In the blink of an eye, the autumn harvest was over, the public grain was handed in, the surplus grain was distributed, and every household stored the grain in the warehouse. In September, the weather was cool and the men were busy planting wheat, while the women and children relaxed again.

The propaganda team became busy. Lin Lan went to the county and the commune to hold several meetings. At the same time, propaganda cadres from other communes and brigades came to learn from her. Fortunately, Dong Huaihua and Liu Chuncai helped with the reception, so she didn't have to be so tired.

Tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival on September 9th. It is not a big festival in the countryside and members do not celebrate it. Lin Lan thought that since there is not much work to do in the fields, she could make some delicious food to relax. It would also be fun to go hiking, but the children have already started school and do not have a holiday.

In the evening, when Lin Lan came home from outside, Wangwang and Xiaobai immediately ran over with their tails wagging, sniffed her legs, and made affectionate calls. Lin Lan rubbed them with her legs and said, "Let's go play." She opened the door, and Xiaobai immediately jumped out, but Wangwang walked out slowly.

Lin Lan first brought the grass that had been dried outside into the thatched house. It was frosty and foggy at the time, so the grass would get wet easily and would not catch fire.

A few ducks heard her coming back and stretched their necks to peck at the colorful flowers outside the fence, quacking.

Lin Lan saw it and ran over to stop them, "Stop pecking! I'll chop cabbage for you later." At this time, there were no fresh wild vegetables outside for the ducks to eat, so they could only find them in their own vegetable garden.

She looked at the flowers that were pecked by ducks and thought it was such a pity. These beautiful chrysanthemums were brought back for her by Han Qingsong.

There are many flowers to admire in autumn. The chrysanthemums of various colors are elegant and lively. Some are as big as a bowl, and some are tubular and tassel-shaped, with rich colors. Next to it is a cluster of hibiscus flowers that are very attractive and can bloom for more than three months. They were given to her by Ren Hongxia. In addition, there are many seasonal flowers and plants such as cockscombs and salvias, which she has collected. The flowers and plants decorate the gray corners of the wall like a garden.

Lin Lan thought it was a pity that the chrysanthemums were destroyed by pecking, so she decided to make some chrysanthemum cakes or something to suit the occasion. She simply took a pair of scissors and cut a few more chrysanthemums, and threatened the ducks with the scissors, "If you keep pecking, I'll make you into a duck head, duck neck, duck feet, roasted duck, and sauced duck..."

"Quack!" The ducks quickly turned around and walked away.

At this time, Han Qingsong came back and saw her bending over and talking and gesturing with a few ducks with a pair of scissors in her hand.

Han Qingsong: “…”

Lin Lan was very happy to see him: "Third brother, you're back so early."

Han Qingsong parked his bicycle under the gatehouse, took out a few things from the basket, hid one hand behind his back, and walked over to her with the other hand holding the things.

Lin Lan saw him pick up a few sweet potatoes and said with a smile, "Third brother, where are these sweet potatoes from?"

Han Qingsong: "These are the flowers I sent you."

flower?

Lin Lan chuckled, "Sweet potato flower?"

Han Qingsong nodded. "It's the sweet potato flower. The flower is as big as a bowl and extremely gorgeous."

Lin Lan pursed her lips and smiled: "We'll have to wait until next year to see that." Then she saw him take out his hand hidden behind his back, and suddenly her eyes lit up. There were three extremely gorgeous dahlias as big as bowls. The red ones were as hot and bright as fire without any vulgarity, and the pink ones were also extremely gorgeous, fresh and bright.

Lin Lan's eyes widened instantly, "Dahlia! So beautiful!" She knew about dahlias, but she had never seen the underground part. It turns out that it is also called sweet potato flower.

Han Qingsong handed it to her and picked up a pink one to measure on her head, but found that the flower was bigger than her face and had to give up.

Lin Lan: “…”

She was very happy and turned around holding the flowers, "Thank you, Third Brother, for the flowers."

Seeing her happy and jumping for joy like a child, Han Qingsong felt that this long journey was worthwhile.

"Can we still plant them now?" Lin Lan looked at the sweet potatoes.

Han Qingsong: "Find something to bury." The sweet potato flowers are still blooming brightly at this time. When it snows and freezes, dig them out and store them in the cellar, and plant them in April next year.

Lin Lan immediately said carefully, "You have to keep it well, don't let mice chew it."

She went to find a broken large gourd, filled it with soil, buried a few sweet potatoes in it, and hid it in the cellar.

She took out a wine bottle from home, which still had a little white wine in it, filled it with water, and put three dahlias in it. She also went to the yard to cut a few impatiens and small-flowered hibiscus and put them in the bottle. It was bright and colorful, and could be viewed on the dining table for several days.

