When he came out of the grocery store, the big ax in Liang Chuan's hand was quite conspicuous. Liang Chuan was tall and strong, making him look like a strongman who had robbed people. Everyone who passed by looked at it and avoided it. Liangshan's Black Whirlwind uses this kind of weapon, killing people without blinking an eye. The difference is that Liang Chuan's appearance is gentle, especially his long and delicate hair. He doesn't look as violent as Black Whirlwind.
Unable to stop others from thinking nonsense, Liang Chuan took out the hemp rope from Zhaodi's basket just before Zhaodi, tied the ax to his body, and then wrapped the ax with Zhaodi's tattered clothes. In this way, others will know that there is a big guy behind him, but if they don't know that it is a big killer like an axe, their fear will basically disappear.
It is not easy to recruit a younger brother who carries money and an ax on his back, and it is even more difficult to come back and work hard to get back.
The two happened to meet Yi Niang who was coming back.
There is also an extra basket behind her, carrying a lot of duck eggs! There was also a lot of food in his hands.
When Yi Niang saw that Zhaodi and Liang Chuan had bought everything they asked for, she also said: "Our hometown used to make jiaoer at this time. Tomorrow is the winter solstice. I'll buy some vegetables and make jiaoer for you tomorrow?"
Liang Chuan didn't hear clearly, Jiao'er? what is that. . .
Yi Niang led Liang Chuan and Zhao Di, and first went to the rice store to buy a bucket of rice. This was the staple food for the next few days. It would be impossible to lose it. Then another pound of northern wheat flour was weighed. This wheat is common in the north, but is relatively rare in the south. In addition, the wheat flour has been processed and milled, so the price is naturally much more expensive. A pound of wheat flour costs 20 yuan. money.
After buying wheat flour, Yi Niang led the two of them to buy a handful of celery, a small onion, and a little ginger. Green vegetables are cheap in this place. Everyone just hopes to have more oil and water in their mouths. Who wants to eat them? Green vegetables, after the discovery of various vitamins and nutrients in later generations, people gradually changed the view that vegetables are not valuable. In later generations, it evolved into a scene where vegetables are more expensive than meat. Vegetables are cheap, and they bought them for less than a few copper coins. Finally, they went I found that butcher shop, Butcher Zheng’s butcher shop.
In Zheng Tu's butcher shop, two lean young apprentices were busy handling various kinds of pig offal. Zheng Tu was lying on the rocking chair and basking in the sun. Liang Chuan and several people came to buy meat, without even looking at them. , squinting to enjoy his sunbathing.
The young apprentice greeted Yi Niang. Yi Niang picked the fattest piece of meat. Generally, the meat would not sell well if it was too fat, because it would definitely not taste good if it was too fat. But Yi Niang didn’t know whether she didn’t know how to choose or was just trying to figure it out. It was easy and cheap to choose the fattest piece of meat on the stall. Liang Chuan could see the thick layer of fat on the meat. Could this be delicious? Anyway, I just want to eat, no matter what the artist does!
It seems like there is beef every day at Zheng Butcher Shop. Is it possible that cows in Fengshan die normally every day?
After buying these things, the three of us and the dog went home. Just burning a small stove of charcoal has replaced so much food and production tools. This deal is really a bargain.
When we came back, we still took the Shima Bridge. It was already late afternoon and there were not many pedestrians on the road. When we walked to Longshui Temple, the small temple was deserted just now, but now there was an old woman with disheveled hair kneeling on the futon in the temple, praying for something to the gods on the altar table.
The old woman's clothes were more torn than the one who recruited her younger brother, and her hair was messy and uncombed. She didn't look like a madman, because she prayed really devoutly. People with mental problems would not have this look. . So far, all Liang Chuan has seen in Fengshan is a relatively detailed and peaceful scene. Now seeing this scene for the first time, the contrast is a bit too great.
Brother Zhao saw that Liang Chuan was fascinated, so he couldn't help but came over and said, "Third brother, what are you looking at?"
"Look, brother Zhao, do you recognize that old woman? She seems to have something on her mind!"
"Everyone in Fengshan knows her, she's crazy!"
When Liang Chuan heard Zhaodi's explanation, he frowned and asked, "Crazy? I don't think she is crazy like that!"
"Her son was originally the most famous scholar in Fengshan. He was said to be quite talented and learned. Many famous gentlemen said that this boy was good at studying. But later he seemed to have committed something and was taken to the county jail. Well, it seems to have been a year or two now. Logically speaking, the guilty should have been sentenced long ago, and the innocent should have been released. However, her son has been kept in prison. The poor old woman’s husband died long ago, and she dragged the child away by herself. Da, she finally looked forward to taking the scientific examination, but something like this happened, and now no one knows whether her son will live or die."
"Alas!" Zhaodi sighed sadly and continued: "The old woman runs to the county town every day, and when she meets people, she will nag her son who has not committed the crime and is unjust. Who is the county magistrate? Wen Quxing comes to earth, then Could there be something wrong? Isn't this crazy? The county town is quite far away from Fengshan. She goes back and forth every day just for fear of not seeing her son for the last time. How pitiful!"
When Liang Chuan heard this, he thought, what kind of logic is there? The county magistrate will not handle the wrong case? These county officials have no time to read the works of Confucius and Mencius, and they can write articles well, but if they are asked to investigate and solve crimes, they will be useless! Let them decide the case. If you continue to make wrong decisions, that is the true virtue of your ancestors.
