Chapter 59 Winter Storage
When we returned home to eat and chat, Yang Xuemei also said that the street office required everyone to write their thoughts and experiences on the matter.

Yu Zhiyuan looked at Xuemei's smile when she put the materials she wrote into her work bag with satisfaction after staying up for two nights in the study, and realized that this matter also had extraordinary significance for ordinary people.

Life goes on, and people will always be bound by the daily necessities of life.

At the end of October, it is time to order winter vegetables. At this time, you can always see the differences among relatives and friends.

For this year's winter storage cabbage, Hu Hanguang's car also went to the farm to transport cabbage, and Yu Zhiyuan just had to wait at the entrance of the alley.

Yu Zhiyuan's family, Sha Zhu's family, Xu Damao's family, and Master's family, only have half a cart of cabbages.

The cabbages from each family were weighed and piled into small piles at the entrance of the alley.

The father-in-law and his wife drove the village donkey cart to bring cabbage to Yu Zhiyuan.

One thousand five hundred kilograms is definitely not a lot in the compound.

Sha Zhu and his two apprentices used the canteen's cart to load the cabbages into the vegetable cellar in the morning.

Because Lou Xiao'e was pregnant, Xu Damao borrowed the Lou family's tricycle and, with the help of his parents who came from the countryside, finished the trip in the morning.

The master didn't ask Yu Zhiyuan to help at all. The eldest sister-in-law called a few young men from the Veterans Resettlement Office to pull a cart and finished the job in two trips.

When we went to the factory to pick up radishes and potatoes in the afternoon, my mother-in-law resolutely refused to let us twist off the radish leaves.

He even picked out a lot of tender radish leaves that others had thrown away and brought them back in two large sacks.

Yu Zhiyuan saved up the salt tickets for half a year and gave them all to his mother-in-law.

Yang Zhiqiang cleaned a large vat and boiled water at home, helping to pickle pickles and sauerkraut.

Yu Zhiyuan accompanied his father-in-law back to Fangshan to chop firewood again.

Every summer, the old couple often dragged back dried wood from the mountains.

Yu Zhiyuan rode his bicycle to the village first, rummaged out two sacks from his father-in-law's house, and then started knocking on doors of familiar homes.

Red peppers hit by frost in the fields, dried beans and dried eggplants at home.

Open the gate and drive the donkey cart into the yard.

While helping my father-in-law cut bean curd cakes, I asked who in the village had more garlic so I could collect some to use in chopping chili sauce.

It was already dark, my father-in-law was driving the donkey cart in front, and Yu Zhiyuan was riding a bicycle behind.

Halfway through the journey, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

Yu Zhiyuan was worried about the donkey cart, so he gave the flashlight to his father-in-law and pushed the cart from behind.

When we arrived at the gate of the courtyard, it was almost eleven o'clock.

After arriving at the place and parking the car, Yang Zhiqiang came out from the doorway.

After parking the bicycle behind the threshold, the two men put the sack of red peppers on the rear rack of the bicycle, and then Yu Zhiyuan pushed the bicycle into the backyard.

There is already a thin layer of snow on the ground.

I asked my mother-in-law, and she said it’s okay to let the peppers freeze outside overnight, so I can just wash and chop them tomorrow.

Yu Zhiyuan simply didn't put it in the vegetable cellar.

The father-in-law carried the torn cotton door curtain he had taken from the ear room and went out of the yard. He first covered the donkey with the curtain before letting the donkey unload quickly.

The three of them finished moving the firewood and carried the cart into the front yard.

The father-in-law led the donkey into the backyard, first carried half a bucket of hot water with half a handful of salt in it, then took the slightly torn diaper that Wenwen had washed and began to wipe the donkey's body.

Yu Zhiyuan then remembered what a large animal meant to the village: labor, and strong labor at that.

After sending Yang Zhiqiang to bed, Yu Zhiyuan picked up the bucket that had been drained of water, scooped out a large scoop of bran, and grabbed two handfuls of cornmeal from the flour jar at home. He mixed it with water until it was half dry and half wet, and took it to feed the donkey.

