The main road in Dahe Village is blocked.
The snow mixed with rocks and soil cracked from the hillside, and the only road out of the village was gone.
Of course there are trails, but they are all mountain roads. The road between two mountains is more prone to avalanches and no one dares to walk on it.
Countless women stood in the distance, looking at the high-rising snow-capped mountains over there, all with lingering fears.
"Fortunately we didn't have time to leave the village, otherwise we wouldn't be able to come back."
"We can't afford to stay in an inn in the city. If we really can't come back, we will become refugees on the streets begging for food."
"If you can't go to the city, what should you do with this year's New Year's goods? Tomorrow will be the New Year's Eve."
"Fortunately, I cut the meat more than ten days ago, marinated it and hung it under the eaves. I still have half a catty left. I can save myself eating until the New Year."
"This is the first time I have money but can't spend it. This feeling is worse than having no money."
"..."
A heavy snow extinguished the enthusiasm of the people in Dahe Village.
The thatched houses have all been crushed, the roads out of the village have been blocked, and I don’t know if the crops in the fields can survive...
And, it’s getting colder, colder than usual every year.
Even with all the clothes at home on, it was still freezing cold. It didn't feel cold even if I stayed in the house, but it was also cold when I stepped out and was blown by the wind.
On the day of the Lunar New Year, the snow became even heavier. The north wind blew snowflakes so loudly that people standing at the door could not see clearly anything more than ten meters away.
Cheng Wan huddled on the kang and said thoughtfully: "In previous years, a dozen loads of dry firewood could survive the winter. It's so cold this year that we have to burn firewood all day long. Some people may not have enough dry firewood at home." Little Hammer , how much dry firewood is left in the soap workshop?"
Wu Xiaochui opened the account book: "There are still 150 kilograms of coarse firewood, 430 kilograms of fine wood, and 320 kilograms of hay dumplings."
Cheng Wanwan said: "Ergou, let the whole village know that if any family is short of firewood, they can come to our house to buy it. We will sell it for whatever price we get back."
In the face of difficulties, she will not make money from the villagers without conscience.
Zhao Ergou wrapped himself in a cloak and a bamboo hat, got up and went out to do errands.
Cheng Wanwan no longer sat around and was lazy, she was going to buy a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner for her family.
When she was doing braised food business, her family bought hundreds of kilograms of sesame and pork every day. She kept some and made bacon and some sausages, which were all hung under the eaves. When the weather got cold, these things could be taken out to eat. .
The Chinese cabbage in the vegetable garden was almost frozen, so they were picked and stored in the cellar. She used the Chinese cabbage mixed with bacon to make white flour dumplings as a staple food, cut the sausage into slices, and fried it with pickled beans. Kill a chicken and make a salt-baked chicken, kill a duck and make a eight-treasure duck, stew chicken and duck offal with radish, pick most of the leeks from the soap workshop, chop them into pieces and make a leek egg pancake...
Because of the constant heavy snow, Kong Xiuniang, Cheng Zhao, Ah Fu, and Wu Xiaochui were unable to go back to celebrate the New Year, so they could only stay here and make do with these few dishes, but each one was rich.
After the dishes were out of the pot, Cheng Wanwan served some of each dish and asked Chunhua to take it back to eat with the old Zhao family.
In the entire Dahe Village, only Cheng Wanwan's family can have so many dishes. What do other people's families have? Take the old Zhao family, whose living conditions are slightly better. Because it is the Spring Festival, the staple food is dry rice. Stir-fried cabbage, a cabbage soup, a bowl of pickled radish skin, and an egg per person...kill a chicken, cut off a little bit of radish to stew, and wait for the rest to eat during the Chinese New Year. There is no place to buy fish...
"Life at my sister-in-law's house is so good." Sun's mouth watered. "The bacon dumplings are so delicious, and the sausages are so delicious... How come the chive egg pancakes are so delicious..."
Mrs. Zhao tapped her bowl with her chopsticks: "Eat, eat, eat, just know how to eat. If you eat so much, what will the children eat?"
