In Shili Village, Xiayu Township, there are two shabby pig pens. The one on the left houses a black pig weighing about 100 kilograms.
The other room is occupied by people!
Hu Ying came back from cutting a load of pigweed. He picked out a few potatoes from the armful of potatoes he had begged for in the morning, washed them with their skins, and put them on the firewood at the door, where they were boiled until they were very good.
She was reluctant to eat first. She looked left and right, but she didn't see her mother-in-law coming back.
My mother-in-law is eighty years old, and her children and grandchildren are not engaged in regular work, and she has no choice but to walk on crutches and go to the village to get some food every day.
At first, some people looked at her pitifully and gave her some corn, but in the long run, people no longer cared so much. After all, everyone's food is bought with blood and sweat, and no one is brought by guns.
As for Mrs. Zheng, she can't walk far because she is old and has small feet. She can only pick up some cow, horse and sheep dung from the surroundings, and treat it as sharing some housework for Hu Ying, and try to accumulate some fertilizer as much as possible. Next year's crops will be better.
As usual, she should have come back to cook the potatoes. But when he didn't return, Hu Ying couldn't help but worry. He quickly put the potatoes back at home where wild dogs couldn't get them, then closed the door and went out to look for them in the village.
…
Zheng Bajin took two people, one big and one small, to catch fish until the sun was about to set. Xiaocao looked at the half bucket of fish and was extremely happy.
Zheng Bajin put the pitifully small fish back into the ditch, leaving only a dozen kilograms.
Xiaocao felt a little heartbroken, and Zheng Bajin said, "It's okay, they are too small. Let's keep them in water first and pick them up again in two days."
Xiaocao happily followed Zheng Bajin and brought the fish back to Nian's house.
Zheng Bajin and Xiaocao were covered in mud, but Qingqing did not go into the water, and her clothes were as clean as ever.
Zheng Bajin originally wanted to get her into the water or splash her with mud, but he was afraid of irritating her again and worsening her condition.
People looked at the three people who had returned home with a full load, and they could only shake their heads and sigh inwardly: They are really not doing their jobs properly. There are waist-high weeds in the fields, but they are still in the mood to catch fish. See you eat fish every day!
Of course, some people may think: Nian Jian'an sells coal because he doesn't have the two acres of land at home. It would be nice if Bao Juan loses less.
But Bao Juan was sad for a long time, locked the door, and disappeared.
Zheng Bajin glanced at the locked door and was startled, and then understood what was going on? If the dog really can't change his habit of eating shit, he must be gambling again.
Qingqing glanced at the door, wondering what to do? He looked at Zheng Bajing and said, "What should we do now? If you don't dig open the fish, you will all die!"
"How about picking the lock?" Zheng Bajin said.
"No, dad will beat us when he comes back." Xiaocao shook his head and said, "I'm going to find mom, do I know where she is?"
Qingqing was a little worried and wanted to follow.
Zheng Bajin stopped her, fearing that Bao Juan would be embarrassed if she went, and he would have to watch the fish again. He couldn't leave for a while, and said with a smile: "It's okay, just leave Xiaocao. She has grown up now."
"Yes, I am no longer a one-year-old or two-year-old child, and few people in the village dare to provoke me." Xiaocao ran away happily after hearing Zheng Bajin's words.
"Be careful, you are not allowed to leave the village!" Although there were not many child abductors in the village at this time, they were abducting young girls, Zheng Bajin still reminded Xiaocao.
"Don't worry! I'll be back in a moment, take care of my sister!" Xiaocao's voice had already gone away.
As expected, Bao Juan was heartbroken and couldn't bear the loneliness. After being angry for a while, she unknowingly went out to Nian Xiaoguo's house not far away and started gambling. There is no doubt that Nian Xiaoguo is no match for Nian Xiaoguo and the other two men. He lost so hard that his face turned green.
At this time, when Xiaocao appeared in front of him covered in mud, he became angry and scolded: "How dare you come to me after eating all kinds of things?"
"Hurry, my dad is back!" Xiaocao said and ran home.
Bao Juan was startled and hurriedly got up, not caring about cleaning up, and ran home.
