Wen Nuan heard from sister Juxiang that she was going to have a political and ideological class. It turned out that the cause was the matter of the two brothers He Dazhuang stealing pork, so she was curious about who had reported the matter to the political commissar's office.
However, Gu Qinghan was busy, so she didn't disturb him.
Sister Juxiang knew that Wen Nuan didn't dare to kill the fish, so she helped her prepare the herring before returning home, filleted it, and arranged it neatly on a plate.
I didn't expect that Sister Juxiang's knife skills were quite good. She sliced the fish fillets into the right thickness and placed the fish bones in a separate plate.
After Wen Nuan gave the child a carrot as a teething stick, she took out rice wine and flour to marinate the fish, which would make the fish taste smoother.
But Lele can't eat anything with alcohol, so she made another small bowl of food marinated with oil and flour, and this portion was for the little one.
Many people in the family compound use Chinese cabbage to make sauerkraut, but this kind of sauerkraut is not suitable for making sauerkraut fish, so Wen Nuan took out the mustard sauerkraut she made herself. This kind of sauerkraut is more refreshing and goes very well with rice.
The pot had just been lit when Gu Qinghan came home after shoveling snow from the yard. As soon as he entered the door, he heard the sizzling sound of oil.
He put the snow shovel back behind the door, then walked over to the stove and asked, "Why don't you ask me to light the fire?"
It was difficult to start a fire because of the warmth. Sometimes, even when the fire was about to start, she would add more hard wood, and the fire would go out after a while.
So as long as Gu Qinghan was at home, he would usually help to light the fire.
"It's okay, I've already lit the fire." Wen Nuan looked at the man and smiled, then focused on the work in her hands.
Wen Nuan calmly picked up the pan and fried the fish bones until both sides were golden brown. Then he added various ingredients and side dishes. In an instant, the whole house was filled with rich fragrance.
Add clean water and wait for the water to boil. The fish soup will gradually become thick and milky white. The rising steam will warm up the originally cold kitchen.
After the fish soup has been simmering for a few minutes, Wen Nuan pours the fish fillets in. She also puts a small pot on another smaller stove and heats the oil to fry the dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. After the fish meat is blanched for about ten seconds, she can remove the pot from the heat and pour in the oil.
Before pouring the chili oil, Wen Nuan packed a portion of low-salt and oil-free food for the child. She heard that children cannot eat too salty food before the age of one.
With the sound of "sizzling", the rich aroma rises up impatiently.
Lele, who was sitting on the cart over there, smelled the fragrance, and immediately threw away a handful of radish strips that he was holding tightly in his hand, raised his little arms and shouted "Ahhh" a few times towards the warmth.
Because there was a lot of pickled fish, Wen Nuan was about to lift the big pot, but Gu Qinghan, who was sitting in front of the stove, had already taken the handle of the pot before her: "The edge of the pot is hot, let me do it."
Wen Nuan saw that Gu Qinghan had already poured the pickled fish into a large bowl that had been prepared long ago, so she smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go get the rice, and you can bring the pickled fish in later."
"Well, I'll just brush the pot and bring it in." The man had already skillfully picked up the pot brush beside him and was ready to wash the pot.
When Gu Qinghan brought in the pickled fish, the little girl was already tapping the table with two chopsticks, but the next second Wen Nuan took her chopsticks away: "Children can't play with chopsticks, they will poke their eyes."
The little guy pouted his mouth and grabbed his little feet with his two little hands, feeling very aggrieved.
But after seeing Gu Qinghan put down a big pot of pickled fish, she jumped up and down excitedly again and shouted "Ah..."
Wen Nuan was afraid that she would fall to the ground, so she quickly held down the excited little girl, "Why are you so anxious? You just ate something, why do you look like you're hungry?"
"Okay, it's time to eat." Gu Qinghan immediately took the little girl who stretched out her hand to him from his warm arms, "Let me hold her, I'll eat faster."
Wen Nuan ate a piece of pickled cabbage, which was covered with soup and was particularly delicious. She thought for a moment and said, "Since Lele can sit steadily now, why not make her a taller chair that's about level with the table? Then she can sit on it by herself. It would be best if it has handles on both sides so that she doesn't have to fall down."
Listening to Wen Nuan's words, Gu Qinghan also thought that this was a good idea, which could free up the adults' hands. Many times, Wen Nuan would wait until the child was almost full before she held the child to eat, but the child was not always so well-behaved.
