Pan Guangchen hadn't gotten off work yet, but his lover Wu Xiujuan came back early, and just caught up with Pan Yang at the mouth of the alley, and secretly scolded Pan Yang in his heart, with a smile on his face, and said loudly, "Big brother, what are you doing in the city again?" ”

Pan Yang smiled and said, "It's almost the New Year, come to the city to do some New Year's goods." ”

Hearing this, Wu Xiujuan looked at Pan Yang suspiciously, couldn't help but glance Pan Yang up and down, and saw that she was wearing a decent dress this time, although the style of the cotton jacket was still old, the fabric was new, and her clothes were obviously just made.

The hillbillies are poor and can't eat, and they still come to the city to do New Year's goods?

Wu Xiujuan thought so in her heart, but her face was happy, and she said with concern, "Oh, things in the city are too expensive, it's not cost-effective to buy more, just buy them at your rural supply and marketing cooperative." ”

Pan Yang smiled and didn't speak, raised the two bags of things in his hand, and said to Wu Xiujuan, "The last time I came to the city, it was too troublesome for Brother Guangchen and his sister-in-law, no, I think it's almost the New Year, buy some snacks for my sister-in-law's two children to eat." ”

Wu Xiujuan noticed that Pan Yang was still carrying two packs of oil-paper packaging in her hand, and now she heard Pan Yang say that she bought it for her two children, which gave Pan Yang a sincere smile and greeted Pan Yang warmly, "Big brother is too polite, come here, and bring things over, it's so out-of-sight!" ”

While speaking, Wu Xiujuan reached out and took Pan Yang's oiled paper bag and beckoned Pan Yang to come into her house to sit.

Wu Xiujuan and the old lady were all at home, seeing that the visitor was her son-in-law's fellow countryman, she politely said hello, Pan Yang followed Wu Xiujuan into the hall, Wu Xiujuan beckoned her to sit, and went to make a cup of tea for Pan Yang.

Pan Yang didn't sit for long, Pan Guangchen came back from work, and when he saw Pan Yang coming, he was very happy, and he was busy asking Wu Xiujuan to go to the kitchen to cook.

Because Pan Yang brought a gift, Wu Xiujuan didn't secretly throw her face to Pan Guangchen this time, listened to Pan Guangchen's words, went to the kitchen and baked cakes, and fried the food again.

"Zhaoke, don't leave tonight, just rest at my house!"

Pan Yang hurriedly said, "No, there is a place to live in the city, I will go to the guest house for one night, and I will go back tomorrow." ”

That being said, Pan Yang was going to go to Qiaodong to deal with it for one night.

Pan Guangchen said, "It costs money to live in the guest house, if you don't dislike it, you will sleep on the sofa in my living room for one night, and I will go back to the countryside tomorrow, I will go back together, and I will ride a bicycle to carry you!" ”

Pan Yang still wanted to shirk.

Pan Guangchen's eyes widened, his face straightened, and he bluffed, "Zhaoke, if you refuse, I will look down on me when you are!" ”

Wu Xiujuan also stuck her head out of the kitchen and said with a smile, "What Guangchen said is, big brother, you can live in my house with peace of mind, and if you go back with Guangchen tomorrow, you can be regarded as a companion!" ”

Pan Yang responded at this time, Pan Guangchen is loyal and honest, but Wu Xiujuan is more hypocritical, Pan Yang thought in his heart that this time he lived in her house, and it could be regarded as a favor from Wu Xiujuan, so it was a big deal to come back and send her some vegetables in return, so as to save her from saying behind her back that she took advantage of her family.

The next day, Pan Guangchen rode back with Pan Yang, although it did not snow or rain, but the cold wind was bitter, Pan Yang was embarrassed to always let Pan Guangchen blow in front of him against the cold wind, and she asked Pan Guangchen to sit in the back seat of the car on the way, and she rode him.

Pan Guangchen didn't refuse, the two switched to riding bicycles, and finally arrived home before noon.

Pan Yang brought a lot of things home this time, she took them out of her cloth pocket one by one and put them on the table of the Eight Immortals, five catties of pork, five catties of pigs, two catties of peanuts, two packs of snacks, and the remaining candy and biscuits in her space.

A few radish heads at home surrounded the Eight Immortals table, and although Pan Shiyao was a big child, he didn't come around, but his eyes lit up.

Zhang Xuelan hated her, "It's not easy to make some money, why buy such things." ”

Pan Yang said with a smile, "Isn't it almost the New Year, and I don't plan to go to the city again a year ago, so I'll bring more back the year's goods." ”

A few radish heads were afraid of Zhang Xuelan's yinwei, and they stared at the snacks on the table of the eight immortals, but they didn't dare to stretch out their hands.

The little radish head Pan Shisu was held by Pan Shisong, he relied on the fact that he was the eldest child in the family, and he was bold, and reached out to the table.

Before I touched the snack, I was slapped by Zhang Xuelan, "Don't eat it yet, keep it for the New Year, eat it now and I'll see what you eat for the New Year!" ”

Pan Shisue touched the back of his beaten hand, and his mouth was deflated and he didn't dare to speak.

Pan Yang said, "Take a pack for the children first, and you don't necessarily have to put it on hold until the New Year." ”

Zhang Xuelan hesitated, and finally untied a pack of oiled paper packets, and came out of the half-divided snacks inside, "Na, let's give you some taste first, if you don't have more, if I find out who is stealing it, see if I don't beat him!" ”

Several radish heads hurriedly promised, "Don't worry, mother, we won't steal it!" ”

――

Seeing that it is the twenty-third day of the lunar month, on the day of the sacrificial stove, Panyang their village has the custom of eating dumplings at night, the dumplings are troublesome to wrap, and they cost flour, so they usually eat very little, not only a few radish heads at home are very happy, Panyang and their adults are also looking forward to the dinner at night.

