At night, the Xin brothers and sisters hung all the noodles in the yard. The temperature is low at night, and it will be completely dry after a day of freezing and drying tomorrow. This makes the vermicelli sticks that do not stick together.

Xin Ping didn't sleep well that night, and he was afraid of sudden rain and strong winds. I can't wait to stay in the yard all night, and make the lady laugh.

The next day, Xin Ping did not go to the field either. And at home, I helped Jiao Niang to bring Xin'an, in fact, it was also to look at the noodles all over the yard.

Jiao Niang didn't care about him, anyway, the weather was good today, and it was estimated that the noodles would be all dry in one day. Taking advantage of the fact that someone took Xin'an, Jiao Niang took a long bamboo clip with a bamboo basket on her back, went to the village to buy some vegetables first, and then walked to the mountain.

Not far from Xin's house is Panlong Mountain, which is said to have a dragon coiled in the deep mountains. No one has ever seen a dragon, but Panlong Mountain is rich in products. People in Panyun Village often go up to the mountains to find some wild vegetables and game.

However, recently, all the game that can be hunted in Panlong Mountain has been almost beaten, and there are only traces of animal activities in the deep mountains. But the deep mountains and old forests mean that there are many poisonous snakes and beasts, and the people in the village dare not enter.

Jiao Niang searched in the mountains for a while and found the wild chestnut tree. From afar, there are green hairballs on the lush wild chestnut trees. When she got closer, she rummaged under the tree with a long bamboo and looked for brown hairballs—ripe wild chestnuts were all in brown hairballs.

Soon, Jiao Niang picked up a small basket. There are not many ripe chestnuts, and not only other villagers come to pick up squirrels from the mountains but also pick them up and eat them.

When she got home, she stepped the chestnuts out of the hairball with her feet and washed them with water. Take a kitchen knife and open the hairballs one by one. Blanch with boiling water for a few minutes, then remove the skin one by one.

Take out the half chicken you bought today from the basket and chop it up. Stir-fry the green onion and ginger slices in hot oil until fragrant, then pour in the chicken pieces and stir-fry. Wait for the chicken pieces to color slightly, then add soy sauce, salt, sugar and chestnuts, then pour in boiling water and simmer.

The lunch of the Xin brothers and sisters is roast chicken with chestnuts and blanched spinach mixed with dried tofu. Xin'an baby ate spinach chicken noodles, spinach is specially scalded by Jiao Niang, otherwise there will be oxalic acid. All three of them were well fed, and sat lazily in the courtyard basking in the sun on the noodles.

A burst of crying suddenly came from the courtyard of Aunt Zhu's house next door: "His aunt! Borrow some food! Our family really can't open the pot......"

Jiao Niang saw Xin Ping's eyes showing a panicked look: "Not good! The mother locust is coming! ”

The female locust refers to Ma Zhu in Panyun Village, who has an unsuccessful son, Ma Fu, who likes to gamble on weekdays. As the saying goes, nine out of ten gambles are lost, and the Ma family is lost by Ma Fu.

In previous years, in early winter, Ma Zhu's family always borrowed grain from door to door. Of course, not once was returned. Although everyone is reluctant to borrow, they can't stand Ma Zhu's scoundrel. She can be said to be half-borrowed and half-robbed!

Xin Ping anxiously wanted to put the noodles into the room and lock them up. Jiao Niang grabbed him, Jiao Niang chuckled and pointed to the locked door, and made a silent gesture.

Xin Ping immediately understood. Why is he in a hurry, his house is a brick wall, as long as he doesn't make a sound, Ma Zhu's family won't know that they are at home!

Ma Zhu's family returned from Aunt Zhu's house, feeling anxious and angry, and when he came to Xin's house, he felt even more uncomfortable when he saw the door closed. The little cubs of the Xin family who have no father and mother are well fed and warm, and they pity her family for being hungry and full.

Thinking of this, Ma Zhu slammed the door of the Xin family. Fortunately, Jiao Niang carried Xin An back to the back room, otherwise she would have been startled by this voice, and she might have cried.

Ma Zhushi knocked on the door for a long time, but he didn't knock. had to walk away stupidly, and after taking a few steps, she turned her head to look at the neat tiled house of the Xin family. He spat on the ground hatefully.

When the sun went down, the noodles were all dry. Xin Ping and Jiao Niang carefully put the vermicelli into a clean bamboo basket. A large basket of vermicelli was covered with a clean face cloth by the lady, and a clean sack was set up.

