Chapter 15 Lots of Radishes in the Rocky Ground
Seeing how enthusiastic Aunt Zhou was, Du Wanchun felt embarrassed to refuse any longer and thanked her profusely, saying, "Thank you, Aunt."
The sound of "Mother" made Aunt Zhou overjoyed. "Wait a moment, the clothes will be finished soon."
After she finished speaking, she called to Zhou Zhao, who was standing to the side, "Zhao'er, go and get the medicine we bought, and let your sister-in-law see if it's this one."
"Alright, Mother!" Zhou Zhao smiled as she carried the rice inside, then took out a few small packets of medicine.
Aunt Zhou took the medicine packet and handed it to Du Wanchun, saying, "I don't know if I bought the right medicine. Take a look."
Du Wanchun took it in her hand, smelled it, and smiled, "That's right, this is it."
Hearing this, Zhou Zhao was overjoyed. "Then let's hurry to the fields and spray pesticides to see if the crops can still survive!"
Aunt Zhou put down her needle and thread and nodded in agreement: "Let's go now. Once the ground is ready, I can sew clothes for your sister-in-law."
Zhou Zhao turned around and went into the house to get a basket and a hoe, his face full of smiles. Ever since his hearing was healed, he has been full of energy for everything he does.
The group quickly packed their things and prepared to go to the fields.
Aunt Zhou originally didn't want Du Wanchun to go, but Du Wanchun insisted on going, so she let her have her way.
Zhou Ruiyuan and Zhou Feng, one with a leg injury and the other blind, stayed at home to help chop firewood and cook.
By the time Du Wanchun and the others finished spraying the pesticide in the field, it was already evening.
Aunt Zhou wiped the sweat from her forehead, looked at the glow of the sunset shining on the mountainside, and her face was full of joy. "This is a good omen. When the weather is good, things in the fields will grow faster."
Just as she said, things in this field do indeed grow very quickly.
The next day, when Aunt Zhou brought Zhou Zhao to the field, they were stunned by what they saw.
The rice, which had turned yellow and withered, has turned lush and green, and seems to have grown even taller than yesterday.
The bok choy and lettuce in the field have grown large leaves.
Aunt Zhou looked at the vegetables with great joy, "The medicine that Wanchun mentioned really works! Look, these vegetables that were originally rotten have all come back to life. And these bok choy, we can pick them and eat them today."
After she finished speaking, she squatted down, picked a handful of bok choy leaves, and waved them in her hand.
Zhou Zhao nodded repeatedly and smiled, "Yes, Mother, my sister-in-law is really amazing. If it weren't for her, we would have dug up all these vegetables!"
As he spoke, he walked to the very end of the vegetable garden, wanting to see what other vegetables were growing. Suddenly, he saw a large clump of leaves sprouting from a vacant lot next door. "Mom, look!"
Hearing the sound, Aunt Zhou went over and saw that radish leaves were growing in the rocky ground.
"This is really strange! Something is actually growing in this field!"
When they bought this good piece of land, they were tricked into buying the bad land next door as well. That bad land was full of hard rocks, and they couldn't dig it up.
I haven't been to the field for a long time, and radishes have actually grown there!
This left the Zhou mother and son speechless with astonishment.
Zhou Zhao quickly walked to the radish patch, grabbed a leaf and pulled out a radish. The radish was not big, with a dark pink skin, round and plump, and looked delicious.
Aunt Zhou looked on with a puzzled expression, "Could it be that your aunt and uncle managed to cultivate this land?"
While peeling the radish, Zhou Zhao replied, "No way. If they knew we had this good land next to ours, why would they give it back to us so easily?"
Aunt Zhou was truly baffled and asked in confusion, "Then what's going on?"
Zhou Zhao was educated, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn't come up with a reason. Finally, he came up with one: "Mother, maybe this land has been abandoned for a long time and has slowly become fertile. Since no one has taken care of it, these radishes have grown."
Aunt Zhou was skeptical, staring at the radish for a long time.
Zhou Zhao took a bite of the radish. It was crisp and sweet, just like the fruit in July. "Mom, come and try it. This radish is so delicious. It's just like the crabapple we used to eat."
Crabapples are small, red-skinned fruits. No one in this village grows them, and usually only wealthy families can afford to eat them.
"Really?" Aunt Zhou asked curiously, and picked a round radish, peeled it, and took a bite.
The radish is very juicy, and when you bite into it, it's sweet and refreshing, without any radish spiciness. Instead, it has a fruity fragrance.
She quickly took a few more bites, chewed them carefully, and said, "This radish is indeed delicious."
Zhou Zhao smiled and said, "Isn't mine right, Mother?"
Aunt Zhou stood up, looked at the basket on his back, and said with a smile, "Come on, let's pack a few more to take back for your elder brother and sister-in-law to try."
"Here you go, Mother." Zhou Zhao picked up the basket from his back and handed a small hoe to Zhou Da Niang.
The mother and son squatted down together with small hoes to dig radishes in the field.
The little radishes in the field seemed endless; no matter how much you dug, you couldn't get them all out.
Before long, they had dug up a large basketful.
After digging up the radishes, Aunt Zhou took a large hoe and cleared some of the weeds from the plot. Then she cut down a few small shrubs around the plot to enclose the two plots together.
Although both plots of land are surrounded by woods, there is a pond on the lower right, which is still quite convenient.
It was almost noon when Aunt Zhou and Zhou Zhao returned home carrying radishes.
Du Wanchun had cooked the rice early, and when she saw them return, she hurriedly went to greet them, "Mother, Third Brother, what are you carrying on your backs?"
After Aunt Zhou entered the house, she put her basket on the ground, took out a peeled radish from it and handed it to her, saying, "Wanchun, try this radish."
"Mother, where did this radish come from?" Du Wanchun took it in her hand and looked at it with a puzzled expression. Then she took a bite, and the sweet fruity aroma swept over her lips and teeth. Just one bite was enough to make her feel refreshed. She quickly exclaimed, "This radish is so delicious."
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