Chapter 6 Grandma Huang
After eating a bowl of noodles, Sun Shan was full, and of course the four sisters of the Sun family were drooling with envy.
The four little girls were chewing on sweet potatoes. They had no lunch, and if they didn't eat some sweet potatoes to fill their stomachs, they would be very hungry in the afternoon.
The eldest sister Sun Guyu took Sun Shan's bowl and chopsticks to wash, and said with a smile: "Shanzi, which one is better, fried eggs or boiled eggs?"
There are more than a dozen chickens at home, but only four of them can lay eggs. The eggs are kept and given to my younger brother.
The doctor said that my brother is weak and needs careful care.
Farmers don’t have any good supplements, the cheapest and most nutritious thing is eggs.
My mother and grandmother said that we must give my brother an egg every day. Only when my brother is healthy can we sisters have something to rely on.
I took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen and met my third and fourth sisters. The two little girls had sneaked into the granary and stolen peanuts to eat.
Guyu tapped their little heads and scolded them with a smile: "Don't eat them secretly, these are for my aunt."
I grow some peanuts at home and press for oil.
I left some for seeds, boiled the rest in salt water, then dried them, stored them, and waited for my aunt to come back to give them to her.
Grandma said that my aunt liked to eat the salted dried peanuts at home the most.
The third sister Xiaoman stuck out her tongue and whispered, "Big sister, we didn't take it secretly, it was my brother who gave it to us."
Who dares to take peanuts from home without permission?
My grandma and dad would at most scold me a few words, but if my mother found out, I would be in great pain. Not only would my mother scold me, she would also beat me, and she would beat me very hard, and it hurt.
The fourth sister Hanlu quickly peeled a peanut, stuffed it into the eldest sister's mouth, and whispered, "It was really given by my brother. There are still many in his little box."
The only one who could eat peanuts, no, all snacks, was my younger brother. But he was generous and often shared his snacks with us.
Sun Guyu believed what they said, and her brother not only generously shared food with them, but also fought for benefits for them.
For example, their mother didn't allow them to eat sweet potatoes for lunch.
But my brother said that if I didn’t eat at noon, I would be hungry. Not being able to work when hungry was not a big deal. If I got too hungry and got sick, I would have to spend money to see a doctor, which would not be worth it.
Everyone knows that Sun Shan loves his sisters and wants them to have enough to eat, but there is some truth to his words.
So the family would cook some sweet potatoes and taro to fill their stomachs at noon.
It is a bit of a waste of grain, but it is better than seeing a doctor when you are sick.
At this time, the second sister Lixia also came in. She had just locked up the cows in the cowshed. She took out two sweet potatoes from the small sack and handed them to the eldest sister. She said in a low voice: "Sister, I picked them up outside. I cooked them. You can have them."
Then he thought of something and added, "My brother ate it too."
Sun Guyu was not polite. He cooked pig food, fed the pigs, and did housework. The whole morning passed in a hurry. He was a little hungry.
He took one petal, split it in two, and gave it to the third and fourth sisters. Then he tried to split the other one.
Lixia quickly said, "Sister, I've eaten it, you can eat it yourself."
The eldest sister is good in everything. She is always considerate of others and takes care of her younger sisters and brothers at home.
Sun Guyu made sure his second sister had eaten it before he felt comfortable eating it.
Use fire to heat the soil, then put the sweet potatoes into the hot soil and bury them until they can’t breathe.
Simmer the sweet potatoes directly in the hot soil and dig them out after a while. The sweet potatoes cooked in this way are particularly fragrant, much more fragrant than those boiled at home.
The four sisters came to eat in the kitchen.
In the main hall were Huang, Sun Shan, and Sun Boming and his wife.
Sun Boming poured Huang a cup of hot water and said with a smile: "Mother, plant some radishes in the afternoon so that we can eat them after the Chinese New Year." There is a period of time after the Chinese New Year when there is a shortage of vegetables, and radishes are good to eat at that time.
Huang hugged Sun Shan and nodded, "You two can decide for yourself."
All farm work at home was left to the couple. Huang did not participate too much. During the busy farming season, she would go to help and do the work within her ability.