Jiao Niang and Xin Ping summed it up, and the next day they asked Xin Ping to go to the town to sell vermicelli to see if they could make a living.

Jiao Niang told Xin Ping not to forget to buy more coal and come back. The villagers of Panyun Village have always burned firewood and thatch. The Xin family and others also began to buy firewood and thatch from the village, and although Xin Ping was a little puzzled by his sister's desire to buy coal, he still agreed.

Early the next morning, Xin Ping carried a bamboo basket to the village and sat in a carriage into the town. Several people in the village were already sitting in the carriage, watching Xin Ping carrying the basket, and a good person asked what was in the basket.

Xin Ping didn't raise his eyelids and said, "My father's old clothes." I'm going to go to the town to see if I can take it. The person who asked smiled awkwardly, knowing that he had said the wrong thing.

The words are divided into two ends, Jiao Niang's side just used Xin An too early, and the door of the house was knocked again.

"Who?" Jiao Niang asked behind the door with Xin An in her arms.

"It's me, your Aunt Ma. Jiao Niang, you open the door, and the aunt has something to say to you. It was Ma Zhu's again, this morning, Ma Zhu's clothes were thin, and he was shivering in the cold at the door of Xin's house. If you want to go and warm up with a cup of hot tea now

Jiao Niang sneered: "No." Aunt Ma, my brother is afraid that I will be sold again. When you left, you said that you won't open the door! ”

Ma Zhushi was angry when he heard this: "You kid, why are you so rude?" Am I someone else? Open the door for me! ”

Jiao Niang was unmoved and said coldly: "Auntie, let's talk about something here!" I hugged my brother and couldn't spare my hands. ”

"Jiao Niang, I'll come and borrow some food. What kind of rice do you have at home, bring me some fish and meat dishes. You Brother Mafu haven't eaten enough in the past few days. Ma Zhushi didn't seem to hear Jiao Niang's cold self-care.

"Lend it to you."

Ma Zhushi was overjoyed when he heard this. But Jiao Niang's next words made her mood plummet.

"It's not impossible to borrow your food. I don't want more, you can pay back the grain you borrowed from my family last year and the year before last. Jiao Niang touched Xin An's face, she had been standing outside for a long time, and Xin An's face was cold. Without waiting for Ma Zhu's reply, Jiao Niang carried Xin An back to the house.

Here Ma Zhushi was silent for a while. It didn't take long for Jiao Niang to hear the sound of her door being kicked hard.

What followed was Ma Zhu's fierce scolding: "You little prostitute, you have bullied me." I knew that my family was poor and forced me to pay back the food! I'm telling you, I don't pay it back! Not only do you not pay it back, but you don't take out a basket full of grain, meat and vegetables today. I'll sit in front of your house and scold you! I'm not leaving! ”

When the villagers heard the sound of Ma Zhushi starting to scold the street, they came out to watch. An enthusiastic person pointed at Ma Zhushi and said, "Aunt Ma, do you want to be shameless?" You're robbing orphans. ”

Ma Zhushi sneered like the man: "Don't worry about me, otherwise I'll go to your door and scold!" The man was afraid of Ma Zhu's rogue energy, so he immediately didn't dare to speak.

Ma Zhu's scolding became more and more fierce at the door, and he became more and more unbearable. Jiao Niang was angry, but she was afraid that she would open the door and pull Ma Zhu's family, and she would suffer a loss, which scared Xin An by the way.

When he was in distress, he suddenly heard Ma Zhu's voice crying in pain. Jiao Niang looked through the crack in the door, and it turned out that Widow Lin was holding a broom and beating Ma Zhu's "whooping" and screaming.

"Widow Lin, what are you doing?" Ma Zhushi felt that he was extremely unlucky. I didn't get any food, and I was beaten up.

Widow Lin raised her eyebrows and replied, "What am I doing?" I'm beating you face and skinless people who specialize in bullying orphans and widows! ”

Ma Zhu's family was so angry that Widow Lin actually came to stand up for the Xin family! She covered her injured arm and shouted, "Don't be nosy, or I'll make you look good!" ”

Widow Lin crossed her waist with one hand, pointed at Ma Zhushi with a broom with the other and said, "Look at which of us makes who looks good!" ”

Ma Zhushi saw that Widow Lin seemed to be beating her. I had to stomp my feet and run away.