Chapter 24
There were hundreds of people in the village, and everyone was busy working. After Zhou Xiaohe finished his little trick, he immediately registered the next person. Therefore, no one noticed that Chu Shao's work point was one less. Even the scorekeeper, who read from morning to night and whose throat was about to smoke, could not remember how many numbers he had read out.
After work every day, some people would gather at the scorer's table to see how many work points they had earned that day, but some people found it too troublesome and were unwilling to check. Instead of wasting time, they would rather go home and eat a few more bites of food.
Chu Shao had the latter idea.
Walking on the country road on his way home from work, Chu Shao walked quickly. After a while, he saw the five-star red flag hanging on the gate of the team headquarters. The flag fluttered in the wind, making a loud sound. Chu Shao was tired after a day, and now he finally felt relaxed.
As he walked past the team headquarters, a burst of appetizing aroma suddenly filled his nose, and Chu Shao's stomach immediately rumbled. He subconsciously looked around, wondering whose family was making fish soup, and why it smelled so good. The adults who were leaving work with him had the same idea. Those with good noses had already found the direction and ran towards the source of the fragrance. Chu Shao was stunned for a moment, then realized that they were going to his own house.
Chu Shao also hurried over, but when he got there, he was shocked. There were several people standing outside the fence, and several more standing inside the fence. Chu Jiujiu was standing beside the table in the courtyard like a guard before dinner, and a maid was still questioning her.
"Jiujiu, where did you get so many fish?"
Chu Jiujiu replied softly, "By the river, there are a lot of fish today. I only fished for a while and I caught four."
"So many! Hey, Jiujiu, your family can't eat all four fish, so give me some. My little grandson is still waiting for milk. His mother will definitely produce more milk after drinking the fish soup."
Chu Jiujiu blinked her eyes and said, "Okay, but you have to wait. After Chu Shao, Third Aunt, Grandma Wang, and their family have finished eating, if there is any leftover, I will bring it to you."
Old woman: “…”
There are six people in the Wang family. After they finish eating, will there be any fish left?!
She quickly put on a smile and said, "That won't work. The fish soup will be cold by then, and you can't give cold soup to a woman who's breastfeeding. How about this, I'll serve you a bowl now."
As she was about to touch the spoon on the table, Chu Jiujiu immediately took a step to the side, blocking her hand. "No, I made the fish soup just for Third Aunt. She's weak, but she still takes the trouble to bring food to my house. I'm a good child who knows how to repay kindness."
At the end of her speech, she smiled at the old woman, revealing a few small white teeth.
Old woman: ...
She is young, but she has quite a few tricks up her sleeve. Doesn't this mean that if you want to eat her food, you have to send food to her house first?
Of course she refused. It was okay to take advantage, but she felt it was not worth it to exchange her own food for a little fish soup from Chu Jiujiu. There were so many fish in the river, she might as well catch them herself. It was just fish soup, who couldn't make it?
She had now forgotten that she was attracted here in the first place by the exceptionally delicious smell of fish soup from Chu Jiujiu's house.
There is a huge difference between having a recipe and not having one. Otherwise, why do people like to go to restaurants and eat food cooked by other people's chefs when the ingredients are obviously the same?
The old woman returned in defeat. Seeing that Chu Jiujiu's attitude was very clear, the others could not bring themselves to ask the child for food, so they gradually dispersed. But before leaving, they all took a few more sips of the aroma of the fish soup, thinking that after dinner they would go to the river to catch fish. They still didn't believe that they could not compare to a little girl without a father or mother.
After they left, there was no more obstruction in front of Chu Shao. Seeing him, Chu Jiujiu immediately smiled brightly, "Chu Shao, I made some fish soup, come and try it!"
…
Without oil, the soup ended up being a pale white rather than a milky white. However, the aroma of the fried fish bones was brought out, and the taste was still quite good. Chu Jiujiu tossed in some cornmeal lumps, along with the pickled cowpeas sent by her third aunt and a cold shredded vegetable dish made with cucumbers, carrots, and radishes from her own garden. Two dishes and one soup, with both meat and vegetables and a staple food, perfectly met nutritional requirements.
Chu Jiujiu told Chu Shao about the carpenters who had helped build the fence for her family, and that she had already paid them. Chu Shao looked at the brand new fence behind him, drank a sip of soup, and nodded. "Leave it like this for now. I'll go back tonight and cut some thin bamboos and weave them into strips."
