Traveling through 1942 with space

Chapter 153 Corn Grits

There is only a small piece of white at home, but when you go out, the whole sky and earth are white, as if you have entered a world of ice and snow.

Hou Xiaoge used his mental power to the maximum and saw refugees huddled together and shivering in the cold in many shacks not far from the stinking ditch.

But what is even more shocking is the refugees in the corners and on the roadside who have been frozen into ice sculptures and zombies.

Most of those who froze to death were the elderly, the weak and the disabled. They had no ability to build shacks and could only survive every day. Unexpectedly, they were taken away by a cold wave last night.

"Alas! It's snowing, the disaster has just begun, it's better to leave, the sooner you leave, the sooner you will be free, and you don't have to suffer.

Hou Xiaoge's mental power focused on a mother and daughter huddled in the corner. The two were wearing only a single layer of clothing and leaning against each other. It was frozen in time as it was last night.

Retracting his mental focus and no longer looking at these tragic scenes, Hou Xiaoge pushed open the door of his uncle's house.

At this time, several men in my uncle's family were sweeping the snow in the yard, and the hot steam coming out of the kitchen was from the two daughters cooking.

"Heiwa, why did you get up so early?" Hou Yangmin stopped sweeping the broom in his hand and asked when he saw Hou Xiaoge coming in.

"Did it snow heavily last night? I came over to take a look and discuss whether we should open the stall today." Hou Xiaoge said with a smile.

"I was just planning to ask you after I finish sweeping the snow! I guess we'll have to use manpower to pull the cart to set up the stall today. Animals can't do that. The snow is too thick, and a donkey will easily break its leg when going out." Hou Yangmin nodded and said with a smile.

Hou Xiaoge heard that his uncle was still planning to set up the stall, and he admired the professional ethics and seriousness of these older generations.

"Hehe! Seeing that it was snowing so heavily, I was planning to not set up the stall. It's really you, uncle, who is serious about your work." Hou Xiaoge smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"I can earn several dollars a day from the stall. I couldn't even make one a month before. I have to be more serious, otherwise I won't be able to keep my regular customers.

Hehe! You can see the weather today. Nothing is more comfortable than eating a bowl of stewed pork on a snowy day. "Hou Yangmin laughed.

Hou Xiaoge nodded in agreement with his uncle's words. The colder the weather, the faster soups sell, and vice versa when the weather is hot.

The weather has been getting colder recently, and the braised pork stall is doing better business than before, but the cold braised meat is selling slower and slower.

"Okay, let's use a cart to set up the stall today. I'll go with you guys, and it will be safer with more people." Hou Xiaoge nodded and prepared to go back.

"Heiwa, I've prepared the meal. It's thick cornmeal and very fragrant. Let's have some together." The eldest cousin Hou Chunhua came out from the kitchen and greeted him.

"Sister, no, my mother has already prepared it, otherwise it will become leftovers." Hou Xiaoge waved her hand and left her uncle's house directly.

When Hou Xiaoge returned home, her elder sister Hou Xiazhu was packing the pancakes that had been made yesterday, and her mother Wang Maimiao was making a fire.

"Heiwa, what did your uncle say? Are you going to set up the stall today?" Wang Maimiao stopped pulling the bellows in his hand and asked.

"Go out and use a cart." Hou Xiaoge nodded.

"It's good to be able to set up a stall. I can make a few dollars a day!" Wang Maimiao's face lit up with joy.

The mother and daughter continued to cook while Hou Xiaoge went out to continue shoveling snow.

After taking off his cotton-padded jacket, Hou Xiaoge started working hard in the yard wearing only a single layer of clothes.

Although the yard was not big, the two-foot-thick snow made Hou Xiaoge sweat all over.

Because he had to set up his stall today, Hou Xiaoge temporarily pushed all the snow to both sides of the middle of the yard, leaving a path for people to pass through.

However, the snow cannot be left piled in the yard for a long time, and there is no sewer in the dirt yard. A large amount of snow will melt and refreeze, and the yard will be in a mess.

After finishing the stall, when we come back in the afternoon, we have to pull all the snow outside and throw it into the ditch outside the village wall.

"Mom, it's snowing. The cabbages in the yard can't grow anymore. I pulled them all out!" After sweeping the snow, Hou Xiaoge looked at the frozen cabbage leaves and shouted towards the kitchen.

