Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 317 Don’t use bean bags as solid food
In the east room, the walls are made of newly-pasted newspapers. Two floor cabinets are against the north wall. The floor is very clean, but there are some pits. Because the floor is rammed earth, it is easy to get pits after being used for a long time when water is poured on and dust is swept away.

Zhang Guifang worked very neatly. She had been working in the outer room all day long. She was so tired that she was sweating all over her body, but she did not complain to the loudspeaker with a wink. After all, this was her family's initiative to invite Xu Ning and the others to dinner. She had to do what she had to do. Gotta do it right.

On the Kang table are silver carp and carp, braised in braised sauce and braised in soy sauce respectively. In addition, there are pickled cabbage vermicelli stewed with bear meat slices, fungus, cabbage and scrambled eggs, pheasant stewed with mushrooms and dried potatoes, and radish fish ball soup. That’s six dishes!

The staple food is sorghum dry rice and water rice. No matter the dry rice or water rice tastes quite chewy, because the large grains are particularly easy to chew in the mouth, but it makes you choke when you swallow it.

In the outhouse, Zhang Guifang put the fried bean buns in the big pot on a plate, picked up the can with sugar in her arms, and walked into the east room with the plate.

Xu Ning, Li Fuqiang, Guan Lei and Wang Hu were sitting around the Kang table. Xu Ning sat cross-legged next to the loudspeaker. When Zhang Guifang put the baked bean buns on the table, she said a little embarrassedly.

"Brother, my sister-in-law doesn't know what you want to eat, so she can just order it..."

The loudspeaker said bluntly: "Brother, to tell you the truth, I don't have any rice at home, otherwise I would have to steam the rice. Now I've got a pot of sorghum rice, but I don't know if it's to your liking."

Xu Ning's eyes widened as he looked at the fried bean buns. This winter, he had been eating rice, steamed buns, dumplings, and cornstarch noodles. How could he eat sticky bean buns?

"Oh my God, brother and sister-in-law, please don't say this! I think this is good. Besides, we came here just to have a meal. How can we think that my sister-in-law's party is too grand? Look at these old dishes, this It’s a lot of work for my sister-in-law all day long. Sister-in-law, please sit down and stop working!”

Immediately, Big Speaker unscrewed the cap of the wine bottle and poured wine for Guan Lei and Wang Hu, while Zhang Guifang chatted with Xu Ning, starting with Guan Lei and talking about how they met, mainly talking about homely matters.

Li Fuqiang waved his hand: "I'll also order some sticky bean buns first. Brother Huang, you are a few years older than me. Just call me Qiangzi from now on. It'll be nice to your ears."

Zhang Guifang looked at Xu Ning and said, "Sister-in-law knows that you and Qiangzi have given up drinking. Don't you have Leizi and Huzi? Let them have some drinks with your brother so that they can catch up on their sleep in the afternoon. How about it?"

Da Xiaoxiao followed Zhang Guifang and settled in Taipingtun, but he was not a bride-in-law. When he married Zhang Guifang, he had only two beds and nothing else.

Zhang Guifang went into the room after washing her hands and answered: "Why are you being polite to me? Come on, Leizi. My sister-in-law will serve you some rice. Are you proud of your food?"

Big Speaker slapped his leg, "Oh my God! I forgot about it in such a hurry! I'll go find a cup..."

As the old saying goes, don’t use bean bags as dry food! During the famine years, bean buns were the staple food of ordinary families, and they were even more popular than cornstarch noodles!
Although sticky bean buns are a good thing, one thing that is particularly bad is that they are prone to heartburn because they are sticky and difficult to digest when eaten in the stomach. Therefore, most people are willing to eat fried bean buns and dip them in sugar. , eat it with sauerkraut, the more you eat it, the more delicious it becomes!
"Okay, you can put it into the bowl yourself. There is white sugar in this can, please add more. Brother Li and Brother Wang..."

