Chapter 69 Working, Working "Tell Mom the truth, is your sister...?"
The next morning, Ji Yu drove to pick up Chen Mianmian and they went out.
"Come in and wait, and have something to eat while you're at it." Lin Huijun had cooked millet porridge, served cold shredded carrots, and steamed zucchini buns. "Mianmian hasn't gotten up yet."
Ji Yu: "No need, Auntie, I've already eaten at home."
"That's alright. You're such a big guy, come on, eat more." As Lin Huijun was speaking, she had already stuffed a zucchini bun into Ji Yu's hand.
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Ji Yu had no choice but to thank him. The bun wasn't big, and the skin was soft and fluffy. After taking a bite, there was only half left.
"Auntie, what kind of filling is this? It's so delicious." This was the first time Ji Yu had ever eaten a vegetarian bun. The texture was somewhat like a type of melon, but he couldn't quite place it.
Could it be a local specialty that Aunt Lin brought from her hometown?
Lin Huijun: "These are steamed buns made from zucchini. If you like, have a few more. There are more in the house."
When Ji Yu saw Lin Huijun about to hand him another bun, he waved his hand and said, "I really can't eat anymore, Auntie. Next time, next time."
After finishing her steamed buns, Ji Yu sat on the sofa waiting for Chen Mian to get up. Lin Huijun sent Chen Muhe to call her again before Chen Mian finally got up.
As soon as her parents arrive, she automatically reverts to her lazy-in-sleep mode, knowing someone will wake her up anyway. Especially these past few days, with her younger sister also visiting, she hasn't had to do any chores.
Lin Huijun joked, "This is our family's little emperor."
Chen Mian quickly washed her face with cold water, finally feeling a little more awake. Last night, she had been whispering with her sister until midnight, and she was exhausted.
"I'm leaving now, Mom. I'll be back for lunch." She grabbed two steamed buns and prepared to go out.
"Hey, why don't you bring your drink too? Aren't you worried about choking?" Lin Huijun knew what her eldest daughter was up to as soon as she saw her flustered manner. Luckily, she had filled a can with millet porridge beforehand.
Chen Mian, with a steamed bun in her mouth, reached out to take the bottle. Ji Yu said, "You eat first, I'll help you get it."
Lin Huijun: "Be careful on the road."
"Okay, Mom."
After the two left, Lin Huijun whispered to her second daughter, "Tell me the truth, is your sister with this Ji Yu?"
"Otherwise, he's being too enthusiastic. Doesn't he have a job? He comes to our house far too often."
Chen Muhe was still slowly eating her breakfast, taking a sip of millet porridge with her head down. "Then why didn't you ask earlier?"
"I feel so bad. Their child has already come all this way to help us. How can I say anything?" Lin Huijun sat down again and picked up her soup bowl.
Chen Yongliang, who was standing nearby, said: "I think these two kids are a good match. They are a handsome man and a beautiful woman, much better than those ugly girls that the village introduced before."
Lin Huijun: "Of course I know that Xiao Ji is a good person and has a good appearance. He also cares about our Mianmian. I'm just afraid that his family won't agree."
Not to mention his father, who's a government official in the city, his family's farm is also incredibly large.
Chen Muhe added her own thoughts: "Mom, don't worry about it. My sister is still young and there's no rush for her to get married."
This time, she's determined to keep a close eye on her sister's potential partner and observe him for several more years. Heaven knows how many men are one way before marriage and another way after.
.
Farmers' market.
Today happens to be market day, and the market is quite lively, with all sorts of things for sale.
As soon as Chen Mian entered, she was attracted by the seedlings of various fruits, vegetables, green plants and flowers. It was just a pity that her own yard was not yet built, so she would have nowhere to put them after buying them.
“No, why should I wait until the house is built?” She was really confused. The farm had such a large open space, how could she not have room to plant? “Buy it.”
After inquiring about the prices, she realized that the money for a few seedlings was enough to buy a bag of seeds, so she quickly changed her mind, "I don't want the seedlings, just these seeds, give me a bag of each."
"Alright!" The stall owner wasn't angry at all. He could make a profit no matter what the customer bought, and it was rare to have such a big customer. "Since you're buying so many, how about I give you a few seedlings for free?"
"Okay, thank you." Chen Mian took the various seeds from the bag and then asked, "Uncle, do you know where I can buy jujube seedlings?"
"Oh, you've come to the right person. My family farm grows jujubes, but we're out of seedlings for the time being. If you want them, you can leave your contact information and pay a deposit. I'll deliver them to your door in a month."
The stall owner was very straightforward. "If you're worried, you can come to my house today to take a look. I just started cultivating a batch, and it will be ready to go next month."
Chen Mian and Ji Yu exchanged a glance and decided to go and take a look.
The stall owner stood up briskly, picked up the four corners of the blanket on the ground, tied them together, and put it on the handlebars of his bicycle. "Let's go, I'll show you the way."
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoyue rode her motorcycle, carrying two boxes of fruit, to the Chen family's house.
"My dear in-laws, I've come to visit you." As soon as she entered, she casually placed the fruit on the coffee table and looked around. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Lin Huijun came out to greet her when she heard the voice: "Sister Xiaoyue, you've come all this way, why did you bring a gift?"
