happy old days

Chapter 41

Yang Zhenhai brought back a few baskets of mountain persimmons from the mountains. This was the fruit of the morning. When he came back, he saw more than a dozen pecan trees. He thought about eating before going. Now he admires the place he chose at the beginning. It's easy, it's not far to go to the wild forest, even if the village enters the mountain, it's on the west side, so there are so many wild fruits and so on, it's cheaper for him.

After entering the kitchen, she saw Jinniang busy.

"came back?"

"Well, why is the courtyard door open?"

"Oh, Cai Niang from the west of the village came over just now, and I think you're coming back soon, so it's okay."

"What is she here for?"

Jin Niang pursed her lips and smiled, "She came here to propose marriage to our father."

Yang Zhenhai was drinking water, when he heard it, he almost spit out, "What, you proposed marriage to our father, how did you respond?"

"What can I say, how can a daughter-in-law decide for father. I can only dismiss it."

Yang Zhenhai shook his head and smiled, "That's right, I'm thinking left."

Then diverted the topic, and the two talked about some mountain goods.

When Yang Zhenhai continued to go up the mountain in the afternoon, Jinniang returned to the main room and sat in front of the embroidery stand in a daze. Thinking of what Cainiang said today, Father Yang is only in his 40s, and he is in his prime in modern times, so he is not considered old here. If it was placed in the county town, it might have been continued long ago.

In the past, there was no separation in the family, the conditions were not good, and the old man was not in good health, so he didn't have the heart to think about it at all. Now that the family has moved to a new house, the conditions are good, and the matchmaker will naturally come to the door. She can't stop it. A filial piety Words can kill people.So in the end it all depends on Father Yang.In fact, if it was put into the modern age, she would have no idea. Even when she was young, there were people in the village who introduced a wife to her grandfather. At that time, she didn't stop her. After all, people still need a companion when they are old.

It's different now, Jinniang knows a lot about people in this era, women don't have much knowledge and know little, and they are narrow-minded, just like women in the village can quarrel over trivial matters, some things are totally inappropriate in Jinniang's eyes It is necessary to harm others and benefit oneself, but they take it for granted.

It is impossible for women to communicate with friends like in modern times. Except for mother and sister, there is no woman in this world who treats her well for no purpose. One of the nephews wanted Jinniang to teach Yingzi, and the purpose was not particularly simple. If Yang Zhenhai hadn't helped the second son of the Yang family from time to time, the second daughter-in-law would not treat her like this now, so Jinniang was very concerned about the possibility of coming. My mother-in-law has no confidence in building a good relationship.

If that is the case, her life will be difficult. Anyway, she is also Jinniang's mother-in-law in name, and she is kind, but bumps in life are inevitable.If she has a bad temper, hey... Jin Niang sighed, if that's the case, she won't let anyone destroy this home, this is her home.

That night, Yang Zhenhai went to Father Yang's yard to talk to him, and he didn't mention it again after that, but Cai Niang came again three days later, and the eldest aunt came with her. Jin Niang didn't know that Yang Zhenhai and Yang Lao What did dad say, what decisions did they make, whether she is a junior or a daughter-in-law, she has no say in this aspect at all, and she can't get involved in success or failure, otherwise the villagers may not be sure what to say.

So after saying hello to the auntie, Jin Niang went to work, Yang Zhenhai brought back a lot of mountain persimmons from the forest, Jin Niang picked the hard ones, peeled the skins and prepared to dry the persimmon cakes.Baogu has finished, and the two women who came to help have gone back. Both parties are very satisfied with this employment relationship. Jinniang has promised that they will be invited again if there is any business in the family.

The persimmons in the mountains are not big, but they are orange-yellow and reddish-yellow. They taste very good. They are just right for making persimmon cakes.

The kitchen is big, and Jinniang is sitting at the edge of the big kitchen table. The peeled persimmons are placed in a large basin below. With one knife, the skin of the persimmon also needs to be dried in the sun. After the persimmons are finished drying, they should be placed in a tank, covered with a layer of persimmon skin, and then put in a cool place to make frost. The lower the temperature, the better.

While doing this, she heard the voice of the eldest aunt, and Jinniang saw that the eldest aunt and Cai Niang had come out.Hurry up and send them off, "Auntie is going back? Sit a little longer?"

"No, there is still work at home." Seeing that the expression on the face of the eldest aunt was a little stiff, Cai Niang's expression was also not good.

Jin Niang helped send them out, watched them go down the steps in front of the courtyard dam, then turned around and asked, "What do you mean? How can I see that my aunt is unhappy?"

Yang Zhenhai curled his lips and closed the door, "What can I say, my father is not happy." He said and took Jinniang's hand into the room.

"Hey, don't pull me, this hand is sticky." Jin Niang quickly retracted her hand, "Why don't you like it?"

Yang Zhenhai stopped, glanced at her, seemed a little helpless, raised his arm and opened his mouth to bite Jinniang's hand, which smelled sweet and persimmon.

"Damn it, you are a dog."

"I've never seen you so stupid. Our family only needs one mistress." His little daughter-in-law is really stupid sometimes. In the past two days, both of them have seen that she has something on her mind, so they don't know What is she worried about, she is a good daughter-in-law, even if she doesn't like it in her heart, she doesn't say anything.Father Yang didn't have that kind of thought at all. He is living a comfortable life now, so why bother looking for discomfort.

"My father told me that it is serious to give him a grandson as soon as possible."

