"Auntie, what are you drawing?"
The young woman, carrying a cloth bag, curiously peered at the easel.
Lu Fangfang was taken aback. She looked up and then smiled, saying, "I drew a picture book. This is a Pallas's cat. Have you ever seen one?"
“I’ve seen it. I went to the grassland over there last month to pick grass seeds and I saw one of these big cats.”
The girl pointed northeast and nodded quickly.
She had previously gone to the grasslands to the east in order to collect more grass seeds, and encountered this kind of big cat, which gave her quite a fright.
This big cat is fierce; it chased after her, and she was almost scared to tears.
"Hey girl, don't wander off. Pick grass seeds here, don't go anywhere else. It's dangerous. Some grasslands even have wolves."
Lu Fangfang beckoned, inviting Da Niu to sit down next to her.
She was startled when she heard what Da Niu said.
Most of the children in the family compound play on the pasture in front of the breeding farm and don't go anywhere else.
The training ground of the regiment is right in front of the breeding farm, so the soldiers can come over whenever there's anything.
Other grasslands won't work; there are plenty of wild animals there.
"I understand, Auntie."
Da Niu responded and then sat down next to her.
Peeking her little head out, she watched Lu Fangfang draw with curiosity.
In Lu Fangfang's paintings, little Pallas's rabbits appeared one after another on the paper, leaving her mesmerized.
After a while, seeing that she had finished a drawing, Da Niu couldn't help but ask, "Auntie, do you get paid for drawing this?"
Lu Fangfang was amused when she heard this; this girl was just like her, a little money-grubber.
Nodding, she smiled and said, "Of course! For every picture I draw, the publisher gives me three yuan. You have to keep it a secret from me."
Three pieces?
The girl opened her mouth in shock.
She turned to look at her aunt, then glanced at the painting, and began to secretly count on her fingers.
She only earned six cents for picking one pound of grass seeds, and six mao for ten pounds. That means she would only earn three dollars by picking fifty pounds of grass seeds.
Looking down at her cloth bag, Da Niu was shocked.
“Girl, people with skills earn more money. Let me tell you, an eighth-level worker earns more than a hundred yuan a month, plus subsidies, while a first-level worker only earns twenty or thirty yuan.”
"technology?"
The girl looked confused, as if she understood but not quite.
"Oh...ah..."
On the distant grassland, the little wild donkey, its belly bulging, ran back.
Seeing Da Niu sitting there, it slowly walked over and nuzzled against her arm.
Da Niu was still a little dazed. She subconsciously opened the cloth bag, grabbed a handful of grass seeds, and put them in front of the donkey's mouth.
Seeing this, the little wild donkey didn't hesitate and stuck out its tongue, which it then put into its mouth.
"Smack."
"You greedy donkey, how come it eats everything? Girl, don't give it grass seeds anymore. You went through so much trouble to collect these, you really spoil it."
Lu Fangfang glared fiercely at the little wild donkey.
This shameless idiot, I didn't expect him to be so popular, he even managed to scam food and drinks off her.
"Oh...ah..."
The little wild donkey grinned and slowly moved closer.
"Go! Go! Go."
Lu Fangfang waved her hand, shooing it aside.
Picking up the oil paper beside her, she broke off half of the mooncake and handed it to Da Niu. She then ate the remaining half herself.
The mooncakes she made weren't as varied as the ones you buy, but they were more substantial, filled with peanuts and melon seeds, plus a baked dough—one bite and your mouth is filled with fragrance.
The girl took a bite, and her eyes lit up immediately.
It smells so good! She thinks it smells even better than the chicken she had for lunch.
She held it in her little hands and ate slowly.
Beside them, the little wild donkey, drooling, moved closer again.
Da Niu glanced at the mooncake in her hand, feeling a little reluctant to part with it; it was the first time she had ever tasted such a delicious mooncake.
"Girl, ignore it. This greedy donkey is taking advantage of your kindness. You can eat it yourself, don't give it any."
"Oh...ah..."
The little wild donkey drooped its ears and walked listlessly to Lu Fangfang.
It did nothing but stare with its two eyes at the mooncake in her hand.
As it watched, drool slowly dripped from the corner of its mouth.
Lu Fangfang: "..."
With only a small portion left in her hand, she took another big bite, and then reluctantly stuffed the rest into the donkey's mouth.
Alright, let the little wild donkey have a Mid-Autumn Festival too.
The little wild donkey immediately became excited.
It chewed slowly, finding it fragrant and sweet, even better than the previous foods.
It nudged closer to Lu Fangfang and wriggled against her.
"Go away, it's gone, it's gone."
Lu Fangfang rolled her eyes. Seeing that the girl next to her had also finished eating, she stood up.
“Hey girl, come with me, let me weigh the grass seeds for you.”
Holding her drawing board, she turned and went back to the farm.
She went to the storeroom and took out a steelyard balance. She weighed the grass seeds in Da Niu's cloth bag and then calculated the money for Da Niu.
After finishing her work, she looked back at the yard and saw that Little Flower and Little Tibetan Fox were still wandering around in front of the woodpile, but the two little guys didn't seem to have made any progress.
"Little Flower, Little Yellow Dog, have you found the mouse yet?"
"mouse?"
Da Niu was about to go back with her cloth bag when her aunt's words reminded her of the yellow rat on the pasture.
"Meow~"
The little flower walked over dejectedly; it was the first time it had ever looked so downcast.
Beside it, the little Tibetan fox had the same expression.
Its body was covered in sawdust, and it looked dejected.
They did manage to smell the pika, but the pika was hiding under the woodpile, and they couldn't get in unless they waited outside for it to come out.
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