Winter storage of Chinese cabbage needs to be prepared at the end of autumn and the beginning of winter every year.
Aunt Liu slapped her forehead and said, "Really? I've been so busy that I'm confused. Let's buy it earlier this year, so we don't have to get up in the middle of the night to grab it later."
This was the first time in Wang Ying's two lifetimes that she had experienced the scramble to stockpile winter cabbage.
She asked curiously, "How much do you plan to buy?"
With such a big scene, I’m afraid we’ll have to stock up more.
Aunt Ma: "Cabbage is calculated based on the number of people. There are six adults and six children in our family, so it would take at least 350 kilograms."
Wang Ying:!!!
Aunt Liu: "Our family is about the same, with five adults and two children, so the weight must be at least 300 kilograms."
Wang Ying:
Even Aunt Xu, who is always prudent, said, "There are four adults and one child in our family, so 200 kilograms cannot be less."
Wang Ying: …
It's not that Wang Ying is surprised by this. She has lived in the countryside for the past few years. Although she has less money than in the city, she still eats and drinks from the land. If she dries more vegetables in the summer, she can have a wider variety of food in the winter. But in the city, people rely on their wages for food and drink, so naturally they don't have so many choices.
Aunt Liu: "Three hundred kilograms of cabbage, plus two baskets of radishes, that's about all my family needs this year."
Aunt Xu: "My family is about the same. Among all the families here, Wang Ying's family probably doesn't need to stock up much. After all, they don't have any children yet, so they live a comfortable life together. By the way, Wang Ying, you haven't used your bicycle recently, right? How about you lend it to me? It's not easy to carry these two hundred kilograms of cabbage back home."
Wang Ying smiled and replied, "From what you said, I bought a bicycle for sure to use it. I can't go to work early in the morning and late at night without a bicycle. Sister Yun has a bicycle, right? Sister Yun? Look, your mother-in-law said so. Sister Yun, why don't you go to work tomorrow, otherwise Aunt Xu will have trouble getting cabbage."
Ever since Zhang Yun was slapped in the face by Xu Shuang, she has had more than just some dissatisfaction with Wang Ying and her husband. Her dissatisfaction is extremely serious.
She originally thought Xu Shuang was pretty, only slightly inferior to her man, and thought Xu Shuang was at a disadvantage by dating Wang Ying. But now she no longer thinks so.
Every time the mother-in-law said something inappropriate, Xu Shuang would turn around and start preparing delicious food.
He didn't cook meat all the time, after all, no one had so much meat tickets to waste, but this man was too scheming!
He refined fat into oil, used animal oil for cooking, and brought meat and vegetables from restaurants to stew on the stove from time to time. He poked the stove hole, and Dabao started crying. Zhang Yun scolded Xu Shuang for being a beast in human form while talking to her eldest son! He was the chef of a state-owned restaurant, but he was a heartless and selfish person!
Now when Zhang Yun saw Xu Shuang's handsome face, she no longer had any interest in admiring it. She just thought that this man was hateful.
At this moment, Wang Ying was openly and secretly bullying her mother-in-law, and Zhang Yun immediately came to her defense.
"Mom, you don't have to borrow someone else's bike. I can just get up two hours earlier tomorrow and walk to school. We are a family, so we can't be selfish and mean like others. Don't worry, I won't be using the bike recently. I'll leave it at home for you to use!"
After Zhang Yun finished speaking, she gave Wang Ying a look that was filled with contempt but also complacency, and disgust but also boasting.
Aunt Xu: "My dear Xiaoyun, I know that you are the one who loves me the most in our family. I am so blessed for eight lifetimes."
Zhang Yun: "Mom, don't say that. We are a family. Besides, if I marry Brother Lei, I should be as filial to you as Brother Lei. I am not like some people who go to the city to enjoy themselves and don't care about the suffering of the elderly. If a person is not filial, is he still a human being? There is no human touch at all. I don't think his future life will be much better. People say that filial piety comes first among all virtues..."
"Hey, Aunt Liu, you see there's a crowd of people over there, should we go take a look?"
Without saying a word, Wang Ying pulled Aunt Liu and ran to the front.
This made Zhang Yun, who was lecturing behind him, very angry.
Auntie Ma also hurried to catch up. Her two daughters-in-law had already gone to pick cabbages. There were two small groups at the scene, one was Auntie Xu and Zhang Yun, and the other was Wang Ying and Auntie Liu. She must have followed Auntie Liu. She was not happy to listen to Zhang Yun's preaching.
