Surviving the end of the world

Without mobile phones and calendars, people can only determine the date based on the information on the radio. When the twelfth lunar month comes, people suddenly remember that it is the New Year.

Just as foreigners still have to celebrate Christmas no matter how poor they are, the village is naturally busy with the New Year before the end of the day.

This year has been a bit dry. During the Chinese New Year in previous years, the weather has begun to warm up, but this year it has been extremely cold. Because of the lack of batteries, there are only two small radios left in the village that can continue to listen. Remember the date, everyone has to think of other ways, the weather is cold, even if you have a pen, you can’t write, the ink inside is frozen, you can only hold the blackened wooden sticks and do the countdown on the wall. One piece, looking at it but gave birth to despair for no reason.

Chen Jin is not very sensitive to dates. When he was at work, he worked from nine to five, five days a week. It was enough for him to remember the day of the week. Naturally, he had a mobile phone to help him remember the date. Make a memo on the day that should be remembered, and you will be reminded when the time comes, or in other words, people are spoiled by high technology, and today's high-level intellectuals are not even as good as roadside fortune-tellers, at least those who are regarded as Pseudo-blind people spreading feudal superstition can count any lunar or Gregorian date by pinching their fingers.

Chen Jin is not interested in the specific day of the Chinese New Year. He just nodded perfunctorily when he heard other people say "New Year's Eve in X days!"

Bai Jing is very happy. These days, Chen Jin is working hard to cook delicious food. He killed more than a dozen chickens and ducks in the space alone, including a few broilers that have not yet started crowing. Chen Jin plans to bring them He made shredded chicken and deep-fried broiler chicken. He remembered that when he was in college, there was always the smell of fried broiler chicken at the entrance of a vegetable market not far from school. Although eating too much of this stuff is not good, fried food It is also carcinogenic, but what do you care about it during the Chinese New Year!

Bai Jing was standing next to the chopping board, waving a kitchen knife and chopping minced meat. The custom here is to eat wontons during the Chinese New Year. He is currently preparing the stuffing for the wontons. After chopping the minced meat, he has to pass the prepared vegetables through After submerging the water, he chopped up the stuffing and thought of the delicious wontons, Bai Jing worked even harder.

There was a knock on the door outside, so Chen Jin had no choice but to let Bai Jing order the pot first, and then she had the space to put on her coat and go out to open the door, but it was Uncle Li at the door.

Uncle Li is much older than last year. His son is gone. He wanted to adopt his nephew's child, but unfortunately, his nephew did not come back alive. The only consolation is that the relationship was not very good. The second Aunt Li of the old family no longer confronted their family because of their sympathy for each other. Now there are only three grades left in the two families. After the earthquake, they simply lived together, compared to when they had no separation And be more affectionate.This is also something that can't be helped. Without a child, life will always go on.

Chen Jin saw Uncle Li and said hello: "Uncle, it's very cold outside, come in quickly! Uncle is here now, what's the matter?"

Third Uncle Li was very bulky and stooped. When he saw Chen Jin coming to open the door, he declined with a smile on his face, "Xiao Jin, I just came here to say something, so I won't go in!"

"Say it!" Chen Jin said politely.

Uncle Li hurriedly said: "It's nothing serious, but my family plans to kill sheep tomorrow. I'll ask if you want it. If you want it, I'll keep it for you!"

Chen Jin said bluntly: "Yes, why don't you! I'm really sorry to bother you, Uncle San, to make this trip yourself. I'm really sorry, Uncle San, please save me a hind leg. In this cold weather, let's get some mutton to eat." , couldn't be warmer!"

Uncle Li was happy: "No, drinking a bowl of mutton soup at night can save a quilt when you sleep! But it's too cold this day, once the sheep is killed, the blood can't be released, it's frozen, and the meat is gone." So delicious!"

"It's good to eat something!" Chen Jin smiled, "San Shu, tell me a price, I'll take it directly tomorrow, so as to save a few trips!"

Uncle Li made gestures and said, "They are all old neighbors. I'm not lying about Uncle San. One price, one catty of mutton, five catties of corn, one leg of forty catties, how about it?"

"Success!" Chen Jin didn't think too much about it, as the price was not too bad, so she agreed without hesitation.

Uncle Li saw that Chen Jin agreed, and his face showed joy, so he said to Chen Jin: "Xiao Jin, go back and do your work, I have to ask others!"

Chen Jin nodded: "Okay, third uncle, go slowly! I won't see you off!"

To be honest, Uncle Li’s mutton is a bit expensive. This is not a time of peace. At that time, during Chinese New Year, it was common for mutton to sell for forty or fifty per catty. But now it’s different, food is expensive, although mutton is eaten Warm up, but after all, compared with food, mutton is not so easy to be full, not to mention that a leg of lamb has a heavy bone weight, so there is not much meat. A leg of lamb can eat two or three meals at most , and forty catties of corn dregs are made into pancakes, and the whole family can eat them for half a month.

However, Uncle Li’s family is also in a dilemma. It’s true that his family has a lot of land, but the husband and wife were hit before, and his wife’s health was not so good. In the previous summer, Uncle Li was almost busy working alone. At the beginning, I didn’t expect it to be so dry, and I didn’t have time to replace the rice with corn and sweet potatoes, so this year’s food was not enough. Even the few sheep raised at home almost wanted to go directly because of the lack of forage. Killed, but was reminded, went to the ground to get back those frozen wheat seedlings, and finally raised those few sheep to this day.Nowadays, it is human nature to sell mutton more expensive.

Although Uncle Li San made a good start with Chen Jin, but other people are not as careless as Chen Jin, and they don't buy much. They are only willing to buy a catty or two for the family to try. Therefore, Uncle Li had to go to several houses. When he came back, he didn't know whether he was cold or unhappy, but he didn't look that good anyway.

At the end of the new year, everything is expensive. Despite the cold weather, those young people who sold coarse salt braved the cold wind to come here. The family who was about to run out of salt just breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly raised it again: "What, a catty of salt costs fifteen catties of grain, wasn't it five catties before?"

"It was hot before, and there would be salt after drying it in the sun, but now it's such a cold day, the sea water is frozen, and the cost of refining salt is naturally higher. Fifteen catties is not expensive. If this cold weather lasts for another three For five months, maybe you won’t be able to exchange food for it!” A young man sneered, “Besides, we are risking our lives for the salt, and we almost died of freezing on the road. No matter how much food there is, we will die. It’s also useless, tell me, isn’t that the truth!”

The villagers were speechless. Although they think it is expensive, you don’t have enough food. Even if you add an extra bowl of water to the pot, you can’t survive without salt. When the price rises, I buy more, but I still have to bring food to exchange for salt.

Chen Jin didn't change it. He had hoarded a large box of salt before, at least enough for him to eat for 20 years, so there is no need to worry now.

The young salt seller left with a large amount of grain. The villagers looked at the grains of coarse salt and gathered together to complain. A group of people have been thinking about waiting for the weather to warm up, and the village will take the grain to the seaside to exchange salt. Oh, this price is really too deceitful!