Wang family small peasant girl

Chapter 111

Compared with the previous year, the weather this year is indeed much worse. Since the opening of Lashi Market on the 28th of the month, it has snowed for two out of three days, so that the Zhang family can only follow three days of fishing and two days of drying nets. The business is done in one way or another.

Fortunately, the business of fried stinky tofu and tofu puffs is as good as last year. Although there are fewer days to go to the market, two barrels of stinky tofu are sold out before the middle of the twelfth lunar month. As a result, Zhang's family got nearly a tael of silver, and the family was very satisfied.

Last year's twelfth lunar month was busy selling tea oil, and even Laba was rushed to deal with it. There was no good festival. This year, it is a coincidence that it has been snowing since the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. The Zhang family took this opportunity to take care of it carefully and prepare well. Pass the Laba Festival.

Mrs. Zhou and Zhang Yun have been busy since Laqi, and they are busy preparing ingredients separately. Zhang Yun takes out a proper amount of glutinous rice, washes and drains, and picks out the beans and dried fruits bought in the town a few days ago.

Mrs. Zhou soaked lotus seeds, red beans, and ginkgo, and added them when preparing to cook porridge. Hands-on, head-to-head peeling and shelling, while talking in the mouth, are all discussions about Chinese New Year food, and it is also a lot of fun.

After a whole day, the two of them stayed in the kitchen to work and didn't come out much. It wasn't until after dinner that the mother and daughter prepared the ingredients one by one.

"Yun'er, it's almost done here. Mother can do the rest. Go and rest early." Seeing that everything that should be prepared has been prepared, Mrs. Zhou waved her hand to drive Zhang Yun to rest. It was cold at night. That's right, she didn't want her daughter to suffer from the cold.

Zhang Yun responded, and scooped hot water from the pot on the stove, washed up and was ready to rest. "Mother, you should rest early, don't be tired." Zhang Yun wiped his face with hot water, and he never forgot to care about Mrs. Zhou. After a busy day, he was really tired.

"This Laba porridge has to be cooked at night, and simmered on a low heat until early tomorrow morning, so that the porridge will be thick, and there is no way to rest early tonight." Zhou replied, but her head was lowered. After lifting it, the hands continued to be busy, mixing all kinds of soaked and peeled beans and dried fruits into the glutinous rice, and then put it into the pot after mixing.

After Zhang Yun heard this, he felt really hard for Mrs. Zhou. If he was born in modern times, he would just plug in the electric saucepan and cook it, and just go and warm himself under the quilt. No one should watch the fire so cold.

But thinking about it, Zhang Yun also knew the importance of the Laba Festival. For the ancients, the Laba Festival was the first festival of the new year, and it was not allowed to be sloppy, so he just sighed in his heart and said in his mouth: "Mother, don't worry about it." Do it alone, let me watch the fire with you, you will spend the first half of the night, and I will spend the rest of the night, so you won’t be so tired.”

"No, just take a rest, I have already discussed with your father, he will get up to watch the fire in the middle of the night." Mrs. Zhou refused directly, walked to the stove and poured the mixed ingredients into the stove. In the pot, scoop water into the pot one by one.

After scooping up the water, cover the pot, and Mrs. Zhou squatted at the stove door to stir the fire. It is very important to control the heat when stewing porridge. The fire should not be too hot or too warm.

After dialing the heat a few times, Mrs. Zhou raised her head and saw that Zhang Yun was still there, and hurriedly urged: "Why are you still waiting, go and rest, seeing that the Chinese New Year is almost here, don't freeze like the old year."

After some urging, Zhang Yun stopped moaning, poured out the dirty water in the tub, and left the kitchen with her arms folded. She walked along the corner and under the eaves, braving the cold wind and snow all the way. He walked quickly to his own room, and after entering the room, he lay down in the bed and fell asleep.

When she got up early the next morning, the wind and snow did not stop. Before Zhang Yun entered the kitchen, she could smell the sweet aroma. The delicious Laba porridge was cooked, so she rushed in.

