My courtyard shelter

January 4th, the first weekend after the New Year.

Early in the morning, Xu Dong went to the grain store to buy the rations for January. Because the end of the month is the Spring Festival, this month's rations are much higher than the previous months. .

About a quarter more.

For most families, they finally don't have to go hungry this month, which is a cause for celebration.

However, the Spring Festival benefits are completely gone. Not to mention pork, even cooking oil is not distributed, which makes many people disappointed.

Looking at the rations brought back, Xu Ma nodded with satisfaction. Although her family is not short of food, no one will dislike having too much food.

"Mom, is there anything else at home? If not, I'm going out for a while."

Xu Dong plans to go shopping in Panjiayuan. The New Year is coming soon, and he wants to buy more New Year goods.

Xu Ma waved her hand: "You go, the family doesn't need your help."

"Okay, I will definitely be back before twelve o'clock."

After saying that, she took out the car keys from her pocket.

"By the way, where are you going?"

"Panjiayuan."

"That's great. If you come across someone selling mushrooms, remember to buy more. There aren't many left at home." Aunt Xu said.

The mushrooms at home were bought the year before last. At that time, we bought more than 100 kilograms of dried mushrooms. We can survive until now, thanks to Xu Dong's occasional replenishment.

"I've made a note. If there are any, I will definitely buy them all."

"You decide!"

After feeding the chickens, Aunt Xu carried the empty bucket into the kitchen.

There are still 32 chickens at home, and the chicken feed consumed every day is a full bucket.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have already discussed and planned to take advantage of the free time before the New Year to take the initiative to clean up a batch of old hens that are not diligent in laying eggs.

The triplets were playing in the yard. When they saw their father was going out, they immediately pestered him.

"Dad, where are you going?" Dabao asked.

"Dad has to go out for something, you guys keep driving your excavator!"

Erbao hugged his father's thigh: "Dad, I want to go out and play with you."

"No, Dad is going to work, and he doesn't have time to play with you three."

Panjiayuan was particularly lively before the Chinese New Year. Xu Dong didn't dare to take the children there. If they got lost, his mother and wife would tear him apart.

Finally, Xu Dong let Mark out and appeased the three brothers.

"Mom, I let Mark out. Please help keep an eye on him and don't let him slip out."

"I know, I'm at home, you should leave quickly and try to come back as early as possible."

...

Just after eleven o'clock in the morning, there was a knock on the door.

"Woof woof woof..." Mark kept barking.

Dabao touched Mark's dog head and ran into the kitchen with his short legs.

"Grandma, grandma, someone is knocking on the door outside."

Mother Xu wiped the water stains on her hands with an apron, and followed her eldest grandson to the yard with a puzzled look on her face.

Dongzi had only been out for more than an hour, so it was impossible for him to come back so soon. Besides, the third child drove out, so even if he came back, he would come in from the garage.

If other people came to visit, they would basically call in advance, and it was almost lunch time. Who would choose to visit at this time?

Xu Ma did not open the door immediately, but tied Mark up. It would be bad if a stranger came and bit him.

"Knock, knock..." The knocking continued.

"I'm coming." Xu Ma shouted at the door.

"Squeak".

The door was opened, and a sixty-year-old grandmother stood outside the door, and a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl followed her.

Xu Ma felt that the other person was very familiar, but she couldn't remember who it was for a while.

"Who are you?"

"Xiu Di, I'm your sister Xiu Yan..."

Zhang Xiu Yan said excitedly.

"Sister? Why did you come to Yanjing?"

Xu Ma was shocked. The person in front of her was her biological sister. The two hadn't seen each other for seven or eight years.

The main reason is that Zhang Xiuyan married to Chuzhou. Although Wanzhou and Chuzhou are close neighbors, they are still a little far apart.

In the early years, the sisters visited each other every year.

Later, as they got older, they visited each other every two or three years. In the past few years, they encountered drought, which delayed for more than seven years.

