Living in the mountains and forests as hunters

Chapter 23

Zhao Yiyi, who was sleeping at the end of the kang for the first time since starting to burn the kang, had a rare feeling of cold when she opened her eyes in the morning, but she was a little puzzled, why didn't she wake up from the cold at night, but felt cold in the morning?She opened her eyes and looked around, only to realize that An Dalang next to her was no longer on the bed at some point, but she was sleeping in An Dalang's sleeping position. Feeling under her body, the kang was already too cold. Okay, so the warmth on your body?Zhao Yiyi didn't need to think too much about it, she was afraid that in one night, a lot of the warmth she absorbed came from that man.

Getting up and getting dressed, just as Zhao Yiyi got out of bed, the two children at the front also woke up. One twisted his body, obviously wanting to stay on the bed, while the other opened his eyes blankly and looked around, as if he hadn't Realizing where this place is, he covered his face with his little hand, rubbed his eyes, and looked like he hadn't recovered yet, it looked very cute, but the child who was still rubbing his eyes saw Zhao Yiyi who got up, As if he remembered everything, he hurriedly pushed the brother next to him, and hurriedly wanted to get up and get dressed.

Zhao Yiyi felt distressed when she saw the child's panic, and quickly patted their bodies to comfort them, letting them continue to lie down.

"Don't worry, go to sleep for a while, the rebellion will be done in a while, it's just that my aunt is calling you."

Although she was only seven years older than these two children, she was an elder after all, and Zhao Yiyi's attitude as an elder was still very good.It's just that if they sincerely told them not to get up, the two children didn't appreciate it at all. They waited for Zhao Yiyi to go outside to wash up, and when they entered the door, they saw two fully dressed children.The old cotton-padded clothes worn by adults are long to the knees, and there are no cotton trousers underneath, and she is wearing simple trousers, which look very thin, and her feet are barefoot straw sandals, and her feet are red and swollen from the cold. Zhao Yiyi really wants to sigh what!But when I thought about it, I understood the thoughts of these two children. I was afraid that I was worried that I was not diligent enough to please my uncle and aunt, so I don't want them in the future!What a sensitive child!
Scooped hot water from the stove and put it in the tub, Zhao Yiyi said nothing politely, but gave the two brothers a piece of cloth to wash their faces, turned around and started cooking.Their family eats three meals a day, and An Dalang probably went to see a trap at the moment, and it's time to eat when he comes back!

"Don't go out today. Auntie will make cotton trousers and jackets for you. If you wear them, you may get sick from the cold. The jackets are too big, and the wind will leak out when you wear them. You are fine at home. Just help make some straw sandals, just sit on the kang, it’s warm there. When your uncle comes back, ask him to make woolen shoes for you, first wear them as cotton shoes, and wait for the clothes to be finished, then aunt will Make cotton shoes for you to wear. It’s cold in the mountains, so be careful yourself. Wait until you have all the clothes, shoes and socks before going out.”

Zhao Yiyi was cooking porridge, making steamed buns, and boiling water for steaming. The two children were very excited. Seeing Zhao Yiyi's appearance, they squatted down to help heat the fire, and looked into the iron pot , Hearing Zhao Yiyi's words, although he still dared not make a sound, he nodded obediently.

Zhao Yiyi set up the steamer, seeing the two children watching the fire, she simply let go and went to the stone platform to cut pickles. There are two more children in the house, so the meal must be more, okay I reconciled last night, a big pot of porridge, except for An Dalang and two buns, four for An Dalang, plus pickles, I think it is enough to eat, yes, I made it a few days ago I don’t know if the bacon is ready. I’m afraid that An Dalang will have dinner at Zhaojiawozi at noon. There are only himself and two children at home, or he can make kelp and salty meat soup and serve it with rice. In the evening Do more.

Speaking of which, the kelp at this time is still called kombu!It's only sold in medicine stores, it's really troublesome, the price is not expensive, otherwise it's terrible if you can't even afford this!Big neck disease!This is a disease with a high mortality rate among ancient children!
Zhao Yiyi was thinking wildly!There was a noise in the yard, Zhao Yiyi hurriedly put down his things, opened the door and looked out, only to see An Dalang walking into the yard with a sheep on his back.

