Chapter 47

Jiang Suihan raised her hand to wipe the sweat off her face: "How far is it?"

She overestimated her physical strength. Mountain climbing is not an easy task. Fortunately, Xu Zhao was leading her in front and supported her for most of the second half of the journey. Otherwise, she would have wanted to sit on the ground and not move.

Xu Zhao carried a bamboo basket and Jiang Leyun sat in it. The child refused at first, as he felt that he was a grown-up child and how could he sit in a basket and be carried up the mountain like a little kid.

It's such a disgrace to such a grown-up kid.

Xu Zhao glanced at the road ahead and secretly calculated the distance: "Almost there, only five or six minutes left."

At his speed he should have arrived long ago, but bringing along two burdens slowed him down.

There was a grape tree in front of her. Jiang Suihan walked over and picked a grape. She wiped the surface with her clothes and put it in her mouth. The sour taste rushed straight to her head.

It's so sour that it makes my teeth feel sour.

Jiang Leyun followed behind and looked up and asked, "Is it sweet?"

He also wants to eat grapes.

Jiang Suihan silently adjusted her expression and ate another one without changing her expression. She seemed to enjoy it a little: "It's very sweet, try it."

Jiang Leyun didn't doubt it and picked a grape. He wiped it on his clothes and threw it directly into his mouth. Then his whole face wrinkled like a bun and his taste buds protested.

“So sour.”

He had never eaten such sour grapes. Are the grapes on the mountain a special variety?

I feel so jealous that my soul is about to leave my body and I am questioning my life.

The child looked at Jiang Huihan with a resentful look on his face: "Sister, you are so mean. You lied to me again!"

Jiang Huihan had played a little trick on her brother, but she felt no guilt at all. She spread her hands and said, "You are stupid. You believed me. I was teaching you in advance how treacherous people are, so that you won't be foolishly cheated in the future and happily help others count money."

Jiang Leyun didn't appreciate it and thought his sister was just making excuses: "I only felt your sinister intentions. How can a sister like you bully your brother and make fun of him?"

He deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the word "dangerous". In order to deceive him, his sister was willing to kill a thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of her own. He could only express his admiration.

Xu Zhao watched the siblings fighting with a smile. The older sister didn't act like a sister, so it was no wonder that the younger brother had some complaints.

"Let's go, I'll take you to pick persimmons."

Jiang Suihan: "Wait a minute, I want to pick some grapes to take back."

Wild grapes are too sour and will make your teeth ache when eaten, but they can be used to make wine. She had accidentally seen a book on winemaking in her father's study before. It talked about how to make wine. She still remembered the general process, but she had never made it herself, so it might take some experimenting.

Xu Zhao was a little surprised: "Why eat it when it's so sour?"

Jiang Suihan explained: "I don't want to eat it directly. I want to try to make wine. When it succeeds, our family will have wine to drink."

Xu Zhao nodded, and without asking how to make wine, he obediently took the scissors and started cutting grapes.

These grapes are in the wild, and maybe because they are too sour, the birds don't like to eat them. The fruits are piled up and some have fallen to the ground. When they are almost picked, Jiang Suihan calls for a stop.

A rabbit quickly flew through the grass, and Jiang Leyun exclaimed: "It's a rabbit!"

He ran quickly to catch the rabbit, but the rabbit was too fast and he couldn't catch up.

The child looked at the direction where the rabbit disappeared in disappointment: "I didn't catch it."

Jiang Huihan comforted her brother: "You are great if you caught it, it's normal if you didn't catch it. Rabbits have four legs and you have two legs. How can a two-legged one outrun a four-legged one? Don't be sad. I will take you to eat your favorite braised pork in the county when I get back."

The corners of Xu Zhao's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly, and he felt that her angle of comforting people was a bit strange.

Hearing that there was something delicious, Jiang Leyun instantly forgot about the rabbit and looked at Jiang Suihan with sparkling eyes: "When?"

Jiang Suihan thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to the county to have a good meal in a few days when the army has a car."

Jiang Leyun was slightly disappointed, but he became happy again when he thought about having good food in the county and shopping in the department store.

Xu Zhao led the two of them for about ten minutes. Jiang Huihan looked forward and saw that the tree was very tall and there were so many persimmons.

