At 5:17 a.m. the next day, it was still dark. Zhou Wenzhong woke up from bed, put on his clothes and shoes, opened the door of his house and ran to the toilet outside the compound.
Why does it tell time so accurately? There is a clock in the main room.
In fact, it doesn't matter whether there is a clock or not. Music is played on time every day in a large factory nearby. When you hear the song, you will know what time it is.
Some people live near the school, which is more convenient.
The most convenient thing is to live next to the military station, and you can calculate the time according to their wake-up number and lights-out number.
Otherwise, how can people who cannot afford watches and clocks still live?
The big clock in the Drum Tower has not been reproduced yet. And when a nearby factory plays music, you can guess the time.
Thanks to the fact that the door was not allowed to be locked, otherwise Zhou Wenzhong would have been suffocated to death.
Five minutes later, Zhou Wenzhong ran out of the toilet, tying the rope around his waist and breathing heavily. He shivered from the cold when the breeze blew.
The sound of a bicycle chain came from far and near. Zhou Wenzhong stood there and waited for a while before he saw the person coming clearly. It was Xu Damao! He didn't show up at the hospital meeting yesterday. He should have some tasks in the factory. Next time
Gone to the countryside.
[Is Xu Damao a villain? Zhou Wenzhong has 8 insights into villains.]
Rule 1: Say hello frequently and talk less.
Article 2: Don’t take the initiative to interact with others, but don’t refuse to interact with them.
Article 3: Don’t have a deep friendship, but don’t break up the friendship.
Article 4: You can give benefits to villains, but you cannot take advantage of them.
Article 5: Don’t enter the circle of villains, and don’t let villains enter your own domain.
Article 6: Don’t help him, and don’t stop him at the same time.
Article 7: No advice, no participation, no discussion.
Article 8: Let it develop and fend for itself.
……………
"Brother Damao, why are you back just now? As soon as I heard the sound of the bicycle, I knew that it was Brother Damao who was definitely back! No wonder the neighbors nearby said: Brother Damao is the most promising in our yard."
Xu Damao took a closer look at Zhou Wenzhong. This boy is very sweet today!
"It's you! What's wrong with your face?"
Only then did Zhou Wenzhong realize that he hadn't washed his face yesterday and there was still blood on his face.
"Oh, this. You can't tell outsiders. You have to keep it a secret for me!"
"Hey, I'm so strict with my mouth. Tell me, were you beaten by someone outside? Don't worry, I'll let you vent your anger."
"Well... forget it, Brother Damao, don't make random guesses. Anyway, it wasn't my dad who beat me. I'll go back first."
After speaking, Zhou Wenzhong hurriedly ran to his home.
"Hiss... No! There's something going on here! I must have missed the big event yesterday! I'll have to find someone to ask about it later."
Xu Damao pushed the factory bicycle and walked towards the courtyard.
Zhou Wenzhong envied Xu Damao very much! He was handsome, well-spoken and open-minded in his work. The most important thing was that Xu Damao had a job!
………………
At 6:30 in the morning, Ma Guihong finished her busy breakfast. This was not prepared for "idle workers". Even families with formal jobs do not enjoy the treatment of everyone having breakfast.
There were four people sitting at the dining table. Zhou Deming was holding a large pancake made of stick noodles, and Zhou Wenxin was eating a black pancake made of sorghum noodles. Zhou Wenxiu ate half of the pancake, and Ma Guihong gave her half of the large pancake to Zhou Wenxin.
Even if they want to go to school, they will be hungry at noon after breakfast, or they will not eat in the morning and wait until noon to eat. Anyway, there is only so much food. It doesn't matter if they eat early or late.
At this time, Zhou Wenzhong was rummaging through boxes and cabinets looking for his junior high school diploma. After rummaging through all his belongings, he sorted out a piece of paper that looked like a certificate. This was the junior high school diploma, and he quickly put it in the storage space.
After searching for a long time, I didn’t get a penny! I felt contempt for my predecessor. I opened the door and walked into the main room.
"Boss, if you don't go to school, don't eat. Save the food for your younger brothers and sisters. Your father will come back at noon and take you to work at the food station. Mom will make you a vegetable dumpling and you can take it with you to eat."