After everything was cleaned up, the father-in-law covered the donkey with the door curtain and tied the donkey rope to the stone bench.

After helping my father-in-law wash up, I went to bed. It was already half past twelve.

At seven o'clock in the morning, Yu Zhiyuan was awakened by his son's laughter.

I turned around and saw that my wife had already gotten up.

I put on my clothes and came out, and saw Qiaoqiao sitting in the living room reading a book.

The laughter came from outside.

When I went out, I saw my father-in-law helping Wenwen sit on the donkey.

"Damn, you won't be cold wearing open-crotch pants, right?"

The father-in-law waved his hands and said, "It's okay. It's okay for a kid to have a few fires on his butt. Besides, the donkey is not cold."

Seeing his son having fun, Yu Zhiyuan stopped caring and turned around to see his mother-in-law washing red peppers in a steaming basin: "Mom, the stove is running at home, please add more hot water, don't let your hands get cold."

He carried a bucket of food to feed the chickens and donkeys. When he went back to the house to wash up, Yu Zhiyuan said to Yang Xuemei, "There are two chickens in the chicken coop in the south that don't lay eggs anymore. They are quite fat. Come back this afternoon and boil some water to kill them."

After seeing Xuemei nodded, he went out to buy some fried dough sticks and buns.

I can feel the flavor of the village at home.

During the meal, my father-in-law said, "I will be back soon. Please get me a few bottles of wine. I will go and ask how much pork is left in the village. I will let them know in advance so that I can keep the pig's head and a few hooves when we kill the pig in the twelfth lunar month."

Yu Zhiyuan hurriedly ate a few mouthfuls of rice, went to the west room and picked up two bottles of Fenjiu, and asked Yang Zhiqiang to use a funnel to fill four bottles of Osmanthus wine. He gave them to his father-in-law and explained everything to him.

Yu Zhiyuan helped his father-in-law put on the cotton coat and stuffed two boxes of cigarettes into his pocket. Then he and Yang Zhiqiang helped carry the cart out of the yard, set up the donkey cart and sent it away.

On their way to work, the two brothers discussed whether to buy ready-made furniture for Yu Lixia's house or find someone to make it.

Let Yang Zhiqiang ask Yu Lixia when she will come to live here. If it’s urgent, buy it in advance.

When going to a canteen to get food at noon, Sha Zhu saw Yu Zhiyuan standing in line, so he came over with his son in his arms.

"Come here, son, this is your Uncle Yu."

"Brother Zhuzi, the baby is only three months old, you should hold him tightly. Where is your wife? How can she take care of the child for you, an unreliable person?"

"Then why don't we eat there, Zhiyuan? Wenwen can walk and run soon. You don't need the stroller anymore. Let my son use it instead?"

"Waiting for me here, did your wife ask you? All right, go get it this afternoon. If you want to take my son's beloved car, you have to arrange a good meal."

Yu Zhiyuan thought to himself that when he had something to do later, he would buy his son a tricycle. The seat must be made of wood, as an iron one would freeze his butt.

I went back to the conference room to write and draw, then carried the toolbox to the second fitter workshop, talked to my master, and gave him the drawings.

I ran to the waste material storage area, rummaged around to find the things I needed, put them in a torn bag, and took them to the second workshop to have Director Guo take a look and get a certificate.

Leave the things with the master, and come back when you have finished your tasks at the end of the afternoon.

Afterwards, Yu Zhiyuan went to the finance department to pay the money.

I went to the labor warehouse to find Yang Zhiqiang and asked him to get some tung oil. I then wandered over to the welding workshop and asked a familiar co-worker to put away the welding machine later.

Half and half smoke gone.

All that's missing is a wooden seat.

As for my daughter, I can only buy picture books for her.

After finishing the work in the workshop, I went to the second workshop and saw that the master's hands were really quick. Without saying anything, I picked up my things and went to the welding workshop.

After that, when the welder finished his work, the other workers went home.

Yu Zhiyuan gave him the parts. He took a look at the drawings and immediately got the job done in ten minutes.

(End of this chapter)