Everyone in the Li family loved the child. Seeing Mingxi's lack of energy, they were all very anxious. Old Mrs. Li was afraid that the more she tried to persuade Mingxi, the more upset he would feel. Not only did she not dare to say anything, she also did not allow Li Muwu and Wang Sufen to comfort him, for fear of making the child even more upset. A group of adults squatted outside and were very anxious. They could only let Mingnan and Mingbei talk to him, but Mingxi, who was in a bad mood, did not want to say a word and just wanted to be alone for a while.
Zhenzhen moved closer to Mingxi, and seeing that he was absent-minded, she stopped talking and thought about bringing back something appetizing today. In Zhenzhen's opinion, no matter how big the matter is, it is not as important as eating. If you are unhappy and uncared, you will feel better after having a good meal.
While Mrs. Li was not paying attention, Zhenzhen sneaked back to Bingcheng and secretly filled up the five big holes. What Zhenzhen didn't know was that not long after she left, Miao Fuhai, who was unwilling to leave, always suspected that he had taken the wrong road, and had to come back to take a look, otherwise he would not give up. But when the group returned to the original place, the timid ones cried, and one coward even peed his pants. Oh my god, when I turned around, such a big hole disappeared. This place must be haunted. It's so scary.
Although the "Four Olds" campaign is being carried out now, the Northeast has nothing but all kinds of strange stories. These people grew up listening to stories about yellow-skinned people and fox gods, and watched many shaman dances when they were young. Although they are now saying "Four Olds" with their mouths, they still believe in those supernatural things in their hearts.
In less than twelve hours, they experienced such strange things one after another. Even the brave Miao Fuhai was scared. After returning home, some of them had fevers and some had nightmares. The elders in the family all grumbled that they had encountered a visitor. Now they dared not burn paper openly, but the family members would come out at night when no one was around to help call the soul back.
Only Meng Qingxiang, the owner of the western-style building, left the province early. The other four families finally found the big yellow croaker in the trunk after leaving Bingcheng. Looking at the heavy gold and the note, the families were all in tears. What is the most practical thing at this time? It must be gold! Thinking about the things left behind at home, there is actually nothing to remember. No matter how good the treasure is, it is not as important as the lives of the whole family. Although they did not plan to redeem the things in the future, they kept the note unanimously, hoping that one day when the world is peaceful, they will have the opportunity to come back to thank the mysterious person who sent charcoal in the snow.
There is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. Miao Fuhai and others did not dare to say such things publicly, but within a few days, all kinds of gossip spread everywhere, and some curious people came here to watch the excitement. The wealthy businessmen who lived not far away also came to take a look secretly. I don’t know whether they were uneasy about the current situation or were afraid of such weird things. Many wealthy businessmen and capitalists chose to leave Bingcheng. Zhenzhen secretly went to each family to take a look. If there was anyone who wanted to sell something, she would dress up so that she couldn’t be seen, and bought all the antiques and calligraphy and paintings. Let’s not talk about this later.
After Zhenzhen went to Bingcheng to fill the hole, she didn't do anything else. Instead, she moved a chair out of the tree house and sat outside to study where the buildings had moved to. A night had passed, and she still hadn't figured out where her space was hidden.
Zhenzhen touched her forehead first. She still remembered that when she traveled to the 1960s, she was hit by a drop of golden blood. However, after touching it for a long time, she couldn't find anything special. Her body didn't move at all and she was still sitting steadily on the chair.
Since it wasn't her forehead, Zhenzhen started looking for special places on her body, but Zhenzhen had always been fair and tender, without even a single mole on her body. Reluctantly, she took out a bag of dried apricots from the tree house, and put one in her mouth unhappily, thinking over and over again how she had hidden the things in the first place.
As if she had said something, Zhenzhen's eyes fell on the dried apricots in her hand. She hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Put the dried apricots away." Almost instantly, the dried apricots in Zhenzhen's hand disappeared.
Zhenzhen quickly stood up, turned around, and boldly said, "Put me away too."
