Chapter 718 Business trip (2)
Zhang Chu hugged his crying son and ran quickly, as if instead of his son, he was a time bomb. When we arrived at the captain's house, the captain's family was having a meal. There were eight people sitting at a small square table, not counting the children who were running around outside and I don't know if there were any children eating. It was considered a prosperous population.
Seeing Zhang Chu coming, the captain's wife put down the bowls and chopsticks and stood up. She took Zhang Chiyuan's hand from Zhang Chu and coaxed the child twice. It stopped crying, but there were still tears on his face and snot bubbles under his nose. I don't know. I thought I had just been beaten violently by my own father.
"Auntie, I'm really troubling you. I don't know what's going on with this kid. Guixiang started crying as soon as he entered the room to pack his things. I couldn't coax him anymore." Zhang Chu, the culprit, didn't even know why his son was crying.
The captain's wife hugged the child and smiled and said: "You men don't know how to take care of children. This is the first time you haven't been taught by an old man. Take your time and you will be able to do it."
"Guixiang is packing her things. After packing, she will send Chiyuan's clothes over." Zhang Chu explained.
"It's okay, there's no rush. By the way, Xiao Zhang, there's one thing I want to trouble you with. Come in with me and I'll give you something." The captain's wife said, holding the child and walking in before Zhang Chu and the captain The room where the conversation took place.
Zhang Chu was a little confused and subconsciously glanced at the captain. The captain nodded at him, and Zhang Chu followed.
After the captain's wife entered the house, she put the child on the bed, opened the cabinet with a rope, and took out a tin box from the top floor. Opening the box, there was a cloth bag in the box. When he opened the cloth, it was full of money, with various denominations. Jiang Feng even saw a ten-dollar bill, but the most was a few cents in change.
The captain's wife didn't take any change, so she took out a two-dollar note and a one-dollar note, closed the cloth and put it back into the box. She put the box back into the cabinet, locked it, and then handed the money to Zhang Chu. .
"Xiao Zhang, aren't you going to go to Longkou Production Brigade to change jobs later? Someone in their production team must be killing pigs in the past two days. Please help me pay more attention and buy as many kilograms of meat as you can. , I won’t pick the fatter part, you can keep the remaining change as a token of appreciation from my aunt.”
Zhang Chu did not refuse and took the money and held it in his hand: "Kill a pig? How can such an immoral person kill a pig?"
The team leader's wife said softly: "The son of Accountant Qian of their production team will have his tenth birthday in two days. You may not know the situation there. Accountant Qian's family only has a precious son. He doesn't even dare to hold a banquet when he is one month old." I'm afraid of being seduced by a kid. You are an educated youth and intellectuals. Why am I telling you this? Accountant Qian specially raised a pig last year just for his son this year. It’s my son’s tenth birthday. As you know, people don’t have enough to eat these days. How can there be extra food for pigs? Raising pigs is thankless and they eat less and don’t grow meat. They only need two pigs to be raised and cared for in a year. One hundred pounds is not much fat. In the past two years, our production team and others were not willing to raise chickens this year. If they do not lay eggs, they will be killed. ”
"Anyway, after you go there, please pay attention to me. After killing the pig, you can come to buy the meat as soon as possible. Thank you for your hard work."
"No problem, don't worry." Zhang Chu licked his lips, feeling that he had eaten pork.
When Zhang Chu went out, Cao Guixiang happened to come over with his luggage. He handed the small cloth bag containing Zhang Chiyuan's clothes to the brigade leader's wife and hurried to the village entrance two days later, fearing that he would not be able to catch up with the tractor and would have to walk more than ten miles.
When he was approaching the village entrance, Zhang Chu secretly gave Cao Guixiang the three yuan that the captain's wife had just given him.
Cao Guixiang was shocked when she saw the huge sum of money and asked: "Where did you get the money?"
"My aunt gave it to me just now. She said that the Longkou Production Brigade will kill pigs in the next two days. She asked me to help her buy a few kilograms of pork. The extra change will be used as errand fees for us." Zhang Chu said, his face full of yearning. , "It's a pity that we have no money. I haven't eaten braised pork in a long time. Guixiang, do you think if I take on private work at night to help them repair some furniture and build cabinets, can I save a plate of braised pork in a week?"
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Cao Guixiang laughed: "You repair farm tools during the day and do private work at night. Don't you think you are sleeping? You also braised pork. It would be great if you can save a plate of braised pig's trotters."
Zhang Chu couldn't help but licked his lips again, feeling that the braised pig's trotters were already tight in his stomach: "The braised pig's trotters are not bad. If it doesn't work, braised pig's trotters are fine. Anyway, everything you make is delicious."
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"Are you still dreaming? Do you think we are still in Peiping and I am still living in Yonghe and have all the seasonings we want? Don't you look at our house? Are there any other seasonings besides salt and oil? We don't even have chili peppers. We have to go to the mountains. Use dogwood instead, and tempeh can be used instead of sauce when stir-frying vegetables. How can I replace the oil when roasting meat, and the vinegar? Is it possible to borrow white vinegar from the accountant’s house? Their vinegar is made from rice. How can I borrow it?” Cao Guixiang couldn’t help complaining, “Don’t even think about it.” No, can it be eaten without seasoning? ”
Zhang Chu could only sigh: "I should write to your senior brother Qin and ask him to stop sending expensive things like milk powder, malted milk, and biscuits. Instead, send some soy sauce, vinegar, and chili. Aniseed is better than anything else."< br>
"Senior Brother Qin didn't know that we are so poor now that we can't even afford soy sauce. If he found out, he would definitely bring all the condiments in the store and send them over in one pot. That would be repayable. Anyway, we usually eat corn, sweet potatoes and vegetables. , there is no chance to use seasoning. If you have time to think about it, you might as well spend time thinking about where to get some refined flour to eat cabbage dumplings." Cao Guixiang smiled.
