Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1064 Will We Starve to Death? (Please Subscribe and Vote)

Fourth Uncle said, "No, no need for that trouble. We're not even sure if I'll come back next year. This year, I didn't even gather the firewood myself; the village helped me gather some, and they gave me a few dozen yuan when I got back."

Xiao Wei said, "So you're planning to officially move to the city next year? Oh right, Xiu'er will be taking the college entrance exam next year. That's fine, move to Fengtian. You can come back and deal in some mountain products, and spend your free time in Fengtian seeing what you can do. My uncle's little shop is doing really well now."

Fourth Uncle set up the brazier, picked out a few potatoes and buried them in the fire, saying, "Let's talk about it next summer. I'm hesitant. What can I do in Fengtian? Your uncle is shrewd and can get anything done. Your father just needs to protect you all. What would I do there? I wouldn't know anything about the ways of the city."

Xiao Wei said, "I'm here for you, why do you need to figure it out yourself? If it doesn't work out, I'll open a shop for you, hire people to sell, and you and my fourth aunt can just collect the money and check the accounts. My fourth aunt can help my mom take care of the kids. If you can't stand it, you can do whatever you want at my factory."

Fourth Uncle said, "You help me open a shop, hire good people to sell, and your Fourth Aunt and I just sit back and wait to get the money? Haha, that would be like just taking the money directly from you, what kind of situation would that be?"

Xiao Wei said, "That's not the case. There are plenty of people in the city who open businesses and hire people to sell their goods. Right now, Ga Zi and Si Wei's stalls both employ people; they don't necessarily have to do it themselves."

"Just pay me back the money you used to open the shop. It's not like I gave it to you for free. You pay your own rent, utilities, and business taxes; I won't interfere. As for stocking the shelves, you and my fourth aunt will handle that."

Fourth Uncle asked, "What are you doing?"

Xiao Wei said, "If you want something easier, you can open a convenience store like my uncle. If you want to earn more, you can sell clothes, but that requires a good eye. The most important thing is whether the goods are easy to sell. I guess you and my fourth aunt will have a hard time. We'll have to let Xiuer handle that."

Fourth Uncle said, "Your fourth aunt and I still have to come back to get some mountain produce. We can't lose this stall. It's not about how much money we make, it's about giving everyone another way to make money. Whether you make money or not, you don't care about this little bit of stuff."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, do it if you want, as long as you're happy. Or, Uncle Si, why don't you go get a driver's license? It'll be more convenient to drive back and forth."

Uncle Si lit a cigarette and chuckled a few times: "I still drive, but that's a stretch. In the future, I might get a motorcycle to ride in the summer, but forget about cars. I don't know how to tinker with those things."

"I can't even drive a tractor. I tried driving that old tractor in the team a few times, and it always tipped over into the ditch." He shook his head. "I'm not cut out for it. Otherwise, I could have been a tractor driver in the commune back then, earning fifteen work points without having to do any work."

Steam rose and crackled in the pot. Xiao Wei tended to the fire, spreading out the firewood to reduce its intensity, and said, "Driving a car is different from driving a tractor. Here, motorcycles can only be ridden for a few days, it's not worth it. When we get to Fengtian, I'll get you one to try, let's compare them and then we'll talk."

Uncle Si thought for a moment and said, "That works too. I just watched people ride motorcycles in the county, and it seemed pretty good."

Zhang Bing skipped out of the inner room: "That's because they don't have money and can't afford a car. Second brother, is it really that hard for you to cook a meal? Aren't you going to starve?"

Xiao Wei said, "Then what are you doing in the house? Why don't you do anything? If you're going to cook potatoes, Uncle Si will cook them. Are you just waiting for things to be ready all day?"

Zhang Bing turned to look at the brazier in front of his fourth uncle: "It's really burning? My fourth uncle is so kind." He ran over and squatted down beside the brazier: "Is it cooked yet?"

Fourth Uncle glanced at it and said, "It's still early, it'll be a while. You'll be ready soon after you finish eating."

