The family piled their luggage in the open space in front of their home, and first pulled out the weeds in the yard and around the house. Once the weeds were removed, the view suddenly became much wider.
Then, under the command of Mrs. Shu, we cleaned up the messy things in the house. Those that could not be chopped and used as firewood were moved to the river and washed.
At last count, all that was needed for Nuo Da's house were three bed frames, four crippled benches, and a large water tank covered with moss.
There are really four words to say: one is poor and the other is useless.
"I thought I could sleep on a bed tonight, but now I have to make a bed on the floor." Old man Shu shook the creaking bed frame a few times and sighed.
Old Mrs. Shu rolled her eyes at him, "Why can't I sleep? The most important thing now is food. The chimney and stove have collapsed, how should we prepare food?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang's refreshing voice sounded outside the hospital: "Come to my house to eat. I steamed two pots of seaweed buns and cooked pimple soup. It's still hot. Come and eat quickly!"
"This can't be done!" Mrs. Shu shook her head repeatedly, "We can just put on the pot and have a casual meal later. This is how we made do on the way to escape the desert, so it won't be a problem."
"The steamed buns are already steamed, why are you so modest?" Mrs. Wang didn't talk nonsense to her, and directly started to pull her hand. The man who has been doing heavy work all year round is very strong, and he almost pulled Mrs. Shu away with her hand.
The two of them tugged at their clothes, grabbed their arms, and tore at each other. In the end, they had no choice but to call their family members, take the uneaten dried meat, scoop up two kilograms of grains, and shamelessly eat.
The Wang family lives on the left side of the Shu family. The two families are neighbors on the left and right, and they are just two steps away.
Wang's eldest daughter, Zhixia, was originally guarding the door. When someone arrived, she quickly went to the kitchen to get a bowl of rice.
The little girl looks to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old, but she is very efficient in doing things and has a smile on her face. Her appearance and temperament are 45% similar to her mother's.
The little black loach-like girl who was following Wang behind was Wang's youngest daughter, her name is Zhiqiu. She is eight years old and is also very diligent. She is busy helping her sister move stools and hold chopsticks.
Looking at the two well-behaved and hard-working girls in front of her, Mrs. Shu couldn't help but feel sad, "It's better to be a daughter. She's caring and caring, unlike the bad boys in my family who only make people angry!"
Shu Mingzhi felt heartbroken: "Mom, what you said is so heartbreaking. We listened to your instructions this afternoon, carrying water and moving vats. We were exhausted to death. Aren't you obedient enough?"
"If you are really obedient, you won't be so stubborn with me, you brat!" Mrs. Shu nodded his forehead, turned around and entered the kitchen, taking over the task of serving food.
As soon as I walked in, I saw about twenty big fat dumplings lying neatly in the steaming basket. The dumpling skins were very thin and became crystal clear after being steamed. You could see the green seaweed filling inside.
This was the first time Mrs. Shu saw buns that looked like this. She was surprised and said: "This is the seaweed bun you mentioned? How come it is the same as the steamed dumplings we have?"
Mrs. Wang smiled and explained: "Our buns here all look like this, and the reason is simple. We are short of flour. Flour is not easy to buy in Xiaopodao, so we can only make it with sea vegetables. Don't dislike it!"
"What's wrong with this? Steamed buns are delicious because they have thin skin and big fillings. If you bite into them, what's the point of eating just the skin?"
"Sister, you know the goods!"
Mrs. Wang laughed and picked out two seaweed buns. One was handed to Mrs. Shu, and the other was handed to Yan Yan who was squatting at the door of the kitchen secretly wiping her saliva.
"Come on, try my seaweed buns. Is it delicious?"
Yan Yan took the bun and took a big mouthful, regardless of whether it was hot or not.
The chewy dough mixed with the fresh seaweed filling is chewed in your mouth, and the unique fresh flavor instantly hits Tianling Gai.
“Delicious, so delicious!”
Yan Yan devoured the first bite and couldn't wait to take the second bite.
This time she had the patience to taste it carefully.
In addition to the umami flavor of sea vegetables, it is also mixed with the strong aroma of lard, and occasionally you can chew a few shrimps that are also delicious enough to make your eyebrows fall off.
Several kinds of extremely fragrant ingredients are mixed together, and the taste is incredible!
Seeing how delicious she was eating, Qingbai's mouth watered more and more, "Sister, can you take a bite for me?"
"No need to divide, everyone has it."
Mrs. Wang held the bamboo grate and distributed the big buns one by one. She was also happy when she saw the little ones gobbling up the buns.
"The tide will recede in two days. You should prepare your tools first. Then I will take you to catch the sea. There are a lot of sea vegetables growing on the rocks in the east. Take a basket back and you can pack it yourself."
While eating steamed buns, Mrs. Shu asked her what tools she should buy.
Wang knew everything and said: "To catch the sea, you must have rakes and shovels. Clams and other things like to lie in the sand, so you have to rake them out."
Razor clams and shrimp crawlers love to dig holes, so you have to use a shovel to dig them.
By the way, it's best to make a bamboo trap. Crabs like to hide under rocks. That thing will hurt people, so you can't do it directly.
If possible, buy a small knife to make it easier to pry oysters..."
In just one meal, Mrs. Shu not only figured out all the ways to catch the sea, but also figured out the local way of life.
People with boats basically go out to sea to fish every day, and the fish and shrimp they catch are freshly delivered to the dock for sale.
If you are lucky and catch rare things, you will get more money from selling them. Ordinary fish and shrimps can only make hard money.
But all the poor people living in Xingfu Village are so poor that they can't even afford a boat. The young and middle-aged people in the family have nothing to do, so they go to help people with big boats and receive a daily salary of more than ten or twenty cash.
Wang's eldest son Zhichun works as a helper at the shipowner's house near the dock.
Women and the elderly are not strong enough, so they can only stay on the coast to eat, rush to the sea every day, lower a few fish traps, or install a winch and fish with a winch net.
This is purely based on luck.
If you are lucky, you will gain a lot. Not only will it be enough for your family, but the surplus will be sold at the dock for a few cents.
If you are unlucky, you won't be able to save any money all year round, so you have to tighten your belt to live a comfortable life.
Knowing this, Mrs. Shu relaxed her mind.
If you don’t have enough skills, you have to rely on luck.
With Yan Yan's lucky star here, the family's jobs can be saved.
That night, the family sat on the floor and listened to Mrs. Shu's plan of action for the next day.
"Akihito and Mingyi went around the village to see if there was any suitable wood. They cut some and came back to repair beds, tables and benches.
The old man and Mingli rebuilt the chimney and stove. Oh, the roof also needs to be repaired. The roof of the east house is full of holes.
Wife, you take Mingwen and Mingliang to clear out the open space on the west side. I will buy some vegetable seeds later and plant them in two days.
Second daughter-in-law, you washed all your clothes, bedding, and pots and pans.
Mingzhi, Mingxin, the three of us are going shopping in town, tell us in advance what you want to buy, and I’ll buy it for you together.”