During the day, some children would bring lanterns, and Wu Huiniang was responsible for collecting them and settling the bill at home.
During the day alone, she collected eighteen kilograms of lanterns. In addition to cutting and making clothes, Wu Huiniang just sat and peeled stone flower seeds. There was no technical content. It just required patience and was time-consuming. Sitting still caused backache and back pain. Wu Huiniang was scattered during the day. More than two kilograms were peeled out.
Cheng Wanwan heated up a large pot of hot water, placed it outside to let it cool in the wind, and then soaked the stone flower seeds in the cool water.
While soaking, she continued to boil water. Making ice powder requires a lot of cooked water, so one pound of stone flower seeds can produce more than a hundred bowls of ice powder.
Zhao Sanniu was chopping firewood in the yard. Most of the wood he had just chopped was used to boil water. He took the ax and went up the mountain to chop wood again.
Zhao Ergou followed him up the mountain to fetch water with a bucket. He needed a lot of water.
After the stone flower seeds were soaked, Zhao Dashan sat in front of a large wooden basin and kept scrubbing them with his hands to remove the layer of acidic coagulable substances on the surface of the stone flower seeds and melt them into the water.
After Cheng Wanwan finished boiling the water, the next step was to filter it. The kneaded ice powder would contain fragments of stone flower seeds, which affected the appearance and taste and had to be filtered out.
All the barrels and basins at home were occupied. She called Zhao Sidan who was cleaning duck poop outside: "Go to your grandma and borrow four barrels and two basins. Also, take two cents." Go give it to you, Sister Xia Hua."
Xia Hua was responsible for feeding the chickens and ducks at home during the day today, and the money must be settled clearly that day.
Zhao Sidan quickly ran to the Zhao family's old house with two cents in his pocket. The sun had not completely set at this moment. There was light outside, and there was also a bit of evening coolness. Everyone in the old Zhao family was sitting in the yard, chopping firewood, or Washing, sewing, repairing farm tools, picking wild vegetables, doing household chores, it was quite lively.
"Sidan, why are you here?" Mrs. Zhao was the first to see him. "Why are you running in such a hurry? Your forehead is sweating. Come and have a drink of water."
Zhao Sidan took out two cents from his sleeve and said, "My mother said that I should pay off Sister Xia Hua's wages."
Of the two cents, Mrs. Zhao took one cent and left one cent for Xia Hua.
Xia Hua took the money and turned around and gave it to her mother Wen Shi. Wen Shi put it into her pocket and said with a smile: "Xia Hua, my mother has saved this penny for you as a dowry. You have to give it to you tomorrow." Auntie, please dig up some wild vegetables and weeds to feed the chickens and ducks."
Xia Hua nodded: "Mom, I know."
Seeing this scene, Mrs. Sun was a little jealous. Although she only had one penny, it was still money, and it originally belonged to their third house.
She said with some sourness: "Sister-in-law is really generous. Come to think of it, she really made a lot of money. Unlike us, we can't earn a penny even if we work all day and night."
Mrs. Zhao got angry when she heard what this daughter-in-law said. She had beaten her many times overtly and covertly, but this third daughter-in-law still didn't make any progress at all.
The old lady was too lazy to pay attention to Mrs. Sun, and turned around and said, "Sidan, is there anything else you want to do?"
Zhao Sidan nodded: "Mom said, let me borrow four wooden barrels and two wooden basins."
In the past, Mrs. Zhao would never borrow these household items, mainly because she was afraid of being ruined by the boss's wife.
But during this period, the eldest daughter-in-law sent food to the old house every now and then, and her behavior was many times brighter than before. Borrowing something was nothing.
Old Mrs. Zhao said: "Dawang Erwang, help Sidan get the barrel and basin."
Mrs. Sun's brows jumped and she immediately said: "Mom, the child's father has to go fetch water later in the evening. How can he fetch water if the barrel is borrowed?"
Before Mrs. Zhao could say anything, Zhao Youcai said, "Didn't I just bring back four buckets of water? The water in the tanks is full. Why, there's not enough for you?"
Sun was so angry that she gritted her teeth.
Although Zhao Sidan didn't say it clearly, she could guess what her sister-in-law was borrowing the barrel for. It must be to make ice powder, and she was borrowing their belongings for a profitable business. She should pay some rent anyway.
As a result, as soon as she started talking, her man blocked her back.
Mrs. Sun pinched Zhao Youcai's arm hard, then walked into the house without letting go.
"You bitch, you don't know what you're thinking every day." Zhao Youcai scolded angrily, "If you have time, you can quickly knit me a pair of straw sandals. I don't have to wear them every day..."
Mrs. Sun was sitting in the room feeling so angry that her heart ached.
Her man is so useless. She has no face in front of so many people. Isn't it because she didn't give birth to a son? If she had a son to support her, who would dare to show her shame between the old woman and her man!
Zhao Youcai continued to chop wood outside.
Old man Zhao took a puff of dry tobacco and said, "Third brother, go to the mountain and cut down a fir tree."
The fir trees are thin and can be cut down by one person. One tree can make three or four barrels. In his early years, Mr. Zhao learned to be a carpenter, but he was not careful and his workmanship was rough, so he could not do this trade. He was persuaded to quit by his master after half a year, but he eventually learned some craftsmanship. Making barrels and basins was not a difficult task for him.
Zhao Youcai didn't even ask what he was doing cutting down trees, so he just went out with an axe.
As they approached the foot of the mountain, they met another widow in the village, Mrs. Zhang. She was widowed in her early twenties and is less than thirty now. Her clothes were not so patchy and she was holding a bamboo basket in her hand. When she saw Zhao Youcai, He said hello: "Where are you going, Third Brother Zhao?"
Zhao Youcai took the ax and said casually: "Go to the mountain and chop down a tree."
Mrs. Zhang saw the muscles exposed on his arms and couldn't help but take two steps forward: "Brother Zhao, I chopped some firewood and piled it on the mountain during the day. You also know that I am a woman and I don't have that much strength to do it." Chai is dragged down the mountain, can Brother Zhao help me?"
She said, leaning towards Zhao Youcai, her arm brushing against Zhao Youcai's body.
Zhao Youcai took a step back: "It's almost dark, and I don't have the time to haul firewood for you. Let's talk about it tomorrow."
He walked quickly up the mountain carrying the ax.
Mrs. Zhang stomped her feet angrily, she didn't understand the stinky man's style, she made it so obvious that she actually walked away.
She stamped her feet to no avail, Zhao Youcai's figure had disappeared into the forest.
She carried the bamboo basket and continued walking, and soon stopped in front of Cheng Wanwan's house.
She stood at the door of the courtyard, approached lightly, stood on tiptoe and looked into the house. She didn't know what was burning in the kitchen. The door of the main room was closed. She could only hear the sound of someone talking, but she didn't know what was going on. What.
There was a pile of lanterns under the eaves of the main gate, and I hadn't had time to put them away.
Zhang looked left and right, but couldn't see anything special.
At this time, Zhao Sidan opened the door and walked out, looking at her suspiciously: "Aunt Zhang, what are you doing?"
Mrs. Zhang's face immediately burst into laughter: "I went up the mountain to get some lanterns. They weigh about two kilograms. Will your mother take them?"
Cheng Wanwan walked out of the house, took the bamboo basket and weighed it. It was indeed two kilograms. She went back to the house and took out four cents, took it out and handed it to Mrs. Zhang.
After taking the money, Ms. Zhang had no intention of leaving.
