The strong fisherman in the courtyard

"Take your sister to wash her hands."

Mother Li rolled her eyes at her girl who was trying to put her claws on the table.

"Okay, okay."

The family happily washed their hands and sat at the table to eat.

"We have stockpiled a lot of food this year. Old Li, you have to thank your eldest son for this meal tonight!"

Li's mother stared at her son with a smile and praised him highly. After all, Comrade Li was doing manual work, and he couldn't do it without strength. Recently, the co-workers around him all looked pale, and sometimes they even had no strength in their hands to work.

Only Comrade Li Weiguo is still as fierce as usual, which makes the surrounding workers envious. They all think that Comrade Li is still as powerful as before. No one thought that it is the good food of the Li guys that supplements Comrade Li!

Chapter 82 Preparations

"Well, why should I be polite to my own son, right, son?" Comrade Lao Li Tong looked at Li Mu's mother provocatively. After all, Comrade Lao Li felt that he would still be the pillar of the Li family in the future, so it would not be a big deal if he was a little bit arrogant now.

Mother Li rolled her eyes at him and told him to figure it out for himself. "Just remember not to let it slip outside. We don't have any food at home. Do you understand?"

"The situation is getting worse and worse. I don't think there will be enough winter vegetables prepared on the streets tomorrow!"

"Don't worry, wife, I'm not stupid. My coworkers now think that I'm still as brave as I was back then." Father Li praised himself happily in a roundabout way.

"That's what I said too. Although I have gained a little weight recently, no classmates noticed." Student Li Rui raised her hand to show that she was also very tight-lipped.

"How much food do we have now?" Father Li asked after swallowing the food in his mouth.

Li's mother pointed to the storage cabinets in the house and said, "They are full!"

"Your son's stockpiled food accounts for half of it, and there is also bacon and cured meat that I don't know where your son got it from. It is definitely enough for you to eat."

"We have a lot of food stored in our old house, but there are not enough vegetables. But this time I stocked up twice as much winter vegetables as in previous years. Don't worry about whether they are rotten or not. At most, we can make them into pickles or kimchi."

"It's definitely better than having nothing to eat then."

"That's not a problem, but you should continue to stockpile food when you have the chance. You can never have too much of this stuff. I can see that people around me are starting to stockpile. The situation down there must be even worse."

"When you realize it's too late, hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, I estimate that someone from the street office will come to notify us at around 7 or 8 in the evening. We still have to show up."

"Uh-huh."

A few people ate their food quietly, preparing for tomorrow's "battle".

One one one one one one one one one one one one

"Everyone, come out, the comrades from the street office are here!"

Yan Fugui started shouting in the front yard as if he was asking for money, but you couldn't hear him clearly unless you pricked up your ears.

The four members of the Li family followed the people in the front yard to the middle yard, preparing to wait for the colleague aunt from the street office to finish her promotion before returning to the house. It was indeed much colder at night now, so the less time they could spend in the yard, the better.

After all, how could the yard be as warm as the coal-burning stove in the house?

"Comrade, everyone is here, just your word." Liu Haizhong jumped out immediately when he saw that everyone was here.

The aunt with the street office mission also saw Li's mother and nodded and greeted her from a distance. As for Liu Haizhong? Yi Zhonghai? Yan Fugui? Sorry, who is that? I don't know. I don't know him.

"It will be the same as in previous years. Everyone should line up tomorrow, maintain order, and purchase the winter vegetables they need in an orderly manner."

"Especially don't get into arguments or anything like that, be careful and be safe."

These were all commonplace issues. The auntie from the street office was very eloquent and explained them clearly in less than two minutes. She left after she was done.

She has many yards, so how can she stay in one yard all the time? It’s too cold!

Liu Haizhong stood up again at this time, "Okay, everyone knows the requirements of the Street Office, remember them, haha."

"Be sure to pay attention to safety tomorrow and maintain good formation."

When the neighbors saw that Liu Haizhong, the fat ball, was about to start making trouble again, those standing outside the crowd began to return home one by one. Not everyone is as fat as Liu Haizhong and can withstand the cold.

If you really wait foolishly for Liu Haizhong to finish his work, you will be frozen into an ice stick in the yard!

The Li family was about to leave when they were stopped by Liu Haizhong.

"Daughter-in-law of the Li family, please wait a while before leaving!" Liu Haizhong stood there with a smile on his face, but Li Ming did not feel the proper respect from this fat man's mouth, so he turned his head to look at Liu Haizhong. He wanted to see what this guy was going to say.

"Second Uncle, what's the matter?" Li's mother looked at Liu Haizhong with confusion.

