Zhao Dajiao explained to He Tiantian privately that it was because of the bowl of rabbit meat from the previous night. In the eyes of the other educated youth, the livestock team's work involved excrement and urine, and no one wanted to do it.
Only true farmers know that this job is relatively easy compared to other chores. The sheep herding assigned to them by Secretary Qi and Zhao Dajiao this time was even easier.
In her past life, He Tiantian, like Huang Jingli and Lin Xiaoru, did manual labor, pulling weeds and catching insects. Her face, neck, and hands were covered in red, burning wounds from being scratched by corn leaves, and the pain intensified when the wounds came into contact with water.
Compared to those other jobs, herding sheep is a very leisurely job. As long as you drive the sheep to a place with lush grass halfway up the mountain, you can relax and rest. Before returning in the afternoon, you just need to cut a bundle of grass, enough for the sheep to eat that night.
"Thank you, Director Zhao. I know you mean well." He Tiantian readily agreed, saying, "I will work hard and never let you and Secretary Qi down."
This was exactly what He Tiantian wanted to do; she could take the Snake King to the cave more often. If the Snake King was in a good mood, she would reap many benefits!
Zhao Dajiao was pleased to see how shrewd He Tiantian was; she loved talking to intelligent people. Zhao Dajiao introduced the other members of the livestock team so that He Tiantian would be aware of their situation. After bringing He Tiantian here, Zhao Dajiao said, "Uncle Qi, Sister Liu, this is the new educated youth, He Tiantian, who is in charge of raising sheep. She's new here, so please give her some pointers if she does anything wrong."
"Of course, we'll definitely teach her how to work well," Aunt Liu laughed heartily, looking He Tiantian up and down. Hearing Zhao Dajiao's introduction of He Tiantian, and learning that she was only fifteen years old, she sighed. She didn't understand why she had to leave her city home and parents at only fifteen to come to the countryside; it was pitiful.
“Alright, Tiantian, you can work with Aunt Liu. If you don’t understand anything, just ask Aunt Liu,” Zhao Dajiao said. “I have something to do, so I’ll be going now.”
"Take care, Director Zhao." He Tiantian greeted him with a smile, displaying impeccable manners. He had personally escorted her here and explained so much to her on the way, all out of kindness, and she appreciated it.
In the livestock team, nearly seventy-year-old Old Qi was in charge of the four cows. He wasn't responsible for cleaning the cowshed, but he had to stay at the team's place at night to look after the livestock. Aunt Liu, in her forties, was responsible for several pigs, cutting pig feed, and cleaning the pigsty, cowshed, and sheepfold. She did more work during the day and could go home at night without having to watch the livestock. Originally, Aunt Liu had also been raising these goats casually, and now that someone had come to help, it saved her a lot of trouble, so she was naturally very happy.
"Sweetie, those sheep are still young, they'll run around if we let them out, so we can't let them graze," Aunt Liu said. "You and I will clean this place up, you stay here and watch over them, I'll go gather pig feed, okay?"
He Tiantian nodded and said, "Okay, Auntie, you can arrange it."
Old Qi had already driven the four oxen out, swaying and unsteady, ignoring the matter of hygiene.
He Tiantian and Aunt Liu cleaned the house together. Aunt Liu had initially thought that He Tiantian, being from the city, would find the place dirty and wouldn't want to work. But to her surprise, He Tiantian took out a towel, covered her face, tied it behind her head, picked up a shovel, and started shoveling cow dung on the ground with remarkable efficiency.
Diligent children are liked everywhere. With He Tiantian around, Aunt Liu's workload decreased significantly.
In no time, the cowshed, pigsty, and sheepfold were cleaned and washed with water. The manure was carried to the nearby composting pit. This manure pit was a treasure. Without chemical fertilizers, without it, the soil's fertility wouldn't improve, and grain yields would be very low.
The woman looked up at the sun. What used to take her two hours to do was now done in just an hour with He Tiantian's help. She'd go out to mow the lawn later, and her task for the day would be complete, leaving her with plenty of time to rest.
Aunt Liu gulped down a whole enamel mug of water before laughing and saying, "Sweetie, I'm going to cut grass. You stay here and watch over it, make sure no one steals it."
“Okay, Auntie, you go cut the grass this morning, and I’ll go this afternoon. You love me, but I can’t let you get tired,” He Tiantian said crisply. This Aunt Liu was a nice person; apart from her tendency to gossip, she had no ill intentions. Her gossip was quite interesting; she only talked about things she didn’t like. Now that He Tiantian was so diligent, she had caught Aunt Liu’s eye, and Aunt Liu would definitely praise He Tiantian to everyone.
Aunt Liu was even happier when she heard this. Her dark face beamed with joy, and she said repeatedly, "Okay, you're so sensible. We'll do as you say!"
Aunt Liu, carrying a huge basket on her back, hummed a little tune as she went to the back hill to cut pig feed.
Feeling bored, He Tiantian cleaned up the area around the livestock team. A little thirsty, she went to Old Qi's makeshift kitchen to get some water.
Oh my god, the area around the stove was dark and filthy, and it smelled really bad.
He Tiantian couldn't stand the place, so she quickly washed all the pots and pans until they were spotless. She'd skip the morning's water and drink some when she got home. She'd forgotten the military water bottle her mother had prepared for her today; she'd filled it with water this afternoon and definitely needed to take it with her.
After He Tiantian finished, Aunt Liu returned carrying a large basket full of grass. Old Man Qi also slowly drove his four cows back.
When she returned, Aunt Liu saw that the place was much tidier than before and said with a smile, "Uncle Qi, Sweetie is really diligent. She has cleaned the front and back of the house so well. Your kitchen is finally clean."
Old Qi is almost seventy years old and in good health, but he's missing a hand. Although he can live independently, he's not as dexterous as someone with two hands. He was quite cold to He Tiantian in the morning, but when he saw her helping him clean the kitchen, he managed a rare smile and said, "Thank you."
He Tiantian shook her head and said, "You're too kind, Grandpa Qi. I'm just sitting here anyway, so I'll just swipe my card."
Aunt Liu checked the time; it was time to go home and cook lunch. It was hot now, and she could at least take a nap at noon; she didn't want to stay here any longer.
"Uncle Qi, we're going back now, we'll come back this afternoon." Aunt Liu put the grass in the house and then took He Tiantian back to the village.
On the way, Aunt Liu said as she walked, "Sweetie, Uncle Qi is a bit cold-hearted, but he's a very good person. If you help him with the housework, he won't treat you badly."
"Aunt Liu, I just did it on a whim, I didn't expect anything in return," He Tiantian said. Actually, He Tiantian was secretly delighted. This old man Qi was no ordinary person; he was a veteran of the Red Army, a former regimental commander, and had even participated in the Korean War. He had only lost an arm in battle and, not wanting to cause trouble for the country, insisted on returning to his hometown.
Don't let his current disheveled appearance fool you; his connections are anything but. Every month, the commune sends Qi Laofa money, rice, noodles, and other necessities from its dedicated account, all without requiring coupons.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com