"Don't worry about it. The meal is ready, so eat first. We still have to go to the stall after dinner. I'll ask your sister and Chunhua to pick the cabbage at noon." Wang Maimiao hurried out and said.

"middle!"

"The meal is ready. Go and call Shuanniu to get up and eat." Wang Maimiao said and went into the kitchen.

……

"hiss!"

"Ah! It's so cold."

Little Shuanniu, who was sleeping soundly in the quilt, screamed and then started crying.

"Why are you crying? Brother is playing with you! It's snowing outside, go make a snowman." Hou Xiaoge heard his brother crying and quickly covered the little guy's mouth and said.

"Hmph! I'll tell mom later that you stuffed snow into my neck." The little guy put on his cotton-padded jacket with a sad face as Hou Xiaoge pulled him.

"Hey! Good boy, when did you learn to complain? If you are like this, I will give all the delicious food to Lanlan and Heidan in the future." Hou Xiaoge started to speak.

"No, you are my real brother, they are all fake." The little guy got anxious.

"Are you still going to complain? Are you still going to listen to me?" Hou Xiaoge smiled lightly.

"I won't complain anymore. I'll be obedient." The little guy nodded quickly.

"That's more like it! I'll give you some maltose." Hou Xiaoge smiled inwardly, took it easy, and gave him a sweet date.

"Brother, where do you usually hide these candies? I can't find them." The little guy ate the candy happily with a curious look on his face.

"Good boy, eating is not enough, you also want to destroy my nest!

I think you have a rebellious mind! You can’t stay with me.” Hou Xiaoge smiled and patted the little guy on the back of his head.

"Hehe! I'm not a traitor, I'm not a traitor." The little carrot head carefully touched the back of his head and said with a grin.

"Okay, get up, wash your face and eat." Hou Xiaoge didn't put shoes on the little guy, he put them on himself.

"Wow! There's so much snow! I want to make a snowman." The little guy was so excited that he ran out of the yard, shouting loudly.

"Why are you making a snowman? Come here and wash your face. If you get your clothes dirty, I'll beat you to death." Wang Maimiao came out with a wooden basin half filled with hot water and roared at the little guy.

"Oh!"

Hou Xiaoge almost couldn't help laughing when he saw the sullen look on the little guy's face.

Maybe because he has grown up and is not too close to this adoptive mother, this little guy is usually very much loved by Wang Maimiao.

But when they are naughty, they are really beaten. Last month, the little guy deliberately broke a new bowl, and Wang Maimiao almost broke a new broom.

After washing her face, Hou Xiaoge brought the scooped rice to the kang.

People have big appetites these days, so when Hou Xiaoge bought bowls, he bought a large ceramic bowl that could hold two or three pounds. His brother's small bowl was the same size as the enamel bowl of later generations.

Now that the family conditions are better, Hou Xiaoge never allows people to save on food. If food is a little short, he will carry it back home, so that there are always four or five hundred kilograms of food stored in the cave dwelling of Wang Maimiao and her mother.

With food in hand, there is no need to worry. With Hou Xiaoge's constant advice, Wang Maimiao stopped being stingy and always cooked until she was full.

This morning, everyone had a bowl full of cornmeal and a double-grain flatbread, and the last side dishes were pickles with spicy oil and fried vines.

The standard of this breakfast is the same as what Hou Xiaoge's family eats in winter in later generations, and the ingredients are better and it is much healthier than in later generations.

The corn grits cooked in the big iron pot are golden and thick. You can eat them by scraping around the edges with a bowl, and occasionally taking a piece of pickles or radish. It's so comfortable!

"Ah! Why is this dish so spicy?" The little guy had never eaten radish before. When he saw it was greasy, he picked up a big piece with chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.

After taking this bite, my eyes were filled with tears and I started sneezing.

"Ha ha!"

Hou Xiaoge couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter.

The seeds of radish are called radish seeds, which are similar to mustard. When cooking radish, the radish seeds are the essence, so put more of them.

Especially the newly pickled radish, which still has a strong smell of radish seeds. Adults don’t dare to eat it in large mouthfuls, let alone children, who will get drunk immediately after eating it.