People in Beijing and Tianjin are immersed in the joy of the New Year.
On the grasslands in the north, the cold wind is howling, and the snow is falling non-stop. It is another cold winter.
However, the Qiqige family is not worried about this winter at all. The family of three lives in a warm tent, drinking milk tea, and is very comfortable and comfortable.
"This snow is really heavy~"
Qiqige looked at the heavy snow falling outside. In one night, the grassland was covered with a thick layer of quilts. Looking up, the sky and the earth were vast.
"This is Baimaofeng. If it were in the past, when this Baimaofeng comes, people will definitely die."
Qiqige's mother-in-law Anmur said with a solemn expression.
Her thoughts suddenly drifted far away, back to the past.
She remembered the previous winter, when there was also such a strong white wind, and the cattle and sheep at home were frozen to death in groups. The snow fell too hard and for too long, and it was difficult for the cattle, sheep and horses to get food.
Many people died of hunger again.
Once spring begins, the most difficult days for the herdsmen will come. Cattle, sheep, and horses will freeze to death, starve to death, and they, the herdsmen, will have no food.
Many people are starving and freezing, and it is difficult for some elderly people to survive in such weather as the white-haired wind.
What the herdsmen fear most is the white-haired wind in winter.
Between the vastness of heaven and earth, they seemed to be sealed in this white world.
The cattle and sheep had nothing to keep warm and no food to eat, so many of them starved to death.
Even the people involved were extremely anxious.
In winter, cattle and sheep freeze to death and starve to death. Sometimes tents are blown down and even people freeze to death.
There is a lack of things to keep warm, and herders sometimes cannot even take a sip of hot soup.
No one likes this weather.
For the herdsmen on the grasslands, their favorite thing is the autumn when the cattle and sheep are in herds, and what they hate the most is winter, because they often have to watch the cattle and sheep they have worked so hard to raise in herds in winter.
frozen to death, starved to death,
They even have to worry about their livelihood in winter and next spring.
"Mom, what are you eating today?"
Just when Anmul's thoughts kept wandering.
Her son Batu has woken up and is about to turn one year older. Batu has grown very tall again. Yanran already has the appearance of a man from the prairie, like an eagle spreading its wings and ready to fly.
Every time she sees her son, Anmul smiles all over her face. This is the hope of their family and the most precious thing left to her by her husband.
"Eat rice~"
Anmul smiled and said.
"Eating rice again, can you eat steamed buns or dumplings? I'm tired of eating rice every day."
Batu curled his lips slightly and said.
"It's good to have rice to eat. In the past winter, we prairie people would risk our lives to grab grain from the Central Plains for this rice. I don't know how many people died there."
When Anmul heard this, he immediately said.
This child has now been raised to the point where he even begins to dislike rice.
This fragrant rice was something he couldn't even eat before, and he actually disliked it.
Also, before the winter, the Anmul family went to the grassland town and bought a lot of grain, rice, and flour. They kept hundreds of kilograms of flour at home, enough to eat at will this winter.
"The Han people eat rice with vegetables. Eating rice without vegetables doesn't taste good."
"It's better to make noodles and make dumplings."
Batu curled his lips slightly and said, here we go again.
She always talks about the past, the hard days in the past, which no one wants to go through, and how comfortable she is now.
There is endless food at home, and the cattle and sheep also have corn stalks and dried straw from the pass. They live a comfortable life and can even pay attention to their food.
"Let's cook noodles and eat them. I can't make dumplings well. I really want to eat them. Let's go to town somewhere sometime."
Anmul shook his head slightly, turned around and told Qiqige: "Qiqige, go boil some water and make some noodles."
"Yes, E Niang~"
Qiqige nodded cheerfully, and then started working very diligently.
"It's time to find a husband for Qiqige~"
Looking at Qiqige's figure, Anmul thought the same in his heart.
Originally, Qiqi Gege should have married a long time ago, but Batu in the family was still young, and Anmul alone could not handle the workload, so she was never married off.
Now that Batu has grown up and is a man, and can do many things, it is time to marry Qiqige.
"It's a pity, there are too few boys nowadays~"
Then Anmur couldn't help but feel worried. Several wars and accidents had happened in succession on the grassland, which resulted in very few men on the grassland. There were too many, too many of them were like Anmur, and they were widows at a young age.
's woman.
Even among children, there were very few men, and teenage men were very scarce. In those few battles, almost all the men on the grassland died.
Otherwise, let alone Qiqige, Anmul will also marry again.
Marrying with children is also a very common thing on the grasslands, but without men, women like them can't get married even if they want to.
Qiqige is boiling water and making noodles. In the past, cow dung was most commonly used to boil water for cooking, but now, everyone also uses briquettes.