"oh."
Zhou Wenzhong watched the four people at the dining table devouring their food. After taking out the porcelain bowl and pouring hot water, he returned to the bedroom and sat down at the desk.
"Sign in."
[Ding…Sign in successfully! Today’s reward is 4 cornmeal steamed buns, 1 tael of rapeseed oil, and 1 pack of Pegasus cigarettes. It has been placed in the storage space.]
"Wow! What a smoke! Pegasus cigarettes are 28 cents a pack. I heard that this pack of cigarettes has a mellow taste.
An ancient saying goes: Salt brings strength, and oil brings spirit. Let’s not talk about whether we can eat enough. At least without these two things, can people not get sick? Even an animal knows how to lick salt cubes."
Waiting until the clock rang seven times, Zhou Wenzhong opened the bedroom door and took a look. The people who had just eaten were no longer at home. They all went out. Those who should go to work went to work, and those who should go to school went to school. My predecessor's mother also went out.
Went to look for some casual work.
Zhou Wenzhong ran to the chest of drawers in the main room, opened the glass and took out a ceramic jar. After opening it, there was a slightly cyan salt, some of which had become damp and formed into large salt blocks. He reached in and took out 2 pieces of salt, and then
He put the jar back in its place and ran back to the desk in the bedroom.
I was already so hungry that I felt panicked and my legs were trembling a little.
Take out a steaming cornmeal steamed bun. It’s quite big. This steamed bun must weigh four ounces this time, right? Cornmeal is a fine grain! Cob noodles are a coarse grain!
Take the wowotou and rub it on the salt block, add a few drops of brown rapeseed oil and stuff it into your mouth.
"It's soft, fragrant, and sweet! With the addition of rapeseed oil, it's like a cornmeal steamed bun! It doesn't irritate your throat at all, and it's very easy to swallow. As long as you feel hungry, everything you eat tastes delicious!"
"belch……"
The two men were full as soon as they finished eating, and they drank another bowl of boiling water. Zhou Wenzhong picked his teeth with his fingers. He stood up, rubbed his stomach and moved around. After walking out of the room, he went to the locust tree where he had left last night.
The third aunt said hello: "Wen Zhong got up so early, why don't you want to sleep more?"
"So it's the third aunt? I knew it was you as soon as I heard the voice, but you have a fragile voice. That's what happened. My dad found a job for me yesterday. I went to the grain station to help people move things around. After all, it was okay.
I can earn a few bucks to supplement the family income."
The third aunt held a small bundle of dried vegetables in her hand. It was hard to tell what kind of vegetables they were. She washed them in a basin and put them in another basin to soak.
"It's good that you can work. It means you have grown up. Don't make your father angry like yesterday."
"Hey, I remember the third aunt."
Zhou Wenzhong's legs jumped, he grabbed the tree trunk with both hands, and used all his strength to lift it up, his face turned red.
"Uh...huh. Uh...huh."
Maybe it was because I had a lot of bowel movements in the early morning, or maybe it was because I ate less just now. This time I did two pull-ups, loosened my hands, and slipped down from the tree trunk.
"How old are you to play the swing there?"
"No, I think this tree trunk is still a bit high. I want to lower it a little. Later, my mother can tie a rope here so that everyone can dry their clothes."
"You are such an honest and filial boy. You even want to help your mother with the work even if you don't have enough to eat."
"If you can do more, just do more. It's useless to save your strength. Anyway, it will grow back tomorrow."
"I didn't notice it. You're not a big person, but you're very reasonable in your reasoning."
"When you touch gold, it's like gold, when you touch jade, it's like jade. It's all thanks to Teacher Yan and your education."
"You are really good at talking."
"Shall I help you carry the basin into the house?"
"Don't bother me. You should go back to your house and rest. Save some energy so you can move things for others at noon."
"Hey, I listen to you. There are only three aunts in this courtyard who love me."
If Zhou Wenzhong returned home after saying a few more polite words and helped others with work, wouldn't they be allowed to say a few polite words and then give him a piece of corn?
He kept asking: "Let's stay and have some food together? How can we eat while we don't even have a food stamp? If we don't pay for food stamps to eat, we will definitely offend Yan Bugui."