"Well, nothing much, but aren't you from our street office? I want to ask our neighbors about the situation of the winter vegetables tomorrow."

After Liu Haizhong said this, many neighbors who were planning to leave began to gather in the middle again. They wanted to listen.

"I wonder what you want to ask, uncle?"

"Mrs. Li, you know that food is getting harder and harder to buy. Many people are wondering if they can stock up on winter vegetables."

"So I thought I'd ask you about it in advance today, right?"

"Well, it's just a small matter. Our street office always prepares enough winter vegetables every year. But if you go too late, you will definitely not get anything that looks good. If you plan to make something that looks good and can be stored for a long time tomorrow, you'd better go early to ensure it's safe."

Mother Li looked around at the neighbors and gave an answer that was not an answer. Sometimes it was very strange that a person did not give the answer that everyone wanted to know, but after hearing it, everyone would subconsciously ignore the answer they wanted at the beginning and would unconsciously think about other things.

"Yes, yes, what the Li family's wife said is right. Let's go back and rest early, and get up early tomorrow to try to get to the front of the line."

"That's right. Every year the subdistrict office prepares enough winter vegetables, and they are not just for one batch. This year, even if there are fewer vegetables, there will definitely be enough."

Listening to the neighbors asking and answering their own questions and finding the answers themselves, Li's mother smiled. The neighbors were also very satisfied, including Liu Haizhong who asked the question.

Look, in the original drama, the unlucky guy Liu Haizhong couldn't become an official? Even if he did, it wouldn't last long!

This thing still requires some brains, but luckily, the second uncle doesn't have it.

There are only a few people like Yi Zhonghai in the hospital who understand. Li's mother's answer has actually made it very clear. If you want to stock up enough, please do it early!

It’s too late. Not only will the remaining ones not look good, but I guess by then even the ones that don’t look good will be gone!

If someone really asks about what happened tonight, it only means that this person is a big fool, a real big fool.

Comrade Li Ming is very good at dealing with fools. He can either conquer them with words or with force. It is very simple.

Just like dealing with Jia Dongxu, it's easy~

The Li family returned home happily.

"Go to bed early! We're counting on you two to help with the housework tomorrow!"

As the head of the family, Li's mother gave orders to the two male comrades in the family.

"Hey, wife, you don't have to tell me, let's sleep together, when you get up, I will get up too."

Mr. Li wanted to be obedient.

"Don't worry, Mom, I can definitely get up." Li Ming didn't have any ideas. He was just purely curious whether tomorrow would be lively and whether there would be more exciting things. Just for this, he, Comrade Li, could also get up!

Never underestimate a person's gossipy heart!

Chapter 83 Stocking up on winter vegetables 1

The next day, 3 a.m.

Three of the four members of the Li family got up, and the remaining one was still sleeping soundly.

Li Ming rubbed his eyes and looked at his parents who were already dressed, still marveling at their self-control.

"I'll be right there." Li Ming packed up as quickly as he could, washed his face, and followed the two of them out.

The yard was already full of people at this moment, and they were walking in groups of three or five toward the place arranged by the street office outside.

At this time, residents need to queue up to buy winter cabbage. They usually buy it at vegetable stores or designated sales points, and need to bring household registration books, grain books and other identity documents.

The government will also organize an activity to store "winter cabbage", which is done by the street office. Sometimes they will contact large factories within the street area and use their trucks to transport the winter vegetables to designated locations.

In the 50s, the vegetables that residents of Beijing stocked up for winter were mainly Chinese cabbage. Of course, there were also some potatoes and radishes, but Chinese cabbage was still the main vegetable.

This is because Chinese cabbage is easy to store, cheap, and has a refreshing taste, making it suitable for winter consumption. At the same time, the government will also organize the transportation of other vegetable varieties from Hebei, Shandong and other places to meet the different needs of residents.

For example, Chinese cabbage can be pickled or made into kimchi, which has a sour and delicious taste. Potatoes are also a common food in winter and can be boiled or made into mashed potatoes. Radishes are very popular when stewing meat or making soup, and have a delicious taste.

When the three members of the Li family arrived at the designated location of the street office, a long queue had already formed. Every year when Li Ming saw this situation, he thought that some people must have come to queue up directly after dinner, otherwise how could the queue be nearly five meters long at three o'clock in the morning?

"Sister Wu is here!"

"Sister Wu, come here!"

Many colleagues and aunties from the street office greeted Li's mother and asked her to come over when they saw her.

Li Ming and Li's father also followed behind. After all, the Li family's winter vegetables had been prepared in the back, and it was very dark now, so who the hell could see who clearly?