Suddenly, a passage appeared in front of her eyes, with a faint light inside. Zhenzhen bravely stepped into it. The passage disappeared, and Zhenzhen appeared in a strange place. She could see the sun and clouds when she looked up, and she could feel the breeze with her body. She stepped on solid ground, but there was not a single blade of grass or tree here. There were only five foreign-style buildings standing abruptly in the middle.
"This place is too lifeless! It'll look better if there's some grass growing on it." As soon as he finished speaking, green and fluffy grass sprouted out of the soil, forming a soft green lawn in an instant.
Zhenzhen had to have at least a seed to control the growth of plants before, and this was the first time she had seen plants grow just by talking about it. Zhenzhen was a little confused as to whether her skills had been upgraded or this place was particularly special.
Through the thin soles, Zhenzhen could feel the soft touch under her feet. She simply took off her shoes and ran on them. When she was tired, she walked to the outside of one of the western-style buildings. The locked door slowly opened when she touched it lightly. Zhenzhen patted her chest and smiled bitterly: "It's like a horror movie. It's too scary."
After taking a look inside, the messy traces inside still showed how hurriedly the owner left. Zhenzhen walked around the living room and habitually went to the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, Zhenzhen was attracted by the aroma of food. She followed the aroma and saw a freshly fried steak in a pan on the gas stove, sizzling with oil. It seemed that the owner left in a hurry, and the spatula with oil was thrown aside and was about to fall. There was a soup pot on the other stove. Zhenzhen opened the lid and looked inside. It was stewed tomato beef brisket. Zhenzhen didn't understand how this family of Chinese and Western cuisine was eaten, but she still decided to finish the steak first with great interest.
Zhenzhen opened a cabinet on the side, took out a beautiful plate and a silver-paper knife and fork, carefully put the steak on it, found the black pepper sauce from the place where the seasonings were stored, and sprinkled it next to the steak.
Zhenzhen hummed a little tune as she sat at the dining table with a steak in her hand. She slowly cut off a piece of beef with a delicate silver knife and put it in her mouth to chew it. She didn't know what part of the cow the steak came from, but the meat was thick, tender and juicy. Zhenzhen couldn't stop eating after the first bite. If she wasn't a minor, she would have to taste it with a glass of red wine.
The steak was a portion for two people, but Zhenzhen, who had just finished breakfast, ate it all. After a burp, Zhenzhen rubbed her stomach and decided to do more work to digest the steak.
It took dozens of moves yesterday to finally empty Meng Qingxiang's house. Zhenzhen had to move everything back one by one. Everything else was fine, but the Ming Dynasty furniture and the valuable antiques could not be left outside for a long time. If left outside, with the temperature of minus 30 to 40 degrees Celsius in Beicha in winter and the snow as deep as the thighs, these furniture would crack in a few years.
Zhenzhen worked all morning and finally moved the things back. However, she did not dismantle the tree house. It was too much work to build it. She was reluctant to throw it away after using it for only one night. If it was left here, it would provide a place for nearby animals to hide in case of heavy snow or rain. Besides, the tree house was located deep in the primeval forest. There were many wild animals hiding nearby. No one had been here for hundreds of years, so there was no need to worry about being discovered.
Zhenzhen walked around several western-style buildings and took out a piece of beef. Looking at the fat and meat on it, Zhenzhen guessed that it was the meat under the ribs, which was the most tender and delicious. However, it was almost noon at this time, and there was no time to cook the beef. Zhenzhen found a lot of seasonings in the cabinet, took a bucket from the kitchen and went directly to the Yongcui River. In a few minutes, she filled a bucket with fat crabs and prawns, and then returned home satisfied.
Old Mrs. Li was sitting at the gate smoking. She watched from afar as Zhenzhen, holding things in both her left and right hands, hurried over to greet her: "Wow, how did you catch so many crabs? And you brought them back with water, they must be so heavy."
"This weight is not heavy for me at all." Seeing that Old Lady Li insisted on helping her carry the beef, Zhen Zhen handed the cloth bag to her: "How about Grandma help me carry the beef?"
"Beef?" Mrs. Li opened it and looked at Zhenzhen in surprise: "Where did it come from?"
Zhen Zhen scratched her face awkwardly: "Well, I met a cow..."