"It's not bad today. I have harvested early in the morning. There is a goat in the trap in the back mountain!"

An Dalang experienced fragility all night, and at this time he began to show a simple and honest smile, and Zhao Yiyi felt relieved when he saw it.Then said:

"That's good. Hurry up. Prepare to eat first. After eating, you leave the haggis. I will make the haggis to eat in the evening. I peeled the sheepskin and let it dry. After a while, I will take the lamb to the village and sell it. If not, you can ask Uncle Liang to borrow an ox cart and bring it to the town, and you can sell it for some money, and now mutton is a great supplement in winter, and the town may sell it for a good price!"

An Dalang carefully carried the sheep into the cave, and then took a big broom to sweep the snow in the yard, picked up the blood-stained snowflakes, and poured them towards the side of the cliff.It is very important to clean up the smell of blood in winter, otherwise if any hungry beasts that sneak in regardless of the unspoken rules smell it, I am afraid it will bring danger to the family. When walking all the way, An Dalang walked backwards. Just to clean up the blood, you can't be careless at the door of your house.

Inside the gate, the two children who were still looking at the fire looked at the sheep brought in by An Dalang, their eyes were so bright that they almost turned green, but after watching for a while, one of them pulled the other, and the two children swallowed, He abruptly moved his eyes away from the sheep, and focused on the fire in the clay stove.Never look at that sheep again.That's what my uncle is going to sell for money. They can't look too much at it. They are free food for my uncle's family. It's good to have something to eat. It's a good heart to be able to support them!The uncles in the clan have said that if the uncle can't afford to support them, they will be sold to the current people. Now that they don't have to be slaves or sell their lives, they owe their uncle a great favor. Know the good and the bad!

When Zhao Yiyi turned her head, she happened to see such a scene. She couldn't help laughing, and didn't say much. She just put the chopped pickles away, looked at the porridge, looked at the buns, turned around and pulled them away. Got two kids, ready to turn off,

"Hurry up, wash your hands and prepare to eat breakfast. Our family is a little different from yours before. Our family is a hunter. The most important thing is to have enough food. If you don't have enough to eat, you won't have the strength to hunt. So we have three meals a day, each morning and noon. One meal, you are still growing! You should eat more."

Zhao Yiyi opened the steamer, picked up the buns, put them on a small dustpan, brought them to the dining table, went to the cupboard to get four bowls, and started serving porridge. The two children obediently washed their hands and poured water , standing on the edge of the stove, seeing that there was nothing to help, he became a little at a loss, and stood on the side in a daze. An Dalang walked in and took a look. After a bowl of porridge was put on the table, he pointed to one of the children and said:
"Dabao, go get the chopsticks from the cabinet, Erbao, serve porridge for your aunt. Hurry up, it's cold, the porridge will cool quickly."

A little rude attitude gave the children something to do, and the two children seemed to be alive again. The anxiety, uneasiness, and bewilderment just melted away immediately.

When the four of them sat down and started to eat, the two children drank the porridge carefully, without even glancing at the buns. Although the corners of their eyes kept scanning in that direction unconsciously, they tried their best to control themselves Zhao Yiyi didn't dare to move his hands, but felt that it was for his uncle to eat. Zhao Yiyi felt more and more distressed when he saw it, so he took two and stuffed one in each of their hands.
"Eat, eat more, what's the use of just drinking porridge. I'm seven years old, and I look so young, how can I grow up in the future! Don't I want to become a dwarf? Don't worry, your uncle just hunted before the snow fell. Big thing, I earned some money, and now there is enough food, the two of you will not be unable to eat. If you feel uneasy, just do more work with your aunt for a while, and follow your uncle to collect more herbs and hunt more. It must be enough to eat."