When the child is fussing about sleep or throwing a tantrum, you usually have to coax the child into sleep first before continuing to eat.
Gu Qinghan picked out the fish meat for the child, and then checked to see if there were any fish bones before giving it to the child. He replied, "Okay, there are still some wood left from making a cart for Lele. I'll see how to make it higher."
Wen Nuan picked up a piece of golden fried fish bone and some pickled cabbage and put them in Gu Qinghan's bowl: "Eat a little while it's hot and see if it tastes good."
Gu Qinghan could already smell the fragrance when the fire was burning. His stomach had already growled. He had always liked eating fish, no matter how it was cooked.
He looked at the child who was tasting the fish obediently, and then he picked up some meat and sauerkraut and put them into his mouth. The sauerkraut was covered with rich soup, still hot and scalding, and mixed with the fish, it had an indescribable softness and tenderness.
After eating the warm cooked fish, Gu Qinghan realized that the food was also varied. He thought that the meals for their pilots were of the highest standard in the army.
But it still pales in comparison to the warm cooked food.
He hummed, then picked up another piece of fish fillet. The sour and fresh taste instantly exploded on his tongue.
He smiled and said, "It's delicious. My wife, the food you cook is really delicious. It's much better than our flight attendant meals. I have never eaten such delicious fish."
Wen Nuan was delighted by the man's words. She smiled and helped him pick up several pieces of fish fillet and some pickled cabbage leaves. "If it tastes good, eat more. Otherwise, we don't know when we will finish such a big fish."
"The group has been organizing snow clearing these two days, and everyone comes back to eat at noon." Gu Qinghan also picked up two fish bones for Wen Nuan, allowing her to eat more meat.
"Okay, then I'll cook your meal tomorrow at noon." Wen Nuan added some pickled cabbage, which was more delicious, and then raised her head and asked him, "By the way, did you know that the family compound will have an ideological education class?"
Wen Nuan added, "I heard that the political commissar personally gave us family members a lesson. Was it because of what happened with He Dazhuang?"
Gu Qinghan said succinctly: "Yes, that's right."
Then he fed the little guy who kept screaming “Ahh” a mouthful of fish meat: “Taking other people’s things, the first time can be said to be young and ignorant, but the third and fourth time is already a problem with his ideological quality. If you don’t discipline him properly, he will not be much better in the future.”
Then Gu Qinghan became serious and said, "His father was an upright and brave soldier. I don't want his child to become like this."
After hearing this, Wen Nuan couldn't help but think of the first time she met He Dazhuang. He was just a child in his early teens, but the way he looked at Sister Guihua was really full of hatred. But Sister Guihua had helped him a lot before, and this was what he got in return.
As for Sister Juxiang’s two daughters, Xiaodong and Xiaomei, although Wen Nuan had not seen them many times, sometimes when they had snacks, they would ask Sister Juxiang first and would not just take other people’s things.
There is no harm without comparison.
As Gu Qinghan said, the first time might be due to ignorance, but if it happens three or four times, there must be something wrong with his thinking.
Whether in public or in private, Gu Qinghan hopes that the two children can study well and live upright lives.
Wen Nuan looked at him and said seriously, "I hope he can seriously change his ways this time."
Hearing this, Gu Qinghan's face became a little solemn, and he said in a slightly cold tone: "If you don't change, the family compound will not be able to accommodate people like him."
*
The news that the political commissar was going to give an ideological education class to the family compound spread throughout the compound within two days.
Although the political commissar did not directly mention any names during the meeting, when the pork theft incident was mentioned at the meeting, everyone knew that it was the incident in which He Dazhuang and He Xiaofei stole Liu Meili's pork.
Originally, they all thought that Li Qiuyan and Liu Meili had already resolved the issue privately, and the matter was basically settled.
Who knew that within a few days, the political commissar would call together all the family members in the compound to hold an ideological class.
There are many people in the family compound who have not received much education. Apart from being able to write their own names, they can hardly recognize any big characters. Now that they are suddenly going to class, everyone is a little emotional.
Besides, everyone is used to being idle, especially in the winter when people stay at home. Everyone wants to weld their butts to the warm kang, so who wants to give ideological classes
Therefore, after the lengthy ideological education class, many people had opinions about the two brothers He Dazhuang and He Xiaofei.
However, after the education class was over, He Dazhuang and He Xiaofei were taken away directly by the political commissar's men. This class must be related to them.