She frowned and looked troubled: "How can we climb up this tree which is so high?"

She can't climb trees, and Jiang Leyun is even worse, so she can only rely on Xu Zhao.

Xu Zhao walked under the tree, apparently intending to climb it himself.

Jiang Suihan was a little worried: "Forget it, it's too dangerous."

If you accidentally fall down, it's no joke.

Xu Zhao said confidently: "It's okay, I have learned to climb trees."

He climbed up like a monkey in a few steps. Jiang Huihan looked up at him and muttered, "Sure enough, soldiers are all-rounders. They know all kinds of unusual skills."

Jiang Leyun opened his mouth slightly and almost drooled with envy. If he had known that his brother-in-law could climb trees, he should have asked him to learn.

With Xu Zhao, a capable person with cheats, the process of picking persimmons went smoothly.

The persimmons are a bit hard and cannot be eaten yet. Take them home and leave them for a few days until they become soft and then you can eat them.

Suddenly, a chicken crowed. Jiang Leyun pointed to a spot in the bushes and whispered, "There."

The rabbit ran away and a chicken came.

Jiang Suihan also subconsciously slowed down her pace, held her breath, and dared not make a sound.

Xu Zhao had a bow and arrow in his hand at some point. He put the arrow on and took aim. The pheasant was unaware of the approaching danger and was leisurely searching for food on the ground.

The arrow flew off the string and hit the pheasant's left foot.

Jiang Leyun's face was full of excitement: "I got it!"

My brother-in-law is so awesome!

He also has to learn archery and tree climbing, he can't forget that.

The pheasant was shot in the leg and could not run fast. In panic, it was tripped by a vine. Xu Zhao caught the pheasant easily.

Jiang Suihan smiled and said, "That's great. Let's go pick some chestnuts and make chestnut chicken in the evening."

Jiang Leyun clapped his hands happily and agreed: "Great, we'll have chicken tonight!"

Seeing Jiang Huihan looking at him with sparkling eyes, Xu Zhao's mouth curled up and his eyes were filled with smiles.

Jiang Leyun squeezed next to Xu Zhao, his face full of admiration: "Brother-in-law, you are so good at archery! You hit it in a flash, I didn't even see it clearly, who did you learn archery from?"

Xu Zhao found a thin vine and tied the chicken's two feet together: "I learned this from an old soldier. His ancestors were all good hunters."

At that time, he had just joined the army. The old soldier was his squad leader at the time. He was a very nice person. Seeing that he was interested in archery, he taught him. Later, the old soldier retired due to injury and returned to his hometown. He came to Li Province, and the two hadn't seen each other for several years.

Jiang Leyun was excited and took the opportunity to ask: "I also want to learn archery."

The child was still young, and Xu Zhao was worried about hurting others: "Okay, I'll teach you when you can run three laps."

Jiang Leyun suddenly looked at Xu Zhao with a sullen face, "My life is so difficult!"

Except when it rains or when he has something urgent to do, his brother-in-law would wake him up every morning to run and jog around the staff quarters. At first, he couldn't even finish half a lap, but gradually, he could barely finish a lap.

The goal of three laps is too far away for him and he can’t reach it!

Xu Zhao encouraged his brother-in-law without any emotion: "Come on."

Jiang Leyun pouted: "Come on, it's so boring. I still want to learn how to climb trees. Brother Xiaojun and the others can all climb trees, but I'm the only one who can't."

All his friends could climb trees, but he was always the only one standing under the tree, staring blankly. It was not fun at all.

Jiang Suihan grabbed Jiang Leyun's ear and said, "No, have you forgotten what you promised me?"

Why learn to climb trees at such a young age? What if you fall?

Once, a classmate from high school told her that the neighbor’s son was naughty and secretly climbed a tree to pick longan. He didn’t step firmly and fell down. He didn’t seem to be injured and his family didn’t take it seriously. Later, he suffered an emergency and died in the hospital within two days.

Jiang Leyun was unhappy: "My brother-in-law can climb a tree, why can't I? You are biased!"

Jiang Suihan: "He is an adult and you are a child, how can it be the same?"

Jiang Leyun used to be a very obedient and sensible child at home. He was considerate of his sister and never made any excessive demands. After coming here, the child became bolder, wilder in temperament, and entered the rebellious period.