The two children held the buns tightly in their hands, their mouths were pursed, their eyes sparkled, they brewed for a while, then took a bite carefully, and took another mouthful of porridge, the corners of their mouths finally There was a hint of a smile, although the two children still didn't speak, their expressions were much better than yesterday, and the uneasiness seemed to have subsided.Perhaps, they have already confirmed that this uncle's family can indeed support them, and they don't have to worry about being sent away.

Even though their hearts are more stable, the two children still look a little cautious. They just ate one and never moved again. Zhao Yiyi thought that they were not full before. I was afraid that my stomach would not be able to bear it, so I didn't force it anymore after thinking about it, but just let An Dalang take the remaining two corn buns. Like last time, I came back hungry all the way.This dead-headed person is not willing to spend even a single copper coin in the town. He really wants money!
Waiting for An Dalang to tidy up the sheep and go out again with a basket on his back, Zhao Yiyi carefully closed the courtyard door, and then began to pack up the offal. She took the two children to the side to boil water, and the winter Yes, without hot water, washing things can kill people.

The lunch of bacon and seaweed soup with dry rice made the eyes of the two children brighten up again. They have grown so big, they really haven't eaten dry rice a few times!But at my uncle's house!They are so happy that they can always have enough to eat. I heard from my aunt that this is what my uncle earned from hunting. They will also learn to hunt in the future. This is how hunters earn more money than their father by collecting medicine!

After eating, Zhao Yiyi started to make cotton trousers for them. The family made cotton coats and trousers for An Dalang, Zhao Qianshi, and Zhao Dahu. It's very fast, with Zhao Yiyi's current craftsmanship, it only takes an hour, and the flying needle and thread are ready. It's just a change of two old trousers. It's really fast, and then it starts again. Change their clothes and wait for An Dalang to go home. The two children have already put on close-fitting clothes.

"You're really fast. This is great. I'll make shoes tomorrow, and these two boys will be able to go out with me. Just let them pick up some firewood nearby, make more kangs, and use more firewood." It's doubled!"

An Dalang returned home with two large baskets of soil embryos, his head was covered with sweat, and immediately asked Zhao Yiyi to rush to the hot spring to wipe his body, the weather was too cold, waiting for the cold wind to blow his sweaty Physically, I'm afraid it's just a case of illness.

"It's not in a hurry, but these two baskets of soil embryos are not many! Even if you add the leftovers from the last kang at home, I'm afraid it won't be enough!"

"Tomorrow there are six baskets left at your mother's house, and Dug will be watching! It will take two days to pick them out. By the way, the sheep are sold in the town today. It weighs more than 30 catties and sells for 1300 renminbi. Two silver coins, and the remaining three hundred cash, I bought a peach wood hairpin for one hundred cash, and two hundred cash for soil embryos, let’s save more soil embryos, and try to build a house in the yard next year.”

An Dalang drank the ginger soup made by Zhao Yiyi, and watched with his eyes that he was trying to carry the soil embryo to the west of the cave, on the side of the stone wall opposite An Dalang's kang. This is what An Dalang is going to do for his two children. On the heated kang, whispered in Zhao Yiyi's ear:

"With two more children, our cave will be smaller. In the future, we will have our own children. We must first plan how to live here, and then there is no shelter in this cave. You can use it in the shop. It’s inconvenient, isn’t it? In the north of the yard, a house facing south can be built, and three rooms can be made, and then the middle room can be used as a guest room, which also has a stove, which can not only provide heat for the kangs of the two rooms, but also cook Rice, one bedroom on each side, one for us, one for these two boys, isn't it just right? This cave will be better as a place to store things in the future. No matter how bad it is, there is a place to live for someone at home, Keep everything in this kang, I thought, the south side is bigger, on the east side of the courtyard gate, there are two more rooms, one can be used as a barn, and we can also raise a donkey or something, so that it can be used as a foot support in the future, and the other can be used as a barn. As a hut. You love cleanliness the most, so you can save yourself from saying that the house smells bad."

