The cook is very busy

Chapter 2 Lao Jia's Family

The river in Yugou Village is only more than ten meters wide, but it hooks several villages back and forth. God didn't give much rain this month, and the big stone piers and small stone slabs that were soaked in the river were all exposed.

Ziqing walked to a wide area, put the bamboo basket on the ground, took a breath, found a stone pier and sat down, looking elsewhere.

All the mothers-in-law and aunts around rolled up their sleeves, rinsed their clothes in the water a few times, picked them up, and beat them with their arms with washing sticks.

The two in front of them went with bedding, so they just spread out in the water, took off their shoes and stepped on it.

Those who watched from behind laughed and cursed, "Oh, I said, where is there such a strong smell of urine, and your kid is peeing on the kang again."

"What the hell, let my daughter-in-law pee on the bed if you don't accept it, and let your mother-in-law wash it off!"

The first thing to say is that the woman has a daughter in her family, and now she has become a daughter-in-law, but she is not annoyed, and clamors for a bride price.

A few women and aunts nearby also joined in, "Where, I see it's late in the afternoon, and the couple are sweating from covering their nests, and the water is full of salt."

"Hey, as long as you're co-authoring, you know how to cover up and sweat in the cold weather?"

"Then if you don't cover it to sweat, you can cover it with a egg!"

"Go to your grandma, cover your mouth and let me see!"

The young mother-in-law who was patting the quilt guessed that she had just passed the door. He blushed when he heard these words, and just lowered his head. The other older one was not so honest. Then, you returned one sentence and three sentences.

Ziqing took out the laundry stick with a flat head and thin tail from the basket, and then looked at her own feet. It was not that hard to hit her with the stick. She took off her shoes and went into the water because she was afraid of the cold. If you can't do it, forget it.

Putting the laundry stick back into the basket, Ziqing looked around, found a rough stone slab, put the soaked coarse clothes on it and rubbed them.

The sound of "chucking, chicking" laundry attracted the attention of many women. Their hands stopped beating the clothes, and they covered their mouths and whispered to each other.

Originally, Ziqing's laundry by the river had attracted a lot of attention, but now she didn't use a washing stick, but rubbed it on a stone slab, all of which were saying that she didn't know how to work.

The mothers-in-law and aunts in the country have loud voices, even if they cover their mouths, Ziqing can tell which of them is stuttering and which has a leaky tooth.

But there is no way, her body has been sick all year round, so she is not capable of doing a job, not to mention that she is not from their place, so she is not used to the laundry stick.

To be precise, she is not from their generation.

Half a month ago, she was just a post-[-]s who was running around for three meals a day. Because of an accident, she transmigrated into this frail and sickly ancient peasant girl. She stayed at home for several days and suffered a lot. Only the medicine can get off the bed.

Today, taking advantage of the absence of the original owner's parents, she packed up a few changes of clothes and went out, followed some women and aunts to the river to wash, do some housework within her capacity, and diffuse the smell of medicine on her body.

The other mothers-in-law were nimble, and a large basin of clothes was washed in half an hour. Ziqing didn't have many clothes, but it took a lot of effort. She still can't use her strength, so she just rubs the clothes clean and wrings them half dry. Just got it in the basket.

She went back with those mothers-in-law and aunts, and the water was dripping all the way. The mothers-in-law and aunts looked at them with all kinds of expressions on their faces.

But in the middle of the road, those women and aunts holding big wooden basins walked more and more boringly, but Ziqing walked faster and faster with a leaky bamboo basket.

It wasn't until Ziqing turned a corner and disappeared that the women and aunts who followed her bravely pushed the wooden basin to a nearby tree, panting heavily and pulled their sleeves to wipe away their sweat.

All of them were still puzzled, their hands and feet were numb, and they couldn't catch up with a sick man! !
At the west end of the village, a 20-year-old daughter-in-law opened the door and sat in her yard with a pile of bamboo slices by her feet and a half-woven dustpan on her lap.

She stared at the dustpan and picked up a piece of bamboo. She felt that it was sticky, so she leaned over and scratched it on the ground a few times. After feeling smooth, she straightened it and started weaving.

After the dustpan in her hand was finished, she straightened her back and hammered her waist, just in time to see Ziqing walking by the door with her clothes in hand, so she called to her.

Ziqing paused, turned around and saw the person coming, and smiled, "Second Cousin, did you call me?"

Mrs. Zhang paused when she stepped out of the threshold, she was still not used to Ziqing's smiling face. She used to be so dull, but now she smiled when she saw her. If she hadn't been living next door to her house, I thought this woman was not her second uncle's daughter.

"Sister Qing, you're better now, why did you go down the river? If you catch a cold, don't your parents have to worry about it!"

Mrs. Zhang didn't mean to say this, but when she saw that Ziqing's sleeves and skirt were all wet, she was carrying a basket of clothes.
, can not help complaining.

Ziqing just smiled and said it's all right, she knows her own body, but in fact, she doesn't know whether it is the medicine prescribed by the big doctor or what he said is better, this body has changed owners now, It is indeed much better than before.

However, Mrs. Zhang was not at ease when she heard this. On the contrary, she cared more and said with a straight face, "It won't work if it's much better. How old are your father and mother? You want them to worry about it. Why don't you just wear a few clothes and turn around?" Just give me one to wash it off!"

