"My mother made me cloth shoes with embroidered flowers on them, they're even prettier than Aunt San's shoes," Fatty said proudly. Although she looked simple-minded, she knew right from wrong.
This woman looks like she has a bad heart, just like my own wicked aunt, she speaks with the same tone!
Hearing the fat idiot say that, Zhao Juhua gritted her teeth in anger! These people were so easily bought off by a pair of cloth shoes! They have no backbone at all!
However, she didn't say it out loud. Liu had been glancing over here frequently. Zhao Juhua was uneasy. This woman was even more ferocious than the tigress in the village head's house!
Chestnuts have many thorns, and Liu and the others pricked their skin when picking them. Seeing her hunched over and squatting on the ground, constantly pulling her hands back from being pricked by the chestnut thorns, they couldn't bear it. This old lady was working too hard.
Qin San Niang had a sudden inspiration. She broke off a branch about the thickness of her little finger from the roadside. It was quite resilient. She estimated the right length, folded it in half, and made a simple long clip.
"Mother, try this!"
Watching her eldest daughter demonstrate, Liu quickly understood how to use the clip.
Once you start using it, it's amazing! It works incredibly well! Madam Liu was overjoyed. Ever since her eldest daughter's mind opened up, she's been unstoppable! She really does take after her! At this moment, Madam Liu had selectively ignored the fact that she hadn't been accepted as an apprentice by the doctor because of her dullness!
"Auntie, this is great! How did you make it?" Wu asked, leaning closer with delight. It didn't seem too difficult, and she quickly replicated it.
Even the little children, after seeing it, all asked their mother for some.
They really could gather a lot of chestnuts. The children on the escape route were all capable, and Qin San Niang dared not underestimate them! She quickly resigned herself to her fate and broke off several branches to start picking.
The villagers followed suit, and the women quickly folded the pieces for their own families, which indeed made the gathering much faster.
Qin San Niang earnestly told Da Wa and the others, "This is what they mean by 'If you want to do a good job, you must first have the right tools'!"
Although the eldest child was still somewhat confused, he understood his mother's meaning to some extent. As for the other children, they were just there for the fun of it.
As a mother, Qin San Niang hopes that her children will grow up to be intelligent and wise. Prenatal education is useful, not to mention her own words and deeds!
If possible, once our family has settled down in the south, we will inevitably send a few children to private schools. Even just learning to read a few more words would be good, so that we don't end up being sold off and then having to help the seller count the money.
In about half an hour, everyone had basically harvested all the chestnuts in the forest.
As the sun began to set in the west, Gu Qingshan grew anxious. They had to leave the forest tonight. They had already encountered wolves, and if they didn't leave by nightfall, the wolf pack might return, or even some other large wild animals.
He urged everyone to set off quickly!
When the group set off again, their joy was practically overflowing from their lips. Their eyes were full of hope, and whether it was the two full meals or the heavy bags in their baskets that gave them confidence, they felt as if they had wings on their feet.
As the path down the mountain became increasingly flat, Qin San Niang knew that they were almost out of the deep forest.
Beyond the deep forest lies the shallow forest, where there are hardly any wild vegetables left, and there are signs of people walking on the ground. Most of the trees have been stripped of their bark, and the ground looks lifeless under the setting sun.
By this time, the sun had already set halfway down the horizon. Everyone was no longer in a hurry; it would be much safer once they were out of the shallow forest, and they could finally take a good rest.
The group stopped about two hundred meters from the shallow forest as darkness fell. The official road was not far away, and they could continue their journey the next day.
"Sister-in-law, can these chestnuts be eaten after they're cooked?" It was Old Mrs. Chen who came over to ask.
Liu didn't stop what she was doing, answering questions as she worked.
"It's Chen's daughter! These chestnuts are ready to eat after cooking, they only take half an hour to cook, they're very filling, and they taste even better than yams!"
These were all things that Qin San Niang told them, but that didn't stop Liu Shi, who had never eaten chestnuts before, from learning and applying what she had learned.
Having received a positive reply, Old Mrs. Chen strode back with satisfaction. She was tall and looked like a good worker, and her personality was just as straightforward.
Before even reaching their own spot, they shouted, "Eldest daughter, boil those chestnuts in water, they'll be ready to eat when they're cooked! Hurry up, the kids are starving!"
The family who were preparing to cook chestnuts understood immediately upon hearing her explanation. They quickly pulled out a handful of chestnuts to cook, which was quite convenient. However, they heard that chestnuts could also be sold, so they didn't plan to eat too many. They would sell them later to buy grain, and the black flour and rice bran cakes would last a long time—that was real grain!
Those thrifty women only took a handful to cook, just so their families could have a taste.
Qin San Niang naturally didn't need to conserve resources, nor did she intend to sell these two baskets of chestnuts.
I grabbed a handful of chestnuts and put them into the fire. When I heard the crackling sound, I used a stick to pull them out. Several children smelled the aroma and ran over. Now they all obediently squatted down beside me, waiting to be fed.
"Mother, these chestnuts smell so good. You could even eat them roasted over a fire," said the eldest son. As a grown man, he couldn't show too much greed; he also had to plan for the family's future livelihood.
In her past life, there was a chestnut tree in her yard. In winter, her grandfather would roast chestnuts and sweet potatoes for her. Back then, it was considered a refined pastime, but now it's just to fill her stomach!
With a quick pinch of her hands, Qin San Niang easily peeled open the chestnut shells and first stuffed them into the mouth of the eldest child. This little boy, who was just over ten years old, always had wrinkles on his forehead and acted like a little old man. I really wanted to pull the wrinkles off his head.
"That's right, this is called roasted chestnuts. Da Wa, hurry up and try some. These chestnuts can also be stir-fried with sugar or made into chestnut cakes. When you have the chance, your mother will make them for you. Those will be truly delicious. For now, we can only make do with what we have."
Before he knew it, his mother had given him a big pat on the back, and the eldest child was a little embarrassed.
In his mind, as the eldest son in the family, he should be considerate of his younger brother and love his younger sister. Good things should naturally be given to his younger brother and sister first. That's how his mother taught him.
The older child didn't think anything was wrong! But he couldn't spit it out right now, so he could only quickly chew and swallow it.
Fortunately, she glanced at Xiao Er and A Nan, and neither of them seemed unhappy. Only then could she savor the taste of the chestnuts. Ah, they even had a hint of sweetness, soft and chewy, and more flavorful than yams. They were actually quite delicious.
The eldest child quickly took a few and delivered them to his grandmother, Wu Shi, and the chubby girl, while the second child was sent to deliver chestnuts to the Gu family father and daughter.
After everyone ate it, they all agreed that the chestnuts were even tastier than yams. Apart from the shells being a bit harder, the flavor was far superior!
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