This is the most spacious yard in the whole village. A gravel road divides the yard into two sides. One side is a fruit tree, and the other side is a vegetable field. The fruit trees have begun to sprout green leaves.
At the end of the path are three brand new stone houses with a warehouse on the left and right.
The stones were all ground to almost the same size, and the stone house built was very impressive. Smoke from the chimney of the house was already drifting out.
Soon, the woman she called aunt opened the door and walked out.
"What I asked for today came just in time. I just happened to have run out of coal at home." The woman said, waving to her.
When Li Xinghe heard that there was a shortage of firewood, she felt happy and hurriedly walked along the gravel road carrying firewood. In the past, if she occasionally got more firewood, she would come to her aunt's house to ask if she needed it. Her aunt's house would stock up on coal in winter.
It is used for heating at night. But coal is expensive after all, so it is more suitable to use firewood for cooking. Uncle Yang is capable and there are few people eating at home, so he can always store a lot of food after autumn. Li Xinghe comes to use firewood from time to time.
Exchange some food to satisfy her hunger. My aunt doesn't like to collect firewood herself. Using the extra food to exchange for some firewood can save money for burning coal. Naturally, she is very willing to do so.
As soon as the aunt finished speaking, a tall young man appeared behind her. Both Uncle Yang and the aunt were mediocre in appearance, but the Yang Chen they gave birth to was tall and handsome. He didn't look like a child in this family at all, or even like this poor boy.
The village is out of place.
He was admitted to the Public University four years ago and is about to go to the provincial capital to work as a policeman. He is the first boy in the village to achieve a class leap.
He was very tall. He lowered his head and walked out of the house door. He took a deep look at the girl on the gravel road in front of him. Even though she was wearing a cotton-padded jacket, she looked thin. The firewood piled high behind her was even taller than her.
There are two heads and two red spots on the fair face, which look like they have been frozen for a long time.
He took two quick steps and came to her.
Li Xinghe raised his head, looked at Yang Chen, who was a head taller than him, and asked, "Are you back?"
He started to share the current situation with her, "Well, I've finished selecting my position, and I'm just waiting for the notification to go to work. So I'm at home during this period."
"It's so good, so good." Looking at Yang Chen, who was only one year older than her, her childhood friend who was about to become a policeman in the provincial capital, her little face, which was blown red by the cold spring wind, showed sincerity.
Joyful smile.
He looked down at her, a flash of distress quickly flashing in his eyes.
He reached out and took off the firewood from her shoulders, then turned around and walked towards the barn next to the house.
They hadn't seen her for a long time, and she was even thinner. He just glanced at her and noticed the severe frostbite on her hands. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt an inexplicable irritation in his heart.
Seeing that the man was walking faster and faster, Li Xinghe hurriedly trotted to catch up. After he put the basket on the floor of the barn, she stepped forward and untied the rope that tied the firewood and started to pile the firewood in the corner.
Looking at her frostbitten hands, which were bleeding out, he reached down and pulled her up.
Then he picked up the basket, poured out all the firewood at once, and kicked it casually a few times to pile it in the corner.
"There's no need to put them so neatly, they're all for burning anyway."
At this time, the aunt came over with two potatoes and said, "Girl, the firewood at home has been returned? It's so cold today, and you have to run up the mountain twice?"
"Yeah, yeah." She answered vaguely.
"Auntie, you don't have to give me two!" In the past, it would have been good to exchange the basket for a handful of dried soybean particles, but this time my aunt actually gave her two potatoes.
"Hey, you brought a lot of firewood today. It should be right. Take it quickly. Take two, and you and your mother will eat them together." Her son came home, and she was very happy, and she took action this time.
It's much more generous. Anyway, spring is here, and there are still a lot of potatoes stored in the cellar last year.
"Take it." Yang Chen said from the side.
After hearing this, Li Xinghe could only take it and stuff the potatoes into her large coat. The cold potatoes made her tremble.
"Hide it well, don't let your father, your second brother, and the others discover it. In that case, you and your mother won't be able to eat it."
She quickly nodded in agreement, picked up the empty basket, thanked Yang Chen and her son seriously once again, and walked out.
Yang Chen, mother and son watched as the thin figure disappeared from the door and returned to the house.