"Mother, Laba porridge is ready, when will it be delicious?" Zhang Yun just ran in with his front feet, and Zhang Xing followed with his back feet, still yelling.

"Look how greedy you are. Every year, you have to pay homage to the ancestors first, and then send them to Zhuzi and Sanwa's family, and then we can eat by ourselves. You can't forget about these." Zhou was already busy in the kitchen. Said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xing hurriedly said: "San Wazi's family, I'll send it off."

"You don't want to deliver Laba porridge, you just want to play. You have been locked up at Master's for so many days, and you can't stay at home after the holiday." Zhou joked.

"Mother, okay, let me deliver it." Seeing what Zhou said, Zhang Xing ran up to her and rubbed against her. Zhou smiled and pushed him, saying: "What are you in a hurry for? You can only go after the ancestor worship."

"Hey, Dad and the others have already set up the altar table in the main room, I'll help right away." Seeing his mother agreeing, Zhang Xing grinned, turned around and ran out of the kitchen.

Zhang Yun helped Mrs. Zhou to fill up the Laba porridge so that it could be placed on the table to worship the ancestors. After finishing, the mother and daughter went to the main room with the porridge in their hands, and the family worshiped the gods and worshiped the ancestors together.

After the ancestor worship was over, Mrs. Zhou went into the kitchen and put out all the jars that had been washed in the morning. Each jar was filled with Laba porridge. These were all for gifts to neighbors and friends. This is also a folk custom of Laba Festival.

After all the pots were filled, several members of the family picked up the clay pots one by one, and the whole family went to several families who knew each other well on weekdays, and sent the Laba porridge to everyone to share.

After going around the village, everything that should be given away was given away. Zhang Zhang and Zhang Xing were called to play halfway, Zhang Liangen was stopped by an old friend for a drink, and Zhang Youqing also had someone to stay with him, but he refused. Shi and Zhang Yun went to the house together.

Zhang Yun followed his father and mother out of Chang Juan's house with the earthen pot in his arms, and went to the next door. Chang Man's house was the last place where Zhang's house delivered Laba porridge.

"Tiemu, are you home?" Zhang Youqing called out loudly as soon as he stepped up the steps, and soon, Shao walked into the yard holding an oil-paper umbrella, and when he saw them, he smiled and walked up to them quickly. Smiling enthusiastically: "It's Yun'er's father and Yun'er's mother, hurry up, hurry up, sit in the room."

Zhang Youqing, Zhou Shi and the others stepped into the courtyard, Zhang Yun followed them in, Shao Shi hurriedly let them into the main room, and said: "It's really a coincidence, my baby's father just went out and went to his elder brother's house Go, sit down, he will be back in a while."

"Today's Laba, we don't have any good things, just a little Laba porridge cooked at home, it's also a festival, don't dislike it." After sitting down in the main room, Mrs. Zhou smiled and said, Zhang Upon hearing this, Yun hurriedly got up and handed over the clay pot in his arms.

Shao Shi has always been straightforward, so he didn't give in. He took it with a smile, and said, "Mother Yun, what is this? Eating Laba porridge in Laba is the most suitable for the occasion. How can you dislike it." He said again: "We really want to go somewhere. I just told his father that when he comes back from the eldest brother's house, he will pack some Laba porridge and send it to your house. No, you are here."

A few days ago, because of Zhang Liangen's temper, the two families were somewhat embarrassed, but now that the rain is over, the two families want to get closer and get along better in the future.

Everyone had this idea in their hearts, that's why Zhang Youqing and Zhou Shi came here together, and Shao Shi was also very warm and polite. Everyone sat in the main room together, talking and laughing, and the atmosphere was very happy.

"Ah, Youqing is here." Just as he was talking, Chang Tiemu came back and heard voices in the main room. He didn't have time to take off his coir raincoat and bamboo hat, so he went outside the door and looked in. Seeing them, he hurriedly Walking a few steps to the eaves, he greeted with a smile while undoing his coir raincoat.

