Chapter 68: Land Reclamation
On this day, Xie Yun was clearing land at the foot of the mountain.
For farmers, the more land the better. Since it is currently impossible to significantly increase grain yields per mu, the only way to increase total output is to increase labor input and increase the number of fields.
The slope at the foot of the mountain was overgrown with weeds and shrubs, and there were many large and small stones and rocks in the soil that needed to be cleaned. Xie Yun's job was to use a rake to collect the stones and gather them into a pile.
This is already the easiest task in the land reclamation work!
And there was an extra benefit. There were some wild Rehmannia growing sporadically on this slope, which had been covered by weeds and shrubs before, so Xie Yun didn't come to dig them.
At this moment, she was hugging the stones while bending over to pick and choose, throwing the tubers of Rehmannia glutinosa into her basket.
Then I’ll dry it and sell it to Old Man Li.
These slopes will eventually be terraced. Since wheat and corn can't be grown, cotton and sweet potatoes will likely be planted initially. A portion will also be set aside for trial plantings of soybeans, millet, sorghum, sesame, and peanuts, to see which crops yield the best yields and plant more of them later.
We are all crossing the river by feeling the stones.
Two days later, it was Monday.
On this day, Xie Yun and Zhang Ruifeng took a day off. The grain store implemented a rotation system: Zhang Ruifeng took Monday off, Wang Shuzhen took Tuesday off, and Chen Lihong took Wednesday off. They all worked normal hours on Sunday.
At around ten o'clock in the morning, Xie Yun set out with eggs, turtledoves, cabbage and radishes.
Zhang Ruifeng is very sorry. She has been busy adapting to her new job these days and has not had time to go to the market. She can only think about the beggar's chicken next time.
Xie Yun told her, "It doesn't matter. The most pressing issue right now is supplies. We'll take whatever we can get. Old Man Li and his wife are both reasonable people. They won't mind. I'll go to the state-owned restaurant when I get to the commune and buy her some braised pork."
"That's fine, let's try something different. Wait till I get you some money."
"Don't take it. I still have the money I got when I went to the county to take the exam last time. That's enough."
———☆———
Xie Yun increased the number of eggs to 50, added 20 kilograms of wheat, and went to the state-owned restaurant to buy a serving of braised pork. At that time, the braised pork was only 70 cents per serving, which Xie Yun felt was even cheaper than buying raw pork. In addition, there were 6 prepared turtledoves.
Last time, Mrs. Qin gave her about half a pound of brown sugar, which Zhang Ruifeng made into tea for Xie Yun to drink. She said that it is good for girls to drink some brown sugar water.
She used to be stingy, but that was unavoidable. Now that things are a little easier and she sees things getting better, she has immediately become generous, especially to her two children, and is willing to spend everything.
Of course, in the end, their family drank together, as Xie Yun didn't want to eat alone.
However, she still kept the wrapping paper for the brown sugar.
Xie Yun had stockpiled a lot of brown sugar before. She opened the package and rewrapped it with the same wrapping paper. This time she also planned to give it to Mrs. Li.
As soon as Yu Ziqin saw her, she asked, "How's the work going? Can it be arranged? The old man said that if he can't arrange it, he will find someone else."
Xie Yun smiled and said, "It's arranged. He's very easy to talk to and cares about Mr. Li. He also said that if you encounter any problems here and it's inconvenient for you to go to him, let me tell him so that he can help find a solution."
Yu Ziqin looked relieved. In this day and age, it was common for fathers to be neither fathers nor sons, and for relatives to report on each other. It was rare that Lao Qin could still treat them like this.
"How is his old man?"
"I think he's in good spirits."
"That's good."
Xie Yun smiled and said, "I want to thank you very much. My mother has started working now. She doesn't have to get up early and work in the fields late. I feel at ease now."
"You, child, I told you to be polite. It's rare for you to be so filial. Besides, you're taking a risk by associating with us. What did you bring me this time?"