Briquettes are very convenient to use. The key is that they have high heat and are very durable. It is one of the favorite things of grassland herdsmen. However, this thing cannot be used in tents, and it can easily cause trouble.
When using it, you must open the tent's exit to allow air to circulate, so that it is safe.
Anmur went to see his cattle and sheep.
With such a heavy white-haired wind, she was very worried about her cattle and sheep.
Soon, she came to the sheepfold where her cattle and sheep were, and after a careful inventory, she found that the situation was quite good.
There was no damage to the cattle, sheep, and horses at home, and the situation was pretty good.
This is mainly due to the large amount of hay and straw transported from the pass, and there is sufficient grain and grass. The cattle and sheep have not lost too much fat, and the situation is good.
Anmul began to add fodder to the cattle and sheep, including hay and straw from Guan Nei. Although the price was not cheap, she still bought a lot.
In the past, if you just relied on the hay you made on the grassland, it would not be enough for the cattle and sheep in the winter, so in many cases, the cattle and sheep would freeze to death and starve to death.
It's different now. There's plenty of hay and straw from Guan Nei. Cattle and sheep can not only eat it, but also use it to keep themselves warm. There's no problem at all in surviving the winter.
When you are busy, time passes quickly.
"Mom, let's eat~"
Soon, Qiqige was ready to cook the noodles and shouted loudly for her to go back to eat.
Back in the tent, inside a large pot, mutton soup was boiling, exuding an alluring aroma. In the iron pot next to it, noodles had been cooked, and the milk tea next to it also exuded the aroma of tea.
This kind of meal is a very ordinary meal for the Qiqige family.
Mutton, noodles or rice, mutton soup, milk tea, a very ordinary meal.
But when Anmul looked at the scene in front of him, his eyes couldn't help but feel slightly moist.
She thought of last winter.
That was the hardest winter she had ever experienced in her life.
The men followed the Khan and never returned, and it is said that they all died.
It was also an extremely cold white-haired wind, and the cattle and sheep in the house died in large numbers due to lack of hay.
There wasn't even a decent pot at home. Every time she cooked, she felt very worried and didn't know what to do. She felt very helpless.
They eat beef and mutton every day, and because of the lack of salt and tea, their stomachs are bloated and very uncomfortable. They eat meat without tea to supplement vitamins and promote digestion. Both Qiqige and Batu are often sick and their complexions are very bad.
Difference.
That winter was really difficult.
She couldn't even remember how she got here.
Looking at everything in front of me, I always feel that it is a little unreal.
There is endless food to eat, endless tea to drink, endless salt to sprinkle, and all these pots and pans.
"Sister, I want to eat spicy food~"
Batu held a large porcelain bowl in his hand. Looking at the noodles and mutton in the bowl, he seemed to have no appetite.
Although Qiqige's cooking skills are very good, compared with the noodles in the town, this noodle always feels inferior.
"Every time I say I want to eat spicy food, this spicy food is so expensive that you almost eat it up."
Qiqige pouted slightly, but still took out a glass jar of hot peppers from the box.
“You must eat noodles with spicy food. Without spicy food, you won’t be able to taste the same flavor~”
When Batu saw Lazi, his eyes lit up.
Spicy is really a good thing. The more you eat it, the more addictive it becomes. Paired with noodles and mutton, it is a perfect match.
He picked up the spoon, gave himself a full spoonful, and then began to eat the noodles with a slurping sound.
"Eniang~"
Qiqige was more sensible. She gave Anmul a spoon and had another spoon for herself.
She also likes to eat this spicy food. In winter, spicy food is good with noodles or rice, or used as a dipping sauce. It is a good choice to whet your appetite.
"Ah~"
“Enjoyable, this spicy food is so delicious~”
Batu also yelled and screamed while eating.
How come there wasn't such a good thing as spicy food before? Now he can't live without spicy food.
There is no spicy food when eating, and I lose my appetite.
"Qiqige, isn't there too little sugar in this milk tea?"
After a full meal, Batu poured himself a bowl of milk tea, took a sip, and immediately frowned slightly and said.
"Why do you need so much sugar?"
"We're almost running out of sugar at home, so save some. Otherwise, why don't you go to the town to buy sugar for a Baimaofeng like you?"
Qiqige looked at her brother and said very dissatisfied.
My younger brother is becoming more and more picky now. This one doesn't taste good and that one doesn't have enough sugar.
"I'll buy it~"
"Is there anything missing at home? I'll buy it~"
As soon as he heard that he was going to the town to buy things, he immediately said excitedly.
It's so boring in winter, but the town is still lively.