It was just Aunt Chen and her two children at Aunt Chen's house. When Jian Dan followed Sister Wang inside, the old lady was sitting in the yard, sighing and directing the children to water the plants.
A quick glance revealed that the garden was indeed a mixed bag; some outstanding seedlings stood tall and graceful, while others had just sprouted from the ground, their tiny leaves pitiful.
More often than not, all you can see are the water-soaked ridges, with absolutely no greenery in sight.
"Auntie, we've come to see you. What are you busy with?"
The old lady, leaning on her cane, tried to stand up.
"Oh, Wang family's daughter-in-law, the political commissar's wife, come in quickly, come in quickly. I'm so worried. Look at me, my legs are too sore to work this year, and the seedlings haven't grown at all. I'm so anxious. Let the children water them."
"Auntie, you still need to see about your leg. It's not a good idea to let it drag on like this. You need to take the medicine and change the dressing if necessary. Once your leg is healed, you can do whatever you want."
Look, can this house manage without you taking care of things?
Are you comfortable letting your child do chores?
Everything else was fine, but when it came to children, the old lady was still touched.
"I was thinking, with my old arms and legs, what else can I do but get treatment? Isn't this just a waste of money?"
These days, I realize that I can't do this work myself. Watching them grow like this only makes me more anxious. In previous years, the seedlings I tended to would grow to about a hand's breadth tall (a hand's breadth is the distance between the ends of the thumb and middle finger, about five inches; the exact length of a hand's breadth can be measured by spreading the thumb and middle finger, or the little finger; this distance is commonly used in daily life). Look at this year, my legs hurt, so I didn't keep an eye on them, and this is how they grew.
"What a waste of my seeds!"
Sister-in-law Wang laughed heartily, picked up the basket, and...
"I knew you'd be anxious, Auntie. These are seedlings from Little Jian's lineage. She specially prepared so many, and I'm really excited about them."
"Look, if you think it's alright, we'll help you plant it."
The old lady grinned, tapping her cane loudly.
"Oh, that's wonderful! This person is truly kind. Otherwise, my garden would have been left to grow wild this year. Let me see, let me see,"
The old lady peeked over, her eyes immediately lighting up. Her rough hands stroked the lush green seedlings, her eyes filled with delight.
"Oh my, the political commissar's daughter, you're so young and capable. You're much better than that Miao in my department. You've grown so big and are still so good, so green and lovely. You're really a rare find."
What happened to you? Tell your auntie.
I thought my stuff was pretty good, but compared to yours, it's really nothing. Yours is even better than what this old farmer grows."
"Oh dear, Auntie, you're exaggerating!"
Jian Dan was in a good mood today and joked along with the old lady.
"You all have so many years of experience, I'm just lazy. Aunties, you've been so attentive and caring,"
Actually, she could understand. Apart from the allowances for the men and sons in the family, this was almost their only source of supplies. Whether they could eat vegetables normally, how many vegetables they could eat in a year, and whether they could store some winter vegetables all depended on this vegetable garden.
In addition, crops are inherently difficult to grow here, so they naturally pay close attention to these seedlings, and the condition of the seedlings directly affects their happiness.
In other words, she was simple and confident, not relying on this at all. Planting this garden was also done openly, so she wasn't as nervous as they were. On the contrary, she was very casual. In addition, the seeds were good and the indoor temperature was suitable, so the seedlings naturally grew well.
"Auntie, I'm lazy, haha, so the things I planted are quite hardy. Look, if you don't mind, my sister-in-law and I will help you replant some seedlings."
"Oh my, such a good seedling, what are you complaining about?"
"Don't bother, I'll let the child do the trick later."
In the countryside, no child is spared from chores. These two children are not young anymore, and they have clearly done chores like digging holes and planting seedlings before. However, Jian Dan and Sister Wang, being adults, naturally couldn't just watch the children work, so they simply fetched water and followed behind to water the plants.
Adding to the original seedlings, although not all of them were filled, they were about 70-80% filled. The old lady was so satisfied that her smile widened.
"Political Commissar's wife, Wang's wife, thanks to you both, otherwise my garden would have really been abandoned this year. I'm fine, but the children are counting on the garden to provide them with something."
"Oh, Auntie, it's not that bad. Even if we start planting now, it will only be ten or fifteen days later. It won't be so bad that the land will be barren."
Don't worry, Xiao Jian is right. We still need to see how this leg looks. If it were you, you would have finished this job quickly by now, wouldn't you?
"This child is so young, you're worried and anxious watching him work, aren't you?"
The old lady slapped her thigh.
"That's right. You know, the child is so young, yet he's holding that kitchen knife. My heart is in my throat, afraid he'll cut his hand again."
"It's also my legs' fault for being so weak; they've been like this for over half a year and they still aren't getting better, which has even been a burden on the child."
Sister-in-law Wang was about to offer some more advice when she heard Jian Dan say...
"Yes, Auntie, if you keep dragging your legs like this, it will definitely be a burden to the children."
"Huh? Girl, what did you say?"
Sister-in-law Wang was taken aback, and so was the old lady. Was this some kind of advice?
"Am I wrong, Auntie? You're reluctant to see a doctor or take medicine because you want to save money, right? Yes, I understand."
So this is the result of your money-saving efforts? Is this what you wanted?
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