Under the scorching sun, Zhang's mother did not take her daughter-in-law and children to the village to chat as outsiders expected. They were all busy working in the fields to earn work points. Who had the time to spare in broad daylight?
Led by Xizi and her group of children, they found the Zhang family halfway up the mountain. When Zhang Guoqing left the village, the men were busy chopping wood, while the women and children were picking wild vegetables.
Daqing Mountain is rich in wild vegetable resources, with a wide variety of varieties and high yields. Hearing that there was no danger nearby, Zhang's mother asked her husband to take everyone up the mountain to have a look.
Compared with spring wild vegetables, there are many wild vegetables that can be picked now, such as dandelions, shepherd's purse, winter vegetables, big girl vegetables, small garlic, mustard greens, etc.
These can be pickled or dried, and can even be used as a dish in winter. For Zhang's mother, who manages her household frugally, it is better to do something practical than to chat.
The women in the woods were busy harvesting, while the men near the outskirts were chopping dead branches and watching the fun. Of course, the one who caught their eye was the little one.
Xiao Ping'an took his own bow and arrow, and he would "whoosh" it wherever he saw any unusual movement. Except for the occasional escaped hare, he would hit the target nine times out of ten.
That wasn't all. He would often take out small stones from his messenger backpack and throw them at snakes and insects on tree branches and in the grass. His actions made Zhang's father grin from ear to ear.
Zhang Laoer cut off the dead branches, took a breath, and shouted loudly: "Ping An, do you want to rest for a while?"
"Not tired."
"Then come and help uncle chop down trees. I'll make you a beautiful box."
Ping An ran up to him and shook his head with a smile, "Uncle, you still have to go to work. Making boxes is too hard. And my dad won't let me cut down trees. Do you know why?"
The people around Zhang Laoer stopped curiously and asked, "Oh?"
"My dad said that because the soil beneath the trees on the mountain is different, the direction of the tree's fall will deviate and you might get hit if you're not careful. He didn't allow me to cut down trees before I was ten."
Zhang Guofu asked with great interest, "Besides this, what else did your father teach you?"
"That's all. He said that when I grow up and learn from books, many things will become clear to me," Ping An replied with a smile. He thought his answer was probably correct. His father had indeed said that, but the other things were their family secrets, and he didn't intend to tell the truth.
Zhang Guofu nodded repeatedly. "He's right. This also involves calculating the distance between trees and the angles between them. Don't underestimate felling trees. People get injured every year at the forest farm."
Ping An blinked his big eyes and nodded obediently. His father had explained this to him in detail, even showing him how to calculate it. But it was a secret!
"Uncle, why don't we set up a forest farm here?" Ping An pointed to the distance, "There's a large birch forest on the hill over there, and there are also larch trees over there."
Zhang Guofu shook his head. "That's a no-man's land. Going further over there is Lin County, and behind it is the neighboring province. There's a large farm at the foot of the mountain in the neighboring province."
Ping An's eyes flashed when he heard this, and a confused expression appeared on his face. He was still young, how could he understand?
"Brother, he doesn't understand what you're saying. Your uncle's point is that setting up a forest farm here requires consultation between the two provinces. But the Northeast doesn't lack mountains, so no one wants to mess around with that."
Ping An nodded at Zhang Lao Er with amusement, waved and ran away, "I'm going to play."
When Zhang Dad saw him coming, he said cheerfully, "Go play with your brothers."
"No, I'll try to kill a few more rabbits for my grandma. My dad said my grandma likes to dry wild animals and save them to eat slowly. It would be best if she could fill up the small warehouse."
Zhang's father laughed heartily, pinched his little arm, and asked him distressedly, "Does it hurt? She killed a lot of wild animals the other day, enough to fill her warehouse."
Ping An smiled and shook his head. "No. Grandpa, wait a minute. In a couple of days, I'll ask my dad to take me up the mountain. I'll hunt deer and goats and make hot pot for you this winter. Have a sip of wine, eat a piece of meat, and you'll be warm and happy."
Zhang's mother, who was digging for small garlic bulbs, heard her husband's laughter in the distance and shook her head. The old man was laughing so happily, and I didn't know what treasure he had found.
She glanced at her eldest daughter-in-law who was picking wild vegetables with her butt sticking out in front of her, and remembered what she heard in the kitchen that morning. Her heart suddenly tightened. It seemed that she had to hurry up on this matter.
Mother Zhang pretended not to know and slowly approached her eldest daughter-in-law. "Don't try too hard. Take your time."
Huang Cuilan smiled and shook her head, "Mom, I'm not tired. You take a rest first."
"Your hair is neatly cut today. I have three pieces of floral fabric. You three sisters-in-law can each make a gown. The material is breathable..."
"Mom, I don't want it. Give it to them. I'm almost a grandmother, and the color is too bright. I can't wear it." Huang Cuilan refused without waiting for her to finish.
"Huang Juan is older than you, right? She wears it! The light little flower pattern isn't too eye-catching and complements your hair shape. Wear it more while you're still young. Look, I'm old now. No matter how much I like it, I can't wear it. What a pity."
Lin Juhua noticed their conversation and rubbed against Zhang's mother. "Mom, you're not old. I think the white shirt with blue print that Jiaojiao sent you last time is perfect. Why don't you wear it?"
It would have been fine if she hadn't said anything, but when she did, Zhang's mother was heartbroken. Such fine material, it would be a shame not to wear it, otherwise she'd look like an old witch if she wore it. Giving it to her eldest daughter, she wouldn't want it. Giving it to someone else, she wouldn't want to. As for giving it to her two daughters-in-law? Forget it! It was a gift from her younger daughters-in-law to show her filial piety. She wasn't foolish enough to squander her children's filial piety.
What kind of personality does her own Jiaojiao have? She can see clearly. That child is sincere to her elder sister, and no amount of money is too much, while to this elder sister-in-law, it is just a favor for face.
Thinking of her eldest daughter-in-law's two younger siblings, who were stingy and always liked to bring up her parents' house, Zhang's mother lost interest for a moment. No one was stupid, it was just that the second eldest daughter-in-law's family was used to being carefree. Jiaojiao, on the other hand, didn't take such a person seriously. Otherwise, given the eldest daughter-in-law's way of dealing with people, even the best sisters-in-law would have resentment and hatred.
"Mom, my two aunts sent so many eggs. What do you think I should give them in return? We still have two coupons for a pound of sugar. Can we add some cakes?"
Look, this is the difference!
The eldest sister came back early last night. She had clearly heard about this, but she didn't mention whether she needed to return the gift. Instead, it was her younger sister-in-law who came back today who spoke up.
If it weren't for the long-standing bond between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Zhang's mother would have wanted to just give up. "You only accept favors and don't return them. When your eldest son has to deal with so many favors, how can this woman handle it?"
Zhang's mother noticed from the corner of her eye that her eldest daughter-in-law paused while digging wild vegetables, and she sighed inwardly. This child's temper needed to be improved, otherwise the couple would have a lot of trouble in the future.
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