On the first day of their rest, new educated youth arrived, and the educated youth compound was bustling with activity, like a theatrical performance.
The next day, Jian Dan didn't plan to go up the mountain. Instead, she thought about tidying up the back garden. Although she hadn't closed the garden yet, the seedlings of early-maturing plants like cucumbers had almost withered. Except for the old cucumbers at the roots, the rest were almost completely broken off, so there was almost no need to keep them. If she tidied it up now, she could plant a batch of Chinese cabbages, which would be ready to grow after the autumn harvest.
The persimmon vines haven't reached this stage yet, but there aren't many persimmons left either, so I'm planning to harvest them all at once.
Discard the ones that are too small and haven't grown big enough. Put the ones that are a little red but not fully ripe in a basket, cover them tightly, and place them in a cool place. They will ripen in a few days. Although they are not very fresh, the taste is different and they are still good. They are especially delicious in soups or stir-fries.
The early bean vines have mostly died, so we can clear them away together.
There's no need to throw these seedlings away. Just find a corner in the garden and toss them in. In this weather, they'll dry in a few days. Then you can fill them into the stove pit and burn them for half a day. Generally speaking, there's almost nothing wasted in the countryside.
Pull up the trellises, weed the seedlings, and move them to a corner. Then, use a rake to clear the area, turn the soil over, make ridges, sow the seeds, and finally, gently water them. That's how you plant cabbages.
As for the old cucumbers, persimmons, and green beans that were picked, they are all considered auspicious and can be eaten without any problems.
The longer old cucumbers are stored, the more sour they become, making them a great ingredient for soups. They have a tangy flavor that I really like, and I plan to go back to the village this year to get more. They're great for making soups, dumpling soup, and stir-fried potato slices—they all taste exceptionally delicious.
When Li Yan and the others hid, Jian Dan was using a fork to cut potatoes.
These were planted in the spring, not too many, just a few rows, just enough for my own consumption.
Upon seeing them, he paused for a moment in surprise.
"Didn't you say you were going to tidy up the garden today too?"
The main reason is that not only Li Yan and a few others came, but also Chen Jianguo and Lin Dongfang, which was quite unexpected.
Hearing this, the two male educated youths felt quite uncomfortable.
"Sigh, we really can't keep going like this. That guy with the high-pitched voice keeps talking in the yard. Ugh, it makes me so uncomfortable."
"I feel really uncomfortable all over whenever she speaks,"
As he spoke, he shivered and shook his head violently, as if trying to banish her from his mind.
Without any hesitation, the group immediately took on tasks. Lin Dongfang even took the fork and sent Jian Dan to pick potatoes with Li Yan.
"Seriously? You're going to go through with this? Just because you're hiding today doesn't mean you can keep hiding forever!"
Lin Dongfang remained calm and composed.
"It's okay, there are people who are more anxious than us. We can just add fuel to the fire when the time comes. Maybe by the time we get back, everything will be resolved."
Simply looking at him, words fail her.
"You trust them too much. If Wang Hongmei were that capable, would she have fought like that yesterday?"
"If she doesn't, then isn't there someone else who likes Ling Weidong?"
After thinking about it briefly, I still couldn't figure out the relationship, so I simply gave up. She's a minor, and this topic isn't suitable for her.
They weren't polite to them either.
"Since you're here, I'll take you in. You can help me finish this job, so I don't have to deal with another mess tomorrow. Hmm, meals will be provided later."
The proposal was immediately passed unanimously.
"You know what, Dan Dan, you're really efficient! You finished planting all these cabbages in just half a day?"
"That's easy to manage. You don't need to hide the seedlings or anything. It's all open space, so it doesn't matter if they're crooked. They'll grow no matter what."
"What are you still missing?"
Several people immediately wailed.
"We just finished pulling up the cucumber vines, and before we even finished hoeing them, they pushed them out. We'll have to clean them up all day tomorrow."
“Our garden is about the same size as this one. Look how well they keep it tidy, and look at ours, it’s such a mess.”
Simple and delightful.
"Well, look at me, I'm more diligent than you guys!"
After working hard, food couldn't be skimped on. After eating and drinking their fill, the group was pleasantly surprised.
"Watermelon? You can even cook that thing?"
Simply tilt your chin up.
"Of course, who am I? Hehe! I won't take it back for you. There are too many people and too much attention on your side. Just eat here."
She was naturally very generous to her friends.
"There are more by the back garden, would you like to witness a miracle?"
Lin Dongfang chuckled.
"I always feel like you're trying to lure us into being your free labor."
With a simple shrug,
"Then you can also resolutely resist temptation, right?"
"Ugh, it's so tempting, I think I really can't resist."
Listen to that, how ambiguous is what you're saying.
After a satisfying meal, the group of friends were full of energy again in the afternoon. They not only finished cleaning the potatoes, but also harvested all the remaining watermelons, even pulling out the watermelon vines, and were still not satisfied.
"Simply put, are you selling your watermelon?"
As expected, Lin Dongfang was the first to succumb to temptation, simply shaking his head.
"We're not selling them. We're just growing them for our own consumption. It's fine if each of you takes two back as a snack."
I still have a few relatives left; I'll send a few to each family, and that should be enough.
Several people knew that Jian Dan had other acquaintances here. Director Cheng and Li Yan knew this, and they had also seen Da Hei and Hei Dandan that day. When it came to relatives, they naturally thought of these people.
"I say, your garden is quite full. Just this one area, how many things have you planted?"
Even after all the watermelon vines have been harvested, the area along the wall is still full of them.
"Are there many? Pumpkins, gourds, zucchini, melon seeds, and over there are a few clumps of ground cherries, some of them look yellow. Do you see them? They're ripe when they turn yellow and can be eaten."
Those tall ones, almost as tall as sorghum, are sweet stalks. I reckon they'll be ready soon; apparently, they should be sweet by the time of the autumn harvest.
We'll harvest the pumpkins in a few days; that way they'll be easier to store.
It seems like the hanging melon is the same.
I've eaten zucchini several times already. Look, pick a few to take home. I can't eat them all myself; they get too old and don't taste good. They're delicious stir-fried or used as filling.
Tan Yajun was somewhat familiar with this one. She went over and rummaged under the leaves, soon picking five or six and bringing them back, which she then set aside.
"I had no idea until I saw it; your harvest is really good."
There are still more than ten zucchini left. We'll pick them all for you and put them in a shady place, otherwise they'll get too old on here.
"Tell me, how much can one person eat? Look at your garden, it's more than many families grow in one day."
He simply stretched out his sleeve and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"This is the first year, and I didn't even recognize some of these seeds when I brought them back. I couldn't tell what was what, but I thought I'd just plant them since they're all for eating anyway, and I wouldn't waste them. And guess what? They grew really well, and now there's no place to put my feet."
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