"This girl's little face is getting more and more handsome. I hope she can find a good family in the future. If you find a good family, you can live a good life. Her father and two brothers are also unreliable. There are three men in the family, and their lives are so poor.
Like that, as long as there is a diligent person, tut tut tut." The woman muttered while stirring the porridge in the pot.
Yang Chen heard his mother's words, but didn't say anything. He went straight back to his room and continued to read with his head down.
Li Xinghe came out of Yang's house, thinking that he had gained a lot today. Not only did he find some small root vegetables that grew in early spring, but he also got two potatoes. He was in a happy mood and walked much faster. He walked from the path on the side of the house to
Go through the street behind.
This kind of path was blocked by houses. There was no one around. She thought to herself, and the empty basket on her back was filled with firewood, and the two cold potatoes in her arms were also hidden in the space.
Walk straight down the back street and you will find her home not far away.
The gate to her yard is a fence gate. Through the low fence gate, you can see the dirt road in the middle of the yard, with vegetable fields on both sides. The vegetable fields on one side are neatly arranged in ridges. Yesterday, she had
The land was turned over, revealing dark soil.
It is a short two-room earthen house. The kitchen is directly after entering the door. The room on the left after entering the kitchen is where her father Li Fu and second brother Li Chengquan live. The eldest brother Li Chengshuang no longer lives at home, so he takes the autumn harvest corn from the house and sells it.
The money was said to be for business in the city, but the family did not know what he was doing specifically. The second brother graduated from junior high school and did not enter high school. He went to technical school and did not go out to find a job or do farm work. He just stayed at home.
.
Outside the two mud houses, there is a warehouse on the right, which is a little shorter than the house. In addition to being a warehouse, it is also a residence for her and her mother. The warehouse has a leaky window and a squeaky door.
Other people's yards were built high, but her house was surrounded by short mud walls mixed with straw.
He opened the fence door and walked in. Before the door could be closed, a roar came from inside the house.
"Damn it, you died outside? It takes you so long to collect some firewood?"
She didn't dare to say anything and hurriedly ran into the house. The walls inside the earthen house had been blackened by smoke, and as soon as she entered the house, there was a smell of years of oil smoke.
She piled the firewood in the corner on the other side of the stove and quickly took some firewood and stuffed it into the stove pit.
Before he could get up from his squatting position in front of the stove, he was already kicked hard on his waist. He quickly put his hands on the edge of the stove to prevent his head from being knocked on. Li Fu didn't know when he came out of the back room, but this time he didn't look like he was
He continued to attack as usual, but continued to curse, "It takes you so long to collect some firewood outside in the field! Do you want your brother and I to starve to death? You have to pay for it!"
Li Xinghe didn't dare to argue. The more she tried to argue, the harder she would be beaten. She endured the pain in her waist and stood up holding on to the edge of the stove. She went to a large tank on one side to get some water mixed with ice and put it on the handle.
Wash the soil clean.
Her hands, which were already suffering from frostbite, felt piercing pain when immersed in cold water. She gritted her teeth, washed her hands quickly, and put clean water in the large pot.
"Dad, it's time to put the rice in the pot." She said softly and submissively.
Li Fu glanced at his daughter fiercely, slowly took a key from his waist, and opened the lock on a wooden cabinet next to him.
He took out a cloth bag from it and handed it over. Then he squinted and watched her take out a handful of corn crumbs from the bag.
"Tsk, put it back." Li Fu scolded impatiently.
She quickly put back some more, and then put a handful of corn crumbs into the already warm water in the pot.
Li Fu turned around and took out two corn pancakes and handed them to her.
Li Xinghe took it and placed the willow branch rack she made on top of the large pot of water. She placed two corn tortillas on the rack.
Make porridge below and steam pancakes above.
She makes the tortillas herself. She makes a lot of them at one time and can keep them for a long time in cold weather. After they are made, Li Fu will count them himself and then lock them in the cabinet.
After finishing the contents of the pot, Li Fu had already opened the lid of the vegetable cellar with another key.
At this time, in rural areas in the north, every family had this kind of vegetable cellar. Find a corner in the house, dig a large square hole, only big enough for one person to get into, and add a door to the entrance of the small hole.
This way of storing vegetables such as cabbage and potatoes can last through the winter.