When Gao Mingcheng arrived, most of the food had been cooked and it was almost time to eat.
In the main room, Gao Yuanjian, Gao Mingpeng, Gao Shufang, Lou Xinyu and others were sitting and talking. As for the burning of the brick kiln, Gao Yuanjian called a cousin to help watch the fire and promised to bring him food later.
The aroma of food wafted in the air. Just by smelling it, you could tell that the food we had at home today was quite good.
"Second brother." Lou Xinyu was very considerate. Seeing Gao Mingcheng coming, he immediately stood up and took the initiative to move a stool for Gao Mingcheng.
"Mingcheng, what have you been busy with recently?" Gao Yuanjian also took the initiative to ask, because he saw some mud stuck to the soles of Gao Mingcheng's feet, obviously he had been going up and down the mountain.
Gao Mingcheng sat down on a stool, which was called a stool, but was actually just a wooden block.
Sometimes you can get a well-shaped wooden block in the mountains. After cutting it flat, you can use it to make a stool, which can save the money of hiring a carpenter to do the work.
Some people even have some flat stones at their doorsteps, which can also be used as stools.
Before Gao Mingcheng could speak, Gao Shufang had already thoughtfully brought him a glass of water: "Brother, drink some water."
After working for most of the day, Gao Mingcheng was indeed thirsty. After thanking him, he picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
After quenching his thirst, he said, "I plan to plant Poria cocos today."
Gao Mingpeng immediately asked curiously how to grow Poria cocos.
There is Poria cocos in the mountains, but few people can find it.
As for growing Poria cocos, Gao Mingcheng is the only one doing this at the moment. Other people in the village can only pick some common herbs and make a little money.
Gao Mingcheng briefly described the process of growing Poria cocos, and then said: "You have to go to the mountains to grow them, and you can't always get a harvest. Sometimes they will be eaten by insects, and sometimes they will dry up and die."
"My own hilltop is very small and not suitable for planting, so I go to the deep mountains of Niuweiling to plant them."
It’s not that he didn’t want to teach his family how to make money, but that it was not suitable.
He went deep into the mountains to grow Poria cocos, which was actually a way of fleecing the country.
Gao Mingpeng understood what he heard, but he felt that growing Poria cocos was very troublesome. If he planted a little, it wouldn't make much money, but if he planted too much, there would be no place to plant it.
Gao Mingpeng said, "I'll just ask."
As soon as the topic was over, Lou Xinyu immediately said, "Second brother, we want to go to your orchard this afternoon."
Gao Mingcheng said generously: "Okay, you can look around. Even at this time, there are no fruits to eat. When the bayberries are ripe, you can go to the mountains to pick some to eat."
Lou Xinyu's eyes lit up. He had heard from Gao Shufang that the bayberries from his second brother's family were big, red, and sweet, and very delicious. Last year, they were sold for one yuan per pound, and people were willing to buy them.
He immediately turned to look at Gao Shufang beside him and said, "Then let's go pick bayberries together."
Gao Shufang nodded. She had eaten bayberry last year, but had never picked it by herself.
As for the wild bayberries in the mountains of Gaojia Village, she had picked them when she was a child, but they were too sour!
While they were talking, Luo Xiaohua came in with a plate of food and said, "It's time to eat."
After she gave the order, Gao Shufang immediately got up and went to the kitchen to help serve the dishes on the table.
Today's lunch was made by Luo Xiaohua and Huang Su'e together. Gao Shufang originally wanted to help, but Luo Xiaohua didn't let her.
Lou Xinyu was not the kind of person who would just sit and wait for food, so he immediately stood up and helped set the table for dishes and benches.
Soon, a table full of sumptuous dishes was ready, and Gao Yuanjian also took out a bottle of rice wine that he had steamed himself.
Gao Mingcheng looked at the dishes on the table. There was a large plate of braised pork, scrambled eggs, stir-fried meat with cucumber, amaranth, bamboo shoots and dried fish.
These dried fish are only the size of fingers. After they are caught, they are not enough for a plate of food, so they are placed in an iron pan and slowly dried using the residual heat from the charcoal fire. When there are enough, they can be fried and eaten.
Gao Yuanjian poured wine for everyone and said with a smile: "Come on, drink and eat!"
Gao Shufang first helped Grandma Gao to sit down, then called Luo Xiaohua and Huang Su'e to come to the table to eat, and took the initiative to help Huang Su'e take care of her little daughter.
After a lively meal, everyone was ready to go.
Gao Mingcheng was going back to Niuweiling to finish the work after planting Poria cocos, while Gao Shufang and Lou Xinyu wanted to go to Xiaofushan to take a look. As for Gao Yuanjian, he was holding a bowl of food and walking towards the brick kiln in the back mountain, preparing to deliver food to his cousins and show off his future son-in-law.
