Siheyuan: There are three little cats at home

Chapter 6
The sky is gloomy and gray, as if the next game is brewing.

Although the snow stopped falling, the sun did not come out. It was strangely cold, strangely freezing, and a bit overcast.

Back in the compound, Xu Qing's heart was agitated all the way, because the cold weather also cooled down.

At this time, Xu Qing walked into the front yard carrying two hemp ropes with half a catty of pork belly hanging on each.

Yan Bugui in the front yard was standing at the door of the house, repairing his bicycle, holding a vise in his left hand and a wrench in his right, constantly tinkering.

Yan Bugui is a face-saving person, he was the first to buy a bicycle in the compound, followed by Xu Damao.

Because he was a teacher in school and saw that other teachers had them, he felt that he could not fall behind.

Gritting his teeth, he bought it.

When I first bought the bicycle, Yan Bugui felt a lot of pain in my body. After all, I spent three months’ salary on it and it has always been a baby.

I wish I could find a place to offer it, but I’m afraid that others won’t see it and I can’t show it off.I was also extremely careful when riding on the road, for fear of getting a splash of mud.

However, no matter how much you cherish it, it will eventually become old.

The pedals were replaced twice, the brake lever was broken five times, the bell was stolen no less than ten times, and the rim was also damaged once.

But fortunately, his appearance was spotless after being wiped by Yan Bugui, just like others, always dressed decently.

Seeing Xu Qing coming back from outside the yard with pork in his hand, Yan Bugui stopped the wrench in his hand, poked his eyes out from behind his glasses, took a look, smacked his mouth, but didn't say anything until Xu Qing left Courtyard, just muttered something in a low voice.

"Where does this kid get the money to buy meat?"

But Xu Qing didn't hear it, and even if he heard it, he wouldn't pay attention.

Live your life and don't care what others say.

Besides, the mouth grows on other people, and they can't stop what they like to say.

You can't be angry, can you?

When he returned to the backyard, Xu Damao was riding a bicycle, ready to go out.

Seeing Xu Qing buying meat now, he felt strange, stepped over the beam of the bicycle, looked at Xu Qing and said:
"Hey, you guys can do it. It's the end of the month, and you still have meat tickets secretly hidden away."

"If I had known, I would have borrowed it from you last week."

Xu Qing stopped and said: "Brother Da Mao, you are just joking. You are a formal worker, and the factory gives you more meat tickets than me. I am an apprentice, and I only have a few tickets. You need to find me." borrow?"

Xu Damao was choked by Xu Qing's words, and for a while, he didn't know how to respond.

He is indeed a regular worker, and the monthly meat ticket is more than that of an apprentice according to the factory's regulations.

But he couldn't stand the high expenses, and he was used to being extravagant on weekdays, and the combination of a few meat tickets was not enough for him to rub his belly.

It's just that he couldn't refute what Xu Qing said, and it would be too embarrassing to say that he wanted to borrow it.

If a formal worker borrows meat tickets from an apprentice worker, if word spreads about it, he will lose his face.

However, Xu Damao knew that there was not as much ink in his stomach as Xu Qing.

Xu Qing went to high school. Although he didn't finish it, he studied longer than him.

He just graduated from elementary school and dropped out of school in the first grade of junior high school.

With a snort, he stretched out his hand.

"Who cares about your meat ticket?"

Turning his head, he pedaled his bicycle and walked towards the middle courtyard.

Seeing this, Xu Qing turned around and walked to the door of the house, quickly shrank in and didn't bother to talk to Xu Damao.

Although his parents are gone, Xu Qing is never afraid of anyone!

After running outside, my body was already completely cold, especially when I chatted with my old classmate Ma Jiefang for a while at the gate of the supply and marketing cooperative, my feet were even numb from the cold.

At this time, the three little ones were still reading comic books on the kang in the room. They looked up and saw the elder brother coming back from buying meat.

All of a sudden they all slipped down the kang.

