Wang Ying started drooling when she heard about taro. It wasn't that she was greedy, but the Seventh Brigade didn't grow taro, and this time she could unexpectedly get some from the commune.
Wang Ying was very excited: "Put the taro under the earthen stove. Put two in for me first."
When I get home in the evening, I can dip the taro in sugar!
Xu Shuang was originally dissatisfied with the team's approach, but seeing Wang Ying so enthusiastic and focusing all her attention on the taro, her anger dissipated, and she rubbed her hand unhappily: "Come back soon."
Wang Ying watched him walk away, then went back into the house with her lunch box.
Cheng Shufen looked envious: "That person just now was your lover, right? He's so good to you."
Wang Ying shared the dumpling soup and the steamed buns between the two of them: "Of course, otherwise why would I marry him."
The dumpling soup was cooked just right. Xu Shuang did not add too much oil or salt. It was not because she was reluctant to do so, but because she saw that both of them were very cold and she did not know if they had any other illnesses. So a bowl of light dumpling soup would be more suitable at this time.
The hot dumpling soup has an egg in it, some chopped green onions and a little sesame oil sprinkled on top.
Cheng Shufen was fine. Although she had been hungry for a long time, she still had the posture. She ate slowly and sipped.
The little girl named Xiaoyu was not so calm. She stuffed food into her mouth in big mouthfuls, and even eating a steamed bun looked like a ferocious eater.
Wang Ying found it interesting and felt that this little girl's style really didn't match Cheng Shufen's.
Cheng Shufen finished drinking the dumpling soup: "Of course they are different. I am a female singer, and she learned to be a martial artist before she was nine years old."
Cheng Shufen still feels as if these things happened yesterday: "She studied Wusheng for a few years, but later she couldn't keep up. Her parents said they would take her home to raise her for a few years and then marry her off, but she didn't want to, so she wanted to change her role to Dan with me."
Xiaoyu ate half of the steamed bun and reluctantly handed the remaining half to Cheng Shufen. Cheng Shufen touched her head lovingly but refused to take it.
Xiaoyu ate Wang Ying's food, and now she no longer had the prickly expression she had at the beginning towards Wang Ying.
"They were not nice to me at all. They asked me to go back because they thought I couldn't make money at the Peking Opera House and wanted me to go home and take care of my brother."
Xiaoyu's eyes lit up like bright stars: "I don't want to go back!"
Cheng Shufen also said with emotion: "After I got into trouble, Xiaoyu insisted on following me."
In fact, it was fortunate that she had someone to care about, otherwise Cheng Shufen really felt that she might not be able to hold on.
She started performing on stage when she was 13 or 14 years old. She became famous early on because of her good looks and strong singing skills. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, she joined the Peking Opera Theater and sang for so many years that she herself didn't know what her life would be like without Peking Opera.
Fortunately, Xiaoyu followed her, allowing her to find a new goal after losing her life support.
Wang Ying asked Xiaoyu: "So your name is Xiaoyu, what's your last name?"
Xiaoyu was full of stubbornness: "My last name is Cheng, you can just call me Cheng Yu!"
Cheng Shufen embraced the child who had walked thousands of kilometers with her and said, "Nonsense, your last name is obviously Hu."
Xiaoyu: "You got into trouble and they won't let me go home. I don't want to have the surname Hu! My surname is Cheng."
Wang Ying did not comment, and said, "Then your name is Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu, what are you going to do next? Your master can't leave. Our brigade will not give her work points, but she will have food rations. But you are a minor, so you won't get any food rations."
The girl who was like a little tiger just now was stunned. She didn't expect that she would encounter such a situation when she followed the teacher.
"Can't I just go to work with you? I can work and earn work points, and then give them to the teacher."
Wang Ying: "Probably not."
At Cheng Yu's age, no matter how capable he is, he is just a half-grown child. I'm afraid the members will not be happy about this.
Cheng Yu was obviously a little frustrated. She didn't expect that she would become a burden to the teacher by following along.
