Chapter 572 Chapter 573: Rumors
Zhou Huaian was about to go to his eldest brother's house when he saw Xu Hongbing walking over hurriedly with a basket on his back. "Old Xu, your kid is running so fast. Whose corn did you steal again?"
Xu Hongbing rested his hands on his thighs, looked at him breathlessly and waved at him, "Come here!"
Zhou Huaian walked up to him, and Xu Hongbing lowered his voice, "I came to find you as soon as I heard the news, and your kid laughed at me!"
Zhou Huaian was startled, "What happened?"
Xu Hongbing leaned close to his ear and said, "Someone said your third sister-in-law went out to hide. You should find a way to solve this problem quickly, otherwise it will be troublesome."
Zhou Huaian was stunned, "Which bastard told you that?"
Xu Hongbing: "My mother went to return the sieve to Zhou Dalin's house and heard what Zhou Sufang said to her sister-in-law. My mother said that some people in the village had suspected it a long time ago, but they kept silent because your family helped everyone by collecting herbs and truffles.
If this is true, you should find a solution quickly. The Xiong family is not a good family. Since they are talking about this, it will be troublesome soon. "
Zhou Huaian understood that Xu Hongbing had good intentions. He stroked his chin and thought quickly, "Old Xu, go back and tell Auntie, just say..."
Xu Hongbing nodded repeatedly after hearing this. "That's a good idea! I'll tell my mom when I get home!"
"Thanks!" Zhou Huaian patted his shoulder, "I'll treat you to a drink after the rice seedlings are planted!"
"Tsk! You're still being polite to me!" Xu Hongbing rolled his eyes at him, waved goodbye and left.
Zhou Huaian also went to Zhou Huairong's house. There were several baskets in the yard, and Old Chen and others who came to help were also waiting there. Everyone was wearing straw hats, ready to go to work.
He glanced at Zhou Huaishan and didn't say anything about what had just happened.
"Here you are!" Zhou's father handed him a sickle that he had sent to the town's knife sharpener a few days ago. "Go back and change into long-sleeved clothes and put on a straw hat."
Zhou Huaian nodded, "How many acres of wheat have been sown? Can it be harvested tomorrow?"
"You still think you're the head of the family? You don't even know how many acres of wheat you have sown!" Father Zhou glared at him in disapproval. "There are twelve acres in total, two acres for your family, plus your uncle Chen and his family, a total of nine strong laborers, we'll finish harvesting tomorrow and do the early work."
Zhou Huaian smiled apologetically and said, "With you and my brother around, it doesn't matter whether I intervene or not."
"You run faster than anyone else when you go out to play, but you run away when I call you to work!" Zhou's father smiled and patted him, "Hurry up and put on your straw hat and go to work!
"Okay!" Zhou Huaian felt that the old man's temper was a little different from before. If it were before, he would definitely be beaten with a cigarette today.
Instead of scolding him, he smiled and patted him. This had never happened before.
Zhou's father's thoughts now are really different from before. He has been very careful in the village over the years and tried not to offend anyone. In the end, not only did no one take him, Zhou Dasong, seriously, but those with evil hearts also came to step on him from time to time.
Ever since the youngest brother became capable, the villagers' attitude towards them has changed. Before, people would not even bother to respond when they spoke, but now when they go out, they will come over and say hello when they see them from afar.
It has only been about half a year, and Zhou Dasong is still the same, but other people's attitudes are different.
No wonder the old man used to say that if you have no ability when you are young, you have to rely on your children when you are old. If your children can’t stand up, they will never be able to straighten their backs in their entire lives!
Zhou Huaian took the straw hat given by Zhao Huifang and put it on. The group went to the old house and pushed the chicken bus towards the back mountain.
The wheat ears on more than ten acres of land shine with golden light under the dazzling sunlight. The breeze blows through the wheat waves, and the wheat fragrance is intoxicating.
Zhou Huairong said happily: "Old man, the wheat is good this year, the harvest should be good!"
"Yes!" Father Zhou smiled with wrinkles all over his face. "Next year, plant a few more acres."
Zhou Huaian looked bitter after hearing this, but he didn't dare to object, because what he hated most was harvesting wheat.
There is an old saying in the countryside: men are afraid of harvesting wheat, and women are afraid of confinement. If you can compare harvesting wheat with giving birth, the pain is extraordinary.
Old Chen said with a smile: "Da Song, you come and make the first move."
"Okay!" Father Zhou put the tea he was carrying on the potato field next to him, took the serrated sickle handed over by Zhou Huairong, walked to the wheat field, spread his legs, bent down, stretched out his left hand to gather the wheat in front of him, and used the sickle with his right hand to follow the roots of the wheat, and with a "swish!" he cut off a handful of wheat stalks close to the ground and put them behind him.
After the sickle season started, everyone stood in a row in the wheat field, waving their sickles. The wheat field was filled with the sound of "Swish! Swish!", which was the sound of wheat stalks being cut by sickles. Piles of wheat stalks fell neatly in the wheat field.
Zhou Huaian was quite efficient when he first started cutting the wheat field, but when he reached the center of the field, his movements slowed down.
The scorching sun shone on my vest and head. I could feel my skin burning even through my clothes and hat. Sweat ran down my neck. My whole body was itchy from the wheat awns, and my hands were covered with scratches from the wheat awns.
It didn't take long for a dozen strong laborers to harvest an acre of wheat. Zhou Huaian and Zhou Huairong picked up the wheat stalks, tied them up, and put them on the chicken cart.
"Youngest, do you push the chicken bus or carry the load?"