Old Lady Li rolled her eyes in disbelief. Her granddaughter was different from ordinary people since she was young. She had abilities that only gods could possess. Zhenzhen had brought home many wild animals, fish and shrimps in the past two years, but this was the first time she had brought a whole strip of meat. Old Lady Li looked at Zhenzhen seriously and asked in a low voice, "You didn't steal it, did you?"
Zhen Zhen was unhappy when she heard this: "Grandma, you underestimate me too much. Am I that greedy?"
Old Mrs. Li nodded immediately: "You are the greediest person in our family."
Zhen Zhen looked at her helplessly and said in a low voice: "Actually, I bought it from someone else. I didn't dare to tell you directly because I wasn't afraid of you scolding me."
Old Mrs. Li also knew that Zhenzhen had money. The big yellow croaker that Li Muwen took away that year was exchanged for a lot of money. Although Old Mrs. Li used the money to buy a bicycle to improve the family's life, she always felt that Zhenzhen deserved the money, and she often stuffed money into Zhenzhen's pocket. Old Mrs. Li roughly estimated that Zhenzhen must have at least forty or fifty dollars of private savings hidden in her handkerchief.
"You're spending money recklessly again. I won't give you money next time." Old Mrs. Li said angrily, but she still took the beef and helped carry the bucket in.
Mingbei had just picked a basin of persimmons from the garden and hurried over to help. Looking at the bucket full of crabs with their claws bared, Mingbei was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth: "Sister, I admire your hunting, fishing and catching crabs the most. No one around us is better than you. You said that you caught rabbits with your bare hands, maybe it was Dahuang who helped you, but is there anyone in the river who helped you catch fish and crabs?"
Zhenzhen made a face at him, but before she could say anything, Mrs. Li suddenly asked, "Who is Da Huang?"
Zhenzhen: …
Mingbei's hair stood up when he saw Zhenzhen's sinister smile. He scratched his head with a wry smile and quickly went into the house with the bucket. Old Lady Li glanced at Zhenzhen and asked, "Who is Da Huang?"
Zhenzhen smiled awkwardly: "Well, it's just a monkey on the mountain. If it's yellow, we call it Dahuang."
Zhenzhen brought back a lot of crabs and shrimps. In addition to steaming some of them, Wang Sufen began to cook spicy shrimps and spicy crabs according to Zhenzhen's instructions. In the past few years, the Li family caught crabs and didn't know how to eat them other than steaming them. But since Zhenzhen grew up in the past two years, the food the Li family eats has become more and more strange. The main reason is that Zhenzhen not only likes to order dishes, but also often directs Wang Sufen to cook. Those dishes are either too oily or too sugary, and they waste a lot of food.
After complaining as usual, smelling the spicy smell in the room, Wang Sufen looked at Zhenzhen helplessly: "You poured half a basin of chili in the hot summer, aren't you afraid of getting blisters on your mouth!"
"It tastes best when it's spicy enough. Otherwise, why put chili in it? Besides, spicy food increases appetite and makes you feel good." Zhenzhen looked into the inner room, pulled Wang Sufen down by the arm, and whispered, "Mom, just wait and see. When my brother eats this spicy shrimp and crab, he will be happy for sure."
"Do you think your brother is as greedy as you?" Wang Sufen glanced at her unhappily. Zhenzhen smiled and pushed her back to the kitchen: "Mom, please watch the pot quickly. Don't burn my crabs. I'll go call my brother to eat."
Mingxi was leaning against the kangqin in the inner room, listening to the radio. Seeing his frown, Zhenzhen was almost worried: "Second brother, the radio you listen to is different from the one I listen to. I always laugh happily, but you look at your eyebrows, they are almost knotted."
"You don't understand what's going on now." Mingxi glanced at Zhenzhen, looking like he didn't want to say more.
"Why shouldn't I understand? I listen to the radio all day and I understand more than you do." Zhenzhen sat down on the kang and put on the same attitude as Mingxi: "Don't be fooled by what the radio says, but I think it's a bit chaotic now. If you're not careful, you can get involved. Brother, don't be foolish and join the movement. Oh, and the college entrance examination was cancelled at the beginning of this year. I guess college students may not be popular in the future."