Wang Ying then threw out her thoughts: "The place where you live is behind the mountains. Our brigade relies on the mountains for its livelihood. I forgot to introduce myself to you. I am the barefoot doctor of our brigade. I often go up the mountain to pick herbs."
Cheng Yu looked at Wang Ying with burning eyes and expectant expression.
Wang Ying was amused by her: "How about this, you follow me to pick herbs, and I'll tell the captain about this later. I'll convert the herbs I pick into food for you, how about that?"
Cheng Yu agreed without even thinking: "I can!"
She said anxiously: "I used to be a martial artist. I am very flexible and I can climb very high!"
Wang Ying looked at her with a smile, and Cheng Shufen was also extremely grateful. Even she herself had not expected that she would have such good luck to meet a good person like Wang Ying when she was sent down to the countryside.
Children get familiar with people very quickly. As long as they get a little bit of sweetness, they will forget the bitterness they have suffered. After a while, Cheng Yu started to call Wang Ying "Sister Ying".
"Sister Ying, should I learn Chinese medicine from you? Can I learn it?"
The little girl entered the Peking Opera Theater at a very young age, and could barely recognize a few words, but had never been exposed to anything else. Now she felt that she had taken on the heavy responsibility of earning food for her teacher, and she was actually a little nervous.
Wang Ying said firmly: "You can definitely do it."
After finishing the meal in a lively manner, Wang Ying took the lunch box away and found the bedding that the original owner used to sleep on at home. Although it was worn out, the cotton had just been fluffed a few days ago, so it could be used at this time.
Cheng Shufen was so grateful that she didn't know what to say, but Wang Ying interrupted her words and said, "When spring comes, your little girl will follow me to the mountains to suffer hardships. These are considered advance payments to you."
Cheng Yu was ambitious: "I'm sure I can do it! Sister Ying, just look at my performance!"
Wang Ying put down the bedding with a smile. It was too late, so they didn't have a kang to keep warm. But even if they had a kang, the two of them couldn't keep it warm all night. Not only did they have no firewood, but most importantly, they couldn't let anyone see them.
Wang Ying sighed, fortunately her home was right behind the mountain, and the place Cheng Shufen was assigned to was not far from her home, making it convenient to take care of her.
"The food the brigade has distributed is taro. I don't think it's enough for you to just eat this. I'll send you something else later, for three to five days at a time. You have to cook here too..."
Wang Ying didn't take charge of all the food and drinks. If she had really taken charge of providing them with good food and drinks, she would have been unable to do her job soon.
"I'll ask my wife to come over and build a clay stove for you tomorrow, and you'll have to take care of the rest on your own."
Cheng Shufen was so grateful that she didn't know what to say: "This is enough, thank you!"
Wang Ying sighed and left.
The shabby house could not retain heat, so Cheng Shufen hugged Cheng Yu and huddled in the quilt. Both of them had never been to such a cold place, and the bedding Wang Ying gave them was not big, so the two of them could only sleep in each other's arms.
Cheng Yu was already sleepy. She hugged Cheng Shufen and whispered, "Sister Ying is so nice. Teacher, I haven't eaten white flour for a long time."
That bowl of dumpling soup was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten.
Cheng Shufen stroked her hair and said lovingly, "Then we can't take other people's kindness for granted, right?"
Life in the countryside is not easy now. It is already very rare that Wang Ying can give them two bowls of dumpling soup and steamed buns. They should be content to be able to meet such a kind person in this place.
Cheng Shufen: "Go to sleep quickly. When we get up tomorrow, we will quickly clean up the house. We can't rely on others for everything."
Cheng Yu nodded: "Yes! I understand."
Cheng Shufen looked out through the leaky window. There was a layer of white snow outside, but the snow had stopped in the afternoon. The glittering snow reflected the unexpected beauty.
Cheng Shufen gradually felt the strength slowly returning to her body. She had not seen enough of such a beautiful view.
Even though she was abandoned by her own students and her costumes were burned by them, leaving Cheng Shufen with only the little girl by her side, she now feels that her life may not be over yet.
No matter how thick the snow is, it will disappear in spring.