"OK……"

At this moment, Da Xiaoxiao, Guan Lei and Wang Hu had all finished their glasses of wine and were eating sorghum rice, while Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang had already finished their staple food and were picking up fish with their chopsticks.

"Hey mom, why don't I be polite?"

Xu Ning said with a smile: "I'll make some sticky bean buns first. I haven't eaten any sticky bean buns this winter, so I'm really hungry!"

Xu Ning nodded: "It's indeed my brother. Brother, you are so old, why don't you listen to us and don't get too upset."

In addition, he has many cousins, such as Huang Guofu from Wangxing, who is his cousin's younger brother. The other brothers and sisters are not in Taipingtun, but settled in Qing'an and surrounding villages.

After the three of them drank, the topic turned to hunting in the mountains. The loudspeaker told how on an autumn evening three years ago, he led his dog for a wander in the forest, and suddenly encountered a blind black man who rushed towards him. At that time, two dogs were guarding the owner and running home, howling with loud horns. When they got home, they looked back and saw that half of their bodies were bloody and they were seriously injured. They died that night.

The stones on the ground were brought back from the mountains by Da Xiaoxia. A few more people were arranged in the village to help Da Xiaoxia build the house. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed.

"Brother, did you hear your brother say that the Leizi family belongs to Wanye?"

"Hey, stop moving now, I'll get it."

This is a contradictory topic. On the one hand, I want to live a good life, but on the other hand, I don’t dare to take too many risks. What should I do? We can only find another way.

This incident scared him so much that from then on he never led the dog to hunt bears by himself. At most, he would wander around the bear barn in winter, and then go back to the village to find Lan Bingdao, or tell Xu Pao to wait until he took it out. After taking the bear's bile, he took another share.

After Zhang Guifang served Guan Lei and Wang Hu the food, she did not get on the bed immediately. Instead, she turned around and took out a bottle of Daqu from the cabinet. She complained to the loudspeaker: "Brother, why don't you know how to get the wine when you come here?"

"Sister-in-law, your sticky bean buns are very well made. They don't burn your throat or stick to your teeth. They taste pretty good."

And the loudspeaker is just fine for beating dogs around, much better than most people, so as long as Xu Pao has good things at home, he will secretly get some for Huang Lin. Although it's not too much, it can satisfy his craving!
Da Xiaokang always kept this feeling in mind. Before Xu Pao and his wife left for the provincial capital, he went to Xu Pao's house and told Xu Pao bluntly that he could help burn the kang after they left. Sweeping snow or something.

Xu Ning raised his hand to stop him and said, "Brother, don't bother, I don't drink."

"Oh my God! I seem to have heard about this, but I really didn't think about it. When my brother introduced him before, I thought he was his buddy."

At that time, he lived in the lower house of Zhang Guifang's second aunt's house, and lived there for more than three years. Later, the production team worked actively in the big horn production team, and because of Huang Lin, the team studied and approved a piece of land for his family of three.

Just like that, Xu Pao hinted that Da Xiaoba would go to Qing'an to get close to Xu Erning, but Xu Pao didn't say it clearly. After all, whether he can get along with Xu Ning or not depends on how Da Xiaoba behaves.

Da Xiaoxiao’s real name was Huang Guoxing, and he had three brothers. The eldest brother passed away in 1974, and the remaining younger brother settled in Sihe, not far from the street.

Xu Ning said with a smile: "You are quite good at eating."

Big Speaker grinned and said, "There's not much. It's just a bottle of wine that my little brother brought to me before the Chinese New Year."

Big Horn is not timid, but has to care about his family. He knows that once he dies in the mountains, the orphans and widows will definitely not be able to survive, so since then, his efficiency in hunting wild boars in the mountains has become low. Compared with the previous The harvest made Zhang Guifang a little dissatisfied...

Wang Hu answered: "Brother, I didn't mention it when I introduced you earlier. This is my future brother-in-law, and I'm dating his little sister."

Listening to Xu Ning's words, Da Xiaoxiao and Zhang Guifang felt relieved, and nodded with a smile: "Hey, Guoxing, you serve the rice for me, and I'll wash my hands."

