Because the floor inside the house was all yellow mud, it would sag if there was a little water, but Zhang Hongmei still insisted on steaming the vegetable buns until they were cooked. She steamed a total of eighteen buns, which was just right for nine people for the family.
Zhang Hongmei put the vegetable buns into a small basin, then put the two small basins into the cage, covered them with plastic, and then went out with an umbrella and rain boots.
First, we went to Liu Maocai's house. "Third Aunt, it's me, Hongmei."
After waiting for a while, Li Cuihua came out to open the door. "Hongmei, when did you get back? What are you doing out in this heavy rain?" she said, pulling Zhang Hongmei into the house.
"Third Aunt, I came back yesterday without getting wet in the rain. Where is my Third Uncle? Where is Stone Third Sister?"
"Sister Hongmei, we're inside. It's so boring, and we can't go out."
Zhang Hongmei lifted the curtain and entered the room. "I've brought you some vegetable buns. Eat them while they're hot."
"That's great. My mom hasn't cooked anything. She hasn't eaten anything since last night."
Zhang Hongmei brought out the vegetable buns and placed them on the kang table.
"Third Aunt, I won't stay here. I still need to deliver it to Great-Grandma. You don't need to go out and lock the door; I'll just close it."
"Okay, go ahead. Watch your step, don't fall."
Zhang Hongmei arrived at the old lady's house again, just in time for the old lady to have her meal.
"Grandma, try the vegetable buns I made. They're filled with shredded radish."
"Hehe, you can't go to school because of the rain, right?"
"Yes, I can't ask for leave either. I hope the teacher won't worry about me."
"Hehe, how about you have your uncle take you home?"
"Walking? Or maybe not. I'll wait for a ride back. I don't want to walk all day in the rain."
"Do you want some dumpling soup?" Liu Changhe's wife asked Zhang Hongmei as she came in.
"Grandma, I'm not eating anymore, I've already eaten. Grandma, please try my steamed vegetable buns. My uncle, and my aunt and uncle, come and have a taste too."
"Hehe, your uncle came back and said your cooking is delicious. I tried the fish balls last time and thought Hongmei was really skillful."
"Grandma, Grandma, I'm going home. Even though I can't go to school, I can still study at home."
"Hongmei, your house doesn't have any leaks, does it?" Liu Changhe came in with his hair still wet.
"Grandpa, everything's fine at home, what are you doing?"
"Hey, stop talking. Your fourth uncle's roof next door is leaking, so I went over to help. That family is incredibly lazy. They never check it, and now that it's raining, I bet their roof is the only one in the village that's leaking."
"Grandpa, I'm going back now. Please come inside."
Zhang Hongmei returned home and went back into her spatial dimension. She lazily lay on the sofa, reading a novel and munching on snacks, thoroughly enjoying herself.
They don't do anything that requires any effort; they just read fluffy novels.
Eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty, and sleep when you're tired.
This kind of parasitic lifestyle is the most suitable for me.
Zhang Hongmei only came out when she got bored. The rain outside had stopped, and it was already daylight.
Zhang Hongmei put on her rain boots, went out of her house to check Zhang Xingguo's yard, and found no problems before going to the village canteen.
The cafeteria is cooking at this time. Everyone's face is beaming with smiles. This rain has really soaked through.
Zhang Hongmei wandered to the riverbank again, where rainwater from the mountain flowed into the riverbed.
Liu Maocai and Wang Hongxi were inspecting the field. The sweet potatoes were fine, but the millet had all fallen over, which was a troublesome job. They had to put stakes in the field today and then use ropes to hold them together, otherwise they wouldn't be able to produce any grain.
The two also saw Zhang Hongmei. "Hongmei, you should go back quickly, it'll be time to eat soon."
"Yes, I just came from the canteen. Uncle Village Chief, is Gaoliang alright?"
"The sorghum stalks are short, so not many have fallen. Someone will still have to come and check each row in a while."
“This rain has soaked through, Hongxi. We need to arrange for people to quickly plant radishes and cabbages in our private plots and along the edges of the fields. Even if they don’t grow to maturity, they’ll still be vegetables.”
“In the middle, I’ll lead the people to support the crops, and you lead the people to plant vegetables. Now the private plots also belong to the collective, so we’ll plant them together.”
"It's a success. I'll go prepare the seeds first, and you can assign tasks during lunch. Hongmei, you should go to school today; the road should be open by now."
"I think I'll stay home for a couple of days and do some work with everyone. Otherwise, if I get to the village but there's no road, I'll have to walk back."
Liu Maocai frowned and pondered for a while, then said, "Okay. You can grow vegetables with me then."
At breakfast time, everyone in the cafeteria had smiles on their faces, no less than those eating meat.
Wang Hongxi assigned tasks, which were originally Liu Maocai's responsibility, but he hasn't arrived yet; he's probably still preparing the seeds.
Breakfast today was substantial: a flatbread made from a mixture of wheat, vegetables, and a tomato and cucumber soup.
After dinner, everyone went home to get their farm tools, and a busy day began.
Liu Maocai squatted on the ground, looking worried.
"What's wrong, Maocai?"
"Third Aunt, the soil is too fertile; we can't plant today."
"There's no use in being anxious, just wait."
"Maocai, we can start by planting on the private plot on the hillside. Let's go there and begin."
And so, dozens of people from the village went to the hillside.
The sun is shining brightly today, and everyone is eager to take advantage of this rain to plant all the vegetables, fearing another drought.
Cabbage, radish, mustard greens, scallions—the entire hillside was planted with vegetables throughout the day, covering dozens of acres.
Those who were tending the crops in the fields finished their work in a day, and everyone praised the sorghum as a good crop. The stalks are short and the sorghum ears are large, making it more drought-resistant than ordinary sorghum; it doesn't fall over after the rain.
And the straw was already turning green. Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, "Is that just your imagination? How could it be so fast?"
The next day, the whole village, young and old, turned out and planted vegetables in every nook and cranny where they could grow them. If there weren't enough vegetables, each family would contribute.
"Uncle Village Chief, do you think it would be okay if we grew spinach and sold it in the city?"
"I don't know about that. Let's plant it. We'll plant spinach on all three acres of land here. Even if we can't sell it later, we can still eat it ourselves."
Zhang Hongmei's words reminded Wang Hongxi that after finishing work, instead of going home, she went directly to the old lady's house with Liu Maocai.
When Wang Hongxi told the old lady about it, she pondered for a while and said, "Okay, let's do it this way. We can take the bok choy and other vegetables out to sell. We'll contact the food supply station first, and if they don't want them, we'll sell them in the city ourselves. There's been a severe drought for three years in a row, so it'll be nice to have some fresh green vegetables."
However, this matter cannot be leaked out yet; let's keep it quiet and do it ourselves.
No one knew that the vegetables were going to be sold; they were just terrified. As long as it's food, they're not afraid of having too much, so there was no need to encourage them. Everyone was eager to do it, and no one complained of being tired.
Zhang Hongmei stayed in Liujiatun for four days before returning to the city. She didn't really want to leave, but she had no choice but to go back!
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