The three people ignored what Zhang Yun and her mother-in-law said behind them and pushed forward into the crowd.
"Popcorn!"
In the crowd, there was an old man in his sixties, wearing a vest, sitting on a small stool, pulling the bellows with his left hand and shaking the gourd pot with his right hand. The red flames were roasting the rotating gourd pot. Many children around were staring at the pot eagerly, and some had already covered their ears.
Wang Ying was overjoyed, and Aunt Liu quickly ordered her eldest daughter-in-law: "Quick, go back and bring two teacups of corn kernels and a sack. Wang Ying, does your family want some?"
Wang Ying: "Yes! Please ask Mrs. Tang to tell Xu Shuang to prepare a teacup as well."
It's a rare opportunity to get old-fashioned popcorn, so how could Wang Ying miss it
Aunt Ma quickly shouted, "Xiao Tang, remember to come to my house. My Yongjun is sleeping at home. Why are you asking him for three jars of rice and two sacks?"
Mrs. Tang responded, and at this time Zhang Yun and Aunt Xu squeezed in.
As soon as she saw Tang Min was about to leave, Aunt Xu asked Tang Min to help her take care of the baby.
Who knew that Tang Min walked so fast, and the crowd was in chaos. Tang Min didn't know if she heard what Aunt Xu shouted or what, and she had already disappeared.
Wang Ying looked at the gourd pot of popcorn in the middle with excitement. The old man coughed and shouted hoarsely, "Make way!"
Take the gourd pot off the fire and put the opening on a long sack. The sack is made of several pieces of cloth connected together into a long strip.
The old man stepped on the mouth of the pot with one foot, holding a long steel chisel-like socket in his hand. He twisted it hard, and there was a loud bang!
The children cheered and a white mist spread out. With the white mist, some popcorns were scattered, and the quick-footed children rushed up to pick them up without saying a word.
The old man poured out the popcorn from the long sack. The hot popcorn with a sweet fragrance made the children drool.
"Eight cents a pot. Add a dime for sugar."
The owner of this pot carried a large sack of popcorn on her shoulder, and her child was already rubbing against her like a puppy, "Mom, give me some! Give me some!"
"Eat, eat, eat. If it wasn't for you, a bastard, would I have spent these eight cents? Don't block the way here. Go back and eat!"
As the chattering mother and son walked away, people immediately surrounded them.
"It's my turn, it's my turn!"
Wang Ying watched the scene with great interest. The old man in the middle was already pouring corn kernels in.
Tang Min ran fast and came back soon with six teacups of corn and her two children.
Tang Min had no choice but to say, "I have to follow."
The two children of the Liu family are hers. Her sister-in-law has been married for seven or eight years and is still not happy. So the family is a little spoiled to these two children. When she heard about popcorn, she insisted on coming to see it.
The older boy is called Yangyang and the younger one is called Yueyue.
He hugged Tang Min's thigh and refused to leave: "Mom, I want to watch popcorn here."
Yueyue also nodded vigorously. She was just over three years old and usually acted like a little follower, following her brother everywhere.
"I want to watch popcorn too!"
Aunt Liu: "Then you can stay here. It's a good opportunity to watch the kids while they wait for their popcorn. Let's go buy some fruit."
Aunt Xu: "Why didn't our Dabao come? Xiao Tang, did you see our Dabao just now? Oh, you didn't even hear me when I asked you to bring me some corn kernels."
Tang Min smiled and said nothing. She had brought things to Aunt Xu before, but in the end, either Aunt Xu didn't have any at home, so she had to ask his family to fill the gap. Even if she brought things to her, she would still complain.
If she didn't bring it to the Xu family, Aunt Xu would of course not be willing to spend the money anymore.
She just wanted to mix the popcorns from all the families together so that she could get more when the time came to distribute them. You asked her to spend 8 cents to make a pot of popcorn by herself, so forget it.
Leaving Tang Min behind to queue up for popcorn, the few of them walked with difficulty to the grocery store that supplied pears and oranges. By then, there were so many people that there was no room to squeeze in.
But Aunt Liu was relieved: "There aren't too many people today, hurry up and get in line, we should be able to buy it."
This scene was comparable to the Spring Festival travel rush, and in the end Wang Ying successfully harvested three kilograms of pears and half a kilogram of oranges.
Just as he squeezed out, Ma's eldest daughter-in-law Zhao Yulian came running over: "Hurry up, there are several carts of cabbage here."
Aunt Ma almost went up to rip the eldest daughter-in-law's mouth off and said angrily: "Can't you find a quiet place to tell us!"