Not to mention that there are kind-hearted people like Wang Ying who saved her from freezing to death in the snow.
When Wang Ying returned home, the taro had been in the stove for nearly an hour. Wang Ying rubbed her head and face, and when her whole body became warm, she couldn't wait to eat the taro.
Xu Shuang peeled the taro for her and scooped a small spoonful of sugar from the bag into the bowl. Wang Ying happily dipped the taro in the sugar. The hot taro was sweet and made Wang Ying smile.
Seeing that she was enjoying the meal, Xu Shuang brought her a basin of hot water and said, "Soak your feet while eating."
After being outside for a long time, even the soles of your feet are cold. Wang Ying doesn't like to wear cloth shoes at home because she always feels cold.
"The slippers you mentioned, my mother said they can be made in the next two days. It's a pity that the team didn't catch any foxes this year, otherwise I could get some fox fur to make you a scarf."
Wang Ying thought this was great: "It would be nice to wear cotton slippers at home. I can make a lot of them with the little jacket I took apart. There are three of us, so each of us can have a pair."
The original owner had a cotton-padded jacket that was many years old, and the cotton inside had become hardened. Old Mrs. Xu made her a new cotton-padded jacket, and the old one was small and torn, so it was left in the suitcase.
A few days ago, Wang Ying was annoyed that she had to stay at home for a long time in winter, and her feet were frozen just wearing cloth shoes, so she took out her cotton clothes and wanted to make cotton slippers. However, her sewing skills were only at the level of mending clothes, and she was really not good at sewing soles. So it was Old Lady Xu who volunteered to take over and prepare to make her a pair of cotton slippers that she could wear indoors.
Wang Ying had finished eating the taro and was half full, so Xu Shuang brought in the porridge for dinner, and the two of them drank the porridge and ate steamed corn bread.
Wang Ying lamented that she still couldn't eat white flour every day this year, but fortunately Xu Shuang had good cooking skills and could make steamed corn bread with unique flavor.
The two people were not dull at the dinner table, as they talked to each other about what they had seen and heard that day.
Wang Ying mentioned Cheng Shufen and the other person: "Here's what I was thinking. After the spring, I plan to find a place in the back mountain where few people go and see if I can plant some medicinal herbs. That little girl looks good, she's smart and has some skills. I want to ask her to help me keep an eye on the medicinal fields... She came here with us, and the brigade probably won't be able to accommodate her. If I do this, it won't be appropriate to pay her later, so I plan to get them some inconspicuous food or grain. What do you think?"
Wang Ying did not hide her sympathy for these two people, but at the same time she really thought Cheng Yu was suitable.
Originally, she had the spiritual spring in her hands and intended to try some new ways and methods. The mountain of their team was an inexhaustible treasure trove. However, no matter how treasure-trove it was, some medicinal herbs would take several years to grow naturally. If they just dug them without planting them, they would not be able to make a living from them in a few years.
Wang Ying thought about starting a small medicinal field, or planting seeds one by one. As long as she remembered the location, she could dig them up when the time came. Anyway, with the spiritual spring in hand, the possibility of them dying was not very high. Didn't you see that the skinny pig had grown by more than ten pounds in the few days since it came? It can be seen that the golden finger is indeed a golden finger.
However, she couldn't do the job of growing medicinal herbs by herself, and she couldn't stay in the mountains all the time, as she still had to treat patients at the foot of the mountain.
If you need help again...
Xu Shuang has her own job and can help her, but she can't spare much time.
Old Mrs. Xu is old and it is difficult for her to go up the mountain, let alone look after the medicinal fields.
Wang Ying was hesitant about looking for other people in the team, for fear of finding someone with an unreliable mouth. Besides, everyone in the team had to go to the fields, so there was no suitable one.
From this perspective, Cheng Yu is the most suitable person because he has no relatives, has some skills, and no one can keep an eye on him on a daily basis.
"I'll go and tell the captain verbally that Cheng Yu won't get any rations. She's just a little girl and can't do anything else. I'll teach her a few herbs and she'll pick them for me, and I'll give her some rations."
