Xie Yan walked up to her and said in a very friendly manner, "Grandma, hello, my name is Xie Yan, I am a new educated youth, the brigade leader asked me to come and learn from you!"
The old lady's name was Liu Cuihua. She had just heard the brigade leader's voice and knew that there were new educated youths to teach. She wasn't surprised to see who it was. They always had to teach new educated youths. She wasn't too surprised that it was her turn this time. She had been mentally prepared. She nodded and said, "Kid, I'll demonstrate for you. Watching is very simple. The most important thing is that you need to learn how to tie knots first!"
Then Xie Yan saw the old lady cut a handful of wheat, divided it into two parts, and twisted the two ends with the wheat ears to tie a beautiful knot.
He felt that his eyes had learned it, but his hands couldn't! The movements were so fast, they could be done in a flash!
Help! What should I do? He doesn't seem to have learned it! Judging from the old lady's expression, it doesn't look like he can be taught again!
"Did you understand?" the old lady asked gently.
Xie Yan didn't know how to answer! He felt the old lady's gaze wasn't very kind! He forced a smile and said, "I... I'll try!"
The old lady's complexion improved considerably. "Alright, come and try it. You young people are all very smart; you'll learn it in no time!"
Xie Yan gave an awkward laugh. Wouldn't he be alright? He's not exactly smart either!
Xie Yan was about to cut the wheat when he heard the old woman say in an unfriendly tone, "Put your hand down, why are you holding it so high? Won't all the shorter wheat at the bottom fall down?"
Xie Yan could only lower his hand slightly, his heart pounding with worry. He was really afraid of cutting his hand! What if he slipped and cut himself?
But under the old woman's intimidating gaze, he had no choice but to obey, making sure not a single ear of wheat would fall before he began to harvest.
With one slash, Xie Yan knew it was all over. The wheat that others could easily fall with a light swing only bent slightly in his hands!
Just as he was about to exert some force, he heard a scolding voice in his ear, "You're a grown man, haven't you eaten yet! Use some force! What are you doing? Scratching an itch! Or are you just dawdling here!"
Looking at the slowly rising sun, Liu Cuihua became even more irritated. The morning was cool, the best time to work, but this kid was wasting it all!
She ignored Xie Yan and started harvesting wheat herself. Harvesting wheat was more important than teaching the educated youth!
Why is harvesting wheat called "rushing to harvest"? It's because the weather is unpredictable at this time. After the wheat ripens, it's crucial to harvest it quickly while the weather is good, otherwise, if bad weather occurs, the entire year's harvest will be ruined!
Xie Yan was a rural person in his previous life. Although he had never done any farm work because he went to school and was good at studying, he still knew what he needed to know. In the countryside, nothing is more important than harvesting crops, so he could accept the old man's attitude towards him.
In the short time it takes to teach him, others have to harvest several bundles of wheat!
As for what the old lady said to him, Xie Yan didn't say anything. He just used a little too much force when cutting the wheat, and as a result, he almost cut his foot, which scared him so much that his heart skipped a beat!
Luckily, the old lady wasn't paying attention to him at that moment! She was busy harvesting wheat.
But actually, Liu Cuihua was also paying attention to Xie Yan. She saw him tying a knot, and it was quite a sight! His hand looked like a chicken claw, and it made her uncomfortable to look at it!
He glared at Xie Yan, then cut another handful of wheat, coughed, and slowly tied a knot. This time, Xie Yan watched more carefully and finally remembered the movement.
So he calmed down and began to tie the wheat in his hand again.
Tying knots is truly a skill; you have to ensure that you don't damage the wheat ears while also making sure the knot is secure. After Xie Yan finished tying it, he still felt that his knot was a bit flimsy.
He didn't dare ask the old lady any questions. He could tell that she only had a kind face, but she wasn't someone easy to talk to.
He could only watch from the side while the old lady tied the knot. After watching her several times, Xie Yan slowly figured out how to tie it. He cut another handful of wheat and started tying a new knot. This time, the knot was tied very beautifully.
Xie Yan breathed a sigh of relief and began harvesting wheat.
He's quieted down here, but the real excitement is just beginning over there! Oh, I should say the real excitement is just beginning today!
While he was harvesting wheat, he heard someone cursing beside him, "What are you doing! I told you to tie a knot, but look at the grain under your feet! You've ruined this whole bunch of wheat! Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?"
A pitiful voice came from the other end, "I, I, I was really careful. It's just that it's too fragile; it broke with the slightest touch. Why are you blaming me?"
Xie Yan recognized Shen Lijuan's aggrieved voice.
Well, this caused quite a stir. The person teaching Shen Lijuan was a new bride named Wang Huan.
She was Li Changgui's youngest daughter-in-law, a notable figure in Xiliu Village. Her favorite pastime was sowing discord between her two sisters-in-law. With her help, the two women were constantly arguing.
It was just two people venting to each other in private, a very ordinary thing. But then they encountered Wang Huan, a two-faced person, who embellished what he heard and told the other person. After several times, it directly escalated the conflict between the two, and they almost came to blows.
It's absolutely impossible that someone as formidable as her could have gotten away with it, especially since Shen Lijuan could have gotten the better of her.
Immediately afterward, Xie Yan heard a loud female voice, "How dare you say that! How could you say such a thing? Didn't we harvest the same wheat? Did you see me lose a single grain? And you're blaming the wheat for your mistake? Aren't you ashamed? You do something wrong and don't reflect on your actions, you don't look for the reasons within yourself, you just blame this and that?"
Shen Lijuan immediately retorted, "How many years have you been doing this? I've only just started learning. How can I compare to you?"
Wang Huan immediately changed his tone and said sarcastically, "Yes! You're from the city, so of course you're different from us country folk. Well, I won't compare myself to you. I'll find a kid, even a three-year-old, who's better than you!"
Wang Huan beckoned his son, Gou Dan, who was picking up wheat ears behind him, over. Gou Dan was indeed only three years old.
Wang Huan gave his son a handful of wheat and asked him to tie a knot for the female educated youth to see. Gou Dan started working without saying a word. His movements clearly showed that it was his first time doing it, but he actually succeeded. Although the knot wasn't very pretty, to be honest, not a single grain of wheat fell out.
After finishing the knot, Gou Dan looked at Shen Lijuan triumphantly. He had heard everything the female educated youth had said. He deliberately handed the knotted knot forward so that Shen Lijuan could see it more clearly.
This action infuriated Shen Lijuan!
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