The more An Dalang thought about it, the more beautiful it became, and he even thought that there are still many flattened places on the edge of his cave!Waiting for his family to have a child, and when the child grows up to marry a wife, he will build another house, surround the yard, and separate the children. One by one, there will be big yards and big houses. After many years, perhaps, here will be another A village, a village with a home.Those so-called Wangjiagou and Qinjiacun are my daughter-in-law's natal Zhaojiawozi, isn't that how they started!
Looking at the man who was having a sweet dream, Zhao Yiyi poked him amusedly to bring him back to his senses. He reached out and took a dozen mahogany hairpins, and when he turned around, those hairpins disappeared immediately. The number suddenly jumped up by a thousand, and the movement can be seen.It's 3000 again!

An Dalang scratched his head with a silly smile, seeing his wife started cooking again, the haggis was so full that it made him drool just looking at it, he couldn't be more satisfied, now there is something delicious again, so he turned his head quickly I walked over to the two children and started to work. Although the soil was not enough, the work itself took time, so it was better to finish it as soon as possible!Although he felt in his heart that with these two boys, he could hold his wife in his arms instead of being far away from her. He was very happy, but he still felt a little bit reluctant to let his wife sleep at the end of the kang, because she was afraid of the cold. Woolen cloth!
By the way, these two children are still young, this Kang doesn't need to be the boss!It can save some effort, well, let’s make it smaller, An Dalang is very motivated!The two children looked at their uncle's skilled work, and they also worked hard, handing the soil embryo, and helping to straighten the body. The seven-year-old child is a little more active in nature, even after experiencing life and death. For major events, with the company of relatives, under the unprecedented stability, he has more or less returned to his natural nature.Of course, they still have a lot of thoughts about being dependent on others, isn't that true, Zhao Yiyi only lit a fire here and started making haggis soup, and immediately sent a child over there to help light the fire, not for the colorful ones.

"Let me tell you, you two twins look the same as the ones that came out of the same mold. I can't tell which is the eldest and which is the second! Is there any distinguishing mark?"

Zhao Yiyi had just received 1000 yuan in the account, and was in a good mood. While cooking, she led the children to talk, and the one who was helping to light the fire blushed, and looked back for a while, seeing that An Dalang didn't help with the conversation. Only then did he softly whisper:

"Yes, I'm the eldest, and I have a small mole on my eyebrow, and Erbao's mole is on his ear."

He raised his head while speaking, obviously to let Zhao Yiyi see clearly, Zhao Yiyi lived up to his expectations, really took a closer look, and then said with a smile:

"They are really handsome children. Both of them are good-looking. They have moles on their eyebrows. This is a face that can be an official. Moles on their ears mean that they are lucky and rich. It seems that your brothers are promising. , remember to learn more skills, and you will be able to live up to such a good face in the future."

Zhao Yiyi joked a few words casually, this is a word of greeting in modern times, I don't even know if I said that, I can basically make up my own sackcloth look, what a nonsense!But saying this is very novel to the two children who believe that they are synonymous with misfortune. They even look at Zhao Yiyi with anticipation and excitement, hoping that she will make it clear that both of their parents died like this. No one wants, no one raises a child who is about to starve to death, and can only be raised by a family like his cousin who is about to belong to distant relatives. It is really strange that there is such a blessing.

The child's innocent, longing eyes made Zhao Yiyi feel uncomfortable all over his body, blinked his eyes for a long time, and then continued nonsense:
"This face is good, but it's useless if you don't work hard. If you really want to be successful in the future, then you have to learn your skills well. When you have learned your skills, when God gives you a chance, you can seize it. To be a blessed person, isn't it?"

Fooling children will also feel guilty!After Zhao Yiyi said these few words, she couldn't continue. Fortunately, the two children were very satisfied to have such affirmative comfort, and nodded hurriedly.Although An Dalang looked at the three of them talking with a smile, he also muttered secretly in his heart:
Is there really such a saying?Why don't I know it!Speaking of which, I seem to have small moles behind my ears too!Does that mean that I also have future blessings?Well, to marry such a good daughter-in-law, and to have such a shop for gods, seems really blessed!Sure enough, what the daughter-in-law said was true!
Well, Zhao Yiyi, you're never fooling around alone, it's all of you!

(End of this chapter)