After the family members met the child's mother, Li Qiuyan, and the child's grandmother, Chen Sanmei, they earnestly advised: "Comrade Li, Aunt Chen, you said that our compound has been around for more than ten years, and not even a needle or thread has been lost. Now your child dares to steal pork... If he takes it, the child really needs to be disciplined and learn from it in the future."
"That's right. We have been in this compound for so many years and nothing like this has happened before. You should have a good talk with the child tonight. If something is lost, just return it. I'm afraid his mindset will become crooked."
"Your children are still young. If they make mistakes, they must be educated and criticized. Don't take it lightly, otherwise we parents will still worry about them in the future."
A large group of family members talked at once, not only surrounding Li Qiuyan and Chen Sanmei, but also making them feel ashamed. If they were not still in the auditorium, Chen Sanmei would have wanted to curse them out loud.
Chen Sanmei had not gotten over this anger yet, and was also worried about the child who was taken away by the political commissar. Her face turned green, and she just turned her face away and left.
However, Li Qiuyan still gritted her teeth, listened to the family members' suggestions, and nodded: "Thank you for your reminder, sisters-in-law. I will educate my children well when I go back."
Liu Meili, who was walking slowly with her three children, met Li Qiuyan's sad eyes when she left. She subconsciously explained to her, "Comrade Li, please don't look at me like that. I didn't report the political commissar issue."
Then Liu Meili continued, "Although your Dazhuang took the pork from my family, I erased it after that night. I have never said a word of gossip about your family again. If you don't believe me, I can swear in front of the portrait of the leader!"
Although Liu Meili was very angry that the two children stole her pork, she didn't take it seriously because Li Qiuyan's family admitted their mistake and compensated her with four pounds of pork and five yuan.
Who would have thought that the Political Commissar's Office would know about this within a few days, and they even said that they would organize everyone to have an ideological education class. No matter how you look at it, this seems like she is settling scores after the event.
But Li Qiuyan really didn’t.
After all, Li Qiuyan had told her privately that a female comrade in the cafeteria was about to give birth and there would be a vacancy at that time. Li Qiuyan said that she would see if she could also go to work in the cafeteria.
Liu Meili had wanted to find a job for a long time. She had been taking care of several children at home for the past few years and was almost becoming a shrew. Therefore, the compensation offered by Li Qiuyan was really attractive to her.
As for the incident of He Dazhuang and He Xiaofei stealing pork, Liu Meili didn't take it seriously.
Li Qiuyan was already embarrassed by the complaints of the sisters-in-law in the family compound. When she saw Liu Meili, she was really angry. She felt that she was hypocritical and greedy. On the surface, she seemed to have agreed not to pursue the matter, but turned around and reported it to the political commissar. What a two-faced little bitch.
However, seeing that Liu Meili was actually going to swear in front of the portrait of the No. 1 leader, she felt that this was not done by Liu Meili.
Li Qiuyan forced a smile and said, "Meili, you don't have to be so nervous. There were many people present that day, and I knew it was definitely not you. Besides, the political commissar gave everyone this class for the unity and stability of the family compound. My child did do something wrong, and I will definitely talk to them about it when I get back."
Upon hearing this, Liu Meili gently consoled him: "You can talk it over. Your Da Zhuang is already so old. If you explain the reason to him, he will understand. You should stop beating them."
Liu Meili had witnessed it with her own eyes. Li Qiuyan really beat the children to death. Although she would sometimes beat the naughty children, she never beat the children to death like Liu Meili did.
So Liu Mei forgave them, but she also watched their children get beat up so badly that they were both moms, but in fact they loved their children.
Li Qiuyan smiled and said, "Well, thank you very much. I will."
Liu Meili sighed: "I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go back home to fix the roof. Anyway, I swear to God that this matter has nothing to do with me. Don't misunderstand me."
Li Qiuyan nodded: "Of course I believe you."
Then, Liu Meili said "Oh" again, "It was actually a soldier named Li Daxiang who took your child out of the birch forest that day, otherwise I wouldn't know about the pork. Okay, I won't talk to you anymore. If I don't go back, I really won't have a place to sleep tonight."
After Liu Meili left, Li Qiuyan's expression instantly drooped, and her face became as dark as if ink was dripping out.
Then she saw Wen Nuan holding the child and slowly walking out of the auditorium.