Chu Jiujiu became nervous when she heard this, "How much?"
Chu Shao: "...three or four. Don't worry, I won't chop all your bamboo shoots off."
Chu Jiujiu then smiled with relief.
The fish soup is really delicious, partly due to the recipe that Chu Jiujiu wrote down, and partly due to the wonderful environment here. The river fish are very active and have delicious meat. After a little processing, they become a delicacy.
But Chu Shao still warned Chu Jiujiu, "The riverside is dangerous, try not to go there in the future."
There's a big difference between trying not to go over there and firmly not allowing people to go over there. Chu Jiujiu understood and smiled sweetly, "I know. Actually, you don't need me to tell you. I'm always very careful when I'm near the river. I'm afraid of my life."
Wooden tables lined the small courtyard. They didn't have a table for dining at the moment, so they placed their bowls and chopsticks by the well. Besides that, Chu Jiujiu also wanted to show off a bit. As soon as the fish soup came out of the pot, Chu Jiujiu knew she had succeeded. She was so happy that her heart almost bubbled with joy. She quickly scooped out some and hung it out in the yard, just so Chu Shaoyi could see it when he returned.
I didn’t expect to attract so many people watching. I’ll eat in the main hall from now on.
After the meal, Chu Jiujiu wanted to give the fish soup that had been divided out long ago to her third aunt. Chu Shao took it and delivered it himself. When he came back, he was holding two eggs, new clothes, and a pound of oil with some impurities.
Chu Jiujiu's eyes widened. Before she could ask, Chu Shao said, "The eggs were given by Third Aunt, and I borrowed the oil. I'll pay it back next month when I get the oil coupons. Try the clothes on and see if they fit you."
Chu Jiujiu responded happily, ran in holding the clothes, closed the door, and after a while, she ran out.
There was no mirror at home, so Chu Jiujiu couldn't see anything. She could only ask Chu Shao, "Does it look good?"
The short-sleeved shorts with a white background and yellow flowers looked fresh and clean. The old woman knew that she was only nine years old, so she made her a size larger so that she could still wear them next year. The sleeves were changed to three-quarter sleeves, and the overly long hem swung slowly. Chu Shao looked at her carefully for a while, then waved to her.
"come over."
Chu Jiujiu didn't understand what was going on. She turned around and sat down as Chu Shao said. Chu Shao untied her ponytail and clumsily styled her hair into a round bun, imitating the way he had seen Zhang Fengjuan style her hair before.
Asking Chu Jiujiu to turn around again, Chu Shao was satisfied, "Not bad, it looks very good."
Chu Jiujiu was flattered. She touched the bun on the back of her head and thought she was as beautiful as a fairy, so Chu Shao praised her openly. In fact, her current outfit made her look like a small March 8th Red Flag Bearer.
...It's not that it's bad looking, it's just that it's kind of funny.
It was time for bed, so Chu Jiujiu showed off for a while before letting her hair down. Chu Shao was bathing in the yard, which was essentially just pouring water over the body to wash off the sweat. Chu Jiujiu always bathed during the day when Chu Shao was not at home, so she just washed her face, brushed her teeth with salt, and then went to bed.
Before going to bed, the grandfather and grandson whispered that when they got the bills next month, the first thing they would do was to buy towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other supplies. Chu Jiujiu heard that there was no facial cleanser in this era, and she felt disappointed for a while, until Chu Shao promised to buy her a bar of soap, she became happy again.
But while she was happy, she was also a little worried. The family had limited money, and the more they spent, the less they had. Shouldn't they save some money?
But these are all necessities. Chu Jiujiu feels that she cannot save on even these.
If you can't save money, then you can only increase revenue.
Turning over, Chu Jiujiu asked Chu Shao, who was lying by the window, "Grandpa, last time at the supply and marketing cooperative, I saw a counter with a sign for meat and eggs, as well as herbs. Can we find some and sell them there?"
As soon as Chu Shao's head touched the pillow, he felt sleepy. When he heard Chu Jiujiu's question, he answered drowsily, "It's not that easy. People won't accept small things. The good things are all in the deep mountains. We can't find them. Forget it."
Chu Jiujiu said "oh" and stopped talking.
Since moving here, Chu Jiujiu has never gone up the mountain again.
First, there is no time, and second, there is no one to take care of her.
Thinking of the colorful mushrooms and the wide variety of fruits on the mountain, she was willing to go up even if she couldn't find anything to sell, just for the mushrooms and fruits.
