Chen Hong returned to the bedroom, and Yu Yang had just opened his eyes. Seeing his mother standing in front of him, he gave her a sweet smile: "Mom, I want to get up."
"Okay, come on, get dressed first," Chen Hong helped her son get dressed. "Go pee first, then come back and wash your face and brush your teeth. There'll be something delicious for you this morning!"
As Yu Yang ran outside, he turned back to ask his mother, "What's delicious?"
"Mom caught a big lobster while beachcombing today, which is perfect for you. I've already cooked it. Go wash up and come back for dinner."
Chen Hong returned to the kitchen, opened the pot lid, and took out the large lobsters. The lobsters had turned red and emitted a strong aroma. She added minced ginger, light soy sauce, aged vinegar, and sesame oil to make a sauce, and then brought it to the dining table.
My son has finished washing up and is sitting at the table. "Look at your favorite lobster. You can eat it with Grandpa and Dad."
"We won't eat it, we'll give it to the children."
"This shrimp is quite big, enough for everyone. Come on, let's give Grandpa and Dad the shrimp head first. Look how tender the meat is!"
Chen Hong opened the shrimp shell and said, "Baby, eat this shrimp tail. It's so plump. Here, dip it in some sauce."
"Wow, this is delicious! It's only at home that I can eat such fresh seafood. In Jinan, no matter how much money you spend, you can't buy seafood this fresh. If you want to eat seafood, you have to go back to your hometown." Yu Hai crunched on the lobster shell.
The breakfast was fragrant, delicious, and nutritious. The whole family devoured it in no time, and there wasn't even a need to clean the bowls: they were all clean.
After breakfast, Yu's father and Yu Hai made preparations for going to the orchard. They were going to pick all the pears today, and expected to harvest 6,000 to 7,000 catties of pears.
Each fruit basket weighs 50 jin (25 catties), requiring more than a hundred baskets. Yu's father took out a large bundle of rope from the storage room, and together with Yu Hai, they stacked the fruit baskets into several piles, arranged them, and tied them to the small cart with rope. They would then take them to the orchard to load the pears.
Chen Hong quickly cleared away the dishes and chopsticks, washed the dishes and pots, cleaned the kitchen, tidied up the bedroom, cleaned the house, poured the cooled boiled water into several large kettles, and draped a towel over her shoulder.
He filled a water jug with a bamboo basket, took two packs of cigarettes from the house, carried the bamboo basket in his left hand and a sickle in his right, changed into a pair of rubber shoes and was about to go out. "Dad, you stay home and take care of Yangyang. When you have time, cook a pot of mung bean soup. Don't take the child to the orchard. His skin is delicate, and he might get stung by the caterpillars."
"Okay, I was thinking of helping you with the baskets and crates. Can you finish picking today?"
"We can finish picking them all. With my uncle and his wife, that's eight people in total. If we're quick, we can finish by morning. This afternoon we'll just be packing and weighing them. We've hired some really good workers; they'll get the job done very fast. I'll go home at 11 o'clock to cook. If you're hungry, baby, there are snacks in the TV cabinet in the main room. Have some first. Drink plenty of water at home. There's cooled boiled water in the water glass. Be careful when you pour water; don't break the glass. Cuts in the glass will bleed. Listen to Grandpa, be careful, and wait patiently for Mommy to come home."
Chen Hong and Yu Yang were talking as they pushed the cart towards the orchard together. "Mom, I'll be good. I'll also help feed the chicks and collect eggs. I can do a lot of work," Yu Yang said to his mother as he watched her leave.
"Good son, I'll make you a sunny-side-up egg when I get home. You're great. Mom's off now."
"The dew hasn't completely dried yet, the ground is a bit slippery, watch your step," Chen Hong instructed Yu Hai.
"It's alright, I'm keeping an eye on it. There wasn't any wind this morning, but it will pick up soon and the dew will dry quickly. What time will Uncle and the others arrive? What should we do first?" Yu Hai asked Chen Hong.
"Hehe, it's only been a few years, and you've already forgotten how to do farm work. No wonder you don't want to go back to the village. Your uncle and the others will arrive at 8:30. They're all experienced and know exactly when to start working."
"I haven't worked for years, I've forgotten!" Yu Hai mumbled.
"I'll clear the grass under the pear trees first. You take the fruit baskets off the cart. Spread the baskets out evenly, putting 3-4 baskets under each tree. After you've finished picking, weigh the fruit and put it directly into the baskets."
"Give me the sickle, I'm strong, I'll do the grass cutting."
"Okay, go ahead and cut it. Let's see if you can still do it." Chen Hong looked at Yu Hai's posture while cutting grass, which was awkward and funny, like a burly man fiddling with an embroidery needle.
Chen Hong quickly arranged the fruit baskets evenly under the pear trees, then spread soft green grass evenly on the bottom of the baskets to prevent the pears from getting damaged.
When Chen Hong finished, she looked back and saw Yu Hai straightening up and rubbing his back, then moving his fingers that were holding the sickle and shaking them. "Yu Hai, are you alright? Are you tired?" Chen Hong asked with a smile.
"Don't you know that a man should never say no? Is it because we're divorced that you're starting to retaliate against me and deliberately slander me?"
Yu Hai thought to himself, "I'm fine, I'm not tired. It's just that I'm a little rusty from not doing it for so long. I'll get used to it after a while. Don't worry, I'll finish cutting this whole patch for you in another half hour." Yu Hai replied loudly.
"You little brat, I'll teach you to be so proud that you suffer for it. I'll make sure your hands are covered in blisters in a minute."
Chen Hong thought to herself: We're getting a divorce anyway, I don't want Yu Hai to have the chance to suffer the ravages of farm work again. Not bad, not bad, I'm delighted! He thinks he's done something amazing by handing over a thousand yuan a month, but now he can enjoy the pleasures of farm work too, haha, why do I feel like I've become bad? Chen Hong laughed out loud.
"Then hurry up, your uncle and the others will be here soon. We need to clean up under the tree before they arrive."
"Don't rush me, don't rush me, it'll be done soon." Yu Hai replied while working busily, so busy that he didn't even get up to massage his back or stretch his fingers. He swung the sickle quickly, cutting the grass with a swish, swish, swish.
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