Chapter 738: Introducing Everyone
Yang Huaixi looked at the long downward-stroked character "庆" on the paper and thought of the old beggar's skinny hands before his death, and the small figure of Douzi following him in the alley of the black market with a medicine basket on his back.
He reached out and covered the back of the boy's hand, the warmth of his palm coming through the bamboo pen, and he said softly:
"When spring comes, we'll go to the back mountain to find a piece of bluestone and have Brother Wang ask a teacher in town to write on it. We'll use hematite powder to paint the name bright red."
The wind outside the window gradually died down, and a crescent moon peeked out from between the clouds. The clear light shone through the window lattice covered with icy flowers, casting a layer of silver on the three words "Yang Huaiqing" on the kang table.
Yang Huaiqing gently stroked the ink on the paper with his fingertips, and suddenly felt that the name was no longer a simple stroke, but was filled with the warmth of firewood in the dilapidated temple, the morning frost and evening dew on the way to collect herbs, and the never-cooling temperature in his brother's palms.
He grinned, revealing two rows of red teeth from the cold, buried his face in Yang Huaixi's shoulder, and said sullenly:
"Brother, the name Yang Huaiqing is a hundred times better than I thought."
The remaining fire in the stove flickered, casting the shadows of the two people leaning on each other on the icy window paper.
It was as if on a snowy night in the Great Northern Wilderness, a new and warm picture of "joy" and "celebration" was quietly unfolding.
When the wooden door of the main room was pushed open a crack, a white mist mixed with the aroma of alkaline flour rushed in and condensed into fine water droplets in the minus 20 degrees cold air.
He Yushui walked in with a hunched back, holding a chipped ceramic basin. Her blue apron was still stained with flour that had not been rubbed clean. A few drops of boiling noodle soup hanging from the edge of the basin fell to the ground, immediately making a slight sizzling sound.
"Sit still!"
She dodged to the side to avoid Yang Huaiqing who was squatting in front of the stove and stirring the fire, and her cotton shoes made a squeaking sound as they rubbed against the muddy ground covered with thin ice.
"The hot noodle soup just out of the pot can peel off the skin on the back of your hand!"
When the ceramic basin was placed heavily in the middle of the kang table, the entire room was shrouded in steaming white mist.
The noodles in the bowl are golden and translucent, wrapped in shiny pork sauce, the green spinach leaves are at the bottom of the bowl, the red chili oil floats on the soup like a swaying flower, a few poached eggs are half immersed in the soup, and the edges of the egg whites are cooked until they are slightly curled.
Yang Xiaohua followed on tiptoe, the coarse porcelain bowl in her arms making a crisp sound when it clattered against each other, and the red hairband at the end of her braid was still stained with unmelted snow.
"Sister Yushui, the bamboo chopsticks are hanging on the stove. I just boiled them!"
He Yushui took off her apron and wiped her hands. There were still flour particles embedded in her fingertips from kneading the dough.
She took the bowl handed to her by Yang Xiaohua, scooped up half a bowl of noodles with a turn of her wrist, and lightly picked up the boiling soup with her chopsticks, and a few strands of noodles covered with amber soup fell steadily into the bowl.
"Brother Huaixi, try this sauce."
She pushed the first bowl of noodles in front of Yang Huaixi, and the porcelain spoon hit the edge of the basin with a "clang" sound.
"I went to the supply and marketing cooperative this morning to exchange some meat coupons, and put some pickled mustard greens from yesterday to relieve the greasiness."
Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden and violent sound of stomping on snow from the outer room, and the door bolt was banged loudly.
Wang Jianguo rushed in with a head full of broken snow. The red pompom on his felt hat was covered with icicles, and a layer of white frost formed on the front of his cotton-padded jacket.
"came back?"
Yang Huaixi stood up to take his cotton hat, but saw him rush to the table on the kang first, and the white breath he exhaled condensed into a thick fog in front of his eyes.
"I was in such a hurry in the commune just now that I forgot the important things!"
He rubbed his purple hands, his finger joints turning red from the cold.
"I have to introduce myself to you formally!"
The noodle soup in the ceramic basin was still bubbling. He Yushui was scooping more sauce into Yang Huaiqing's bowl. When she looked up after hearing the words, the strands of hair at her temples were slightly curled by the heat.
Wang Jianguo pointed his rough palm at her first, and the shiny patch on his cuff swept across the table:
"This is Comrade He Yushui, my cousin,"
He deliberately dragged out his tone, which made He Yushui lower her head and twist the corner of her apron.
"At this time last year, I squeezed into a green train for three days and three nights to come to Beidahuang. When I got off the train, my legs were as swollen as steamed buns!"
Just as Yang Huaixi was about to say hello, He Yushui pushed a bowl of steaming noodles in front of him:
"Eat the noodles first to warm yourself up. There's no rush to introduce them."
As she spoke, Yang Xiaohua was standing on tiptoe to get the vinegar bottle from the cupboard, her cotton shoes leaving traces of snow and water on the ground.
Wang Jianguo immediately turned around and pointed at the girl with two pigtails:
"This is Comrade Yang Xiaohua, the 'Little Hua Tuo' of our Jianye Village!"
Yang Xiaohua blushed with laughter, the red hairband on the end of her braid swayed in the firelight, and she almost dropped the vinegar bottle in her hand.
"Comrade Xiaohua's acupuncture is amazing,"
Wang Jianguo interrupted and picked up the chopsticks to poke the fried egg in the bowl.
"I helped Mr. Li from Team 3 to heal his old rheumatoid arthritis the other day. Now he can carry a hoe and go to the fields!"
He suddenly lowered his voice and moved closer to the Yang Huaixi brothers.
"She is the girlfriend of the production team leader Shu Zhuoge - the one who greeted us on the road just now, carrying a hoe and looking stronger than anyone else!"
Yang Xiaohua glared at him in reproach, but couldn't help but smiled, revealing two shallow dimples.
When He Yushui served Wang Jianguo noodles, he deliberately added a few pieces of tender pork belly:
"You're the only one who talks too much. Eat your noodles quickly, they're almost cold."
She turned her wrist and shook the noodles into the bowl. The soup flowed back into the bowl along the chopsticks, making a rustling sound.
Wang Jianguo didn't bother to eat, he wiped the breath from his mouth and continued:
"I have agreed with Director Song from the commune that the clinic will be built under the old elm tree at the entrance of the village."
He pointed out the window with his chopsticks, as if he could see the future through the wind and snow.
"Comrade Xiaohua is in charge of acupuncture and massage, brother Huaixi is in charge of identifying and dispensing medicine, and brother Huaiqing is in charge of western medicine nursing. We are looking for a few apprentices to help you and run errands for you!"
Yang Huaiqing had just picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks. When he heard the words, he looked up. The hot steam from the noodles made his eyes sparkle.
Yang Xiaohua suddenly pulled out an oil-paper bag from her cotton-padded jacket pocket. Inside was some dried wild chrysanthemums and a few mint plants.
"This is what I prepared for Comrade Huaiqing,"
When she handed over the herbs, a patch was revealed on her sleeve, with the stitches neat and fine.
"Drinking it in water can cure dry eyes and prevent heat stroke in summer."
Seeing this, He Yushui smiled and patted the back of her hand:
"Silly girl, eat first. There's plenty of time to talk about herbs."
The wind and snow outside the house became stronger, hitting the window frames and making a rustling sound. Occasionally, snow particles hit the glass, making a tiny knocking sound.
The room became exceptionally warm because of the hot noodle soup and the lively introductions. The kerosene lamp wick on the kang table crackled and cast the shadows of the four people on the icy window glass.