Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 91

Making clay molds is a skilled job, somewhat like the process of making bricks in a brick factory. Almost every household has a clay mold, so when Zhao Da'e ran out to call for people, he shouted, "Everyone, help me make clay molds! I'll stew sauerkraut, pork, blood sausage, and tofu for everyone at noon."

Not only did he bring over a few older brothers and uncles, but also a few freeloaders. These days, you can't just eat meat whenever you want. There's not much to do in winter, and many laborers are just sitting idle at home anyway, so they might as well help Zhao Da'e with some work and get a good meal at noon.

More people came than Zhao Da'e had expected, and the work was done much faster. Everyone got to work with their molds; there was plenty of red clay nearby, and it wasn't far from the well, so their movements were quick.

After working for a while, Zhao Tingxu asked Zhao Da'e, "Da'e, won't the clay pot freeze tonight after you finish pulling it?"

It is indeed very cold. It's okay during the day, so it won't freeze immediately, but it will definitely freeze at night. By the time spring comes next year, these mud bricks will be like tofu dregs, and most of them will crumble.

"It's okay, we just need to get through this winter. It's temporary. Whether it's good or bad doesn't matter. I didn't expect him to last for ten or eight years. We'll talk about it after this winter."

Zhao Da'e knew that Zhao Tingxu didn't like to work and was lazy when he did, so he had to say, "Grandpa, why don't you direct them to work? You're old, don't hurt yourself, do less work."

Old man Zhao Tingxu was in good health. After listening to what Zhao Da'e said, he felt that it wasn't good for his family to always hire helpers to do chores, and to have them eat and drink on the side. So he worked with great enthusiasm.

After watching for a while, Zhao Da'e realized she couldn't be of any help anyway, so she went to stay in the front warehouse. She hadn't been back for more than half a month. She lit the stove, warmed herself by the fire, and took out some melon seeds from her pocket to eat.

A short while later, Aunt Zhang Cuilan sneaked in through the door. Zhang Cuilan didn't seem to notice anyone in the room. She ran to the jar where Zhao Da'e kept noodles, scooped out two large bowls of white flour, put them into a basin, and then turned and left.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing? Stealing my noodles? You stop right there!"

Zhao Da'e jumped up: "Zhang Cuilan, are you blind? How can you just blatantly steal things like that?"

Zhang Cuilan was startled by the shout. She turned around and saw Zhao Dage inside the house. She had been coming to this house often these past few days, since there was no lock and she could come and go as she pleased. She had never expected Zhao Dage to be here today. Now, seeing Zhao Dage was like seeing a plague god. She stammered, "This isn't stealing. I just wanted to make pancakes. We're out of flour at home. Can you come over and give me a few pounds? Why are you talking so rudely? And calling it stealing."

"No, is this yours? If it's not yours, who let you in? Who let you take the noodles I bought?" Zhao Da'e roared, "This isn't just stealing, it's robbing! If you wanted noodles, couldn't you have gone to buy some yourself? Why did you have to come here and steal from me?"

"Just consider it a loan, what's the big deal? It's just a couple of pounds of noodles, only a few dollars. Why are you being so stingy?"

"Me, mean-spirited?" Zhao Da'e was so angry at Zhang Cuilan that he laughed. "You steal people's things, and you're still so arrogant. I'm here. If I weren't here today, wouldn't you steal whatever you want? Besides, I had a bag of flour and a bag of rice, and they're almost empty now. If you didn't steal them, did a weasel carry them away?"

"You're not from your Houchengzi area, so you think stealing is no big deal? This is the first time I've ever seen someone steal so brazenly. You're really something."