Somehow, Li Qiuyan remembered that Liu Meili said that the child was caught by Li Daxiang in the birch forest. The birch forest was just behind the last row of red brick houses.
Li Qiuyan frowned. Isn't that Li Daxiang the soldier who asked someone to carry her to the infirmary on a stretcher last time
What was he doing in the birch forest that day
*
Wen Nuan carried Lele to the meeting. The auditorium was packed with family members from the compound, so she waited until most of them had left before she slowly walked out with Sister Guihua.
When I was walking out, I happened to run into Li Qiuyan and Liu Meili.
Sister Guihua whispered to Wen Nuan, "I heard that Liu Meili wanted to move to the house in the third row, but was rejected by the quarters."
"Really?" Wen Nuan finished the class, still thinking about He Dazhuang and He Xiaofei. She wondered what would happen to them after they were taken away by the political commissar's men.
However, the political commissar did not mention their names just now. I guess he wants to give the children a chance. It depends on whether they cherish this opportunity.
Sister Guihua continued, "Yes, it is said that the room where Liu Meili lives now had a wall collapsed due to the heavy snow. Fortunately, she said before that she wanted to switch houses with you. Fortunately, you didn't change houses with her before! Otherwise, your house would be the one that collapsed now."
When the two returned to the family compound, they really saw Liu Meili calling a few military comrades to come over to help repair the roof.
When Liu Meili met those warm eyes, she immediately felt guilty and turned back to the house.
In the days leading up to the Chinese New Year, Gu Qinghan seemed to be busy again. After training every day, he had to take time out to attend various meetings. He also had to go up the mountain to hunt for the New Year and so on. He would get home every night after the lights were turned off.
Fortunately, the man didn't have to go out on a mission for the time being. Wen Nuan waited for the man to come home every night before going to bed, but several times she was too sleepy to come home before he came.
There are still four or five days before the Chinese New Year, and Guihua's mother-in-law, Wang Xiaoxia, came over from her hometown.
Wen Nuan only then realized that Captain Zhou’s hometown was a coastal city. Wang Xiaoxia also brought a lot of dried seafood, including dried fish, dried shrimp, dried squid, etc.
However, Sister Guihua told Wen Nuan that her mother-in-law came to celebrate the New Year with them on the surface, but in fact she came to induce labor.
Zhang Guihua and Zhou Jianshe have been married for so long but have yet to give birth to a child. The elders in the family have been extremely anxious. This time they came from their hometown and brought a lot of folk remedies, saying that they were for regulating the health of Sister Guihua and her husband.
Sister Guihua was in great pain, but she didn't dare to speak. She drank the folk remedy made by her mother-in-law every day and vomited several times.
Because the two families lived close to each other, Wen Nuan sometimes smelled some very strange odors. She didn't know what kind of folk remedy they were, but the smell made people feel uncomfortable.
That day, Wen Nuan put the child to bed as usual. Before the lights were turned off that night, the man came back with two chickens.
Gu Qinghan smelled a strange smell when he entered the room, so he asked her curiously: "What's that strange smell? Did your medicine get burnt?"
He came home late these days, and he made the warm Chinese medicine himself. Many times when he came home, she was already asleep.
Gu Qinghan thought Wen Nuan fell asleep tonight and forgot to watch the fire.
Wen Nuan put down the needle and thread in her sweater and made a "hushing" gesture: "This is the folk remedy that Sister Guihua's mother-in-law brought from her hometown. Don't be so loud, the child is already asleep."
Then Wen Nuan saw the chicken in the man's hand and asked, "Did you catch it while hunting?"
Because the New Year is coming soon and it has snowed recently, the army organized everyone to go hunting in the mountains. Sometimes they would encounter pheasants and rabbits that were frozen to death, but the two chickens in Gu Qinghan's hands were alive and didn't look like pheasants.
Gu Qinghan put the chicken into a bamboo cage in the living room, which was left by someone else.
Gu Qinghan asked: "Do you still remember the comrade named Liu and the baby we met when we took the train to Beicheng?"
After hearing this, Wen Nuan nodded: "Of course I remember, Comrade Liu Mingfei, what's the matter? Is he coming over?"
Gu Qinghan washed his hands and then said, "No, these two chickens were sent to us by the political commissar through the biological parents of that child, saying they wanted to thank us for helping them."
After thinking for a while, he added: "After the New Year, the child's parents will probably come over as well."