Chapter 433: Borrowing a Vehicle
Chapter 433: Borrowing a Vehicle
The following day, numerous boats set sail from the pier as early as 4 a.m. After resting for so many days and with the approaching New Year, everyone was eager to seize the opportunity to earn more money for the festivities.
Zhou Chenglei also rose early and headed out to sea.
Although the rain had ceased, the cold persisted, especially in the morning. Jiang Xia, however, did not go out to sea that day as Zhou Mu had mentioned the previous night that she would be making fried rice cakes.
Jiang Xia woke up at 6:30 a.m., and it was still dark outside. She was awakened by the loud scolding of Zhou Bingqiang's wife next door.
The scolding was loud, presumably directed at Wen Wan, accusing her of being a jinx.
Arguments were a common occurrence in the village.
Whether it was between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, sisters-in-law, neighbors, or parents and children, there was always something to argue about.
A daughter-in-law sleeping in late could spark an argument!
A cousin stealing a toy from his younger cousin could cause a fight!
A neighbor's chicken pecking at another's vegetable garden would lead to a heated exchange!
In short, anything could trigger an argument, and it was usually the same few families involved. Jiang Xia had become accustomed to this.
However, today's argument was unusually close and early.
After getting up, brushing her teeth, and washing her face, Jiang Xia went downstairs and saw Zhou Fu having breakfast: "Dad, what time did you get back last night?"
Jiang Xia had gone to bed at 9 p.m. the previous night, and Zhou Fu had returned home while she was in a deep sleep, so she was completely unaware.
It was Zhou Chenglei who had opened the door for his father, as he had been waiting for his dad's return, planning to go to sleep at 11 p.m. Just as he was about to doze off, his father arrived.
Zhou Fu smiled and said, "I got back at 11 p.m. last night."
Jiang Xia casually asked, "Is Zhou Guohua okay?"
"The doctor said he fractured his pubic bone, but fortunately, there was no displacement, and the fracture was not severe. Still, he'll need three to four months to recover fully."
Zhou Fu had never heard of the pubic bone before last night.
It was indeed an eye-opening experience.
Recently, when she had free time, Jiang Xia would also look through the medical books on pregnancy that Zhou Chenglei had obtained from Doctor Gao.
She learned that the pubic bone was located at the front of the pelvis, consisting of two small bones connected by ligaments and fibrocartilage tissue, forming the pubic symphysis.
During childbirth, the gap between the pubic symphysis widens to facilitate the smooth delivery of the baby.
When a woman is pregnant, her body produces an abundance of hormones to support the fetus's development, causing the pelvis to widen. If excessive force is applied during delivery, it can lead to pubic symphysis separation or even ligament damage.
Inadequate recovery may result in various issues such as pubic pain, backache, abdominal pain, uterine prolapse, urinary incontinence, and undesirable body shape changes.
Jiang Xia stopped reading at this point, as she was planning to give birth to three children!
She decided to focus on learning about recovery methods after childbirth.
Jiang Xia had often heard her colleagues, who were already mothers, mention experiencing back pain after giving birth.
Jiang Xia went to the kitchen to get her breakfast, and Zhou Mu was already frying rice cakes.
Jiang Xia had never made fried rice cakes before, as it was a traditional food from Zhou Mu's hometown.
Zhou Mu hadn't made them in many years due to food shortages.
They had to add sweet potatoes to their meals or cook sweet potato porridge to fill their stomachs.
With the improved living conditions this year, they now had enough rice to make rice cakes. Zhou Mu wanted to make some for the children to enjoy.
She planned to make fifty rice cakes and thirty almond cakes, which could be given as gifts during the upcoming New Year celebrations.
The almonds were a gift sent by Zhou Chenglei's military comrade.
Jiang Xia held a bowl of millet sea cucumber congee and sat on a small stool, helping to keep an eye on the fire while having her breakfast.
The first task was to fry the rice cakes, and it was no easy feat to fry and brown fifty pounds of rice in three batches. Zhou Mu divided the task into three parts.
The rice needed to be fried to a light golden color without burning it, ensuring the rice cakes turned out perfectly. After frying the first batch, Zhou Mu's hands were already feeling the strain.
