The Story of Qingfeng Village

Chapter 13: Qingfeng Village in Memories VII
Liu Jianguo did not expect that Li Qiang, who was only in his teens, would say such a thing. He said that the children of the poor had long been in charge of the family. When he was in contact with Li Ying, he knew that she was used to thrift. The food in the cafeteria is a meal with salted vegetables.Although their normal students receive living allowances from the state every month, she has saved all the money for emergencies.

If it wasn't the first time she came to the door, she wouldn't be able to get away empty-handed, and she wouldn't ask Liu Jianguo to buy these meeting gifts, which were money from Liu Jianguo's father.

It seems that Li Qiang is also sensible.

Thinking of him running around in the mud with his bare feet during the day, Liu Jianguo felt a twinge of tension in his heart. How could he like bare feet?This shows that there are no shoes to wear.The only two pairs of rain boots at home were given to myself and Li Ying, and there were no more rain boots to wear.He just noticed that there were only two pairs of rain boots that he and Li Ying had replaced under the eaves, and there were no other rain boots. Except for the pair of rubber shoes on Uncle Li’s feet, Grandpa and Mother Li were still wearing cloth shoes.

Liu Jianguo was tossing and turning in bed.

Li Qiang next to him was already sound asleep, but why couldn't he fall asleep?

The sheets and quilts were clean and had a scent of acacia.

It may be that the place has changed and some shops have been selected.

What's more, as long as you turn over, the straw under the bed will rustle.

In addition, there was wind blowing outside the window, and there was a sound of blowing adhesive tape.

All these made Liu Jianguo unable to sleep for a long time.

The sheep who counted the sheep for a long time with their eyes open did not fall asleep until they were too tired.

I woke up once in the middle of the night, and found that the room was on. Oh, it turned out that the electricity was coming, and the light turned on without turning it off.

It's really strange, if you don't come when you need it, who needs it if you call in the middle of the night?

Liu Jianguo got up and found the light cord, turned off the light, and then fell down to sleep. He slept until the rooster crowed at dawn.

There's a tick-tock sound outside,

Is it raining again?

Li Qiang had already gotten up, looked at Liu Jianguo and said, "Brother Jianguo, it's still early, you should sleep a little longer."

Liu Jianguo looked at the window covered by the tape, it was bright outside.

"Then why aren't you sleeping?"

"I'm used to getting up early. I used to go to school before dawn. Now that I'm on holiday, I can't sleep anymore. I have to wake up."

Only then did Liu Jianguo remember that Li Qiang was studying in junior high school in the countryside.

Qingfeng Village is still ten miles away from Taiping Township.

"I can't fall asleep either, so get up."

Liu Jianguo also got dressed.

Li Qiang took out the urine bucket in the corner first.

Liu Jianguo went out to look, and there was fog outside, and the whole village was shrouded in fog, giving him an ethereal feeling.

The mist dripped from the bamboo leaves and the eaves, tick-tock, it sounded like it was raining.

Li Ying poked his head out from the kitchen, "Jianguo, you're up, it's foggy and cold, come to the kitchen to warm up."

Liu Jianguo walked under the eaves into the kitchen.

Li Ying was sitting in front of the stove and lighting the fire.

He patted the small stool next to him, "Jianguo, come sit here. My favorite thing to do when I come home from winter vacation is to light a fire."

Mother Li is busy chopping sweet potatoes and some vegetable leaves into the pot.

The stove in the countryside is very strange.

A large pot in the front cooks pig food, and several small pots cook rice and water in the back.

Li Ying said that this is called rational use and saving energy——after the pig food in the big pot is cooked, the porridge in the pot behind it will be ready, and the water will be hot.

The pigsty was next to the kitchen, and Liu Jianguo saw that there was a big fat pig and several half-sized pigs inside.

Li Ying: "My mother works hard every year to feed two pens of pigs and raise a batch of chickens and ducks, just to pay tuition and living expenses for my brother and me. This big fat pig is kept until the New Year. For Chinese New Year, eat shaved soup today, and treat guests for Chinese New Year tomorrow.”

Liu Jianguo looked at the big fat pig, "I'm a bit reluctant."

At that time, all the pigs were fed with sweet potato, rice bran, vegetable leaves and hogweed. Unlike the feed they have now, they would be fattened up in just a few strokes, and the pigs would be slaughtered twice a year.

Some people only sell once a year.

The reason is that he doesn't have pigweed.

There is not enough food for people, so how can there be extra food for pigs.

Mother Li: "After working hard all year round, I still have to have a good meal. Adults and children have to go back to the tooth festival, and the next year will be more prosperous."

Li Ying said: "That's the truth. Every household in the village feeds pigs, but not every household will kill pigs for the New Year. Many people sell pigs to make money for emergencies, and they can buy a few catties of meat themselves. It's been a year, like us, butchering pigs for the Chinese New Year and saving the meat for eating or selling slowly, there are only our accountant Wang and Zhu's family under the ditch in the village.

So all three of our families invite villagers to celebrate the New Year.

Everyone euphemistically calls it a big eater.hey-hey.

In fact, after eating this meal, if you bring some meat back to relatives and friends, there will not be much left at home, so make it into bacon sausage

It's what my parents eat for a year.

Unless there are guests, they will not cut the meat again.

After working and earning money, let alone letting them eat meat every day, it would be a good day to buy them a piece of meat every now and then. "

Liu Jianguo quietly shook Li Ying's red hand and said in a low voice, "Let's work hard together."

Li Ying nodded, her face was flushed red by the flames.

"Okay, don't add firewood, the pig food is ready..."

Mother Li suddenly walked to the stove and said.

Liu Jianguo was so frightened that he withdrew his hand all of a sudden.

Looking again, Mother Li didn't see anything. She took a big gourd and scooped the pig food in the pot into a big wooden bucket. This was the pig's food for a day.

After scooping, Mother Li washed the pot with water.The water for washing pots cannot be wasted, it is reserved for pigs.

After the pot is cleaned, use the remaining fire in the stove to fry the barley cakes.

Put a little homemade rapeseed oil in the pot, put the thin wheat flour batter into it one spoon at a time, turn it over after a while, it is already golden, wait a little longer, the other side is also yellow, then fry it Well, put it on the plate, the pepper is tempting.

Li Ying directly twisted one for Liu Jianguo, "Taste it, it's delicious. My mother cooks it for a while, you are lucky."

Liu Jianguo took a bite of Maibaba with Li Ying's hand, it tasted like salt and pepper, it was really delicious!
I didn't expect such a simple wheat cake to be so delicious.

Mother Li cooked another pot, and then said: "Qiangzi, call your grandpa and dad to come back for dinner."

Li Qiang agreed and ran out of the yard.

It was only after Jianguo realized that he didn't see Grandpa and Li Fuming when he got up in the morning.

Li Ying: "Grandpa has gone to release the ducks. He will drive the ducks to the weir pond every morning to find food, and he will drive them back at night."

(End of this chapter)