He Daniu felt a little uneasy, not because he felt guilty, but because he couldn't help but worry every time he paid his taxes.
The village chief He Haiming even took out half a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pocket and handed the loose cigarettes to the staff who were doing quality inspection. He never smoked, and these were bought from the county supply and marketing cooperative before the summer harvest in the first half of the year. The ten cigarettes he used were the last time he came to the grain station to pay the public grain.
Fortunately, no problems occurred during the quality inspection. Finally, Wang Zhiming took the account book and asked He Haiming: "Why is the grain not in whole pieces?"
He Haiming nodded apologetically and replied, "Five bags were spilled on the road. If there is enough time, I will get new ones from the village when I come here in the afternoon."
Wang Zhiming tapped his chin. "Food is precious, and the bags must be tied tightly. If you have to come again in the afternoon, you have to hurry up. I have to work overtime today, and there is a queue behind me. The grain station must close at 7pm at the latest."
He Haiming signed the notebook personally and then left quickly with the villagers.
The road from the town entrance to the town government's grain station was still blocked. The carts could not be pulled through at all and could only be lifted up and moved diagonally. Even the ox carts were dismantled by the villagers who drove them.
Everyone hurried back and came to where Wang Shuning was waiting. He Xianfeng, along with a few young men, carried the sacks on their shoulders and walked back.
It was a while after leaving the town that the queue of grain transport teams disappeared.
He Haiming sat on the ox cart and looked at the end of the team. "Looking at the situation, we should pack less when we get to the village. Half of it will be enough. Otherwise, we will miss the grain station closing at 7 o'clock."
He Daniu nodded.
When they returned to the large square of the village committee, He Liangliang and his colleagues were already waiting there. As soon as the ox carts and carts arrived, the villagers immediately began to carry the grain up.
The number was half as small, so not that many people would be needed. All the women, whether they were female educated youth or women, were kept back.
It was only a little after three in the afternoon. Wang Shuning had just returned home when he saw He Zhuzhu and her two children about to go out.
"Sister Shuning." He Guoyue and He Guochai greeted Wang Shuning.
Wang Shuning stopped and asked, "Are we going up the mountain?"
He Zhuzhu smiled and replied, "It's still early in the morning. We finally have a day off. I'll take them to the mountains to collect firewood. If we can find pheasant eggs or bird eggs, we can add some vegetables to it."
The weather is getting colder and colder, so they have to store firewood for the winter when they have free time. What's more, there is one more person in their family who needs firewood this year.
Wang Shuning did not mention going to the mountain to collect firewood with He Zhuzhu's family. That was a condition he had agreed on when he rented the house. It was what he should do. It would be bad if he went to help.
I went out early today and the clothes in the basin have not been washed yet, so I took this opportunity to go to the river.
There are many long slabs of stone on the bank of the small river in Dafeng Village. They are used by the villagers to fold their clothes.
If anyone wants to use it, they can just move it from the shore to the river bank and build a washboard with pebbles. Of course, some people will use the long benches that are specifically used for washing clothes.
The water in the stream is so clear that you can see the bottom. You can see small fish swimming in groups along the shore. Even if there is movement in the water, they will not run away. They will stop after swimming a short distance. They are not afraid of people at all.
But they are all small fish fry, which are ok to feed cats. They are the size that humans can eat, and they will not hang around the shore at all. They are all in deep water.
When Wang Shuning and He Zhuzhu came to the river to wash clothes for the first time, the other party specifically reminded them not to go to the deep water area, because there were aquatic plants there, which were quite toxic and could easily cause acne and rashes if soaked in them.
When the villagers say that the water in the deep water area is highly toxic, what they actually mean is that the water in the deep water area does not flow much, or flows very slowly, and is not as clean as the water in the shallow water area.
However, Wang Shuning cannot swim and she cherishes her life. Moreover, her original body died by jumping into the river. She would not go to the deep water area even if others asked her to.
The sound of a mallet hitting clothes could be heard by the river. There were no mountains on this side, but there were banks, and the echo could be heard.
The villagers were afraid that their children would drown if they went into the river, so some parents told their children from an early age that there were water ghosts in the river, especially at night, and that if they went into the water they would be dragged away by the ghosts. However, this lie would be exposed after the children were six or seven years old, which was when they could remember things.
There is no child in the village, whether boy or girl, who cannot swim. The river is their natural swimming pool.
After washing the clothes, Wang Shuning took out the big grass carp that she had killed in advance from the space, scraped off the scales, gutted it, washed it clean, put it in a basin and covered it with a rag. Even if someone saw it, she could just say that she caught it in the river.
Fish head soup and boiled fish fillets, everything is arranged for the evening.
In the kitchen, Wang Shuning, who was cutting fish fillets with a knife, heard a loud noise in the yard. He quickly opened the door and looked out, then saw a tree in the yard.
He Guoyue and He Guochai followed behind, carrying a bamboo basket together. From a distance, they saw a lot of things in it, but they were green and did not look like pheasant eggs.
He Guoyue dumped the bamboo basket on the ground. It was full of thorns, which were chestnuts that had not been shelled yet.
He Guochai had already taken out a pair of scissors from home, and the two children took an hour to get out a bamboo basket of chestnuts. They piled the shells aside and could be used as firewood after drying.
Wang Shuning, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard a knock on the door, "Sister Shuning." It was Mingming's voice.
When Wang Shuning cooks, she usually keeps the kitchen door closed, for fear that others will know what she is cooking.
She covered the pot, opened the door, and saw He Guoyue holding a basket with some raw chestnuts in it.
"Sister Shuning, we picked these in the mountains today. They are very fresh and sweet. My mother said she would give some to you to try."
Wang Shuning looked at the yellow chestnut meat in He Guoyue's right hand, which had been bitten, and reached out to take the basket. "Eat it raw? Don't you need to fry it?"
He Guoyue looked childishly bewildered. "You can fry the chestnuts. First, cut the shell with a kitchen knife. It will be easier to peel when they are cooked."
Wang Shuning suddenly thought of chestnut roast chicken, which he hadn't eaten for a long time.
At this moment, the fish head soup in the pot was boiling, and the aroma wafted out from the gap in the wooden lid. He Guoyue pricked her nose and smelled the fishy smell. "Sister Shuning, did you go fishing in the river today? My mother said that the fish in the river are all in deep water. We can't go into the river. Some people have drowned there before."
Wang Shuning poured the chestnuts from the basket onto the cupboard. "I was washing clothes by the river when a big grass carp came by. I hit it with a mallet and it died."
He Guoyue was greatly shocked. Besides disbelief, there was also envy in his eyes. The meat that was delivered to his door for free, a big grass carp, how big was it?
Wang Shuning opened the lid of the pot, took a large bowl and filled it with half a bowl of fish head soup, put it in the basket, and slowly handed it to He Guoyue, "Take it back and try it. It's a pity that you didn't buy tofu, otherwise you could have fish head tofu soup."
He Guoyue looked at the half fish head clearly visible in the soup bowl, which was still steaming. She resisted the urge to lick her lips and stretched out her little hands to hold both sides of the basket. "Thank you, Sister Shuning."
"It's okay." The fish head was so big that he couldn't finish it in one meal anyway, so it was just the right thing to do as a favor. Besides, Mingming saw it, and he also had a big bowl of boiled fish fillets.
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