After returning to the educated youth settlement with their belongings, Li Gang and the others first covered the walls and roof with mats.
I don't know what this mat is made of, but it looks very dense and yet it's not heavy to pick up.
Han Weidong and the others first swept away the dust from the ceiling and walls, and only after the dust had settled did they begin nailing the mats. Zhang Yuanchao had brought some nails with him, which came in handy this time.
His mother was meticulous; she packed not only nails, but also rope, padlocks, needles and thread... into a box of odds and ends.
With the tools in hand, the young men worked together, clanging and banging, and soon the mat was set up.
"Oh, it's so much cleaner now that you've nailed it up like that. Qian Shan, how about we chip in and buy a few mats to nail up in that room too?"
Wang Jiefang and his group heard clanging and banging around in Li Gang's room, so they came over to take a look and thought it was pretty good.
"I have no objection, it's just a little over a dollar per person."
Qian Shan didn't care. He brought some money with him when he came, and his family also sent him some money every month.
"I agree too." Dong Weiguo also agreed; it did look much cleaner.
"Ask the female comrades if they want to get plastic surgery, and we can buy it all together," Li Gang suggested, patting the dust off his hands.
“Okay, I’ll go ask.” Wang Jiefang went to ask the female educated youth, and Li Gang added, “Also ask if the nails can be replaced; we don’t have many left.”
"knew."
Wang Jiefang responded to Li Gang's words.
As a result, several educated youths bought up all the mats stored in the team, which made Grandma Bao Ni very happy, as this was a way to generate income for the collective.
After everyone tidied up the educated youth settlement, it was clear that it was a place where people could live. Now that things were settled, it was time to start working. Bao Ni's father said that their brigade didn't support idlers; everyone had to work hard to earn their share of food.
The educated youth created many laughable situations when they went to work. Almost none of them knew how to do farm work, so Bao Ni's father arranged for experienced farmers to teach them step by step. They could work slowly, but they couldn't slack off. If they slacked off during the spring harvest, they would go hungry during the autumn harvest.
Bonnie hasn't been back to her parents' home lately; she's been busy tending to the vegetable garden in the yard.
Gu Ye has been busy again lately. After handing over his work to Commander Bai, he has just taken over the Second Regiment and has a lot to do. He wasn't very familiar with Political Commissar Zhai of the Second Regiment before, and there will be some time for them to work together and adjust to each other.
Gu Ye was no longer a reliable option, so Bao Ni started turning the soil and making ridges herself; the seasons wait for no one.
Last year's chives have grown to half a foot long and are almost ready to eat. Looking at the tender chives, Bonnie is craving chive pancakes; her mouth is watering.
Thankfully, after the typhoon, Bonnie replanted a lot of chive roots, otherwise there wouldn't be any fresh chives to eat this spring. The newly sown vegetables haven't sprouted yet, and Bonnie wants to eat leafy greens, so she's thinking of going to dig up some wild vegetables.
"Sixty-nine, let's go to Grandma's house."
After tidying up the vegetable garden, we just need to wait for Grandma to grow the seedlings so she can plant them directly.
"Mom, wait a minute, I'll be right there."
Liu Jiu loves going to her maternal grandmother's house, enjoys eating the food her grandmother cooks, and loves playing with her older brother, Da Bao.
"Okay, I'll lock the door and we'll leave. You should hurry up too."
Bonnie found the basket and knife, locked the door, glanced inside, and saw Six Nine had come over.
"Mom, let's go."
The mother and daughter left the family compound one after the other and headed towards the island's first team. Since her pregnancy became more noticeable, Bao Ni found it inconvenient to ride a bicycle, mainly because Gu Ye was worried about her.
"Grandma, I'm going to dig for wild vegetables. I'll leave Liu Jiu here and eat lunch here."
"Okay, go ahead. Liu Jiu, come here and help Great-Grandpa weave mats."
Grandpa Lin came out with a bundle of straw and beckoned Liu Jiu over. The educated youth had finished buying the mats, and these past few days, the old folks who weren't working had been busy weaving mats.
"Great-Grandpa, let me pass you some grass. You can ask Madam to stew some fish for me. Liu Jiu's stomach says she wants to eat fish, braised fish, please."
"Alright, let Madam stew fish for Liu Jiu..."
Bonnie picked up her basket and left; she wanted to eat shepherd's purse dumplings. She'd dig up a lot more so they could make dumplings for dinner.
Bonnie has improved quite a bit now. Although her cooking doesn't taste as good as Grandma's, at least it doesn't have any weird flavors anymore. Before, she relied on others, so she didn't commit to practicing. But now that's impossible; she's about to have another baby, and she can't skip meals!
Bonnie spent over a month practicing seasoning, progressing from the initial balance of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors to the current bland taste—that was her limit. At least the dishes she made were edible, just lacking in flavor.
Bonnie didn't go up the mountain; instead, she went to the place where she had previously dug for shepherd's purse, which was another of her secret hideouts. When Bonnie was little, she was very mischievous, wandering all over the island. There was practically no place she couldn't explore, and she scouted every nook and cranny.
This small depression is sunny and moist, so wild vegetables grow very lushly every year.
This plot of land was at the foot of the mountain, behind a thicket of thorns. Most people wouldn't notice it, nor would they venture into the thicket. Bonnie belonged to Class Two. Using a stick to push aside the thorns, Bonnie quickly squeezed through, and her eyes lit up.
The tender green shepherd's purse had grown to over a bushel tall, a delightful sight. Bonnie squatted down and used a knife to carefully cut the leaves, one by one, close to the ground. In no time, she had filled a basket to the brim. This was only a small portion; the rest would need to be harvested over the next few days and dried into vegetable jerky.
Bonnie carried the basket back home, and picked some wildflowers from the roadside to give to her grandmother, who liked them.
"Brother, you're so handsome!"
"You're cute too."
From afar, Bonnie could hear who Liu Jiu was chatting with.
"Am I not pretty, little sister?"
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