Chapter 135: Mending the pot
Wheat straw is a good thing and is more durable than reed poles.
Without the wheat straw stacks outside the village, there would be a lot of flavor and fun missing.
For them, wheat straw is the first of the four things called firewood, rice, oil and salt. For hundreds of years, almost half of the cooking smoke in local villages and towns has been made of wheat straw.
It is very common for the head of the family or the peasant woman who is the cook to go to the wheat straw pile to pull grass in the morning, dusk and rainy evening.
The thinly ground wheat straw is torn off in handfuls and carried to the house in baskets. It is used to cook porridge and steamed buns, and it is also used to make beds and warm the kang. It is a major matter related to the livelihood of the people.
Not only people love it, but animals also love it.
It is also the favorite place for dolls.
In addition, stacked wheat straw stacks are also very popular with wild animals. On cold winter days, especially after dark, if you use a flashlight to reach in and touch them, it is often like pulling out carrots, pheasants, and hares. A series of them, one catch at a time, which is perfect if there is heavy snow, and a whole nest can often be blocked.
“Why did you cut so many reeds, rich and noble?”
Chen Ling was driving an ox cart on the dirt road in the fields. When the peasant woman with a blue headscarf saw him, she straightened up from the vegetable garden and greeted him.
"I need to make some straw mats. I'm still busy, third aunt, the sun is setting. Go back early."
Chen Ling stopped the ox cart and replied.
This is Wang Lihui’s mother. She is sister-in-law to Wang Lixian’s mother. She also helped a lot when the family was building a house. Now that they have met, they are much closer than before. They often catch Chen. Ling Dun praised her fiercely, she is a clever woman.
"I'll be back soon. I have to pull out the weeds in the vegetable garden. If I don't leave them alone for three or four days, they will grow like this. If I don't pull them out, they will compete with the vegetables for fertilizer. How can this be done?"< br>
"You can pluck some cabbage and go back. Susu's sister happens to be there too. Let's cook some more good meals for Xiao Nizi. Look, the cabbage is so tender. Go back and fry it with lard. It will be delicious."
The third aunt said with a smile.
And he was not slow with his hands. He was already picking vegetables for Chen Ling as he spoke.
Chen Ling couldn't stop him even if he wanted to, so he had to ask his third aunt to pull out a few fewer reeds. In the end, he pulled out five or six reeds and helped him throw them onto the high reeds piled up by the bullock cart with his feet.
“Niuniu also wants to go to school, right?”
"Come on, your brother Lihui and his wife go to the market all day long, and the corn in the fields is the same every day. You can't control her. It's better to go to school and worry less."
"Then let Niu Niu and Piggy get ready early Get up, I'll send them all over tomorrow."
"Oh, that's nice, but I'm sorry to bother you."
"It's okay, third aunt, what's the trouble?"< br>
Chen Ling waved his hand, replied with a smile, and continued to drive home.
The baby cabbages in early autumn are really good, crisp and tender, but they were planted too late. Chen Ling didn't pay special attention to them after they were planted. Recently, he has been too lazy to clean them up and just let them grow naturally, so it takes ten days and a half before they can be eaten. .
But it doesn’t matter. There is no shortage of vegetables at home at all times, so this dish is good.
After returning home, unload the reeds from the car, spread them in the yard, and wait for them to dry before they can be used. Recently, the temperature has been slightly cooler at night, and the autumn season has not passed yet. The sun is still quite fierce during the day, and the half-yellow reeds he picked dry up quickly.
After simply working for a while, at Wang Susu's urging, she got a neat short haircut. As for the daughter-in-law's own big braid, she refused to cut it no matter what. Not only did she cherish it, Chen Ling Like it very much too.
Especially when the young daughter-in-law braided her thick black hair into a braid, there was always an indescribable charm that made his heart skip a beat every time.
……
No words for a night.
The next day, the young couple got up very early because they had to send Wang Zhenzhen to school.
Under the strong request of my sister-in-law, I only need to cook instant noodles for her for breakfast. There is no way, the little kids nowadays are greedy for this, especially the boiled instant noodles. They will never tire of eating them. If you add two poached eggs, it will be even more delicious in their opinion.
“Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, why are your chickens so diligent in laying eggs?”
"I counted, and in the past few days, your old hen has almost laid ten eggs."
Wang Zhenzhen took a few fresh eggs from the chicken coop and ran to the kitchen, Pass it to Chen Ling.
“There’s nothing strange about this. It’s just like people. Eat more, grow stronger, and work more. My chickens are well fed and they lay eggs more diligently than other people’s chickens. Isn’t that strange? Is it normal?"
Chen Ling replied with a smile.
Wang Susu was quite strange before, but he was fooled by this statement.
At that time, Liu Nier and the others came every day to catch bugs and dig up earthworms, including tadpoles and grasshoppers, so Wang Susu believed it.
But that’s not the case.
Free-range chickens usually lay an egg in about two days. Even those who feed them well cannot guarantee that they will lay eggs every day. Over the course of a year, each hen will produce no more than 170 eggs.
But the Chen Ling family is different. Not only do they lay eggs every day, they are larger than ordinary local eggs and have a harder shell. An experienced person can tell they are good eggs by just touching them.
For example, the little girl brought some local chickens and raised them together with her own chickens and ducks.
But they are obviously not as diligent in laying eggs as their own chickens, and the quality of the eggs is not as good. And the difference can be clearly seen from the appearance. The feathers of our native chickens are shiny and lustrous, and the legs and claws are extremely thick and powerful. Every time when feeding, Wang Susu stands at the door and screams before kicking home. Run, the chickens the little girl brought couldn't outrun them, let alone compete with them for food.
This is just a native chicken, and ducks laying eggs are even more different.
But because Chen Ling only poured two ladles of stream water into the pool in the yard every few days to dilute it, and then added water to the stone trough in the chicken coop, the effect was not obvious and it would not It's too exaggerated. Besides, I raise a lot of chickens and ducks, and no one will count the eggs they lay.
Most people are just surprised that Wang Susu is fatter and stronger than others, but after being surprised, they usually praise Wang Susu for being a virtuous housekeeper and raising chickens and ducks so well, and don't think much about it.
No, Chen Ling said this. After hearing this, Wang Zhenzhen just blinked and thought about it before agreeing with his statement. Then he said with a smile that he would catch more bugs when he came back from school and kill himself. I also fed the chickens I brought with me.
"Okay, when it's fattened up, I'll make hot pot chicken for you in winter."
Chen Ling said, having already prepared his and Wang Susu's rice and took it off the stove.
Then he refilled the wok with water and waited to cook noodles for Wang Zhenzhen.
Instant noodles cook quickly.
After the water is boiled, put the dough in, sprinkle with the ingredients, and beat two eggs.
When it's about to come out of the pot, cut the green onion into sections, sprinkle it on top, pour half a spoonful of sesame oil, and the fragrant instant noodles are ready.
Wang Zhenzhen was greedy for a long time. He was eating with a slurp in his bowl. From time to time, he would take out two noodles and share them with Hei Wa and Xiao Jin. For two big eaters, this little food was not enough. Instant noodles were fragrant and they loved eating them, so they ran back to the kennel to grab the food bowl, wagging their tails and waiting for her to feed them.
"Didn't I leave eggs for you? Why are you here to join in the fun?"
Chen Ling said as he beat two raw eggs into the food bowls of the two dogs, and said Reprimanding was one thing, but he was not willing to treat these two treasures poorly.
He and Wang Susu had a very simple breakfast. They heated up some of the leftover dishes from last night and cooked a pot of millet and pumpkin porridge with some pickles. In addition to these, there were also egg pancakes from the cabbage stall. .
In addition to the egg pancakes that were eaten in the morning, they were also brought to Wang Zhenzhen for lunch.
"Zhenzhen, stop playing with the dog, finish eating quickly, put on your schoolbag and leave."
