The Story of Qingfeng Village

Chapter 30

Wang Yaoma's rare items are still fresh in her memory.

She still remembers that when she was young, in April or May, Yao’s mother came to the house excitedly with a handful of garlic moss, and said to her mother: “Ms. Zhu, Mrs. Zhu, my garlic seedlings have garlic moss. Things, take it to your family and try it out."

In the past, I didn't wait until the garlic moss came out. The garlic was pulled out and eaten before it grew up. That is to say, Zhu Xia's father said something extra: Sister-in-law Yao, your garlic seedlings are growing well, you can wait until the garlic moss comes out.

No, garlic moss is here.

Mom declined: "No, you can keep it for yourself..."

Yao Ma: "We...we don't like to eat this...we are not used to it, I think you people in big cities are used to it..."

Mom wanted to refuse, but Dad came out of the house and said, "Sister-in-law Yao, we want garlic moss. Later, I will ask my brothers to catch a few rice field eels and fry them up. Let's try something new..."

Yao Ma: "Right, right, you city people know how to eat and how to cook..."

Seeing what my mother wanted to say, my father shook his head at her.

Zhu Xia's eyes were sharp, and she saw her father take the garlic moss with one hand, and stuff a ten-cent ticket into Yaoma's hand with the other.

Yao Ma: "...hehe...sorry, see you, I gave it to you to try something new, look, Mr. Zhu, you still insist on paying..."

As he spoke, he held the ten-cent note tightly in his hand.

Dad: "Yes, it's not easy to grow some rare things. It seems that I still have good luck..."

"You are all blessed people, blessed with good taste, blessed with good taste... Then I will go back first, Mr. Zhu, Mrs. Zhu, whatever you want to eat in the future, just come and pick it in my vegetable garden..."

When Yao Ma left, her mother muttered: "It's a hypocrisy, isn't this forced to sell to us? If you want to sell money, you don't know how to sell it in the market, so you just bring it to me. We all know that our family is earning wages. Yes, there is cash to give, and the abacus is clinking..."

Dad: "What do you know? It will take a few days to go to the market. By then, the garlic moss will be old. Who else will you sell it to?"

Also, it is not worthwhile to go to the countryside for a handful of garlic moss, and it is not cost-effective to go back and forth for a day, and there are not many garlic moss, so they sell it to us nearby.

They think that in this Qingfeng village, only our family can afford garlic moss, and we won't eat it for free, we will give money, so it's not surprising that they are a little cautious. "

"I don't understand? Garlic moss is delicious, but it must have oil and meat to be delicious. Of course I know that they can't afford it or are reluctant to eat it. You are generous, you can afford it, and the money will be given away. In the future Can't get by? Our family is not rich."

Dad: "Okay, I know you want to say that the landlord's family has no food left."

Mom was amused: "It's good if you know... Opening the door does not cost money for the seven things? Our family has neither fields nor land here, and we even live in the house of my uncle's house. It is not an exaggeration to say that we live under the fence ... Now relying on the living expenses of the two of us ... it is already stretched, so do you want to slap your face and make yourself fat?"

Dad: "Okay, okay, from the folks in the village, my sister-in-law thinks highly of us, so she eagerly sends garlic moss...

Mom: "Do you value our money?"

Dad sighed: "I know, why bother to tell the truth. No matter how rich we are, we are better than the people in the village, right? Help if you can! I can still afford a meal of garlic moss. At worst, I won't have to pay for next month's cigarettes."

Mom: "As you said, it's best not to smoke at all."

"Not at all, you can reduce the amount..."

Dad bargains with mom.

Later, the uncle in the lobby took the uncle in the second hall to catch eels in the field, and my mother made fried eels with garlic moss.

For this reason, my mother has been talking about it for a long time, but it was a waste of oil for the whole family for a week.

And in Zhu Xia's memory, it was the best fried eel with garlic moss ever eaten, bar none.

Thinking about it now, it was difficult for everyone at that time, especially the villagers. They were reluctant to eat their own vegetables or eggs laid by chickens and ducks. They had to exchange some salt money...

Alas, the word is poor.

So each one of them takes their own things very seriously.All of them are very refined.

Zhu Xia still remembered that her father read a poem to her that day.

into the city yesterday,
I came back full of tears.

Those who are all over the body,
Not silkworm farmers.

----

----

Today, although Yaoma said several times to cut vegetables in the vegetable garden casually, and Zhu Xia also joked that she should contribute, but she made up her mind that she would still give money to Yaoma later.

After the two finished chopping the vegetables, they came to the canteen with their backpacks on their backs.

From the outside, the canteen looks the same as the previous consignment store. The difference is that the salesperson is no longer the long-haired sister but the short-haired aunt, who is Director Wang's wife Li Jinfeng.Usually she is the only one who looks after the store, and only asks for help when she is busy.

It seems that a lot of goods have just been brought back, and they are busy cleaning up the shelves. The goods in the canteen are many times more than before, just like a small supermarket.

Seeing Zhu Xia coming in, Wang Jinfa's wife, Li Jinfeng, stopped to say hello, "Mr. Zhu, come in quickly, are you here to buy something? Take your time to pick out what you need. I don't have it. Tell me the next day I will go to town and bring it back for you. .”

Zhu Xia: "Sister, I will borrow your pot and stove to cook more meals tonight. Secretary Xiao will treat you...um...Didn't Principal Wang and Secretary Xiao come down to talk about it?"

Li Jinfeng: "No, I saw Secretary Xiao's car driving to school, did you come down and say it? Okay, how many people are eating, I'll go and prepare."

Li Jinfeng put down the merchandise in his hand and prepared to go to the kitchen.

Zhu Xia: "I'm afraid there are more than a dozen people. Those who go to help push carts and repair roads will all come, and your director is still with them.

I asked Yao Ma to help, and we chopped all the vegetables back. "

Li Jinfeng: "With your help, there is no problem. Let's go to the kitchen. Mom, you can recite the dishes."

Then he went to open the door of the next room.

The kitchen is at the back, and Yao Ma took Zhu Xia in with her familiarity.

There is also a small patio outside, where there is a well and a washing table built with stone slabs, which is convenient for washing everything.

Zhu Xia and Yao Ma fetched water to wash the dishes first.

The kitchen at Li Jinfeng's house is spacious and well-equipped. She not only runs the store but also cooks rice for the teachers and children at school.

The children who are far away from home don’t go back to eat at noon, so they bring their own rice. There is no place to cook at school, so they steam rice here at noon, and eat pickles as a makeshift meal.

They are all the children of the villagers.Wang Jinfa, the village director, was too embarrassed to take any money, so he asked each family to bring their own firewood, or sometimes came to the small shop to help out.

Yao Ma often came down to help light the fire.

She is the next-door mother of the Wang family, and it is only right and proper to help her nephew and daughter-in-law.

(End of this chapter)