Mrs. Zhang was right, Ziqing didn't flirt with her too much, she nodded and said she understood, but she didn't take the last sentence seriously, how could she rely on others to wash her clothes.

Seeing that Ziqing was obedient, Mrs. Zhang was quite satisfied, and told her to wait, and went back to the house to get things by herself.

Ziqing looked at Mrs. Zhang's back and sighed in her eyes. Her second cousin and sister-in-law were also hardworking couples. When they lived with their parents and brothers, they did everything and did their best. Looking for work to support the family, but when the family was separated, her uncle and the old couple had their own biases. The good fields and houses were given to the eldest and the youngest, and other things and a few livestock were also excused to scoop them up.

Her second cousin and sister-in-law are honest people, they can't speak but know how to work, they are not as good as the other two brothers and sisters-in-law, and they can please the old man. When it's their turn, there are only a few left. Not bad not bad, half new and not old.

And the original owner's father is also the same. There are seven or eight brothers and sisters in the family. There are elder brothers and younger brothers and sisters. In addition, her mother has been in the family for several years and has not added a son and a half to their old Jia family. Her grandparents look down on her catches the eye.

Xu Shi felt the same way, the second cousin and the second cousin became monks separately, and her father invited them to live in the west end of the village. In this matter, her father still saved their lives.

One night in the same year, the riverside hut where the second cousin and the second cousin were assigned was washed away by the river.

Now the ruins are still nestled by the river, reminding the people in the village how bad the flood was that year.

And thinking of this kindness, this young couple is very caring for her parents, even if they have a little food for their daily life from their acre of thin fields, they will share half of it. Together with her parents a filial piety.

Mrs. Zhang came out with a small bamboo basket in her arms, and saw Ziqing standing outside in a daze with a blank expression, his face changed slightly.

It just so happened that Ziqing looked over at this moment, and she hurriedly lowered her head and pretended to pick a few times in the basket, but asked her to find out some bad ones, and she had to pick and choose for a while before handing them to her.

"Sister, my second uncle said you like this. Your brother wandered up the mountain all afternoon yesterday and found half of this basket for you."

What does she like to eat?What?
Ziqing took the hand suspiciously, glanced at it, and looked at Mrs. Zhang quite unexpectedly, and grabbed a soft and thick wild fungus in the basket, "Second cousin, there has been no rain in the past half a month, and the mountain is neither wet nor wet. Yes, where did Second Cousin find all these?"

"Oh, you don't care, he has a way, if you are rare, eat more, and your brother will get it for you after eating."

Speaking of her man, Mrs. Zhang's face is full of complacency. Her man can do nothing else. She is good at going up the mountain and down the river to find food. It is not a problem to beat teeth every now and then, or she will guard the acre in the field. Land, it didn't make her and her second uncle and aunt hungry.

Ziqing wanted to give some to Mrs. Zhang, but she pushed her back, "It's alright, it's alright, you, hurry up and go home and change your clothes, don't waste your time here," Mrs. Zhang stroked her hand. Qing's sleeve, and drove her home.

Ziqing wasn't as strong as her, so she didn't shirk. She hugged the bamboo basket, looked at Mrs. Zhang's yard, and thought about it.

"Second cousin, there are enough baskets and bamboo baskets, you can weave the remaining bamboo pieces into a basket," she pointed to the basket at her feet, "weave it into the same one as mine, and go Make up a few laps."

Mrs. Zhang didn't understand why Ziqing brought this up, and she didn't ask, but just told her.

"Sister, you don't understand. You haven't been to the market. You don't like this bamboo basket. This thing takes up a lot of space in the stomach and can't hold much. It's not easy to carry it in your hand. It's used in our village. almost."

"It's not the second cousin, you don't need to take this basket to the town..."

"Oh, let's not talk about my sister, my sister-in-law is still busy, so I will chat with you next time?"

Before Ziqing finished speaking, Mrs. Zhang interrupted her disapprovingly, and went back to her yard to continue her work.

Ziqing originally had a lot to say, but Mrs. Zhang couldn't listen to it. There are only a handful of mothers-in-law and aunts who can weave bamboo pieces in Yugou Village, but Mrs. Zhang's work is the most meticulous, and she is not at all strong. Prickly, she is very proud of this point, so she will not take her words to heart.

It's useless to talk like this, Ziqing carried the bamboo basket and carried the basket and walked over. After walking a few steps, he suddenly saw an old couple pushing a wheelbarrow from the opposite side.

An oil tank, iron pot, rice noodle bag was tied to the wooden cart, which seemed heavy, and the wheels were too heavy to support, and it creaked forward.

The old man was a little hunchbacked, and his thin body supported the dilapidated wheelbarrow, while the old woman helped push it forward.

Faced with a gust of wind, I didn't bother to wipe the sweat off my forehead just now, but now it's cold.

The old couple pursed the corners of their mouths in satisfaction, and even the few strands of gray hair on the temples flew up.

Ziqing looked at them with clumsy footsteps, his throat was astringent, and he greeted them with unbearable sadness, "Father, mother..."

(End of this chapter)