Return to the small mountain village in 1986

If an elderly person's teeth are severely decayed, the doctor will recommend that the remaining teeth be extracted and a full mouth of removable dentures installed.

This type of removable denture is divided into upper and lower parts and is placed directly on the gums. If you don't look carefully, you won't notice that you are wearing dentures.

Except for hard food, you can eat other foods.

Compared with patients who need to wear removable dentures, Grandma's condition is much better. There is no disease in her teeth. She just lost one tooth, so she only needs to replace one tooth.

Originally, my grandma was a little scared and timid about having her teeth filled. But now when she sees other people's rotten teeth, all of them need to be pulled out, and then they wear fake teeth. After comparing this, Grandma Xixi feels that her situation is not serious.

When it was Grandma's turn to see the doctor, the doctor directly asked them what kind of dentures they wanted.

Grandma X originally wanted to choose the cheapest one, but Gao Mingcheng and Gao Zhuang disagreed. They both wanted the best for Grandma X. In the end, Grandma X compromised and chose a mid-priced tooth, but it was just a denture. It also costs sixteen dollars.

Grandma Xi felt a little worried about the money, but Gao Mingcheng thought it was worth the money. After the filling, not only the teeth became straighter and more beautiful, but it was also much easier to eat, and it was less likely to get stuck.

My grandma is already over seventy, so she should do whatever she wants and eat whatever she wants.

It took half an hour to repair Grandma Xi's tooth. After thanking the doctor, the three of them left the hospital.

There was an extra tooth in her mouth. Grandma was a little uncomfortable with it at first. She kept pushing it with her tongue, thinking it was a foreign object.

But as soon as he pushed it, he remembered the doctor's instructions again, so he didn't dare to push it with his tongue.

When she returned to the clothing store and Xiao Yuanyuan rushed towards her, calling her "grandma" in a sweet voice, she stopped paying attention to the teeth in her mouth and started talking to Xiao Yuanyuan and the others with a smile.

There was still a little time before lunch, so Gao Mingcheng asked Grandma Xi if they wanted to go out for a walk.

But Grandma Xi said she didn’t want to go shopping. The weather was a bit cold and she didn’t want to move much. She was very happy to stay in the clothing store and talk to many beauties.

But Gao Zhuang wanted to go shopping because he wanted to take the opportunity to buy something he didn't have at home.

Although there is an old market and a cooperative in Junling, it is a rural area after all. Many things are not available and can only be sold in the county town.

For example, when it comes to pastries and candies, cooperatives only sell cheap varieties. If you want to buy more expensive ones, you won’t have anywhere to spend your money.

So Gao Mingcheng took a vegetable basket and took Gao Zhuang out to buy things.

Next, he planned to go back to the village to dig kudzu, so he had to buy some food in advance, such as bread, chicken cakes, French cakes, etc. While walking along the way, he saw someone selling rice cakes, so Gao Mingcheng and Gao Zhuang bought them separately. I bought some rice cakes and went back to eat.

There are rice cakes all over the country, but the rice cakes in each place are a little different. Their rice cakes here are similar to Yiyang rice cakes, except that the rice cakes made in Yiyang have a better and stronger taste.

Because the rice produced in Yiyang is relatively unique and the "Three Steaming and Two Hundred Hammers" process is more complicated, the local rice cakes here have a slightly worse taste than the Yiyang rice cakes.

In later generations, when transportation was developed, Yiyang rice cakes were also sold here. Unfortunately, there are no foreign products now, they are all locally produced.

However, Gao Mingcheng didn't mind it either. He deliberately bought more. Some were kept here for Duomei and the others to eat, and some were taken to the village.

This rice cake is in the shape of long strips. After being sliced, it can be eaten boiled, stir-fried or deep-fried. The methods are diverse and convenient.

In addition to rice cakes, Gao Mingcheng also bought some noodles.

Their noodles are purely handmade, with a lot of salt added to them. The noodles are stretched very thin, so that they cook easily when boiled. More water should be added and less salt or no salt should be added.

