The night is deep, silent and pitch black. Except for the crystal clear snowflakes falling continuously, there is no other color in the whole world.

After Xu Qing finished eating in the house, he asked the three little ones to wash their feet and go to bed. He also took off his shoes and socks, sat on the bench, surrounded the stove, and washed their feet comfortably with the three little ones.

More than ten minutes later, Xu Qing finished washing his feet. He originally wanted to pour all the foot-washing water from his younger siblings into his own footbath, then take it outside and dump it all at once.

As a result, the three little guys each took all their foot-washing water outside the house and poured it out.

Xu Qing always helped them pour the food in the past. Maybe the little ones feel bad that their elder brother always has to worry about such trivial matters, so they are very self-conscious today.

People grow up very quickly when faced with adversity, and the three little cats are no exception. Without the pampering of their parents, they are like domestic cats that have lost their shelter and have to learn to find food on their own.

Of course, the three little ones are still taken care of by their eldest brother Xu Qing. There are many things they can't do, but with Xu Qing's support, they are luckier than those stray kittens.

Xu Qing saw the three little ones stacking all the footbaths together, and then one by one sneaked to the edge of the kang and got on the kang. Then he walked out of the house with his own footbath and poured it in the yard.

The courtyard was deserted and silent, except for the snow that was falling all over the sky.

The lights in the second uncle Liu Haizhong's room were turned off and it was pitch black; the lights in Xu Damao's room were still on, obviously he hadn't rested yet.

Xu Qing shivered coldly, turned around and grabbed the footbath and hurried into the house.

At this moment, there were three little guys on the kang, each holding an apple. They were each huddled in their own beds, and they were all lying on the edge of the kang, eating.

There are not many apples these days. Even in the supply and marketing cooperatives or state-owned stores in Sijiucheng, the number sold is pitiful.

Firstly, it’s because almost all the fields in rural areas are now planted with wheat. No one wants to plant crops like apples. In the years when there is not enough food to eat, who would think about other things.

Even if someone wants to plant a large number of fruit trees, the production brigade will not allow it.

Right now, having enough food and filling your stomach is the top priority. If you can eat apples, eat them. If you can't, you won't starve to death.

Today, the old branch secretary can bring apples to Xu Qing. It was before liberation. Xu Qing’s grandfather planted one or two fruit trees and two walnut trees in his yard. They have not been cut down and have survived to this day.

Otherwise, the three little ones wouldn’t be so lucky today.

The second is that transportation is inconvenient and restricted these days. Even though there may be more apples in other places, they cannot be transported to Sijiu City.

For example, oranges from the south can be transported to Sijiu City in less than ten days and a half, or even one or two months.

However, there are still people who do this kind of thing, but relatively speaking, there are relatively few items and the price is naturally high.

Therefore, people mostly try it out and buy in small quantities.

Seeing the three little ones happily eating apples, Xu Qing did not rush to get on the bed. Instead, he checked all the things that needed attention before going to bed. Three briquettes were thrown into the stove, and the gaps that should be left in the doors and windows were also left.

The three little shoes were also placed by the stove.

Then Xu Qing sat at the table, took out the lighter he had snatched from the gangster when he went to the hospital that night, and took it out of his cotton trousers pocket to play with it.

The style of the lighter is very ordinary, with an iron flip-top kerosene type. It looks quite new, as if it has not been used for a long time, and the flint is still very long. When you pull out the cotton wick, you can smell a strong and pungent kerosene smell.

I guess that guy robbed someone of the lighter he just bought, but now it’s cheaper for Xu Qing.

Xu Qing thought about returning this thing to its original owner, but Sijiu City is so big, who knows who the owner is?

Even if it is handed over, it may be difficult to find the owner.

Xu Qing usually carries a box of matches with him, and when he smokes, he strikes one.

After all, matches only cost a few cents per box, which is much cheaper than lighters.

Although lighters are not expensive items, people from ordinary families are reluctant to buy them.

The last time my old classmate Ma Jiefang took out a lighter to light a cigarette for Xu Qing, it was stolen from his father.

But that lighter is a gasoline lighter, which is slightly more expensive than a kerosene lighter.

Xu Qing saved the middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses today and got a lighter. It’s a good reward for being a good person!

After playing with it for a while, Xu Qing walked into the kitchen and tried to split it into two using the ability to split it into two.

But after trying two or three times, there was no change at all.

Xu Qing looked at the lighter, sighed secretly, and said to himself: "It seems that my ability really doesn't work on everything."

Xu Qing was not depressed even though he was not successful.

Turning around and walking out of the kitchen, I saw that the three little guys had finished eating the apples, so I helped them tuck their quilts in, then I got on the kang, put the flashlight next to the pillow, and turned off the lights to go to sleep.

..........

Early in the morning.

It is still dark and cold outside the house, and the snow seems to be still falling, as if it has not snowed a few times in the past three years, so it has all been saved for this year.

Xu Qing was dressed neatly, wearing a scarf while whispering to his second brother not to oversleep and be late for school.

As the eldest brother, Xu Qing has to worry about these details.

When Xu Qing is the eldest brother, he naturally has to behave like an eldest brother.

There are no alarm clocks these days. Although there is a clock in the house, it can only tell the time. The three little ones are still at the age of snoozing, so it won’t work without reminding them.

If you oversleep, the three little guys will all be late for school and be wiped out.

Although it's nothing serious, it's still not good.

In the past, when Xu Qing was at school, he would get the three of them up early, but now that is not possible, he can only let his second brother Xu Aiguo take over.

It's pitch black outside, the cold wind is howling, and snowflakes are flying. In the backyard, only Xu Qing's house is the first to turn on the lights, while the rest of the houses are still dark.

Xu Qing stepped on the snow that had fallen all night and went out to call for foreign aid.

When passing through the middle courtyard, I saw Silly Zhu walking out of his own room, and the lights in Jia's house were also turned on.

But Mrs. Jia Zhang was scolding Qin Huairu early in the morning for some unknown reason.

The sound was smaller and lower than yesterday, but Xu Qing could still hear it in the courtyard.

Qin Huairu's business with such a mother-in-law is a lifetime of bad luck.

It's just that Xu Qing can't care about the Jia family's private affairs. His own life is not good, so he has no time to worry about other people's affairs.

Besides, there are three stewards in the courtyard, so it’s not his turn to take charge.

Besides, Xu Qing didn't have the time or thought to worry about it. He was still an apprentice at the moment. With that time, Xu Qing felt that he might as well work harder and try to pass the factory assessment as soon as possible and become a full-time employee, so as to improve his family's living conditions as soon as possible.

When Si Zhu saw Xu Qing coming from the backyard, he coughed and walked to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing knew that Sha Zhu was waiting for Qin Huairu, so he greeted him and turned to leave.

It's just that Silly Zhu seemed to have waited for Qin Huairu for a long time, but when he didn't come out, he sneezed repeatedly and walked out of the middle courtyard with Xu Qing, walked through the front yard, and walked towards the alley.

The alley is as dark as the front yard, even darker than the front yard.

A cold wind blew, causing Shazhu to bend down, hold on to the wall, and cough wildly.

Xu Qing stopped and waited for a moment. Seeing that Shazhu looked very bad, he said:

"Brother Silly Zhu, why don't you go back and rest for a while? You are not an apprentice, so you don't need to go to the factory so early."

Silly Zhu waved his hands, took out his handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and gasped:

"There's going to be an inspection in the factory today, so I have to get ready early."

Xu Qing heard some gossip a few days ago. It is said that something like this seems to have happened, and it has spread in the factory.
Chapter completed!