However, if there was only one person, Chu Shao would definitely not agree to let her go up.
Lying on her side, Chu Jiujiu looked at the wall, but a thin and indifferent figure appeared in her mind.
Chu Jiujiu closed her eyes angrily. He, Han Shengyi, was not the only one in Qingzhu Village. Even without him, there were still plenty of people willing to take her up the mountain!
…
This was a bit of an exaggeration. In reality, everyone in Qingzhu Village was busy. They had to find time to even pay attention to her, let alone go up the mountain. So, Chu Jiujiu remained at home, feeling miserable.
Unlike her, Han Shengyi has been running in the mountains very diligently these two days. He picked a bunch of mushrooms yesterday, dug up a bunch of wild vegetables today, and also picked a bunch of ripe bananas.
The banana peel was green with yellow and ready to be eaten, but Han Shengyi put it in the corner of the room instead of bringing it in and handing it directly to his grandmother as usual.
Grandma Han smelled the fragrance of bananas and her eyelids drooped. After a while, she suddenly said, "You haven't reconciled yet?"
At the same time, Han Shengyi opened the door and went out again, as if he hadn't heard it, "Grandma, I'm going to the vegetable garden."
Grandma Han: “…”
Little bastard.
It was just past noon, and the sun was blazing brightly. Han Shengyi was walking forward with his head held high, when he was suddenly stopped by someone. "Han Shengyi, my father is calling you!"
The person who came was Chen Zhongtang, the second son of the team leader, who was the same age as Han Shengyi. When Han Shengyi heard this, he stopped, turned around and walked towards the team headquarters.
At this time, Chu Jiujiu was busy at home.
She drew two buckets of water and prepared to take a bath. There was nothing in the utility room except two farm tools, so she always carried the buckets in and closed the door to wash. She did the same today, but after she came out, while tying her hair, she reached for the necklace by the well. Her hand slipped, and the necklace fell into the well.
Chu Jiujiu: “!!!”
No!!!! This is their free meat processing plant (x)!
Chu Jiujiu was so anxious that she broke out in a sweat. The bath was in vain. She leaned over the well and found that the necklace did not sink but floated on the water. Fortunately, the necklace was made of wood and was not that heavy. There was still room for repair.
Chu Jiujiu quickly hung the bucket on the iron hook and carefully turned the windlass. When it was almost close to the water surface, she checked every time she turned it, for fear that the necklace would be crushed by the bucket and sink to the bottom.
After trying several times, Chu Jiujiu finally found the right angle to let the necklace float into the bucket with the water. After she succeeded, she quickly turned the windlass. When she pulled the bucket out, Chu Jiujiu felt that this was more torturous than falling into the well herself.
Chu Jiujiu washed the necklace with water in the bucket. She held the precious necklace in her hands as if she had found it again. She wiped it again and again before putting it in her pocket. She was a bit of a germaphobe. The water in the bucket had soaked the necklace, so she definitely couldn't drink it. She couldn't pour it into the jar either. So she simply carried the bucket to the vegetable patch and prepared to water it.
The water in the wooden barrel was not full, but it was half full, which was a weight that could not be underestimated for Chu Jiujiu. She used both hands, but her shoulders felt painful. She walked towards the vegetable garden staggeringly. Chu Jiujiu's steps became disordered. There was a creaking sound, and she felt that she stepped on something. Chu Jiujiu quickly put the wooden barrel on the ground.
...It's a green vegetable.
It has been crushed by Chu Jiujiu.
Chu Jiujiu squatted down and silently looked at the green vegetable that had brought disaster upon itself.
Forget it, I'd better give it some water. Whether it lives or dies depends on itself.
Feeling guilty, Chu Jiujiu scooped up some water from the bucket with her palm and carefully sprinkled it on the roots of the vegetables. Then she found that the water she poured splashed onto the vegetables and flowed to the places where they were stepped on and broken, turning them into light green.
...It's all exploded, it looks like it's going to die.
If he couldn't survive, there was no need to keep him alive. Just as Chu Jiujiu stretched out her claws, a voice rang out from outside the fence, "Chu Jiujiu, my father is looking for you!"
——
Chu Jiujiu and Chen Zhongtang came to the field together. The team leader was standing on the ridge. Seeing her coming, he waved to her and said, "Just in time. Come over here quickly."