Mingxi smiled and ruffled Zhenzhen's hair: "You are young, but you know a lot."
"That's right." Zhen Zhen grinned: "I am an understanding person."
Seeing Mingxi laughing, Zhenzhen quickly pulled Mingxi off the kang: "Alright, stop listening to the radio and eat quickly. Do you smell the fragrance outside? Are you drooling?"
"What's that smell? The whole room is filled with spiciness. Is it you who is causing all this trouble?" Mingxi tapped Zhenzhen's head and looked at her with amusement: "No one in our family is as capable of doing this as you."
Zhenzhen was about to speak when she looked up through the window and saw Mingdong coming in with a sack on his back: "Brother is back, he's so lucky to know that we've had a good lunch." Mingxi's face also showed joy, and he rushed out to help Mingdong get the things.
Mingdong filled a basin with water to wash off the sweat on his face and body, then raised his bare chest high and looked at his meat bun curiously: "Do you still remember Dad? Do you miss him?"
Roubao was so amused that he giggled. Mingdong smiled and kissed his little face, then put him on the ground: "Where's your mother?"
"I'm changing Doubao's bellyband." Roubao replied, then ran to the backyard with his little legs: "I'll go call my mom."
Mingdong went to college to teach at the beginning of the year. This was his first time back home. Mrs. Li couldn't help but ask him how he was doing at school. Mingdong always said it was fine. Mrs. Li smiled, but she was still a little suspicious when she saw Mingdong's dark complexion and rough hands: "He has become like this in just half a year. He looks more like a worker than a teacher."
The spicy crabs, which were greasy and covered with red peppers, were served. Zhenzhen took one and handed it to Mingxi first: "Second brother, try it and see if it tastes good."
Mingbei looked at Zhenzhen indignantly: "I'm the one who takes you out to play at home all day, but you forget about me as soon as your second brother comes back. You have no conscience." Zhenzhen picked up a spicy shrimp and stuffed it directly into his mouth, and his ears were finally at peace.
Maybe spicy food really can make people happy. Mingxi had a smile on his face after eating half a crab. After eating one, he picked up a fat and big crab and put it in the bowl, biting it with his claws, which made a crackling sound.
The family finished their meal and waited for Mrs. Li to take a nap. The brothers went to the west room and closed the door to talk. Mingxi asked him quietly, "Now many teachers in many places are being paraded and reformed. Do you have any problems?"
Mingdong shook his head. "I am now very careful with my words and actions. I don't say much except what is said during the lecture. Anbei is more closed than Beicha, but it has its advantages. Those students don't do anything radical except posting big-character posters."
Mingxi sighed, "It's okay for now, but as the news spreads over the radio and the movement develops, sooner or later this fire will burn you. Brother, do you have any idea?"
Mingdong shook his head with a wry smile: "What can we do? We can only wait and watch." He took a cigarette from the cigarette box and put it in his mouth, but he couldn't light the match with both hands. Mingxi sighed, took the match and helped him light the cigarette.
After taking two puffs of his cigarette, Mingdong glanced at his three younger brothers: "To be honest with you, this leave is specially approved by the principal..." Mingdong didn't finish his words, but everyone understood what he meant. This was to allow them to reunite with their family, and they might be criticized/struggled against at any time.
"I have a good family background. I am a poor peasant for three generations. I won't be criticized or struggled against, but I may be sent to labor reform. Anbei Farm just brought in a few university teachers and presidents a few days ago." Mingdong took a puff of cigarette and said, "In fact, our president secretly inquired about it. He also followed me to farm. This is my major. It's a good opportunity to practice more. There's no harm. But if I go in, I don't know when I can get out."
Just as Mingdong finished speaking, a heart-wrenching cry suddenly came from outside the window. Mingdong quickly dropped his cigarette and leaned over the windowsill to look. He happened to meet Guihua's eyes with red eyes: "I was a good teacher, why do you have to do labor reform? I haven't done anything to offend others. Is it because of my poor family background that I have affected you? Otherwise, let's get a divorce. I will make it clear to them that I have nothing to do with you."