Although comic books are very attractive to them, they are not as popular as meat.

Besides, the three little guys haven't eaten for more than half a month, and they are already hungry.

It's just that in the current situation at home, the little guys are not very old, but they are all very sensible.

Even if I saw other people eating meat in the courtyard on weekdays, I would only look at them from a distance and never take the initiative to respond.

At this moment, the three little ones burst into cheers.

Everyone raised their hands to ask for help, wanting to help the eldest brother take the meat into the kitchen.

Xu Qing handed the two pieces of meat to the little girl Xu Xiaoya and the third brother Xu Fengming respectively.

Then he patted his second brother Xu Aiguo on the shoulder and said:

"Let's go, accompany elder brother to the next room to get carrots."

Xu Qing's family has two houses.One big and one small.

It turned out that Xu Qing had moved to a small house alone since he entered high school.

But now that his parents are gone, he has moved back to the big house so that he can take care of his younger siblings more conveniently.

Secondly, a fire must be lit in the hut in winter, otherwise you will catch a cold sooner or later while sleeping on the cool bed.

Now that the hut was idle, Xu Qing put some sundries and vegetables in the hut.

Xu Aiguo smiled and said:
"Brother, I can go there alone, don't go."

After that, Xu Aiguo put on his cotton shoes, took the key, opened the door, and walked towards the cabin next door.

There was no fire in the hut all winter, and it was cold and gloomy.

Within a minute, Xu Aiguo ran back trembling with three dozen white radishes in his arms.

"Brother, I brought the radish. Should we make dumplings or steamed buns today?" Xu Aiguo placed the radish on the edge of the kang and quickly stretched his hands to the stove to warm himself.

Xu Qing originally wanted to make dumplings, but he heard Xu Aiguo ask this.

Then he said to the three little ones:

"Do you want buns or dumplings?"

Xu Fengming gritted his teeth and said with a smile:

"Brother, I want to eat."

Xu Xiaoya's little head was also nodding.

Xu Aiguo didn't speak or nod, but he was the one who asked just now, obviously he wanted to eat both of them.

Seeing that the three cubs had the same opinion, Xu Qing said:
"Then make the dumplings first, and then the buns."

A catty of meat is obviously not enough to make dumplings and steamed buns.

Xu Qing also had to eat in two meals, which was not enough.

So Xu Qing just asked Xu Aiguo to go to the hut and get three radishes.

The purpose is to mix it with meat.

After all, these days, if anyone's house only uses meat to make dumplings, there may not be many houses in the entire courtyard.

In other words, the dumplings in restaurants outside are pure meat. As for every household, they save a few meals after buying meat.

If anyone eats dumplings or steamed buns, only meat is put in, it is either a stick or a prodigal son.

These days, meat is so scarce that no one dares to make it.It’s not that I don’t like to eat, it’s just that I can’t afford it, and I can’t buy too much.

Chop the stuffing, knead the dough, and roll out the dough.

Xu Qing kept busy, and the three little ones continued to help.

Although the little guy is not very good at making dumplings, Xu Qing thinks they are quite cute.

After a busy noon, the four of them were a little hungry.

Fortunately, there are more than 50 dumplings and eight buns.

The water in the iron pot on the stove was also boiling.

Xu Qing divided the dumplings into the pot in two parts.

Ask Xu Aiguo to stuff two briquettes into the stove.Let Xu Fengming help pound the garlic.

The little girl Xu Xiaoya was holding a small enamel bowl and surrounded the stove, her little eyes were full of anticipation.

Xu Qing prepared the dipping sauce and vinegar. At this moment, the first pot of dumplings was also cooked.

As soon as the lid of the pot was lifted, a puff of white hot air rushed straight to the top of the kitchen. When it encountered an obstacle, it swirled out through the window.

Xu Qing took a colander and filled a bowl for each of the three little ones, and asked them to take it to the front room to eat.

I stayed to cook the second pot by myself.

(End of this chapter)