Xing'an Mountains 1984: Starting from climbing mountains to support the family

Chapter 27 Dad Chen Guangtian

"My mother, what do you want from me?"

"I don't know either. Mom didn't tell me," Liu Xueting shook her head.

Chen Weidong didn't think much about it. Although Liu Xueting didn't know, he could roughly guess it. Then Chen Weidong wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel and grinned.

"I'll be back soon!!"

…………

"His father, when Weidong comes later, you must have a good talk with him. He has a good life but he wants to go hunting in the mountains. He is risking his life!"

"Look at his third uncle. He lives a down-to-earth life, but he insists on going into the mountains to hunt. He has been unable to get off the bed for the rest of his life. Our Weidong must not learn from his third uncle!"

"I was wondering why Weidong dug up a nest of badgers that day~"

"..."

Wu Xiuqin kept chattering, and Chen Guangtian on the side couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. His wife was good in every way except that she couldn't control her mouth.

No matter what happened, she kept nagging, so much so that her two sons and daughters-in-law avoided her.

"Well, Weidong's life isn't easy either, with six girls, and we can't help the children, so don't make things difficult for him, and talk less later."

Chen Guangtian tapped the old pipe in his hand and sighed. The family was poor. Both sons were not well-off, especially the third son. There were six daughters to support, and the family was almost penniless. However, he, as a father, was powerless.

"It's all your daughter-in-law's fault. If she hadn't given birth to six daughters in a row, would life be so difficult?"

"Go and listen to what those people in the village say about our Weidong!"

"Please stop talking. Having a son or a daughter is not just her business."

"Were you very happy when Dani came to deliver meat last time? Xueting is a filial person. Wasn't it all sent by her? As a mother-in-law, you should stop talking."

"Chen Guangtian, you are so good. I wash your clothes and cook for you. Who are you on? She gave birth to six daughters in a row. You feel proud, right? Some people in the village are pointing fingers at you. Do you feel good about it?"

Chen Guangtian: "Don't be so unreasonable. What I'm saying is that having a son or a daughter is the responsibility of both parties..."

……

As soon as Chen Weidong arrived at his parents' house, he heard the quarrel inside! However, Chen Weidong had long been accustomed to his parents' quarrels.

He remembered clearly that his parents had been quarreling for most of their lives. If his father didn't quarrel with her, his mother would also feel uncomfortable.
"Hey! I've only had a few days of peace, why is mom talking about his wife again?"

Listening to the quarrel inside, Chen Weidong felt a little unhappy. He sighed, walked into the yard and said to Wu Xiuqin:

"Mom, what's wrong with having six daughters? As long as I like them, that's fine!"

"Our family was poor back then, and I couldn't find a wife, so it was Xue Ting who married me!"

"..."

Among the three children, Wu Xiuqin doted on her youngest son, Chen Weidong, the most. Seeing her son so angry, she tactfully did not say anything bad about Liu Xueting.

Instead, he talked about Chen Weidong's hunting, and then he winked at Chen Guangtian.

Chen Guangtian sighed and walked forward reluctantly.

"Dad." Chen Weidong looked at his father's thin figure and gray hair, and spoke with mixed feelings.

"Your mother is doing this for your own good."

"I know."

"..."

An hour later, Chen Weidong came out of his parents' house. It was almost as he had guessed at the beginning. The hunting in the mountains these days could not be concealed. Fortunately, his father Chen Guangtian did not say anything.
Of course, no one can say anything about Chen Weidong now! He lived older than his parents in his previous life.

It is no exaggeration to say that he has walked more roads than his parents have eaten salt.

You have to know that his parents have never left the county town in their entire lives, and he has been working hard outside for most of his life.

Chen Weidong knew clearly that according to his parents' ideas, although it was not dangerous for him to work hard on the ground, he would not be able to support all six children.

"Weidong, what does mom want to talk to you about?"

Liu Xueting saw Chen Weidong coming back and asked with concern.

"What else could it be? You know my mother's temper."

"My wife is not going up the mountain today. I will cook."

There was still a lot of badger meat left. Liu Xueting cut off a piece and soaked it in water early in the morning.
Then rinsed it twice in clean water.
Chen Weidong then started cooking.

Fried radish with badger meat, yesterday's leftover vegetables, and finally a big pot of white rice.

After cooking, the family of eight ate very contentedly.

Then, the family sat on chairs and finished their meal. Since Liu Xueting couldn't wait to make shoes for the kids, Chen Weidong was also busy.

They started to help, and a few little kids followed them happily.

The first step in making cotton shoes for the family is to make a shoe pattern.

That is, thousand-layer soles. Nowadays, as soon as children learn to walk, they take off their tiger-head shoes and start wearing thousand-layer soles.

For a poor family like theirs, Liu Xueting would usually make the shoes slightly larger so that the children could wear a pair of shoes for one or two more years. This time, Chen Weidong strictly required his wife to make sure the shoes fit the child properly.

Generally, there are four steps to make a pair of thousand-layer soles.

First, make the soles. The soles are often made of old clothes that are no longer worn at home, more often white cotton cloth. Flour is boiled into a paste, and a layer of cloth is stuck on a large board. After drying, another layer of paste is applied, and a layer of cloth is stuck on it. After drying, this process is repeated until six or seven layers are made.

Although Chen Weidong's family did not have white cotton cloth, fortunately his sister-in-law sent him two worn-out clothes two days ago. It was because of this that Liu Xueting came up with the idea of ​​making new shoes for the little ones.

The second step is to beat it with a wooden mallet after drying to make it firm.
The third stage is also the most time-consuming and labor-intensive stage: sewing the soles. Cut the dried cloth into sole patterns and compare the sizes of the little ones' feet.

First, use a needle awl to poke a hole, then use a large nostril needle threaded with hemp thread to pull it through, use force to let the hemp thread tighten the sole. Continue to poke a hole with a needle awl and thread the pin. Repeat this process. A pair of soles can be completed in two or three days at the fastest, or a week at the slowest.

The last step is to put on the shoe cloth. Fit the purchased shoe cloth and cotton with the edge of the sole, pierce holes with a needle and awl, and sew with thread. Then the cotton shoes are completed.

Liu Xueting and Chen Weidong worked until it was almost dark before they managed to complete the first step.
During his free time, Chen Weidong went to the door and dug up a lump of yellow mud. He had used up all the mud balls in his hands these days. He sprinkled salt on the mud and gave it to Dani and the others, asking the little ones to make mud balls while he continued to help his wife.

The next day, Chen Weidong got up at daybreak. Liu Xueting also woke up at this time. After a simple wash, she started to make breakfast for Chen Weidong.

(End of this chapter)