"Those who eat government food, teachers, doctors, and workers who have tickets!" Zhou Huaian glanced at them and said, "If you don't study hard, you won't be able to buy good food even if you have money in the future."
Zhou Xiaoqian nodded, "I understand. Our teacher Wang has tickets to buy."
"Watch carefully while I go to the back hill to take a look."
"Yeah!" Zhou Xiaoqian puffed her cheeks and nodded repeatedly.
Zhou Huaian arrived at the back mountain and saw the ditches along the fields were filled with corn cobs. Zhou Xiaolin was lying on the edge of the field, chewing a small melon with relish.
The little girl glanced at him and generously picked up a piece of melon, "Daddy, eat it."
"Be good!" Zhou Huaian took it and walked forward while tearing the melon peel. The sweet potato field past the corn field had been vacated, and there were still potatoes and taro in the field past that had not been dug. These two could be dug up after a while.
Yang Chunyan came out holding cowpea and saw him looking around. "You're back!"
Zhou Huaian hurried forward to take a bundle and asked, "Why are there so many cowpeas on the corn stalks?"
"I'll pick the corn stalks so I can chop them. Last time you said you were going to Ning'an to see if there was anyone selling pickled cowpeas, but there's been no response so far."
"I forgot to tell you, there are only two old ladies in the market selling pickled vegetables, dried radishes, and dried sweet potatoes. They make them themselves and sell them."
"I had forgotten that every family does this now." Yang Chunyan said as she put the cowpeas into the basket with him and started picking up the corn piled in the ditch.
Mother Zhou came out of the corn field holding a bundle of cowpeas. "Youngest, is anyone interested in buying pickled radish, cowpeas, and dried sweet potatoes?"
"Yes! There are also people selling fermented glutinous rice and glutinous rice cakes."
"No wonder Qiuyue said that city people are good. You can make money by selling food on the street."
"You also said that Third Brother had a fight with Third Sister-in-law over this matter."
"That corn cob, what do you mean by that?" Zhou's mother said, putting down the cowpeas and walking towards the corn field. "Chunyan, go back with you. I'll pick out the corn cobs in the ditches. You pick some first and come back later to pick some."
"Yes." Zhou Huaian took a shoulder pole and carried two baskets of corn, and Yang Chunyan went home together with two bundles of cowpeas.
When Zhou Xiaoqian and the others saw the two men coming back, they ran away.
Yang Chunyan placed the cowpeas on the square table and went to pour some water. "Huai'an, wipe off your sweat before you go."
"Hmm!" Zhou Huaian poured the corn on the steps, "Are those corns on the drying mats sent to pay the public tax?"
"Well! The old man originally wanted to keep more millet so that each family could get more when the family was divided. But after asking Uncle Datian, I found out that the grain station has a rule that millet cannot be exchanged for other grains."
The rice yield was low this year, and coupled with the reduced yield due to lodging, the Zhou family only harvested more than 5,000 kilograms of millet from more than eight acres of land this season.
Although the base number of the Funius Brigade is low, more than a dozen people still have to contribute more than 2,000 kilograms of millet, and nearly half of the millet harvested this year has been used up.
Zhou Huaian frowned, "There are only 3,000 kilograms of millet left, which is not enough to eat."
"You can still be full if you add some whole grains." Yang Chunyan remembered what he said last night, "Do you really want to have white rice every day? I'd be surprised if the old man didn't scold you."
"Give it to me!" Zhou Huaian took the handkerchief from her hand, "He doesn't come to our place every day. If you don't tell me and I don't tell him, how would he know what we eat!"
"The question is, who are you going to buy food from? I heard from my mother that the people in the team don't have enough food even if they put together sweet potatoes and corn."
Nowadays, there is more physical work and less oily and meaty food. If you eat to your heart's content, you can almost finish two bowls of food.
Therefore, there were still many families in the team who did not have enough food. Of course, those who had to tighten their belts simply by starving themselves were another matter.
