In this era, there was only an hour's break at noon, and work resumed at 1 p.m. Zhang Hongmei ran around behind Yu Chenglong until the county officials and the county head had all signed off, and only then did she go to the finance office.
The accountant clicked his tongue as he looked at the amount of the compensation. The county didn't have much money at all. If this was given out, there would be no money left in the accounts. But the couple who sacrificed their lives for the country only had this one child left. They couldn't be treated unfairly. They couldn't let the soldiers who defended the country feel disheartened.
"Comrades, please have a seat for a while. I have something to attend to, but I'll be back within ten minutes. Sorry."
"It's alright, you go ahead and do your work. We'll wait here."
Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, "Could it be that they don't have the money? No way, it's only two thousand yuan. How could such a big county not have that much money?"
The accountant rushed to the county magistrate's office. "County Magistrate Lü, will you give me the money today?"
"Hmm, what's wrong?" County Chief Lü was still confused. Hadn't he and the Party Secretary already signed it? What other problems could there be?
“County magistrate, once we’ve given the money, we’ll have no more money left.”
"Really? Let's go and discuss it with the Party Secretary."
The two went to the Party Secretary's office again and finally decided to give the money. It was a sensitive time, and supporting the military and their families was of paramount importance. As for the money, the accountant would submit a report to the city government to request it, which would then be signed by the Party Secretary and the County Head.
The accountant rushed back to the office. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll give you the money right away. From now on, just come to me at the end of each month to collect your money. It'll be ten yuan a month, and it will continue until Zhang Hongmei turns eighteen."
He counted out 2,010 yuan and handed it to Zhang Hongmei, gesturing for her to count it.
The 201 bills were counted off in no time. "Thank you, accountant. If I'm busy with farming, could I come every few months?"
"Okay, don't worry, it won't be bad even if you don't come to collect it for a year."
Zhang Hongmei thanked the accountant again before leaving the finance office.
"You should keep the red plum money safe, or maybe deposit it in the bank?"
"No need for Uncle Yu, the village is safe, and besides, no one knows how much money I received, so it won't be lost."
"Alright, let's go. I'll take you to the supply and marketing cooperative and see what you need."
"No need, we have everything at home. Let's hurry back, or it will be dark by the time you get back to the city."
"It's fine if we don't go to the supply and marketing cooperative. Xiao Wang, you drive to the grain station and we'll see if they have any fine grains."
This time, Zhang Hongmei didn't refuse; she bought some fine grains to cover up the fact that she was eating well.
When Zhang Hongmei arrived at the grain station, she was disappointed to find out what she was getting. She had no choice but to buy ten jin of millet. She couldn't buy any other refined grains either. Even her grain coupons were useless.
It was almost three o'clock when Yu Chenglong got back to the village. After finding out where Liu Maocai lived, he went to find him, undoubtedly to ask him to take care of Zhang Hongmei.
Zhang Hongmei didn't stop her. This was good, as it would give her support and prevent those in the village who liked to take advantage from bullying her in the future.
There's really nothing at home, and with Yu Chenglong around, I wouldn't dare take anything from the space. I'll repay the favor later; it's not a big deal right now.
Yu Chenglong and Liu Maocai arrived together half an hour later. Zhang Hongmei was relieved after seeing them off. The potential danger had temporarily disappeared, and she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Liu Maocai gave Zhang Hongmei a few instructions and then went home; his family was waiting for him to eat.
Zhang Hongmei locked the door and went back inside. The house was chilly, so she resigned herself to starting a fire. She had been a farmer in her previous life, so why hadn't she inherited the fine tradition of loving labor?
Boiling water is a waste, so I took a basket of sweet potatoes from the cellar. I want to make sweet potato balls; I have so much glutinous rice flour in my storage space. Since I can't fry them, I'll steam them. As for the filling, I'll make sesame and brown sugar. I want red bean filling, but I don't know how to make it. I'll wait for my aunt to come over and teach me.
It's getting dark, and the sweet potatoes are steamed. But I don't feel like eating them; I'm going to have a feast in my spatial dimension.
This body is still in the period of fever and cannot eat meat, so let's eat some sweets to supplement nutrition.
After finishing our meal, we started harvesting the grain. Actually, it had been ripe for a while, but we just hadn't had a chance to come in and harvest it. As for the storage ring, we'll check it after we've finished harvesting it; it's not going to run away anyway.
Zhang Hongmei worked for three hours and only harvested half of the corn. Since it was all corn, harvesting it wasn't particularly difficult. But she was exhausted. She rubbed her back and decided to take a break and go to sleep first.
And so, we finally harvested all the corn in one night. Looking at the golden cornfield, I felt a real sense of accomplishment.
As for the straw, I'll wait until tomorrow. I'm too tired, and I'm not in a rush.
I wonder if rice can be grown without water when we start planting fine grains?
It was already dawn when I left the space. I started a fire and cooked a meal; the sweet potato balls I had been longing for were about to be eaten.
Take out half a packet of brown sugar, add some roasted sesame seeds, stir well and set aside. Scoop out a bowl of glutinous rice flour and put it in a basin. Peel two sweet potatoes and put them in the basin, then add some baking powder and knead the dough. This process doesn't require a drop of water.
After letting it rest for half an hour, you can start making it. First, pinch off a small piece of dough and roll it into a ball in your palm. Then, use both thumbs to flatten it into a sheet and scoop a spoonful of filling on top. Finally, use one thumb to press the filling down while using the other hand to slowly gather the dough upwards until it's sealed.
Once it's cooked, a sweet aroma wafts from the pot; it smells amazing and tastes especially delicious.
Zhang Hongmei couldn't resist and ate three in a row, but stopped herself for fear of upset stomach later. She then drank a cup of yogurt, finishing her breakfast.
Hearing the knock, he knew it must be Li Cuihua. He invited her in and offered her some sweet potato balls, saying, "Third Aunt, you should try them, they're delicious."
Unable to refuse Li Cuihua's hospitality, Li Cuihua picked up one and ate it, saying, "It's so delicious, one is enough for me."
"Of course it tastes good, and it's nutritious too. I can't eat meat for a month, so I have to make up for it with this."
"That's right, eat and drink as you please, it's your own body. By the way, did your trip to the city go smoothly yesterday?"
"It went very smoothly. Yu Chenglong did all the running around, I didn't have to do anything. I just went there to get acquainted with the people so I'd know who to contact when I go to the city later."
"It went smoothly. After you left yesterday, several families wanted to adopt you, but your third uncle refused them all."
"I'm so grateful to my third uncle, otherwise all sorts of monsters and demons in the village would have come out."
"You know what I'm doing, so this is the sole of the single shoe I've sewn. Give me the upper, and I'll go and finish it for you."
"Thank you so much, Auntie. I'm all set to put on my shoes now."
"Why are you being so polite with me? I'm free right now anyway. Even if you're in a hurry during the busy farming season, I won't have time to make shoes for you. I'll make all three pairs for you so I don't run out of time later."
Zhang Hongmei brought over all the shoe uppers and handed them to Li Cuihua. It was so nice to be free of the work; she didn't have to make them herself anymore. Zhang Hongmei thought happily how wonderful it would be if someone could always make shoes for her in the future.
"Third Aunt, you can rest and work. There's no rush."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com