Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Yaotian was on the way to the fields...
On the way to the fields, Zhao Mingsheng learned that Aunt Wang had two half-grown children and an elderly mother-in-law. Her husband worked as a carpenter in a furniture store in the county and went out early and came back late all day, so the fields at home were taken care of by her.
She grows a lot of vegetables, and can sell any that she can't finish eating to supplement the family income.
The Zhao family's fields were not too far away. Zhao Mingsheng chatted and laughed with Aunt Wang along the way, and they arrived there in less than a cup of tea.
"We're here. This is your family's field. Your location is very good! Look, there's a well next to it." Aunt Wang pointed to the place where she could draw water to Zhao Mingsheng, her tone full of envy. It took her family more effort to draw water.
Zhao Mingsheng followed the direction of her finger and saw an ancient well made of blue bricks standing by the roadside. Looking inside, he saw overgrown weeds.
Where is Tian? She saw the well next to her, but where is Tian?
"Aunt Wang, is this the field you're talking about? Aren't these just weeds?"
Zhao Mingsheng pointed to the pile of weeds, and after getting a positive answer, she was completely dumbfounded. Why should she water these weeds? It would be more like weeding them.
She guessed that Zhao's father was devoted to medicine and might not be good at farming, but she didn't expect that he was so bad at farming methods?
Where are the golden ears of wheat she imagined? Or at least some green cabbage will do?
She and her grandmother also lived in the manor of the marquisate for a period of time. She still can't forget the tomatoes just picked from the field, the juice splashing in every bite, the sweet taste that refreshes the heart.
"Haha, girl, these are not weeds, they are your father's treasures!"
Zhao Mingsheng asked suspiciously, "Baby?"
"Other people grow crops or vegetables in their fields, but he grows medicinal herbs!"
Zhao Mingsheng: ...
He is indeed a doctor father.
Zhao Mingsheng's indescribable look made Aunt Wang laugh loudly.
She smiled and looked up at the sun. It was still about two hours before noon, so now was a good time to water the plants. If she waited until noon, the sun would be strong and the water would evaporate quickly, making it difficult to water the plants.
So Aunt Wang didn't have time to say anything else and hurried back to her own field to water the plants.
Zhao Mingsheng was left staring blankly at the weeds... no, the medicinal herbs on the ground.
Fortunately, she was very resilient and quickly pulled herself together. Even though there weren't any vegetables in the field, she could always plant more later! There would be tomatoes and rapeseed!
There were some tools placed on the edge of Zhao's field. They were all worthless farm tools that every household had. It was heavy and troublesome to bring them back from home, and no one would steal them, so they were just left in the field.
Zhao Mingsheng took out a wooden barrel from a pile of tools and went to the well to fetch water. His arms were sore before he finally filled the barrel.
When she carried the bucket back to the field, she looked at the unfamiliar plants in front of her and became troubled again.
How should I water these medicinal herbs and how much water is appropriate?
These medicinal herbs were seedlings that Zhao's father dug from the mountains. On a whim, he wanted to try and see if they could be grown.
But he had no talent for planting. Not only were the plants planted in a disorderly manner, but the herbs also did not seem to adapt to the soil environment of the field. They were alive, but most of them were wilted and did not grow very well.
The medicinal properties of the plants were not as good as those of wild herbs. After observing them for a while, Zhao's father gave up and only came to water them occasionally.
Zhao Mingsheng was struggling for a long time but couldn't come to a conclusion, so he decided not to think too much about it and just poured it to show his respect!
There was a small ladle in the wooden barrel, and she used it as a measure. She would water the taller ones with two ladlefuls, and the shorter ones with only one ladleful.
Zhao Mingsheng was enjoying the watering, but soon the water in the wooden barrel was empty, so he had to get another one.
After going back and forth several times, fortunately the Zhao family's land was not too big, and they finally finished watering it before noon.
Looking back at the moist land, my heart is filled with pride.
