Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

This lunch is very simple to prepare.

Mainly eating leftovers and leftover steamed buns.

Because here, whether it is a wedding or a funeral, people will carry steamed buns when giving gifts. There are two types of buns, thirty-two or twenty-four, which are called "li".

When people sit down at the table, they will eat some, and those who give gifts will give a few in return, but these are just small things. What is left at the end is stored in the granary.

If on average 30 steamed buns are given to each household, eight are returned, leaving 20.

If there are 200 households as guests, that means 4,400 steamed buns.

The maximum amount of steamed bun consumed by each person during meals is only one. Even if there are two people in each family, that would be four or five hundred steamed buns.

Then the rest of the steamed buns will be left over.

Therefore, if there are more guests, there may be four to five thousand steamed buns left over from a wedding or funeral, which is very scary.

If you leave them for yourself, and eat ten a day, it will take more than a year.

If it is not kept for that period of time, it will become moldy and spoil.

Therefore, after each celebration, the host family would try to pack more steamed buns for relatives who were short of food, and if people from the same clan needed it, each family would also be given some.

There's still a lot left, and that's okay.

The steamed buns would be cut into thin slices and dried in the sun to prevent them from getting moldy, and then people would eat dry buns for a long time.

Some people put dry steamed buns in water and boil them for half an hour for every meal, so that the buns can become paste and then be eaten.

Another method is to mix steamed bread slices with vegetables and steam them into steamed buns.

Children are also the main consumers of steamed bread slices. If they are bored and have nothing to eat, they will take a slice of steamed bread and slowly nibble on it. It tastes pretty good.

Of course, this kind of thing was not very serious in the early 80s. After all, many families at that time could not afford to eat white flour steamed buns for every meal, so if relatives were generous and willing to give, they would pack large and small bags, even in snakeskin bags, and bring them home.

No matter how dry the steamed bun is, it is still white flour steamed bun, which is much better than eating coarse flour steamed bun.

But later, as grain production increased, people no longer worried about having enough to eat, and face began to become more important than the stomach. Unless the family conditions were really bad, most people would not carry steamed buns home.

After all, it's embarrassing.

For Yu Qiutang, when he was a child, he was most concerned about the steamed buns given as gifts in return.

The main thing is that there are two roujiamo in it.

That is, when the host returns the gift, he or she will usually cut two steamed buns and put a piece of cooked meat in between. The meat is so fragrant, especially when the cooked meat is added with a lot of seasonings, the taste is even better.

But there are many children in the family, and the two roujiamo given as gifts are never enough to share.

Yu Qiutang also didn't get a turn many times.

In most cases, they would be snatched away by Yu Qiushi.

That kid is greedy and doesn't know how to be humble, he always rushes to eat.

A family with many children is no different from society. The obedient children will inevitably suffer the most, while the children who cry and act like spoiled brats will get the most milk.

Quite a lot of people came to Yu Qiutang's wedding.

There were 307 households when the gifts were first presented, and in the end there were probably more than 6,000 steamed buns left.

On the kang in the side room between the kitchen and the main room, steamed buns were piled up into a mountain more than one meter high, and there were many bags underneath that had not been opened.

It really amazed him.

Even though there are many people at home now, it is not something that can be accomplished in a short period of time.

So while eating, the eldest sister and the third sister were still discussing how to deal with the steamed buns.

Miyali said it was okay, she could cut it into slices when she came back home today. The weather was good recently, so she could take the opportunity to dry it and eat it slowly.

The eldest sister and the third sister have no objection.

Although Mi Yali and Yu Qiutang both respected them, they were still aware that there was now a mistress in the house and things were different from before.

Between siblings, everything is easy to talk about.

But now that there is one more person, we must respect other people's opinions, so as to avoid disliking each other and making things difficult for our brothers.

After dinner, Yu Qiutang tied the prepared things on the back of the motorcycle and took Mi Yali back home.

There are fixed requirements for everything.

These include twelve pounds of pork, twelve oil cakes, and twelve steamed buns, which are the necessary preparations. There are also some other things that Yu Qiutang prepared separately.

For example, the good tobacco prepared for my father-in-law Mi Youtang was specially prepared in advance. It was the best Mohe tobacco. Mi Youtang liked it best, so he must be happy.

The tea prepared for my mother-in-law Tu Run Xiuzhe.

Of course, it is not particularly cheap, but more than six yuan per pound, which is considered expensive in this era.