"Was the wild pigeon we had last time delicious?"
"tasty."
"I brought six wild pigeons. My brother shot them. When he heard you were going to take them, he was so happy. He thought he could earn money to support the family. He wanted to be outside all day, running around with a slingshot."
"How old is your brother?"
"Nine years old."
"Only nine years old?"
"Children from poor families have to grow up early. He knew from a young age that life is not easy."
Yu Ziqin sighed, "You and your brother are both very capable."
Xie Yun smiled and said, "That's true."
She took the lunch box out of the basket and said, "I bought this braised pork at a state-owned restaurant. I'm giving it to you this time as a thank you gift. Please empty it out and return the lunch box to me. This is the only lunch box we have at home, and my mother uses it to take her lunch to work."
The old lady smiled and said, "I'll give you a lunch box later."
"That's great. I can bring you another dish next time."
Xie Yun took things out of the basket and introduced them, "There are also 20 kilograms of wheat, 50 eggs, and a bag of brown sugar.
This bag of brown sugar was given to me by the old lady from Director Qin's family. I went to his house that day and brought them some cabbage and radishes, then headed back without eating. The old lady was afraid I'd faint from hunger on the way, so she forced a bag of biscuits and this bag of brown sugar on me. I ate the biscuits on the way, so I'll give you the brown sugar as a token of my gratitude."
Yu Ziqin chuckled, "Let me tell you, brown sugar aside, the cabbage you grow is really delicious. Our whole family loves it."
"I brought you two this time, and two radishes, which were also grown at home."
The old lady muttered to herself, "Wheat 3 yuan, eggs 2 yuan, wild pigeon 6 yuan, braised pork 2 yuan, brown sugar 2 yuan, cabbage and radish 1 yuan, I will give you a total of 16 yuan. I tell you, your cabbage and radish are worth this price."
Xie Yun waved his hand, "Don't pay for the braised pork and brown sugar. The braised pork is my treat, and the brown sugar is from Old Lady Qin. I won't be polite with the cabbage and radish. You don't know how tiring it is to grow vegetables. I have to charge you for your hard work."
Nowadays, cabbage costs one cent for two pounds, and two heads of cabbage and two radishes cost one dollar. The price given by the old lady is indeed not low.
Yu Ziqin laughed heartily: "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. You deserve the reward for your hard work. Let me tell you, I should actually give you more, but I don't know when these days will end. My family is now living off the savings, and I don't know when the money will be gone, so I dare not give you more. After this period is over, I will thank you again."
Xie Yun smiled and said, "Let's not be polite. You've already done me a great favor by helping me find a job. I'll leave first. Please thank Mr. Li for me. I won't thank him in person. When I'm out and about, I always pretend not to know him."
"It should be. That's the way it should be."
———☆———
As Zhang Ruifeng stopped working, the news that she had found a formal job in the commune spread.
While working, someone asked Xie Yun about this matter. Xie Yun did not hide anything and told the whole story. Everyone felt that Zhang Ruifeng was very lucky and used the same words as Yan Guixiang to evaluate her: sweetness after bitterness.
Everyone has witnessed how Zhang Ruifeng behaved. When she insisted on paying for her daughter's schooling, many people advised her not to waste her energy, but she just laughed it off and continued to do as she pleased.
Now, everyone says that Zhang Ruifeng did the right thing. If she hadn't insisted on sending her daughter to school, Xie Binbin wouldn't have gone to the county town. If she hadn't gone to the county town, she wouldn't have picked up other people's lost items, wouldn't have received the reward, and wouldn't have had this job.
If Zhang Ruifeng had not treated her daughter wholeheartedly and wholeheartedly, Xie Binbin would not have such deep feelings for her, and even if she got the job, she would not give it to her mother.
You reap what you sow. Zhang Ruifeng's selfless devotion to her daughter has earned her wholehearted return.
For a time, the parent-child relationship in Liushutun improved a lot.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