Han Qingsong went in and out and thought the flower was particularly beautiful. It was so big and so gorgeous, more beautiful than all the wild flowers!

Seeing his slightly satisfied expression, how could Lin Lan not know what he was thinking? She thought he was really funny. She was jealous, but she restrained herself from showing it and did not affect her work. She just looked for opportunities to please her.

Of course she was happy, because this was his intention.

"Third brother, help me make chrysanthemum cake. Tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival, and we can go hiking."

Han Qingsong: "I don't think I'll be going to work tomorrow."

Lin Lan glanced at him and said, "You can go to work. You don't have to go. The children don't have a holiday."

"Let's go together." That's what he decided.

Lin Lan didn't have the ingredients to make chrysanthemum cake, so she had to think of a way. She cut the sweet potatoes into small pieces and asked Han Qingsong to grind them into sweet potato pulp. After the pulp settled, she added sugar and a little salt, stirred evenly, and then processed it in the same way as making liangpi.

She boiled water, blanched the washed chrysanthemum petals and took them out for later use, then cooked dinner in another pot.

After Han Qingsong was done, she continued to light the fire. She put the sweet potato paste on a tea tray, threw the chrysanthemum petals and stamens into it, and steamed them together. When they were cooked, they became solidified chrysanthemum cakes. After the sweet potato jelly solidified, she took it out to cool it down, poured it on a clean panel and cut it into various shapes, including round shapes like wine cup buckles, diamond shapes, etc.

She pinched a piece and handed it to Han Qingsong: "Brother, try it and see if it tastes good."

Just at this moment, Sanwang and Xiaowang ran in, "Mom, it's Daxi, Daxi...ah, what delicious food did you make?"

Han Qingsong saw the child coming back. Lin Lan wanted to take back the chrysanthemum cake that was passed to him, so he held her hand and ate the chrysanthemum cake. He chewed it and found it was soft, chewy, sweet and delicious. "Delicious."

Lin Lan quickly pulled her hand back and called out to the children who were leaving school. "What great joy are you talking about? You are so exaggerated."

This reminded her of the exaggerated matchmakers in TV dramas.

At this time, Mai Sui, Er Wang and Da Wang also came back. Even Da Wang looked happy. They saw the beautiful dahlias on the dining table at once and were very surprised.

Lin Lan: "Is there really good news?"

Erwang smiled and said, "Mother, guess."

Xiaowang blinked his big eyes to give Lin Lan a silent reminder.

Lin Lan looked at this and that and laughed, "I know, it must be you..."

"Yes, our composition won a prize! Haha." Sanwang shouted happily, but found that Lin Lan was laughing teasingly, "Wow, mom, you cheated."

Xiao Wang: "Mom made something delicious, what is this?"

A few wheat ears also ran over to take a look, "Mom, it's so beautiful, what is this? It has petals too."

Sanwang turned his head and saw the dahlias on the table. He exclaimed, "What a big chrysanthemum. So beautiful. I have never seen such a big chrysanthemum before."

Lin Lan: "This is called sweet potato flower. Dad brought it back from outside." Hmm, dahlia seems to be a kind of Asteraceae?

The children were all amazed; they had never seen anything like it before.

Xiao Wang: "Brother Xiao San, this one would be a good wife for you. She is pretty and can produce sweet potatoes."

Sanwang: "That won't do. This is what Dad gave to Mom."

Lin Lan quickly took out the chrysanthemum cake for the children to eat, while Erwang and Mai Sui studied how it was made.

Da Wang took a look and picked up a piece. It was too soft and he didn't dare to squeeze it. He was about to put it back, but San Wang had already pulled his hand and put it into his mouth, "Brother, if you don't want to eat it, give it to me."

I put Da Wang into my mouth immediately. It felt similar to eating vermicelli, but softer and sweeter.

Seeing that they all liked to eat, Lin Lan gave them some knowledge about the Double Ninth Festival. "My father and I are going to climb mountains tomorrow. You should study hard."

"Mom, I want to go too!" Sanwang was very excited. How could he go out to play without taking us with him?

Xiaowang also looked at Lin Lan with longing.

Lin Lan insisted, "Now that the autumn vacation is over, it's time to study hard."

Mai Sui looked at Er Wang and smiled. Er Wang understood and said with a smile: "Ask the teacher tomorrow if he should take us hiking and talk about the history and poetry of the Double Ninth Festival."

Although they did not study history, they had Chinese classes, and Han Qingping would also lead them in reciting poetry.

Sanwang immediately said, "I know that being a stranger in a foreign land makes me miss my family all the more during festivals, that's right. Hehe."

Xiaowang: "I can do it too. When the Double Ninth Festival comes, I will come back to pick chrysanthemums." He can't do the difficult ones, but he can do the simple ones.