Don't think that children only know how to play all day long. In fact, they are very clear-headed. Knowing that someone is pampering them, children dare to follow their own will. It's not that he has to learn to climb trees, but the more adults forbid him to do it, the more he wants to do it, and he thinks it's fun to go against adults.

Xu Zhao gave the child a helpless look and decided not to get involved in the siblings' affairs, lest he end up being caught between a rock and a hard place and not pleasing either side.

Most of the chestnuts here had been picked up, and there were only a few left. Xu Zhao took the two of them and turned in another direction to look for other chestnut trees.

After picking chestnuts and some mushrooms, the three looked at the time and decided to go home.

Jiang Suihan couldn't tell whether mushrooms were poisonous or not, so Xu Zhao taught her a few easy ones to identify. Whenever she encountered something she wasn't sure about, she would look for him.

Jiang Leyun was lucky and accidentally found a nest of six pheasant eggs. The child was so happy that he kept shouting that he wanted to look for more. However, perhaps his luck had run out, as he found nothing after searching for a long time.

I had a good harvest today. The backpack was full of food. I didn't hold the pheasant in my hands. I would definitely run into people from the staff quarters when I go back, which would be a bit ostentatious.

Without the backpack, Jiang Leyun walked alone the whole way. He stopped to rest when he was tired. They walked most of the way, and Xu Zhao carried the child for the last part of the way.

When we reached the foot of the mountain, we happened to meet Wu Guihua and a few others, who had also just come down from the mountain.

Wu Guihua smiled and said, "You guys went to the mountain too?"

Jiang Suihan smiled and replied, "Yes, he happened to be free today, so he took us to the mountains and picked some mushrooms and wild fruits."

She didn't ask Wu Guihua whether she wanted it or not. These things were available on the mountain, and Wu Guihua was not alone. If she gave them to her, she couldn't not give them to others. So she simply ignored the matter.

Several people glanced at the backpack behind Xu Zhao. It was covered with a layer of leaves, so they couldn't see what was inside. It looked a bit heavy.

The sun was shining and it was time for lunch. Everyone rushed home to cook. A few of us chatted briefly and then left.

Chen Xiaohong couldn't help but smack her lips: "If I hadn't bumped into him today, I wouldn't have thought Xu Zhao was so clingy. He didn't rest during the holiday and took his wife up the mountain. Xiao Jiang had nothing in her hands, so she let Xu Zhao carry all her things on his back. He was carried by his brother-in-law. He's really lucky!"

For a woman, getting married is like being reborn for the second time. If she is unlucky, there is nothing she can do but accept her fate. If she is lucky, like Jiang Suhan, she married a good man who is gentle and considerate and willing to help with housework. Washing clothes, cooking and sweeping the floor are no problem at all for her. She has become the envy of all the women in the family compound.

Many women get married just to find someone to live with. Their husbands, like most men, have some minor flaws, but they are tolerable. Life is uneventful, and they spend their days scrambling around the stove, dealing with the daily necessities of life. They can live like this for the rest of their lives.

Wu Guihua: "Everyone has their own destiny. When we were young, men were also rare. It's just that now that we are older, we have seen too many men, and they are no longer fresh to us."

Although her man is not as good as Xu Zhao, he is already very good compared to other men in the family compound. He cares about the family, loves children, and treats her well. Life is a bit hard, but she is quite satisfied with her current life.

Chen Xiaohong nodded: "That's true. Everyone has a time when they are young and beautiful. When I was young, my husband Zhang was very passionate. Once he got into the trap, he couldn't get down. He put all his energy on me, which made my mother-in-law look at me with skepticism."

Wu Guihua frowned. He was such a big mouth, he said anything.

Chen Xiuni turned around and looked at the three Xu family members walking away. She suddenly became interested: "Have you heard about what happened between Wang Liying and Xu Zhao?"

They all live in the staff quarters, how could they not know about such big news?

Chen Xiaohong is very knowledgeable and said excitedly: "How could I not know? I have ears for a long time. I am not saying this in hindsight, but I just don't like Wang Liying's little sister. She gives me the feeling of, well, how should I put it..."

Chen Xiuni tentatively asked, "Is it fake?"