"It's alright, these were all given to me by my husband's workplace. My family doesn't like eating fruit, but they're all good stuff, so I brought them for you. Please don't mind them." Yu Xiaoyue laughed heartily.
"How could that be? Your family has helped us so much, and I haven't even had a chance to thank you properly yet." Lin Huijun said, feigning seriousness, "Next time you come, please don't bring anything, or I'll get angry."
“You know, this isn’t worth much money. Your Mu Bai saved Ji Yu’s life, so it’s only right that I have Ji Yu come and kowtow to you.” Yu Xiaoyue patted Lin Huijun’s hand. “Besides, the two children have this kind of relationship now, so don’t be polite with me. Just tell me if you need any help.”
Lin Huijun smiled gently, her demeanor as elegant as an orchid: "I'm really not being polite, I can manage everything at home. Old Chen is overseeing the workers building the house, and they'll be putting up the beams in a few days, so I'm just cooking at home."
"That's good. By the way, Ayili's peppers are ripe and we need to rush to finish the job, but we don't have enough workers. We've been overwhelmed these past few days," Yu Xiaoyue's eyes flickered as if she remembered something. "If you're not too busy, would you like to come with me to help her out and calculate the wages?"
"You might not know this if you're new here, but if we grow different things and our harvest seasons are staggered, we'll help each other out. But don't worry, it's definitely not free help. You'll be treated the same as other workers, getting paid according to how much you pick each day."
Yu Xiaoyue: "In two years, when the peaches from the kapok tree are ripe, I will bring Ayili to help you. Don't look down on us for being clumsy."
Lin Huijun knew that Yu Xiaoyue was worried that their family wouldn't have any income for a while, which was why she had come to call her. Feeling warm inside, she smiled and agreed, "Okay, then we'll go tomorrow morning."
.
As the weather gets warmer, I lose my appetite for everything.
Lin Huijun cooked mung bean soup the night before and deliberately cooled it with well water. This way, it wouldn't spoil, and it would be refreshingly cool to drink in the morning.
The pot contains a tender braised pork knuckle. We're going to pick chili peppers today, which will probably keep us busy all day, so we'll eat some meat to replenish our energy beforehand.
Chen Mian woke up to the aroma of braised pork knuckle. "Mom, you're really something, eating braised pork knuckle so early in the morning? It's so greasy, I can't eat it."
Lin Huijun: "Get up and see what it is before you say anything."
"It's just pork knuckle, what else can you do with it?" Chen Mian got up, washed up, rubbed her eyes, and went into the kitchen.
Lin Huijun was chopping pork hock, with chopped green peppers next to her, while Chen Muhe was making pancakes.
The small round pancakes that had already been baked were neatly arranged and placed aside. Lin Huijun chopped the meat, picked up a pancake, cut it in half with a knife, put the meat inside, poured on some broth, and sprinkled on some chopped green peppers. A fragrant roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) was ready.
"I was also planning to make cold noodles and black rice porridge, but I didn't have time. I'll make them when I get back tonight," Lin Huijun promised.
"Hehe will only stay for another day or two before she has to go back to school. She likes to eat this."
Chen Mianmian retorted, "I like her too! Why do you only mention her name?"
"Okay, okay, it's because you both like to eat it, alright?" Lin Huijun shook her head helplessly. These two kids are so old, yet they're still like they were when they were little. They want the same things for everything, even opening the door when they get home requires each of them to do it once.
Chen Mian is outgoing and will say what she wants directly. If she doesn't get it, she'll pester you for it. Chen Muhe is more reserved. Although she won't say what she wants directly, she will keep staring at you with her big eyes or hint at it indirectly.
Sigh, if only their personalities could be balanced.
Lin Huijun: "Later, I'll have your dad send some roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers) to Ji Yu's family so they can try them."
"knew."
.
After breakfast, the family of four went to Ayili's chili farm as planned.
This year's abundant rainfall has resulted in a high yield of chili peppers, which are now a vibrant red, bending many branches under their weight. It also appears that there are other colors of chili peppers among them.
They chose a spot and started picking. Lin Huijun, still worried, reminded her two daughters, "Be careful not to touch your eyes with your hands after touching chili peppers, okay?"
"I know, Mom, we're all grown up now," Chen Mian replied.
"No matter how old you are, you still have to listen to your mother."
Chen Mian carried a small bamboo basket on her arm and deftly picked chili peppers.
Chili peppers are much bigger than goji berries, and unlike cotton, they don't require picking the bolls clean, making them much easier to pick. The only downside is that the chili pepper seedlings are short, so you have to squat down to pick them.
"Do you think this chili pepper is spicy?" she asked her sister curiously.
Chen Muhe was also curious, but she didn't say anything: "Want to secretly try a bite? I'll keep watch for you."
"Ouch...it's so spicy." Chen Mian couldn't resist taking a bite secretly. "But I think this chili would be really delicious if it were used to make chili sauce!"
"Really? Then could you ask Mom to make more? I'll take a few bottles to school." The food at the Agricultural University cafeteria is really bad; it's either bland like water or so salty it tastes bitter.
"Let's get to work first, we'll ask you again when we get back tonight."
In the evening, Li Hongmei came. "Mumian, I think I saw Aunt Zhelan today..."
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Author's note: I had some beautiful photos taken, so happy! [cheering emojis]
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