Zhang Chu began to think seriously about who in the village had refined flour and could use it to make some dumplings.
The two of them had time to chat during this walking time, and then got on the tractor. The road was so bumpy that they could have vomited out the food they had eaten the day before. Just the loud roar of the diesel-burning old-fashioned tractor could block all sounds. Speeches from the other side of the tweeter may not be heard clearly.
Although the tractor is bumpy and noisy, it is better than walking on legs. If Zhang Chu and Cao Guixiang had to go outside this time instead of changing jobs, the tractor wouldn't even be able to get there.
After riding on the tractor for more than ten miles, Zhang Chu and Cao Guixiang walked on the dirt road for several hours. They almost went wrong because they were unfamiliar with the road and asked an old farmer on the roadside before they got on the right track. By the time the two of them arrived at the legendary Longkou Production Brigade, it was already dinner time. Everyone in the Longkou Production Brigade had already finished work, and smoke was rising from every house. At the entrance of the village, there was a child playing in the mud with a look of despair. Seeing Zhang Chu and Cao Guixiang carrying things on their backs, they hurriedly greeted them.
The child was probably too lonely playing in the mud alone and was in a hurry to go home for dinner. After seeing Zhang Chu and Cao Guixiang, they took him directly to the accountant's house of Longkou Production Brigade. The accountant's house also had an empty room, where Zhang Chu and Cao Guixiang would live for the next week.
Since there is no phone call and all communication relies on running and yelling, the Longkou Production Brigade has always had one migrant worker this time, only Zhang Chu. The accountant was stunned when he saw that it was a couple who came, and then he was ecstatic—— It was originally a one-for-two exchange, but now it has become a one-for-one exchange. The accountant feels that he has made at least one pig's trotter.
Zhang Chu and Cao Guixiang lived and ate at the accountant's house during this period. At first, Jiang Feng heard the brigade captain's wife say that the accountant's family in the Longkou Production Brigade had only one son. He thought they had only one son and the others were all daughters. But now he saw Only then did he discover that he really only had one son.
only son.
An only son who looks fair, skinny, and doesn't even play in the mud. No wonder his parents are worried about being able to feed him.
In this era of rural areas, where family planning has not yet become popular, a ten-year-old only child is extremely rare. It is no wonder that people raise a pig to kill on their tenth birthday.
The dinner was very rich, including sweet potatoes, white rice, fried vegetables, and a bowl of egg drop soup.
After dinner, Zhang Chu didn't work. He only worked part time today but received full work points, which was rounded off and he earned a pig's tail at least. The accountant took Zhang Chu to see the farm tools he would need to repair in the future. They were all common wooden farm tools such as hoes and plows. The more difficult ones were the barn door and the foot-operated threshing machine. The workload It's not small, no wonder it takes a week to change.
After reading the things, the accountant took Zhang Chu to meet the village leaders, that is, the team leader and the party secretary. After recognizing them, he led Zhang Chu back. When Zhang Chu returned, Cao Guixiang was teaching the accountant's wife how to use it. The most delicious egg drop soup with the fewest eggs.
In rural areas, you go to bed early, there is no electricity, and kerosene is expensive. Basically, there are no entertainment activities after it gets completely dark. Cao Guixiang and Zhang Chu were too embarrassed to waste the accountant's kerosene, so they simply wiped their bodies and went to bed to get ready for sleep.
"I just went to the backyard to see their pigs."
Jiang Feng didn't have the habit of watching others sleep. He was about to go out through the wall when he heard Cao Guixiang suddenly speak and stopped immediately.
Zhang Chu:?
"I found that the pigs raised by Accountant Liu are really good, weighing more than 200 kilograms at least." Cao Guixiang sighed, "If I can get a piece of pork belly to cook, it will definitely be very delicious."
Zhang Chu:? ? ?
"Didn't you say there was no seasoning at noon?" Zhang Chu Soul asked.
"What I'm talking about is that we don't have it at home. I just saw it when I entered the kitchen. There was not only soy sauce but also vinegar, the kind bought from the supply and marketing cooperative. I also saw star anise and bay leaves. I guess there are other seasonings in the cabinet. "Cao Guixiang smacked her lips, "I haven't seen star anise and fragrant leaves for a long time."
"They belong to a wealthy family." Zhang Chu sighed, "Guixiang, do you think their table legs should be repaired?"
Cao Guixiang nodded: "I noticed when we were just eating that the table was a little crooked."
"I think there are a little few chairs." Zhang Chu said.
"The cabinet I just saw in the kitchen seems a bit old." Cao Guixiang answered.
“Their only son doesn’t even have toys.”
"Yes, there must be toys." The couple sang in harmony.
Jiang Feng:? ? ? ? ?
Do people say it?
I’m having dinner tonight, so the update will probably be very late. If you can’t wait, you can watch it tomorrow morning.
(End of chapter)