Chen Xiaohong immediately clapped her hands excitedly, "Yes, it's very fake. Xu Zhao is handsome, and few girls in the art troupe liked him before, but he ignored her. Wang's little sister is not good enough, she is far inferior to Xiao Jiang. Xu Zhao is not blind. If I were Xu Zhao, I would not like Wang Lijuan either. She comes from a rural background, is not as pretty as Xiao Jiang, and has a lower education than Xiao Jiang. She is inferior to Xiao Jiang in every way. I don't understand what this girl is thinking, and where does she get the confidence to be better than Xiao Jiang."

Every normal man likes beautiful women. If Wang Lijuan and Jiang Suihan stand together, anyone with brains will know which one to choose.

Besides, Wang Lijuan had just joined the army and Xu Zhao had never had any contact with her. How could he ruin his future for a woman who threw herself at him for no reason? However, the girl had just come from the countryside and had not seen many men. Suddenly seeing someone like Xu Zhao, it was possible that her mind was crooked and she might have made a mistake.

Chen Xiuni thought about building a good relationship with Jiang Huihan, maybe she could get married into the Xu family in the future. However, Jiang Huihan's attitude towards her was very indifferent, and she couldn't bring herself to please a little girl.

When she heard Wang Liying's younger sister pestering Xu Zhao, she almost laughed out loud. See, it's so easy for a man with such good looks to attract peach blossoms. Jiang Suihan might be hiding at home crying.

Chen Xiuni found Wu Guihua and wanted to take her to Xu's house, but Wu Guihua refused, saying that it was just hearsay and she shouldn't cause trouble, lest Xiao Jiang think that they were there to laugh at her in the name of comfort.

Chen Xiuni gave up the idea after Wu Guihua inadvertently revealed her hidden thoughts. However, she kept an eye on the wind direction in the family compound. She found out that the Wang family had closed the door at noon that day and the Wang sisters seemed to have had a big fight.

The walls of the family compound were not well soundproofed. The Wang family's neighbors eavesdropped through the door and gossiped with others about the latest news. Some believed Wang Lijuan's sophistry, while others sneered, thinking that the girl's words were nice, but it was unknown whether they really thought so.

Chen Xiuni looked down on Wang Lijuan, but she also disliked Jiang Suihan, and couldn't help but say, "Men love novelty. Even the prettiest women will get boring after looking at them for a long time. Wang Liying's younger sister is not bad looking either. She's very pretty. I saw quite a few young men strolling around Wang's area these days."

Chen Xiaohong clicked her tongue twice and analyzed in a serious manner, "After being in the army for so long, even sows seem pretty. It's rare to see a young girl, so it's normal for those young soldiers to be a little agitated. I guess the Wang family's little sister is very thoughtful and will definitely look down on these big-headed soldiers."

The younger soldiers have not been in the army for long and do not meet the level for their families to accompany the army. Although Wang Lijuan is a rural girl, she is good-looking and has attended junior high school. She did not look for a partner in her hometown but came all the way to the garrison. She must be hoping to marry an officer who is qualified to accompany the army.

Wang Liying secretly inquired about the affairs of young officers in the army some time ago. She thought she was doing it very secretly, but there are no secrets in the family compound. Many people saw it, but they knew about it but did not say it in front of her.

Chen Xiuni nodded: "I think you are right. Among those young officers, Xu Zhao is the best looking one. He holds a high position and his family is from the capital. The girl might be dazzled by him."

Wu Guihua had no feelings towards Wang Lijuan, but instead felt a little sympathy for her. After all, the little girl must feel very uncomfortable being involved in such a thing and being talked about and pointed at by others.

"Okay, let's stop talking about other people's affairs. After all, you are still an unmarried girl, so you should be more virtuous with your words."

Chen Xiuni muttered, "We're not the only ones saying this. If you go around the family compound, you'll see that not many people know about this privately. If you don't want to be talked about, don't do it."

Chen Xiaohong shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't want to say anything. It wasn't because she was giving face to Wu Guihua. She was just thirsty and wanted to go home quickly to drink some water.

With the experience of killing a chicken last time, Xu Zhao was very familiar with it this time. His hands and feet were swift and he plucked the chicken clean quickly.

