Plant corn and beans, keep the good ones for people to eat, and use the chaff, bean pods and other scraps to feed the pigs.
If you're diligent in the fall, you can go up the mountain and collect some wild berries or something similar; they're good for feeding pigs.
Hearing his mother say this, Sheng Xiping couldn't help but laugh, "Mom, with you taking care of so many things, how can the family manage?"
Things aren't like they used to be. Our second and third sons aren't home, and we have two kids, Xinhua and Xinyu, who can't be left alone. Don't do too much work; you won't be able to manage."
Sheng Liancheng and Zhang Shuzhen are not young anymore, and they still have to take care of two children.
Sheng Xiping was worried that his family was too busy raising pigs and chickens and farming, and that his parents would be exhausted.
"It's alright, we've only just begun. Look at your grandparents, they're so old, but they're still keeping busy."
"I'm getting old and can't stay idle. It's good to have something to do." Zhang Shuzhen waved her hand, she knew what she was doing.
Just then, they heard a commotion outside. Sheng Xinhua leaned out the window and excitedly called out, "Doggy, doggy!"
Looking out through the frosted glass window, I saw several dogs running in from outside, followed by two people carrying something into the yard.
"Oh dear, it's my eldest and second eldest brothers who brought the dog back."
Sheng Xiping hurriedly got up and went outside. When he opened the door, he saw Liu Yujiang and Liu Yuhe carrying sacks.
"Xiping, how are you? I heard there was a car accident at your forest farm and quite a few people were injured?"
My parents were worried, so they sent us to check on things, return the dog, and bring some New Year's gifts for my uncle and aunt.
As soon as Liu Yujiang saw Sheng Xiping open the door and come out, he hurriedly asked.
Sheng Xiping returned to work at the labor team and has been busy since autumn, so naturally he has no time to hunt.
It wouldn't do for the dog to stay away from the mountains for too long. Just then, the brothers Liu Yujiang and Liu Yuhe finished their work with the agricultural team and were staying home to hibernate in the winter, so they borrowed the Sheng family's dog and took it up the mountain to hunt.
With the New Year fast approaching, the Liu brothers could no longer go hunting in the mountains, and moreover, they couldn't let the borrowed dog spend the New Year at the Liu family's house.
So we sent it back, and while we were at it, we also brought some things to the Sheng family and came to visit them.
"Big brother, second brother, I'm fine. I just lost a ring on my arm and bumped into something a few times. It's nothing serious."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Xiping quickly replied.
"Big brother, second brother, hurry up and come inside. It's okay if the dogs aren't leashed; they won't run around once they're home."
As Sheng Xiping spoke, he ushered the Liu brothers into the house.
Liu Yujiang and Liu Yuhe carried the sacks into the house and placed them directly on the kitchen floor.
"Auntie, there's some meat in here, along with millet, sticky rice cakes, frozen tofu, and a little bit of everything. Keep it for the New Year."
Just then, Zhang Shuzhen came out of the inner room, and Liu Yujiang hurriedly said.
"Oh dear, look, we just sent a lot of meat home a few days ago, and now we've sent over all this food."
"It's not easy for you two brothers to go hunting in the mountains, why are you just sending things here? Keep them for yourselves."
When Zhang Shuzhen saw that the two sacks on the ground were more than half full and contained a lot of things, she immediately felt guilty.
“Auntie, why are you being so polite with us? It would be pointless if we kept talking like this between our two families.” Liu Yujiang laughed when he heard this.
Zhang Shuzhen and her son smiled and ushered the Liu brothers into the inner room. The two brothers didn't stand on ceremony, took off their shoes, sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and chatted with the Sheng family.
"Sister-in-law, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, Principal Wang would never have agreed to let my eldest son study in Qianchuan."
Liu Yujiang nodded to Zhou Qinglan and smiled.
Liu Yujiang's eldest son, Liu Qiang, is eight years old this year (by Chinese reckoning) and will start first grade in the fall.
There is also a primary school in Dajianchang, but there are few residents, and enrollment is only once every two years. Moreover, the teaching quality of rural primary schools is simply not good.
Influenced by the Sheng family, the Liu brothers place great importance on their children's education.
They felt that if their child stayed at Dajianchang to study, it would be a waste of time because the school wasn't accepting students this year and the child would have to start school next year.
Another problem is that the teaching at Dajianchang is not good, and there is no middle school there. In a few years, I will have to go to Donggang to attend junior high school, which is too troublesome.
So Liu Yujiang asked Zhou Qinglan for a favor and asked him to discuss with the primary and secondary schools in Qianchuan whether he could attend school in Qianchuan.
Logically speaking, Qianchuan Primary and Secondary School is a forestry-affiliated school, which only admits children of forestry workers and not children of agricultural teams.
However, because of Zhou Qinglan's influence, Principal Wang agreed without hesitation.
Liu Qiang will come to study in the first grade in the fall. He will receive the same treatment as the children in the forest farm and will not need to pay any additional fees.
Because of Zhou Qinglan's influence, the school teachers took special care of Liu Qiang. Sheng Xitai even told the children at the forest farm that he was his nephew and no one was allowed to bully him.
After school, the teacher would usually let Liu Qiang do his homework at school for a while, and then Sheng Xitai would come to pick him up after school and take him back to the Dajianchang.
At the end of the semester, Liu Qiang got perfect scores on both tests. The teacher kept praising the child, saying that he was smart, loved learning, and was a promising student.
The Liu family was very happy and kept saying they wanted to thank Zhou Qinglan. They felt they had the perfect opportunity to express their gratitude in person.
"Brother, you're being too formal."
"Xiaoqiang is just like our child. It's only a matter of a few words for him to come to the forest farm to study. It's not worth your brother mentioning it so often." Zhou Qinglan laughed when she heard this.
"Second brother, your son Xiaopeng will be starting elementary school the year after next, right?"
"When the time comes, Xiping and I will talk to Principal Wang and ask him to let Xiaopeng study here too, so he can keep Xiaoqiang company."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