This was Chu Jiujiu's first time here. She looked at everyone who was cutting rice with curiosity, and everyone also looked at Chu Jiujiu wearing new clothes with curiosity.
The educated youth earned few work points, so to avoid discouraging their enthusiasm, the team leader asked them to work with the children. Ma Wenjuan saw Chu Jiujiu running over and immediately turned back with a smile. "This dress is really beautiful, Chu Shao, is this the cloth you bought in town last time?"
Chu Shao nodded, then looked at Chu Jiujiu in the distance, wondering what the captain wanted to talk to her about.
Li Yan got angry when she saw the dress. This was supposed to be hers. If she wore it, she would definitely look better than Chu Jiujiu, who was still wet behind the ears and had a shriveled figure! What the hell, it was so weird!
She was the only one in the audience who felt that it was out of place. Everyone felt that when Chu Jiujiu put on this dress, she finally looked a bit like a girl from Qingzhu Village. It was nice and pleasing to the eye.
Chu Jiujiu trotted over to the captain, looked up and asked, "Uncle, what did you call me for?"
"Jiujiu, now you are also a member of our Qingzhu Village. I will assign you a task, and you must complete it well."
Is this... giving her work points?
In Chu Jiujiu's eyes, participating in labor meant earning work points, saving money on food, and contributing to the family. Chu Jiujiu happily agreed immediately, "No problem! I will definitely work hard and live up to everyone's expectations! So what should I do?"
Chu Jiujiu had never done farm work before. With her thin arms and legs, the team leader naturally wouldn't let her work in the fields. He pointed to two cows swishing their tails in the distance and said, "Look, everyone's been too busy lately, focusing on their own food and not enough to feed the cows. You two go collect grass for the cows. Each of you should collect 30 kilograms a day. That should be enough for them to eat."
You two?
Chu Jiujiu looked back in confusion, only to find that there was another person behind the captain, Han Shengyi, standing there, and no one knew how long he had been there.
Chu Jiujiu's expression suddenly darkened, her smile vanishing instantly. She turned her head away, glancing reluctantly at the weeds at her feet. The team leader hadn't noticed, having turned to talk to Han Shengyi: "Cutting grass for cattle is only two work points a day, not tiring. Shengyi, please help me. At the end of the year, we'll give your family two bones. Doesn't your grandfather have weak legs? Make some soup for him to nourish him."
It is impossible to give meat. Every year when the meat is distributed, many people stare at it. If there is a little less pig blood, they will complain. Bones and offal are not included in the meat. If the villagers want it, they have to pay for it themselves. Many people think that bare bones are worthless and are unwilling to pay this money. This is why the team leader made the decision to give it to the Han family.
Han Shengyi worked for the village but didn't earn any work points, so the team leader would find other ways to supplement his income. For example, last year, he gave his family a lotus root, and at the end of the year, when the team distributed peanuts, he also gave his family a pound. This year, he gave them bones instead, which counted as a pay raise.
In fact, even if the team leader didn't give him anything, Han Shengyi would agree to it. After all, the quality of their lives in this village depended on the team leader's decision, and Han Shengyi never refused his orders.
He smiled, looking very honest, "Thank you, Captain. Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on the vegetable patch as well."
The team leader said: "The vegetables in the vegetable garden are ripe, right? Don't worry, go and weed. I'll take two people to pick the vegetables tonight. The commune hasn't distributed the new seeds yet. I'll go and urge them later. Once the new seeds are planted, you can plant them again."
Han Shengyi responded, "Okay."
Chu Jiujiu frowned as she listened to their conversation. She always felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't tell what it was.
Han Shengyi has always been in charge of that vegetable patch. Except for the coldest period in winter, he has been planting and harvesting vegetables. Although the vegetable patch is not big and it is easier than working in the fields all day, he can't just give up on it with two bones.
It was obviously so unfair, but no one around spoke up for him. Everyone took it for granted and even thought that the captain was too generous.
Chu Jiujiu hung her head, looking unhappy. Han Shengyi walked up to her, thinking that she was unhappy because she saw him. He pursed his lips and said softly, "Let's go."
After saying that, he took the lead and walked towards the river. Chu Jiujiu took a second to react before following him with a bit of enthusiasm.
