Affection for Sidaogou during the Famine

A few boys ran over and took a look. "Huh? It turns out the clams are hiding in the mud. We thought they were exposed outside.

Come on, let’s go dig some mud too!”

Once you get the hang of it, digging clams is easy. The clams here are big, and you can easily tell them apart by poking them through the mud with a wooden root, because the shells and stones make different sounds.

The boys spread out and soon everyone was found.

"This clam is really big. I wonder if there is a lot of meat inside. If it is as full as a snail, one can make a bowl of stir-fried food."

Niu Xiaojun dug out three in a row, each of which was as big as a bowl. When he was digging with great excitement, he threw away the wooden stick and started digging directly. He didn't mind the fishy, ​​smelly and sticky mud, and he didn't even bother to feel the pain when thorns appeared on his hands.

The boys were having so much fun digging that the women couldn't stay any longer and went down to the riverbed with baskets and basins, digging clams everywhere.

If you want to say that these clams are very big, a dozen of them can fill a bucket, and a basin can only hold seven or eight.

Everyone saw that this was not the right approach!

This clam shell is so big and takes up too much space. A quick glance shows there are so many clams in the riverbed. It would be a pity not to take some back.

It was the old lady Qian and a few other kitchen experts who came up with an idea. They told everyone to smash the shells as soon as possible and dig out the meat directly.

As for the fact that the clams don’t spit out the mud and the clam meat tastes unpleasant, that’s not a big deal.

Every slum has running water, so you can take it home and wash it slowly. As long as you don't mind the effort and wash it a few times, all the mud and sand will be washed away.

If you want to break open the shells, you must first scrub off the thick mud covering the outside of the clams, otherwise it will mix into the clam meat and be very difficult to clean up.

At the beginning, everyone was working on their own when digging clams, but now they have to wash the clams, smash the shells, and dig the clam meat, so everyone is doing their own thing and they are slacking off.

Several parents got together and discussed it, okay, don’t divide it among yours and mine, learn from the children, work together, and divide it according to the number of people!

So, under the direction of several parents, everyone divided the work.

The older boy continued to dig clams, the third boy Niu Xiaoyun was responsible for carrying the clams to the puddle, the two aunts and Qi Mudan were responsible for washing the clams, Grandpa Guan and Uncle Niu were in charge of smashing the shells, and the old lady Aunt Shufen and Han Zhaozhao were responsible for digging the shell meat.

As for Wu Ni, she is a mobile personnel. She can do whatever she wants. She is just a little brat and no one expects her to work!

As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. This is not only true for eating, but also for work.

The boys became more and more experienced as they dug, and later on, they could tell which were clams and pebbles under the mud just by looking at their shapes. They were able to find them accurately with every dig, and they dug further and further along the riverbed.

Behind them, a group of people gathered together, causing Xiao Sanzi and Niu Xiaoyun's moving team to run farther and farther away.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of shells breaking, the dry riverbed started to operate automatically like a production line.

Under the scorching sun, they were sweating profusely, and on the clean rocks on the shore, layers of clothes that had been taken off piled up more and more.

Several boys were so hot that they were only wearing underwear and small jackets, and their necks and faces were red as if they were steamed.

The women were no better. As there were two adult men present, they had to endure the heat and only took off their outer coats and wore thin close-fitting coats.

Han Zhaozhao was sitting on a clean stone. On his left was a pile of broken shells, and on his right was a copper basin that was half full. He had a straw hat on his head and was holding half a shell that had been sharpened in his hand. He was grunting and breathing out hot air as he was digging for shell meat with great enthusiasm.

The old lady next to her, Aunt Shufen, had the same style as her, but the difference was that the basins next to them were enameled.

The old lady was afraid that she would accidentally knock the porcelain off her feet, so she was reluctant to let her use the enamel basin. Fortunately, she was strong and had no trouble moving the wooden basin.

"Zhao Zhao, what should I do? My shoe opened its mouth!"

Xiao Sanzi came over to find Han Zhaozhao, carrying a bucket full of big clams.

"Are you stupid? Your mom is here, but when your shoes are broken you go to Zhao Zhao instead of her?

What are you thinking about? Do you want to exchange shoes with Zhao Zhao? Your feet are so big, can you fit into Zhao Zhao's shoes?

I'm fine with it!"

Niu Xiaoyun exploded like a firecracker, and Xiao Sanzi's mouth was choked with ashes, and he couldn't utter a word.

Yes, we are used to doing things together. When we need something, we look for Zhao Zhao. I forgot that his mother is here today. This is a bit embarrassing.

Before Xiao Sanzi could turn around and look for his mother, Niu Xiaoyun said, "Zhao Zhao, our shoes are the same size, and my shoes are also opening, why don't you exchange with me?"

Xiao Sanzi pointed at Niu Xiaoyun and cursed: "You...you...are so despicable!"

The usually eloquent Xiao Sanzi was left speechless by Niu Xiaoyun's outrageous behavior.

He stammered out these words, and then found his flexible speech again, "You still have the nerve to criticize me, isn't your mother here too, why don't you go find your mother?"

Niu Xiaoyun is not at all shy when facing Xiao Sanzi now. "Why are you looking for my mom? Her shoes are too big for me to wear!"

There’s nothing wrong with that!

Xiao Sanzi lowered his fingers in frustration and went to find his mother obediently.

"Wait a minute," Han Zhaozhao called him, took out a ball of nylon thread from her schoolbag and handed it to him, "Walking on the riverbed will damage your shoes! Give this ball of thread to Aunt Qian and ask her to find a way to wrap it around the soles of your shoes so you can try to wear them.

When you get home, buy yourself a pair of Liberation Shoes. They are sturdy shoes for working.

To be honest, your shoes have been worn out for a long time, and it’s time to change them.”

Xiao Sanzi excitedly picked up the nylon thread and went to find his mother. He said, when you encounter a problem, go to Zhao Zhao. See, Zhao Zhao still has a solution.

When Niu Xiaoyun saw it, her eyes rolled, and she turned around and ran to find her mother. The nylon string was not short, and Xiao Sanzi could not use it all, so she could ask her mother to help her tie the soles of her shoes first.

"Hey, Xiaoyun, why are you running? Don't you want to change your shoes?"

Niu Xiaoyun waved her hands as she ran, "No need to change, I'm going to ask my mom to tie my shoes for me too."

How will Zhao Zhao walk home in the afternoon after changing his shoes? It is better to tie up his shoes. No matter how good-looking or ugly they are, you will inevitably get mud stuck in your shoes. If you tie up your broken shoes firmly, you will not be delayed in your work.

She has confidence in her mother's craftsmanship. Back in her hometown, the straw sandals her mother weaves for the family are also very sturdy.

Sure enough, housewives of that era all had a hand in this. Aunt Qian and Aunt Niu discussed it and twisted cow grass and nylon thread into thin ropes, and then they tightly wove a layer of net rope on the two children's old shoes to fix the soles firmly.

Xiao Sanzi put them on and showed them off. These straw sandals are not straw sandals, nor are cloth shoes a modified version of cloth shoes. They are not only comfortable and light to wear, but also do not slip when walking on the pebbles of the riverbed. They are simply perfect!

"Huh? If these mesh shoes have a thick wooden sole, they can be worn as rain boots when it rains!"