Yes, Gao Yuanjian had already accepted Lou Xinyu as his son-in-law, and even issues such as the bride price and housing had been discussed. However, Gao Shufang insisted on not getting married early and wanted to continue dating Lou Xinyu, so they did not set a date for the wedding.
Gao Mingpeng, a young and strong man, naturally could not rest. He picked up his hoe and went to work in the fields. After finishing the work in the fields, he went home to sleep for a while. At night, he had to go to the brick kiln to watch over the fire.
After the brick kiln started to burn bricks, firewood had to be added day and night. During the day, Luo Xiaohua and Huang Su'e would take turns working for a few hours, but at night, the men had to guard it, otherwise it would be pitch dark in the mountain behind and there would be noises from wild beasts, which was quite scary.
Gao Mingcheng and Gao Shufang came to Niuweiling together. He pointed at Xiaofu Mountain from a distance and said, "You can go and explore by yourselves. I have to go into the mountains to do some work. We will return to the county around five o'clock in the evening."
Gao Shufang responded: "Okay."
So the two sides separated, Gao Mingcheng returned home, took an axe and insect repellent, and then went into the mountains again.
When planting Poria cocos, you must sprinkle insect repellent powder on it, otherwise insects and ants will run into the pine wood pile to build nests. If this happens, don't even think about harvesting Poria cocos!
After entering the mountain again, Gao Mingcheng immediately got busy. He used an axe to cut the pine wood into pieces, and then piled them into the pit. He then dug up a fresh wild Poria cocos as a mushroom attractant and placed it at both ends of the pine wood. After the mycelium spread and wrapped the pine wood, the Poria cocos would be able to grow, and it only took time to nourish it.
In the silent forest, the wind blew across the hills, carrying the sound of his work far away.
In the distance, various small animals live safely.
After planting this batch of Poria cocos, Gao Mingcheng packed up his tools and prepared to go down the mountain.
This time, the black tiger and the elf also accompanied him, running back and forth all the way, wagging their tails, showing the closeness and joy in their hearts.
The sun gradually sets, and the western sky is piled with gorgeous clouds. These clouds change with the wind, gathering and dispersing, leaving people with endless reverie.
Gao Mingcheng carried a hoe on one shoulder and an axe in the other hand. When going down the mountain, if he encountered too dense bushes, he would swing the axe casually, and wherever the axe passed, there were broken branches and fallen leaves all over the ground.
There is no need to worry about these broken branches and fallen leaves. When you have some free time in a while, and the cut wood has been dried to remove moisture, you can bring it down the mountain to use as firewood.
As Gao Mingcheng made the sound of chopping trees, a gray-haired squirrel on a branch about ten meters high seemed to be frightened. It ran hurriedly from one tree to another, and then paused for a while standing on the top of a high tree.
Gao Mingcheng had good eyesight and could tell that the gray-haired squirrel was looking at him, probably assessing whether he would pose a danger to it.
Gao Mingcheng didn't pay much attention to this little creature that ran fast and didn't have much meat.
Although there are squirrels in the mountains here, there are not many of them, so Gao Mingcheng has never hunted any squirrels to eat.
In addition to a few squirrels, there are some other animals in the mountains. Most of them hide in low bushes and run very fast. Even Gao Mingcheng cannot fully recognize what those small animals are because of the obstruction of the bushes.
On the contrary, the black tiger and the elf like to provoke these small animals. Gao Mingcheng watched them rush here and run there. They seemed busy but did not gain anything.
In fact, the hunting success rate of dogs is quite low. Even wolf packs mostly act in groups, and only after making careful plans can they improve their hunting success rate.
However, Black Tiger and the Elf have been trained by Gao Mingcheng, and both are excellent players who dare to fight wild boars. When they are usually free in the mountains and forests, they often play games of chasing with their friends such as field mice and weasels in the mountains.
Gao Mingcheng didn't care about the two dogs. There were no ferocious beasts in the mountains now, and this was not the territory of wild boars. Whether it was people or dogs, it was relatively safe in the mountains.
Well, as long as you can avoid the dangerous mountain roads and poisonous snakes!
Gao Mingcheng's eyelids jumped and he saw a viper swimming quickly away into the distance, leaving behind only rustling sounds.
Ten minutes later, Gao Mingcheng led the two dogs down the mountain. At this time, the two dogs had caught prey. The black tiger bit a vole to death, and the elf was somehow lucky enough to pick up a turtledove with an injured wing.
The turtledove was not very big, and one of its wings was injured somehow. It fell to the ground and was struggling to flap its other wing to try to save itself, but it was bitten to death by the elf, the unsportsmanlike dog!