"His father, Yun'er's father and mother have been here for a while, and they specially brought Laba porridge here." Shao stood up hurriedly, went to pick up the snow-stained coir raincoat and bamboo hat, and said with a smile.

Chang Tiemu walked into the hall with a few steps, and said loudly with a smile: "My family just ordered me to come back earlier so that I can deliver the Laba porridge to your home. How did you know that you arrived a step early."

"Let's send it first, or you send it first, it's not the same, Tiemu, the Tiemu family, you are welcome." Zhou replied with a smile.

When Chang Tiemu heard this, he paused for a moment, then laughed even harder, and continued: "Yes, yes, it's all the same, we will be a family from now on."

This statement was very explicit, but it was also the truth. Everyone in the main room laughed and turned their eyes to Zhang Yun, which made her face turn red. She quickly lowered her eyes and turned her face to the side past.

After all, everyone here is the elders, and it is not easy to make jokes about the juniors, so after laughing for a while, he didn't go any further. Instead, Mrs. Zhou followed the words and asked, "Tiemu, the Tiemu family , it's been a while since your family Manzi left, when he left, did he say how long he would be back?"

"He didn't say how many days to come back, he just said to come back as soon as possible. It's been more than ten days since he left, he must be back soon." Shao took the words with a smile.

"Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming, and it is snowing again and again, Manzi will suffer this trip. I still hope that he can come back soon so that he can feel at ease when he gets home." The two families are going to be engaged, so Chang Man said nothing. The future son-in-law, Mrs. Zhou felt very distressed when he thought of this snowy day. He traveled so far alone.

"That's right, what his mother said is right. Only by coming back earlier can the family prepare for the New Year in peace." Zhang Youqing who was beside him also nodded and said.

Chang Tiemu and Shao's naturally miss their son the most, but they are very happy to see that their future in-laws care so much.

"I'm sorry to worry about you. As soon as he comes back, I will let him go there immediately to make sure that everyone is safe." Shao said with a busy smile.

"Manzi is so old, it's a good thing to go out to experience more. When he gets married, he will be more responsible. He has gone to Changzhou many times. Don't worry too much. Nothing will happen. He should be home in two days. It's gone." Chang Tiemu also spoke immediately, and it could be heard from the words that he was very supportive of his son going out to see more of the world.

Zhang Yun has been waiting quietly by the side, listening without interrupting, after listening to these words, he can't help but look up, and looked at Chang Tiemu carefully for a while, looking at his face that has withstood the weather, feeling a little admirable in his heart , In such a remote small village, it is really rare to have such an idea.

Zhang Youqing and Zhou Shi can be regarded as open-minded people. They all nodded in agreement when they heard what Chang Tiemu said. After a while, everyone stopped talking and chatted about some daily life.

"Father, you are here to talk with me, I'll take the Laba porridge to the kitchen first." Shao stood up with a smile and said, and then took the clay pot out of the main room.

Zhang Yun couldn't talk in the main room, so he got up, and the adults in the same room talked about it, and went to the kitchen with Shao.

After entering the kitchen, Shao took out the clay pot from home and poured the Laba porridge over there, so as to free up the empty pot for Zhang Yun and the others to take back.

While pouring the porridge, Shao said in his mouth: "In the past, Manzi in our family loved Laba porridge the most. He always eats half of a pot of porridge. I don't know if I can eat it this year."

"Yeah, I don't know if he's eating Laba porridge." Zhang Yun, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but feel a twinge in his heart after hearing Shao's words, and looked out of the kitchen window.

Snow fell from the sky one after another, covering all the cottages with a layer of white snow. Looking at the falling snowflakes, Zhang Yun's thoughts gradually flew away, as if they had crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, and floated to his side.

I don't know how his Laba is going well...

(End of this chapter)