Since they were all family, they didn't sit at separate tables. They all sat around a big table and started eating. An Ning's uncle even took out the wine that they only drank during festivals and poured a glass for An Dashan and An Ning's uncle each.
The men drank and played finger-guessing games, while the women ate and talked about family matters. The meal was very lively. Gao and An Ning and other women had already finished their dinner, but the three men had not finished their drinks yet, so the women went to the side to talk.
After An Dashan finally finished drinking and took a short rest, the family of three said goodbye to everyone at grandma's house and went home. After An Ning and the others left, Wang called her two daughters-in-law to her room.
The eldest daughter-in-law, Cui, was a straightforward person. She asked, "Mom, why did you call us here?" The youngest daughter-in-law, Li, was more shy. Although she did not say anything, she looked at Wang with puzzled eyes.
Wang took out the cloth that Gao brought today and said, "Yingniang said that she has been taken care of by our family over the years, so she specially sent these things. You two can share this cloth! Although the color is a bit old, it is new after all."
When Cui and Li heard this, they waved their hands. Cui said, "Mother, this cloth was given to you by my aunt. We can't take it."
Wang frowned and said, "It's for you, just accept it."
Cui and Li saw that Wang was a little angry. Cui turned her eyes and saw a few pieces of cloth at the bottom. She said, "Mother, I think the color of this piece of cloth is very good. Please give it to me. I want to make a shoe upper."
Li also nodded and said, "Yes, mother, Xiao Shitou's shoes are broken."
Wang saw that her two daughters-in-law were so sensible, so she said, "I see that the piece of cloth Yingniang is holding is not small. You can do something for the family. I am old and my eyesight is not good, so I will leave this job to you."
The cloth Gao brought included one zhang of coarse cloth and one zhang of fine cotton cloth, as well as a few larger pieces of cloth. Li was skillful, and she usually made Wang's clothes. She went back to the house to get a ruler, measured carefully, and said, "Mother, leave this job to me!"
Wang nodded without saying anything. Cui smiled and said, "Okay, I'll trouble you, sister-in-law, and leave the rest of the housework to me!"
Wang was very satisfied when she saw the harmonious relationship between her two sisters-in-law.
The three people walking on the road were also talking. Although An Dashan had drunk a lot of wine, his steps were more steady than An Ning's. An Dashan said, "Today, my brother-in-law told me that the landlord Chang from the village next to us is moving his family to the capital. His family wants to sell the land in several surrounding villages. He asked if we have any extra money. If we do, we can buy a few acres."
An Ning's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "Dad, what are your plans?"
An Dashan thought for a while and said, "I thought of using half of the money we have to buy land, and the rest to build a few large houses with blue bricks and tiles. When your elder brother comes back, he will marry a wife, and our current house is not big enough for him. I will also leave some money for you as a dowry. What do you think of Dad?"
An Ning nodded. An Dashan's idea was right. She was not sure that she could grow the crops from her previous life, so there was no need to buy so much land. But if she missed this opportunity, she would miss it. She didn't know how long she would have to wait for someone to sell the land next time. She thought for a while and said, "Dad, I think we can go into the mountains again tomorrow and go to the place where you saw the Ganoderma lucidum before. If we pick it, we will go to the county town to sell it, and then we can buy more land. If we don't pick it, we will do as you said just now. What do you think?"
Before An Dashan opened his mouth to speak, Gao objected, "No, I don't agree. You two have no memory. You have forgotten the pain after the wound has healed. An Dashan, have you forgotten how you broke your leg? An Daya, have you forgotten how you rolled down the hill?"
An Dashan and An Ning's hearts skipped a beat. Their wife (their own mother) even called out her full name, which showed that she was really angry. It seemed that it would be difficult to convince her. The father and daughter looked at each other and exchanged glances, both wanting the other to speak first.
Gao saw the eye contact between the two and said angrily, "Do you two think I'm blind? Give up your thoughts on going into the mountains. I will never agree to you going into the mountains."
An Dashan and An Ning were startled by Gao's shouting, and both lowered their heads, not daring to mention going into the mountains again. However, although the two compromised on the surface, they both had their own plans in mind, and neither wanted to give up this opportunity.
Gao saw that the two stopped talking, and finally calmed down, and they continued to walk home. When they got home, it was still early, so An Dashan prepared to take a walk in the fields, and An Ning followed him.
Arriving at the field, An Ning looked at the sparse wheat and corn and shook his head secretly. The yield of such crops must be low. No wonder the people here live so hard. An Dashan looked at the crops in the field and said, "It looks like it will be ready for harvest in another three to five days. Although this year is not a bumper year, the harvest is still good. Everyone can survive another year."
An Ning said tentatively: "Dad, I learned a farming method from the old immortal. After harvesting the first crop of wheat, plant another crop immediately. In this way, it can be harvested in June of the following year. After harvesting, plant another crop of soybeans. This is equivalent to harvesting grain twice a year. In addition, the land after planting soybeans will become very fertile, and wheat will grow better if planted next."
An Ning wanted to bring out corn, but then he changed his mind. Corn had not been introduced at that time, and people might not accept it. But soybeans were different. Soybeans had been around for a long time, but they could not be used as a staple food. They could only be used to make tofu, so people just planted a little on the newly reclaimed land to feed their families. But An Ning knew how to use soybeans to make oil and other foods, so he said so.
After An Ning finished speaking for a long time, she didn't hear An Dashan's response. She turned her head and saw An Dashan staring at her blankly. An Ning stretched out her hand and waved it in front of An Dashan's eyes, and said, "Dad, did you hear what I said?"
An Dashan came back to his senses, looked around to see if there was anyone around, held An Ning's shoulders with both hands, and said, "Daya, are you telling the truth?"
An Ning nodded and said, "This is true, Dad. If you don't believe it, we can give it a try after we harvest the crops this year."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com