Zhang Hongmei felt guilty. Lying was really too painful, but she had no choice. Should she say, "I have money"? But who would carry so much money around for no reason?
"Don't worry about these things, they can be resolved. You'll have to spend money later; the village still owes you five thousand."
"It's alright, there's no rush. I used an antique to cover it up. I reckon even if I were to pay them back now, they might not even ask for the money back. After all, when I went to look for seeds today, they didn't mention money to me."
How much did those seeds cost?
"They didn't ask for money. I guess they might come back for seeds after the autumn harvest? I offered them money, but they didn't take it."
"Okay, we'll talk about it when the time comes."
People gradually arrived, except for those drying wheat on the threshing floor.
Wang Hongxi waved his hand and said, "Let's go to the threshing ground."
Liu Maocai called Da Shan's father, and the two of them unloaded the three full bags of corn kernels from the back of the car and put them into the warehouse.
Zhang Hongmei didn't go to the wheat field; she drove straight home.
Wang Xinyi was at home alone making clothes, and she noticed it was probably for her. She saw Zhang Hongmei return. "Hongmei, you're back? I just heard the bell ringing. Is something wrong? And how did things go?"
"Everything went smoothly. Brother Zhang has resolved the fertilizer issue and found the seeds as well."
"That's good." Wang Xinyi was especially happy. Seeing Zhang Hongmei so diligently helping the villagers plan, she could tell that this girl was very loyal. If you were kind to this kind of person, she would repay you tenfold. By staying by her side, she wouldn't have to worry about being alone when she got old. Besides, her future identity would be the greatest protection for her.
Zhang Hongmei chatted with Wang Xinyi for a while before going to the old lady's house.
"Tsk tsk tsk, the fair and delicate little girl has turned into a dark-skinned girl."
"That is the true nature of the working people."
"How many favors did you do this time?"
"I don't know either. They didn't charge for the seeds, but when I asked why, they didn't say. Zhang Shouyi took care of the fertilizer, so why would he need to repay a favor?"
"Sigh! He has to repay the favor even more. Let's leave it at that and talk about it later." The old lady was thinking about how to repay Zhang Shouyi's favor.
"I promised Zhang Shouyi I'd bring back a bag of corn seeds. Can this be considered repaying that favor?"
"That means you gave me a big sweet pear, and I returned a hawthorn to you."
"Haha, that's a good analogy, but in the end, we've already paid back, haven't we?"
"You, I really don't know if you're truly shrewd or just pretending to be clever," the old lady shook her head, scolding Zhang Hongmei helplessly.
"I'm not smart, really."
The old lady laughed at Zhang Hongmei's silly antics.
"You're being naughty! Don't worry about the cost of the fertilizer. Just get the fertilizer. And it would be great if you could sell it to us on a long-term basis."
"I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, we can sell them some wheat; no one will refuse grain."
The old lady shook her head. "It won't work. We haven't paid our grain tax yet."
"It's not about how much to sell to them. Thinking about it, it doesn't seem feasible. How would we calculate the price? Our output this year is nearly 30,000 jin, and we've already handed over almost 20,000 jin of grain to the state. We've been eating bran and wild vegetables for three years. We have to set aside enough for ourselves."
"You silly girl, you've brought up food again."
"This is my greatest hobby, and my lifelong pursuit. Isn't that idealistic?"
"You brat, alright, I'm hungry. Go cook, I want seafood porridge."
"Understood!"
Zhang Hongmei entered the kitchen with practiced ease, found dried shrimp, cockles, and scallops in the storeroom, and soaked them in water. She also soaked the rice, then went to the vegetable garden to pick a scallion and a bunch of cilantro, washed them clean, and set them aside.
Once all the ingredients were prepared, the fire was lit and the water was boiled.
First, I removed the heads from the prawns, washed them again, and put them in a pot to boil. Actually, the prawn roe is the most nutritious part. Shouldn't prawn roe be fried in oil? But since conditions don't allow it now, I can only boil it.
Once the water boils, add the rice, then cut the scallops and cockles into pieces, peel the dried shrimp, and cut the shrimp meat in half. When the rice is half-cooked, add all three together.
At this point, remove the shrimp heads with chopsticks and simmer over low heat. Then, finely chop the scallions and cilantro, and add them in once the shrimp are cooked.
The old lady lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), squinting, smelling the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen, and thought this was truly wonderful. But the children were never satisfied; the fledglings had grown up and were ready to fly far away.
As soon as Zhang Hongmei entered the room, the old lady opened her eyes and said, "Grandma, I've put the table down."
"Fine, I'll leave it here. Are you out of your mind? Are you making something for yourself?"
"Of course I'm not stupid. I made a bowl and served it right away."
The old lady picked up the bowl and said, "This tastes good and looks nice too. Tell your aunt how to make it later."
"Okay, I also think I'm particularly good at cooking."
After the mother and daughter finished eating, Zhang Hongmei tidied up the kitchen again, and Liu Changhe's family also brought back their food.
"Hehe, Hongmei is here, so your great-grandmother won't go hungry."
"Big sister, there's still some porridge left. Would you like some more?"
"No, I have to go dry the wheat. We can't let all the good stuff go to waste. Mother, I'm leaving now?"
"Go on, Hongmei, you should go and rest too."
When Zhang Hongmei got home, Wang Ying still hadn't returned. She must be having too much fun on the mountain to remember home. Anyway, she had nothing else to do, so she decided to go up the mountain and check on her.
With a basket on her back and a machete in hand, Zhang Hongmei went up the mountain. As soon as she stepped out, she felt as if the sky was about to fall. Was it going to rain?
No, I can't go up the mountain by myself. I'd better go to the wheat field instead.
Thinking of this, he ran home, put down the basket, and then ran to the threshing ground.
The sky turned cloudy so quickly! I thought it was sunny just a moment ago, how did it turn cloudy in the blink of an eye?
When Zhang Hongmei arrived at the threshing ground, everyone was working. The women were bagging the wheat grains and tying them up, while the strong laborers were carrying them to the warehouse.
Zhang Hongmei also joined in the work of packing wheat grains. The sky was getting heavier and heavier, and now the wind was picking up.
Everyone was very anxious. The older folks were covering the wheat straw with tarpaulins; they couldn't let that go to waste.
Finally, when the rain started to fall, all the wheat grains were collected, and a few young men went up to the roof of the warehouse.
The people below handed them tarpaulins and plastic sheets.
By the time they came down, everyone was soaked. But they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhang Hongmei hurriedly ran home, wondering if Wang Ying had returned yet.
When Zhang Hongmei got home and saw Wang Ying carrying a basin, ready to wash up, she breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she's back.
Wang Xinyi added water to the pot. "Hongmei, let's eat at home. It's too much trouble to go out for a meal in this rain."
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