My mother-in-law likes to drink tea the most, but she has no money and is reluctant to spend it, so even very late, she is still drinking tea foam that costs one or two yuan per pound.

If those things were real tea leaves, it would be fine, but there are also unscrupulous merchants who directly add tea leaves foam into the drinks, which makes them taste terrible.

Of course, I didn’t forget to buy gifts for others.

For example, Mi Wenzhong has a set of tools. He is a worker and has always wanted a good set of tools. Now Yu Qiutang meets his needs.

Miaqin was given a scarf, which was of course the result of discussion with Mia Li, otherwise he would not have thought of giving something directly to his sister-in-law.

The remaining children also brought different things.

These don't cost much, but they can bring them great joy.

These people are his wife's family. Before he met Miali, Miali was able to grow up to be such a gentle and virtuous person, which was closely related to these people and played an indispensable role.

Moreover, these people were all good people in their previous lives and were all his relatives.

He will take care of them to the best of his ability in the future.

He values ​​family very much. If he wants to be happy, then his wife Miali must be happy too. If her family is stable and they live a good life, Miali will naturally be happy.

So it seems like taking care of my mother-in-law's family, but in fact it is fulfilling myself.

"ah."

The motorcycle passed a small pothole and bumped, and Miyali's body bounced up. She subconsciously hugged Yu Qiutang's waist and pressed tightly against his back.

Yu Qiutang's action was unintentional.

But when he felt Miali's plump and soft body, he began to have malicious thoughts.

Suddenly speed up, slow down, speed up again, and slow down again.

Miali was so frightened that she became very nervous.

He couldn't help laughing out loud.

Mi Yali then realized that it was not the road that was the problem, but Yu Qiutang who was causing trouble, and she tapped him gently on the back.

"Qiu Tang, drive steadily, I'm a little scared."

Yu Qiutang heard her soft voice and didn't blame her, so he felt embarrassed to continue doing bad things and started to drive slowly and steadily.

Beauty is in the eyes of beholder.

Even in this kind of small interaction between a couple, if it were an ordinary woman, she would probably directly say something to her man, or even pinch his back and blame him, "Can you please drive properly?!"

But Miali is not like that.

She was very smart and knew that Yu Qiutang was teasing her on purpose because he was having fun. If she blamed him directly, it would spoil his fun.

So she chose to show weakness, which aroused Yu Qiutang's desire to protect her.

The effect was achieved without causing Yu Qiutang to feel any discomfort.

Which man doesn't want to make his beloved woman feel safe?

The northwest wind was cold. Mi Yali leaned against Yu Qiutang tightly, thinking that his back seemed not broad enough. It must be because he did not eat well. She would cook well for him in the future and supervise him to keep in good health.

There is always a lot of mutual understanding between husband and wife.

Yu Qiutang soon noticed Miali's little thoughts and actions. He felt more comfortable and the cold wind in his face became gentler.

"My home is on the Loess Plateau~
A strong wind blew over the slope.
Whether it is northwest wind~
Still southeast wind~
They are all my songs, my songs~"

He couldn't help but roar loudly, and his tuneless singing was carried far away by the northwest wind.

"Lili, can you sing?"

"Ah...I can't sing well."

"That means you can, come on, sing for your husband, I want to hear it."

Miali seldom hears the word "husband". People here like to call their men "shopkeepers". When a man refers to himself to his wife, he will also say "your man" and will not use the word "husband".

But Miali knew what her husband meant.

She thought about it and felt that since this was a main road, no one else could see or hear them, and it was just her and her husband, so she didn't have to worry about being laughed at if she didn't sing well.

He coughed twice, cleared his throat, and began to sing.

"Brother, go west~
Little sister, I really can't stay~
When I mention my brother, I say go west~
Hey, little sister, tears are always flowing~
Delivered to the front door~
Little sister, I won't give up~
There are two words of heartfelt words~
Hey brother, please keep it in mind~"

Miyali's voice was naturally gentle and delicate. When she sang this classic folk ballad softly and melodiously, Yu Qiutang felt as if he was sitting by a gurgling stream, with his feet washed by the slowly flowing water.

It's itchy and very comfortable.

He was really happy.

The happiness at this moment seems to be overflowing.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Miyali's singing stopped abruptly, "I told you, I can't sing."

"No, you sing beautifully."

Yu Qiutang slowed down the car and gently patted Miyali's hand, "Lili, I promise you, no matter what happens in this life, I will never leave you. I will always be with you until we are old and gray and can't go anywhere."