Before seven o'clock, after breakfast, Chen Ling caught up with the cows The cart carried the daughter-in-law and sister-in-law to the entrance of the village. At this time, Liu Nier and a group of little kids were already waiting. When they saw the cart coming, they all ran over and climbed into the cart.
Then he sat with Wang Zhenzhen and talked about interesting things between them.
“Okay, sit tight and let’s go.”
I greeted the little white ox and the ox-cart moved forward steadily. This morning there was heavy dew and fog in the mountains. The sun did not peek out until we reached the county town.
“Slow down, everyone.”
These boys jumped out of the oxcart before it even stopped.
"It's okay, the rich uncles are gone."
"Run slowly, and remember to ask the canteen to heat a meal for you at noon." "I know!"
This primary school is not far from Laoling Middle School.
It is separated from the old hospital by a wall, but it is a newly built elementary school in the past two years. The highest grade is fifth grade. Of course, the current elementary school only reaches fifth grade. It was changed back to six years around 2002. system.
Nowadays, primary schools also have cafeterias. They do not live on campus. Most of them are just places for faculty and staff to eat. Students can bring food from home and heat it up before eating. Generally, there is no charge.
After sending Wang Zhenzhen away, the young couple went to sell the dates and pears they brought, but the price was not too expensive, so they didn’t care much about it. After selling the money, they went to the north of the city. Went to buy cotton.
Wang Susu plans to make cotton-padded clothes and two quilts when she has nothing to do at home.
After buying cotton, Chen Ling took his wife to the post and telecommunications office and subscribed to a year's newspaper. A postman would deliver it to the village every week. When he had nothing to do, he would take his daughter-in-law with him. Reading books and newspapers is also very pleasant.
Since Chen Ling paid the money happily, he also gave him the newspapers from the previous two weeks.
A thick stack, each newspaper contained not only news, but also various short stories. On the way home, Wang Susu leaned on Chen Ling and read with relish.
Susu is a traditional woman. Although she has a high school education like Chen Ling, she knows little about the outside world and receives very little information. Some of the things in newspapers have long been ruined in later generations. His jokes could also make her lie on Chen Ling's shoulder and giggle for a long time.
Then he told Chen Ling over and over again, trying to make him laugh.
Chen Ling just laughed with her, and from time to time he would add some spice to the story and tell some strange words, which made Wang Susu laugh so hard that she lost all strength in laughter and collapsed in his arms. pant.
Both of them enjoy this kind of time very much. They live their lives slowly, without being too busy, and they don’t just sit around at home. They spend time together with firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea. It’s warm and comfortable, but It couldn't be better.
Under the warm sunshine of early autumn, laughter continued all the way. When the young couple felt comfortable, they would also sing a few folk songs.
The little white cow also kept flapping its ears and meowing, and its steps were much brisker.
It is also very happy.
......
"Here comes the mender, Uncle Fugui, here comes the mender, go and mend the pot."
It was not long after lunch at this time. , Chen Ling had just carried two bags of wheat out and was going to dry them for grinding. There was only the bottom of the vat at home, which was not enough for two days.
“Here we come.”
When he heard Chen Yuqiang shouting outside, he answered, picked up the cooking pot, wok and kettle at home and walked out.
When cooking rice and water over firewood, scale easily forms on the bottom of the pot. If the rice cooks slowly, it must be shoveled off with a shovel. Over time, the bottom of the pot will become thinner and thinner, and it is inevitable that there will be damage and leaks. , some are broken and some are cracked.
People are frugal and don’t often replace pots and kettles with new ones. Most of the time, the broken part is the bottom of the pot. If it is broken, just repair it. After repairing it, it will not affect the use. It will not be a problem if it can be used for more than ten years. .
When Chen Ling's father was still alive, the steamer at home was older than him.
I heard that the steamer had more than a dozen holes at its peak. My parents had an argument and broke it, so I put two old pots together to make up one.
However, in the past two years, tinkerers have come less and less, and they always set up stalls at fairs. In the past, people would come to the village every two or three months to make noise, carrying a bellows on one end and charcoal tools on the other, visiting villages and households. It was quite popular during that time.
