Chapter 89 Reorganization
"Liu Ji! Liu Ji! Come quickly and take a look at my door! It's so bulging it can't be closed anymore, and the cold wind keeps blowing in at night, it's freezing!"
Zhao Laoshuan from the south of the village shouted from afar, his voice filled with anxiety.
Zhang Liuji was carrying a hoe, preparing to follow his father, Zhang Dahe, to the west end of the village to clear silt and dredge the irrigation ditch.
Hearing this, he paused. Zhang Dahe sighed helplessly and waved his hand.
"Alright, I called you again. Go check on Uncle Laoshuan first. It's not good that his door won't close. I'll keep an eye on the irrigation ditch first. Come over and lend a hand as soon as you're done."
"Okay, Dad, I'll go as soon as I'm done."
Zhang Liuji responded, turned around, picked up his tools, and strode towards Zhao Laoshuan's house.
Zhang Dahe shook his head, picked up his hoe alone, and trudged towards the fields, his steps uneven.
The wooden door of Zhao Laoshuan's house was swollen from being soaked in the flood, and the edges were warped. It was stuck in the door frame and could not be closed, leaving a large gap.
"Brother Liu Ji, what should we do? The wind is howling in there at night, it's freezing!"
Old Zhao pointed to the door, his face full of worry.
Zhang Liuji put down his tools, carefully examined the joint between the door panel and the door frame, and then touched the water-soaked wood, which felt soft to the touch.
"Uncle, the tenon is stuck. We need to take it apart, heat it up to remove moisture, plane it flat, and then reassemble it."
As he spoke, he deftly began to remove the hinges from the door panel.
Old Zhao stood by, handing over a hammer and chisel, muttering to himself.
"Oh, thank goodness for you! Otherwise, if the door couldn't be closed, how would we get through the night? Here, have some freshly boiled corn on the cob, it's still warm, have some to tide you over!"
Without saying a word, he stuffed a fragrant boiled corn into Zhang Liuji's hand.
Zhang Liuji didn't refuse, smiled憨厚ly, took the corn and took a bite.
He moved the removed door panels to the yard, found a sheltered spot, and started a small fire.
He carefully controlled the heat, slowly heating the bulging tenon part of the door panel close to the flame.
As the moisture evaporated, the originally swollen wood gradually shrank.
Once the wood was baked to the right consistency, he picked up a plane and with a few quick strokes, sawdust flew everywhere as he smoothed out the deformed and bulging parts.
Finally, he remeasured the dimensions, stretched the ink line taut, and drew a clear black line before carefully reinstalling the door panel.
He pushed and pulled the door a few times, and it opened and closed smoothly without letting in any air.
"Alright, Uncle Laoshuan."
"Wow, that's wonderful! It fits perfectly! Liu Ji's craftsmanship is truly impeccable!"
Old Zhao smiled so broadly that all the wrinkles on his face smoothed out. He then hurriedly brought out two still-warm boiled eggs from the house: "Here, here! Thank you for your hard work!"
Zhang Liuji had just tucked the eggs into his pocket and hadn't even had time to pack up his tools when Li the Cripple's grandson came running over, panting.
"Uncle Liu Ji! Uncle Liu Ji! My grandpa told me to call you! The wall at the base of our kitchen has been soaked in water and half of it has crumbled. My grandpa is afraid it will collapse and damage the stove, so he wants you to go and take a look."
Zhang Liuji looked up at the sky, then weighed the tools in his hand, and said nothing.
"Okay, I'll go right now!" He slung the axe and saw over his shoulder and strode off with the child.
In the fields at the west end of the village, the work of plowing and replanting is in full swing.
Zhang Dahe and several other men were vigorously wielding shovels and hoes.
"Men, young and old, first break up the large clumps of mud and pile them along the edge of the field. On the other side of the ditch, quickly remove the rotten tree roots and stones blocking it! If you don't clean it up, the water won't drain out, and all that tilling will have been for nothing!"
Clearing silt is really hard work.
Zhang Dahe personally went down into the muddy ground. With one shovelful, the clump of mud seemed to grow on the ground. It took all his strength to pry off a piece, which he then threw onto the edge of the field and piled up.
The women, carrying baskets, came in twos and threes to the slightly dry area on the edge of the field.
Song, Aunt Wang, and several other familiar village women gathered together, sat on the stones, and watched the men work while sorting the buckwheat seedlings and radish seeds in their baskets. The children followed behind like little tails.