After the two children left, the team leader rolled up his trousers and returned to the fields. His second son, Chen Zhongtang, also came in. He grabbed a handful of rice and, while cutting, asked the team leader, "Dad, isn't Han Shengyi quite capable? He can harvest 60 kilograms by himself. Why don't you let him do it alone? He usually manages the vegetable fields, and only gets a couple of kilograms to take home when the harvest is done. If you let him harvest more grass, wouldn't that give his family more at the end of the year?"
The captain said: "What do you know? Shengyi is very capable and can live anywhere without starving. Do you think he is like you and can do nothing?"
Chen Zhongtang: "..." Why can't he do it? Among all the children of similar age in the village, except Chu Shao, he is the only one who can do it, okay?
The captain had always assigned tasks to the right people, maximizing efficiency within limited constraints. But today, they were only halfway there. Chen Zhongtang stuck his butt out and said firmly, "Dad, you're up to something."
The captain raised his foot and kicked, and immediately a mud mark appeared on Chen Zhongtang's butt.
"I have you in my heart! Do you harvest rice with your mouth? Stop talking nonsense and work quickly, or I'll deduct your work points."
Chen Zhongtang curled his lips and finally kept silent. The captain might not be able to punish Chen Sanzhu, but he could definitely punish his own son.
The son kept quiet, but the captain was still unhappy. How could a son say that to his father? Besides, what could he have in mind? He just saw the two kids were making trouble for several days and wanted to help!
…
Chu Jiujiu didn't know the captain's good intentions and still said in her heart that he was a bad guy.
Holding the sickle distributed by the village, Chu Jiujiu followed Han Shengyi to the river. Cow grass grows in moist places and can be seen everywhere on the roadside, but it is most abundant by the river.
Han Shengyi pointed ahead and said, "This is it. Cut them off from the roots and put them together."
Chu Jiujiu watched his demonstration in silence. After she finished, she turned around and ran to the other side. Han Shengyi looked at her for a while, and after making sure that she could do it, he bent down and started to cut grass for the cow.
He was fast and skilled, and it was obvious he had done this kind of work before. Chu Jiujiu was much more unfamiliar with it. It took her several attempts to cut the grass, and the cuts were jagged. A closer look revealed that some parts had been torn off.
Sure enough, after a while, Chu Jiujiu was exhausted.
She wanted to take back her words. The work was too tiring and she might disappoint everyone's expectations.
Chu Jiujiu was sweating, and her new clothes were sticky and clinging to her body. She felt uncomfortable all over. The high humidity by the river should have made it cooler, but the high temperature and humidity turned it into a sauna. Hot weather made people easily restless and irritable. After straightening up, she saw that Han Shengyi had piled up a huge mountain of hay, while she only had a thin layer. She was instantly furious.
Women can't say no.
She must not be outdone!
Chu Jiujiu's fighting spirit was aroused. She grabbed the roots of the cow grass and cut it down quickly and fiercely with the sickle.
"ah!"
She didn't understand before why Han Shengyi always pulled the middle part of the cow grass instead of the root. Now the blood flowing out of her thumb explained the answer to her with her own actions.
Chu Jiujiu dropped the sickle and gasped in pain. She covered her bleeding hand with her hand, looking as if she wanted to cry but had no tears.
Since coming to this village, she has suffered a minor injury every three days and a major injury every five days. Is this a side effect of time travel, or is she really too unlucky?
Chu Jiujiu was crying in pain, but she didn't know what to do. There were no Band-Aids in that era. She was sniffing. At this time, a figure came running over. He took a look at Chu Jiujiu's wound and immediately squatted down to look for plantain. He soon found one and crushed it with force. Then he took Chu Jiujiu's injured hand and applied the plantain on it for her.
His tone was full of rebuke and a hint of imperceptible fear.
"Why are you so careless? The sickle is sharp. If it goes a little deeper, your finger will..."
Before he could finish his words, his soft little hand was forcefully pulled back by its owner. Blood was still slowly flowing out from under the plantain, dripping onto the ground, staining it a shocking red.
Chu Jiujiu was already feeling aggrieved, and she felt even more aggrieved after hearing what he said about her. She didn't mind Han Shengyi scolding her, but she minded that after saying those words, Han Shengyi dared to act so hypocritically.
She covered her hand which was still throbbing in pain, feeling angry and speechless. She simply turned around, not even taking the sickle with her, and ran straight to her home.
Han Shengyi chased for only one step, then stopped where he was, lowered his eyes to look at the blood-stained weeds. Han Shengyi bent down silently and picked up Chu Jiujiu's sickle.
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