At 9:20 a.m., Zhou Wenzhong took out a small bench from home and sat in the front yard against the wall to bask in the sun. Many people who have been here in the past few years have suffered from rickets or anemia, although Zhou Wenzhong has already
The age of onset has passed.
But! Basking in the sun can be said to be the most suitable maintenance method for poor people like Zhou Wenzhong.
There are so many benefits of sunbathing in winter: stimulating hematopoietic function, improving skin tissue, preventing osteoporosis, and enhancing the body's immunity...
The main reason is: free.
What else can you do if you don't bask in the sun? You'll get hungry if you move. Moving less can save food.
Zhou Wenzhong just leaned against the wall and reached out to grab his tattered cotton-padded jacket. He didn’t know what kind of fabric it was made of. The cotton-padded jacket on his body covered the mainstream colors of this era, black, blue, and blue. Moreover, the cotton-padded jacket was also made of fabric.
There are patches on the balls, shoulders, elbows, and cuffs.
The black cotton trousers were also covered with blue patches on the knees and hips. The trouser legs were torn, and his ankles were still exposed when he sat down.
One foot is wearing black cotton shoes, and the other foot is wearing dark blue high-top five-eye cotton shoes with striped suede. It always exudes a fashionable atmosphere. There is no rubber sole on the sole, and the thread has been cut long ago.
There are loofah pulp, tattered newspapers, and some rags inside.
Bend over and tie your own socks. There are three types of socks: cloth socks, woolen socks, and nylon socks.
Cloth socks are also called coarse cloth socks. Most of them are hand-sewn from thin clothes. There are no elastic bands and only two ropes are sewn at the cuffs. In fact, they are the same as the foot bags in the past. They are very strong and uncomfortable, without any
For the fit, you often pleat when walking. After touching your feet, lift the cuff and stretch it. The bottom, toes and cuff are all made separately, and finally sewn together.
It is very troublesome to make, and it usually takes women 2-3 days to make a pair. Fortunately, it is strong. If there is any damage, just add a piece of cloth and sew it on. A sock can be mended into cloth slippers. This is what Zhou Wenzhong wears.
, and the predecessor sewed it himself. Now he even has a business of mending socks!
Woolen socks are not made by yourself with sweater needles, but are knitted by the manufacturer on a hand-operated sock machine. It is similar to a cylinder with hooks on it. Thread the wool through it and then shake it by hand. The woolen socks are knitted very quickly.
The socks fit well, are soft and sweat-absorbent, but the tightness at the top of the socks is particularly poor. They often fall to the ankles when walking, so they are not cold-proof.
Nylon socks have been around a long time ago, and the nylon socks sold now are very expensive (two yuan and a half per pair). This price is very real. If you think two and a half yuan is a sky-high price, then you can refer to the sports brand: Meihua Sportswear
Sports socks from the factory (3-4 yuan per pair).
There are many brands, and some have even spawned "children's socks". But basically the brands that can be seen on the market are: Yuanzheng, Tongxin, Handshake, Plum Blossom, Victory, Panda, Peony, Narcissus...
My conditions are actually quite good. Never mind the cotton-padded jacket or the cotton trousers from which year are they stuffed? At least they are not stuffed with hay.
If I were to appear in a remote mountainous area and look like this, whoever saw me would sincerely scream: "You're handsome!"
And now I not only have two Wowotou, but also roof tiles to cover my body. What kind of bicycle do I need? Just be satisfied!
"Alas...only now do I understand how powerful this system is!"
Zhou Wenzhong took off his cotton-padded jacket and began to scrape down with his thumbnail along the seams of the cotton-padded jacket.
Looking at the crystals scraped out from the gaps in the cotton-padded jacket, I felt sick in my heart. They were three sizes smaller in length and thickness than the MSG in later generations. They were the larvae of fleas and lice.
Sit in the sun, use your thumbs of both hands to squeeze the "crystal" with your fingernails.
"Crack... crack..."
From time to time, I catch a louse and squeeze it with my thumb nails. Lice are easy to catch. Fleas are difficult to catch. Before catching, you have to put a basin of water on the ground and then shake off the clothes above the basin. Fleas these days are relatively stupid.
