The cold wind is habitual, the roots of the cold people are trembling, and every household has reduced going out, that is, children who look like half-skinned monkeys will go out to find friends to play, and that is all for parents.

Li Ji steamed a big pot of steamed buns, stuffed with cabbage and wild pork, a little pickled cucumber mixed with chili oil and some minced garlic. The steamed buns are so big that they are full after two or three meals. Said in accordance with Li Ji's appetite.

Li Ji began to control Er Gouzi gradually. This meal only gave him five buns. When Er Gouzi finished eating, he felt Er Gouzi's belly, which was already bulging.

Li Ji paid attention to Er Gouzi's weight change, as long as his figure was maintained. It means that the appetite given is just right.

The habit cultivated in the wild makes Er Gouzi prefer to stuff hard when he has food, so that he won't feel hungry for a few days, so it's cruel to watch food and not eat it. thing.

But Er Gouzi really listened to Li Ji's words. Li Ji didn't let him eat, so he really let go. Although he kept looking at the buns, he didn't stretch out his hand anymore.

After the first snow, the temperature dropped sharply, half of the river surface was frozen, and every household was busy storing water, and in some cases with large populations, pots and pans were filled with water for storage.

Li Ji took Er Gouzi to take another shot of water. The two also bought wooden tubs for bathing. They both took a bath cleanly. Before the heavy snowfall, there was no chance to take a bath.

Then fill the large and one small two-port tank at home, and then install some large idle basins. The last two buckets for fetching water are also full, and I am basically relieved.

Two days later, the stream completely froze, and every family in the village was tightly guarding some of the precious water resources they had left.

In order to save water, Li Ji didn't cook rice for several days. Washing rice was a waste of water. When there was water, he froze more steamed buns and steamed buns. A warmer meal is enough. Making snacks on the kang with Er Gouzimao in the house.

There were a lot of snacks that I brought back to the city last time, and it was good to eat to pass the time.

The snow has been very small. Although it hasn't stopped much, the snow on the ground has not yet reached the foot, and it can be endured in three days and five days. If it is half a month and a month, it will kill people.

On the ninth day, someone had a water crisis. When the ice in the creek was gone, I started borrowing water everywhere. At this time, whose water is not saved by eating and frugal? I am embarrassed to refuse the visit, and the meaning of one pot and two pots will dismiss the person.

At this time, Li Ji's family is obviously the one who has the most water. The big tank at the door is bigger than anyone else in the village, and the water is less?

At the beginning, I could borrow water from Li Ji. Anyway, I can still use it for the time being, so I feed the chickens and use some when wiping my face in the morning and warming up food. I can't bear to wash my clothes and face, and there is still a lot of water left.

But one or two borrowed water, and then there are more people who come to borrow water, and some homes still have a little water to borrow, so as not to use it later.

Li Ji is not a fool, he is smart enough to support himself for so long. Then someone came to borrow water, Li Ji did not go out in the back room, and asked Er Gouzi to face the borrower.

Er Gouzi went out for a stop, Gao Ma was expressionless and looked like a black face, and directly told the person who borrowed the water that I bought the tank, and that I picked the water, so I didn't borrow it.

In fact, at this time, it is not really too short of water to survive. Although there is little snow on the ground, it can be used when collected. It's just that because the ground is thin and there are many parts that touch the ground, the villagers think it is dirty, so they don't use it.

When the water was in a hurry at home, I started borrowing water from various places. First, I wanted to eat more clean water for a period of time, and second, it also meant that I could not eat dirty water by myself and others would eat clean water.

So in this case, Li Ji will certainly not wronged himself to make others cheaper.

Er Gouzi wants to go up the mountain again, but laymen like Li Ji know that at this time there are only beasts in the mountain, and the simple and easy prey are hidden for the winter. Moreover, hungry beasts are more ferocious, and they will be doubled when they encounter danger.

Li Ji didn't agree, he killed another chicken and boiled more eggs for Er Gouzi, which stopped Er Gouzi's idea of ​​going up the mountain to hunt.

In fact, Li Ji somewhat guessed the reason why Er Gouzi was in a hurry to go up the mountain. When he was on the mountain, Er Gouzi's food source was one of various meats, and the other was wild fruits and weeds in the mountains. After the winter, the wild fruits and weeds are gone, and the nuts are hard to find. They can only look around for edible prey like the beasts to spend the winter.

By sticking more fat to spend the winter, Er Gouzi will develop the habit of hunting more when he sees snow.

Recently, there are five or six eggs every day. New eggs protect the skin and the flowers of hard-boiled eggs are difficult to dial, so you can only fry eggs or beat poached eggs. It is also good to make egg drop soup. Li Ji couldn't help thinking when he was eating steamed buns and drinking soup. When he entered the city last time, he forgot to buy some noodles.

Isn't it also enjoyable to eat some noodles and two poached eggs in this cold weather? Although I can also make hand-rolled noodles, I didn't eat the noodles neatly.

