Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

"Don't worry! We've already weighed the leg meat and some lean meat that we cut off. And let me tell you, this pig is really fat. This meat alone weighs eighty pounds, and there's still a lot of fat left. Ah Qin doesn't want to put it in, so I plan to cut it into chunks later and render some lard."

"We'll divide the bones and save them for stewing with meat later. We also have two pig's trotters; we'll braise them later for the kids to eat with rice tomorrow."

Lin Yi carefully explained his arrangements.

The four older children cheered enthusiastically, and the youngest, Chen Ruiming, imitated his older siblings, laughing heartily.

Hearing the children's laughter, Lin Qin smiled and said, "Wenjun, take the children to take a bath first, so it won't get too cold when it gets dark. I'll bathe Yaya later."

Chen Wenjun also felt that it was windy, so he immediately picked up his youngest son and shooed the other children into the house.

Without the children's chatter, the yard was much quieter.

Once the seasonings are added, stir it again, cover it, and you can start making the sausages tomorrow morning.

Because the aroma was too strong, Lin Yi was worried that rats would visit the kitchen, so he specially placed the basins in a high place and closed the kitchen doors and windows tightly.

Early the next morning.

Before Lin Qin and Huang Yuezhen had even regained consciousness, Lin Yi started administering enemas.

When the two got up and went downstairs, they found that bamboo poles had already been set up in the vegetable garden, and a row of sausages were hanging there.

The second bamboo pole is ready.

The two quickly rolled up their sleeves, washed their hands, and went to help.

Lin Yi took a break and went into the kitchen to check if breakfast was ready. He also planned to cook two dishes and fry some eggs for the children.

Huang Yuezhen exclaimed, "My uncle is so efficient! I don't know what time he got up, but he's already prepared half of all that meat."

The sausages also need to be tied with string, and it's easier for two people to do the work than one.

Lin Qin wholeheartedly agreed.

The two whispered to each other and finished stuffing all the sausages around seven o'clock.

Four bamboo poles were laid out to dry in the vegetable garden.

The broth dripped onto the ground like rain, and it smelled incredibly delicious.

It was also because they were on the island that the river wind was strong; if they were anywhere else, flies would have already come swarming over, drawn by the smell.

Looking at the fruits of their labor, Huang Yuezhen smiled and asked, "Aqin, how long will these sausages need to dry?"

Lin Qin looked up at the sky and pondered, "The weather should be good for the next two days. Our vegetable garden needs sunshine every day. If it dries like this for two days, we can put it in a shady place and let it air dry for another two or three days."

If you're in a hurry, sun-dry for three days, then air-dry for one day; this will give it a better texture.

You can also air dry it, but that's easy to over-dry it and make it too dry to chew.

A hint of anticipation appeared in Huang Yuezhen's eyes.

Lin Qin asked, "Sister-in-law, when do you plan to go back this year?"

"In another week, the weather will be good this year, and we can work on the construction site. However, many of the newly recruited workers are from other places, and everyone needs to go back for the Chinese New Year. So, Boss Huang told us to work for another week and then we'll have a holiday."

Huang Yuezhen has become a veteran employee on the construction site. This year, Huang Wenlong even gave her a raise, from thirty to thirty-five a month, which made her work even more enthusiastically.

Lin Qin nodded, "That's perfect. You can take some back with you when you go back, so your aunt can try our cooking."

Upon hearing Lin E's name, Huang Yuezhen immediately agreed.

Inspired by the sausage, Chen Wenjun brought back a large bag of sand shrimp from Nangang that day, saying that he happened to come across them when the fishing boats returned to port.

The sand shrimp are all wild-caught, not very big, only slightly larger than river shrimp, with little meat, but they are sweet and delicious.

Chen Wenjun said, "Blanch these sand shrimp in boiling water, peel off the meat and dry it in the sun. It's ready-made shrimp meat, which is good for cooking, making soup or giving to children as a snack."

Lin Qin was stunned by the huge bag of shrimp, her lips twitching. "Do you think I'm too idle and are deliberately making trouble for me?" Chen Wenjun shook his head vigorously. "No! I just think that shrimp outside is ridiculously expensive. If we make it ourselves, it will save money, and the shrimp will be bigger. It's a good deal!"

Before Lin Qin could say anything, Lin Yi interrupted her, "Wenjun is right, it's best to do it ourselves. If we can get some big seashells, we can dig up dried scallops ourselves."

Chen Wenjun thought so too.

The two of them discussed what to get and process next in front of Lin Qin.

Startled, Lin Qin quickly moved the sand shrimp into the kitchen, fearing that if they stayed any longer, her workload would double.

This bag of sand shrimp kept Lin Qin busy for two days.

After finally finishing peeling the shrimp, Chen Wenjun indeed brought back some shellfish to satisfy Lin Yi's request to dig up dried scallops.

Lin Qin was speechless and could only grit her teeth and keep working.

When she gets busy, she even forgets about time.

Before she knew it, it was Huang Yuezhen's holiday day.

Huang Wenlong gave out holiday money early this year, along with a box of oranges.

Huang Yuezhen returned to Nanyu with her belongings and told everyone that she had decided to go back early the next morning.

Lin Qin quickly packed her a large bag of sausages, a bag of shrimp, and some dried scallops that weren't completely dried yet.

Lin Yi picked a basket of pomelos, jujubes, and tangerines for Huang Yuezhen to take back.

In addition to these items, Huang Yuezhen also bought some New Year's goods specifically for this purpose.

The tricycle was filled with all sorts of things.

Lin Qin finally had some free time after seeing Huang Yuezhen off.

It's almost Chinese New Year now.

She also has to take the children to get haircuts, buy them new clothes and shoes for the Spring Festival, and even buy all the new stationery for the next semester.

Since it's a rare trip to the city to buy things, I definitely can't forget to get things like couplets.

The group returned to Nanyu with large and small bags, and began a new round of busy work.

After a lot of trouble.

It was already New Year's Eve when Xu Dahai came to the city to pick him up.

Xu Jian and Xu Kang haven't been back to their hometown for a long time.

As soon as the two brothers boarded the bus, they couldn't wait to tell Xu Dahai about their lives over the past year.

"Dad, my brother and I can not only speak English now, but we are also the best runners in our class. Our teacher even gave us certificates, which are in our schoolbags."

Xu Jian proudly took out the two certificates of merit.

The passengers next to him immediately praised him, their eyes full of envy, "Brother, how did you raise them? Both of your kids have won awards, that's amazing! Unlike my two silly kids, all they do is eat and play all day, and they disappear as soon as they get home from school."

Xu Dahai looked proud, straightening his back unconsciously, and said with feigned modesty, "Not at all, they're incredibly resilient. Back in the village, they would run away as soon as school was over, and we couldn't catch them. They've only gotten better now that they're studying in the city."

The other person nodded repeatedly in agreement, "That's right! Conditions in the countryside are not good, and there are not many children who can study. Most of them just play. Children in the city are much more sensible."

Xu Dahai was taken aback. He glanced at the two children and seemed to understand something. He secretly rejoiced, "That's how it is. So no matter how difficult it is, we have to grit our teeth and send the children to study in a better place."

The two talked, and two hours passed quickly.

After getting off the bus, Xu Dahai led his two sons to their new house in town. (End of Chapter)