The scent of chestnuts floats in the air.
Loach swallowed his saliva and followed Zhao Sidan: "Sidan, give me another one..."
Zhao Sidan only had the last two left in his hand. He hesitated again, picked up a chestnut, took a bite, handed over the remaining half, then turned around and ran home, for fear of being caught and taking the last one. Walk.
Loach took half a chestnut and was reluctant to eat it. He took it home and handed it to his mother, Aunt Wang, saying, "These are chestnuts made by Mother Sidan. Mother, can you follow them?"
Aunt Wang smelled the sweet fragrance as soon as she inhaled. She picked up the chestnuts, took a small taste, and immediately cursed: "What a prodigal woman. You even put oil in roasting chestnuts, and even sugar. That's all there is in the house." A few copper coins are not enough for her to waste! She only cares about what she eats right now, and doesn’t think about what she will eat tomorrow! Ah, no wonder Mrs. Zhao looks down on this daughter-in-law..."
The curses reached Cheng Wanwan's ears next door.
She was chopping goose vegetables and planned to make a salad later. When she heard Aunt Wang scolding her, her work continued.
Yuan She was not popular in the village, and there were too many people who spoke ill of her behind their backs. She had to scold them one by one, which would be too busy for her.
She didn't react at all, but Zhao Sanniu got angry and rushed out with the ax in his hand for chopping wood: "Aunt Wang, what did you just say?"
Aunt Wang was startled: "What's the matter with you melon? My aunt treats you well, but it's your mother who only cares about her own food. When has she ever cared about you..."
She did treat the four children of the Zhao family well. In the past few years, when the harvest was good, she would stuff them with buckwheat buns from time to time. In the past two years, when the crops in the field were not good, she would secretly stuff them with wild vegetables to make small steamed buns. Otherwise, Zhao Sanniu's ax would have struck the firewood at Aunt Wang's feet.
He carried the ax and said: "My mother is very good to us. The chestnuts are specially fried for us to eat. Otherwise, there will be no extra four eggs for your loach!"
"Sanniu, get some firewood and go to the stove!"
Cheng Wanwan shouted, and Zhao Sanniu immediately ran in and moved the chopped dry firewood to the kitchen.
Aunt Wang stood at the door, her face full of suspicion. In the past, these children had a bad relationship with Sister-in-law Zhao. She scolded that bitch in front of the children. The children never reacted at all. Today, Zhao Sanniu... The bitch actually wanted to hit her with an axe!
Ni Loach said from the side: "Sidan has a dozen chestnuts in his pocket, more than mine..."
Aunt Wang slapped him on the back of the head: "It's good for you to eat, but it's not enough. Go in and chop wood!"
She glanced at the yard next door in disbelief. Cheng Wanwan was squatting on the ground cleaning young vegetables, and Dashan's daughter-in-law was sitting on a chair sewing clothes... Zhao Cheng had never done anything since Dashan's daughter-in-law came in. Live your life, the sun is really coming out in the west.
Wu Huiniang quickly sewed Zhao Sidan's tattered clothes, bit off the threads, and then went into the kitchen to cook dinner.
She thought that a few chestnuts per person would be enough for a meal at night, but her mother-in-law said that she had to eat staple food so that she would have the strength to work.
For dinner, Wu Huiniang kneaded and cooked the white noodles, while Cheng Wanwan cooked the dishes, including a salad with endive and a salad with mushrooms.
Families in the village usually eat buckwheat noodles, which are black noodles mixed with various grains. When they are made into noodles, they will scratch their throats, but white noodles will not. They are all fragrant, paired with cold dishes, delicious and refreshing, and even the soup can be drunk cleanly.
Wu Huiniang knew for the first time that the goose dish that she thought was very bitter and hard could be so delicious, but it was a bit expensive.
After finishing the meal, Cheng Wanwan brought over the washed wild fruits that Zhao Sidan had found during the day.
The green and red fruit, I don’t know whether it is a plum or a wild apple, tastes sour and sweet, crisp and refreshing.
The whole family has a round belly after eating.
Zhao Sidan looked satisfied: "It would be great if I could eat this much every day."
Zhao Ergou calculated in his mind that he bought twenty kilograms of rice and twenty kilograms of white flour this morning. Calculating three kilograms a meal and six kilograms a day, it was only enough for six or seven days.
Zhao Sanniu asked directly: "What should I do after I finish eating the food I exchanged for the silver hairpin?"
Zhao Dashan said: "The crops in the fields have more than twenty days to harvest, so we won't be hungry forever."
As soon as he said these words, the room fell silent.
There has been no rain for more than a month, and the river in Dahe Village has dried up, let alone the rice fields. Without water, it is impossible for the crops in the fields to bear ears.
Everyone in the village is looking forward to a good harvest, but after that day, the nightmare may really begin.
Cheng Wanwan waved her hand: "The boat will straighten out when it reaches the bridge. This is not something you should worry about. Just go to sleep."
The night is quiet.
The three little calves fell asleep as soon as they climbed into bed.
Cheng Wanwan was used to lying on the same bed with her sons for many days in a row, and she gradually fell asleep.
A sharp scream pierced the silent night sky, and she sat up suddenly from the bed, hearing loud cries in her ears.
Zhao Dashan stood at the door of the house and said, "Mom, there is a thief in the village!"
Cheng Wanwan instinctively looked at the cabinet where the food was kept. She took out the key and opened the cabinet. The rice and white noodles were still there, and she felt relieved.
"All the food from Aunt Wang's house next door was stolen." Zhao Dashan said, "Grandpa Li Zheng has sent people to chase the thief. I don't know if he can catch up."
Cheng Wanwan stood up, put on his shoes and walked out. Most of the men in the village went after the thief, and the woman stayed here to comfort Aunt Wang.
Aunt Wang sat on the ground and wiped her tears: "What evil did our Wang family do? Why did they steal our food... The thief who was punished by God must be struck to death by God's thunder..."
Cheng Wanwan and the Wang family lived at the end of the village near the foot of the mountain. When thieves came in, their family was the first to be stolen.
The Wang family has a foreign surname. The last two generations fled famine and settled in Zhaojiacun, and the homestead is located on the outskirts of this area.
The place where Cheng Wanwan lives was once occupied by a foreigner from Dahe Village. However, the foreigner only gave birth to two daughters. After the two daughters got married, he became a destitute and the house became empty after his death.
Li Zheng arranged for his former family to live here. Although the house was dilapidated, it was better than no house at all.
Aunt Wang slapped her thighs and cried loudly: "The crops in the fields have not been harvested, and all the food in the house has been stolen. How will we live in the future... A family of six, let's just die together... Fifty or sixty pounds The food, the food that was saved by picking it out of the mouth, was just stolen... and the two big baskets of chestnuts picked up yesterday were also stolen..."
The women who were watching couldn't help but clicked their tongues. They didn't expect that at this time, the Wang family still had fifty or sixty kilograms of food in stock. If they save on one meal a day, a family of six would be able to eat for a month or two...
Li Zheng sighed and said: "There are still more than twenty days before the rice can be harvested. Each of us will lend you some and try to tide over this difficulty!"
