Chapter 13: Pinching Alfalfa
Han Jianwu said, "How much can you afford to give away so generously?"
Huo Qingqing, "It's only once in ten or eight years, it's not like it's free."
She won't be able to stay at home every day in the future, and she has to find a way to make money. Her children are still young, so she can only ask her mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law for help. Her third sister-in-law has three sons, the youngest is only five years old, and her second sister-in-law has two girls in their teens. They can do everything at home and can help sometimes.
Huo Qingqing knew the rules of survival here too well. If she wanted to raise her baby safely here, she had to get along well with the Han family first, and the only Han family she could get along with were her second and third brothers' families. No matter how partial your parents-in-law are, it's still okay for them to help look after the children occasionally.
Huo Qingqing brought out another plate and said, "I'll send this one to my second sister-in-law's house." Then she took the dumplings and left.
After lunch, the second and third sisters-in-law each brought four eggs. Huo Qingqing refused for a while before accepting them all.
My third sister-in-law has three sons. They love Niu Niu so much that they take her to play with her whenever they have time.
The second sister-in-law's sewing machine was now given to Huo Qingqing to use. She made several sets of clothes for the two children and Han Jianwu. In particular, the two children's cardigans, pants and shoes were so fashionable that even the educated youth had never seen them before.
The recent farm work is weeding in the wheat fields. This job is easy and is basically done by women and children. At least they can earn three to eight work points a day. The men began to plow the soil in preparation for spring planting.
Huo Qingqing also got up early that day. Han Jianwu asked, "Why did you get up so early?"
Huo Qingqing said, "I have to go to work in the fields today, so I'll just pick up some shepherd's purse for my family."
Her mother was coming, so she had to prepare some food. She couldn't let her mother feel that she was not having a good life and blame herself.
Han Jianwu said, "I'll get some when I'm free, you stay home and take good care of the baby."
Huo Qingqing, "You drive the carriage all day long, how can you find time to go and pick shepherd's purse? Besides, if I go to the fields to pick shepherd's purse, those gossiping women will say I'm lazy. Let mom help take care of the child, I'll go for one day."
Han Jianwu would not let Huo Qingqing go to weed no matter what. He leaned against the kang, very close to Huo Qingqing. Although their relationship had eased a lot, Huo Qingqing had changed a little too much. During this period, outsiders seemed to think that they were doing well, but in fact, there was no intimacy between them at home. At night, the two children still stood in the middle as the 38th parallel between them.
Huo Qingqing was sitting on the kang. When Han Jianwu touched her, she leaned on him, looked up at the man's face, and said, "You can't support the family by yourself!"
Han Jianwu pursed his lips, his eyes were full of smiles, and his bass in the morning could make anyone's ears pregnant. He said lazily, "But it's you who have been supporting the family during this period! Don't worry, you don't have to report to dad and big brother in the future. I'm the coachman with the highest work points in the team. I often go to the commune or the county town for business, and I can always bring back some supplies to support you and your children. You just stay at home and take good care of the baby, okay?"
Huo Qingqing thought that the big rubber-wheeled three-horse carriage he was driving was really dangerous. She had memories of her past life again and said, "I can promise you to take good care of the children at home, but you also have to promise me to be very careful when driving the carriage, okay?"
Han Jianwu pursed his lips, his Adam's apple rolled, and said, "Okay."
In the afternoon, Huo Qingqing took her two children and carried a basket to the alfalfa field closest to the village to pick alfalfa sprouts. This is a time of famine, and many families have run out of food. Most people eat noodles and porridge made from various coarse grains mixed with wild vegetables. If Huo Qingqing didn't pick alfalfa and shepherd's purse, the family would only be able to eat various kinds of pasta. She used her food coupons to buy a lot of flour, corn flour, buckwheat flour and rice, but no vegetables.
The women in the village who were rushing to work saw Huo Qingqing with her two children and said with a smile, "Hey! Why is Huo Zhiqing still bringing her children to work? Doesn't your mother-in-law let you take care of the children?"
This is a common trick used by the women in the village. Then you will hear the other side start to complain about the mother-in-law. This is how gossip about right and wrong comes about.
Huo Qingqing said, "I'm not going to work. I'm taking the kids to pick some alfalfa."
The village women left with a quarrel, and before they had gone far they began to discuss how Huo Qingqing and Zhang Guohua had cheated on Han Jianwu.
Huo Qingqing discovered at least dozens of medicinal herbs in the alfalfa field and the nearby hillsides, and they were all very valuable. There are also some plants whose young shoots can be eaten as vegetables, such as fennel and chrysanthemum. The people here have no idea that these two things are edible. They wait for them to grow tall and old and then cut them with sickles to feed livestock and pigs.
The three sisters Baorong, Baojuan and Gaijuan finished work early and came with baskets to pick alfalfa sprouts. There were many people picking wild vegetables in the alfalfa field, but they were basically elderly people or young girls with children. The only young wife was Huo Qingqing.
As soon as Gaijuan arrived, she hugged Niuniu and licked her, "Niuniu, why are you so distressed? Call me sister?"
Niuniu was crying, "Dad~Mom~"
"Oh, so cute!"
Zhuangzhuang said to Huo Qingqing happily, "Mom, my sister can call me dad now!"
Huo Qingqing taught her daughter to call her sisters. Surrounded by her three sisters, the girl acted cute and fierce, and shouted "Dad~Mom~" which made everyone laugh.
Niu Niu was taken care of by Huo Qingqing and became pretty. She drank milk powder and had lotion on her face. She was soft and fragrant when she was held in her arms. Her sisters loved her very much.
Son, Huo Qingqing really tried her best. He lay on the ground eating dirt and rolling around all day, and it was impossible to clean up.
Huo Qingqing arrived early and had already picked a lot of wild vegetables. She took the child to play, but in fact she was picking medicinal herbs, pulling out some bupleurum and plucked some plantain and dandelions. Huo Qingqing, who was going to use her head to dig the roots, didn't plan to do so for the time being because the noise would be too loud and would attract attention. It would be a big deal if someone reported this matter.
Hanjiagou has a forest farm, tea and medicinal herb plantations, and a pig farm, so the medicinal herbs are also collective and cannot be bought and sold at will. Once reported and arrested, one will be charged with speculation.
Huo Qingqing had no plans to sell the herbs, but she wanted to pick some to dry and keep for later use. She was a master of both Chinese and Western medicine and could formulate various finished medicines.
There are actually many benefits to them living in the backyard now. They can dry some precious medicinal herbs without being discovered.
In a few years, I will be able to do business as an individual, and these aged medicinal herbs can be sold at a good price.
At the entrance of the village, they met educated youth who were going home to work. Niu Niu and Zhuang Zhuang were snatched away by Lin Anan and Song Xiaoyue.
"Such a beautiful doll, come with auntie!"
Niuniu twisted into a twisted candy in Lin Anan's arms, "Mom~"
Song Xiaoyue looked at Huo Qingqing, "Are you going to settle your account?"
Huo Qingqing, "No, today is the deadline."
"So, you're planning on blocking someone here to collect a debt?"
Huo Qingqing, "I don't plan to ask for it here. I plan to go to the Youth League Compound to ask for it."
Song Xiaoyue said, "You'd better not get into a conflict with them. Get the money first."
Huo Qingqing, "Did you two hear anything?"
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