"Okay, brother, here are sorghum rice, water rice and dry rice."

In the past, Big Speaker often went to Xu Pao's house and helped with all the work. But Xu Pao is getting older and it is difficult to go hiking by himself. How can I take him with me?

Although the family has everything it needs now, his son Huang Lin is already fifteen years old. He will have to marry a wife in a few years, right?

"Water rice! No soup, I'm happy to eat it one by one..."

Zhang Guifang fetched five wine glasses. Even if Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang didn't drink, they had to put them on them. After all, it was the first time they had dinner at home.

Xu Ning glanced at Wang Hu and Guan Lei. They were both a little eager to try, and nodded: "Okay! Then I can only drink this bottle."

This matter may seem quite trivial, and a heartless person would not take it seriously, but who is Xu Pao? He will definitely recognize this friendship.

"Hahaha……"

Besides, the materials used in his house were too poor when it was built. It started leaking and drafty just a few years after moving in. Da Xiaoxian thought that when Huang Lin got married, he would knock the house down and build it again!
It sounds pretty simple, but where can I get the money? Big Speaker tried his best and racked his brains...

Zhang Guifang said with a smile: "Then you can go home and get some later."

"Hey, no need..."

The loudspeaker said: "Brother, just take it, there is nothing good in my house. When we made noodles last year, I asked your sister-in-law to make less noodles, just enough for three people."

She carried thirty kilograms of yellow rice and mixed some sticky rice into it, which was enough to fill a jar and a half. The half of the jar was given to my younger brother and my brothers. The three of us ate the remaining jar in the morning and evening, and we have only eaten half of the jar now!

Spring is about to begin now. If you don’t eat it quickly, everything will be ruined when spring begins! Wife, please give me more decorations later, he has many family members..."

Zhang Guifang rolled her eyes, "Yeah, you don't have to say that."

Xu Ning said with a smile: "Then I won't be polite. Our family didn't have any renovations last year..."

"Why didn't you fix it?"

Xu Ning said: "I made 60 kilograms of noodles the year before last. The first pot was well prepared, but the next few pots were all lying on the ground. I couldn't pick them off when I dipped them in water, and the fillings were all broken. Give them to my mother and my second aunt. I was very sad, so I didn’t do it last year.”

"Ah, I was wondering if your family had something like this..."

Just now Xu Ning ate four fried bean buns and a bowl of sorghum rice and rice. Xu Ning had not eaten these two things since he learned it, so it was quite satisfying to eat.

Li Fuqiang said with a smile: "This meal is really deep in my heart. Sister-in-law, your skills are not bad. Look at these two fish, all they have left is the bones."

Zhang Guifang said: "I'm happy to eat it. Come back tomorrow noon. There are more than ten fish in the lower room!"

Xu Ning waved her hand: "Sister-in-law, please don't bother you. My mother was a little unhappy about coming over this noon. She said that Brother Huang always brings things to the family year after year, and it's too much to come here to eat. Take it seriously."

"Hey, isn't this my family? It's no trouble at all! It's settled. I have to come over tomorrow noon. I'll make two more fish and bake some sticky bean buns. I'll watch you and Qiangzihuzi. I’m happy to eat it.”

Li Fuqiang nodded: "Yeah! Just as it is supposed to be, your sticky bean buns are indeed delicious!"

Xu Ning said: "Sister-in-law, don't prepare these old dishes tomorrow afternoon. Look at the pheasant, which is not very edible. Wait for Huang Lin to come back and give it to him."

Big Speaker smiled and asked: "Are you tired of eating this pheasant?"

"I'm really tired of it. There are still six or seven pheasants hanging in the lower room of my house. At first, I ate quite happily, and I had to stew four pheasants for every meal. Later, our family couldn't eat anymore..."

