Zhang Hongmei cooked herself dumplings for lunch; she was too lazy to cook anything else. She decided to just eat frozen ones, but they tasted pretty good—seafood dumplings.

After lunch, I took a stroll in the yard. Not wanting to take a nap outside, I pulled out a poetry collection I'd borrowed from Zhang Xingguo, but I got drowsy reading it. Being a science-oriented girl is tough; I simply couldn't appreciate it.

Since we couldn't appreciate it, we decided to get to work. We went to the river and fetched two buckets of water, then added the ingredients and sprinkled the water on the sweet potato pancakes and potatoes.

The sweet potato vines I've grown myself have already sprouted two leaves. I wonder how the vines at the collective are doing. This is delicate work, usually done by experienced women. Children their age don't need to do it; it's better not to cause any trouble.

I went to fetch water this morning and heard that the sweet potato ridges will be finished in about two more days. It's true that many hands make light work; all the able-bodied men in the village have been mobilized. Seven hundred acres of sweet potato ridges is no joke.

I estimate that it will be time to plant sweet potatoes in a few days, and they should have something to do then.

In the afternoon, Er Ya came over to Zhang Hongmei to complain, "My sister is stupid. She hangs out with my grandma and my aunt all day long and doesn't know what's good for her. She just listens to their instigation. She got scolded again today. I don't think she can stay at home for long. I heard from my parents that they have found her a good match and she is just waiting to be introduced to the family."

Zhang Hongmei wouldn't engage in conversation about such topics; she would simply act as Er Ya's emotional dumping ground, listening to her vent, but she would never offer any opinions.

The two read a book, and Liu Erya even did the math problems Zhang Hongmei had given her. Her accuracy rate was quite high, but she wasn't satisfied with herself. Zhang Hongmei, however, was very pleased with her attitude towards learning. Learning should be this rigorous and serious.

"Second Sister, go back and ask my Third Aunt how to prepare cucumbers and eggplant vines? Do you have any leek seeds?"

"Okay, I'll go ask. My mom usually grows the seedlings herself every year. This year, I'll have her bring them out for you. I think the chives have seeds. We also grow our own seedlings for the squash, winter melon, and pumpkin. Do you want some?"

"Of course we want them. If you don't like them, Sister Erya, you can bring the seeds over, and we can raise them at my house."

"I doubt my mom will allow it; she's afraid we'll mess things up. I'm going back now; I'll come over tomorrow morning."

"Okay, don't forget to ask."

Zhang Hongmei returned to her space to find vegetable seeds in the storeroom and prepared some herself. She planted whatever could be grown outside, and whatever wasn't available here, she planted in her space, where there was no need to cultivate seedlings.

I haven't visited the old lady for several days to make my presence known. Tomorrow I'll bring her some good food, but I can only make goat milk buns; I don't dare bring anything else.

However, we can make red bean paste tomorrow. When Er Ya comes in the morning, I'll ask her to teach me how to make red bean paste. I remember my mother always soaks the red beans overnight before making red bean paste. Zhang Hongmei quickly soaked three large ladles of red beans in warm water. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

My mother used to make red bean paste, and before steaming the buns, she would always add sugar and shape them into balls. I would always sneak one. Those days are just memories now!

Meanwhile, Liu Maocai's family was having dinner. The father and son were both exhausted and thin, but they had no choice; it was all for this meal.

After Liu Erya finished tidying up, she went to her mother and said, "Mom, Hongmei asked you about cucumber, eggplant, squash, winter melon, and pumpkin vines. If you're infertile, give her some seeds. She also wants leek seeds."

“I’ll start the seedlings myself. Tell her to just wait to plant them and they’ll be ready. I’ll find some leek seeds for you tomorrow morning, and you can take them to her, along with some bok choy seeds and water spinach seeds.”

"Okay. I understand. You and Dad should soak your feet and go to bed. I'll go get you some hot water."

Lying in bed, Li Cuihua remarked with emotion, "Honey, you said Hongmei has really grown up. I've never seen her plant vegetables before, but this year she wants to plant everything. That's good."

“She’s grown up now. We can’t help her forever, can we? You should teach her more.”

“I originally planned to cultivate seedlings for her, but since that’s the case, I’ll just give her the rapeseed and teach her how to cultivate seedlings.”

"Got it, go to sleep now. You haven't had a moment's rest all day. You should be able to pull up the sweet potato vines by now, right? The sweet potato rows can be finished tomorrow. We'll plant them the day after tomorrow."

"Okay. Go to sleep!"

Every morning, the tasks included boiling water, feeding the sheep, milking the sheep, carrying water, and also preparing the dough. By the time Er Ya finished all of that, she had arrived.

"Sister Er Ya, today you taught me how to make red bean paste. I put all the red beans in a pot and boiled them. Do you think this is okay?"

"They're all cooked until they're bursting open, just the right time to take them out. I'll watch you do it."

"Okay." Liu Erya used her claws to scoop up the boiled red beans, and then ladled the water used to boil the red beans into a basin. "This red bean soup is especially delicious. Let's keep it to drink. It would be even better if we added brown sugar."

We need to wash the pot, and wash it thoroughly. After drying the pot, we'll put the red beans in and stir-fry until they're completely dry.

As Liu Erya spoke, she worked, but Zhang Hongmei's attempts to start a fire were futile. "You don't need to start one. If the fire gets too big, it'll burn. The embers in the stove are enough. Don't make things worse. Just keep an eye on it."

When Liu Erya scooped out the dried bean paste, Zhang Hongmei took a bite and thought it tasted great. She immediately took out some white sugar from the house, filled two bowls with the bean paste and sugar, and handed one bowl to Liu Erya. She ate it without even saying a word.

"Hongmei, you're too greedy. It's such a waste to eat like this."

"If it's in your stomach, it's not a waste. Eat it quickly."

Liu Erya, no longer holding back, picked up her bowl and started eating. It was so delicious and sweet! How much sugar did Hongmei put in? But it really was delicious. She had never eaten such sweet bean paste before.

Then we each had a bowl of red bean soup, and I instantly felt how wonderful life is.

After she finished eating, Zhang Hongmei asked her to do some homework, and she cleaned up the kitchen herself.

While Liu Erya was doing her homework, Zhang Hongmei covered the film herself. It was quite simple to do it by herself. She first put the film on one end, then covered it with soil, then walked backwards to release the film and covered the other end with soil, and finally covered both sides with soil.

When Liu Erya finished and came out, she saw Zhang Hongmei covering the ground with plastic film. "Hongmei, why are you covering the ground with plastic film?" she said, snatching the shovel from Zhang Hongmei's hand to press down the soil.

"Growing green beans? Oh, by the way, Sister Erya, did you know we have yams here?"

"I don't know, ask my mom. You want to grow yams? I've only heard of them, never eaten them. I guess they don't grow in our village."

"Hmm, the potato and sweet potato pits are dug this deep, which is perfect for planting yams. If there aren't any, that's fine; I'll ask around when I have the chance." Actually, I have some in my own space, and they're even hardy yams.

As the two were talking, Li Cuihua came over. "Hongmei, all the rapeseed is ready now. The seedlings can be grown on the potato shed. You just bury the seeds directly in the soil. But you need to use plastic film. I also brought some chili seeds. You can plant a little of everything so it will be convenient to eat them later."