Since the resumption of the college entrance examination, the number of people doing small business has gradually increased, both in cities and in the countryside.
Now, vendors can be seen everywhere on the streets and in the markets.
Even some timid people will secretly do some small business.
In front of the village on the outskirts of the city, a winding path paved with pebbles winds through farmland and bushes, with lush greenery stretching along both sides, making it a good place to escape the heat in the hot July.
The path was difficult to navigate, so Chen Jing got off his bicycle and explained, "There used to be a family of chefs here."
"However, I heard that he hadn't been doing it for more than ten years. This year, I don't know who he listened to, but he opened a small restaurant at home and only serves some old customers."
"I heard that old man is an excellent cook. I came here once before, and it was really good."
Ji Xia looked around and suddenly noticed a few small purplish-red fruits hanging behind the bushes, which made her eyes light up.
"Chicken twists?"
I carefully went inside and found a wild pheasant bush behind a thicket of bushes. I picked a handful of wild fruits that had ripened and turned purplish-black.
"It's rare to find a few ripe ones that weren't picked; we're lucky today."
Ji Xia pinched a chicken nut, removed the thin layer at the top and the tiny white core in the middle, and with a gentle squeeze, the dark red flesh was squeezed out.
"These are ripe and sweet; it's been a long time since I've picked them."
Ji Xia then gave Chen Jing two to try: "How is it?"
"Sweet, delicious."
As Chen Jing spoke, he stared at her rosy lips and swallowed. Her red lips were coated with purplish-red juice, making them moist and glossy, turning a deep purplish-red that looked incredibly alluring.
His deep gaze lingered on her lips for a long while before he looked away. "Let's go. I've already arranged a time with them this afternoon."
How did you know about this place?
“Two or three months ago, I treated Lao Liu from the textile factory to dinner, and they brought me here, right by the stream at the end of the village.”
After turning left a few times along the path, they saw a pond of several dozen square meters enclosed by fishing nets and bamboo at the end of the stream, where dozens of geese and ducks of various colors, including white, black, and gray, were raised.
Not far from the stream, there is an old house built of mud bricks and red bricks, with five or six rooms, shaped like a hoe, and a small courtyard enclosed by a fence, on which many fruits and wildflowers climb.
Behind the house, a plot of land has been cultivated, where various vegetables and several fruit trees have been planted.
Ji Xia was delighted to see the small courtyard and pond.
She counted the number of black geese and ducks in the pond: "How many have you raised? Can you raise them as many as you want now?"
"Not only can chickens, ducks, and geese be raised freely, but many production brigades are now starting to divide up the land!"
Ji Xia couldn't help but be surprised: "Dividing the land?"
She thought back for a moment and suddenly remembered that in her previous life she had heard that in late 1977 or 1988, some brigades in Anhui Province had privately divided the land into individual households and contracted production to individual households. The following year, they had a bumper harvest. Starting in 1980, the state introduced policies to promote the household contract responsibility system nationwide.
It's already 1979, and since we're both in the south, it's not surprising that news of land redistribution has spread.
She's been busy studying for the past few months and preparing to go north, so she hasn't thought about such an important matter.
"My parents were saying a while ago that they would come to the city to take me to the college entrance exam, but now they're not coming. Are they busy with this?"
"It's okay, Mom and Dad are too busy to come. But I'm here. Dad and Dad are busy, they're in meetings every day, measuring the land. I guess they'll start dividing the land after the autumn harvest."
Before they even reached the village restaurant, a boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old came up to them and said, "Brother Chen, you've finally arrived."
"This is A-Nian, the grandson of the Tang family, who has inherited the true skills of Old Man Tang."
Chen Jing chuckled and introduced Ji Xia, then explained, "I just finished my exams and came straight here. This weather is so hot. What food did you prepare?"
"I soaked a watermelon in the stream water, how about we make some watermelon juice and chilled watermelon?"
As the boy spoke, he glanced at Ji Xia discreetly and was momentarily stunned.
Hearing that Chen's girlfriend was going to university and was educated, he assumed she would be a gentle and refined girl.
Who would have thought she would be so beautiful, like a pretty star from Hong Kong and Taiwan TV?
"Okay, two glasses of watermelon juice and a sliced watermelon platter, please."
As Chen Jing spoke, he gave A Nian a meaningful look. A Nian's heart skipped a beat, and she didn't dare to look at him for long. She quickly put on a smile and invited them into the courtyard.
"Okay, I'll be right there. Brother Chen and sister-in-law, why don't you sit in the yard and enjoy the breeze?"
The courtyard was paved with small stones collected from the stream, mixed with fine sand, dividing it into several sections and enclosing paths, keeping the courtyard very clean.
An old woman was sitting in the yard picking vegetables, while an old man wearing an apron and holding a shovel was standing at the kitchen door. Seeing Ji Xia and Chen Jing, he greeted them with a smile, "You've come!"
Under a tree in the corner of the yard, there was a small round table. Ah Nian grabbed a rag and wiped the table twice casually, then asked them to sit down. He then hurriedly went to the stream and fished out the watermelon that had been soaking for an afternoon.
Ji Xia looked around. The yard was about 100 square meters. Small melons, cucumbers, bitter melons, gourds, and green beans were climbing on the fence around the yard, while azaleas and roses were climbing on the other side.
As the sun sets, golden sunlight bathes the fence, casting a golden glow on the lush fruits, flowers, and grasses growing there.
A summer breeze blows, the branches and leaves sway, and the garden is filled with the fragrance of flowers.
"This place is nice." Ji Xia couldn't help but smile, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling, her gaze captivating and alluring.
"Isn't it beautiful? I knew you would like it, so the first time I came here, I thought of bringing you along."
Chen Jing raised his arm and pointed to the pond surrounded by fishing nets: "They dug that pond and then brought in stream water. Small fish and shrimp from the stream came with the water, as did these geese and ducks."
"This family has some experience in farming. They use the manure from raising geese and ducks to irrigate their vegetables and crops. They draw clean stream water into their pond every day, and the geese and ducks eat the fish and shrimp from the stream, which makes their meat taste good."
"I heard that the geese and ducks defecate in the pond every day, and then use the water to irrigate the vegetables, flowers and crops, and the vegetables and crops in the fields grow very well."
"That's a great idea; they're quite capable."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xia couldn't help but look over in surprise. Just then, A Nian came over carrying a plate of sliced chilled watermelon and two glasses of watermelon juice.
He smiled and said, "I learned it all from others. There was a professor who was sent down to the countryside with him, and I learned some agricultural books from him."
Ah Nian placed watermelon juice and a watermelon platter in front of the two of them: "I already made a roast goose this afternoon, brother, what other dishes would you like?"
"Let's make another soup, and then some vegetables, something refreshing."
After Chen Jing finished speaking, he turned to Ji Xia and asked, "Is there anything you particularly want to eat?"
Ji Xia glanced at the few small cucumbers, about two fingers thick, hanging on the fence: "Do you know how to make cucumber salad? Can I have one?"
"Can."
Ah Nian nodded and quickly wrote on the paper: "Brother Chen, sister-in-law, how about using winter melon, barley, and pork rib soup? It's good for removing dampness and relieving summer heat."
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