Nian Xiaoguo shouted: "Let's go after playing this!"
However, Bao Juan had already ran out of the door and cursed: "What a fool! If he knows that I am playing at your house, I will not chop you up!"
"Humph, don't you just have some bad money? My mother-in-law can't control her, and she still wants to chop me up?" Nian Xiaoguo cursed, threw away Bao Juan's cards, and said, "Brothers, keep playing. !”
"Without the mother-in-law, there's really nothing fun." The two men said boringly.
…
Zheng Bajin was about to shave the fish's armor when he saw Xiaocao running back quickly. He couldn't help but wonder: "Didn't find it? Are you back so soon?"
Qingqing pulled Xiaocao anxiously and asked with concern: "Did she hit you?"
"If there is nothing, I have found it. I will be back soon."
Before Xiaocao finished her words, she saw Bao Juan running out of breath. She looked at the three of them, but Nian Jianan was not there. Knowing that she had been fooled, she glared at Xiaocao fiercely.
"Open the door quickly, I want to go in and get something." Xiaocao was not afraid and looked at Bao Juan and said.
"You bastard, you lied to me, I will break your legs sooner or later!"
However, at this time, there was a sudden sound, which was really like the sound of a walking tractor. Bao Juan was so frightened that she hurriedly opened the door.
It turned out that it was not a coincidence, but that after Nian Jianan sold a car of coal, he was worried about Qingqing and came back to take a look.
Looking at Zheng Bajin who was covered in mud, Nian Jianan couldn't help but frown. Xiaocao shouted hurriedly: "Dad, you're back. Just in time, we went to catch fish. The potatoes made by Brother Zheng are so delicious, you don't have them." It’s such a shame after eating it.”
Facing Xiaocao's cry, Nian Jianan smiled and said, "Oh, so I came at the right time."
As he said that, he glanced at Qingqing.
At this time, Qingqing had taken off her straw hat, her face was rosy, and she looked at Nian Jianan without calling anyone.
Nian Jian'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Qingqing was her daughter after all. No parent would want to see his daughter become a human being or a ghost.
When Bao Juan saw that Nian Jian'an was not staring at her, she hurriedly put the oil hidden under the bed back into the penthouse. She was somewhat grateful to Xiao Cao for informing her in advance, otherwise Nian Jian'an would have discovered the card game.
Even if he didn't beat her, it would be fatal to withhold the money given to her.
Zheng Bajin was not polite, but took a clean basin from the ear room, fetched another bucket of water, and started to carve the fish.
At Nian Jian'an's door, a hanging well was dug a long time ago, with a simple water press installed on it. Press hard, and water will come out. Although it is not as convenient as the tap water in Zheng Bajin's previous life, it can be regarded as saving a lot of trouble. Less effort.
In addition, the crucian carp they caught were not big to begin with, and their scales were small, so it was not difficult to clean them.
This kind of fish is not eaten by many people in this era. The reason is very simple. It has many broken bones and is suitable for frying.
In this village, only people like Nian Jian'an who can make money outside are willing to use a lot of oil to fry fish.
Zheng Bajin's movements were very nimble. He caught a fish in his hand in just a few clicks and threw it into another clean basin.
Nian Jian'an looked at him and began to like this person. He didn't look like a real drunkard. If Qingqing married her, he might really be happy.
The most important thing is that after a few days of contact, I found that Zheng Bajin was very good to Qingqing and seemed not to care about her past.
Nian Jian'an was secretly happy. After washing his face, he gave Zheng Bajin a small stool, sat on one himself, and helped him with his work.
Zheng Bajin said, "Thank you. Uncle Nian, please take a rest and I'll do it. You must be very tired after driving for a day."
"It's okay, this is a handy job, I can do it." Nian Jian'an looked at Zheng Bajin and asked tentatively, "How about Qingqing?"
"She is recovering very well, better than I thought. If nothing happens and she no longer receives any stimulation, she should recover in a few days." Zheng Bajin kept cutting with his hands quickly. Said the fish.
Bao Juan stood aside, watching from a distance, and pricked up her ears, wanting to hear the conversation between Nian Jianan and Zheng Bajin, but unfortunately, she couldn't hear clearly.