Wang Ying told Tian Youfu so that he would have an idea in mind. She guessed that Tian Youfu himself was probably worried at the moment.
Cheng Shufen was easy to deal with. She received the same treatment as other brigades, carrying manure and doing the work. When the commune held a general meeting, they would send her there. In other aspects, Tian Youfu did not make things difficult for her and would give her the food rations she deserved.
But Cheng Yu was just a child and she was a minor. Strictly speaking, she was not sent down to the countryside at all. It was not right to ask such a person to work, and it was not legitimate to ask her to do so. It was even more wrong to distribute food to her, because the amount of food in the brigade was limited.
Wang Ying said: "The captain will probably agree."
With Wang Ying teaching her about herbs, she was able to dig them herself to earn some food. She didn't run away and stayed quiet, not bringing shame to the members and making them remember her. That was enough.
Xu Shuang also thought this was a good idea. From this perspective, there was no more suitable candidate than Cheng Yu.
"Whatever you think is good."
Wang Ying: "You have to agree to this, it's enough to provide food for one more person."
Wang Ying feels that when two people get along, there must be at least a family atmosphere, for example, they must discuss things with each other.
Xu Shuang: "I think it's okay. We have prepared a lot of things this year, so we can take care of it for the winter. But... don't be too conspicuous when you go."
Wang Ying smiled and said, "Don't worry. We deliver food every three to five days. They get taro, right? Put some taro on top and some vegetables and grains on the bottom. You don't need to give them anything too conspicuous. Help them build a stove and find two sheets of newspaper to cover the windows."
I can’t give them other things, such as clothes, but I can help them find something to hold water, otherwise getting water every day will be a problem.
Early the next morning, Wang Ying got up, had breakfast, wrapped herself tightly, and then went to find Cheng Shufen.
When I arrived, I found Cheng Shufen and Cheng Yu were already busy.
Cheng Shufen cleaned the floor in her room and folded up the tattered bedding in the room she lived in. Cheng Yu found a long wooden board from somewhere and cleared the snow in the yard to create a path.
Although the brigade will arrange a snow-clearing team, Wang Ying also knows that the snow-clearing team will not clear this place.
Cheng Yu had been busy all morning, and the little boy was full of energy, feeling hot all over.
Wang Ying brought breakfast for the two of them, a steamed bun for each of them with salted dried radish in it, and a bucket of hot cornmeal porridge.
It’s not great, but at least I won’t starve.
Cheng Yu drank it all in one gulp. The steamed corn bread itself was a bit irritating to the throat, but it tasted salty and fragrant.
"Sister Ying, this morning an auntie came to see me and my teacher secretly... the one who quarreled with you yesterday."
Wang Ying immediately guessed that it was Li Chunjuan: "What is she doing here?"
Cheng Yu looked unhappy: "She lay at the door and looked at us, then she muttered and left."
This is not difficult to guess. Li Chunjuan probably thought that Wang Ying would arrange something good for the two of them and then sue her.
Wang Ying heard about it all. After she left yesterday, Li Chunjuan was very upset for a while, thinking that four work points a day were too many and it was unfair to give them to Wang Ying.
"Ignore her, she has a mental problem."
Li Chunjuan's idea was quite wicked. If Wang Ying didn't take good care of her, she would be in trouble. If she took too good care of her, she would inevitably be accused of being too close to the reformed elements.
Wang Ying thought, my aunt is really annoying. It's like that thing crawling on your feet. It doesn't bite you, but it's disgusting.
After Cheng Yu finished his meal, he became more excited.
Wang Ying instructed her: "Don't worry about the outside. It's not a bad thing if it's a little dirty outside. Clean up the house and seal the doors and windows so it won't be too cold at night. Just clean up the room you live in, don't worry about the rooms next door."
Wang Ying went to the brigade headquarters and reported the details of her resettlement to Tian Youfu. Tian Youfu was very pleased. He thought that Wang Ying's way of handling the matter was very good, neither too far nor too close.
The life of reformed elements cannot be too good, but Tian Youfu does not want to torture them on purpose.