“This buckwheat is great,” said Mrs. Song, picking up a tender green seedling and carefully arranging its roots. She then pointed to the red soil turned up in the field and said, “It’s not picky about the soil, grows quickly, and can be harvested again when the weather gets cooler! Sow it, and it will be green in less than two months!”
"That's right," Aunt Wang chimed in, grabbing a handful of plump radish seeds and weighing them in her hand. She then brought the radish closer to her nose and inhaled the raw smell. "Radishes are good too. They can withstand freezing. In winter, you can make a soup with them. It's warm and delicious. Add some bones and simmer it for a while, and it's incredibly fragrant!"
"Planting something is better than leaving it barren. A little greenery is pleasing to the eye. Life has to go on, doesn't it?"
As she spoke, she looked down at Xiao Nan'er beside her and said, "Nan'er, help Grandma hold the basket steady."
After the men had finished turning over a small patch of land, the women rolled up their trousers and carefully stepped down the hard, firm parts of the field ridges into the moist, new soil.
They bent down, dug shallow holes with small shovels, carefully transplanted the buckwheat seedlings with soil still attached, and then covered them with soil.
Poke a small hole with your little finger, pluck a few radish seeds and sprinkle them in, then gently cover it with soil.
The children imitated the adults, gently tamping the soil with their little feet, laughing and joking as they left a trail of crooked little footprints.
The county town wharf, beside the river embankment.
The flow of the Zhuohe River had slowed down. Xiao Zhu was squatting on a clean stone slab on the riverbank, carefully washing the last few rough pottery jars.
The clear river water washed over the jar, carrying away the remaining mud, grime, and wood ash.
The shopfront has been tidied up and looks much cleaner now.
"Madam Zhang, the shop is so neatly tidied up! It looks so bright and clean!"
A regular customer who often worked at the docks, carrying a sack, passed by, poked his head in to greet us, a hearty laugh on his dark face: "When are you opening? My stomach is growling so fast, I'm really craving your braised pig's head and broth! It's so flavorful and satisfying!"
She straightened up, wiped her hands, and returned a genuine smile: "Brother Liu is here, almost there. Once we've put everything away and let it air out, we'll start cooking. Even though it hasn't been wet, it's still gotten damp, so everything needs to be properly arranged to prevent it from absorbing any bad smells."
"Yes, we have to be careful! That flavor is very precious!"
Regular customer Brother Liu nodded repeatedly: "Okay! I'll be waiting! On the first day of opening, be sure to save me a portion of the first cut of meat. My sister-in-law has been craving it every day these past few days."
"Okay, I'll definitely save one for you." He waved with a smile, then carried the sack and continued walking.
A short while later, several unfamiliar women came together and stood at the gate of the courtyard, looking around.
One of the older, kind-looking women spoke up and asked, "Excuse me, could you tell me if this is the shop of Zhang Yiwu's wife in Zhuohe Village?"
Hearing the voices, they quickly put down what they were doing and came over. They immediately recognized the women as the ones who had helped cook porridge and take care of the injured at the charity hall.
"That's right, aunties. The charity is so grateful for your help."
"Oh, it really is your house!" The older woman's face immediately lit up with a warm smile as she stepped forward. "We've finally found it! We ate your vegetable porridge at the charity shop, and it was so delicious! The saltiness was just right, and the wild vegetable fragrance completely masked the musty rice smell! Later, we heard from people from Zhuohe Village that the braised dishes at your shop are even more amazing, with an aroma that can be smelled for miles around! We've been wanting to try them ever since, and as soon as we heard you were back at your shop, we came looking for you to ask when you're opening. We really have to come and support you, to taste that legendary delicacy!"
The other women chimed in, "Yes, yes, we've been waiting for you to cook!"
"Thank you for your concern, aunties," she replied with a smile. "Soon, in the next couple of days. Once the stove is completely dry and the spice packet is sun-dried, we'll start cooking. You aunties will definitely come then, and I promise you'll have a delicious meal!"
The women, having received confirmation and seeing the shop clean and bright, left satisfied, discussing what braised dishes they would buy to try.
Standing at the gate of the courtyard, I watched their departing figures, then looked back at my own newly renovated little shop.
A river breeze blows, carrying a cool mist and the faint sounds of shouts and the thumping of mallets from the distant dock construction site.
My brother-in-law, Wang Tiezhu, works on that construction site. We were chatting over dinner yesterday, and he said that the dock would definitely be completed before the end of the year!
The idea is to get boats on the river before the spring flood season next year, so that the waterways of the Zhuohe River can be revitalized.
When the ships from the north and south dock, and the wharf is bustling with people, their shops along the riverbank will surely be even more prosperous than before.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com