Stepmother in charge: Making a fortune through farming and raising her children to fight back

early morning.

Before dawn, the crackling sound of firecrackers could be heard outside.

When I opened the door and walked out, I found that the villagers were burning bamboo in the yard, making a popping sound.

The poor people could not afford firecrackers, and the roads out of the mountains were blocked, so they burned bamboo to celebrate the New Year.

It was still snowing outside, and a thick layer of snow had accumulated in the village. Everyone got up early in the morning and swept a path in front of their homes.

Yun Zhenzhen went back to the house and got a thick coat. Putting it on, she looked at the children busy in the yard and couldn't help feeling a sense of pride in her heart.

Because the temperature is too low, the kang is always on at home, so the room is warm. The stove connected to the head of the kang is also always on, so you can wash your face with hot water when you get up.

As soon as I finished tidying myself up, I saw a group of aunts standing at the door.

"Sister Yun, you got up pretty early today. We just woke up too, cleaned up the house, and rushed over to you. We wanted to ask if you still have the firewood you mentioned earlier? We all want to buy some."

"We have a kang (kang) at home, just like you do. But it consumes too much firewood. The firewood we bought before is not enough."

"It's been snowing all the time, and the firewood on the mountain is all wet. When I bring it back and burn it, the whole house is filled with smoke. It's completely useless."

In previous years, villagers would store some firewood for the winter. This year it was too cold, so they started burning firewood as soon as winter came. In addition, many families had kangs, so the firewood was used up even faster.

The people in this village were fine, but the newcomers from Qinjia Village were even more miserable. They had no firewood at home and had to rely on their righteousness to survive the winter.

But there were so many of them, and several of them were crowded in one room, covered with one quilt, which was a little warmer.

Yun Zhenzhen shook her head helplessly: "We don't have much firewood at home. A while ago, many villagers came to buy firewood, but we can't help..."

Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by a voice.

"Mr. Yun, I see your house is in such a bad condition. You still have a kang burning, right?" Zhang Qiang poked his head into the house. "Oh, it's really warm in here. You don't even need to wear cotton clothes. Unlike us, we don't even have firewood for cooking or heating. And you still keep it burning every day? You really don't know the suffering of the people."

Hearing this, Yun Zhenzhen laughed.

She put her hands in her pockets and looked at him with a playful expression, "Zhang Qiang, as far as I can remember, you bought dozens of kilograms of dry firewood from me a few days ago. Even if you only cooked two meals a day, it would last a long time. But it's gone in just a few days, which means you used it to burn for warmth. If you can burn it, why can't I? Your Zhang family is really amazing. You can even take care of other people."

Zhang Qiang didn't expect this woman to be so tough, and he was speechless for a moment.

When the other aunts in the village saw this scene, they couldn't help but speak out.

"Sister Yun has already sold us some of her extra firewood. As people from the same village, she has done her best. That was the firewood she bought back, so even if she didn't give us any, we can't say anything."

"That's right. Some people clearly bought so much and used it up quickly every day, but now they turn around and blame others."

"Zhang Qiang, there's something wrong with your character. You don't stay at home all day, and you still have the nerve to show off. You're really shameless."

"That's right. Your wife and son haven't come back yet, and you still have the mind to meddle in other people's affairs. You should worry more about yourself."

Everyone was talking at once, and even Zhang Qiang, a man, felt a little embarrassed.

But the people talking to him now were the most powerful group of people in the village, including his elders. He didn't dare to talk back and could only leave in shame.

Yun Zhenzhen smiled and looked at everyone: "It's still the aunts who are sensible. I happen to be free these two days. If you have nothing to do, you can come to my house anytime and sit down. We can talk and chat."

The aunts nodded quickly.

Yunmei's house has been heating the kang, so it must be very warm. I wonder how comfortable it would be to come over and chat for a while, and it can also save some firewood for the family.

After everyone left, Yun Zhenzhen turned around and saw Yun Can holding a broom and preparing to sweep the floor.

"Hey...don't do it for now. Today is New Year's Day. No one in our family is allowed to sweep the floor."

Xiao Nan followed behind curiously and asked why. Zhenzhen didn't know the specific reason, but just said that it was passed down from the older generation. You can't sweep the floor during the first three days of the new year, otherwise the family's wealth will be swept away.

Although she is a staunch Marxist believer, it is harmless for her to follow the older generation in doing such things. It's the New Year and it's for good luck.

They were not allowed to sweep the floor, so after washing up, everyone gathered in the kitchen. Today was the first day of the new year, and according to the rules, they had to eat dumplings. When Yun Zhenzhen got up, Erya had already mixed the glutinous rice.

"Today we're having tangyuan. Everyone, see how much you can eat and tell Sister Erya how much you can eat. We'll distribute it to you per person later. Eat as much as you can. You're not allowed to leave the table if you don't finish."

Xiao Nan took the initiative to take on this job, asked everyone one by one, and then reported all the information to Yun Zhenzhen.

After the water in the pot boils, cut the glutinous rice balls into small pieces, roll them into round shapes, and put them into the water. After the glutinous rice balls float up, scoop out the excess water in the pot, add appropriate amount of sugar, and then you can serve.

The glutinous rice balls are soft and sticky, and each person is given a soft-boiled egg. Paired with the sweet rice balls, it is very appetizing and not greasy.

After eating a bowl of warm dumplings, I feel full of energy.

After packing up, Yun Zhenzhen took out some snacks left over from the house, including melon seeds, peanut cakes, some candies, etc., and placed them all on the table.

Before noon, people came to wish her a happy new year, but some were just visiting. After all, Yun Zhenzhen was now a married woman, and everyone wanted to get closer to her and build a good relationship with her.

By the end of the day, the threshold of Yun Zhenzhen's house was almost trampled to pieces. There were men and women together, all eating melon seeds and chatting.

The children in the family all wore new clothes and took Dashan and Xiaoshan out to play with their friends. When they saw that her pockets were filled with a lot of candies and snacks, the group of children were envious and surrounded her excitedly.

Awen's two brothers stood by to protect their little sister from being stepped on by others.

Xiaonan is also very generous. This is what her mother taught her. Sharing happiness with others is worse than enjoying it alone. No matter how delicious something is, you have to learn to share it to feel more happiness.

The children who got the snacks jumped three feet high, grinning from ear to ear with joy, and kept saying thank you to Sister Xiaonan, their mouths as sweet as honey.