Chapter 9 Planting Sweet Potatoes

Liu Yinyin didn’t know and didn’t care whether others would frame her. She was quite happy at the moment, thinking that she would have her own home soon.

From now on, you don’t have to worry about having no place to live anymore.

Liu Lai Fu put his hands behind his back and looked at her a few times, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Dad, if you have anything to say, just tell me directly." Liu Yinyin asked him with a smile.

"Well..." Liu Laifu coughed twice and asked, "What you just said to the village chief, it's not true, right?"

"Which sentence are you referring to?" She had just said so much, and she didn't know which sentence Liu Lai Fu was asking.

Liu Laifu frowned and said, "That is...you said you won't get married in the future? Have you thought it through? If you don't get married, it won't be easy for you to raise a child alone in the future."

Liu Yinyin said seriously: "I have thought it through. People's hearts are hard to predict. If I marry the wrong person again while I am raising my child, it will harm the child's life. Instead of that, it is better for me to raise the child by myself."

Liu Yinyin really doesn't dare to get married because she has a system of secrets. If someone with bad intentions finds out, she will have no peace in the future.

So, she'd better live alone.

Liu Laifu sighed when he heard this, and said nothing else, "Just think it over for yourself, don't tell your mother about this yet."

If Jiang Cuihua knew this, she would probably be so worried that she couldn't sleep at night.

Liu Yinyin is not a talkative person. She doesn't like to tell others about her own affairs.

"One more thing." Liu Laifu said worriedly, "If you are bullied outside in the future, don't keep silent. I and your three brothers are at home to support you."

A widow with children is most likely to be bullied.

"Well, thank you, Dad." Liu Yinyin certainly needs her mother's family as a support.

Liu Lai Fu felt awkward listening to this. When did this kid start speaking in such a flowery way?

After getting the approval from the village chief, Liu Yinyin couldn't wait to go to the house at the end of the village the next day and take a careful look.

The house was indeed quite shabby, and like other houses in the village, it was made of adobe.

The original owner lived alone, so the house was not very big, with only three rooms in total and no main room.

The three rooms are connected together. The one on the far left is the bedroom, and the one in the middle is the kitchen.

The room on the right is used to store firewood and some sundries, and there is a pigsty attached to the outside.

The house is not big, but the yard outside is quite large, probably about two acres of land.

There is also the private plot that Liu Quanfu mentioned, which is right next to the yard and is about three or four mu in size.

These two plots of land are still barren, so there is still time to plant some vegetables or other things this month.

Liu Yinyin looked quite satisfied. The pace of life was slow at that time, and there was no other pressure except food, clothing and shelter.

She now has a house and a yard, which means she can live a retirement life in advance.

It's quite interesting to think about, but I can't move in right away.

Oh!

Perhaps because the house was ownerless, all the useful things in it had been taken away. There was not even a door left, and most of the tiles on the roof were missing.

Also, the bed, windows, stove and so on were no longer usable and all had to be replaced with new ones.

Liu Yinyin, a woman, didn't know how to repair a house, so she could only ask the Liu family for help.

Liu Lai-fu and his sons can renovate the house without hiring anyone for help.

Of course, building a house requires more than just manpower. You also have to buy materials, and hire skilled people to make beds, windows, and doors.

Liu Yinyin took out fifty yuan and gave it to Liu Laifu, asking him to help buy the necessary materials.

Of course, she had no right to complain in this situation; she just wanted to keep things as simple as possible.

For a while, the Liu family was very busy, including Liu Lai Fu and his sons.

They have to work during the day, and after work they have to repair the house for Liu Yinyin.

Fortunately, it is not the time of spring ploughing and autumn harvest, so the work in the fields is not very hard, otherwise they would really not be able to bear it.

Liu Yinyin was also busy tidying up the two wastelands.

It's a pity that the land is left barren, but with the help of Jiang Cuihua and Mrs. Liu.

Both plots of land were cleared, and Liu Yinyin planted sweet potatoes on the two acres of land in the yard.

She did this to prepare for a rainy day. If Liu Yinyin remembered correctly, this year was 1958......

Next year, in 1959, the difficult three famine years will arrive.

Liu Yinyin doesn't know what the specific situation of Liujia Village will be like next year, but...

Since she has this prophecy, she has to do something, otherwise she will feel insecure.

Sweet potatoes have a high yield. When they are harvested in autumn, they can be dried and stored in the sun. They may come in handy one day.

Liu Yinyin planted vegetables on half of the private plot outside the yard, including a bed of cucumbers, a bed of eggplants, a bed of beans, a bed of cabbage, a bed of radishes, a bed of tomatoes, a bed of water spinach, and another bed of onions, ginger, garlic and peppers.

There are also several pumpkin plants planted at the foot of the courtyard wall.

Liu Yinyin still planted sweet potatoes on the remaining half of the land.

Seeing this, Jiang Cuihua couldn't help but whisper to her daughter, "Why do you grow so many sweet potatoes? If you want to eat sweet potatoes, just take them from me. Are the vegetables you grow enough?"

Anyway, everyone else in the village grows vegetables in their private plots, and they have to dry the vegetables and save them for the winter, otherwise there will be nothing to eat in the winter.

"I'm just one person, and it's enough for me to eat." Liu Yinyin has a system, so she doesn't worry about not having vegetables to eat. She grows vegetables for others to see.

"Besides, the yield of sweet potatoes is high. I don't have much food this year, so I have to plant more sweet potatoes."

Jiang Cuihua sighed upon hearing this: "You said...you can't just eat sweet potatoes."

She felt angry at her poor girl. How could such a good girl live such a life?

Liu Yinyin didn't care at all, and said with a laugh: "You can't just eat sweet potatoes. By the way, mom, I also want to raise some chickens."

At that time, the regulations on raising chickens were not so strict, with each household only required to have no more than five chickens.

Of course, this is just talk. The villagers all have their own little thoughts. Every family will secretly raise one or two more. Everyone knows it and turns a blind eye.

Liu Yinyin lives alone and can raise five or six chickens. This is a great deal and she certainly can't waste this opportunity.

If it weren't for her pregnancy, she would have wanted to raise one or two pigs this year.

"You're right, we need to raise some chickens." Jiang Cuihua nodded in agreement, "I'll bring you a few later and raise them in the pigsty. In a few days, let your father and his family repair the pigsty."

The young lady can raise several chickens by herself, which is much better than other families.

Two months had passed since the house was completely renovated, and before we knew it, it was mid-June.