"How could I have thought that far ahead?" Miyali murmured softly, her face pressed against Yu Qiutang's back. "As long as we can live a good life, live happily and healthily, we will be satisfied."

The wind became much gentler.

At the door of the Mi family, Tuo Runxiu was sweeping the floor, looking towards the road in front from time to time.

Today is the day my daughter comes home.

She had been waiting since early morning.

The daughter she had raised for more than 20 years suddenly became a member of another family. Even though she knew that this was common sense and that every daughter and every woman had to go through this journey, after she really passed away, she still felt empty inside when she saw the things her daughter had used last night.

Many times, I would subconsciously call out my daughter's name.

By the time you react, the feeling of loss will be even more intense.

The daughter has the strongest connection with her mother, and the husband, that old ghost, is so heartless that he doesn't seem to react at all.

As for the children, well, they might miss her, but not as much as she does.

In the dim light, she seemed to hear the rumbling sound of a motorcycle. She subconsciously looked again and her eyes suddenly lit up.

coming!

On the village road, Yu Qiutang was riding a motorcycle with his daughter behind him. They were coming back.

She put away the broom, stared at the track of the motorcycle, and shouted inside: "Old man, old man, Lili is back!"

When the people inside heard it, they all ran out quickly.

Watching the motorcycle quickly approach the door.

Yu Qiutang braked the bike, and Mi Yali stepped down from the bike. She was tall, and her legs were one meter long. She got off the bike in a rather chic manner. If a woman was shorter, getting off such a large early motorcycle would still be a bit difficult.

"Mom~Dad!"

Miali grabbed her mother's hand, looking very excited, and suddenly her eyes became hot.

She was clearly only away for half a day, but it seemed like she had been away for a long time. She was clearly very happy to be with Yu Qiutang, but she was still a little sad.

"Silly boy!"

Tuo Runxiu was an experienced person, so how could he not understand his daughter's psychology? He patted her hand gently and gave her a comforting look, but did not say anything else.

At this time, it is useless to say anything.

This is something my daughter must understand on her own. The more you talk about it, the sadder it will make her.

"Aunt, uncle!"

Yu Qiutang took off all his stuff, and Mi Wenzhong hurried forward to help. Seeing so many things, he said innocently: "Qiutang, you have too many things. Others don't bring so many."

"That's right." Mi Youtang stood behind the people, moved his hands, but he didn't know what to do, just smiled foolishly.

This appearance is very similar to Mi Wenzhong.

As expected of a father and son.

"Hey, come in and talk. My sister and brother-in-law have been standing at the door for a long time, but they won't let us in. It seems like we are not welcome."

Miaqin laughed from behind and said, "Dad, Mom, a daughter who is married off is like spilled water. My sister has only been spilled for one day, and you don't want anyone to come in?"

"No way." Mi Youtang retorted quickly.

Tuo Runxiu also stared at his second daughter speechlessly, "Nonsense, be careful that your mouth gets rotten."

"Look, it's hard to be a good person, isn't it? Sister, I stood up for you and was criticized by them. If you don't compensate me, I won't agree."

Miyali was amused by her joke and said helplessly: "Why not? We have them all. Let's go in."

Then everyone came in.

Walk to the big room together.

Yu Qiutang and Mi Yali distributed all the things they brought to everyone.

The father-in-law and mother-in-law were happy but they were still very polite and told them not to spend money. The family had just gotten married and must be financially tight, so it would be useless to spend money on these things. As long as the young couple lived a good life, that was enough.

The children were mainly happy.

Each of them held their own gift. Although they were not very good things, they were what they had always dreamed of, and they were full of gratitude to their eldest sister and brother-in-law.

I think this brother-in-law is so nice.

Several of them have also met other people's brothers-in-law, and many of them don't even have a good relationship with their wife's family, let alone send gifts specifically for them.

At most, we would send some return gifts according to traditional customs.

After a while of joy, the younger ones all left, leaving only the old couple, Yu Qiutang and his wife, Mi Wenzhong and Mi Yaqin.

After chatting casually for a while, Yu Qiutang saw Mi Wenzhong and suddenly remembered his third sister.

Years ago, he thought that once his marriage was settled, he would arrange a marriage between Mi Wenzhong and his third sister. If these two people could get together, it would be as joyful to him as marrying himself. (End of this chapter)