Mrs. Sun didn't feel embarrassed at all: "I have one in my stomach too. I only eat two portions per person, so I don't eat much... That's all. Mom used to make some bacon, but why didn't she do it this year? Let's eat it during the Chinese New Year." What?"
Mrs. Zhao was also depressed when she mentioned this matter.
She was busy in the soap workshop every day. How could she find time to go to the town to buy meat? She originally planned to stop work before going, but first the plague broke out, then it kept snowing, and now the exit was blocked. There will definitely be no more meat this year. I can't make bacon anymore.
But when I don’t eat meat during the Chinese New Year, I always feel like something is missing.
Old Man Zhao put down his chopsticks and said, "It snowed on the first day of the Lunar New Year last year. I went up the mountain once. Do you remember what happened?"
Zhao Erwang's eyes lit up: "My grandpa caught a rabbit and brought it back. It was a very fat rabbit... Well, but the rabbit meat made by grandma is not as delicious as the rabbit meat from my uncle's family..."
"Little bastard, I can't stop your mouth even if you have something to eat!" Mrs. Wen patted the back of her youngest son's head, raised his head and continued, "The snow this year is too heavy. It's easy to fall when going up the mountain. Dad is old, so don't bother me. , just stay at home, you don’t have to eat meat during the Chinese New Year.”
Zhao Youyin nodded: "The avalanche on the hillside is no joke. Uncle Li Zheng was buried in the snow. He seems to have aged several years."
"Hey, you kid, you actually said bad things about me behind my back!" Li Zheng suddenly opened the reed curtain and walked in, tapping the cigarette rod lightly on the back of Zhao Youyin's head, "Tell me, how old am I?"
Zhao Youcai helped out: "Uncle Li Zheng heard it wrong. My second brother said that you have become younger. Come and sit here quickly. There are still sausages that are not finished yet. Take a bite. My sister-in-law specially sent it here. It is very delicious." "
Li Zheng had already eaten, but when he saw the shiny sausage, his saliva came out unsatisfactorily. He coughed and said, "Okay, then I'll just give it a try."
Put the sausage into your mouth, the salty and spicy flavor wrapped with meat blooms on your taste buds, making you want to swallow it on your tongue.
After eating a piece of sausage, it was gone. The old man was reluctant to drink water and silently savored the taste of the sausage.
At the same time, it also strengthened his old man's determination to engage in meat.
"Today is the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, and the Chinese New Year will be celebrated in a few days. In the past, no matter how poor I was, I would cut meat and eat it during the Chinese New Year. No matter it was two taels or half a catty, I had to have some meat as a sacrifice." Li Zheng sighed and said, "Every household will make money this year." Now that I have some money, I can’t live any worse than before, so I plan to get some meat for the people in the village.”
Old man Zhao became interested: "How do you get meat?"
Some people in the village raise pigs, but they are just piglets, and even if they are killed, they will not be enough to eat.
There are also chickens and ducks, but these are treasures that lay eggs, and the villagers are reluctant to kill them and eat them.
"I have observed that the southwest side of Dadong Mountain is leeward and there is no snow. The road is a bit muddy and difficult to walk on, but it is still possible." Li Zheng took a puff of dry cigarette. "It's cold and the prey's reaction is slow. The last trip Shan, if we can catch a wild boar... tsk tsk, then the whole village can eat meat."
"Ah, this..." Old Mrs. Zhao was stunned, "It's too dangerous to catch wild boars. Wild boars are no joke. Hunter Zhao doesn't even dare to face the wild boar. How can you, an old guy, have the confidence?"
Old Man Zhao touched his chin: "The village has arranged for fifty or sixty men to go up the mountain together. If we all go up together, maybe we can... bring Xiaodian with us. This guy is smart and can easily catch wild boars."
Li Zheng stood up: "I'm going to recruit people for a meeting now."
"Hey..." Old Mrs. Zhao wanted to stop her, but Li Zheng had already run away. She slapped her thigh angrily, "You are so old, how can you still act like a brat... It's just you two. This old guy wants to catch a wild boar without knowing the heights of the world, but others are not so stupid!"