Father Li and Li Ming distributed cigarettes to the aunties and some gentlemen at the street office one by one, and received unanimous praise. From a distance, one could see sparks of fire flashing where the street office staff were standing, which served as signal lights for the residents queuing up.

"You guys go to the back and bring the winter vegetables home first. Then, Lao Li, you can work hard at home to prepare the vegetables. It would be best if you can finish them before daybreak."

Father Li understood what his wife meant. He decided to clean up the place before daybreak to avoid those troublemakers in the yard asking questions. These people were like flies and mosquitoes. Although you didn't have to be afraid of them, they were annoying!

"Mingzi, come here as soon as you and your dad get back and help mom and her colleagues. Go to anyone who needs help."

"Okay! Don't worry, Mom." Li Ming agreed very happily.

Li's mother turned around and looked at her colleagues. "My son is very strong. If anyone needs help, just ask!"

"It's easy to talk about."

"Mingzi has been a strong kid since he was young!"

One or two people agreed, but no one was stupid. They would not really let Li Ming do the heavy work. They were all smart and they all cared about human relationships!

Li Ming finished smoking a cigarette with Li's father, and the two of them walked to the back. As expected, they saw the cart that Li's mother had agreed to have, with a red rope tied on it. Li Ming walked over, untied the red rope, and took a look.

Wow! This is a two-meter-high pile on the cart, and it’s not over yet. I glanced at the pile next to it, at least two loads!

"Comrade Lao Li, you are responsible for clearing the way ahead, and leave the work of pulling the cart to me. Don't hurt your back again!"

Li Ming joked, grabbed the wooden cart with both hands and began to exert force. The system brother gave Li Yuanba physical fitness. Even if it has only been developed by one third, it is more than enough to deal with the things on the cart.

"Okay, leave the front to me."

Father Li was very happy. Nothing made him happier than seeing his own children being considerate of adults and striving to do well.

The two of them walked towards the courtyard one after the other. Although most people on the road were walking forward and queuing, there were also a few people who were pulling things and walking back.

The two of them were not at all conspicuous on the road, and they did not encounter the beasts in the courtyard on the way, so this trip was extremely pleasant.

The two of them went back and forth three times. The only time they met someone from the yard on the way was when they saw Xu Fugui's family in the backyard. Next to Xu Fugui was Xu Damao, who was as weak as a chicken. His frail little body followed Xu Fugui to the front to line up.

"Old Li!" Xu Fugui stopped and greeted Li Weiguo when he saw him, and handed cigarettes to the father and son.

"You guys are pulling up now?"

"Well, hurry up today." Li Weiguo took the cigarette, lit it and replied.

"You guys go quickly, the third pile of vegetables from the left is quite fresh." The two chatted for a while, and Comrade Li Weiguo bought a good deal for Xu Fugui.

Xu Fugui was very happy. Who wouldn't be happy to have more fresh cabbage at home? After thanking Li's father, he took Xu Damao to the direction Li Weiguo said.

By the time Li Ming came out of home, it was already past four o'clock. He was still a little sleepy when he first got up at three o'clock, but after going back and forth several times, he felt full of energy.

Comrade Old Li is now at home packing up the vegetables that were moved over. He is very busy now. After all, the three trips just now were all driven by Li Ming. Although Mr. Li wanted to take over this job, he was rejected by Li Ming.

When they arrived at the vegetable selling point, Li Ming went in through the back door. If he went in through the front, it would be obvious that he cut in line. If you meet a grumpy old man, you will inevitably be scolded.

You see, isn’t this the benefit of going through the back door?

"Mom, is there anything I can help you with?" Li Ming asked his mother who was quite busy.

Without even turning her head, Li's mother said, "Go find Aunt Wang and get a red bandage from her, and a stick. These are specially prepared by the neighborhood office."

"Bring them along and go out to maintain order. These people got up early and took out their anger on anyone they could think of for no reason!"

Li's mother said indignantly.

"Please be careful. I think you should be fine, but you need to be careful. It's dark now, so please be careful."

"Know it!"

Chapter 84 Stocking up on winter vegetables 2

Li Ming turned around and went to Aunt Wang to get his equipment, tied the straps, and took the small stick. He packed up his equipment, refilled his cigarette, and started to stroll happily.

There are a total of 10 rows in the queue at the moment. Comrade Li Ming plans to walk through them one by one from left to right. Usually, the queue will be almost finished by around o'clock in the morning, so it's still early now!

It was visibly getting more and more chaotic, with more and more people, all pushing and shoving forward in a noisy manner.