That's right. When the people around heard this, they started shouting, "Go home and get your food order! The cabbage is coming!"
Aunt Ma glared at the other person with hatred.
You're the only one with a mouth!
Wang Ying was dazed and jogged all the way home with the large group, and then she took Xu Shuang out with her to grab the cabbage.
After pushing the bicycle three times, he finally managed to transport more than 100 kilograms of cabbage back home.
Wang Ying lay on the bed and sighed heavily.
Life in this city is really tiring.
They want to grab everything they do.
Xu Shuang came in from outside, holding a piece of pumpkin in her hand: "Master said we'll have grilled fish for dinner, how about we have egg yolk baked pumpkin for lunch? We just happen to have two salted duck eggs at home."
Wang Ying stood up immediately: "Okay!"
Cut the pumpkin into sections, marinate until the water comes out, pat into flour, and deep-fry. Chop the salted duck egg yolks and stir-fry until foamy, then turn the pumpkin strips over and over.
The golden pumpkin strips are wrapped with salted egg yolk, which is dense and tempting. The crispy shell of the pumpkin is salty and fragrant, while the pumpkin inside is soft and sweet. The intertwined sweet and salty taste makes Wang Ying unable to extricate herself.
The morning passed like a battle, and in the afternoon Wang Ying was ready.
She lay in bed, staring blankly at Xu Shuang going in and out. The winter-stored cabbages brought home could not be eaten directly, but had to go through certain processing.
Xu Shuang first hung the cabbage on the roof to dry, and when the leaves were wilted, she removed the outer rotten leaves, then tied them up with ropes and piled them up for ventilation. More than 100 kilograms looked okay, but Wang Ying couldn't help but be amazed when she saw Ma's mother's house.
More than 300 kilograms of cabbage, piled up, looks very spectacular.
Aunt Liu's family was no less impressive. Every family had a mountain of cabbages at the door.
All in all, the only person in the entire yard who did not participate in this winter stockpiling was Chen Dong, who was the one in the backyard who fed the whole family.
Chen Dong took a bite of the crispy grilled fish with chopsticks and looked down on his apprentice's behavior: "Why do you hoard that stuff? You've been eating cabbage all winter, and your face will turn green."
Wang Ying was at a loss for words. After getting along with Chen Dong for a few years, she finally understood why Chen Dong was so keen on speculation and profiteering.
This old man is not a vegetarian.
Most of the money he saved in the spring and summer was spent in the winter.
Not only did he eat in restaurants, he also went to the black market to get meat and non-staple food coupons. When winter came, he would cook for himself in the backyard in different ways.
Wang Ying: "Master, please wake up. We are both going to the city. I am afraid that we will not be able to get you those mountain products next year."
Wang Ying had discussed this topic with Xu Shuang a long time ago.
It was convenient to do these things in the past because the countryside was next to the mountains, and two people going to the city could be considered visiting relatives, so it was not excessive to bring some things with them.
But now that the two of them have entered the city, first of all, their time cannot be coordinated. And if they go home they bring a lot of things with them. Wouldn't that arouse suspicion over time
Both of them have changed their household registration to city household registration. If they are reported, they will lose their jobs.
In the countryside, speculation is not strictly controlled. If it is discovered, the money will be confiscated. But it is different in the city. There are many people watching over a post, and if one person leaves, a position can be vacated.
Chen Dong's status is high and no one can touch him, so the two of them are afraid that it will be impossible for them to succeed.
Chen Dong lost interest in eating fish. He muttered, "I should have known not to let you two go into the city..."
After entering the city, although I could often enjoy the cooking of my apprentice, I suddenly became short of money.
Wang Ying: "Okay, lie down after you finish eating, I'll take your pulse. Winter is coming soon, so you can lose some weight during this winter."
Chen Dong's health has not been good, and Wang Ying plans to take this opportunity to improve his condition.
Chen Dong felt sympathetic: "You won't let me eat only vegetarian food every day, will you?"
Then he would definitely have to sever his master-disciple relationship with Xu Shuang!
Wang Ying: “No.”
Chen Dong felt relieved and continued to eat and drink.
Wang Ying exchanged a glance with Xu Shuang. After finishing the meal, she decided to make a recipe for the old man.
Anyway, Xu Shuang is in the hotel and can keep an eye on him morning and night.
The arrival of winter is not a slow process, but one day when you wake up early, you suddenly find that snowflakes are falling outside.