"I'd better just push the chicken bus." Zhou Huaian said as he put the straps tied to the rafters on his shoulders and pushed the chicken bus back with a "creak, creak" sound.
Zhou Huairong was carrying a load of wheat and called out from behind, "Youngest, the wheat from these two mu of land belongs to your family. Send it back and spread it out in the yard to dry. We'll thresh it this afternoon."
"Got it!" Zhou Huaian pushed the chicken cart back sweating profusely, feeling that no matter what he did, it would not be as hard as harvesting wheat during the busy farming season. Fortunately, it only took a little over a day. If he had one more day, he would rather plant the wheat himself next year.
Zhou Huairong was behind him. Seeing him pushing the chicken bus very fast, he said with a smile, "The youngest one has trained well now. He works more efficiently than me!"
Zhou Huaian turned around and rolled his eyes, "Brother, stop flattering me. I have a son now, and I have to set a good example for him no matter what!"
"Hahaha!" Zhou Huairong laughed after hearing this. "I know you don't like harvesting wheat, so I asked you to push the chicken bus."
Zhou Huaian stopped and looked at him, "Brother, you know I don't like it, why did you still ask me to go? How about I go into the mountains to dig herbs tomorrow, and we can split the money equally?"
"That's great!" Zhou Huairong said with a smile, "Tell the old man when you're done!"
"Tsk~" Zhou Huaian curled his lips at him and pushed the chicken bus forward.
Zhou Huairong watched him walk forward without touching the ground, smiled and shook his head, "This guy is really a money-grubber. He would rather go into the mountains to dig herbs and roam around than work at home."
Zhou Huaian entered the yard, put the chicken bus aside, took off his hat and fanned himself, "It's so hot, it's not a life for human beings."
Zhang Xiuxiang laughed and said, "Youngest, it's only the first trip and you're already humming! Go to your wine cellar and cool down. We'll call you after we're done unloading!"
"Aren't you afraid that Xiao Jiuer will laugh at you?" Yang Chunyan smiled and glared at him, "Go get some hot water and wipe it, and it will stop itching."
"Yeah!" Zhou Huaian put down his hat and walked towards the kitchen. He opened the lid of the steel pot, scooped out a basin of hot water, put it on the washstand, and said to Zhou Huairong who came in with a shoulder pole, "Brother, come and wash."
Zhou Huairong put down his burden and saw that the basin was filled with hot water. "Is your coal stove still burning?"
Zhou Huaian felt much better after wiping it, "Yeah! Since Chunyan was in confinement, the family has been burning coal stoves. It is convenient to use hot water to wash Xiaojiuer."
Yang Chunyan and her two sisters-in-law unloaded the wheat from the chicken cart and the basket, and spread the wheat ears in thin rows in the yard.
The dew on the wheat harvested at noon had long dried up. After being exposed to the sun for an entire afternoon, the wheat ears were hit a few times with a flail, and without much effort, the golden wheat grains came out.
The old man came over from the backyard pushing the cradle. Seeing the wheat in the yard, he said happily, "In two days, we can grind it into flour and make steamed buns for eating."
Zhao Huifang said: "It is better to send it to Fangtian Rice Mill. The flour ground by the machine is fine and does not contain much bran."
Yang Chunyan thought that many people with high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure in later generations still eat cakes made from wheat bran, "mixed flour cakes that are ground finer and steamed will taste better."
It is recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica: "Bran and wheat bran have the same nature as floating wheat, but their antiperspirant effect is inferior to floating wheat because floating wheat has no meat." Because of its sweet, light and flat nature, it has always occupied an important position in the field of Chinese medicine preparation.
Wheat bran is cool in nature and sweet in taste. It is rich in dietary fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis, moisten the intestines and relieve constipation. Wheat bran is also rich in B vitamins, which can promote the body's metabolism...
Zhou's mother also brought Zhou Xiaolin to see the harvested wheat. "We still have brown sugar at home. When the flour is ground, I will make brown sugar buns for you to eat."
"Grandma," Zhou Xiaolin looked up at her, "I like eating big buns."
"Okay, eat the big buns. I'll ask your old man to go grind flour in two days." Mother Zhou put her down and went to help.
Zhou Xiaolin went to the main hall door to look for Xiao Jiuer to play with. She saw him sleeping soundly with his belly bulging, pouting, "It's not fun to play. Little brother is not fun at all. I want to go back to find my sister."
Zhou's mother quickly put down the straw again, and when she saw that she had gone home, she came back and said to the others angrily: "Before coming here, I went to the brigade to buy salt, and I met Lao Chen buying kerosene there. She said that some people in the village said that Lao San had forgotten his roots after making money.
Disliked Qiuyue for giving birth to two daughters, he wanted to divorce her and find someone who could give birth to a son. The couple quarreled every day, and a few days ago they had a big fight. Qiuyue was so angry that she took all the money in the family and went back to her parents' home. "
Yang Chunyan's first reaction was that Li Qiuyue asked Zhou Huaishan to say this on purpose. She also felt that even if they wanted to do this, they would definitely mention it to their family. Judging from Zhou's mother's expression, she seemed to be completely unaware of it.
If this is the case, the person who spread the rumor clearly wanted to ruin Zhou Huaishan's reputation!
She suddenly remembered that during the Shanmao incident, Zhou Huaian heard Ma Chunhua scolding Li Chuntao, and her heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Zhou Huaishan and Li Chuntao were secretly in contact?
Since ancient times, adultery has resulted in death, and mistresses can do anything when they become jealous.
She thought about waiting for Zhou Huaian to come back and ask him to ask Xu Hongbing. He should know from whom the news came out.
(End of this chapter)
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