Chapter 378 Core Meeting
The sound of firecrackers on the fire rang out, and the New Year celebration in Shanshui Village officially began!
The New Year's Eve dinner at noon was a dish of ginger and double pepper rabbit, which was fresh, spicy and not numb, and it was appetizing. This was prepared for people who could eat spicy food.
Another dish was braised rabbit meat, which was made with real ingredients and prepared for children who couldn't eat spicy food. Of course, adults who couldn't eat spicy food could also eat it, just sit at the children's table.
The staple food was corn flour steamed buns, which were fluffy and soft, and served with a large bowl of lamb bone stewed radish soup. The soup was rich. In the cold winter, a soft steamed bun, a mouthful of hot lamb bone soup, and a big mouthful of rabbit meat, don't mention how satisfying it is!
The meals for the Zhao and Sun families were delivered separately in advance by their good friends.
Fan Qian's family had New Year's Eve dinner brought back by Fan Sizhu after lunch. His family didn't provide rabbits, eggs or manpower, but Wang Guifen was a native of Shanshui Village after all, and she wanted to be harmonious on New Year's Day, so she still made a big bowl of braised rabbit meat, a small pot of mutton bone and radish soup, and a lot of corn flour buns, which guaranteed that they would be full.
This year, forty men went out, and most of the Zhao, Sun and Fan families couldn't go out, so there were a full hundred people missing, but in previous years everyone stayed at home, but this year they gathered together.
About three hundred people gathered in front of the book house, and they squeezed the house inside and outside. The sounds of firecrackers, chatting, eating, and laughing... came to Fan Qian's house one after another.
Fan Dazhu and the other two, who were lying on the bed with broken legs and groaning, felt more and more upset the more they listened.
"When will Sizhu come back?" Fan Dazhu, who was so hungry that he was groaning, gritted his teeth and asked.
He also came back from the tofu rice yesterday with a full stomach, and didn't bring any food for them!
He would leave the stall if he said one more word to him, threatening not to cook for them.
Fan Erzhu was also hungry, but he was more resentful of his eldest brother. He could no longer bear it and complained: "Brother, can you stop holding back food in the future?
Yesterday you said that we are grandma's golden grandchildren, so we must have a share of the tofu rice at Second Uncle's house, but what happened? We were hungry and didn't eat until almost afternoon!
Today is the New Year in the village, we don't have rabbits to sell, and you are reluctant to sell eggs. I tell you, if there is no food today, I will never let you go!"
Fan Sanzhu's eyes turned around, thinking of his father lying in the opposite house and his crazy mother, and muttered: "If not, let's split up."
Second Uncle's life became better after the separation!
Maybe after the separation, his life will get better and better.
Fan Dazhu widened his eyes in disbelief, "Dad and Mom are here, why divide the family!"
It's really getting worse and worse. This is all because of the bad example set by the second uncle. If the second uncle didn't divide the family and just focused on his father, wouldn't his brothers and sisters be the same?
But now they are following suit, and he, the eldest brother, has less and less prestige.
"Dad and Mom are here, but we can't even get enough to eat, so why not divide the family?" Fan Sanzhu said indifferently.
Fan Erzhu was also moved. Before, it was grandma who controlled the food. After all, grandma passed away. Now the eldest brother controls the food, but life is still not easy. It is better for each of them to live separately. They can eat whatever they want when they want. Life is so comfortable.
"No, how can there be so little food? There are still so many fields to plant. We can only survive together. If we divide the family, let alone the fields and forests, you will have no place to live without a house.
As for pots, pans, and farm tools, where can you get the money to buy them?
Okay, okay, eldest brother knows that you are hungry these two days. I promise that I will give you food every day in the future. You won't starve, okay?" Fan Dazhu comforted him unhappily.
Erzhu and Sanzhu didn't say anything, but their minds were already active.
The meaning of the eldest brother's words was that if the family was divided, they would not even think about the house, and they would not have a share of the pots, pans, and pans.
When daddy and second uncle separated, they thought in their hearts that the house must belong to daddy and them!
Now I know how stupid I was. Really, it belonged to my father, but not necessarily to them, just like my eldest brother now thinks that the house should belong to him, and I am in the position of my second uncle.
My eldest brother is right. After the family splits up, where will they live without a house? Building a brick and tile house will cost a lot of money. Where can they get the money?
When Sizhu brought back the New Year's food, Ersanzhu was worried and didn't feel very sweet when he ate it.
Seeing my eldest brother stuffing rabbit meat into his mouth, he almost choked several times. Later, he stretched his neck and gulped down the mutton bone soup. In a blink of an eye, half of the food was almost gone.
The two of them became anxious and began to fight for food in a panic.
At the same time, they made up their minds that the house could not be left to the eldest brother alone! They must have a share!
Shuiqing sat at the table with the children.
The children in the village started enlightenment last month. Although they don't know many words, they have learned a lot of etiquette.
The first item is to respect the elderly - Shuiqing is the elderly.
Not only did they let her sit in the main seat, they also rushed to add rice and soup for her, and waited for her to pick up her chopsticks before they followed.
Shuiqing was a little amused. She sat at the children's table just to avoid the quiet, but she didn't expect to be treated respectfully now. But I have to say, polite children are really great!
After finishing the meal leisurely and happily, Shuiqing realized that Fan Jin next to her had been waiting for a long time.
"What's wrong?"
"The old village chief and others have something to discuss with you, and they have been waiting." Fan Jin reminded gently, motioning Shuiqing to look at the table over at the library.
Shuiqing stood up, straightened his skirt, and walked towards the old village chief and his group.
After the New Year's Eve dinner at noon, the staff for cleaning the table, washing the dishes, and sweeping the floor had been decided long ago.
The children helped to deliver the dishes and went to play happily. After the men and women had eaten and drunk their fill, they gathered together to chat.
Shuiqing and the old village chief, Mr. Wang, Mr. Fan Qi, Mrs. Li, Aunt Zhang, and others gathered around a fire and held a meeting.
These were the people who could be the masters of each household in the village, and what they discussed were naturally the core matters concerning the village.
"Today is the third day of sending people to Sihui. I originally estimated that they would be back in seven or eight days, but I underestimated it. After all, how many people would work from the New Year to the third day of the first lunar month?
Even if the governor came forward, his men would have to go out after the New Year and the third day of the first lunar month." The old village chief frowned and said.
From the first to the third day of the first lunar month, the ancestors have to be worshipped. This is the most important event of the year. The men will not go out easily. The people in their village have to go out because their lives are at stake, but those yamen runners have always lived a life of superiority. Besides, it is not their lives that are at stake, so why would they go out and travel a long distance to arrest people during the New Year?
Not only is it hard work, but it is also dangerous and bloody.