This morning, none of the children lingered in bed; they all got up very quickly, dressed, and washed their faces.
Sheng Liancheng and Sheng Xiping, who had been busy in the vegetable garden since early morning, also came back and washed their hands.
The family sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), each holding a golden, oily flatbread.
Each person also has two bowls in front of them, filled with chicken, mushrooms and vermicelli.
There's no other way; there are many children in the family, so any good food has to be shared.
Otherwise, these brats would never stop eating; they wouldn't consider it finished until they'd completely devoured the entire pot of food.
Sheng Liancheng and Sheng Xiping both have to bring their own meals when they go to work, so they have to set aside some for themselves.
How much meat can a pheasant have? It's just for the flavor; the main food is mushrooms and vermicelli.
Today's stewed chicken uses matsutake mushrooms, which locals also call frozen mushrooms. Their scientific name is Pleurotus ostreatus. They have thick fruiting bodies, a good taste, and are considered a top-quality fungus, second only to Hericium erinaceus.
Soaked frozen mushrooms are stewed in chicken soup, absorbing the savory flavor of the broth. They are meaty and even tastier than chicken.
The glossy, chewy rice noodles have absorbed the flavors of chicken broth and mushrooms. One sip and you'll find them smooth, slippery, and incredibly delicious—you'll want to keep eating them.
"Delicious, so delicious," Sheng Xitai mumbled between slurping up the rice noodles.
"Hurry up and eat, stop nagging. With how long you dawdle while eating, you'll be late."
The two older sisters glanced at Sheng Xitai and couldn't help but wonder if it was a mistake to have stewed chicken this morning.
This kid, if he doesn't eat until he's stuffed, he might be late.
Sheng Xitai was so engrossed in eating that he didn't care about being late.
Mornings are rushed, and everyone else is busy with their own things, so everyone is making the most of their time to eat.
Besides, everyone's busy talking, who has time to talk?
While we were eating, the loudspeaker at the farm headquarters started broadcasting announcements.
The morning broadcast serves two purposes: firstly, to inform everyone about the current situation, and secondly, to remind everyone that it's almost time to go to work and to hurry up.
Sheng Xiping hurriedly finished his bowl of mushroom noodles, swallowed the last bite of flatbread, then put on his shoes and got out of bed to pack his things.
They have to take the commuter bus to clear away the saplings; they can't be late.
"Boss, this is your lunch."
Zhang Shuzhen chased after him and stuffed a pre-packed lunchbox and a white cloth bag into Sheng Xiping's shoulder pocket.
These days, ordinary people rarely see plastic bags. Even those who are particular about their food will wrap their dry rations in white cloth when they go up the mountain.
Some people, having nothing else to carry, simply throw the pancakes into their pockets and eat them with relish even when they're hungry.
As soon as Sheng Xiping saw the lunchbox, he knew that his mother must have packed the chicken and mushrooms for breakfast.
"Mom, I don't need to bring all that. I'll just bring some pickled vegetables, green onions, radishes, and the chicken. Keep the chicken for the three little ones."
When going up the mountain to work, there are so many people. He brought some good food. Should he share it with others or not?
They split the lunchbox, one chopstick for each person, and finished it without a second thought. Others didn't get to eat, and he didn't even get a bite.
I don't think we should separate them. We get along well with everyone, but if someone brings something delicious, they might eat it all by themselves.
"They're all at home, what can't they eat?"
Working up the mountain must be tiring, you need to eat something nutritious, otherwise you won't have the strength to work.
Bring some good food; share some with Zhou, the educated youth, at noon.
What Zhang Shuzhen really wanted to say was what came next.
She was afraid that her silly son didn't understand anything and only had ideas but no action.
"That girl left her parents to come to our little mountain village, and she eats in the canteen every day. Do you think the food in the canteen is any good, given how watery it is?"
After Zhang Shuzhen said that, Sheng Xiping could no longer say anything else.
"Oh, okay, then I'll take it with me."
To be honest, Sheng Xiping had considered what Zhang Shuzhen said.
But right now, his relationship with Zhou Qinglan is still undecided, and Sheng Xiping isn't in charge, so he can't very well give Zhou Qinglan things from his home.
After all, the Sheng family has a heavy burden, and their parents have had a tough time.
If he wants to pursue a girl, he should rely on his own abilities, not take things from his family.
Since his mother had spoken, Sheng Xiping readily agreed and casually put the lunchbox and white cloth bag into his pocket.
After that, he went to the vegetable garden and picked a few scallions and radishes, washed them, shook off the water, put them in his bag, and hurried out the door toward the bus stop at the farm headquarters.
There were quite a few people at the boarding point, including the group of educated youth and forestry workers.
These days are the busiest season for forestry production, and many plots of land in Qianchuan Forest Farm need to be afforested and tended.
So apart from a small number of people going up the mountain for timber production, everyone else was involved in forestry production.
Zhou Qinglan and Tang Fengying, along with other female educated youth, were chatting idly when someone with sharp eyes spotted Sheng Xiping walking towards them from a distance.
So he reached out and nudged Zhou Qinglan, teasingly saying, "Hey, your Captain Sheng is here."
Zhou Qinglan blushed and spat, "Pah, what nonsense are you talking about? How did it become my family's property?"
She said that, but she felt a sweet warmth in her heart and couldn't help but turn her head to look at Sheng Xiping.
Coincidentally, Sheng Xiping was also looking this way, and their eyes met.
Zhou Qinglan's heart pounded, her face burning hot, and she wanted to turn her head away so she wouldn't look at the other person.
But as soon as she turned her head away, she felt a little reluctant and looked at Sheng Xiping again.
On the other end, Sheng Xiping also noticed Zhou Qinglan's actions, and couldn't help but smile, his mood instantly improving.
However, there were many people around, so Sheng Xiping couldn't interact with Zhou Qinglan too much and just nodded at her.
Just then, someone saw Sheng Xiping, came over, and grabbed him by the neck.
"I heard you want Gao Haining's sister-in-law? Someone gave you a piece of soap?"
"You're quite something, kid. You won over this wild rose among the educated youth from Songjianghe so easily?"
The other party was a worker at the forest farm, five or six years older than Sheng Xiping, and already married.
People from the mountains are straightforward and love to joke. These married people are thick-skinned and can come up with all sorts of dirty jokes at will.
"Hey, when are you going to invite everyone to your wedding?"
"I'm telling you, you'd better hurry up and marry her so you can feel at ease. You're not married yet, you don't know what it's like to have a woman."
They just wanted to tease this young man, Sheng Xiping, and see how embarrassed and awkward these greenhorns would look.
It's a pity that Sheng Xiping, though he looks twenty, is actually a sixty-year-old man inside, with a thicker skin than anyone else.
You think you can make him blush with embarrassment with just a few words? You're overthinking it.
"We're still short of a matchmaker, aren't we? How about we ask my sister-in-law to help us out?"
Sheng Xiping remained calm and composed, saying...
"Hey, listen to this. This kid knows how to take advantage. He comes empty-handed and doesn't prepare anything, yet he wants to ask a matchmaker to arrange a marriage."
Upon hearing this, the other person burst into laughter, and the people around them joined in.
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