Jinniang blushed, "It's not up to me." The two of them had sex frequently, and Yang Zhenhai was full of energy. Except for a few days when they were young, they almost wanted it every day. If it wasn't for her recovering quickly, she couldn't bear it. They don't have contraception, so it stands to reason that they should have.

Yang Zhenhai smirked after hearing this, "It seems that I still have to work harder."

"You're necrotic." Jin Niang knocked him hard, this man is not a bit serious, he looks like he is in front of outsiders.

Cai Niang said that the matter of the matchmaker was over, but in the next few days, there were matchmakers coming to the house one after another, and they were all dismissed by Mr. Yang. Several uncles and uncles of Yang Zhenhai came over to ask for advice, but Mr. Yang clearly refused. .He really didn't care that much.

When Yang Zhenhai's mother was around, the two of them had a very good relationship. Of course, it's not because he couldn't let go of Yang Zhenhai's mother that he didn't renew the relationship. , he is living a comfortable life, his health is good now, he doesn’t suffer from any illness, he wanders around all day long, visits his son’s fields, herds sheep, fishes, and visits some brothers’ homes in the village when he’s bored. up.

He was even more satisfied with Jinniang. In fact, he also felt strange, how could the Chen family raise such a girl, not to mention the long ones, and the beautiful ones could be selected into the palace. He is even more like his biological father, thinking of everything ahead of time, being close but not overstepping, keeping etiquette but not rigid.A daughter can't do better than her. The three of them have a deep relationship. Apart from not having their eldest son and grandson in their arms, there is nothing wrong with him.

If you add another person, life might not be like this. Father Yang thought about it, and even lost that idea.At such an old age, it is better to live a good life.

In the blink of an eye, half a month later, all the things that should be dried at home, and those that should be put into the cellar, were all put into the cellar. Yang Zhenhai went to the mountain to pick some wild animals, among which Jinniang was most happy with hickory nuts and chestnuts. They are small in size, but they taste good. Yang Zhenhai found a few walnut trees, and many walnuts were overripe and fell off the trees, and the outer skins were dried in the sun.After mining, half of the courtyard dam was paved.I also found a small piece of chestnuts in the mountains, and most of them were transferred to the ground. Yang Zhenhai only got back two baskets. Few people ate this stuff before, and it was used to satisfy hunger in famine years. He only got it back because his wife could do everything. , I didn’t expect my daughter-in-law to make chestnuts in so many ways, and the taste is also good, especially chestnut cake, chestnut cake, chestnut braised pork, chestnut chicken, chestnut rice, all of which are very delicious. Father Yang especially likes them, thinking about next year I transplanted a few chestnut trees to the mountain behind. Next year, I should also remember the time when the chestnuts are ripe, and go to the mountain to pick them early.

After half a month of tossing around, the weather started to get colder. Yang Zhenhai bought the surplus grain at home, and after deducting the tax, he had eight taels of silver left over. He didn’t grow much and the family had more than a year’s worth of rations. It’s good to have ten taels left. up.Father Yang said that this year is a bumper harvest year.The sweet potatoes and potatoes went out to make seeds and food for the family, and Yang Zhenhai sold the rest to a restaurant in the county seat. Jin Niang provided several dishes made of sweet potatoes and potatoes, and finally bought 50 taels of cooking together with the secret recipe. up.Sweet potatoes are not expensive to buy, but the secret cooking recipe is the most expensive. Jinniang even asked Yang Zhenhai to sign a contract with the restaurant to supply them for three years at a price of five cents per catty.

Although the price seems quite low, it is actually equivalent to the price of coarse rice, and sweet potatoes that are more profitable are only a catty, which is very heavy. Sweet potatoes are still high-yielding, and the money for buying sweet potatoes and potatoes is enough for them for a year. pocket money.

However, this contract can only be signed for three years at most. Although they are the only ones who plant the sweet potatoes now, they will soon be learned by others. Before that, they gave Yang Zhenhai and his younger brothers [-] catties of seeds to each family, and they will plant them next year. Chen Jia and Jinniang's brother-in-law Zhang's family also gave it away. It is estimated that the overall price will drop in three years. This kind of thing is easy to grow and has a high yield, so it is destined to not be expensive.

Of course, they don't rely on this to make money. It's not bad to have so much income now.The reason why the restaurant agreed to supply them at this price was because of its exclusiveness this year.

Father Yang went fishing again. The pool behind their house is not big, but it is running water, and there are some fish in it, not small in size. Father Yang likes fishing there most now, and picks up duck eggs by the way when he comes back.

A few days ago, a few big ducks at home started to lay eggs, but they never lay at home. They especially like the bamboo forest by the pool. Even if Father Yang doesn’t go out during the day, he will go there in the evening to pick up duck eggs. Jinniang's pickled duck eggs are ready to eat, and now the old man eats half of them every morning, so he will never let any duck eggs slip through the net.

Yang Zhenhai went to the mountains to hunt wild animals. Now is a good time for autumn hunting. Not only did he go, but he also found the second and third children, plus Jinniang's two older brothers. Yang Zhenhai and others dare not go in.

Jinniang was at home by herself, making winter clothes on the big kang in the east chamber, when she heard the bell ringing at the door, she went out and saw that it was the fourth sibling.

"Why are the fourth siblings here free?" It was a rare guest, and she was followed by her dowry and a woman in her 30s.

"I'm thinking about my sister-in-law, come and have a look." The fourth daughter-in-law had a smile on her face, and her words were soft, as if she hadn't eaten for a few days and was hungry.

Jinniang felt goosebumps all over her body.

(End of this chapter)