Create a home with a system

Chapter 4 The Tang Family's Dinner

Tang Ning looked up, seeing Jiang's face with a strong smile, she knew that what she said was just comforting words. The reality must be very difficult. She has been here for more than ten days. Although she doesn't care about anything, she occasionally listens to Tang Junsheng and the others chatting I still know something.

This year's drought is severe, the grain planted in the first half of the year is almost useless, and all kinds of exorbitant taxes have been paid for the little bit.

The family has been busy for more than half a year, and there is nothing left. If Tang Junsheng and Tang Zheng still have handicrafts, their family would really drink northwest wind. Originally thought that the situation would be better in the second half of the year, but now It's autumn, and the gods are not rewarding, the land is getting more and more dry, and some crops are directly dried up. According to the current situation, the harvest in the second half of the year may not be as good as that in the first half.

However, Tangning didn't dare to tell the truth in front of the Jiang family, but nodded emphatically in agreement with her, and asked curiously with her big bright eyes, "Mother, you said food is expensive now, how expensive is it? Is it more expensive than meat? "

Jiang smiled, thinking that Tangning was greedy for meat, she lowered her eyes sadly, remembering that the last time their family ate meat was during the Chinese New Year, a piece of lean pork meat of about six taels, plus a large bone that was picked extremely clean The head of the house does work for others, and the head of the family gives thanks.

She sliced ​​the meat into thin slices, made soup with big bones, added wild vegetables and beans, and managed to make a big pot of thick porridge, so that the whole family had a full meal with a bit of meat, and this kind of food would no longer be eaten afterward. There is.

Resisting tears, Jiang said softly, "The miscellaneous noodles and black noodles we eat are not that expensive, but this year is not good, and with the war, taxes are heavy. The things that can be bought have doubled now, if you don’t save some money, I’m afraid this winter will be difficult.”

It's hard to say, since the summer harvest, you can often hear stories of people starving to death or changing their children to eat, and more of them are selling their sons and daughters. Jiang is afraid that these news will frighten his children, so he dare not be there at all. They had no choice but to work more and more dullly. Unfortunately, it was useless to work hard if it didn't rain, but the work in the field would not be successful.

Now that their situation is not to mention raising their children, I am afraid that they will starve to death. If they are gone, what will happen to the children?
Thinking of this, Jiang Shi shivered, quickly shook his head, and stopped thinking deeply.

The fire in the stove was booming, Jiang took out half a ladle of water, and poured it carefully along the edge of the pot. Taking advantage of the boiling time, she turned around and went out, and came back with half a bowl of mixed noodles in her hand. Pour half a bowl of mixed noodles into a clean pottery pot, mix it with chopped wild vegetables, wait for the water to boil, then loosen the chopped wild vegetables wrapped in mixed noodles, throw in a few grains of coarse salt, cook for a while and serve .

That's what they're eating tonight, so plain and unpretentious.

The bitter taste of wild vegetables is mixed with various textures of Zamian, so that you will never want to eat the second after the first bite. If you really eat up the whole bowl, it is definitely not because the food is delicious, but because you are too hungry.

Because she was not looking forward to the dinner, Tangning didn't even bat an eyelid when Jiang Shi took out the clay pot. She dawdled and helped Jiang Shi clean up the cauldron and stove.

In Jiang's eyes, this move meant that her daughter had grown up and became more and more sensible. It was absolutely unexpected that Tangning would resist such a meal.

As night fell, Tang Ning sat in the courtyard and kept looking towards the main road in front of her house. It was not until the sun was sinking that Tang Junsheng and Tang Zheng's figures appeared in her sight.

While Tangning breathed a sigh of relief, she couldn't help worrying about Tang Zhong. The boy didn't know where he was going to make trouble, and he didn't come back after dark. When Tang Junsheng asked Tang Zheng later, she really didn't know how to excuse him.

Just when Tangning was anxious, she heard a muffled sound coming from the backyard. She subconsciously turned around, and saw a black shadow walk into the stove room.

Before Tang Ning could chase after him, Tang Zhong had already gulped several sips of water with a water ladle, let out a comfortable sigh, jumped up and stood in front of Tang Ning, winking at her with a smile, "Sister, you didn't follow me today. It's a pity that I went out, we got a lot of good things this afternoon, let me tell you."

Before Tang Zhong could finish speaking, Tangning had already pulled his clothes and motioned him to look out the door.

Only then did Tang Zhong realize that his father and his elder brother had opened the door and came in at some point, his eyes widened in fright, and he covered his mouth with his hands.

That silly look was obviously a guilty conscience, and Tang Zheng could tell something was wrong at a glance, let alone Tang Junsheng.

"Stinky boy, where did you go to make trouble today?" Tang Junsheng frowned suddenly, calm and pretentious.

Tang Zhong subconsciously shook his head, his head was like a rattle drum, and he stammered to explain: "No, no, no, no trouble, I just went out to play with the idiots."

As he spoke, Tang Zhong winked at Tangning for help.

Tang Ning knew that Tang Junsheng was very opposed to the children going to the mountains to play. Seeing Tang Zhong like this, he knew that he must have gone into the mountains again, and went to the depths, otherwise he didn't have to be guilty.

Thinking of Tang Zhong's honest confession that his butt might be about to bloom, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and help him, "Father, brother, my younger brother just went up a tree to dig out bird eggs for me. I didn't cause any trouble. Mother has already prepared dinner. You should wash it up quickly." Have a meal."

Tang Zhongkuang nodded in agreement.

Tang Junsheng looked preoccupied and didn't delve into it, but when Tang Zheng passed by them, he pinched Tang Ning's face and patted Tang Zhong's head, obviously he guessed it.

The siblings stood in the dark looking at each other, wanting to cry but not crying.

Tang Zhong was still in the mood to continue the topic he had just finished with Tangning, "Sister, it's okay, brother won't report us, let me tell you, we found a hickory nut and a few jujubes that were about to ripen in the mountains. When the time comes, we'll pick it up together."

"What are you still muttering outside? Come in and eat!"

Jiang shi yelled, interrupting the conversation between the siblings. Tangning was eager to ask, but she had to hold back and followed Tang Zhong into the main room.

The main room is pitch-black. If there are no guests or important events, candles are usually not lit. Only the dim moonlight shines in, making people barely able to see some outlines.

Fortunately, everyone is not short-sighted, so they won’t be unable to see things clearly. However, almost all the people here are malnourished. Even if they are not short-sighted, their night vision is not good. After sitting in the yard for a while, I went back to sleep, and got up to work again before dawn the next day, and the cycle repeated.

A bowl of wild vegetable gnocchi soup only had a few gnocchi, and the rest was soup, so it didn't take two mouthfuls. Tangning entered the main room before her butt was warmed up. Tang Junsheng, father and son had finished eating, and went out. She was stunned for a moment. , quickly drank the remaining soup, and helped Jiang carry the dishes to the kitchen.

Originally, she wanted to help wash the dishes, but Jiang Shi was afraid that she would not see clearly and broke the only bowls and chopsticks left in the house, so he forced her out.

　Considering that the food planted in each place in ancient times was different, and even beans could be used as food, so the crops in the northwestern border of Dazhou were set to be harvested twice a year. Note that the crops here do not simply refer to rice and wheat, as long as they can be used as food. Calculate.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)