Aside from school time, all the children in Mushroom Village are working hard to create better conditions for their families.
Southeast left the day after sending Xuemei home, as he needed to finish his work before the busy farming season.
Cuihua was also busy. Xuemei was going to give birth next month, so everything needed to be prepared. At least the baby's food, drink, and toilet needs had to be taken care of. Xuemei's postpartum period also needed to be well taken care of, otherwise it would affect her health.
Yan Xiaoqiang was even busier. With two piglets added to the family, he had to cook pig feed and clean the pigpen. While cleaning, he thought about Nannan. The pigs were still small now, but when they grew up, the little girl would have to cover her nose and rush in and out.
Xuemei was chatting with her grandmother. Grandma Yan was happy to see Xuemei's belly and hoped to give birth to a great-granddaughter like Nannan. However, she also liked great-grandchildren.
Xuemei nodded, also wanting to have a daughter like Nannan: "Nannan, don't go out these few days, let my baby in my belly see you more often."
Yan Xiaonan was stunned. If that were the case, where in the world would there be any ugly men and women?
With that in mind, I ended up spending more time at home. When I had nothing to do, I would flip through books, especially the handwritten book that my grandmother considered a mystery. Yan Xiaonan spelled out each word one by one until she finally understood what the book was about.
It's all information about navigation and ships, but unfortunately there's too much technical terminology. Yan Xiaonan's English level is far from sufficient. I really wish I had an English-Chinese dictionary. Also, Ye Chenming's grandfather is truly remarkable.
The wheat in the fields is ripe, the golden ears swaying in the wind, and the harvest season is just around the corner.
Today is exam day at Mushroom Village Elementary School. Those who pass will be promoted, while those who fail will have to go home and wait to be punished.
Yan Xiaonan was taking an exam at school. It was a six-year primary school, and she was taking a third-grade exam.
Only those who obtain a primary school diploma can attend the junior high school in town. Yan Xiaonan needs a junior high school diploma, which will make it much easier for her to apply to university in the future.
Bei Nan originally didn't want to take the exam, but Yan Xiaonan persuaded him that getting a graduation certificate was the most important thing.
Junior high school is a two-year program. After the busy farming season, the final exams for junior high school students are held. Since the north and south are in the same period, they just want to finish the exams quickly and get a diploma.
Ma Mingyuan quickly followed. Since Bei Nan wanted to get a diploma, he had to take the exam too. Having a junior high school diploma was already a remarkable thing. He would stay at home to farm, help his father with some things, and eventually take over his father's job.
The call to begin the busy farming season has finally sounded, and every household in the village has come out in droves, including the Yan family.
With two oxen this year, the villagers have indeed saved a lot of effort and increased their speed considerably.
Yan Xiaonan asked Cuihua to boil water, cook rice, and deliver food and water at home, since people usually eat in the fields during the busy farming season.
Another thing is to have her watch over Xuemei, in case she really gives birth and there's no one at home to notify her.
Yan Xiaonan couldn't bear to see her grandmother running around and working so hard; her grandmother was over sixty years old and should be enjoying her retirement.
The Yan family has the most labor force in the entire Mushroom Village. Southeast, Southwest, North South, South South, Tang Xiaoling, and Yan Xiaoqiang are all top-notch.
Ye Chen'er discussed with the village chief about allocating her contracted land next to Yan Xiaonan's house, because watching them work would give her endless energy. The village chief agreed, saying that the two siblings were a good match.
Liu Limin, Wang Dali, and Tian Fang also asked to join. Wang Yan opened her mouth several times, but in the end she kept it closed. They were all full-time laborers, and she would only be a hindrance if she went up. So she decided to give up.
Summer days are early, but no matter how early it gets light, it's not as early as the villagers' mornings. Cuihua had breakfast ready by three in the morning: thick white porridge and fragrant steamed buns, enough to fill you up.
Grandma Yan invited Southwest and Tang Xiaoling to come over for dinner, saying that during the busy farming season, they wouldn't distinguish between themselves and others.
Yan Xiaonan was excited because this was her first time actually harvesting wheat in the fields, which was different from her superpower. She quickly finished her breakfast, picked up her sickle, and was about to go out.
Cuihua pulled her back: "Nannan, do you remember what Mom told you yesterday? Come back when you're tired."
Yan Xiaonan hugged Cuihua. A child with a mother is a treasure.
Yan Xiaonan really didn't know how to use a sickle and almost cut her hand. Startled, Yan Xiaoqiang quickly took the sickle from his daughter's hand and urged her to go back quickly.
Yan Xiaonan finally got the sickle back, and this time she was very careful. Gradually, she became more skilled at using it.
The Yan family received ten acres of land, and Yan Xiaoqiang was confident he could finish it within ten days. Dongnan prayed that Xuemei would hold on and not give birth in the next few days.
Unfortunately, the prayers failed. After dinner, Xuemei started labor, and the family's handcart finally came in handy. Cuihua had already laid out thick quilts on the handcart, and a bundle contained a swaddle blanket for the little one's discharge from the hospital, as well as brown sugar, a teacup, a washbasin, a towel, and other items, all waiting for Xuemei to start labor so they could take the child to the hospital.
Southeast and Cuihua took Xuemei to the hospital. The journey, which should have taken half an hour, took a full hour because they were pushing a cart. Fortunately, Cuihua was experienced and told Southeast that it usually takes three or four hours from the onset of labor to delivery, and sometimes up to a day.
Southeast calmed down, and after arriving at the hospital and completing the admission procedures, Xuemei was already lying in the hospital bed, but the baby still didn't seem to want to come out.
When Xue Mei went out, Grandma killed a hen that had stopped laying eggs. She also took out pig's trotters, eggs, and other things that she had prepared in advance from the cellar, which was actually Nan Nan's space. She planned to cook them first thing in the morning and have Nan Nan take them to the hospital.
Nan Nan was looking at the chicken soup in the kitchen, while Tang Xiaoling was washing dishes and tidying up. Both of them were too tired to talk.
The daytime labor was quite strenuous, and everyone wanted to go to bed early, but Xue Mei giving birth was a big deal, so food definitely needed to be prepared.
Grandma Yan felt sorry for the children and told Southwest to take Tang Xiaoling back to wash up and go to bed. Hot water was already prepared. Bei Nan and Yan Xiaoqiang couldn't stay awake any longer and washed up and went to bed too. Only Yan Xiaonan couldn't bear to see Grandma working alone, so she helped watch the chicken soup.
Grandma Yan knew her little darling's temperament well; if she didn't sleep, the child wouldn't sleep either. So she simply added more water to the chicken soup and simmered it over low heat until the next morning.
Yan Xiaonan then washed up and went to sleep, sleeping very soundly. However, she was preoccupied with something, so she was easily awakened by the slightest noise in the main room.
Grandma had already gotten up and was kneading dough to make steamed buns. Yan Xiaonan quickly got up to brush her teeth and wash her face, then fed the chickens and cooked the pig feed on another makeshift stove.
When Yan Xiaoqiang got up, Bei Nan was already feeding the pigs, Tang Xiaoling was already washing clothes and cleaning the yard, and Xinan was eating breakfast. After he finished eating, he was going to deliver the food to the hospital.
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