Fugui's father, grandparents and uncles are all gathered around the kitchen making dumplings.
Shen Su'e and her second son made the most beautiful bags. According to her husband, they could be used to set up a stall in the market.
"What are you packing, Wu Chaozi? The stuffing is leaking out," Jiang Qingshan said in disgust, "You'd better go out and don't waste food."
"Oh, this is my first time making dumplings," Wu Chaozi said while making amends. "Besides, what's the waste? I made the dumplings myself and ate them myself."
His mother smiled and said, "You can't blame him. When was the last time you ate dumplings? I can't even remember it. It was seven or eight years ago, right? How old was Chaozi at that time? He didn't learn anything. Yes, it’s normal if you don’t know how to wrap it.”
With his mother speaking for him, Wu Chaozi straightened his back and said, "Well, if I were as big as my second brother, I would definitely make better dumplings than him!"
Erhuazi smiled, did not answer, and continued to wrap the dumplings in his hand.
When his fifth brother saw that he was ignoring him, he deliberately said: "Hey, second brother, you are quite good at eating and drinking. Knowing that our family has eaten a lot this year, I came here to help. Mom will cook the dumplings later." Okay, I won’t do it if I don’t give you two.”
After saying that, he bumped his fourth brother with his elbow, "Fourth brother, tell me, is the second brother particularly shameless? Why didn't I notice it before?"
"Chaozi, do you have a big opinion against me?"
Erhuazi picked up the meat filling with chopsticks and put it into the dumpling wrapper. "My parents didn't say anything. You are chatting a lot. Aren't you annoyed?"
"My parents are too embarrassed to kick you out. After all, it's the Chinese New Year and it's so ugly that it makes people laugh. Who knew you were so shameless? We obviously separated and you brought your son over to eat dumplings. Why don't we just kick you out?" You can bring your wife along with you, after all, my second sister-in-law is as thick-skinned as you." Wu Chaozi mocked.
In the awkward atmosphere, Sanleizi pushed him and said, "Okay, just say a few words, why don't you keep talking? My second brother is also here to help."
"Our family has food, and he came to help. If our family suffers from the northwest wind, do you think he will come to help? I'm afraid he can run faster than a rabbit."
Wu Chaozi finished his sarcasm. He thought that his second brother would lose his temper and walk away, but unexpectedly he nodded, "Yes, Chaozi is right. If there is no food at home, I might take it with me after New Year's greetings." The wealth is gone."
"Listen! Dad, Mom, did you hear what he said?"
Erhuazi placed the wrapped dumplings on a dustpan covered with a layer of dry flour, "Chaozi, to be honest, I also want to follow behind my parents like you. I will eat whatever my parents eat, but I Now that I am a father, I can’t help it...
If I am the only one in the family, I can eat wild vegetables or rice bran, but if my wife and children want to eat something good, I have to find a way, right?"
Shen Su'e, who had been silent until now, said: "You are now the head of the family. It is right that you think about your wife and children, but since the family has been separated, I can't feed you with my own food."
"Of course!" Erhuazi said in a sincere tone, "I came here to ask my mother if you would like to sell me some fat meat. Just sell it for one or two taels. I just want Fugui and his mother to taste some oil and water to quench their greed. "
Shen Su'e pointed at the enamel basin, "All my fat meat has been fried into lard. If you really want to buy it, just buy it at the supply and marketing cooperative's price, which is two yuan and two per catty. You can take a spoon and put two spoons back, even if it's one tael, You give me two cents."
"Mom, you are giving him too much!" Wu Chaozi said angrily, "The lard from the supply and marketing cooperative must be bought with lard stamps, which is more expensive than ordinary oil stamps! No, I don't agree, unless he takes it Half a pound of gas stamps in exchange."
Erhuazi subconsciously asked, "Where can I get gas coupons for you?"
The production team issues invoices to each company at the end of each year, including cloth invoices, thread invoices, cigarette invoices, match invoices, sugar invoices, white sugar invoices, brown sugar invoices, wine invoices and kerosene invoices.
As for meat stamps, egg stamps, fish stamps, vegetable stamps, bean product stamps, fruit stamps and oil stamps, these are exclusive stamps for urban people. Rural people do not have them either. If they want to eat, they can grow or raise their own food. In short, they are self-sufficient. Self-sufficient.
Last year, Captain Li encouraged every family to raise a pig and two chickens. It would be best to plant some sesame seeds in the yard and squeeze the sesame oil for your own consumption.
The Jiang family bought piglets and chickens. Because there was not enough food to feed them, the pigs were not fat and were sold to the production team. The chickens froze to death in the winter. Shen Su'e was scolded by her daughter-in-law for this. I think she didn't take good care of her.
Sesame seeds cannot be grown in Baihe Village. The seedling emergence rate is low and maintaining seedlings is not easy. No household in the village has successfully grown sesame seeds.
After not eating oil and water for a long time, both adults and children often go to the latrine for several days. They really dream of eating some oil to moisten their intestines.
Seeing that Lao Wu wanted to argue with his second brother again, Jiang Qingshan said: "Okay, Chaozi, stop talking. Since your mother agreed to sell your second brother two spoons of oil, it means that she also loves wealth, and it's not for free. Two cents is a lot."
While they were talking, Fugui, who couldn't find Lingbao, ran into the kitchen and said, "Daddy, daddy, aunt is gone. I've finished eating the pen. It's gone, aunt..."
"What?" Everyone looked back at Fugui.
"Who is missing?" Shen Su'e said in panic, "Ling Bao?"
The little boy nodded, "Yes, my aunt gave me a pen to dry. After I finished it, I wanted to ask her for another piece, but she disappeared. I searched and searched, but couldn't find it."
Saying this, he ran to his father, hugged his legs and said: "Dad, go find aunt quickly. I also want to play with aunt. It's fun to play with aunt. It's a good time to write." !Better than Rourou.”
"What are you doing?" Erhuazi was confused. "No, Fugui, weren't you playing with your little aunt in the room? How could she be missing?"
"She just disappeared. I called her 'aunt' for a long time, but no one answered me."
Shen Su'e had already hurried out of the kitchen at this time, shouting "Lingbao" and running into the house, "Lingbao? Lingbao, where are you?"
Entering the Lingbao room, she saw the quilt was bulging, so she hurriedly walked over and opened a corner of the quilt, and saw her daughter lying on the bed, her eyes closed, sleeping deeply, and she felt relieved a little.
She got up at around four o'clock this morning and went to work in the kitchen. Lingbao followed her and chatted with her. It was normal for her to feel sleepy.
Just when Shen Su'e thought of this, her sons ran into the house.
Wu Chaozi asked almost out of the blue: "Mom, Lingbao, she..."
"Shh!" Shen Su'e quickly turned her head and gestured, "Lingbao got up too early in the morning and fell asleep now. Don't disturb her and let her sleep well."
After speaking in a low voice, she covered Lingbao with a quilt and stood up slowly. Just as she was about to leave the room, she found a large vat beside the wooden table in the corner.
Others also discovered the pickle vat at this time. Erhuazi asked his third brother in a low voice, "Sanleizi, where did that vat come from? Our family didn't have such a big vat before, right? You go to the town to buy it. Coming back?"