Jiang Suihan asked him to chop the chicken into pieces, fry half of it and make chestnut stewed chicken soup with the other half.

I saw wolfberries on the mountain, so I picked some and brought them back. After drying them, I soaked them in water and cooked them in soup. When the chicken soup is almost cooked, sprinkle some wolfberries on it and turn off the heat.

Add some scrambled eggs with wild onions and stir-fried cabbage with bacon, and you have three dishes and a soup, and you're done.

Jiang Huihan took the last dish out of the pot and shouted outside, "Wash your hands and eat."

Xu Zhao walked into the kitchen: "I'll serve the soup."

Jiang Suihan didn't argue with him, but took the bowl and chopsticks and followed behind.

It wasn’t too late and it was still light, so we moved the table into the yard and ate outside where it was cooler.

Xu Zhao filled a bowl of soup with a large chicken drumstick in it and placed it in front of Jiang Leyun.

The child smiled and shouted happily, "Thank you, brother-in-law."

Jiang Suihan tasted the soup. It had been simmered for more than two hours. The soup was rich and delicious, and the chestnut flour was glutinous and sweet. Her cooking skills had improved again.

Jiang Leyun sat on the stool and swung her feet, with a look of joy on her face as if she had eaten something delicious: "It's really delicious. It would be great if I could drink chicken soup every day."

Children’s wishes are so simple, they just want to eat delicious food.

Jiang Suihan glanced at Xu Zhao and said, "Why are you looking at me? Ask him. He was the one who caught the chicken. I don't have the ability to do that."

The ball was kicked to him. Xu Zhao held his forehead helplessly and said, "I have to go to the army every day. I only have time to go up the mountain during holidays. I can't always catch pheasants."

Hunting ability is important, but luck is also crucial.

Jiang Leyun suddenly turned to look at Jiang Suihan: "We can also raise chickens at home. Brother Xiaojun's family has several chickens, and we have eggs to eat every day."

The more the child thought about it, the more he felt that this idea was very good and that he was so smart.

Raising chickens at home not only provides eggs but also chickens to eat, killing two birds with one stone.

"don't want."

Jiang Suihan was somewhat reluctant and didn't want to raise chickens. She had never raised chickens before and didn't know how to do it. She was worried that the chickens would die, which would be a waste of money and energy. Also, if she raised chickens in the yard, the chickens would poop everywhere and she would collapse.

She doesn't care about growing vegetables and raising flowers, she can learn it slowly. As for raising chickens, if she really wants to eat chicken, she can buy them at the market.

Jiang Leyun thought of the fluffy little yellow chicken and felt itchy. He wished he could buy a chick home tomorrow. When he heard his sister's rejection, he said in a disappointed tone, "Why can't we raise chickens?"

Jiang Suihan counted on her fingers and told him: "First, chickens need food, and we don't have extra food at home. Second, who will raise them? You? You will go to school in a few days. It takes time to study and do homework. How can you have time to raise chickens? Third, chickens poop everywhere, making the yard full of shit, and it stinks. Will you clean it up? And the last point, I will not help you raise chickens. You said you are a big boy. A real man should do your own things. Don't think about relying on your sister all day long."

The child does whatever she wants. Now she wants to raise chickens, but when the novelty wears off, the chickens will be thrown to her and she will have to clean up the mess.

Jiang Leyun's eyebrows were almost twisted into knots. According to what his sister said, raising chickens is not an easy job, or is his sister trying to scare him?

The child got angry and said with his neck stiff, "I will raise the chicken if I want. I will take good care of it and make sure it doesn't poop everywhere and make the yard dirty. I will be responsible for cleaning it up."

Jiang Suihan didn't necessarily mean to stop her brother from raising chickens. She wasn't that overbearing. She just wanted him to know that he should do things within his ability and see things through to the end.

"Okay, you said so. I hope he can keep his word and buy you a chicken next time we go to the market."

After getting the answer he wanted, Jiang Leyun cheered, but he moved so much that he almost fell off the stool. Fortunately, Xu Zhao reached out and held him up in time.

He usually does not interfere with Jiang Suihan's education of Jiang Leyun. The two siblings have lived together for several years and have their own way of getting along with each other. As long as it is not a big issue of principle, he will remain silent and watch the child being fooled by his sister.