After returning home, Xuemei rinsed the dishes by the well. Then, remembering she hadn't fed the pigs yet, she went to feed the two pigs and picked up three eggs from the chicken coop. The chickens at home were all hens now, and when Liu's mother needed chicks, she would trade them for eggs from other families—two eggs for one chick.
After almost cleaning the house, Xuemei took out the wild grapes she had picked on the mountain today and spread them on a winnowing basket. After picking out the bad ones, she covered it with bamboo strips to prevent flies from smelling it.
Xuemei looked at the clock and saw that it was only a little after three o'clock. She put on her straw hat and picked all the edible vegetables in the vegetable garden. After picking them, she picked out the older beans and eggplants. She would take the tender ones to the supply and marketing cooperative (the purchasing station has been incorporated into the supply and marketing cooperative) to exchange for money tomorrow. After washing the older vegetables, she lit a fire and blanched them in water. Then she tore the eggplants into pieces and put them in the yard with the beans in a winnowing basket to dry in the sun.
By the time Xuemei finished, it was almost six o'clock. She scooped the remaining pig feed from the large iron pot and took it to the pig pen to feed the pigs. After feeding, she took the day's food to the well to rinse it, then cut it with a knife and put it into the large iron pot to cook. When it was done, she added some earthworm powder that she had cooked and dried in a broken clay pot before feeding it to the pigs.
After arranging tomorrow's pig food, Xuemei washed the rice, cooked corn stubble porridge, and boiled water in a small iron pot.
Xuemei watched the fire while she washed and cut the peppers and tomatoes. When the water boiled, she filled the thermos and cooled some water in a clay pot to drink when Liu's father and his friends returned from work. She then used the remaining boiling water in the pot to soak some dried fern fern, which Liu's mother and Xuemei had picked in the mountains in March and April. After returning home, they blanched the fern in water, dried it, and stored it.
While waiting for the dried buns to soak, Xuemei took out a piece of three taels of dried rabbit meat and put it in the pot to cook with rice washing water. The dried rabbit meat was the rabbits that Liu's father took Qingya and others to the mountains to hunt before the autumn harvest. They were afraid of being spoiled by heat, so they had to bake it into jerky in the kitchen. Now it was hard and could not be chewed at all.
Xuemei waited until the rabbit meat was soft, then stir-fried it with soaked dried fern seeds. When she was serving it, she sprinkled some dried chilies on it. It was delicious. By the time Xuemei had finished stir-frying the green and red peppers and tomatoes, Liu's father and mother had all returned.
"Sister, are we having rabbit meat tonight?" Ruirui ran to the kitchen and asked.
"Yes, go tell the others to wash their hands and then eat."
“Okay, big sister.”
Just as Xuemei and her family finished their meal, they heard someone knocking on the door outside the yard.
"Qingya, go open the door and see who's coming."
“Okay, big sister.”
"Dad, some educated youth are here, looking for you."
"No, Village Chief, we are not here to see you. We are here to see Comrade Liu Xuemei about something." He Wanting said quickly.
"Dad, since we're looking for Xuemei, then you and I will take the dishes to the kitchen. Qingya, Ruirui, and Feifei, go back to your rooms and do your homework. Don't meddle in other people's business."
Ruirui, Feifei and Qingya all wanted to stay, curious about what was going on, but Feifei was dragged back to the room with Ruirui, leaving Qingya looking at Xuemei for help.
Xuemei looked at Qingya and didn't intend to indulge her habit, so she said tactfully, "Qingya, I picked some wild grapes in the mountains today. Would you like to wash some and eat them?"
Xuemei looked at the five educated youth in front of her except Wu Lian and moved out two benches.
"You guys sit down first and talk about what you want to say."
"Okay, Comrade Liu Xuemei, I mainly want to talk to you about something today. You will go back to work tomorrow, right?" Zhou Bing said directly.
Xuemei nodded.
Zhou Bing then continued, "Comrade Liu Xuemei, you know what happened in the threshing ground today. If it weren't for Comrade Liu Shengnan, I probably wouldn't be standing here talking to you right now. So I'd like to ask you to bring me some things from the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow."
"You have already thanked our Shengnan. There is no need to buy anything else. Our Shengnan wouldn't think about this. She was only thinking about saving people at that time." Zhou Zhiqing.
"I know Comrade Liu Shengnan is helpful and wouldn't think about these things, but I'd feel bad if I didn't buy her something to thank her. Even if you don't bring it to me tomorrow, I'll buy it after the autumn harvest. The autumn harvest is so tiring right now, and I want to buy something for Liu Shengnan to replenish her energy. She's so young, and earning so many work points every day, I can see how exhausted she must be. Besides, I also want you to bring me something to replenish myself."
Xuemei thought for a moment and said, "Okay, Zhou Zhiqing, I'll help you carry the things! But if Shengnan doesn't accept your things, you can't ask me to take them to her."
"Okay, Comrade Liu Xuemei, it's already very kind of you to help carry the things. I won't bother you again later. Please bring me a bottle of malted milk, two boxes of mung bean cakes, and two kilograms of biscuits tomorrow. I'll give you the money and tickets now."
"Wait a minute, Zhou Zhiqing, I've been working here for so long, and I've only seen two or three packets of malted milk. Even with sugar coupons, it's hard to buy. The supply and marketing cooperative is out of stock now, and there's a high probability that it will be out of stock tomorrow."
"Comrade Liu Xuemei, if you don't have malted milk, please bring me a pound of White Rabbit candy. Everything else remains the same."
"Hey, Zhou Zhiqing, if the supply and marketing cooperative doesn't have any tomorrow, my sister and I can make a bag of malted milk for you. After all, you should thank Shengnan." He Wanting interrupted.
"Okay, then thank you two He educated youths. Comrade Liu Xuemei, buy the White Rabbit milk candies regardless of whether they have malted milk or not. Here, here are the money and tickets." Zhou Bing said happily.
"Wait a minute, Zhou Zhiqing, I'll go get a notebook and write it down so we know what's going on." Xuemei stopped him.
After Xuemei recorded Zhou Bing's money and tickets.
He Wanting quickly said, "Xuemei, we also need you to bring some things. We didn't expect the autumn harvest to be so tiring. We've almost finished all the food we bought at the commune last time."
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