They had just finished eating when their third uncle came over. As soon as he entered, he said, "What were you eating? It smelled so good!"
Xu Lai tapped his head: "Look at my memory, I forgot to bring you some soup. I'm so sorry, Third Uncle. I'll definitely bring you some next time."
Uncle San was all smiles. He didn't necessarily want to drink the soup. He explained his purpose: "Many of the lotus seeds in the pond are too old. Do you want to pick some and dry them? They'll be gone in a few days."
Xu Lai nodded: "Okay, I'll go pick them tomorrow morning."
After sitting for a while, Third Uncle left. After listening to the conversation, Xia Ning sighed and said, "I really don't want to go to the pond again."
Xu Lai patted her shoulder, "I can go by myself tomorrow, you wait for me outside."
Xia Ning chuckled upon hearing the first half of the sentence, but immediately retracted the second half, saying, "No way, I have to get up early."
Most of the lotus pods deep inside had been picked. Xu Lai, dressed in a fishing outfit, picked them near the outside. She was fully armed, her whole body covered up, except for her eyes.
She picked all the lotus pods, and there were still a few lotus flowers in full bloom, and some were still buds. On a whim, she cut all the flowers and took them home.
She kept only half of the lotus pods and sent the other half to her third uncle's house. She had asked someone to pick some for him before, and her third uncle had sold them on the street.
Xia Ning fiddled with the edges of the lotus flower a few times and said, "Why did you bring this thing back? Are you going to fry lotus flowers again?"
Xu Lai looked at her with a hint of helplessness, "All you think about is food. Can't you be a little more elegant? I'm using it for flower arranging."
Xia Ning looked around and said, "I don't see any vases."
Xu Lai found a ceramic jar that had a small crack. It used to hold sauerkraut, but it was replaced when it broke. Grandma couldn't bear to throw it away, thinking it might still be useful.
And so she got to use it. She washed the jar inside and out three times, smelled it, and found that the sauerkraut smell was long gone. Then she used a grinder to grind off the top and sanded it smooth to avoid scratching her hands.
This grinder was bought by her dad when he was doing tile-laying work. After he stopped doing that job, it was left idle at home.
She tossed the large bunch of lotus flowers in, added the cool well water, and arranged them slightly. Xu Lai nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad."
Xia Ning looked at her work and was speechless. Who throws a bunch of flowers into a jar? She estimated that there were at least twenty flowers, all crammed into the jar.
Today she didn't go to the market to buy vegetables, but instead went to the vegetable garden to pick some vegetables to cook casually.
The cucumber has already grown tall and spindly. When she has time, she will put a pole in its path, and it will climb up the pole.
She turned over the pumpkin patch and found a few small pumpkins growing there. They were still green and clearly hadn't grown up yet, but these pumpkins, when sliced and stir-fried with garlic cloves, were especially tender.
Older pumpkins will turn yellow, and then you can make pumpkin soup and pumpkin pancakes.
She picked the small pumpkin and a few handfuls of chili peppers. Xia Ning was a very greedy person, and when she saw some jicama next to her, she wanted to try it.
Xu Lai smiled and said, "Then go home and get a hoe."
Xia Ning packed up the camera and ran home to get a hoe, which showed how much she wanted to eat.
Xu Lai first removed the vines, and after parting the leaves, she could see the location of the sweet potato. She took the hoe and started digging from the side. She was a little unsure and hoped that it wouldn't be too big, otherwise it would definitely be ruined.
With one stroke of the hoe, thankfully, she didn't dig up any meat. She dug around the area thoroughly, then aimed at her target and dug again. With a flip, the jicama came out.
Two vines grew from one vine, and Xia Ning wanted to try them. Her grandparents had bad teeth, so the vines were too hard for them. Two vines were enough for them, so Xu Lai didn't dig any further.
She covered the soil back up, then carried her vegetable basket home. When she left the vegetable garden, she made sure to close the small gate, otherwise some chickens would always come in and steal the vegetables.
Lunch consisted of stir-fried pumpkin, green beans and eggplant, and stir-fried loofah with eggs. The vegetables were picked from the garden, and the eggs were laid by our own chickens. It was a simple meal that saved us money.
But she can't eat vegetarian food every day, so she plans to go to the market tomorrow to buy some pork belly and make braised pork.
Xia Ning took the jicama home. Xu Lai wanted to keep her, but Grandma Xia was still at home, and Xia Ning also needed to go back to cook, so she decided against it.
Not long after we finished eating, the village loudspeaker announced: "Please send one representative from each household to the village committee for a meeting."
Xu Lai paused while washing the dishes, then continued washing them. The village was about to acquire something new.
She was right. Along the way, many people were complaining that they usually only had a few meetings a year, but since Secretary Qin came, they had held two meetings in less than half a month.
Xu Lai went over with an umbrella, and Xia Ning also arrived. She hadn't even washed the dishes; she had come on her electric scooter after hearing the announcement.
Xia Ning stopped and said, "Get on, I'll take you there."
Xu Lai glanced at the village committee, which was just a few steps away, and rolled her eyes at her. "If I had the time to climb on and off your electric scooter, I would have been here long ago."
Xia Ning rode away in a flash. She parked her bike, and Xu Lai just happened to come in. The two of them went in hand in hand and sat down.
There is a place in the village for holding meetings, but it hasn't been used for a long time and is covered in dust, so last time Qin Huan had everyone stand and listen in the playground.
Xu Lai found a stool and sat down. Qin Huan guessed that everyone would be here soon, so he said, "The town has arranged tap water pipes for each village. If everyone agrees, we can use tap water to wash things at home from now on."
Someone asked, "Do you want money?"
Qin Huan said with a smile, "Uncle, of course it costs money, but it's not expensive. It's 20 yuan a year, which can be used for dozens of tons of water. If you exceed that limit, you'll have to pay extra."
"That means that regardless of whether I use the water or not, I have to pay as long as I agree to have a water pipe installed."
Qin Huan nodded: "That's how it is for now."
Most people agreed, because some families didn't have wells and had to fetch water from other people's homes or the village well.
Xu Lai heard from his grandfather that when he was young, he had to carry water, taking turns with his brothers. Later, after he got married and built a house, he finally dug a well.
The matter was settled, but someone still needed to manage it. Everyone looked at Xu Lai, who politely declined, saying, "As you all know, I'm quite busy. The fruit is ripening again, and I'm busy selling things."
Qin Huan explained, "This is not difficult. At the end of the year, each household checks its water meter. If the usage exceeds the limit, they pay more."
Xia Ning raised her hand: "I'll do it, I'm free."
Qin Huan looked at her, then smiled, "Okay, then you can take charge of it."
After the meeting, Xia Ning nudged Xu Lai's hand and whispered, "She's giving you a chance. If you don't agree, she'll lose face."
Xu Lai stood in front of her electric scooter and said, "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and drive me for a while."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