Sun Shan looked at the smile on grandma's face and smiled too.
Huang is completely different from the mothers-in-law in the village.
To outsiders, he appears to be weak and unable to control his daughter-in-law.
But Sun Shan felt that Huang was the best mother-in-law in Sunjia Village.
The third aunt insisted on dividing the family, so Mrs. Huang did the same.
Su gave birth to four daughters in a row, and Sun Bomin despised them. However, Huang comforted the couple and told them not to be anxious and to take it slow.
Never quarrel with outsiders. If you can chat with them, then chat. If not, then just keep silent.
If you can help with village matters, do so. If others come to you for help and you cannot help, just refuse directly without dragging your feet.
Although he favored boys over girls, he only scolded his granddaughters and never hit them.
Not to mention Sun Shan, he was simply doting on him.
The eldest daughter was reluctant to eat the food she bought, leaving it all for her grandson. She saved the pension money given by the eldest daughter, and from time to time she would take out a few cents to give to Sun Shan as pocket money.
Sun Shan felt that Huang was the best grandmother in Sun Village, gentle and loving.
Seeing that her mother-in-law had no objection, Su smiled and said, "Mother, there are about 40 days left before the Chinese New Year. Do you want to kill the ducks at home and make cured duck?" The family not only raised chickens, but also 6 geese and 20 Muscovy ducks.
We raise ducks to make cured duck, which can be given as gifts during the Chinese New Year or eaten by ourselves.
Huang looked at the weather outside. It was quite cold yesterday during the winter solstice, but it was very hot today.
Looking at the sun and the sky, it shouldn't rain these days.
He nodded and said, "After we finish planting the radishes, we'll kill the ducks and cure them."
Thinking of something, he added, "Let's kill ten. Don't kill them all. Leave some for eating."
Sun Boming and his wife nodded to show that they understood.
Sun Shan lay in Huang's arms and yawned. He was full and very sleepy.
Sun Bomin tapped Sun Shan's forehead and said with a smile, "Shanzi is sleepy again. Dad will carry you to bed to sleep."
Sun Shan was carried to the crib. Sun Bomin covered him with a quilt, made sure he was not cold, and then went out to work.
When he woke up, it was dark outside. Sun Shan got up quickly and put on his cotton jacket.
I ran to the yard, it was quiet, and looked at the sky. It should be 5 o'clock in the afternoon and it was getting dark.
The nights are long and the days are short in winter, but people in the countryside still continue to work and only go home after dark.
Sun Shan ran to the crib again and opened the treasure box. This was a small wooden box made by Sun Bomin, about 50 centimeters long, wide and high, which was used to store Sun Shan's things.
When I opened it, I saw a pile of peanuts and candies.
She picked up a small embroidered purse with 50 coins in it, which was Sun Shan's private money.
All the pocket money that Huang gave her from time to time was saved.
He took a few candies from it and put one in his mouth.
Pure sweetness is not good at all. Before the liberation, Sun Shan didn't like to eat it. In the Sunjia Village where supplies were scarce, sugar was a scarce commodity, and everyone loved it.
The family members should still be in the fields. Sun Shan walked along the country path. When he met people from the clan, he shyly called them uncle and aunt.
The villagers also responded with a smile and asked where he was going. Before Sun Shan could reply, they left.
The Sun family’s fields are not far from Sunjia Village, just a 20-minute walk away.
Sure enough, the whole family was turning the soil by hand, preparing to plant radishes. The family's water buffalo was leisurely grazing on the ridge of the field.
Sunjia Village is green all year round, which is much better than the bare ground in the north.
"Grandma, Dad, Mom, I'm here." Sun Shan walked to the field and watched the family turning the soil. It would be boring to stay at home, so he might as well come and play in the field.
Huang responded and said with a smile, "You're still here so late. We're going to go back now."
Sun Bomin put away the hoe, called out to Lixia, and asked her to take the cow home.
Sun Shan quietly walked up to the sisters and handed them a few candies without anyone noticing.
The little sister understood what he meant, giggled, took the candy and quickly put it into her mouth.
We can't let Mother see this, or she will definitely scold us for cheating our brother into giving us candy.