There are women in the village who have given birth. Women need to eat more nutritious things to promote breastfeeding. The simplest and cheapest thing is eggs. But in this winter, most hens refuse to lay eggs because of the cold, occasionally one or two. The owner of the chicken who only lays eggs also has to eat closely with his own elderly and children.

Li Ji's house is the only one in the village with a lot of eggs.

Someone came to buy eggs, and they just had a child who needed eggs to supplement their nutrition, so it's hard to justify not selling them to others.

Li Ji found a cloth bag, scooped two scoops of millet, put the six eggs he saved before, and told him the truth directly:

"They are all from the same village. These are the gifts I gave to breastfeeding. There are indeed a lot of eggs in my house. I don't keep it from you. Er Gouzi in my family likes to eat eggs, seven or eight a day. These eggs are from our province. Yes, but my chickens lay eggs every day. From now on, you can leave one or two for your house every day. From now on, you can come and fetch them every day. One egg counts as two copper plates."

This price is more expensive. It is still in the deep winter. Eggs are a good thing that money can't buy. The two copper plates are already very kind.

When he sent the person away, Li Ji saw Er Gouzi's faint eyes as soon as he turned his head. Selling one or two eggs every day means that Er Gouzi will eat fewer eggs.

Li Ji looked funny, patted Er Gouzi on the head like a child, and coaxed: "Hey, can I give you my share? You will still eat so much in the future."

Er Gouzi shook his head and said it was not good, and then sat on the kang. Li Ji thought that Er Gouzi was awkward. He took off his shoes and approached Er Gouzi and said, "When a woman gives birth to a child, it's not easy to feed a child in this big winter. If the mother doesn't have enough milk, it will be more difficult for the child to grow up. Up."

Li Ji was born in winter. At that time, his father was fifty-two and his mother was forty-eight. Half of the people of the same age in the village died, which can be said to be far more dangerous than ordinary mothers.

At that time, there was nothing to nourish in winter. All three chickens in the family were killed and the mother cooked one piece a day. This was the only way to insist on confinement. When Li Ji was born, he was young. After confinement, he couldn't provide milk. At one time, he thought he couldn't feed. . After all, the second and third brothers in front of Li Ji died young.

Maybe it's the goodness of God that Li Ji survived, but mother left when she was two years old.

It's normal to die at the age of fifty. It's just that some people will say that Li Jiniang died because he gave birth to Li Ji and hollowed out his body.

So this winter, when I heard that someone had a baby, Li Ji could help whenever he could.

Er Gouzi grew up in the mountains, so it's not bad to speak neatly. Where can you understand what Li Ji said? It's just that Er Gouzi will not refute any of Li Ji's decisions. Even though Er Gouzi is reluctant to bear the eggs, he will not stop it.

The snow finally got bigger, and the children who had adapted to the cold winter made snowmen in groups of three or five to have a snowball fight. The villagers who have finally solved the water crisis finally no longer have to plan water carefully. When picking thick snow, pick the snow that does not touch the ground and melt it. The water you drink is boiled, and the water for washing clothes doesn't need to be so fine.

As long as the snow keeps falling, the people in the village will not be short of water. Even if it stops now, it is not difficult to walk some distance to collect the snow outside the village. In short, as long as it snows, there is no way for God.

When I got up in the morning, Li Ji took Er Gouzi to clear the snow in the yard. First, he collected the top layer and melted it in a water tank with a large pot, and then shoveled the other snow into a wheelbarrow and pushed it out of the village. .

When the yard was cleaned up, I saw two people walking outside the gate and Li Jixian called my fourth uncle.

Li Ji raised his head and smiled: "Jin Jin and Erying, I just thought about coming over."

Li Jin and his wife Erying are Li Ji's biological nephew, his eldest brother's eldest son, in his early thirties this year, and his son is almost ten years old.

"Look at what you said, how can you not come, isn't it your birthday today?" Li Ji was taken aback, not to mention that Li Ji really forgot. Because no one remembered his birthday after his father died, he himself didn't pay attention to it after a long time.

"Oh, if you don't tell me, I have forgotten it, isn't it, come in, Er Gouzi, Er Gouzi? Come, make a pot of tea, your brother Jin and your sister-in-law Ying are here."

Er Gouzi was very obedient. Although he didn't know him, the freshly-boiled boiling water washed up with this year's new tea leaves, and the smell of tea filled the house.

Ordinary people in the village have either stale tea, which is kept forever because you are reluctant to drink it, or it is the powdered tea, which contains all kinds of tea and has a mixed fragrance. Li Ji's tea was bought last time in the city. It is not the best tea in the city, but it is definitely the only one in the village.

Tea is a good tea, but unfortunately there are teapots but no cups, so I still have to drink them in broken porcelain bowls.

After pouring four bowls of tea, there are only two stools in the house. Let them sit on the stools, and Li Ji and Er Gouzi sit on the kang.

The birthday is remembered, this feeling is particularly good, Li Ji is in a good mood, although there are not many intersections in the past, the words spoken are very soft.

"Why didn't you bring Xiao Tudou here." 

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