they just drove back, but we were just answering a phone call."
"Grandpa, uncle," Yan Chen called to them respectfully as they approached.
"Well, not bad!" Both of them smiled and nodded at him. They didn't know what he meant by "not bad", but they saw that their eyes then turned to Xiang Jin and his brother and sister.
.
Xiang Jin's brother and sister showed no sign of timidity or nervousness. They looked at them openly, and then they both called out in a leisurely and humble manner, "Hello, Grandpa Yan, Hello, Uncle He!"
"Hey, good, good, good boy, sit down quickly, sit down quickly, don't be so polite," Yan Chen and his grandfather greeted Xiang Jin with satisfaction after looking at Xiang Jin intently for a while.
Although people asked you to sit down and told you to be polite, the brother and sister sat down without any hesitation.
Because they all know that a basic etiquette is that when there are elders, they usually have to sit down after the elders are seated, so they sat down again after Yan Chen, his grandfather and uncle sat down.
"Girl Xiang Jin, and boy Bo, you won't blame me for asking you to come back to the provincial capital on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, right?" After sitting down, Yan Chen and his grandfather looked at the brothers and sisters with a smile on their faces and joked.
.
Xiang Jin said, "No, Grandpa Yan, you are worrying too much. We are staying in our hometown and staying in the provincial capital. Besides, it is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, so it is not too early."
Ouyang Bo said, "That's right, we have many migrant workers who have been catching trains for the past two days."
Yan Chen's aunt smiled and joked, "Grandpa Yan, you mean that this will affect your reunion with your family."
Xiang Jin said, "It's okay, our parents and elders can understand. Compared with their reunion days and those of Yan Chen and Grandpa Yan, we will have a lot more time.
From the time we returned on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month until today, we have been living with our families, not to mention the summer vacation that lasts for one or two months.
Grandpa Yan, you and Yan Chen are different. You and your grandson have fewer days to get together every year. You don’t have much time to get together during the summer vacation, and you don’t have much time to get together during the winter vacation. I heard Yan Chen
He said that you will only rest at home for three days including today when you come back this time, and you will have to go back to the army on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. It is really too hard and not easy."
Ouyang Bo nodded, "Yes, Grandpa Yan, you soldiers who have dedicated your life to our country are simply too powerful and amazing.
Others may see your honor and glory, but what I see is your sacrifice, dedication, and forbearance.
For the sake of our country's peace and stability, as well as its prosperity and strength, you have sacrificed the long-term reunions with your families. This kind of long-term gatherings and separations is difficult to endure without perseverance, so
I think you guys are really amazing.”
Yan Chen's grandfather chuckled, "You kid can talk," and then glanced at his son-in-law. Yan Chen's uncle also smiled and nodded and said, "Yes!"
Ouyang Bo said, "I didn't just say it casually, and I didn't mean to compliment you soldiers, but I told the truth."
Weng and son-in-law laughed again, and then Yan Chen and his grandfather said half seriously and half jokingly, "How about it, are you interested in joining the army after graduating from college?"
Ouyang Bo was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head, "Returning to Grandpa Yan, although I have great awe and admiration for the profession of a soldier, I feel that I am not qualified to be a soldier because I am a petty person.
Lively and casual, I'm afraid I'm not suitable for the life in the army, and I'm also learning to invest and start a small business from my sister and Yan Chen."
Yan Chen and his grandfather suddenly laughed again, "It seems that your ambition is to be a big boss in the future?"
Ouyang Bo said, "I don't dare to think about the big boss. This is suitable for Yan Chen and my sister. I just hope that I can be a little rich in the future. It's not good to have too much money. I get worried easily and always think about it."
What else can I do with the money? It’s not good to have no money. It’s also easy to worry about how my life is so bad.
I just hope that my money will not be too much or too little, so that I can meet the normal living expenses of myself and my family while still having a little money, that is, I can pay for medical treatment and medicine when I and my family are sick.
As long as you can get the money!”
Yan Chen and his grandfather nodded, "Well, you kid still has a lot of ideas!"
"Grandpa Yan, thank you very much. I only have such a small ambition. Don't you laugh at me?" Ouyang Bo said a little embarrassedly.
Yan Chen and his grandfather said, "Oh, no, no, you are a very mature child in thinking about problems, and you are also very humble in your speech. Grandpa Yan knows that you are a very thoughtful child, and you will definitely be very promising in the future."
Following Yan Chen, his grandfather asked Xiang Jin again, about her life at school, about their business situation in Shanghai, and also asked her about the economy of some coastal cities.
development situation, and the impact of the economic crisis on the lives of residents in coastal cities.
Xiang Jin answered them one by one. Finally, the old man asked her and Ouyang Bo about the situation of their parents and grandparents in their hometown, and they both answered them one by one.