Wang Ying rubbed her hands and exhaled: "I don't know if the team has closed the road yet."
They had gone back twice before and tried to persuade Old Lady Xu to come to the city. But Old Lady Xu still refused, saying that she was fine in the countryside. She had a sewing machine, and people from the nearby brigade would come to her from time to time to mend their clothes and make them.
It takes one egg to mend clothes, but sometimes ten eggs can be used to make clothes.
When the two of them returned to the city, Old Lady Xu brought them a large basket of eggs, dozens of them.
Xu Shuang: "It should have been closed. Our brigade always has snow every year when it snows. What would you like to eat in the morning?"
Wang Ying had been feeling hungry recently, sometimes even in the middle of the night when she was sleeping. She didn't know if it was because she had come to the city that her golden finger was affected by the environment? This hunger level was even worse than when she first came here to nourish her body.
"How about a steamed egg custard and some noodle soup?"
Xu Shuang: "Do you want to make spicy noodle soup?"
"Okay~"
Xu Shuang paused. Wang Ying's words have been sticky lately, always with a sticky ending, which always reminds Xu Shuang of some time...
"I want a poached egg in my spicy noodle soup~"
Old Mrs. Xu gave Wang Ying too many eggs, and she ate them without any scrimping.
Xu Shuang hummed, and her back looked a little busy.
The spicy soup noodles were made by Xu Shuang himself. Because Wang Ying had recently fallen in love with chili peppers, he simply found a bunch of spices and mixed a spicy red oil soup. Whenever he was in a hurry in the morning, he would just put a handful of noodles in and pour a spoonful of spicy soup. The steaming hot noodles were very satisfying.
Wang Ying gave Xu Shuang a lot of advice when she was making the spicy soup, such as adding shredded beef and mangrove peppers and bell peppers. However, she just provided the inspiration, and it was Xu Shuang who tried several methods before he made it.
Wang Ying held a steaming bowl of noodle soup, which was red and bright, spicy and numbing. After eating a bowl in the morning, sweat would break out on her forehead. After finishing the meal, she had another bowl of tender steamed egg custard to finish.
After finishing breakfast, the two went to work together.
As soon as I walked to the door, I saw Zhang Yun’s husband Xu Lei, also dressed neatly, and the three of them met at the door.
Xu Lei was not short. In this era when people's nutrition was not good, he looked to be about 1.8 meters tall. Xu Lei was handsome. Compared with Xu Shuang's sharp and handsome features, his face was soft and he looked more delicate.
Wang Ying thought, it was fortunate that he was handsome, otherwise Zhang Yun would not be interested in him. It could be said that Xu Lei made a living by his looks.
Just happened to meet, Xu Lei greeted: "Are you going to work?"
Wang Ying readily agreed: "Isn't it? Brother Xu, is he going out for something?"
Xu Lei's eyes flickered: "Well, go out and meet a friend."
Wang Ying was a little surprised. After living here for so long, she had become familiar with the women in the courtyard. As for the men, she had seen them but had never spoken to them. After all, they all had to go to work, so the chances of meeting them every day were very small.
All the men in the compound have a class to attend.
Only Xu Lei was idle. But he either stayed at home or went out without knowing where he was going.
All Wang Ying’s knowledge of Xu Lei comes from Zhang Yun and Aunt Xu. Not to mention Aunt Xu, Zhang Yun brags about her man on a daily basis.
What about how good Xu Lei was to her and how they got together? They have been married for many years, but when Zhang Yun mentioned Xu Lei, her face was still full of pink bubbles.
Wang Ying doesn’t think Xu Lei is that good. If he is really a good man, would he be able to stay at home and eat ready-made food
Zhang Yun was a person with a somewhat aloof and self-righteous temperament, but she treated her in-laws very well. Sometimes Wang Ying felt very tired for her, as she was busy all day without a break.
In contrast, the rest of the Xu family, Old Man Xu, wakes up every day and either goes fishing or plays chess with the people in the neighboring courtyard. Xu Lei either sleeps at home or goes out to do something unknown. Aunt Xu is even more outrageous, she stays idle at home and does not do any housework, all her thoughts are used to plot against her daughter-in-law.
In comparison, the Ma family in the compound may seem noisy, but at least the whole family is working diligently.
Wang Ying and Xu Shuang separated at the street corner, and Wang Ying rode her bicycle to work.
As soon as I arrived at the door of the infirmary, I heard a noise, which seemed to be Zhang Na's voice.
Wang Ying was surprised. Isn't Zhang Na always good-tempered? What happened today