"Old Xu, I've harvested the corn at home, so I brought you some."
"You can grind it into cornmeal and use it to make porridge or feed the chickens. But since it's not dry yet, put it in the yard to dry in the sun until it's completely dry before bringing it back in."
Lu Fangfang pulled hard on the sack and pushed it in front of Xu Huayun.
The corn in the sack was all large ears, top-quality grain; it would be a waste to feed it to chickens.
"This...this, I can't accept it."
Xu Huayun hurriedly waved his hand, saying that he really dared not accept such a precious item.
"I brought it all to you, are you going to make me take it back?"
Lu Fangfang let go of the sack and let it fall to the ground.
"You should keep this. Once it's dried, you can peel off the kernels, and the rest of the cob can be used for firewood."
Smelling the smoke coming from the mud-brick house, she knew that Old Xu was burning horse manure again, which she found a bit of a shame.
Such good horse manure will surely make the crops grow well when used in the fields.
However, these were all the property of the Sixth Team, so she couldn't very well ask Old Xu for any of them.
"Comrade Lu, I..."
"Old Xu, don't be so polite with me. We're friends. I still have plenty of corn at home."
"You've helped me a lot, please accept this. I also picked some vegetables from the garden for you to eat."
Lu Fangfang turned around, picked up the vegetable basket from the donkey cart, and handed it to Lao Xu.
"Old Xu, hurry up and take it inside, I'm going to check on Xiao Hong."
She pulled two cucumbers from the basket and turned to walk towards the horse pen.
...
"Thanks."
Xu Huayun looked at the vegetables in the basket, then at the corn in the sack, and felt a pang of sadness.
His monthly ration is only twenty catties, all of which are coarse grains. The distribution of grain is often delayed. Now that he has this sack of corn, he will have an easier time in the winter.
He rubbed his swollen eyes, picked up his basket, and strode into the house.
...
In the horse pen.
As soon as Lu Fangfang came in, she saw her stubborn little donkey cuddling with the horses in the pen.
This little guy isn't shy at all. Some horses in the enclosure clearly don't want to pay attention to him, but he still tries to get close to their heads.
"Oh...ah..."
"Neigh, neigh~"
Lu Fangfang strode over and slapped the donkey on the head.
"Didn't you see Xiaohong? Don't you want to talk to her?"
The little wild donkey snorted and continued sniffing at the little red horse.
Lu Fangfang pushed the donkey's head away, then took the cucumber and offered it to Xiao Hong.
"Little Red, do you still remember me?"
The little red horse didn't react; it stretched its neck and started munching on the cucumber.
"Looks like they've forgotten about me."
Lu Fangfang sighed and reached out to stroke the horse's head.
Back in the foot of Mount Guona, she learned to ride a horse while riding her little red horse.
After feeding the little red horse two cucumbers, she groomed its head.
After a while, she waved to the little red horse, "Little Red, I'll come see you again when I have time next time."
"Humming~"
The little red horse neighed, as if it had finally remembered her.
Lu Fangfang smiled, and she led the shameless little donkey out of the stable.
Once inside the courtyard, she looked around.
Old Xu's yard still had a dusty smell, just like before.
His mud-brick house has changed quite a bit.
The outer earthen wall looked as if it had been repaired with clay, with some patch-like earthen scars.
The mud-brick houses, which were already unsightly, became even uglier.
However, the clay did seal the gaps in the earthen wall, preventing cold wind from getting in, so it should be warmer in winter.
Lu Fangfang smiled and shook her head; Old Xu's cooking skills were really not as good as hers.
"Old Xu? Old Xu? I have something to do, so I'll be going now."
As she spoke, she led the little wild donkey over and harnessed it to the cart.
I glanced at the car and saw Xiaohua lying there in a spread-eagle position, looking very lazy.
Ever since he entered the yard, this little guy has been like this, without any reaction at all.
"Little Flower? Little Flower?"
Lu Fangfang shook it and then pulled it up.
"Meow~"
Little Flower opened its eyes and saw Xu Huayun walking this way, so it called out to her.
"Comrade Lu, these are the eggs I've collected over the past few days. Please take them home and eat them."
Xu Huayun walked over quickly and put half a basket of eggs on the donkey cart.
Seeing that Xiaohua was also there, he reached out and gently touched Xiaohua's head.
"Old Xu, did your chicken lay these?"
Lu Fangfang looked on with some surprise.
The eggs at Old Xu's house look much bigger than those laid by her little hens.
"Yes, these were from the two hens that you and Sister-in-law Shufen brought me back then."
Xu Huayun nodded and called out to him.
Soon, two little hens from the yard ran over.
Xu Huayun took out a few kernels of corn from her pocket, squatted down, and stretched out her hand.
"Giggle~"
"Giggle~"
After the two hens had finished pecking at the corn, he clapped his hands and stood up again.
"Old Xu, you've taken such good care of me."
Lu Fangfang looked on in amazement.
The two hens at Old Xu's house were hatched in the same batch as hers, and now they look much fatter than her hens.
Logically speaking, the difference shouldn't be that much.
Her chickens are fed bone meal and small fish and shrimp, yet they're still not as big as Old Xu's. This person is really good at raising chickens.
She glanced at the eggs in the car and hesitated again.
Old Xu must have been saving up these half a basket of eggs for at least half a month, so she was a little embarrassed to accept them.
"Comrade Lu, I've accepted the corn you brought, but you absolutely must accept these eggs!"
Lu Fangfang smiled and nodded, saying, "Old Xu, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."
As they were talking, she suddenly felt nauseous and quickly grabbed the donkey cart, gagging twice.
"Comrade Lu, what's wrong? Should we see a doctor?"
Lu Fangfang waved her hand, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I just have a little morning sickness."
Xu Huayun was taken aback upon hearing this.
It took him a while to react. "Comrade Lu, congratulations."
Lu Fangfang smoothed her chest and smiled.
She sat on the donkey cart and slapped the donkey's rump.
"Oh...ah..."
The little wild donkey turned a corner and slowly walked away.
"Old Xu, I'll be going now. I'll come see you again when I have time. Xiao Hua, say hello to Old Xu."
Lu Fangfang pulled the little flower up again.
"Meow~"
Little Flower let out a weak cry.
"Comrade Lu, slow down. By the way, Comrade Lu, wait a moment while I empty the sack for you."
Xu Huayun was getting anxious.
He grabbed the sack and started dumping corn out.
"Old Xu, stop busy, here you go, take this sack. Let's go, giddy up!"
"Why?"
When Xu Huayun chased after him to the courtyard gate with a sack, she saw Comrade Lu already sitting on a donkey cart, far away.
He stood there, somewhat lost and dejected.
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