farmhouse ditty

Chapter 78
Today is the August Festival, and there are many people from outside the village looking for Shilaodao to ask for pigs. They rush over early in the morning, and gather together to pick pigs from his pigsty. If they can’t reach this point, they will buy nothing. No more.

Because Shi Laodao and his wife closed their stall by noon, they had to come out some time to slaughter a pig for their own family.

The country people take the Chinese New Year holidays more seriously, and sometimes even if they earn a little less silver, they have to work hard to pass the festival first.

In fact, there is nothing particular about it. It is just that the whole family sits together and eats something good at night. Isn’t it a holiday if there is meat to eat?

During this big festival, Shi Laodao weighed a catty of pork for each of the helpers in his workshop, so that they could go home for a good festival.

When it's over, hurry up and deal with the remaining meat, bones, etc., chop it up and chop it into meat slices, so that they can be carried to the folks in the village.

Today, everyone is busy in the village all day long, and has no time to go to the town to buy. Even if her family is called tall, no one will talk about it.

Xiu Niang went into the courtyard of Shi Laodao's house with a basket on her shoulders, and saw Dao's sister-in-law scrubbing the chopping board. The Shi Laodao was tired from busy work, and sat on the opening of her main room, her hands drooping, and she was flushed red from washing. .

He took out a cigarette stick, saw Xiu Niang, and said with a smile, "Hey, from Chu Ge's family, why did you come here? There's no meat left here. Look at the chopping board, it's completely clean."

Mrs. Dao heard it, looked up at Xiuniang, and mumbled to bring out a wooden basin from under the chopping board, with a lot of sliced ​​meat in it.

"Hey girl, don't listen to your brother Dao's nonsense, I... ouch, look, I'll keep this for you."

Xiu Niang smiled and walked over, "I was stunned when I first came in, I thought I was late, so fortunately Sister-in-law Dao left some for me."

Sister-in-law Dao smiled, "That's okay, I saw you as the only woman who came to buy meat this afternoon, so I'll keep some... Come, come, come and pick."

When she told Xiu Niang, she murmured in her heart that the dead woman of Erkui's family had agreed to come and pick it up, and next time she would not leave meat for her.

Xiu Niang put the basket on the chopping board, and said with a smile, "What are you picking, can you keep it for me, sister-in-law?" She grabbed the meat slices and put them aside. The sister-in-law stayed by herself.

Sister-in-law Dao stood aside and helped to pull the meat. She peeped at her man, and Xiao Mo praised Xiu Niang in a low voice.

"Come on, come on, there's still some in this pot...Hey, sister, the few times you dealt with your mother-in-law earlier, it's really (thumbs up)..."

Xiu Niang just smiled when she heard what she said, and in just half an hour, she reckoned that the story of her family had already spread, and the mothers-in-law and aunts who came to buy meat could tell the whole story in one sentence.

She took the rag from the chopping board and wiped her hands, "Sister-in-law, it's all right, you can (weigh) it, and when you're done, tie the two pieces of meat here with straw. I brought this to the sixth sister-in-law."

Sister-in-law Dao replied, and tied the meat picked out by Xiu Niang separately, and then put it on the scale (weighing), staring at Jin and chattering on both sides.

"...If you want to follow what I said, you shouldn't ask that uncle and aunt to stay. Didn't they live with that old man before? Why did you come back to find Chu Ge... You don't know, What a door for brothers..."

The more she talked, the more joyous she became, and she didn't lower her voice. She called Shi Laodao and coughed when she heard it, and stared at her.

Sister Dao also stopped when she saw it, and put the meat slices into Xiuniang's basket, "Sister, the ones here are from Lao Liu's family, one catty and three taels, and the rest are your own, three catties One tael, the combined cost is four catties and four taels... 53... Hey, if you give me a round number, it will be fifty dollars."

Xiu Niang pursed her lips and nodded, then handed her the money, "Sister-in-law, you counted the money."

Sister-in-law Dao took the five strings of copper coins and pushed the bamboo basket over with a smile, but suddenly she said, "Oh my sister, you, how many people do you have in your family, why do you want so much meat?" But don't go back and talk about asking for too much, and come to her to refund the money later.

Xiu Niang smiled, "Hey, it's not a festival today, put more meat, so the big guys can use their chopsticks more."

Mrs. Dao couldn't help curling her lips when she heard this, "Hey, you are just soft-hearted. Your family is like this now, but you even cook for the uncle's family."

Xiu Niang smiled and said something to her, picked up the basket and went out, "Okay, sister-in-law, if this matter is left to you, you might be softer than me, so I'll go first? "

Sister-in-law Dao felt relieved when she heard the compliment, and said something to Xiu Niang, urging her to go away, and turned around to put the wooden basin in the shade.

This time a woman came into the yard, "Hey, Mrs. Dao, don't put it away."

Sister-in-law Dao glanced back, and put the wooden basin on the chopping board again, "Oh, you son of a bitch, you told me to save the meat and come to pick it up later... Hurry up, all the pieces are ready to eat." Greasy."

The woman walked to the chopping board with a smile, looked over her hands, and said with a smile, "Oh, Mrs. Dao, are you 'all oily', or are you all dry. "

Mrs. Dao lowered her head and took a look, "What's so dry, that lean piece of meat is..."