"Let's go, we have to cook when we get back, don't watch!" Yi Niang saw that the two of them were excited about everything, and she was anxious to go back to cook, so she could only urge the two of them.
Yi Niang had already spoken, and the two of them had no choice but to continue on their way home. Liang Chuan and Zhao Di dug a basket full of clay by the river, preparing to go back and burn charcoal to make mud. The land along the river is very fertile, but unfortunately it has not been developed. Population is still an important factor constraining the development of the south.
The Liangchuan people are strong and strong. Half of his life was lost when Zhaodi had to carry the basket of mud. Zhaodi weighed dozens of kilograms on his body. How could he afford it anymore? After walking not far, he had big beads of sweat. It seeped down, and the person's face turned pale and pale, squatting on the roadside panting like a cow.
Liang Chuan waved his hand to Zhaodi and smiled. Zhaodi had never done farm work and was too weak. Carrying heavy objects was too difficult for him. Liang Chuan took the basket from Zhaodi's back and carried it on his back. It was a bit heavy, but the feeling was average. It was not too difficult for him, nor was it a big burden. His current body was too strong!
After returning home, Yi Niang took the things she bought and went into the house to make arrangements. Liang Chuan and Zhaodi took the basket of soil to burn charcoal. After all, starting from tomorrow, one hundred kilograms of charcoal would be sent to Xiatinglou every day. Although Yi Niang had chopped a lot of firewood before, she still had to burn one hundred kilograms of charcoal in one day. To make charcoal, at least three hundred kilograms of firewood must be used! Although the family has saved a pile of firewood as big as a hill, it cannot withstand the years of hard work.
The charcoal can only be burned while going to the mountains to chop firewood. Otherwise, the weather will change one day and there will be no more firewood. Then the task will not be completed, and the three of them will have to drink the northwest wind!
Burning charcoal is said to be difficult, but actually it is easy to do, especially Liang Chuan's traditional method of burning charcoal. Most people can do it as long as they have seen it. Liang Chuan and Zhao Di worked together. Liang Chuan stacked the firewood one by one. Zhao Di poured out the basket of mud, added water to the mud, and added some nearby red soil, mixing the two types of soil together. Stir evenly, and when Liang Chuan's pile of firewood is almost stacked, add mud to it.
Brother Zhao made a good paste of the mud, leaving a few holes for ventilation. Because we have to produce fifty kilograms of firewood at a time, and the charcoal stove that was burned yesterday can produce thirty kilograms. If we want to burn fifty kilograms of charcoal, we might as well prepare three charcoal stoves and burn them together. Then there will be no problem. After his brother Zhao had finished gluing the mud, Liang Chuan started to light the fire. The flames slowly grew stronger and stronger from the top, and the yellow flames danced happily, full of vitality!
This time Liang Chuan was going to set the time, and he had to get it right to avoid excessive burning of the charcoal in the charcoal stove. If all the charcoal was completely burned, it would be in vain.
Yi Niang was busy in the house, and her younger brother had to stay and wait for the fire to burn until the bottom was sealed with mud. The time for waiting for the charcoal to be burned was long and boring. Liang Chuan saw that there were things to do inside and outside the house, but he had nothing to do now. I was thinking about going inside to see what Yi Niang was doing.
The room was steaming and misty. A large pot of hot water is burning on the stove, and the water is boiling and rolling in the pot. Yi Niang was sitting on the bed with a wooden plate on her lap. There were pieces of dough on it, rolled out with flour bought at the market. The small piece was like a dumpling wrapper. There were chopped pieces of dough in the bowl next to it. Good pork, chopped green vegetables and small pieces of green onions. The pork belly was chopped into a puree by Yi Niang, and the finely chopped green onions and ginger were mixed evenly. The red and green colors alternated, very attractive. Yi Niang picked up a piece of dough, scooped out a spoonful of meat and put it on the dough, then wrapped the dough and put it on another wooden plate aside.
"You artist girl, what are you cooking that's delicious?"
Yi Niang looked at Liang Chuan and continued to work on her business, saying: "Today is the winter solstice. In our hometown, we make snacks every year on this day. In previous years, I have packed food for you. You I can’t remember, but when I was little, my parents would cook it for me. If I eat this, my ears won’t freeze off in the winter!”
"Jiao'er? It seems like you are making dumplings. It's so good. There are also dumplings to eat!"
"Dumplings? Do you also eat dumplings during the Winter Solstice? I remember you told me that you don't eat dumplings during the Winter Solstice. You eat glutinous rice dumplings!"
"Actually, we eat everything there, we're not that particular, hehe..." In later generations when supplies were already quite abundant, eating these special foods was more of a commemoration, but this kind of delicacy is rare even now. You can only eat it during the holidays, not anywhere else.
In the past few months, Liang Chuan has experienced too many things. It can be said that he is in good health. Now Liang Chuan's body has recovered, but his mind has not completely remembered the past things, but this is not important. As long as he is safe, It's good that he can still live his life normally. Moreover, although Liang Chuan's brain doesn't seem to be fully recovered, he thinks and speaks completely differently from before. It's like he's a different person. He has all kinds of weird ideas and acts the same way. They're all right, I don't know how to describe them, but they're all good things anyway. I originally wanted to wait until the Chinese New Year to eat this meal, but Yi Niang wanted to celebrate it in advance, and it happened to be the winter solstice, so it was a big day today. Have a meal.