Zhao Mingsheng didn't feel tired while working, but when she stopped, she felt a little sore all over. She rubbed her aching waist and sat down to rest in the shade of a big tree.
Not long after they sat there, Aunt Wang came back after watering the fields. Seeing Zhao Mingsheng sitting under the shade of a tree, she invited her to go home with her.
"It's really hot today."
Aunt Wang, who came back from watering the fields, seemed to have become darker. She used her hands as a fan, waving her broad palms back and forth, hoping to bring some cool breeze.
Looking at Aunt Wang who was sweating profusely, Zhao Mingsheng was surprised to realize that she didn't feel hot. Although she didn't sweat much on weekdays, the sun was particularly strong today. She had been busy in the hot sun for the whole morning, but she didn't even break a sweat.
Daddy said there were a lot of mosquitoes in the fields, but she had been there for such a long time and had never been bitten by any mosquitoes, let alone seen any snakes, insects, rats or ants. It was really strange!
Seeing that she looked refreshed, Aunt Wang thought she was just tired after watering for a while, and then she sat under the tree to rest.
Only Zhao Mingsheng knew that this was not normal. She silently touched the place where the jade pendant was under her clothes, her face full of confusion.
Is it because of the jade pendant?
Zhao Mingsheng returned to his yard with the two cucumbers that Aunt Wang had enthusiastically given him when they parted.
As soon as I entered the yard, I met a woman wearing a brown dress and an apron. She looked a little old, with some scars on her face. When she smiled, the wrinkles on her face moved with her.
Remembering what his father said this morning, Zhao Mingsheng guessed that this person was Aunt Zou.
The old lady wiped her hands, freshly washed, on her apron and said to Zhao Mingsheng with a smile, "I'm Aunt Zou from next door. I'm here to help with lunch. Are you the little girl who just returned from the Zhao family?"
Zhao Mingsheng also responded with a smile, and said hello to Auntie obediently. Then he remembered that he still had two cucumbers in his hand and quickly handed them over.
"Aunt Wang gave me two cucumbers, which is a perfect addition to my lunch."
"Oh, her dishes are the freshest and most delicious. It's hot today, so let's make some cucumber salad and some loofah and shrimp stew with noodles."
Zhao Mingsheng's mouth was watering after hearing this, so he naturally agreed, nodding his head like a chick eating rice.
Seeing Zhao Mingsheng nod, Aunt Zou pointed outside the fence and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go pick some spices."
There are only wild flowers and vegetables outside the fence, and we don’t grow any peppers at home, so where do the seasonings come from?
With this thought in mind, Zhao Mingsheng followed her curiously.
I saw Aunt Zou picking... two handfuls of leaves by the fence outside the yard?
"Auntie, what kind of seasoning is this?" Zhao Mingsheng was confused.
Aunt Zou didn't rush to explain, but pinched a bunch for her to smell.
She put her nose close to it and sniffed it. The smell was a bit pungent and strange, it was hard to describe. It was a bit like coriander, but the appearance was completely different.
Aunt Zou smiled and explained, "This is called Schizonepeta tenuifolia. It clears away heat and relieves summer heat. It's perfect for mixing with cucumbers. You haven't seen it before, have you?"
Zhao Mingsheng had never seen it, let alone eaten it. But since Aunt Zou said it was delicious, it must be delicious!
Back in the kitchen, Aunt Zou peeled the washed loofah and cut it into strips. She added scallions, ginger and garlic to the hot oil and stir-fried them until fragrant. She then added the cut loofah to the pan and stir-fried it for a few times. The moment she sprinkled the chopped dried shrimps on it, the delicious flavor burst out.
The dough that was kneaded in advance has now risen. Use a long rolling pin to roll the dough into a thin round cake, then stack the round cakes layer by layer and cut them into strips about one finger wide with a knife.
Although Aunt Zou is old, she works very efficiently. Zhao Mingsheng can't help even if he wants to.
After watching for a long time, she finally found something she could do to help.
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