MTL - Attack Stream of Life-Chapter 16
Qingchuan dealt with the sheep overnight, and lit the lamp to commit the crime, so that the next day was a little less spirited. Fortunately, he had dark circles around his eyes and looked sick, but today he just looked even more mourning.
It has been washed with well water and hung on the kitchen stove. The temperature outside is close to zero, so it can last for a few days. But so much meat is definitely not enough, he has already considered whether it is smoked or waxed.
While the mutton is fresh, simmer a pot of lamb and scorpion soup to make a hot pot. The mutton is warm in nature, which is very suitable for eating in winter, and it can also make a pot of fresh fish and sheep with fish. The mutton stewed radish is also good, as well as mutton skewers, mutton soup... Qingchuan has a bunch of mutton delicacies in his mind. Even the eldest sister came with her two children, but it didn't attract his attention.
"Little brother?"
"Huh?" Qingchuan came back from the hallucination of food and saw the plump eldest sister shaking her hands in front of his eyes.
"Oh, my little brother is very promising. The slaughterhouse is not easy to get into the city. It's hard to find a job these days. Even in the county, there are many unemployed people who are unemployed. Old parents retire early to make room for their children.”
The eldest sister was talking about her own affairs, "Ayong has found me a lot of relationships, and it is not easy to find temporary workers, so I have to wait for the news. If I don't have a job, it will be difficult to change the account, and the child will come out next year. It's also a village hukou, so what can I do?"
Brother-in-law named Zhang Yong was standing next to him, with a dark face and a tall man. It was said that he was a retired People's Liberation Army, so there was a heroism in his standing.
Their family's feelings for the PLA are very complicated, because there is a father Chen Shimei who is also in the PLA. Just sublime or something. Hey, there was a piece of rat **** in their house, which smeared the People's Army.
Zhang Yong had a wife in front of him, but his ex-husband's family has now sneaked out. Just knowing this, the old lady in the family wanted to marry her daughter to him.
The first one committed such an unforgivable sin. With such a control group, it would not be bad for the eldest sister to marry. Except for being married and having two children, Zhang Yong can't go wrong anywhere else.
The job is good, the transportation team in the county, the salary is high, and the benefits are good. With a city hukou, I have my own house, a three-bedroom house of 64 square meters, and I live in one family. My parents-in-law are far away, and I don’t see the boss a few times a year. He has a good temper. Although he is tall and burly, he has never heard of a bad habit of beating his wife, and he is willing to his family.
The only disadvantage is that she has two children, but from a good point of view, in case the eldest sister will not have a child, it is fine to have a child in front of her. Even if you have your own child, and the mother of the previous child is like this, then in most people's hearts, the child must still carry the original sin, so the elder sister's child will be more important.
Rural girls can't be too picky if they want to marry and enjoy the city. There are also people who are rushing to marry those who have to serve the family in the shack. Zhang Yong's conditions are very good. Besides, the eldest sister is also willing, she is a little older and hurts others, she doesn't need to serve her mother-in-law, and she doesn't need to work in the fields... Everyone is very realistic, and they get married after comparing the conditions. At present, it seems that the marriage is not bad, just look at this ruddy complexion.
There are two children standing next to this brother-in-law in the city, the older is a girl, looks like seven or eight years old, and the younger is a boy, looks like five or six years old, looking at his face and clothes, Materially, they shouldn't have been badly treated, but their expressions were sullen and their eyes were avoiding others, and the matter of their mother still caused them harm.
Qingchuan carefully observed all the way, the eldest sister and the ex-wife's children are not close, even a little repulsive, when they approached, they would subconsciously cover their stomachs, which is a kind of resistance. But I don't have to say how much I hate it, it's more about ignoring and avoiding. As a stepmother, no harm is considered qualified, and there is no way to ask for more, because human nature is like this.
This kind of indifference hurts more than a sword. If things go on like this, there will definitely be problems in the characters of the two children, and now there are some tendencies.
Qingchuan likes children, not because of the identity of the other party. The children of the ex-wife and the children of the eldest sister are different in terms of responsibilities and blood, but they are similar in love. They are both children. But he doesn't easily interfere in other people's family affairs unless the other party authorizes him to interfere. Obviously, neither the eldest sister nor the brother-in-law intended to authorize him.
So even if it felt inappropriate, Qingchuan still didn't say a word, ate silently, silently gave the two children New Year's red envelopes, and then left silently.
After the new year, I started to work, and the days were busy again day after day. The mutton at home is smoked with pine wood and eaten every few days. When all four legs are eaten, it is almost the time for summer harvest.
This year is fine, the food harvested is not much different from previous years, but the dead captain still reported a very high yield. The commune gave him a certificate, and he was as proud as a rooster. The person in charge of the warehouse is frowning every day. In the huge warehouse, only some things are piled up in the corner, and other places are empty.
