Late May and early June is the busiest time of the summer harvest in their area, and even schools are closed so that students can go home to help with the harvest.
The tavern closed down immediately. Grandma stayed home with her to boil mung bean soup and cook for everyone. Dad and Mom took their four older brothers to the fields to harvest wheat. The younger ones picked up the wheat, while the older ones cut it. Anyone who could help couldn't slack off. Grandpa was in charge of bundling it up.
It was hot, but not as hot as in later times, only around 34 or 35 degrees Celsius, far less than the 40-degree Celsius high temperatures that often occur in later times.
There are trees in the fields where you can find shade. Many breastfeeding women put their babies in baskets or basins at the edge of the field and let the older children watch over them while they go down to the fields to help harvest the wheat.
Grandma's bound feet prevented her from doing heavy work; at most, she could cook a delicious meal for the family.
Because of the heat, the whole family set off before dawn. It takes about 10 to 20 minutes to walk from the town to the fields.
Breakfast consisted of steamed cornbread made by my mother, served with cucumber salad, and each person also had a boiled egg to take with them. If they got hungry in the middle of the day, they could peel and eat it.
Eating cornbread with pickled vegetables and a big bowl of corn porridge would fill you up, giving you the energy to work in the fields.
Grandma continued making dough at home because their area mainly grows wheat, corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes. Rice is short of water, and growing it requires too much manpower and resources. Unless the fields are right next to a well or there is a waterwheel, people will grow rice. It's not that no one grows rice, but it's very rare. Therefore, most people prefer to eat noodles.
The midday meal doesn't need to be delivered to the fields because it's too hot at midday. We need to come back and rest for a while before we go back to harvest wheat after 3 p.m.
Grandma put her in the crib, a sturdy and durable crib that her older brothers had all slept in, which she could use until she was one year old.
"Little Jiu, if you're hungry or need to poop, just call for Grandma. Grandma is busy in the kitchen. Your parents work hard, so Grandma is making steamed buns for them today. Let's have something good to eat."
Grandma bought a pound of meat and five pounds of pork fat today. After frying the pork fat, there will be cracklings left. After chopping the cracklings, she will mix them with eggplant, tofu, and green peppers to make a filling. After mincing the pork, she will mix it with chives...
This morning, Grandma has been making steamed buns and dumplings non-stop. Xiao Jiu, lying on her side, was munching on a little toy that Daddy made for her. She saw all of Grandma's hard work and sighed at how difficult it was to cook with so many people. At the same time, she felt sorry for her brothers, who were so young, having to pick wheat in such hot weather.
Although it is said that children from poor families mature early, given the Tao family's circumstances, at least the older brothers should not have suffered this hardship since birth.
Little Jiu was obedient and waited patiently for four or five hours until Grandma finished steaming the buns and wrapping the dumplings before she finally started whining for food.
Grandma quickly squeezed a bowl of goat milk for her and then put it in a small steamer on the stove to steam.
Why steam instead of boil? Because Grandma believed that milk heated this way was cleaner. Whether it was an iron pot or an earthenware pot, it would affect the taste of the milk and introduce impurities. Only steamed milk was clean.
Several older women thought what she was doing was too much trouble, and said, "Why are you spoiling an adopted child like this? It's good enough that she has something to drink. The milk is squeezed from the goat's belly, so it's warm. Why don't you just feed it to her?"
Grandma smiled but didn't say anything. After all, she had attended a private school and her family was in business, so she was worldly-wise. She knew that milk squeezed from a sheep's stomach couldn't be drunk directly; it needed to be cooked at high temperatures to kill the bacteria before it could be consumed. Of course, she knew they wouldn't understand even if she told them this, so she simply didn't say anything.
"Have you kept our little Jiu waiting? Sweetie, we'll drink it soon. You did a great job today. Let's rest a little longer this afternoon. Tonight, Grandma will make noodles for your parents. How about that?"
Although the old lady is over sixty years old, she is still very efficient at her work and keeps the kitchen clean. Of course, this is the result of the joint efforts of two generations. You can't expect one generation to keep the house clean and tidy.
Because of the old lady's knowledge, manners, and cleanliness, Xiao Jiu became particularly attached to her and would always smile at her. Whenever she smiled and her dimples appeared, Grandma would feel that all the hard work of the day was worthwhile.
"What a good girl! Your dear parents, we didn't know you were such a treasure. But it's alright, now that you're in our family, you're our treasure."
Xiao Jiu never cries when they are eating. After the milk reaches a safe temperature, Grandma takes a small wooden spoon, puts her on her lap with her left arm around her, and feeds her spoonful by spoonful with her right hand. At first, the milk is a little hot, so Grandma blows on it before feeding her. As she is fed, the milk becomes warm. By the end, it is about the same temperature as milk squeezed from a goat's belly, just slightly warm.
Fortunately, it was summer, so there was no worry about her getting an upset stomach. Grandma would drink whatever she couldn't finish, and there was never any left over.
Xiao Jiu doesn't know how many times she drinks milk each day. She drinks a bowl when she wakes up in the morning, a bowl at noon, a bowl in the afternoon, and a bowl before going to bed at night.
If I really can't hold on any longer at night, I'll whimper and drink one more time. If I fall asleep and sleep until dawn, then I'll wait for the morning meal.
Her easy care is not only reflected in the fact that she doesn't cause trouble at the drop of a hat, but also in her milk-drinking problem. After all, she has an adult mindset and will not bother or disturb others' sleep unless her parents are exercising. After exercising, she will have to arrange something for them to do.
She couldn't control her urination and defecation; if she felt uncomfortable, she would just call for help. Fortunately, her mother was a light sleeper, and she would wake up at the slightest noise, unlike her father, who would snore loudly as long as he was well-fed and pampered by his mother. At such times, she wished she could be selectively deaf.
However, the wheat harvest season doesn't mean that if you close your shop, no one will come to buy your wine. The harder the time, the more people want to treat themselves to some snacks to go with their wine. After all, the weather is hot, and the wine is chilled in the well before being taken out to drink. The taste is dry and refreshing. After all, it is a time-honored brand of wine, and many people like this taste.
So closing the door is no big deal. People in a hurry will come directly to their house and knock on the door. The father and grandfather will brew wine whenever they have time. Moreover, some wines need to be aged, so it is necessary to have a stock. Even if they don't sell it before the time is up, they can't let the wine in the house run out, so they always have stock.
Her family's wine costs 5,000 yuan for two liang (100ml). This is in new currency, equivalent to 50 cents for two liang in the second set of RMB. Because it is made from genuine grain, the price cannot be lowered. This price is also a fair one. Her family also has some wines with a few years of history, but they all start at 10,000 yuan, which is not something that everyone can afford.
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