"Black Tiger, Elf, you are great!" These two small prey were hunted by themselves. Gao Mingcheng did not help, so he smiled and praised them.
He put the hoe, axe and other tools in the utility room, and then moved the large bottles of honey from the room into the truck bed.
Because there was a lot of honey, he had to move it back and forth several times before he could finish moving it.
At this time, the truck bed was already filled with over a hundred eggs and a basket of vegetables.
However, Gao Mingcheng also found that the spare egg trays at home were running out, and he had to buy a batch of large bottles to store honey.
Gao Mingcheng kept these in mind and decided to bring them with him when he came back next time.
By the time he finished all these, it was already five o'clock, so he didn't delay any longer and drove directly to the old village.
Before arriving at the old village, Gao Mingcheng saw from afar Gao Shufang and Lou Xinyu sitting by the pond, chatting with a village woman. The woman was squatting on the bluestone, bending over to wash the vegetables that had just been pulled from the ground.
Obviously, this was the dish she was going to have for dinner.
"Auntie." Gao Mingcheng saw the person and called out politely.
Auntie is not an insult, but similar to aunt in other places, that is, your uncle's wife.
Most of the people in Gaojia Village are related to each other, so Gao Mingcheng has to call most of the elders "uncle" or "aunt".
"Hey, you are going back to the county town." The woman who was washing vegetables looked up and said with a smile.
"Yes. Shufang, Xinyu, get in the car, we are leaving." Gao Mingcheng called out, and Gao Shufang and Lou Xinyu immediately climbed up from the back of the truck.
The small wooden stool that was originally placed in the truck bed is still there, and you can sit on it.
Lou Xinyu came with gifts, so he didn't leave empty-handed. Gao Yuanjian gave him a bottle of rice wine he made himself and a bag of dried fish weighing one kilogram.
For Lou Xinyu, this trip was a fruitful one.
He met his future father-in-law and mother-in-law, and gained their recognition and love. Later, when his relationship with Gao Shufang becomes more stable, they can get married and have children!
When he thought of this, Lou Xinyu's face was full of smiles.
Although there was a tarpaulin, it was not soundproof. So Gao Shufang, who was sitting in the back of the truck, said to Gao Mingcheng who was driving in the front: "Second brother, I told mom that my third sister-in-law gave birth to a daughter. She didn't seem very happy, but she also said that after the bricks at home are baked, she will go to the county to see my third sister-in-law and the child."
Gao Mingcheng didn't understand why and felt that this matter had nothing to do with him, so he said, "Let her go."
Gao Mingcheng was right. Gao Shufang was talking to him on the surface, but actually she was testing Lou Xinyu's attitude!
Because she changed the subject and asked Lou Xinyu: "You are a public official and can only have one child in the future. What will you do if it is a daughter?"
Lou Xinyu was stunned. He didn't expect that these words were directed at him.
He didn't rush to speak, but thought for a moment, and then under Gao Shufang's scrutiny, he said: "I think as long as it's my own child, it doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl. My parents and relatives are long gone, and they won't have any objections."
Lou Xinyu secretly held Gao Shufang's hand to show his feelings.
Actually, who doesn’t want a son?
But isn’t this family planning? I can only leave it to fate. I can’t just stop working just for my invisible son!
Gao Shufang let him hold her hand and said "oh" softly. Judging from her expression, it was unclear whether she believed it or not.
Lou Xinyu's eyes wandered for a moment, but then he felt that he had made it very clear, so he didn't say anything else.
As for Gao Mingcheng, the onlooker, he remained noncommittal.
In his previous life, his younger sister gave birth to two sons!
But I have a new husband in this life, and I don’t know whether I will have a son or a daughter in the future.
Just let it be and let nature take its course!
After a bumpy journey, the group finally arrived at the county when it was dark.
The tractor stopped in the backyard of the clothing store. Everyone got off the tractor and helped to take the things out of the truck bed.
With his intact right hand, Lou Xinyu could easily lift more than 20 kilograms of honey.
"Dad!" When seeing Gao Mingcheng, Xiao Xuxu instantly abandoned his uncle Gao Mingli and ran towards Gao Mingcheng.
"Hey, little son!" Gao Mingcheng picked up little Xuxu, and the father and son became very affectionate.
Xuan Xiumei also came over and said with a smile: "Are you hungry? Just wash your hands and you can eat!"
There are only three adults and one child in the store today. It's OK when business is slow, but when it gets busy, they are so busy that they can't even take care of little Xuxu. Fortunately, little Xuxu is also well-behaved. He can play quietly in the corner for a while. (End of this chapter)
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