Xiao Wei said, "Wait a few more minutes, the car just got on. Let's tidy up the table and put the kang table on it."

Zhang Bing pursed his lips, got up, and went to move the table. Xiao Wei brought the bowls and chopsticks into the room, and Xiao Hong and Xiu'er moved over to distribute them.

After the four of them finished eating, Xiaowei cleared the table, and Zhang Bing ran to bring in eggs and chili sauce. Xiaohong asked, "What are you doing here?"

Xiuer said, "They roasted potatoes, my dad roasted them."

Xiaohong said, "Bring me one. Are you going to eat alone?"

Zhang Bing, holding the bowl of sauce, rolled his eyes: "I only cooked three in total. If you want to eat them, why don't you cook them? You can bid, and whoever bids the highest gets the two, starting at five yuan."

Xiao Wei's mother, Aunt Wang, and Fourth Aunt were chatting on the kang (a heated brick bed), while Xiao Wei's father and Fourth Uncle were on the north side of the kang. Hearing Zhang Bing's words, they all looked over. Aunt Wang chuckled and said, "My goodness, they even won a bid! How about an auction?"

Xiao Wei tidied up the outer room, brought in a bowl with several roasted potatoes, placed it on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Hong and Xiu'er giggled and each grabbed a piece of skinning meat, then knelt down on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) to peel it. Zhang Bing frowned at Xiao Wei: "You owe me money. You ruined this auction. Pay me back, ten yuan."

Xiao Wei also grabbed a potato and sat down: "What is this? Only ten yuan?"

Auntie said, "Xiaobing, if you don't hurry up and eat, there won't be any left, and you still have ten yuan left."

The roasted potatoes are especially delicious, unlike the baked ones. Although there is ash on the skin, they are not dirty. They have been roasted at high temperature, and when you break them open, a rich aroma comes out. The skin is slightly charred, and when you bite into them, they are soft and crumbly.

After finishing the potatoes with egg and chili sauce, Xiao Wei clapped his hands and said, "Delicious! It reminds me of roasted edamame. Fourth Uncle, do they grow beans and peanuts in the village now? I'll order some next year."

Fourth Uncle said, "That's easy, just pay them to plant it, it won't take up much land."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, you can arrange to get some next year."

……

The next morning, just as dawn broke, while Xiao Hongxiu and Zhang Bing were still sound asleep, Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt, Xiao Wei's parents, Aunt Wang, and Xiao Wei got up. The women went to prepare breakfast, while Xiao Wei's father, Fourth Uncle, and Xiao Wei went out to the yard to prepare the things for slaughtering the pig.

Boil water in a large pot, and once it boils, scrub the locust wood table with hot water. Scald all the large pots and basins with boiling water. Bring out the old tree stump from the storeroom and scald and scrub it several times with boiling water as well.

Fourth Aunt scooped out a large basin of pickled cabbage, rinsed it with warm water, and Xiaowei and Aunt Wang started slicing and dicing it. The skill lies in slicing it thinly and finely.

Xiaowei's mother lit the stove on the north kang (heated brick bed), cleaned the large pot, put in several large spoonfuls of soybean oil, and when the oil was hot and cooked, she added a handful of peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon. With a sizzle, smoke rose into the air.

After frying for a while, I took out the Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon and threw them into the stove. I added the chopped green onions and ginger to the oil, along with soy sauce, ground Sichuan peppercorns, a little sugar, and half a pot of water. I covered the pot and brought it to a boil. Then I turned around, grabbed a cleaver, and came over to help chop the pickled cabbage.

The kitchen was filled with smoke, steam was puffing from the pots, and the firewood in the stove was crackling loudly. Four people were each occupying a chopping block, chopping pickled cabbage. Aunt Wang wiped her forehead with her sleeve and said with a smile, "It feels like the communal canteen in the production team back then."

Xiao Wei's mother didn't even look up: "You're just showing off. Who else here has ever been to the canteen besides you? It's all the cadres' and team leaders' families. We don't even see any oil or grease in a day, while your group eats meat soup every day."

New book: "Women, Flowers"

(End of this chapter)