Sea buckthorn berries are small, orange-yellow berries that can be juiced and drunk; locals also call them "sour thorns."
Every season, villagers would pick sea buckthorn berries, make juice, and sell it at the commune market or in the county.
As long as you're not deliberately reported, nobody will care.
You can buy a big bowl for just one cent.
Zhou Weiguang bought two bowls and invited Qin Hanshu to sit down and drink them at the stall.
Qin Hanshu got off the tractor and had just approached Zhou Weiguang when the tiger in his arms arched its back and growled at Zhou Weiguang.
...and I really started to hate them.
Qin Hanshu couldn't help but feel fortunate that she had the foresight; otherwise, the tiger would have hated her instead.
After patting the tiger's head a few times to soothe it, Qin Hanshu sat down and took a big gulp of sea buckthorn juice.
She was finding the pancake too salty, but the sweet and sour flavor immediately cut through the saltiness.
She looked up at Zhou Weiguang with a smile and said, "Thank you, Brother Zhou."
Zhou Weiguang coughed lightly, avoiding eye contact, "No, you're welcome."
The sun is shining brightly today. After a period of low temperatures, the temperature has suddenly warmed up again.
Qin Hanshu sat in the sun for a while and felt a thin layer of sweat on her back.
Niu Quangen was wandering around somewhere; they had finished their braised pork head sandwiches, but he still hadn't returned.
Qin Hanshu fanned her collar and glanced over, spotting Zhou Weiguang standing there, his tall figure casting a large shadow.
She moved silently into the shadows.
How could her movements escape the notice of Zhou Weiguang, a former reconnaissance soldier? The moment she moved, he sensed her intention.
Zhou Weiguang's expression remained unchanged, but he shifted his body slightly in response.
His figure completely enveloped her.
Qin Hanshu felt cool, but Zhou Weiguang suddenly started sweating.
He reached out and unbuttoned one of the tightly fastened buttons on his shirt, finally feeling less suffocated.
Niu Quangen is back, carrying two full loads in his arms.
"The market is so lively today, you should definitely go and have a look!"
Niu Quangen was beaming with excitement. Pointing to the things he was carrying, he said, "I found some cheap homespun cloth for sale, so I bought a lot to make two new outfits for Zhao Ru."
The homespun cloth was made by the farmers themselves for their own use, or they would take it to the market to exchange for some money; it was very cheap.
The whole cow root I bought was cheaper because it was dyed poorly and was considered a defective product.
He felt he had gotten a bargain and was very happy.
Qin Hanshu also laughed and said, "That's really good, spending the same amount of money to buy more fabric."
Niu Quangen sighed, "Zhao Ru has been married for a while now. The wedding banquet wasn't very good, and we didn't give her anything... I thought since it's almost the end of the year, I'd make her a new dress."
Besides homespun cloth, Niu Quangen also bought a bag of apples. The apples were small and thin, probably wild apples that someone had picked from the mountains and brought to the market to sell.
Niu Quangen himself was still wearing pants made from urea bags, yet he was thinking of making new clothes for Zhao Ru. To outsiders, this already showed he was a man who doted on his wife.
But the actual situation is something only the person involved can truly understand.
Zhao Ru felt that her future was bleak.
After returning to Haowan Village from the farm, Zhao Ru actually wanted to back out, but Niu Quangen was too shrewd. He didn't care about anything after they came back and dragged her to get the marriage certificate first.
Next comes the banquet, which is then announced to the whole village.
She was unwilling during their wedding night, and after a strong struggle, Niu Quangen didn't force her anymore.
A few days later, Niu Quangen told her that he had secured a position for her as the brigade's broadcaster.
Being a broadcaster is a respectable job, and you can earn an extra few dozen yuan a year. This injected a glimmer of hope into Zhao Ruru's utterly despondent heart.
An idea suddenly came to her mind.
Anyway, she was sent to Haowan Village to work in the countryside, and she wouldn't have a good life on her own, so she might as well follow Niu Quangen for now, and then run away again when she had the chance to go back to the city.
Thinking about it this way, Zhao Ru felt much better.
Ke Niu Quan Gen seemed to know what she was thinking, keeping a close eye on her! And he wouldn't let her have a single penny!
Her work point book had already been merged into Niu Quangen's family's, and Niu Quangen held onto it tightly, not allowing her to even glance at it.
Most importantly, in Niu Quangen's heart, his sons were the most important! All the extra work points she earned for the Niu family went to his six sons, and she didn't get a single penny for herself!
If Zhao Ru wanted to eat an extra bite of dry food, she had to beg Niu Quangen. Life there was worse than when she was at the educated youth settlement!
But Zhao Ru can't get rid of it at all now. Niu Quangen, in order to gain a good reputation, sweeps the floor, cooks, and does laundry when he gets home. Everyone in the village says he loves his wife and praises her for being lucky. She has no one to confide in about her bitterness.
Over time, Zhao Ru became very conflicted. On the one hand, she felt extreme disgust and hatred for Niu Quangen, but on the other hand, she had to flatter him for the sake of making a living.
At this moment, when Zhao Ru saw that Niu Quangen had bought a bunch of homespun cloth, saying he wanted to make clothes for her, she was too lazy to even glance at it, but she had to force a smile.
Niu Quangen was very happy to see that she liked it.
"You've been married to me for so long, and you haven't even worn a new dress yet... Ruru, you're such a fairy-like woman, you've suffered so much by marrying me..."
Zhao Ru gritted her teeth in hatred. He knew she was wronged? Then why didn't he let her go when she begged him not to get the marriage certificate?!
Niu Quangen looked at Zhao Ru with remorse, "Let's make two sets of homespun clothes first. Next year, I'll go to the commune to carry stones and earn you a piece of polyester. Don't worry, I'll definitely work harder than before, and our lives will get better and better..."
Zhao Ru didn't respond, but Niu Quangen became more and more emotional as he spoke, and grabbed Zhao Ru's hand.
Niu Quangen's family lived in two cave dwellings. His six sons lived in one cave, and he and Zhao Ru lived in the other.
By now, the sons should all be asleep.
Niu Quangen stared intently at Zhao Ru's face. "Ru Ru, give me a daughter! I already have six sons, let's have a daughter too..."
A man who had been single for five years finally remarried and was sleeping on the same kang (heated brick bed) every day. How could he possibly endure it forever?
Zhao Ru watched in horror as Niu Quangen approached; the smell of smoke from his mouth and the stench of sweat on his body made her want to vomit.
"Niu Quangen, what are you doing?"
"You're my wife! We're married..."
Zhao Ru finally managed to push Niu Quangen away, then shrank to the corner of the kang (heated brick bed) and looked at him pleadingly.
Niu Quangen closed his eyes, slowly calmed himself down, and said gently:
"Ruru, I won't force you. I'll give you a few more days to prepare."
"But I must remind you, you're already married to me, Niu Quangen, so don't harbor any other thoughts."
“I’m not some great philanthropist. I took a risk to bail you out of the farm. You can’t let me work for nothing, right?”
After finishing his sentence, Niu Quangen lay down and went to sleep.
Zhao Ru stayed in the corner until Niu Quangen started snoring, at which point her body stopped trembling.
She thought that as long as she didn't want to, Niu Quangen wouldn't touch her.
No way! She could tolerate everything else, but she absolutely could not tolerate Niu Quangen touching her!
She wants to go back to the city! Even if it means becoming an unregistered resident, she wants to go back!
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