Warehouse management is so preoccupied, some people have questions, is such a little grain enough to eat for the autumn harvest? Nobody knows. If asked about the captain, he scolded the other party for not believing in the party and the country and having a problem with his mind. But the reality is that there are fewer and fewer rice grains in the big pot of rice, from thick porridge to porridge water, and finally to soup.
This situation is a fool who knows that it is wrong, the brigade leader applied for relief food, but got worse news, there was a disaster in the north, and there was no food harvest, even if there was relief food, it must be tightened first On the other side, not to mention that the 'per mu yield' here is so high, it may be necessary to come to the village to collect relief food. It was a bolt from the blue, not only could I not get the food, but what was left had to be taken away.
The captain is not bad, but a little stupid. He thought that he had reported so much before, and he was so annoyed that he almost committed suicide. But no one can control him at the moment, everyone is thinking about what to do in the next few months, the food has been eaten up, and the mice in the warehouse will cry and walk away.
"Do you still have corn and sweet potato seeds? Plant them before the autumn harvest, and maybe you can get them back."
There are still some undeveloped wasteland on the mountain, and corn and sweet potatoes are planted one after another. These seeds were placed separately, and half of them had already been eaten, so everyone really didn't eat them. This is a very unruly thing, the captain hesitates, no one cares about him, and he is looking at the faces of the villagers before killing him.
There are wild vegetables on the mountains and fish in the water, so everyone goes to the mountains to find edible wild vegetables and fish for fish and shrimps in the water. At this moment, the wild vegetables are dry and astringent, and it is difficult to swallow, but if you are hungry, there is nothing you can't eat.
Everyone is looking for food, so there is no time to prepare the fields. Seeing that the fields are overgrown with no one to care, the old people sigh that the harvest this year will not be very good. This is really a vicious circle. If everyone has nothing to eat, the fields are deserted to find food, and the fields will produce less food. If there is less food, they will be hungry again, and they will not be able to work when they are hungry.
Sure enough, after the autumn harvest, the output of grain dropped to the lowest level in history. The question of consciousness ', where is the face of these corpse leaders important in the life of the people at the bottom? The leaders of the commune pressed the brigade captain to change this number.
"Leader, the big guy has nothing to eat. If you want to report this number, you are forcing people to eat dirt." The village party secretary who came with him also burst into tears. They are all from the village, their parents and brothers are all in the village, how can you bear it?
The leader grabbed the captain's hand abruptly and pressed a palm print.
Eight thousand per mu.
The captain was finally desperate, and he couldn't even shed tears.
The villagers were also desperate, covering their faces and not knowing what to do.
"There is no other way now, let's dismantle the collective canteen first, there is no food anyway. The rest will be divided for everyone, it is better to eat than to be taken away. After that, everyone Let’s find a way to survive. If you know water, let’s go in the water, and if you can hunt and set traps, let’s hunt. With such a beautiful landscape here, can we really starve to death?” Several patriarchs gathered together to comfort the villagers. Discuss together what to do next.
"If the above has to come and collect food, we old arms and legs will be useless. Let them collect food to save food." Several old people said, with a kind of back-to-back fight in their eyes. Determination.
There are fishing boats in the village, which can go all the way to the sea. The food in the sea is endless. If everyone is forced to share, they must gather a group of water-savvy people to find food in the sea. But I haven't pushed it to this level yet, and there are the mountains behind and the fish ponds on the side. As long as I can persist through the winter, there will be fresh wild vegetables to satiate my stomach next spring, and there will be no problem.
Big Pot Rice only lasted for less than two years before disbanding. The village distributed ten catties of food to each person and five catties of children according to the population. There are only about two cars left. When the grain collection team went to the countryside to collect grain, all the old men and women in the village in their 60s were dispatched. They leaned on crutches, guarded two carts of grain, and waited for each other. The attitude of the village is very clear, either take away these grains, and if you want more, take them away too.
Anyway, they don't want to live anymore, they can just go to prison and have a good meal.
For the sake of future generations, these old people have sacrificed their lives. Behind their thin bodies, the young man waited with red eyes while carrying the child.
The grain harvesting team left with two carts of grain, and they were horrified by the momentum of these old people. "I am willing to be cut, dare to pull the emperor off the horse", the old man who survived the war and turmoil, naturally has a sturdy temper honed by the years of suffering.
The harvest team returned to the commune, and the commune leaders were helpless.
If young people do this, he can catch them all and kill the chickens to show the monkeys, but a group of old men and women? This group of people has enough to live without fear of death, and their health is not good. If people are killed, it is hard to explain. Fortunately, there are not many such villages after all. The grain harvesting team that went out encountered resistance from only a few, most of whom were obedient.
The food collection team left, and everyone welcomed the old people back, but there was still a stone in their hearts for the little food at home. It is late autumn now, and the grass and trees are withered. At first glance, the west wind is rustling and decaying. Just like their mood, it is so heavy that they can hardly breathe.
Qingchuan also returned home, lying upright on the bed, staring at the beam with wide eyes, the system was simply frightened by his expression, thinking that he was about to fall ill, "Host, are you alright? ?"