, it is easy to drown if it falls into the water. Unlike the fleas in later generations who have learned to swim, some fleas may be stuck with grease and will not sink in the water. They just lie on the surface and swim around...
If there are too many lice, don't bite them. This sentence is very apt. Isn't it just itchy all over? Everyone is like this. Just don't spread the disease. It's still winter, and it will be more uncomfortable in summer.
Because another kind of "cutie" will appear. According to the ratings of people in the capital, this "cutie" is far more hateful than lice and fleas. The locals call it: bed bug. In fact, it is: wood louse. This thing can only crawl.
, it will also fall from the rafters, suck blood from people it catches, make it itchy and painful, and cannot kill them all.
The most effective way to kill these little bugs is to first prepare a large water tank, pour boiling water into it, throw your clothes, quilts and other items into it, and soak them in boiling water. Then buy a bottle of 666 powder and pour it in too.
Go in and get stirred up for a while.
Is it effective? Let’s put it this way, within one day at most, the little cuties are back.
There were small black dots in the gaps between the bed boards, between the cabinets and the table, in the earthen bed, in the corners of the walls, and on the beams. They were all the larvae of woodlice.
If you want to disinfect the whole house, you can only use lime. Is it effective? It just needs to last a little longer.
No more contact with others? No one comes into your home? Just a handshake or sitting on another bed has actually spread. There is nothing you can do...
I don't know how much time passed, but Zhou Wenzhong used his two thumbs to scrape the dirt on his nails, then picked up the sand on the ground and rubbed it, which was considered as washing his hands.
After hearing the noise, he glanced outside and saw that it was Ma Guihong walking from the front door of the front yard, holding a cloth bag in his hand. He glanced at Zhou Wenzhong as he passed by and said nothing.
Zhou Wenzhong was clasping his hands, squinting his eyes and pretending not to see her.
At 12:27 noon, Zhou Deming appeared in the front yard, stretched out his foot and kicked Zhou Wenzhong, almost kicking Zhou Wenzhong off the bench while he was sleeping in the sun.
"You're so lazy! I don't know how to help your mother with some work, so you can sleep at noon!"
Zhou Wenzhong opened his eyes and took a look at Zhou Deming. Although he was kicked, his heart was not disturbed. He stood up holding the bench with his left hand and patted the dirt on his body with his right hand.
"Come into the house with me."
"oh."
Zhou Deming walked into the main room and shouted: "I'm back!"
Ma Guihong walked out of the master bedroom, holding a shoe sole in her hand. The upper was red with flowers. Judging from the size, it belonged to Zhou Wenxiu.
"The master is back, are you hungry? I made two vegetable dumplings."
Zhou Deming drank a bowl of water and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
"Hiccup... let's save some food and get him a vegetable dumpling. The two of us will go to the food station now and ask someone to say hello to Station Master Zhang. We can't let people wait for us."
"Eh."
Ma Guihong wrapped a small vegetable dumpling in a piece of newspaper. It was green and black. The black one was probably sorghum noodles, and the green one was probably the vegetable leaves that had faded. It was probably 2 ounces thick.
"Take your vegetable dumplings and go to work hard. By the way, grab a bowl for drinking water. If you drop the bowl again, just jump into the well and drink. Our family no longer has a rich bowl!"
"oh."
Zhou Wenzhong tightened the rope on the outside of the cotton-padded jacket and placed the porcelain bowl on his chest. There was a rope hanging underneath the cotton-padded jacket, so he didn't have to worry about the porcelain bowl falling. He also placed the vegetable dumplings wrapped in newspapers in the cotton-padded jacket.
Zhou Deming looked at his movements and said: "Work hard when you get to the place. No matter how many people fight for it, you won't be able to grab this job. I begged grandpa to tell grandma to get it for you. Don't embarrass me! If you don't do well,
I’ll whip you when you come back!”
"knew."
At the same time, he added in his heart: If I hadn't heard the conversation between you two last night, I would have really believed it.
Zhou Deming walked out of the threshold of the hall, and Zhou Wenzhong quickly followed and walked out.