Mrs. Xu took Ma and Zhou to sew bags and make coarse cloth shoes.
Xu Yinyin, Xu Chunshan and Zhang Xiulan followed Wuya to beat the bark of the elm tree, carrying baskets several times, and they had to go till night.
They didn't know how to do it at first, but after they got used to it, they got good at it.
Mrs. Xu glanced at it from time to time, and the more she looked at it, the more surprised she became.
Normally, even if it was busy farming, it would be difficult to catch the three of them working together. Either one would run away, or the other would run away. I could do a lot of work while looking for them, and I would be so angry.
Hard to find.
Isn't it unusual for people to work like this now, three people and one person at a time?
This is really a slap in the brain, are you working hard?
Mrs. Xu secretly muttered a few words, but she felt happy again.
Like this, the whole family works together, which is great.
Otherwise, the third child and his wife would always be lazy, and she, the mother, would not be able to take care of it, and it would be very difficult for her to do anything.
Xu Dajun and Xu Sanlang came back after noon, but the Xu Chunhe brothers didn't get home until after dark.
After everyone came back, Old Man Xu called them together to ask about the situation.
Xu Dajun said first: "My eldest uncle and second uncle didn't even think about it if they asked me. They said that my mother wanted to follow, so they just went together. The left, right and back had no choice but to flee. If we leave now, everyone can still leave."
Together, we have a companion."
Old man Xu nodded and looked at Xu Chunhe again.
Xu Chunhe then said: "My father-in-law said he wouldn't leave. Hearing that our family was about to flee the famine, they gave me half a bag of grain behind my uncle's back and told us to take care of ourselves along the way."
Old man Xu thought about the cloth bag brought back by his boss just now, and was not surprised that the in-laws did not leave. The Ma family had always been more prosperous than them, and had more food at home. They were even the most powerful people in their area, and there was still plenty to eat. There was no need to do this.
Run away with them.
I didn't borrow food before, because my son was watching over me, so it was difficult to borrow food.
Now that I know they are leaving, I can secretly give half a bag of food to the boss, which is out of consideration for Ma's daughter.
He nodded to show that he understood and asked the other two families.
Xu Chunhe continued: "My uncle said he wanted to go with us. My sister-in-law's house only said that we should think about it. I guess 80% of the time we won't go."
When Old Man Xu listened, it was as he expected. The life of his uncle's family was worse than theirs, there were so many people, and they had no food to eat, so they would definitely have to flee.
As for Chunxi's mother-in-law's family, although their living standards are not as good as those of Ma's family, they can still get by despite their small population.
Who would want to flee unless absolutely necessary?
Once you choose to flee, you will be a refugee without a home, and no one will care if you die outside.
Old man Xu was not surprised, he nodded and asked the boss to carry the bag to his wife.
Xu Chunhe was honest and went without thinking too much.
Ma knew that her father would not flee the famine and even gave her half a bag of grain. Her eyes were red and she wiped her eyes. If she didn't want to leave, she wouldn't leave. If her married daughter throws water, she will definitely have to follow her husband and son.
.
"Hurry up and give the food to your mother."
After hearing this, Xu Chunhe turned around and carried the bag back to the upper room.
When Old Man Xu saw it, he nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He just asked the old woman to keep it and make dry food together tomorrow.
…
The elm bark I bruised for a day yesterday is ground into powder and dried in the sun today.
Xu Yinyin's hands were blistered, but she didn't say a word.
Zhang Xiulan knew that her daughter had never suffered such hardship since she was a child, and she felt a little distressed, but she didn't tell her not to do it. The whole family was busy working, so it was not good for her to rest, so she only shared a little more so that her daughter could
catch my breath.
They had been grinding powder all morning, and in the afternoon, Xu Yinyin saw with her own eyes Mrs. Xu and Ma, one by one, heating elm bark powder, mixing it with bran and grass clippings to make steamed buns.
Xu Yinyin felt her throat hurt even after looking at the finished product.
Chaanpi, Doha has a loud voice.
Thinking that they would eat this when they were about to escape from the desert, Xu Yinyin felt like crying.
But she didn't cry because there was another delicious thing.
That's fried rice.
Grind the rice with the husks off, put it into the pot without adding any oil, and fry it slowly over low heat. The fried rice will all turn golden and fragrant, and you will want to eat it just by looking at it.
With this fried rice to eat, Xu Yinyin felt that she could barely accept the nest of steamed buns.
At least you don’t have to eat all the wowotou.
The Xu family spent two days making all the food in the house into dry food.
On the evening of the day of departure, everyone gathered in the room.
Old man Xu began to distribute the dry food in front of everyone.
The fried rice was packed in small cloth bags, one bag per person. Old Man Xu gave many instructions and instructions, and tied them all close to the body. They cannot be taken out until the wowotou is finished. They are the last rations for everyone. Who can't help it?
If he finishes eating first, don’t think about sharing it with others later.
Xu Yinyin felt that these words were purely for them to hear. They were the ones who would "steal" here.
At that moment, he followed the others and responded loudly, "Got it!"
As for the steamed buns, there are two big sacks in total, and there is also a small half sack of rations that Mrs. Xu had hidden before. At that time, the locusts had not yet come. The steamed buns made with fresh elm leaves and corn flour are not much. I really want them.
If it is divided among everyone, each person will get two.
It was also before that Xu Yinyin saw the "diagnosis fee" given by Xu Chunlin to the doctor.
In addition, the most important thing is that the two gourds of water left over after eating only one meal in these two days were carried by Mrs. Xu herself.
Along the way, no one could drink until they were so dry that they couldn't even open their mouths.
Even if you are so dry that you can't open your mouth, you can only take a small sip.
There was a drought in Yunzhou, and to get out of Yunzhou and into Qingzhou, they would have to walk for more than half a month by foot.
In other words, for more than half a month, they could only rely on water from these two kettles.
It’s impossible not to save it!
After dividing up the dry food issue, Old Man Xu asked the old woman to distribute the newly made coarse cloth shoes to everyone and told them to wear them when they set off.
There is also the issue of bringing home belongings.
There were too many to carry, so I just took away a small pot, a few bowls, two wooden buckets, a kitchen knife, a woodchopping knife, a pole, a hoe, and the remaining half a can of salt at home.
Varied.
In addition, each person should bring a set of their best clothes in addition to what they are wearing, as well as winter cotton jackets and trousers.
It’s a lot for the whole family to gather together.
Fortunately, there was a cart at home, and all the belongings and the bags of dry food were piled on the cart and pushed around, which was a lot more convenient.
Just bring a cotton-padded jacket and trousers, because it will get cold as soon as autumn passes, and they have to go north to escape, and the cold will come earlier. Others understand.
But I don’t understand why I need to bring my best clothes. What about this escape? I’m almost a beggar, but I can still wear flowers?
The reason why Old Man Xu made such an arrangement was because he was going to find his little sister when he arrived in Qingzhou. The family should be tidied up and presentable. Don't come to the house like a beggar and call the little sister's mother-in-law.
People think that they are poor relatives who go to catch the autumn wind.
They went to seek refuge with their little sister, but they didn't want her to support them. They just wanted to have an acquaintance there who could help them inquire about settling down.
The sum of money he made from selling houses and land was a few tens of taels in total.
You can't buy water or much food here, but in Qingzhou, Taiping, there is enough for a family to build a house and settle down.
As for the subsequent survival, my sons and grandsons are all capable and can make money no matter what.