Mingdong wiped her face helplessly through the window: "This has nothing to do with you."
Guihua cried so hard and sharply that Old Lady Li climbed up from the kang. Wang Sufen also ran over from the garden and pulled Guihua to ask, "What's wrong with you? Why are you crying?"
"Mom, Mingdong said that all teachers have to go to labor reform." Guihua cried breathlessly. Old Mrs. Li had just walked halfway when she heard this and paused. She remembered what Zhenzhen said when Mingdong just assigned a job, and immediately turned around and went back to the east room.
Zhenzhen had been busy all morning and had eaten a lot at noon. She lay down and fell asleep as soon as she touched the pillow. Old Lady Li patted her arm and asked her when she opened her eyes, "Bao'er, when your eldest brother wanted to be a teacher, you said you felt uneasy. What was going on?"
Zhen Zhen's face changed when she heard this: "My elder brother is going to labor reform?"
"How do you know?" Old Mrs. Li asked hurriedly.
Zhenzhen pointed at the radio on the cabinet and said, "We talk about it every day. There are a lot of noises going on in many places now."
"What can I do? If you know, he won't be allowed to go to college. I've screwed him over." As she spoke, Mrs. Li started to cry, tears streaming down her cheeks. Since Zhenzhen was born, she had always remembered Mrs. Li as a strong person. This was the first time she cried like this.
"Grandma, don't worry, it's not that serious." Zhenzhen took out her handkerchief and wiped the tears of Grandma Li. When Grandma Li heard this, she immediately grabbed her hand and asked, "Baoer, tell Grandma why it's not serious."
Zhenzhen thought about her words and then said, "My brother majored in agriculture. To put it bluntly, he teaches people how to grow more food. There are so many people in our country, and most of them can't get enough to eat. Food is very important to both the people and the country. In the past two years, there were only a few hundred college students graduating from their Agricultural University, and there are only a few in various places. For a school as big as Anbei, my eldest brother is the only one who graduated from a formal agricultural college. Do you think he can endure hardship? I guess I will have to chase him to learn how to farm."
Old Lady Li felt relieved after hearing Zhenzhen's analysis, but she still felt bad that she didn't know when Mingdong would be released once he was locked up. Zhenzhen said quickly, "Although all schools have suspended classes, this won't last long. Just wait and see. My brother will be able to come out and continue teaching in a year or so at most."
"Really?" Old Mrs. Li asked impatiently.
Zhen Zhen nodded quickly, patted her chest, and said with great certainty: "I am sure."
If someone else had said it, Old Lady Li might not have believed it, but when Zhenzhen said it, Old Lady Li was absolutely assured. Not to mention that this was a god-like ability, even this intuition was more accurate than others. When Mingdong was assigned a job after graduation, Zhenzhen said that this was not a good thing, and it was not because of her that she said it.
Old Lady Li quickly got off the kang: "I'll go tell Mingdong."
Seeing this, Zhen Zhen quickly shouted, "Don't tell me what I said."
Old Lady Li pushed Zhenzhen back onto the kang and said, "Don't worry, your grandma is not stupid." Then she quickly ran to the next room and asked about the whole story. Then she repeated what Zhenzhen had said. Mingxi stared at Old Lady Li in amazement and stammered, "Grandma, how come you can analyze the situation? Don't you listen to Journey to the West at home all day?"
"We won't broadcast that now." Old Lady Li tapped her pipe and stuffed a handful of tobacco leaves into it: "I'll listen to the news. Mingdong, you listen to grandma. If you really want to go to reform, don't be afraid. I promise you'll be out in a year." Old Lady Li tapped her chest three times: "I promise."
The author has something to say: I finished writing it before 12 o'clock. I will update it first, and then correct the typos. We will dance together in the next chapter. There won't be too many sports things after that, as it will mainly be our Zhenzhen's home court.
As for Mingdong, he won't be abused, because his profession is too useful. Oops, I accidentally gave away the plot again~~
Kaka resigned today because he really didn't want to write until midnight every day, so to celebrate, let's give out a hundred red envelopes. I'll check tomorrow to see if the red envelopes for the first two chapters have been given out, and if not, I'll make up for it together.