Qingqing also stood aside, far away from Bao Juan, watching the two men working in the bucket.
Nian Jian'an is also a veteran at carving fish. Although he is not as fast as Zheng Bajing, he is not slow either.
He was just surprised that Zheng Bajin didn't understand what he meant and couldn't explain clearly, so he looked back at Bao Juan and cursed: "Why don't you go and cook?"
Bao Juan turned back helplessly, went into the house to light a fire, and cursed in her heart: "My daughter is sixteen or seventeen years old. She can't do anything. She is the first to eat. Why didn't you say anything about me?"
"I'm really happy that Qingqing is getting better." Nian Jian'an chatted wordlessly, no longer mentioning the things that Qingqing liked or disliked in Zheng Bagin's eyes.
He has made up his mind to go and see the Zheng family's situation in the future before making a decision.
"Oh, by the way, who else is there at home?"
"My parents are still alive, and I have a grandmother who is very strong and healthy. I also have an older brother." Zheng Bajin really couldn't answer the question about family scandal, so he only chose the good ones.
"It's good to be in good health, especially for older people." Nian Jian'an said with a smile. He had already heard that Zheng Bajin didn't even have a sister-in-law, so he must not be married. Moreover, the family members were not mixed, Qing Qing said with a smile. If Qing Neng marries him, he won't be offended.
Zheng Bajin nodded, but he was thinking about his mother.
A woman in her fifties was already overwhelmed by her family. Her hair was graying and her body was beginning to become rickety. In addition, she had been out of oil and water for many years, and she was so thin that she was only skin and bones.
"So, my family has land for at least five people. Why are you here? Not helping the family farm?" Nian Jian'an asked strangely when he saw that he was a little distracted.
It seems careless, but he is digging deep into the family.
"Well, it's said to be land for five people, but it has a lot of mountainous land and little flat land, unlike Nianjia Village. In one year, it's enough for food at most, so I thought, since I have labor at home, I might as well go out and make a living. Otherwise, We haven’t received any fertilizer for a year.” Zheng Bajin told the truth.
His mother is the only one who does the work in his house, and everyone else is just a freeloader. It shows how difficult life is.
However, as the current Zheng Bajin, he had no face to say it out loud.
You said that in addition to grandma, the three men in the family are the main labor force. If they don't work, the mother will be left to work in the fields alone, facing the loess and back to the sky to earn a living. Is this a normal family?
Unexpectedly, Nian Jianan listened, nodded and said: "You are right, if you have such skills, you should not be tied to the land. It is always good to go out and earn some pocket money."
Damn it!
Zheng Bajin secretly screamed in his heart, do you think this money is so easy for you to earn?
"Dad!" Qingqing suddenly took a few steps forward, got a little closer to the two of them, and shouted a long-lost word.
Nian Jianan was stunned. It had been a long time since he heard her call him daddy. It also made him a little uncomfortable.
"Stop talking, I have decided to go with him!" Qingqing had tears in her eyes.
"This..." Nian Jian'an was very surprised and didn't know how to explain clearly.
As a girl, you should be more reserved and should not be so straightforward and make people laugh.
Zheng Bajin was also surprised. Although he was mentally prepared, how much courage did it take to say it out of Qingqing's mouth?
The most important thing is, does she believe in herself so much?
We have known each other for no more than ten days!
At this moment, Zheng Bajin made up his mind, looked at Nian Jianan and said: "Uncle, don't worry, I, Zheng Bajin, will do what I say. As long as I have food, I will never let Qingqing go hungry. I will definitely let her happy."
Nian Jian'an looked at Zheng Bajin and then at Qingqing. Seeing that she was determined after eating the weight, he could only nod his head.
Qingqing is already seventeen years old. In this era and at this age, almost everyone is married.
Otherwise, the gossip in the village will be unbearable for parents.
In Qingqing's situation, there were not many normal people who proposed marriage. It's not bad to marry this boy.
"Have you all thought about it?" Nian Jian'an asked calmly.
"I've thought about it." Before Zheng Bajin could speak, Qingqing took over and said, "But, I have one last request. I hope dad will fulfill it?"
