Chapter 27 Getting Better

On the way home, Xie Yun walked with big strides and high morale.

Whenever she thought about the fact that ten years from now, the world would be full of development opportunities, and she would be able to make money and live a good life by doing anything, she would feel happy.

She didn't expect her life to be completely smooth sailing, free from any difficulties. However, knowing where the world was headed, one could avoid being overly stubborn and obsessive. If one path didn't work, one could try another. If one thing couldn't be accomplished, one could try another. It wasn't necessary to master every task. It was okay to switch careers if one wanted to make a quick buck.

After returning home, Xie Yun counted out 13 yuan and handed it to Zhang Ruifeng. "This is the money from selling the medicine. It should be 12.98 yuan. The uncle who bought the medicine gave me the whole amount."

Then, she handed her the remaining 1.46 yuan and said, "The old man at the medicinal material purchasing station has children at home and wants to buy some fine grains. He asked if I could help him. I promised to sell him 10 kilograms and send it to him this afternoon."

Zhang Ruifeng was surprised and excited. "How can such a small amount of grass roots be sold for so much money?"

"It's medicine, commonly used, and it has a tonic effect. The old man said he would buy whatever he could get. He even bought the mugwort, and after it's dried, he would take the leaves. 1.2 cents per pound."

"My God! That's almost as valuable as a pound of wheat!"

"When mugwort is dried, it doesn't weigh anything. One pound is a whole bunch."

"That's free money! Next spring I'll go pick the mugwort, dry it, and sell it. No, I won't pick it. I'll cut it with a sickle and leave the roots. They'll keep growing. I'll sell it for at least a dollar or two."

"Mom, should I give him 10 kilograms of wheat?"

"Give it, give it, give it, give it two more pounds. First-grade wheat is only 1.43 cents a pound now, and the money he gave is enough to buy more than ten pounds of first-grade wheat. The one we have shouldn't be considered first-grade, so give him two more pounds. If we don't have enough to eat, I'll trade some with the villagers."

"OK."

Xie Yun agreed and went to load the grain. She had to go out again in the afternoon, so she had to tell her mother and give her a reason. Otherwise, it would be a bit unreasonable for her to go out again in the afternoon after just returning from the commune.

She filled the sack with nearly ten kilograms of stuff. Zhang Ruifeng helped her hold the bag open, constantly saying, "Not enough, fill it up a bit more."

Xie Yun added another half ladle.

Zhang Ruifeng helped her put the wheat into the basket and said, "I'm going to cook. You take a break and come back after dinner."

"OK."

"You said yesterday that you wanted to go to the mountains to pick soap nuts and make some soap nut paste. I just went to the mountains and brought back a basket. How do you make it? We used to use soap nuts to wash clothes. We just put the soap nuts in the wash."

Xie Yun didn't expect her mother to be so proactive and get it back so quickly.

She recalled the video of making soapberry paste she had seen in her previous life and said, "Wash it clean, boil it until it's soft, then mash it and squeeze out the juice. Then boil it again until it's a bit thick."

Zhang Ruifeng smiled and said, "Come to the commune this afternoon and I'll cook for you. Is this the method you learned in school?"

"No, I heard it from my classmate. This soapnut paste can be used to wash hair, bathe, and wash clothes. It works better than soap. Let's try it. My classmate's hair is black and shiny, it looks great."

Although the supply and marketing cooperatives sold shampoo, rural people would not waste money on it. The Xie family was already quite good at washing their hair with soap, and some families directly used alkali to wash their hair.

The amazing thing is that, except for those who have thin hair or bald hair inherited from their ancestors, most people have thick black hair, even too heavy.

Zhang Ruifeng smiled and said, "Your hair is already very good."

Having said that, she went out.

Xie Yun also came out to help.

There is really no entertainment at this time. Things like making fire and cooking are not really work, they are just a way to pass the time.

We had two kinds of noodles for lunch today. Zhang Ruifeng was busy in the kitchen, kneading, rolling and cooking the noodles, while Xie Yun went to the yard to make fried sauce using a small stove.

There was homemade soybean paste at home. Xie Yun cracked an egg and quietly added another one. After stirring evenly, he fried the egg first, then added a little bit of oil to the pan, added chopped green onions and stir-fried. When it was almost done, he added the prepared sauce, then the fried eggs, and stir-fried for a few minutes before serving.

Even Xie Shen can eat two bowls of this kind of noodles.

Because the food was relatively simple and there were few side dishes, the staple food was consumed very quickly. Some people could eat six or seven steamed buns. The three members of the Xie family were not considered to be very good eaters.

Zhang Ruifeng only started cooking noodles after Xie Shen came back from school. They had to eat them right after they were cooked, otherwise the noodles would become clumpy.

Xie Shen jumped up and down with joy. Things had been incredibly good lately. It felt like nothing had changed, yet everything had. Mom and sister were laughing more, and Mom was pounding her waist less often. She used to get a little stiff after squatting or bending for too long, but lately, she hadn't felt that way.

The elder sister seems to be more beautiful. She is prettier than Kong Shuzhen in the movie.

"Mom, let's have some delicious food again today."

"Your sister sold the herbs she picked for ten yuan. Let's celebrate. You've been eating well lately because of your sister. You must remember this. You two siblings must support each other in the future. If anyone bullies your sister, you must risk your life to protect her. Your sister has always loved you, so I don't need to say anything about her."

"I know, Mom. Don't worry!"

He then said to Xie Yun, "Sister, when I don't have classes on Sundays, I go to the mountains to collect herbs."

Xie Yun said, "Don't go. I've looked around the foot of the mountain, and it seems there's nothing left. If you want to look for it again, you have to go inside. Don't go in, don't get lost and can't get out. You should study hard now, this is your duty. I tell you, things are always changing. Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west. Who would have thought a few years ago that the college entrance examination would be suspended? Maybe it will be resumed in a few years. You should never give up on making progress."

"I know, sister. I always rank first in the class."

"That's amazing. Eat more at noon."

Zhang Ruifeng said: "This thing is said to be medicine, but it is actually a weed. You can never completely dig up all the weeds. There must be more. But don't dig them up. Let them grow again next year."

Xie Yun said, "What do you think about planting some in our yard next spring?"

Zhang Ruifeng thought for a moment and said, "Let's give it a try. You can meet that old comrade this afternoon and ask him for advice on how to grow crops. The grain we get from the team is basically enough for us to eat. We used to be so tight because we had to sell some. We've been growing sweet potatoes and potatoes at home for the past two years, but we're getting tired of it. But if we can make money selling medicine, then it won't be a big deal. We can then quietly trade some grain with the villagers. We don't have to pay for it, we can just use eggs or something like that."

Xie Yun said, "Try it for a year. If it works, we can continue to plant it. If not, we can switch back next year."