Zhou Huaian suddenly had an idea. "I have an idea. Let's buy it on the black market. When I went to the town to sell honey, Boss He said that the brigades along the banks of the Ning River grew a lot of millet, and the farmers who didn't have enough food would sell the fine grains for coarse grains."
After hearing this, Yang Chunyan smiled and said, "Isn't Xuejiao's home near the river? Let Yiding go ask her and ask her to buy someone from her team to be safer."
"Why didn't I think of this!" Zhou Huaian quickened his pace, "You cook, I'll pick the corn and go to Yiding's house, and ask him to prepare the public grain."
"Well! Boil the meat and put it back in the pot, and cook the bones with vermicelli. What do you think?"
"Just make it as you like." Zhou Huaian handed her a mooncake. "The one with five nuts. Xiaoqian and the others said it was delicious. This is also the one I sent to my mother-in-law's house."
Yang Chunyan nodded, took it, broke off half and handed it to him, took a bite, "It's very fragrant and delicious!"
Zhou Huaian happily took a big bite, "Doctor Xiao Wang said that Mr. Zheng from the provincial capital was very satisfied with the red mushrooms we sent over, and he promised to cooperate with us next year."
"We will be separated next year. How are you going to run this business?"
"I forgot!" Zhou Huaian thought for a moment, "How about this? We will separate and do our own things for the herbs as we agreed beforehand."
"For the mushroom harvesting business, why don't we continue like we are doing now and take half and split the rest with the big brothers?"
Yang Chunyan nodded readily, "Just as you said. Next we will go into the mountains to pick truffles and send them to the provincial capital to show to Boss Zheng. If he is satisfied, we will start to harvest the truffles. After the wasteland on the mountain is plowed out, we should hire someone to do the work!"
"That's good! Doctor Xiao Wang said today that some herbs should be planted. And the land of Yi Ding's family has already been hired to cut down trees and dig up roots. When he's done, I'll ask Third Brother to help him plow it out, and we'll hire people to do it together."
"Yeah! I'm going to cook."
"I'll go pick corn cobs too." Zhou Huaian picked up the basket and left.
Yang Chunyan took the meat out of the basket, went to the kitchen, scooped two scoops of water into the pot, boiled hot water to blanch the meat and bones, then washed the pot and put the rice in.
While sitting in front of the stove picking cowpeas, I suddenly remembered that the Chuanxiong in the mountains should be in bloom, and the coral grass and stinking tree peony should be ready for seed collection and root digging.
It is easy to forget things when they are piled up together. No wonder people often say that a good memory is not as good as a bad pen. Next time you have something to do, it is better to write it down in a notebook.
She patted her head, stood up and went to the stove to shovel the rice pot a few times. When she turned around, she saw Miss Zhou San coming in from the back door carrying a bamboo basket.
"Chunyan, take a look. These are what your Third Aunt taught me to pick up. If possible, I will go up the mountain and pick them up and bring them to you tomorrow."
"Let me have a look." Yang Chunyan took her own vegetable basket and picked out the unqualified red mushrooms she brought. "Don't bring the ones like these that were bitten by insects, and these two that have escaped from the umbrella next time. You can dry them and keep them for yourself."
Miss Zhou San frowned as she watched her picking mushrooms one by one. "Yes, yes. I'll keep these at home to dry them."
"Please sit down for a moment while I strain the rice and then bring the scale to weigh it."
Miss Zhou San saw the vermicelli soaking in the porcelain basin and the ribs on the chopping board and said happily, "I'll help you light the fire and pick the vegetables."
"No, the cowpeas are enough."
Yang Chunyan filtered the rice, scrubbed the pot clean, scooped two scoops of water into it, took the ribs off the bones and put them into the pot, and chopped a small piece of ginger and put it in.
After it boils, pour the cowpeas in, put the steamer into the pot, and put all the vegetables into the bottom of the pot. When the rice in the steamer starts to steam, the meat and vegetables inside are also ready. (End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com