After not seeing each other for more than seven years, and Zhang Xiuyan shaved her hair, she looked much older. It was no wonder that Xu Ma didn't recognize her.

"We haven't seen each other for many years. I wanted to come and see you. You have seen my body. I might die at any time." Zhang Xiuyan sighed.

"Puh, puh, puh, what are you saying? Come in quickly. Is this Da Jie? I didn't expect that you have grown up in the blink of an eye."

Zhang Xiuyan and her deceased husband had a son and two daughters. Da Jie is the eldest granddaughter in the family, and there is also a younger sister who is in junior high school.

"Aunt, do you still remember me?"

"Yes, of course I remember. When I went to your house, you were not as tall as my chest. Now you are taller than aunt."

Zhang Xiuyan looked at Dabao beside her:

"Little sister, is this Dabao from Dongzi's family?"

Last year, Xu's mother sent a family photo to Chuzhou. Dabao was the fattest of the three brothers and could be easily recognized.

"Yes, Dabao, this is your aunt and cousin, call them."

"Aunt, cousin, hello!"

Dabao shouted obediently. The little guy was not afraid of strangers at all.

"Good boy, so polite!"

Zhang Xiuyan bent down and reached out to touch Dabao's head. There were only two granddaughters in their family, so they loved the little one.

When the group walked into the yard, Mark's barking became louder, and the dog chain was pulled with a rustling sound.

Zhang Xiuyan looked at the wolfhound and said in surprise:

"Little sister, your family really has a dog? I thought I heard it wrong just now!"

Although she had known that her brother-in-law's family had become rich, she never expected that at this time when food rations were so tight, they could still afford to raise a dog, and the dog was quite fat.

"It was raised by Dongzi."

Xu Ma walked over and kicked Mark, and the dog gave face to the old master and stopped barking immediately.

After a while, Yang Lina came out of the vegetable garden with Erbao and Xiaobao, and Xu Ma waved her hand quickly.

"Nana, come here quickly, Dongzi's aunt is here."

Yang Lina walked over quickly.

"Aunt!"

"Is this Dongzi's wife? She's getting prettier and prettier." Zhang Xiuyan complimented.

"How can she be prettier? She's old."

Yang Lina looked at the grandparents and grandchildren in front of her. Both of them were bald, without hats, and dressed neatly.

Mother Xu pulled Erbao and Xiaobao to her side: "This is your aunt and cousin, hurry up and call them."

"Hello, aunt, hello, I'm Erbao."

"Hello, aunt, hello, I'm Xiaobao."

The two little guys said crisply.

Zhang Xiuyan was even more curious now, "Look at how fair and tender they are, so pretty."

After a round of greetings, Yang Lina called her husband, saying that relatives were coming to the house and asked him to come back early.

Then she turned on the TV.

Let the three brothers of Dabao watch TV with their cousin, while Keke and Lele went to play at a classmate's house and would not be back until lunch time.

Mother Xu took her elder sister into the kitchen, and they chatted about family matters while cooking.

"Eldest sister, why didn't you call before you came? I could have Dongzi pick you up at the station."

"Alas, the train is often late, and we are not sure when we can arrive, so we don't want to trouble you. Besides, Da Jie is here, she took me here by subway, which is very convenient."

"We are all family, what is the trouble?"

"Okay, let's not talk about this. Little sister, where are your old Xu and Dongzi? Why do you have to work on weekends?"

"Dongzi is on vacation today. He went out to buy things early in the morning. Nana just called and will be back soon.

As for old Xu, alas, he basically has no holidays all year round now, and only rests for one or two days during the Chinese New Year. He is busier than before retirement."

Mother Xu said helplessly.

"My brother-in-law is now a big boss, and it's all his own business, so he must pay attention to it."

"He just can't rest. He is already a big age, but he has to toss and turn, and he doesn't even look at his body."

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