Gu Zhixuan felt inexplicably excited when he saw his sister arrive, and greeted Jiang Qiao in a low voice.
"Qiao'er, you don't need to strain so much. Zhihong and I are here for you."
Upon seeing her older cousin, Jiang Qiao noticed that the boy had unexpectedly grown taller again; when she left, he didn't seem to be that tall.
He grinned at Gu Zhixuan and said, "You too, there are so many people here, don't tire yourself out."
Gu Zhixuan smiled and shook his head, saying in a low voice, "The two of us can't do it. This area is our family's responsibility. This time, the work is done on a family basis, with each family responsible for a section. Since there are fewer people in our family, we can't do more."
Jiang Qiao now admires Jiang Xiuqi. This guy is quite clever. With this trick, those who want to slack off can forget about it. Whether they finish their work or not is their own business. After a quick look, it's clear who did a good job and who did a bad job. There's really no way to fool anyone.
Nodding, she quickened her pace. Fortunately, she hadn't stopped exercising in the past two years, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to do this job. Just the bending over and lowering her head was something that most city people couldn't endure. Now she began to sigh. If we're talking about being tired, farmers are actually the most tired. Otherwise, the ancients wouldn't have written such a famous line as "Who knows that every grain on the plate is the result of hard work?"
Even so, Jiang Qiao was still left far behind, something she had to admit was true; brute force alone really wasn't enough.
Gu Hanting had rested enough, so he quickly came over to take over for his granddaughter. The girl was a strong-willed person, and he was worried that even if she was tired, she wouldn't say a word.
After Jiang Qiao handed the sickle to Gu Hanting, she turned around and found someone eating raw corn. They must be starving. She was worried about whether their teeth could handle it.
Gu Hanting chuckled when he heard his granddaughter muttering. "They're eating corn cobs. It's edible, not poisonous. You can also call it corn cob. It's a delicious dish. But right now, as long as we can fill our stomachs, who cares about how delicious it is? Girl, go to your Grandpa Qiao's place."
Gu Hanting also had his concerns. This child had been constantly associated with their family, and he was afraid that others would suspect something. He didn't want his granddaughter to be implicated because of his family's class background.
Jiang Qiao didn't leave either. "Grandpa, don't worry, I'm just here to help. Let whoever wants to say something say what they want."
Besides, who dares to say I don't know? This year's harvest is still poor, and we'll be short of food again next year.
After saying that, she started shelling corn. This part was all assigned to the Gu family to do. If she didn't do it, her grandfather, brothers, and younger brothers would do it. If she did more, the rest of the family would have an easier time.
After Qiao Jie finished treating everyone's illnesses, he also came over to help Jiang Qiao.
The old man sighed as he worked, "They're all extremely malnourished. They're only holding on because of the excitement of the autumn harvest. I reckon a bunch of them will definitely collapse after the harvest."
Jiang Qiao asked without looking up, "What can we do? It's like this everywhere. What can we do? I really hope that every year will have good weather and a bountiful harvest—"
These are Jiang Qiao's true feelings. In her previous life, she fought for this country so that the people could live a good life.
But looking at what was in front of her, she felt nothing but hatred. Why was God so blind? This nation, already burdened with so many disasters, had to continue to tormenting the people of this land in this way.
Unfortunately, this was just her internal monologue; God couldn't hear her complaints.
The grandfather and grandson chatted casually. Jiang Xiuqi walked over with his hands behind his back and was particularly enthusiastic when he saw Jiang Qiao and the old man. The old man told him his worries.
Jiang Xiuqi sighed, "I'm worried too. There are no more small fish and shrimp in the river. Where can we get them to nourish everyone?"
Jiang Qiao looked up and asked, "Then where does the water for irrigating your fields come from? Don't tell me it's from the river. It doesn't rain, and there's not much water in the river."
Speaking of this, Jiang Xiuqi spoke eloquently, "To be honest, we can only irrigate our fields because the waterworks releases water from their reservoir. However, they don't release water every day. It doesn't rain much anyway. They only release water when it's time to farm or when there's a severe drought, because they also have to supply water to the city."
What, you're thinking about that? Girl, that's government property—"
Jiang Qiao looked up at Jiang Xiuqi and said, "He's almost dying, and you're still worrying about public and private matters. This country belongs to the people. What's wrong with going there to catch some fish? Are there people watching over that place every day?"
Jiang Xiuqi shook his head. "No, it's not that. After all, it's a public company, so it all depends on everyone's self-discipline."
Jiang Qiao chuckled, "Uncle, then just secretly log off before dark and log off early in the morning."
Jiang Xiuqi looked at Jiang Qiao and suddenly smiled. This girl always gave him a sense of surprise because she never played by the rules. But that was fine; he liked dealing with people like her.
"Alright, I understand. I'll arrange for someone to go right away. Or, you two can come along and take a look too."
Jiang Qiao nodded, "Okay, maybe we can catch fish right after we cast the net."
Qiao Jie smiled and shook his head. He hadn't expected this girl to come up with such an idea. But then again, Jiang Qiao had been going to the seaside for a long time, so she should have more experience fishing than these people who farm every day.
"Girl, I'll go and relieve your grandfather. You go and replace your older brother."
Jiang Qiao nodded and glanced at Zhihong, who was still far behind her. Although he was young, the little guy kept his bottom sticking out and didn't lift his head while working. It made her feel sorry for him. If her uncle and aunt were still alive, they would probably feel sorry for this child as well.
Instead of going directly to replace Zhixuan, she went to Zhihong's position, took out some food from her bag, and covered for him, saying, "Eat quickly and drink some water."
Zhihong looked up and saw Jiang Qiao. He happily called out "Sister!" and then took the things Jiang Qiao handed him. Without any hesitation, he sat down on the corn stalks and started eating.
Fortunately, Jiang Qiao has been sending things over these past few days, otherwise the three of them would probably be exhausted. The little guy is most happy to see Jiang Qiao now. With this older sister around, it seems like nothing can stump her.
"Sister, Uncle wrote a letter saying he'll be coming to visit us in a few days."
Jiang Qiao smiled and nodded, "I received the letter too. When my dad comes, I'll bring you some delicious food."
Zhihong nodded excitedly, "Sis, you didn't know, did you? Big brother is in high school now."
Jiang Qiao was surprised. Good heavens, she had only disappeared for half a year, and her older brother had given her such a big surprise.
"You passed the exam?"
Zhihong nodded as he ate, and only after he swallowed his food did he speak, "I originally wanted to go to junior high school, but Grandpa said I was too young and wouldn't let me. We were all taught by Grandpa. If my older brother can do it, I can too. I want to go to high school in the future."
Jiang Qiao patted his head and said, "Okay, I'll catch some fish for you later. We'll have a good meal tonight. Eating fish makes you smarter, and then my little brother can go to college too."
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