This kind of noodles is said to be very good for lactation, so if there is a pregnant woman in the family, when relatives come to visit, they will buy some noodles to send.

After shopping around the street, the food basket in Gao Mingcheng's hand was full.

"Gao Zhuang, have you bought everything?" Gao Mingcheng looked sideways at Gao Zhuang and asked.

Gao Zhuang was holding two bottles of cream and some clam oil in his hand. He smiled and said, "I've bought it. It's cold in the winter and my skin is very dry. I'll buy some more cream and clam oil for Xiuman."

This cream is for wiping your face, and the clam oil is for wiping your hands. They are both useful items in winter.

After buying everything, the two returned to the clothing store.

In the front store, many beauties were entertaining customers. In the backyard, the young lady was leading her two children and talking about ancient times.

After all, Xiao Yuanyuan is over two years old and can understand a little. Xiao Xuxu, who has just turned one year old, can't understand at all, but he still sits on the stool and listens to the grandma.

Grandma Xi told the story of a tiger coming down the mountain in the past. It was the autumn harvest, and the rice in the village had just been harvested and spread out to dry in the drying field. At that time, it was still collective production. Some people worked in the fields, and some were responsible for guarding the rice in the drying field. Use tools to dry rice and drive away sparrows.

That afternoon, the person responsible for drying the rice was using a rake to spread the grains. As a result, a tiger quietly came down from the mountain...

The atmosphere of the story was very good when Grandma Xixi told about ancient times. Unfortunately, Xiao Yuanyuan ruined the atmosphere of the story with just one sentence!

"Grandma, what is a tiger? Is it delicious?"

Is the sentence delicious? It made Gao Mingcheng laugh.

This question is really hard to answer. Gao Mingcheng has never eaten tiger meat in his life.

The young lady was obviously stunned, and then she said, "I don't know if it tastes good or not. That tiger was eventually driven into the mountains and has never been seen again."

Apparently, Grandma Xi thought this story was not very good, so she changed it to the things they used to do, such as earning work points in the field, twisting hemp rope at home, etc.

But these stories obviously couldn't attract children. Little Yuanyuan began to look around, and little Xuxu simply stretched out his hand towards Gao Mingcheng, gesturing for his father to hug him.

Gao Mingcheng picked up Xiao Xuxu and sat down. He looked at Grandma Xi and said, "Grandma Xi, tell us about the past village. I still want to hear it!"

Gao Mingcheng had not experienced this kind of thing like listening to old people talking about ancient times for a long time. He had heard even the words that Grandma Xi said. Now that he heard it again, he found it interesting.

So Grandma Xi continued to talk about ancient times, but the audience was changed. From two ignorant children, they were replaced by two adults, Gao Mingcheng and Gao Zhuang.

Gao Mingcheng listened with great interest. He remembered that when he came home from school, he often played around with his friends in the village because there were no entertainment activities. If he met an old man talking about ancient times, he would gather around in groups, listening and asking questions. , which is interesting.

During these ancient lectures, he learned a lot about the past and a lot of gossip, which enriched his understanding of the world.

It wasn't until it was time for lunch that Grandma Xi's lecture on ancient times ended.

Gao Mingcheng was still interested in what he heard, and his childhood memories became clearer at this moment.

After lunch, Gao Mingcheng didn't delay much and was ready to send Grandma Xi and Gao Zhuang and his daughter back to the village.

Gao Mingcheng waved goodbye to Duomei and said, "I'll be back in a few days!"

"Well, do things slowly, don't be in a hurry!" Duo Mei hugged little Xuxu and warned gently.

He also taught Xiao Xuxu to wave goodbye to Gao Mingcheng.

It's just that children don't know the word "respect". Seeing that Gao Mingcheng and Xiao Yuanyuan were leaving, Xiao Xuxu burst into tears and kept opening his hands towards Gao Mingcheng, indicating that he would follow Gao Mingcheng.

Seeing that he was crying so hard, Gao Mingcheng was a little reluctant to let go, so he looked at Duo Mei and said, "How about you take little Xuxu back to the village with you for two days?"