Mai Sui and Er Wang also each recited two lines of poetry that suited the occasion.

Then everyone watched Da Wang together.

Da Wang, who was pinching the chrysanthemum cake and was about to put it into his mouth, said: "..." Why are you looking at me?

Lin Lan: "Brother, as long as it is related to the Double Ninth Festival, climbing, September, and chrysanthemums, it's fine." Relax the boundaries for brother.

Da Wang stuffed the chrysanthemum cake into his mouth and chewed it twice. When the tip of his tongue rolled the sweet and soft taste into his stomach, he said, "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, I can see the southern mountains leisurely."

"Ah, why didn't I think it was so simple!" Sanwang was very upset, "I clearly remembered it."

Xiaowang immediately went to the bookshelf to look for their copy of Three Hundred Tang Poems, but couldn't find this poem.

Lin Lan turned her head to look at Han Qingsong, and Han Qingsong immediately looked at her with concern, because he couldn't recite poems.

Lin Lan didn't make it difficult for him and just asked the children about the awards they won for their essays.

Han Qingsong breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiaowang: "Mom, my brother is amazing. He won the second prize in the county."

Lin Lan was very surprised, "Brother is so great!"

Da Wang: ...Generally, I count down at home.

Lin Lan looked at Mai Sui and Er Wang again, but San Wang held her hand and said, "Mom, why don't you ask me?"

Lin Lan: "Hey, you're participating too?"

Aren’t the lower grades not going to participate?

Sanwang said proudly, "The teacher said that my writing was good and gave it to me."

Lin Lan asked curiously: "Then...what prize did you win?"

Several children laughed, but Da Wang looked very serious. Lin Lan thought for a moment and asked in surprise, "Little Third Brother, you are really good. Second prize or first prize?"

Sanwang took out the prize immediately, and it turned out to be a Hero brand pen.

Lin Lan: "Little Third Brother, you are amazing. You can even get a pen by yourself." Although it is an ordinary pen, but at this time the pen is not ordinary. It is a symbol of status, which ordinary students cannot have.

She looked at Da Wang, "What's the prize, bro?"

Da Wang took out a thick 32-page notebook from his bag.

Lin Lan praised: "Not bad, not bad, great, it's such a thick book."

Da Wang stuffed it into her hand and said, "Here you go."

Lin Lan's eyes immediately lit up, "Brother, are you really giving it to me? Really? Then I'll be polite." Although she had a lot of things herself, this was a gift from her eldest son, so it had a different meaning.

Da Wang: "I don't need it anyway."

Lin Lan accepted it with a smile and then asked Mai Sui and Erwang.

Mai Sui smiled and said, "Mom, we both won the second prize."

"Second prize?" Lin Lan didn't believe it. "No way. Xiao San Ge got first prize. You two must get special prize."

Erwang explained: "Mom, we are from the region."

"Wow!" Lin Lan exclaimed, turned around and said to Han Qingsong: "Third brother, did you hear that?"

What a surprise.

Han Qingsong also nodded and said, "Very good." Without adding a single word.

Lin Lan: “…” You two are pretty good, right?

Mai Sui and Er Wang were given exquisite Yongsheng brand silver-gold fountain pens, which were high-end pens at that time and even intellectuals would not buy them casually.

The two also gave Lin Lan their pens. They were already used to using them; they were given to them as prizes by Lin Lan.

Lin Lan smiled and said, "Keep it for use when you go to middle school or high school." She was really happy, holding the notebook and saying happily, "Everyone in my family is so amazing, we are all cultured people who know how to use pens."

In the countryside, only the brigade secretary, accountant, and primary school teacher would put a pen in their pockets. Others basically didn't. Wearing clothes with four pockets and putting a pen in them was very enviable. If you wore leather shoes, you were a big cadre.

Now, except for Xiaowang who doesn't need a pen, everyone else in their family has a pen. It's really amazing.

Sanwang: "Mom, can I use a pen in the future?"

Lin Lan: "Will the teacher let you use it?" Sanwang wrote very hard, and his pencil was all black and smudged. Now he has improved a lot, but at this time, ordinary pens are of poor quality and leak. He has such great strength that it must be a bit troublesome for him to write.

Sanwang: "The teacher told me to use it in the fourth grade."

"Then wait another year. The pen won't break anyway, so just keep it."

Sanwang thought for a while and said, "Then I'll give it to Dad." Maybe his father will give him a better one next year.

Han Qingsong took it and said, "Okay."

Lin Lan laughed secretly, you kid are up to some tricks, but you don't know that your father is very stingy, if you give it to him, don't expect anything in return.

