639
After dinner, worried that He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie might be tired, we let them rest early.
I got up at around four o'clock the next day, just as dawn was breaking.
It's the hottest time of the year now, and only in the mornings is it a bit cool. I get up around 4 a.m., get ready, eat something, and set off around 5 a.m. I take an oxcart, which takes more than two hours, and I get home around 8 a.m.
The oxcart was arranged yesterday, and Old Liu came directly to Qi Xiaoyan's door to pick up people.
Upon closer inspection, I recognized He Tiantian, Huo Yingjie, and Old Man Liu!
These two young people were generous; every time they took the bus, they would not only pay the fare but also give them some candy and snacks.
"Hehe, you've come to visit Sister-in-law Qi, haven't you?" Old Liu asked with a smile. He knew a little about the affairs of almost every village.
Especially those who frequently ride in his car.
"Yes, Grandpa Liu, thank you for your hard work." He Tiantian said with a smile, while tidying up her luggage and loading the messy things onto the oxcart.
Niu Dajun rode his bicycle, with two children in tow, following behind the oxcart.
He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan each held a child and sat on the oxcart.
Huo Yingjie, on the other hand, rode a bicycle with a two-seater stroller.
The child was still young and very sleepy, and slept soundly in He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan's arms.
He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan chatted quietly, occasionally letting out giggles, which drew glances from Huo Yingjie and Niu Dajun.
There were few pedestrians on the road in the morning, so the car traveled very fast and arrived at Qijia Village in two hours.
Old Liu escorted the person directly to Grandma Qi's door before stopping.
Huo Yingjie took out his money, and Niu Dajun had already taken out three yuan and stuffed it into Old Liu's hand.
Old Liu accepted Niu Dajun's money but not Huo Yingjie's. Logically, Niu Dajun was the host, and Huo Yingjie was the guest; he understood this distinction.
Huo Yingjie took out a box of chocolates from the bag behind him and said, "Uncle, these are candies. Take them home for your grandchildren."
"Thank you very much then." Old Liu accepted it; he'd given it to him often before, so he wouldn't stand on ceremony.
Aunt Liu was washing dishes and pots when she heard a noise outside. She quickly came to open the door and saw Tian Tian. She exclaimed happily, "Third Aunt, Second Uncle, look who's here!"
"Who is it?" Grandma Qi was inside the house when she heard the shouts outside and slowly came out.
After greeting Aunt Liu, He Tiantian, carrying her child, ran to Grandma Qi's side and said, "Grandma, I've come to see you."
Grandma Qi was stunned for a moment, then her eyes welled up with tears. She took out a handkerchief to wipe them away and said, "Sweetie, oh dear, it really is Sweetie, I'm not seeing things..."
"Grandma, it's me, it's me," He Tiantian said, her voice choked with emotion. "How have you been this past year?"
“Okay, I’m perfectly healthy,” Grandma Qi replied. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. Come, come, let me see my great-grandchildren.”
The two children had already woken up. Seeing their mother crying and laughing intermittently, they were confused and didn't know what was wrong with her.
"Ruihua, Ruimin, come here, call her Great-Grandma," He Tiantian said. The children were already fifteen months old and could speak simple words.
"Too...too..." Huo Ruimin and Huo Ruihua said, only able to utter a single syllable.
"Good, good child!" Grandma Qi praised, though she couldn't lift the child, so she could only pat the child's head.
Old Qi went out for a walk and just came back.
Huo Yingjie was also very happy to see He Tiantian back.
"Call him Great-Grandpa!"
"Too...too..." It's still just one word, but everyone understands what it means.
Aunt Liu brewed tea and served it to everyone.
After catching up with Grandma Qi, He Tiantian took out two pieces of fabric from her bag, one light blue and the other light green, and said, "Aunt Liu, thank you for taking care of Grandma this year. These two pieces of fabric are a gift for you. They can make two or three outfits."
Aunt Liu rubbed her hands together and refused, saying, "I already feel bad about taking money from Brother Shuliang to take care of Third Aunt, how can I take your things again?"
"Why not? This is just a token of my appreciation." He Tiantian had just looked around and noticed that the house was even cleaner than when she and her mother lived there, which showed that Aunt Liu had put her heart into it.
Grandma Qi was always generous, and she said with a smile, "Big Girl's mother, here you go, just take it. The children can see how well you've cared for us. They'd feel bad if you didn't take it!"
"Take it," said Old Man Qi. "Don't refuse. Quickly pack your things and prepare some good food for lunch to entertain Tian Tian and the others."
Seeing this, Aunt Liu had no choice but to accept it, and thanked her, saying, "Then I'll keep it. You two chat first, I'll go buy some ingredients and cook a few more dishes for lunch."
"Aunt Liu, just eat whatever you like, don't go to the county town to buy food," He Tiantian said. It was too much trouble to go to the county town in this hot weather just to cook.
Aunt Liu smiled and said, "It's not going to the county town, but to that mudflat behind the school. It's been leveled now and is a small market. People go to the market on the 2nd, 5th, and 8th of the month. Today is the 8th, and it's still early, so we should be able to buy quite a few good things."
"That's great, we don't have to go to the county town anymore," He Tiantian said. After Aunt Liu left, she asked, "Grandpa Qi, aren't they cracking down on speculation and profiteering anymore?"
Old Qi curled his lip and said, "What are you arresting? The land was distributed to individual households at the end of last year. After the wheat harvest, every household still had 1,500 catties of grain left after paying their grain tax, as well as other miscellaneous produce. Since we can't eat all of this, of course we have to exchange it for other things. This little market has come into being."
“Now it’s not just Qijia Village that’s doing it; other places are too. Since there’s no explicit rule against it, everyone’s coming here to trade for convenience,” Niu Dajun said. “Furthermore, with this land redistribution, every household in Qijia Village has received a lot of grain, increasing production by 20%. Other villages that were previously unwilling have also gone to the county town to demand land redistribution. Now, Taoyuan County has almost completely redistributed the land, greatly mobilizing the enthusiasm of the working people!”
Old Qi chuckled and said, "You wouldn't believe it, these days everyone's scavenging for manure to get more fertilizer for their fields. Some people even have to come to their own fields to relieve themselves when they're feeling unwell. It's truly a case of keeping the fertilizer within the family!"
"Hehe, you old rascal, why are you saying all this!" Grandma Qi said. "But having this market has really made things much more convenient. If we want to eat something, we can just go and buy it, and cook it when we get home. If we have anything at home that we can't finish, we can sell it. Now, every household in our village is doing quite well; it's the best in Taoyuan County. A while ago, the county said they wanted to promote Dazhu and have him work in the county, but Dazhu refused. He just stays in our village, that little plot of land, and won't go anywhere else."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com