At this moment, Xu Ning and others no longer moved their chopsticks. They just sat at the table and chatted. During this period, Zhang Guifang made a pot of tea. They drank and chatted until two o'clock in the afternoon. Xu Ning held back his urine and pulled the tea. When he came back after finishing the shoes, he walked home in a hurry.

The loudspeaker did not stop him, so he and Zhang Guifang sent the four people to the entrance of the courtyard and then returned to the house.

Zhang Guifang grabbed the loudspeaker's arm and said: "Master, my brother is very easy-going. He is not as beastly as others say."

"Then it's necessary, the relationship is in place! Look at you, we are our brothers, we are really close."

"Hey, damn you! Isn't this a joy? Those three brothers look very particular..."

"Well, Li Fuqiang looked down on me a little before. He might have heard about my bad words, so why didn't he chat with me now? He is a sweet-tempered person. Huzi seems to be quite honest and has no ill intentions. But he just listens to our brother, Lei Zi is his uncle, right? Lei Zi sometimes has trouble talking to him..."

Zhang Guifang said: "Are you quite accurate?"

"I have to, am I going to the old forest with them now..."

The couple chatted at home, and the topic ended. Zhang Guifang asked: "Then why do you want to fix it? Are you really going to stew two fishes without fixing anything else?"

"Go and see what else is in the cellar? I remember that Lao Deng's wife pickled a jar of salted eggs. How about I trade some bear meat with Lao Deng?"

"That's fine, then you go now."

The loudspeaker said: "Well, let me smoke a cigarette first. I am leaving our village to hunt. If others don't entertain us, we have to entertain them. Even if we just have a home-cooked meal, we have to entertain them."

"That's right! What you said reminds me, otherwise, why don't we let my brothers come to our house to eat at noon?"

Big Speaker turned his head and said with a smile: "He definitely can't come here to eat in a row. He can only eat two meals at most. Do you believe it?"

"How do you know?"

"Hey, what's the point of my mouth? Who doesn't understand?"

Qing'an, old Xu's family.

As soon as Xu Ning and the others entered the outhouse, Liu Lizhen saw the bag Wang Hu was holding.

After asking clearly what it was, her mother patted Xu Ning on the back and scolded with a smile: "Nothing! You have never eaten even taking food from someone else's house."

Xu Ning waved his hand and said: "Hey, we are all members of our own family, so why are we so polite? Mom, you all should try it tonight. Brother Huang's sticky bean buns are really delicious! I mainly brought them back for you. We will explain. Let’s have another meal at noon.”

Liu Lizhen took the bag and glanced at the sticky bean buns inside. She frowned when she heard Xu Ning's words and said, "Why go straight? Are you going empty-handed today?"

"Yeah, I just thought I was going there empty-handed. I wanted to pick up something."

"That's fine. What can I get? Go downstairs and take a look."

"No, we'll be back tomorrow morning. We'll have dinner over there at noon and then go to the old forest."

Wang Shujuan asked: "Didn't you watch last night?"

"No, that old leopard is very good. I went to the old forest this afternoon and saw the old leopard's granary. I guess I have to wait until it finishes eating the granary before coming out again."

Han Fengjiao said: "Er Ning, the four of you go and catch up on some sleep. I'll call you after dinner in the evening."

"Okay, let's bake the bean buns with bear oil at night. They'll be delicious!"

Liu Lizhen patted him and said angrily: "You can catch up on your sleep quickly. Why do you know how to eat?"

After Xu Ning and the other two went to Lao Wang's house to sleep, his mother took out the bean bags from her pocket and filled a large basin with them.

"It's really not enough for me. You can eat four or five times at such an old age."

Han Fengjiao nodded: "Yeah, we have a lot of family members. If you call Qiuxia in the evening, she will be happy to eat bean buns."

"Hey, those bean bags were all in vain the year before last, and now I get upset just thinking about it."

Han Fengjiao said: "What are you fussing about? If you want to eat it this year, you can eat it. Shuhua is leaving it here. What are you afraid of?"

"Yes! Wait until Shuhua comes over in the evening and ask her if she can hide her face..."

(End of this chapter)