The two crab apple trees in the backyard are laden with bright red fruits, and the jujube trees along the wall are densely packed with tiny red dots. The small black and purple grapes shine brightly in the sunlight, making it impossible not to notice them. It would be a waste if I didn't pick them now and it rained heavily.

In order to eat green corn, peanuts, and edamame, Zhou Jiao followed Zhang Guoqing overnight and spent two nights in the dark to break off the innermost green corn. Now, every time she goes back to the backyard, she feels a little guilty when she sees the two rows of tall poles used for decoration outside.

Just a few days ago, I heard Aunt Zuo say that they were going to start arresting criminals for eating young people again. This is linked to class struggle, so who wouldn't be afraid? So, on the day she returned to the county seat, Zhou Jiao went out of her way to read the notice.

Whenever green corn is on the market, notices will be posted in the market: Edamame and green corn are prohibited from being sold. Anyone who illegally sells less than 10 ears of green corn or 5 kilograms of edamame will have their items confiscated once discovered.

Any purchase of more than 10 ears or 10 jin (approximately 200 kg) of soybeans will be confiscated and fined. Those with large amounts and dishonest behavior will be referred to the community affairs office for ideological education. Anyone caught buying edamame or green corn will also be fined, and those who refuse to comply will be referred to the community affairs office.

Listen...it's really scary.

In other words, Zhang's father and mother have always trusted that their eldest son is not short of money and will not go to the black market. Otherwise, they would definitely stop him and would not help to conceal it.

This is why Old Man Wu helped buy all the fruits and vegetables except for edamame and green corn. Compared to money, everyone values ​​their life more.

To avoid attracting attention, Zhang Guoqing even spent an entire afternoon replanting the crops. So, eating a bite of green corn comes at a huge price.

Zhou Jiao ignored Zhang Guoqing's instructions before leaving and took her son to hit the dates with a bamboo pole. She hit them a few times, making Xiao Ping'an shake his head.

"Should we wait for my dad to come back?"

Zhou Jiao quickly shook her head: "Don't wait for your dad. He's busy all day long. Who knows when he'll be free?"

"But you promised him."

"That's a white lie." Zhou Jiao rubbed her arm. It was so damn sore! She caught a glimpse of her son laughing. "Baby, we have to be self-reliant. If we leave everything to your dad, he'll be exhausted."

Ping An did not refute. He waved at Zhou Jiao and motioned her to squat down.

He leaned over to Zhou Jiao's ear and whispered, "I'll go call my brothers over, let them eat and drink their fill, and they have to do some work for me."

Zhou Jiao looked up at the surrounding fruit trees. Except for the plums that had been harvested long ago, there was no way she could harvest all the remaining fruit trees by herself.

Ping An saw that she was interested and quickly comforted her: "Mom, if you want to play, there are still plenty of things to do when you get home. We have several yards at home, enough for you to play."

Zhou Jiao glanced at him sideways, "Are you trying to comfort your mother? You can only go to the old house. If there's no one there, come back. Got it?"

"Okay. Mom, you take a rest. I'll be back soon."

Seeing him running away quickly, Zhou Jiao hurriedly shouted: "Slow down, don't fall."

"I'll be careful."

Watching the child walk away, Zhou Jiao continued to beat the branches with the bamboo pole. If her arms weren't a little sore from lifting them, she felt she could finish it in no time.

While she was indulging herself, Zhang's mother came into the backyard from the front. When she saw her posture, she burst into laughter.

Zhou Jiao touched her hair embarrassedly, "Mom, Ping An went to look for his brothers. Did you see him?"

"I just came out of your aunt's house and saw him running into the house. Xizi and the others are over there in the backyard, don't worry." Zhang's mother said as she picked up another bamboo pole, "Why don't you let Xizi and the others come over to help? They're all red, they need to be knocked down. I used to complain that Xiaowu planted too many, but now red dates are a rare commodity."

"Your old son is as smart as you are."

Hearing this, Zhang's mother laughed with joy.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted for a while, and Zhou Jiao thought of Zhang Ziwen's wedding banquet. "Mom, did my eldest sister say how many tables will be set up tomorrow? Should we go back to the county town early?"

Mother Zhang shook her head. "No, the banquet won't start until tomorrow night. We can still go back tomorrow afternoon. Your eldest sister's in-laws only want two tables, and if they're too few, they probably won't be able to accommodate everyone. She said they'll have seafood this time, so she'll add a few more tables. I didn't ask her for details."

Zhou Jiao smacked her lips in surprise. "If there are only two tables, then the whole family must be going to the county town?" They really are planning to take advantage of the situation. But then she thought about how her whole family was also going, so it wasn't surprising.

Well, you can't look at people with double eyes.

"Ziwen's grandfather was so happy that he even invited the old captain and the clan leader over. Luckily, we have vegetables in the yard now, so we don't have to spend a lot of money."

Zhou Jiao smiled. It was natural for Accountant Zhang to want to save face. As an old man, seeing his grandson's success, especially the one who would inherit his legacy, he would wake up with a smile in his sleep.

"If you ask me, there's no need to make such a fuss. The child still has a long way to go in the future, and it's not good to make too much noise. This isn't a wedding, and your eldest sister's family will be short of food after all this meal."

Speaking of wedding banquet rations, Zhou Jiao immediately remembered something. She smiled and said, "Mom, weddings in Beijing now all require a solemnization before the Chairman's statue, followed by a candy treat. Last year, I contributed to several banquets, but only one family hosted a banquet in the cafeteria. Each person received a steamed bun made from two tbsp flour, three vegetarian dishes, one meat dish, and cabbage soup. Twelve people sat down. Before I could even pick up my chopsticks, only one bowl of soup was left."

Zhang's mother put down the bamboo pole, frowned, and shook her head. "A daughter who's married off is like water spilled. As someone who doesn't belong to the family, it's hard for me to say some things. I wonder if your eldest sister understands what's going on."

Zhou Jiao immediately patted herself in annoyance. Her mother-in-law had misunderstood.

She quickly said, "Mom, different places have different customs. Big sister will definitely follow the rules here. She won't let anyone find fault with her. Isn't my brother going to the county town today? He will definitely go to Big Sister's place. With him around, nothing will happen."

"Oh, if you didn't mention this bad boy, I wouldn't be worried. But now that he's mentioned him, I'm even more worried. He's not going to take on all the responsibility again, is he? Why is this kid so stupid?"

Seeing that she was getting anxious, Zhou Jiao heard Xizi and the others talking outside, so she decided not to do it herself and walked out with Zhang's mother.

As she walked over, she consoled him, "Mom, my brother has attended many banquets, and there's nothing he doesn't know about them. Besides, my eldest sister has her parents-in-law at home now, so I won't interfere in the Zhang family's affairs. Don't worry, didn't I just say that your son will follow your lead? He's very smart."

"Aunt, why didn't you tell us to come over?"

"That's right, you and my grandma go and rest. We can handle it without waiting for dinner."

Zhou Jiao looked at the children and nodded with a smile, "Okay. Then be careful and stay safe. I'll steam some red date cakes for you to try this afternoon."

Xiao Zuoyou jumped up happily, "Auntie, steam more."

"Aunt, let's go catch loaches and snails this afternoon."

"good."

"Just pamper them. When you're done, go to the old house and give them a shout." After saying that, Zhang's mother looked at Zhou Jiao and said, "Let's go and see how your sister-in-law and the others give gifts. You can do the same after you see it."

Zhou Jiao secretly regretted her own poor performance today. If she had known they were going to discuss gifts, she might as well have joined the children in picking fruit.