Zhang Xuelan got up early in the morning and started cleaning the kitchen, and even cleaned up and down the house.

Because I want to eat well at night, Zhang Xuelan can do something to deal with the past at noon, and when she finishes lunch, Zhang Xuelan slowly took out the basin in the expectant eyes of a few radish heads, scooped a scoop of fine noodles out of the noodle jar, and scooped half a scoop of sweet potato noodles into it, poured water and raised the noodles.

When Zhang Xuelan was making noodles, Pan Shiyun put on a big apron and helped Zhang Xuelan chop vegetable filling.

Originally, Zhang Xuelan wanted to chop a cabbage wrapped in vegetarian dumplings, but was immediately vetoed by Pan Yang.

"The old and young in the family have eaten enough all year round, and they are almost the New Year, and they don't give us a good meal on time, besides, it's not a good sign to eat bad during the New Year!"

Zhang Xuelan is very superstitious, and when she heard Pan Yang say this, she cut half a catty of meat and let Pan Shiyun chop it up and mix it with Chinese cabbage.

In the afternoon, their mother was making dumplings at home, and they were busy, and the voice of the neighbor Dongmei came from the gate, "Sister-in-law Xuelan, which one of your families is idle, quick, let the idle one take the enamel jar to the team, and the team will divide the pork!" ”

Their village commune raises a few piglets every year, and when the year comes, the fat ones are slaughtered, and the villagers in the village line up and divide them evenly one by one.

Pan Yang had heard the elders of his family mention that starting from the slaughter of pigs at the age of twenty-three, food and bills would be distributed intermittently according to the division of work and population.

Pan Hengchun went out after eating, and there was an idle adult in Pan Yang at home, Zhang Xuelan called her and asked her to hurry up with the enamel jar.

Slaughtering a pig is said to be evenly divided, but the meat on the pig is also divided into good and bad, people in this era like to have big fat, like pork ribs and pig's trotters or something, and they will definitely be dissatisfied when they get these things late.

Pan Yang went early and was in front.

It was the deputy captain of their production team who killed the pigs, he took a machete and chopped it into pieces of meat about the same size, and the captain divided them one by one.

Pan Yang got a big piece of fat meat, about a pound and a half weight.

Pan Yang prefers to eat lean meat than big fat meat, but obviously Zhang Xuelan doesn't think so, Pan Yang takes the big fat back and hands it to Zhang Xuelan, but Zhang Xuelan is very happy.

"The salted meat I marinated some time ago hasn't been touched, plus the fresh meat you just bought, it's enough for us to have a good year, so let's keep these fatty meats for oil refining!"

Most of the residents on both sides of the Huai River eat soybean oil, because there is less pork, lard is rare, so the big fat meat is particularly popular, you can use it to refine lard, the meat residue after refining the oil can still be eaten, and the noodles under the dumplings and steamed buns are particularly delicious!

Zhang Xuelan asked Pan Yang to sit in the hearth to add firewood, she first poured some soybean oil into the pot, and then cut the fat pieces when the oil was hot, and after a while, the fragrance filled the entire kitchen.

A pound and a half of big fat meat refined a small pot of lard, Zhang Xuelan just put it out, and after a while, the lard became milky white and solidified.

After refining the meat scraps, Zhang Xuelan found a small pot to hold it.

When Pan Yang was a child, she saw her mother refining lard, and the meat scraps after refining the oil would let them eat it while it was hot, and the oily and fragrant taste, Pan Yang still can't forget it!

Pan Yang couldn't help but reach out and pinch it, put it in his mouth and chewed it carefully.

Looking down and seeing Pan Shiyun staring at her, Pan Yang reached out and pinched a piece and stuffed it into her mouth. This move of the father and daughter attracted Zhang Xuelan's muttering, and the two of them only watched as a deaf ear, with the left ear in and the right ear out.

In the evening, Zhang Xuelan ordered a big pot of dumplings, striving to fill everyone, and the old Pan family was satisfied with what they ate. After the meal, the radish heads ran out to play with their stomachs, and Pan Yang was fine at home, so he simply went out for a walk.

As soon as he went out, he happened to run into Pan Zhaofang, that is, Pan Hengchun's second son, Pan Yang should call him the second grandfather.

Following Pan Zhaofang was Pan Yang's second grandmother, Zhu Xiuzhi.

Zhu Xiuzhi obviously came to her house to visit the door, shouted sister-in-law outside, and rushed into the small courtyard of Pan Yang's house.

Her voice was so loud that everyone went in, and Pan Yang could still hear her talking, "Sister-in-law, what did you eat at night?" ”

Zhu Xiuzhi, compared with Zhang Xuelan, is more picky, more gossip, and more pretentious.

Pan Yang didn't have a good impression of this second grandmother, he couldn't see that their big house was doing well, and he was jealous when he was doing better than their second room, and wanted to come over to take advantage.

Pan Zhaofang is okay, at least Pan Yang's second grandfather, Pan Yang respects him.

The two found a place to squat down and chat, Pan Zhaofang didn't know who said that Pan Yang always went to the county seat, and asked, "Big brother, I heard that you went to the county seat?" What to do in the county seat? ”

After the big changes in the situation in less than seven or eight years, Pan Yang is not ready to tell the truth to anyone, even if the person in front of him is Pan Zhaoke's own brother, Pan Yang said nonsense, "I just went around and wanted to find a job, but I didn't find it and came back." ”