Zhou Fu came to assist, and the two of them each took on a batch, working together to complete the task.
At that moment, Zhou Bingqiang's wife entered, smiling as she asked, "What are you all up to? Smells amazing!"
Zhou Mu replied, "We're making fried rice cakes. Is there something you need?"
Zhou Bingqiang's wife laughed, "Isn't Guohua still in the hospital? He'll need to stay there for a while longer. I was thinking of asking A-Lei to drive me to the city to bring them some clean clothes and food."
Zhou Fu said, "A-Lei is out at sea."
Zhou Bingqiang's wife: "Not today then, how about tomorrow? It's almost the end of the year, and the buses to the city are always packed. I'm worried I won't be able to get on with all these things."
Jiang Xia: "Tomorrow won't work either."
Zhou Bingqiang's wife: "How about the day after tomorrow then?"
Jiang Xia directly stated, "The day after tomorrow won't work either. I've been busy every day recently. There's a pile of chores waiting to be done. You should see if the production team's tractor is available instead!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Bingqiang's wife said, "None of you are free? In that case, I'll borrow the Jeep then! I'll have Guohong drive me, and we'll also take Wen Wan to the hospital to change her medication. She sprained her ankle, so it's not convenient for her to ride the tractor. Don't worry, Guohong knows how to drive."
Jiang Xia: "She sprained her ankle, not her butt. What's the inconvenience of riding a tractor?"
In the 16th book of the 9th book, a mistake-free version!
"You can borrow it, but give me two hundred yuan first. One hundred for fuel and one hundred for rental fees. Also, buy insurance and get a lawyer to write a guarantee letter. If anything happens, you'll take full responsibility, and the car owner won't be involved because they didn't agree to the borrowing! Moreover, ensure that you compensate me with a brand new car. If it gets dirty or damaged, I'll need a new one. When you're ready with all I've mentioned, then you can borrow it!"
Zhou Bingqiang's wife: "..."
Never before had she encountered someone so shameless and brazen! Zhou Bingqiang's wife left.
Jiang Xia heard her muttering as she returned to the neighboring house, even scolding Wen Wan in the process.
Zhou Bingqiang's wife continued her tirade as she walked to the vegetable garden, and soon the entire village knew of Jiang Xia's words.
Of course, Jiang Xia didn't mind this; in fact, she preferred it this way.
When making fried rice cakes, the rice needs to be fried until cooked, and you should also fry peanuts and sesame seeds. Adding crushed peanuts and sesame seeds to the fried rice makes it even more fragrant.
However, the rice with crushed peanuts doesn't need to be fried as long as the plain rice.
The peanuts and sesame seeds, freshly harvested and fried by Tian Caihua, were sent over.
After frying the rice, Zhou Fu took it to the neighboring village's milling station to grind it into flour.
He then brought it back and added it to the cooked syrup, along with the peanuts and sesame seeds. He mixed them together and then placed the mixture into specific cake molds, pressing it tightly before knocking it out. This process is also known as 'knocked rice cakes.'
The knocked-out rice cakes are moist due to the syrup, so they need to be placed one by one into a large iron pot and dried over low heat.
The resulting rice cakes are fragrant but also very hard.
Not just a bit hard, but extremely so!
Jiang Xia tried one, almost chipping her teeth!
She laughed, "These could be used as teeth-grinding cakes for children!"
Indeed, those with weaker teeth might struggle to bite into them.
But they were truly fragrant and delicious, and nothing had been added except for the rock sugar.
Jiang Xia took charge of knocking the rice cakes with several children, while Tian Caihua handled the frying. Zhou Fu and Zhou Mu were responsible for drying the cakes.
Both the old and new houses' stoves were put to use.
Later, Grandma and He Xinghuan also joined in after smelling the aroma.
They were busy until Zhou Chenglei returned from his trip to the sea.
Jiang Xia handed him a rice cake with the character 'Fu' on it, saying, "I made this. Try it."
Zhou Chenglei took a bite, and it was indeed very hard.
"Tasty," he said.
The harder, the better.
(End)
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