"You did a great job. Just follow this standard in the future."
Wang Ying took the opportunity to talk about Cheng Yu, and Tian Youfu also worried: "This girl is really difficult to deal with. If she is 18 years old, our team can at least ask the commune for advice. She is not old enough, so it will be troublesome to arrange anything for her."
Wang Ying tried to find out: "Do you think this will work? In the spring, I will teach her some knowledge about herbs. Our brigade doesn't care about her food anyway, so she can find some herbs on her own in the back mountain. Of course, I won't pay her for the herbs, but I will give her some food rations from my family's private plot."
Tian Youfu was so happy that he didn't know what to do. In a brigade, there was a troublemaker like Li Chunjuan who would stir up trouble even if there was nothing to do. There was also someone like Wang Ying who could always help him solve his problems.
“That’s great!”
At least the person was tied up, and the provincial team could quarrel over her food rations later.
Wang Ying was in a much better mood after she settled the matter. She asked the brigade for some charcoal and firewood. Cheng Shufen and her husband lived in a dilapidated house, and without firewood, they could freeze to death at any time.
Tian Youfu pondered for a moment and decided to give a little, but not much, just enough to burn for a while in the evening, and only a small amount of charcoal was given.
Wang Ying was very content, having something was better than having nothing. It was not that her family could not afford this, but it was a problem no matter how you looked at it.
Tian Youfu also found a few people to help repair the courtyard wall. Although they were repairing the courtyard wall, there were not many bricks, so they could only pile up snow on it, then water it and freeze it.
Such ice walls are only used in winter to block the wind and prevent wild animals from coming down the mountain and injuring people when the two rooms are left outside. When the ice melts in spring, it will not be a problem.
Building an ice wall was a rare thing, so a group of children followed it noisily, and each of them reached out to touch it.
"Whose child is that? How dare you take your child away without wearing anything on your hands!"
"Hey, hey, hey, you, don't lick the ice!"
"What do you think the captain is thinking? He wants us to build an ice wall for the modified elements."
"Who knows? The other teams don't care."
"Just get up. Otherwise, this place is so remote. If two more wild boars or wolves come down, we won't be able to withstand it."
"That's true. I just saw that there was nothing in their house. Without a wall, people could freeze to death."
…
Cheng Yu was surprised and scared. She hid behind the door and watched people build an ice wall. She lived in the city and had seen heavy snow, but she had never seen such heavy snow! And it could build such a high ice wall!
Cheng Shufen didn't go out either. Their background is not good now, and if they go out and meet someone mean, they will probably ridicule them in person.
Looking at Cheng Yu, who had curiosity in his eyes but could only hide behind the door, Cheng Shujuan felt bitter in her heart, and she didn't know when she could let Cheng Yu appear in front of others openly.
After arranging everything, Wang Ying took Xu Shuang to Wang Yongshun's house.
Wang Yongshun was eating. On the table was a bowl of cabbage and potato soup and half a bowl of white noodles with lard.
The white noodles were for Wang Yaozong, but when Wang Yaozong saw the bland soup, he got angry and ran out after putting on his hat.
Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan were extremely surprised to see Wang Ying come in. They thought Wang Ying would never come to their house again.
Wang Ying raised her eyebrows as she entered the room: "Is Uncle eating? The food is good today."
When Wang Yongshun heard the words, his face immediately darkened, knowing that Wang Ying had no good intentions.
Wang Ying clicked her tongue twice and took something out of her pocket.
Wang Yongshun frowned when he saw it. No one was more familiar with this note than him.
This is the letter of apology he was forced to write on the day of Wang Ying’s wedding!
Wang Ying waved the note with an extremely arrogant attitude.
Li Chunjuan was terrified: "What are you going to do?"
Wang Ying gestured and said, "Aunt, I have to settle this account with you. You made trouble on my wedding day. Do you think you can get away with it so easily?"
In fact, after being married for these days, Wang Ying had never thought of asking for this debt.
But who made Li Chunjuan so jumpy
He clearly had evidence, yet he still had to show himself in front of her.
