The help I offered that day was just a casual remark, but thinking about it, dozens of seedlings should yield at least a hundred melons. She could manage it herself, but now that she's keeping a low profile, she's left everyone with the impression of being unassuming and lazy. Her reason is perfectly valid: I'm still young and growing.
Then, upon seeing these two young farmhands, she thought, "Hmm, that's good. If I need to send them off later, I won't have a reason. Isn't this ready-made?" Anyway, she had nothing to do at the moment, so she could just keep them company.
Liujiatun used to grow watermelons many years ago, but the yield was extremely low and the taste was just average. In the years that followed, things got worse and worse. With war and natural disasters, people had to eat, and no one had the time or inclination to grow this unappetizing thing.
However, the elderly people had all eaten it before. After they returned home, when Grandpa Liu and his wife heard about it, they specially taught Hu Zi how to distinguish which ones were cooked and which ones were raw.
What's wrong with me?
How could that be? This is food, how could it go bad?
That means even if it goes bad, it's still a good thing.
As for the adults, neither family came. They had already said they would ask the children to help. Besides, it was just along the base of the garden wall; even if they planted a whole circle of plants, how much could they possibly grow? It wouldn't be too tiring for the adults to do it. It just didn't feel right for the adults to go, as if they were eyeing the little girl's food.
It has to be said that rural children are different; they can pick it up as soon as you explain it.
Except for the fact that Xiaohua was too heavy to carry and Huzi had to help, everything else was easier than the simple speed exercises.
"Sister Jian, should we put all of these under the eaves of the house in front?"
After all, these watermelons really didn't cheat. Ah, apart from the seeds, which were found in the base, the rest of the growing environment and conditions were all based on the actual experience of Liujiatun. So the fruits that grew were really not very big, not much bigger than the landmine watermelons of later generations. The big ones could weigh about twelve or thirteen pounds, while the small ones weighed five or six pounds, and some even weighed seven or eight pounds.
The children cooperated very well. The eldest, Hu Zi, was already a semi-labor force in the countryside at the age of eight, so it was no problem for him at all.
Even the smaller black egg can be carried, and the smallest flower weighing five or six pounds can also be carried.
It could be said that Jian Dan hardly had to worry about anything. By the time she realized she was a little tired, they had already reached the other end of the garden, which meant they had almost finished half of the work.
Looking up, I saw the sun was already high in the sky, and when I checked the time, it was past ten in the morning.
After working for more than two hours, the three children's faces were flushed, and sweat was streaming down their faces. They even wiped it with their hands without paying attention, resulting in dark marks on their faces.
Oh dear, Jian Dan feels so guilty. Doesn't this constitute child labor abuse?
Forget everything else, let's prepare lunch. After working all morning, how can we let someone go home on an empty stomach? Absolutely not.
"Tiger, Little Flower, Black Egg, let's go, let's go back to the front yard and rest for a while."
The child was also tired. Upon hearing this, she relaxed and her arm went limp. The watermelon in Xiaohua's hand immediately slipped down and shattered with a "crack".
The four little ones, who were having a great time, immediately swarmed over and happily hunted for food.
The little girl took a few steps back in fright, looking at Jian Dan timidly, tears welling up in her eyes.
He simply starts praising people.
"Oh dear, Little Flower, how did you know Jixiang and the others were thirsty? I was thinking of going over to give them another one later,"
He then came over and took her little hand.
"Oh dear, I'm thirsty from working. Let's go back and eat."
She started picking them in the morning and had Hu Zi put several into a small jar. The well water had just been changed that morning, and even though the watermelons had been in the sun for most of the morning, they were thoroughly chilled and now they were cool and refreshing, just right.
Xiaohua was just feeling sad and guilty when she was pulled out of the watermelon tank. Watching the watermelon bobbing up and down in the tank, she forgot what had just happened.
"There's water in the basin, go wash your hands and face, then come over and eat some watermelon."
This tactic is familiar. Tiger and Black Egg's eyes lit up immediately. They said they were just letting them eat melons, but since it wasn't their own home, and they weren't unruly kids, even if they were asked to do chores and not paid, they wouldn't ask for anything in return.
I threw half of it to Big Black, and cut up the rest.
"Come and eat, cool off and rest for a while."
It was Xiaohua's first time eating it. She held the sweet juice in her mouth for a long time, reluctant to swallow it, her eyes almost squinting into slits.
Jianda didn't bother them, just left a message,
"Nobody is allowed to leave!"
Then we went inside.
No matter what kind of work it is, you have to be provided with meals.
Jian Dan had never raised children before and didn't know what children liked to eat, but she guessed it was probably meat.
I've been here for about half a year, almost a year now. My basic cooking skills have improved. I wouldn't say I'm amazing, but I learned them all from live streams, and they're presentable.
Neither of the parents came today, clearly indicating they don't care about their children's interactions (Jian Dan has automatically lowered her seniority). They're all just kids, and Jian Dan isn't planning on anything fancy; a simple, satisfying meal is enough.
Green beans, there are some in the garden.
Potatoes, there are some in the garden.
Corn, it's the season for green corn to be available now, so it's not unusual. It's just that the villagers are reluctant to eat it now, thinking they'll save it for the autumn harvest to produce more grain.
Moreover, there's plenty of food available now, so it's not a big deal to miss out on a bite. We can save it all for when food is scarce in winter; it might just save our lives.
There's nothing special about the preparation: pork belly, ribs, green beans, potatoes, corn, and a roughly edible squash, topped with a ring of cornmeal flatbread. This isn't unusual; many families eat this as their staple food. However, very few people use pure cornmeal; it's usually mixed with bran. Also, many people grind cornmeal with the corn kernels in, so the yield lasts longer, but it's definitely much coarser. Someone as simple and lazy as Jian Dan wouldn't be able to stomach it.
When this kind of cornmeal is made, it is mixed with a lot of wild vegetables. You can imagine how delicious it is. The dowry is also made with little oil and salt. The main seasoning comes from pickled vegetable dumplings and homemade soybean paste. It can be said that wild vegetables, scallions, cabbage and radishes dipped in sauce solved a lot of hunger problems.
Although it was coarse grains, there was meat underneath! As soon as the pot was opened, the three children, whose bellies were bulging from eating watermelon, started groaning again. They looked at each other, knowing from childhood that they shouldn't stay at someone else's house during mealtimes; it was considered impolite and would make them disliked.
The children hesitated. Sister Jian had just said they weren't allowed to leave, but now she wanted to eat, which was a bit inconvenient.
What should we do?
Black Egg and Little Flower both looked at Tiger. He was the eldest of the three children, but he didn't know what to do. He stood there, smelling the increasingly strong aroma, and his stomach was growling more and more. Hadn't he just eaten?
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