Duo Mei looked at the brand new carport and said immediately without much hesitation: "Okay, but we have to wait. I want to get Xiao Xuxu's change of clothes and diapers."

If there was no such wind-shielding carport, many beauties would still hesitate. But with the wind-shielding carport, many beauties don't have to worry about little Xuxu being blown by the wind, so they no longer even hesitate.

She handed Xiao Xuxu to Gao Mingcheng for a hug, and quickly packed up her things.

Although she lives in her new home, there are also little Xuxu's things here. Duo Mei hurriedly packed a few changes of clothes, brought all the diapers here, and finally brought the baby bottles and milk powder.

In this way, it's almost done. As for adults, you don’t need to clean up much, because you are only going back for a few days. In winter, you can take a shower every three or four days, and you are considered a clean person.

"Shufang, your second brother and I will return to the village for a few days, and the store will trouble you." Before leaving, Duomei specifically warned.

Gao Shufang stood at the door, watching them leave, and said with a smile: "Second brother, second sister-in-law, you can go without worry, I am in the store."

After hearing Gao Shufang's words, Gao Mingcheng and his wife left with peace of mind.

Today's Gao Shufang has already experienced it, and they can indeed rest assured.

Along the way, Xiao Yuanyuan and Xiao Xuxu were very excited at first, but as the car swayed, they became a little nervous. Finally, Xiao Xuxu fell asleep lying on many beautiful bodies.

Duo Mei smiled helplessly and adjusted her position so that Xiao Xuxu could sleep more comfortably.

Little Yuanyuan over there also fell asleep, but she was held by Gao Zhuang.

There were some things piled up at their feet. Sitting together in the small carport, everyone didn't feel crowded, but rather warm.

After arriving at Gaojiacun all the way, the two children had not yet woken up. The car stopped at the pond in the old village. Gao Zhuang hugged Little Yuanyuan and went home with Grandma X. After they left, Gao Mingcheng Continue driving to Niuweiling.

Before the car parked, several of the family's dogs rushed over, wagging their tails enthusiastically.

"Black Tiger, Elf, Rhubarb!" Many beauties haven't been back for a while, and they were extremely happy to see the dogs at home.

I was even happier when I saw the two little black dumplings following Dahuang.

"Mingcheng, have you named the two puppies?" Duo Mei asked.

Gao Mingcheng glanced at the little black dumpling and said, "We haven't chosen a name yet, so come and name it!"

"Okay, but I have to think about it." Duo Mei took over the task of naming and began to think about it.

What would be a good name?

When naming dogs, some are based on the dog's appearance, such as Xiaohei and Dahuang, and some are based on good wishes, such as Laifu and Wangwang.

Many beauties want to give their two puppies good names, so they dare not choose them casually. Of course, they can take their time in choosing names. The most urgent task now is to put little Xuxu to bed!

But the house has been empty for a while, so the bed needs to be made first.

Fortunately, making the bed is easy. Just lift off the old sheets covering the bed and take out the quilt from the closet.

As soon as they put the child down, Duomei and Gao Mingcheng got busy. Gao Mingcheng was responsible for carrying water and sweeping the yard.

Many Americans took a rag and wiped the tables, chairs, cabinets, etc. at home, and then went to wash the stove.

Gao Mingcheng took out the things in the truck and put them away, and then went to the fields to get some vegetables. He was in a hurry today. He didn't plan to cook at night, so he just boiled a pot of rice cakes to eat. Put some vegetables and eggs in the rice cakes to taste. That's pretty good.

While the couple were busy working, Duoyu came over with a small stone. It turned out that she heard that the fourth sister was back with her child, so she came over.

"Second sister! Little Shitou, why didn't you take a nap?" Duo Mei was very happy to see her relatives and was about to get chicken cake for Little Shitou.

Duo Duoyu said: "He went to bed early and got up early. Where is little Xuxu? Still sleeping?"