Wang Yongshun said, "This doesn't mean anything."
It just says that it's a false accusation. The fact that they can issue a letter of apology proves that Wang Ying has forgiven them. Bringing it up now doesn't prove anything.
Wang Ying smiled and said, "It doesn't mean anything, but if I hand this in, we can discuss where your 80 yuan went..."
Wang Ying had been hearing the noises from next door these days. Wang Yongshun's eldest son, Wang Yaozong, had all his money swindled out of him in order to buy a second-hand watch, and he was even beaten!
Wang Ying said it very clearly: "I really can't do anything to you, but I can prevent Wang Yaozong from going to school!"
Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan are her relatives in public after all, so if she continues to make a fuss, it will probably be blamed on as a family affair.
But Wang Yaozong is different. Nowadays, high schools all use the recommendation system. When he was in school, he tried to speculate and bought second-hand watches. The money was stolen from his family. When his parents couldn't find the money, they framed others... Isn't this worth dropping out of school
Wang Yongshun's eyebrows stood up: "You dare!?"
Wang Ying swung the note and took it back: "Let my aunt jump a few more times, and see if I dare to do it."
Wang Yongshun knew what Li Chunjuan had done yesterday, but he also felt disgusted. Wang Ying and her husband were quite nice, otherwise why wouldn't their lives be so difficult while the other party was doing well? It was really an eyesore to see.
But after Wang Ying said it out loud, Wang Yongshun really didn't dare to do it anymore.
This girl Wang Ying dares to do anything now.
“… I will take care of her.” Wang Yongshun finally spoke with a grim face.
Wang Ying: "I'm not controlling you, but you should be aware of this. I don't care about you two, but I plan to live a good life. If you don't provoke me, I won't bother to care about you."
If you want to disgust me from time to time, you have to test your courage.
Wang Yongshun shrank his neck: "Okay, I understand."
After saying that, he pressed Li Chunjuan again. Li Chunjuan hated it so much that her mouth tasted blood, but she didn't dare to refuse.
Wang Yaozong was about to graduate. What would he do if he was expelled
"… Me, me too. I won't say anything more from now on."
After hearing the guarantee, Wang Ying nodded in satisfaction and left.
The things that Xu Shuang's cousin forced Wang Yongshun to sign were actually useful, so it was a blessing in disguise.
"What are we having for lunch?"
Xu Shuang took Wang Ying back home: "Taro chicken."
Use half a chicken to stir-fry the ready-made taro, then simmer it on low heat. The chicken is fresh and spicy, and the taro is soft and tasty. Freshly killed and cooked chicken is particularly firm, and free-range chicken has good meat quality. The taro is stewed until it is puffy and soaked in red soup. It tastes even better than chicken nuggets!
The staple food is noodles, but they are not so wealthy as to use fine grains directly. Instead, they use hand-rolled noodles made of corn flour and white flour. The hot noodles are topped with a spoonful of taro chicken, and the soup wraps the noodles, which is particularly fascinating.
Wang Ying ate two large bowls in one breath.
The chickens at home suffered, but it was cold in winter, and only one hen laying eggs was enough. The rooster could eat the eggs, and then we could just raise a hen in the spring.
Although the eggs laid by one chicken are not enough for the family now, Wang Ying thinks that there is enough meat at home, so it doesn’t matter if there are fewer eggs.
Xu Shuang quickly cleaned up the little rooster, cut it in half, cooked half of the chicken, and placed the other half in a large ice cave made of snow outside.
Li Chunjuan was already numb when she smelled the fragrance coming from next door.
Wang Ying has been eating every day since she got married.
Sometimes I can even smell the fragrance from next door morning and night!
Wang Yongshun couldn't eat a single bite of the cabbage and potatoes in front of him.
The two of them sat in silence, letting the food on the table get cold.
Not long after, Wang Yaozong finally came back. He quietly pushed his way into the room through the crack in the door and was surprised to see Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan sitting at the dinner table.
"Where did you go?"
Wang Yaozong didn't answer, but walked to Li Chunjuan with a dead hen in his hand.