"Yeah." Qing Chuan still kept his eyes open. Today he secretly went to the entrance of the village. Although he was far away, the emotions of the old people still infected him. They all went with the worst preparations of no return. There was a lot of reluctance in their hearts, and their emotions were very heavy. Qingchuan watched from a distance and was still involved in it. The spirits-like sadness was also mixed with Many good expectations, and the sadness of the world and family. Qing Chuan was moved, and he couldn't help thinking of his sister and niece, as well as those friends and the editor who urged the manuscript on time every day.
He even thought of his bad ex-girlfriend, his father who died in an unknown corner, and his mother.
The world is so beautiful.
There are so many reluctance.
But for the most important thing, you still have to give up all of this and die calmly.
It is not the first time that Qingchuan has felt this spirit of sacrifice. Those front-line soldiers, doctors, grass-roots cadres... They all have this kind of great self-dedication, serving the country, the family, and the ideal. future.
But this group of elderly people is especially different. Most of them have no education. They have all kinds of problems in life, and they seem to be extremely ordinary people. But when they decided to stop at the entrance of the village and keep the last ration for their descendants, they gave up everything, just a father and mother who loves their children. The transition from ordinary to extraordinary is the most amazing.
I am very happy today. It seems that I saw a large group of flowers that have gone from the most enthusiastic bloom to withered flowers. Blooming is beautiful, and withering is also beautiful. Qingchuan wanted to thank them for making him feel such a special emotional storm.
"System."
"Huh?"
"Do you think I'm crazy if I say I'm going to buy food for every household?"
The system widened its eyes, it really thought the host was crazy, "Now?"
"Wait for another month, there will be discounts during the New Year." Qingchuan said.
"Oh." That's not too crazy, knowing that there are discounts waiting for you.
Around four o'clock, the rooster did not crowing, and Axiu got up. It was cold outside the quilt, but she didn't feel normal. She put on a not too thick coat and put on cotton shoes. At this point, you should get up and cook, even if there is not much food at home.
She sighed silently in her heart when she thought that she had touched the rice jar yesterday, that is, touched a handful of broken rice grains with rice bran. It's New Year's Eve, no matter what, always do something good. There are still some salted fish at home. Let’s steam two, and boil the remaining rice into porridge, which should be enough for a few children. Steaming an egg custard will also make the children happy. Adults don't need to be so extravagant, there are some sweet potatoes at home, and one is enough for one person.
The old man found some edible bark on the mountain, peeled off the inside and ground it into powder, and it seemed to have some fragrance. It's okay for adults to eat this stuff for a child's throat, just add some more water. Axiu was very distressed when she thought of peeling off the skin of sweet potatoes when she used to eat sweet potatoes. The skin of sweet potatoes is also eaten. No matter what, it is better than the bark. She also thought of sweet potato leaves, which are also edible. They used to be used as pig feed, which is really a great waste.
After the bacon, let’s cut a slice today, after all, it’s Chinese New Year.
Cut the meat a little thinner, is it enough for the whole family to share a bite?
She was so preoccupied, she opened the door without looking carefully, only when she stepped outside the threshold did she realize that she was stepping on something, and she was surprised when she looked closely.
This is a kind of burlap bag for food. It's a big bag. It's softly spread on the ground. I don't know what it is. Police Axiu felt that she looked around, it was pitch black, her hands were as fast as lightning, she picked up the burlap bag and went back to the room. I have been in the dark all the time, but now I have the luxury of lighting the oil lamp.
Cotton thread dipped in tung oil and burned, giving off a burnt smell. The man in charge who was lying on the bed also got up. In fact, he couldn't sleep either. He was worried about the family's meal and had not rested for many days. He thought of many ways, but none of them worked. Men often beat their stupid heads. If they wanted to be smarter, at least they could find some food for the family.
"What is this?" Axiu's man asked.
"I don't know either, found it at the door. I don't know who put it there."
Axiu opened the burlap bag, and the two of them drilled their heads to see that a bag of yellow-brown things smelled of burnt nuts. This taste is not unfamiliar at all. After they used their own soybeans to extract oil, the oil mill would return a bag of such oil residue.
The oil residue was pig feed in the high-yield era, adding nutrients and fattening to the pigs, but now, when the bark has been eaten, this is the food, which can be swallowed and nutritious food .
On New Year's Eve, more than 600 households in Changshan Village, including the old landlord's house in the shack, received a bag of oil residue, some of which were soybean residue, some peanut residue, and sesame residue. If there are elderly people who have been to the entrance of the village, there is an extra bag of ten kilograms of white rice. Although it is Chen Liang, there are small black rice bugs crawling around, but this is big white rice.
Only one person covered his heart.
The system couldn't help but complain, "Is your heart beating normally? I almost forgot that this is a patient with a heart attack. You said before that you wanted to buy food for the villagers, but in the end, The oil residue of high-quality pig feed, and the three-year-old grain of high-quality chicken feed. Does your conscience hurt?"
Qing Chuan immediately put his hand down, "It doesn't hurt at all."