She looked at the sliced ​​meat in the basin, and the corners of her mouth twitched. This girl Xiu Niang said earlier that she would not pick and choose, but this person's hands have long eyes. All the pork belly was slipped out.

Xiu Niang went up the slope with the bamboo basket, and hurried to her house, but the chimneys in the neighborhood were all smoked, only her own chimney remained silent.

There were only Shen and his wife in the yard, and Chu Fu guessed that they were accompanying Wen in the main room.

Xiuniang saw Mrs. Shen and Mrs. Chu sitting by the fence, one smoking a pipe and holding a gun silently, the other with her hands in her sleeves and her face darkened, looking at the situation, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had already discussed who would go. who stayed.

Chu Ge sat in front of the stove, took out a bunch of dry branches, broke them in half, and cooked for a while.

Seeing Xiu Niang, he put down the work in his hands and went forward, murmuring, "Xiu Niang, do we have anything to eat at home, that sister-in-law is greedy, why doesn't she cook?"

Xiu Niang snorted, looked at the main room, "Ha...then what did you say?"

Chu Ge looked at her, "I don't know how to cook, and I don't know how much rice to cook."

Xiu Niang laughed when she heard that, "Then what did she do?"

Chu Ge murmured, "Sister-in-law didn't say anything after hearing this."

Xiu Niang looked at Chu Ge and smiled, and mumbled to take out the piece of meat tied with straw in the basket and hand it to him.

"She's afraid to talk about it, you have to ask her to cook by herself... Now, take this and send it to brother six, I'm afraid sister-in-law six will drag me to chatter now."

Chu Ge responded and went through the house, Xiu Niang took the basket and went into the stove, she took the apron and tied it, walked to the rice vat and thought, their family used to serve two bowls, but today they are here Four adults have to scoop up five bowls of rice.

After Xiuniang washed the rice and put it in the pot, she set the fire on and covered the pot, took a small stool and sat outside the stove to pick vegetables.

Chu Fu kept looking back and forth from the outside, Xiu Niang's unhurried attitude made him anxious.

Xiu Niang just ignored it, she still had to take care of the whole family, but she didn't have time to cook for his daughter-in-law.

I remember that when she came back just now, this honest uncle came out of the main room to take a look, and then went back to the room, presumably to see her, the cook, come back, so he could go back and report to Wen.

Before going out, she said that she went to buy meat by herself, and Chu Ge had been cleaning up the house. If Wen Shi was greedy, wouldn't she ask Chu Fu to find something to eat for her.

There are pots and stoves in the yard of her house, and there are eggs on the side. Add some water and sugar to this stall. It is delicious and satisfying cravings. It is better than lying on the bed and squatting.

Seeing that, the old man Chu got angry too, took the cigarette stick and knocked it on the ground, "Chu Fu, if you don't have anything to do, won't you help the second family chop firewood? What does it look like walking around like this?" !"

Mrs. Shen looked very upset, but she heard that she wanted to help Xiu Niang, so she said immediately, "Chu Fu, go back to the house and watch over your wife. It's women's job to cook. Follow along and make up what!"

This time Chu Ge just came over from Ji Lao Liu's side. Shen Shi saw it and yelled, "Chu Ge, help those in your room. It's been a long time. I haven't even cooked a meal, and my hands and feet are so bad." It's boring! I used to cook meals for a family of ten or so, and it would take less than half an hour to finish!"

Xiuniang was pinching the leaves of the vegetables, so Chu Fu came to help out, he was just doing women's work, so Chu Ge's coming here was fine, this mother's partiality was too far, and he even dismissed her by the way.

Hmph, then she will ask the old woman to see what a virtuous and agile new daughter-in-law is.

She said loudly, "No need! Chu Ge, just stay in the courtyard and chat with your father-in-law. I'll have it now!"

As soon as Xiuniang got up in a hurry, she got up and put the basket aside, looked for a wooden basin to pour water on, and didn't pick the few handfuls of oily cabbage. She grabbed the vegetable stem with one hand and the root with the other, and twisted it twice. , just throw it in the water and it's over.

Let the vegetables soak in cold water for a while, then she went into the stove to wash and cut the meat slices, took the scallions and ginger and threw them into the boiling water in another pot. Yes, looking at the froth that Shen Shi was spitting out when she was talking... I figured that she would not be thirsty now, so I asked her to use it to blanch the meat to remove the fishy smell.

Using the big pot, Xiu Niang stewed all the meat in it, went out to wash the vegetables and brought them in, waited for the meat to be ready, brushed the pot, scooped up the lard and fried them, and the two dishes were ready.

The other pot of rice was ready just now, but Xiu Niang thought about being bored for a while, and took advantage of this spare time to make another egg soup.

The two dishes and one soup were put on the table, Xiu Niang untied her apron, and looked at Shen shi quite complacently, she had already cooked the whole family's meals in just half an hour, let's see what she said.

Shen took a few glances at the meat and vegetables on the table, moved the chairs for Chu and herself, then smiled at Chu Fu, "Go, tell your wife, this meal is ready...my grandson has meat have eaten."

Xiu Niang looked at Shen Shi's face with a wicked smile, and suddenly felt that she was being played by Shen Shi. What she did was not to blame herself, but to encourage her to finish the meal quickly...

(End of this chapter)