Lin Lan was very happy because the children won awards, "Come, what do you want?" She was much happier about the children winning the awards than she was.

A few children whispered that they could go out and play tomorrow and find a teacher, but they had to see if they had tickets to eat meat and fish and couldn’t just ask for them casually, and they had money for pocket money, and as for the rest... the children made a decision quickly.

Xiaowang: "Mom, we want to eat the canned hawthorns you made."

Lin Lan readily agreed. Although the family was not well-off, she was willing to put in the effort and thought. She made canned food, hawthorn cakes, and fruit leather sold in the supply and marketing cooperative for her children.

The children hurried to help, took out the hawthorns, washed them, and used a clean and useless ballpoint pen tube to poke the hawthorns at both ends to clean out the core. Then pour cold water into the casserole, add a certain proportion of rock sugar and white sugar, boil over medium heat, and when it becomes thick, put the hawthorns in and boil for a while, then take it off and put it aside.

After it cools down, it becomes a can of sour and sweet hawthorn.

Because there are no preservatives, even if it is in a can, it must be consumed as soon as possible and cannot be stored for a long time.

Sugar was hard to come by at that time, but hawthorns were plentiful, and Dawang brought back a lot from Lin Mei's house. After making them, Mai Sui gave some to Fan Xiao, Shen Yu, and Gu Mi to try, and the rest the children ate as snacks.

On the second day of the Double Ninth Festival, the children persuaded Han Qingping to take them out for a hike. Some children refused to go because their parents thought that since they were not going to school, they should just work at home. So Lin Lan and his wife accompanied the teacher and took the children to climb Pingding Mountain. The highest point of Pingding Mountain is only more than 100 meters above sea level, and the top looks like it has been cut off, so it is called Pingding Mountain. There are no trees on the mountain, only dead rocks, yellow soil, and some low bushes. There is really nothing to see.

But for children who lack the means of entertainment, hiking during the Double Ninth Festival and playing games with classmates are very interesting things in themselves.

After the Double Ninth Festival, two autumn rains fell, and the air became cooler and cooler. The air in late autumn became thicker and thicker. The leaves fell and the branches were lonely. Without the obstruction of the leaves, the view was unobstructed, and one could easily have a close look at the distant view.

This afternoon, Lin Lan was invited by the brigade to attend a cadre meeting.

Although she always felt that she was not an official brigade cadre, the brigade actually regarded her as a member. Now she was the propaganda leader of Shanzui Village and even Shanshui Commune. It was just that she did not have that celebrity consciousness.

Those attending the meeting included the brigade secretary, brigade leader, accountant and production team leaders.

Han Yongfang was also simple and rough in his meetings. Without any preparation, he directly threw out a small bomb, "I have thought about it for a long time. We should also start a sideline business for the brigade."

I was caught off guard and was surprised, and asked what the side job was.

Han Yongfang: "Make soap first."

"Soap?" Someone asked in confusion, "Secretary, we don't need it."

"We are not grinding tofu for our own consumption. This is a sideline business. We make tofu in exchange for fertilizers and pesticides." Han Yongfang has that kind of political awareness. He would never say that he does it for money. Instead, he does it for farming. Everything is for the purpose of better farming and producing food.

With this said, others have no reason to refuse. Indeed, they should consider it. Their team does not have any side businesses and has very little cash income. Whenever they need to do something, they have to rely on selling food.

The captain didn't have any idea, so he just said a few words, "Lin Lan, say a few words."

Lin Lan: “…” Why me? I’m just the publicity captain.

She thought for a moment and said, "I support this, but do we have technicians?"

Han Yongfang: "We can recruit educated youth for this. If educated youth Shen knows something, let him join the technical team."

Lin Lan nodded. This is feasible.

Han Yongfang added: "Erwang is not bad either. If he has time, let him come over and help."

Lin Lan: "Secretary, Erwang is still young."

"Ability has nothing to do with age. Some people live to be a hundred years old and are just wasting food."

Lin Lan agreed.

Han Yongfang selected more people to join the team, and each was responsible for his own duties. He was the chief team leader, and the team leader was the deputy team leader and concurrently the production team leader, and followed the arrangements of the technical team.

"Lin Lan will be the leader of the technical team, and the deputy leader..." He looked at Lin Lan: "Shen Zhiqing will be the deputy leader?"

Lin Lan: "Secretary, I don't understand technology either. It's not appropriate for me to be the team leader."

The team leader: "The team leader has a high work score."

Lin Lan: “Okay.” I agree.

Anyway, the team leader is the one who signs, and the deputy team leader is the one who does the work.

Author's words: Lin Lan: Once the iceberg warms up and enters the passionate love period, it can also be very flirtatious. However, I refuse to wear flowers on my head! Or such a big one!