Duo Mei said: "He's still sleeping, but I have to wake him up later, otherwise he won't sleep at night."

The two sisters hadn't seen each other for a while, so they got together to talk.

Seeing this, Gao Mingcheng simply went into the mountains to look for kudzu roots while there was still some light.

Yesterday, the hillside was covered with light snow, but today it has almost melted.

Even if it doesn't melt, it doesn't matter, because the snow in the south is not like the snow in the north, which will freeze the soil.

Gao Mingcheng wore old clothes, took a hoe and a bag, and went into the mountain.

When passing by the foot of the mountain and halfway up the mountain, Gao Mingcheng could see some soil holes from time to time. These holes were left by the villagers digging kudzu.

The older the kudzu is, the thicker the underground rhizome will be. If you want to dig it out completely, you will dig a big hole. Most people will not fill the hole with soil after taking the kudzu away.

Gao Mingcheng walked quickly. He often went into the mountains before and already knew what treasures there were in the mountains, so he headed straight for a slope with a clear goal.

When he got there and found that everything was in its most natural appearance and had not been damaged, he felt relieved.

He followed the kudzu vine and found the root. He first judged the growth of the rhizome and then started digging. The soil in the mountains was relatively hard, but after the snow melted, the soil became slippery. Gao Mingcheng found it easier to dig.

Every time he hoeed, he dug into the soil accurately without damaging the roots of the kudzu.

When the complete rhizome is dug out, it looks like a thick tree root. This kind of wild kudzu root is also called chai kudzu. In later generations, there are varieties of kudzu, and the powder yield rate of kudzu will be higher.

They have yellow soil here. After the kudzu roots are dug out, the skin turns yellow-brown and is covered with fine yellow mud.

After washing it, the color will be much lighter.

Gao Mingcheng weighed the kudzu root and estimated that it weighed about ten kilograms. It must be twenty or thirty years old.

It is winter now, and the vines have withered. All the nutrients in the kudzu have been converted into starch and stored in the rhizomes. They will wait for the next spring to consume these nutrients and grow new vines.

If you want to dig kudzu roots to make flour, you have to dig them in autumn and winter. At this time, the starch content of the rhizomes is high.

After Gao Mingcheng successfully harvested a kudzu root, he put it in a bag and continued to follow the hillside. He remembered the location of all the kudzu roots in the mountain. Now he only needed to dig them out one by one.

It was just the second place that was reached first.

It wasn’t that the villagers got there first, but that it was eaten by wild boars in the mountains!

Looking at the half-cut kudzu root still buried in the soil, Gao Mingcheng called it a waste, but he didn't pick it up. He just left it there so that the wild boar could take another bite when it got hungry.

The wild boars have a good meal and will harvest again when he is free!

Gao Mingcheng continued to walk forward, and with good luck, the position he marked was not damaged by wild boars, so without saying a word, he picked up the hoe and started working!

Kudzu is a plant that is easy to survive. They can grow on mountain peaks or in low ditches. They can also grow on piles of stones. They grow fresh green leaves in spring and purple flowers in summer. , bear pods.

Gao Mingcheng had been digging kudzu in the mountains attentively. He didn't stop working until it was completely dark.

At this time, the bag he brought was already full. He slung the bag on his shoulders, held a hoe in one hand, and led the black tiger and the elf down the mountain.

Dogs cling to their master, and as soon as he comes back, the two dogs cling to him.

Gao Mingcheng is also willing to take dogs into the mountains. If there is any trouble, there will be dogs to report the news.

As soon as he thought this, Black Tiger seemed to have discovered something, and kept barking at a certain place. Soon, the elf also noticed something, and started barking together, with a sound of driving away.

Gao Mingcheng looked around and saw a weasel running away quickly.

In winter, snakes and frogs in the mountains hibernate, but weasels do not hibernate and are still relatively active.

In fact, there are not many weasels in Niuweiling, but there are many weasels in Xiaoyuan Mountain, and there are many weasels in Fengshan Mountain, so some strange stories have been derived. (End of chapter)