Zeng Wenjuan also kept her promise and took out a piece of fruit candy and gave it to Goudan: "Here, this is a reward for you. It can make Goudan happy."

Goudan opened his mouth and took the candy in his mouth. The sweet taste made Goudan laugh out loud: "Mom, it's delicious! Mom, eat it too."

Zeng Wenjuan hadn't eaten candy very often, so she felt warmed and happy when she heard Goudan's words. She also took a piece of fruit candy and started eating it: "Okay, Mom will eat it too. It's so sweet!"

After the mother and son ate the candy, Zeng Wenjuan boiled a pot of water in a clay pot. Looking at the pot of water, Zeng Wenjuan sighed: "I still have to buy a pot when I go out next time. I don't know how long I will stay in the village. Life in this house is too troublesome." After boiling the water, the two washed up and lay down on the bed to rest.

No words were spoken that night.

Zeng Wenjuan slept until four o'clock and then woke up. This was also the habit of the Zhao family. She had to get up early to make breakfast for the family. After the separation, Zeng Wenjuan also maintained this habit.

"Goudan, mom is going out to cook! I'll call you to get up and eat after the meal is ready! Don't cry when you wake up, okay?" Zeng Wenjuan said softly in Goudan's ear.

Goudan was sleeping soundly, and he turned over after a soft moan. Zeng Wenjuan didn't want to waste time, so she went to the kitchen. She also needed to boil the fat she bought yesterday into lard.

Zeng Wenjuan thought that after the fat was cooked, she could put it in a bamboo tube. After breakfast, she still had to go up the mountain to cut some bamboos to use.

After the lard is cooked, wash the rice and cook the wild vegetable and oil residue porridge directly with the lard. In this era of lack of food and clothing, this pot of porridge is also very delicious.

"Wow... wuwuwuwu..." Goudan started crying again just like he did yesterday when he didn't see Zeng Wenjuan.

Zeng Wenjuan saw that there was no need to watch the wild vegetable oil residue porridge anymore. She ran back to her room. Seeing Goudan crying on the bed, she picked him up and comforted him.

"Don't cry, don't cry! Goudan, mom is here! Why are you crying? Didn't mom tell you this morning that I would get up to cook and you should sleep? I didn't force you to get up. If you keep doing this, I will have to wake you up every time in the future."

Goudan felt a little aggrieved: "Okay, from now on I will get up with my mother. My mother is the only one I have, I can't leave Goudan."

"What nonsense are you talking about! Your mother gave birth to you with great difficulty, how could I not want you! Let's go and have some porridge. Today's porridge is made with oil residue and wild vegetables. It smells so good that I'm dizzy." After Zeng Wenjuan dressed Goudan, she carried him to the kitchen.

The mother and son drank the rice porridge happily. After Goudan ate two pieces of fried dough, he smiled and said, "Mom, the fried dough is so delicious!"

"Don't eat too much even if it tastes good. We need to take care of our bodies first. Mom will take you to the mountains to dig wild vegetables later, and then cut some bamboos to use as bowls and chopsticks." Zeng Wenjuan said to Goudan with a smile.

Goudan patted his chest and said like a man: "Okay, I will help mom with the work."

"Okay, our Goudan is the most awesome kid." Zeng Wenjuan touched Goudan's head and praised with a smile.

After Goudan finished drinking the Chinese medicine, he followed Zeng Wenjuan up the mountain, holding a piece of candy in his mouth. Now was not the busy farming season, and most women and children went up the mountain to pick wild vegetables.

"Third aunt, you are here to pick wild vegetables too! Second aunt, you are here to pick wild vegetables too! I just came up the mountain to pick some wild vegetables and cut two bamboos." Zeng Wenjuan greeted them loudly when she saw them.

Rural people have to work in the fields. Normally, you might chat with people in this field or that field. If you speak in a low voice, no one can hear you, so everyone develops the habit of speaking loudly.

"Why are you digging bamboo? It's inedible. You don't have a vegetable basket, so you don't need to build a fence." Auntie asked in confusion.

Zeng Wenjuan lowered her head and said in a moment of disappointment: "I am now staying in the old house of the village chief. There are no pots or bowls at home. I can only chop some bamboo and use it for the time being."

"Oh...or I should ask your second uncle to help you cut two bamboos. Otherwise, you won't be able to carry such a big bamboo with Goudan!" said the second aunt Yuting.

Zeng Wenjuan knew that it would be good to have someone to help her, but she could do what she could, so she didn't want to owe anyone a favor, so she shook her head and said, "No, thank you, Second Aunt. I can do it. If it's inconvenient, I will definitely ask Second Aunt for help."

"Okay, then just let me know if you need anything. Your uncle is free these days anyway." Second Aunt said with a smile.

The second uncle and the second aunt are from the same clan, and their grandfather is a brother of Mr. Zhao, so they are closer than other clan members.

Zeng Wenjuan nodded and took Goudan to the place where they were yesterday. When she saw the Gastrodia elata branch that she had stepped on yesterday, she felt heartbroken!

"Goudan, just sit on the rock next to you. Mom is going to dig some herbs. I'll use the money to buy you White Rabbit candy."

Goudan nodded obediently after hearing what Zeng Wenjuan said: "Mom, I will be obedient. I promise I won't move."

Zeng Wenjuan was digging in the ground with a sickle, but it didn't work well at all: "It's still not as good as a hoe, but nowadays you can't just buy farm tools if you want to."

The production and distribution of farm tools is controlled by the state plan. Generally speaking, farmers need to apply to the state through the production team to purchase farm tools, and cannot buy them casually. Even if farmers apply to purchase farm tools, they may have to wait for a while before being approved.

In the end, it was really inconvenient to dig Gastrodia elata, so Zeng Wenjuan simply gave up the sickle and started digging on the ground with her hands. After a while, she dug up a rusty iron block.

Zeng Wenjuan was confused, so she dug out the iron block and saw that it looked like a spatula: "Whose spatula is this? After all these years, their family should have bought a new spatula!"

As mentioned above, many people cannot buy farm tools, and even if they want to buy them, they have to wait a long time. People who go up the mountain to dig wild vegetables basically bring sickles or spatulas, so spatulas look similar to hoes. (I made this up)

Zeng Wenjuan thought about it for a while, then she didn't care anymore, just use whatever she has! She was almost ruined by digging the soil with her hands just now, now she happened to have a tool that suits her, so she used it first.

With the right tools, digging is indeed faster. After digging for half a morning, I dug about ten kilograms of Gastrodia elata.

Zeng Wenjuan said to Goudan, "Goudan, let's go to the bamboo forest and look at some bamboos. I'll cook lunch for you later." She happened to have brought a clay pot with her when she went up the mountain. If nothing goes wrong, it will be wild vegetable porridge.

Goudan replied obediently: "Okay, I will help mother guard the backpack later, and I will definitely not let anyone steal things from the house."