"Uncle Fugui, Wen Li told me that he is going to start a noodle business with my sister-in-law in a while. Do you think this is okay, uncle."
Chen Yuqiang said as he walked towards the entrance of the village.
Chen Ling smiled when he heard this: "That's pretty good. Yingqiang's family just happens to be able to grind noodles. You two can open a small noodle shop, which is convenient and easy."
"Oh, I don't know. The ladies just don’t want to be idle and want to make noodles and sell them at the market.”
Chen Yuqiang shook his head: "They all learned it from Uncle Lihui's family. They thought they could make some money by going to the market, so they wanted to follow suit."
Wang Lihui and his wife were very handy, and they even ran a tailor shop two years ago. , it was closed when it didn’t make any money. Now I go to the market all day long to sell clothes, schoolbags, hats, etc. Compared with most people, I don’t lack much income.
Sometimes he makes more money than Chen Dazhi. People in the village are still jealous of him, but no one else is good at his craftsmanship. He has no choice but to think of something else and find something he can do at home.
The two came to the entrance of the village while chatting. Chen Ling was a little dumbfounded.
“Why are there so many people?”
Many people in the village were waiting with pots in hand, and there was already a long queue. When they saw Chen Ling and Chen Yuqiang coming, a few young people came forward.
"Fugui, come and tinker too."
"Yeah, why are there so many people lined up?"
"Hahaha, tinkering in the past two years If you don’t come here often, who doesn’t have two broken pots and old kettles? Look, the man who came to tinker is not very old. He has made money today.”
Chen Ling crossed the crowd. Taking a quick look, I saw that the tinker was really young. In the past, most of them were old men. Today, there was a young couple. They sat on the pony. The wife blew the bellows, collected and delivered the pots, and the man held the fire. Knocking and banging, I was very busy.
"You are quite young. I wonder if your skills are good?"
"Hey, if you dare to walk out, I guess you have two brushes."
I chatted with the people around me and waited for someone. An hour later, it was finally Chen Ling's turn.
After he handed over the pot and kettle, he saw the man put the pot on the triangular iron stand and turned it around, followed by a series of beatings, as if feeling someone's pulse, to find out some potential root causes of the disease. .
That is to say, find out the areas that are about to decay, knock out holes in these unstable areas, and fill them with molten iron to extend the service life of the pot.
Although this guy is young, his skills are not bad.
It didn't take Chen Ling twenty minutes to repair the two pots. Then he pressed them with asbestos pads, then flattened them with a file, and polished the inside of the pots with a grinding wheel. It was done.
The money for such pot repairs is calculated based on the number of patches. One patch costs 10 cents. If the hole is too large and requires a gasket, an additional 10 cents or 20 cents will be charged.
It doesn’t cost even one yuan. In the eyes of ordinary people, repairing the pot is much more cost-effective than replacing it with a new one.
“This aluminum pot of yours cannot be repaired, the bottom needs to be replaced.”
"Change it."
"Single material? Double material?"
"Change it to double material."
Changing the bottom is faster than replenishing the pot. It's completed like this , and it only cost less than two yuan.
"Fugui, come here quickly, I have something good for you."
Chen Ling paid the money and was about to pick up the pot and go home when he saw Wang Laishun happily standing at the entrance of the village waving to him.
“What’s going on, Uncle Wu?”
“Good thing, great thing. Word came from the county that someone from the TV station is going to come down to interview and report on the post-disaster situation. When the time comes, Please say something on behalf of our village.”
“The TV station is coming? No, why is it coming to our village? It’s not our turn anyway.”
"Silly boy, you don't care why he came. Post-disaster relief funds will come out quickly after he comes. It's not a bad thing after all."
"That's true, but Uncle Wu, please change someone else. How can I talk to others?"
"Don't come here. You are the only one in the village who knows how to deal with outsiders. You are about to get married to the city leadership office." Brother, if you don’t want to go with me, who will you go with?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t treat you badly. Uncle will have good things waiting for you in a while.”
“…”< br>
Chen Ling was speechless. If this were all good things, you'd better not come to me.
(End of this chapter)