"Brother Dashan, you guys are really early. Come in."
"You'll definitely need to register for the exam on Monday. I briefly explained it to you last night, and today I'll just show you a simple circuit diagram."
Zhang Hongmei took out a pen and drew a few simple diagrams of positive and negative volts.
"These things might not be on the test, but they'll be useful in the future. This recruitment by the power bureau is probably for the city's electricity rollout, which will require a lot of workers. Every household needs electricity, so we'll definitely need to install utility poles. So I think if you can understand basic circuit principles, you might not have to do manual labor."
"Hongmei is really amazing, we must learn from her."
"Look for yourselves. These are the basic principles I've summarized. Each of you should copy them and go home to memorize them."
"Brother Dashan, if you pass by Liu Maocai's house, could you ask my third aunt to come over?"
"Okay."
Finally, after getting rid of them, Zhang Hongmei breathed a sigh of relief. If they weren't from the village, she really wouldn't have been so kind.
"Auntie, let's wash the tomatoes and the bottle first. After washing the bottle, we need to turn it upside down to drain the water. My third aunt will come soon and then we can start cooking. It's super simple."
"Okay. I'll wash, you go do something else."
Zhang Hongmei moved the table and cutting board out, then went back inside to boil water.
Li Cuihua rushed over and saw Liu Aimin's wife washing tomatoes in the yard. "Sister-in-law, you're here too. What did you call me over for?"
"Hehe, Hongmei is teaching us how to make canned tomatoes."
"These persimmons can be canned?"
"Auntie, you're here? Of course! We can save them for winter, and then we'll have an extra dish." Zhang Hongmei came out with several basins and divided the tomatoes into several basins.
"Let's blanch the tomatoes first, so they'll be easier to peel later."
Li Cuihua carried the basin filled with boiling water out of the kitchen and placed it on the table in the yard. The three of them sat down to peel the skin.
“Auntie, cut all the tomatoes into quarters this size. My auntie and I will be responsible for filling the bottles.”
Zhang Hongmei took out two spoons and quickly filled all the tomatoes with them.
"Auntie, that's all. Now you can steam it. After half an hour, tighten the bottle cap and put it in a cool place."
I have to go, or it'll be too late to get back."
"Zhong, slow down."
"I understand. It must be kept in a cool place."
Zhang Hongmei hadn't even left the village when she ran into Dashan and his three companions.
“Hongmei, we want to go to the city with you today, it’s too rushed tomorrow.”
"Just the four of you?"
"No, I want to go to all of them."
"Okay, I'll go tell Grandma, and you guys go call everyone."
Zhang Hongmei approached the old lady and said, "Grandma, Dashan and the other ten want to come with me today."
"Okay, go ahead. Is there enough food?"
"That's enough for me, then I'll be going." Zhang Hongmei actually wanted the old lady to stop them; she really didn't want to serve so many people in the sweltering heat. But the old lady wasn't cooperating this time and resigned herself to her fate and went back.
The group of eleven was quite impressive, with everyone carrying shoulder bags and bags.
Now that she's here, Zhang Hongmei needs to pull herself together.
I got off the bus at the post office around 4:00. "Brother Dashan, wait for me a moment, I'm going to find someone to talk to."
Da Shan nodded in agreement. He knew that Zhang Hongmei had learned about the job opening from someone at the post office.
Zhang Hongmei went straight into Huang Ying's office. "Sister Huang Ying, it's a good thing you haven't left yet. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to catch up with you."
"You're back from your hometown?"
"That's right, they also brought ten young men."
"Ten? That's quite a lot. We need fifty people this time, and most of the people who know about it are from the city. We'll talk about it after the exam tomorrow."
"Sure, just let me know if you need anything. If I had a proper job, the elders in my family would be so happy."
“I’ll go back and have my wife ask her uncle. Once we get through this exam, we can figure out what to do next.”
"Thank you so much, Sister Huang Ying. If it weren't for your message, how would we have known there were job openings?"
"You won. No need to thank me, it's just a matter of a word. Let's not be strangers."
"Okay, if we're not going to be formal, I'll get you a hundred catties of pork for the New Year. Don't glare at me, you'll have to pay for it."
"Great, even 200 jin is fine."
"Come on, without wild boars, domestic pigs wouldn't even grow to 200 pounds. I'm leaving now, they're still waiting for me outside."
"Go ahead, I'll go to my uncle's house tonight. When the results come out the day after tomorrow, write down the names and scores for me."
"Okay."
When Zhang Hongmei came out, she saw ten young men staring at her expectantly.
"Let's go to my house first, and we'll talk later." Zhang Hongmei was deliberately trying to whet their appetites, but of course, she was also being cautious because walls have ears.
As the eleven people walked down the street in a grand procession, Zhang Hongmei felt a bit like her teacher in her past life taking them to see a movie and walking down the street.
When she got home, ten people surrounded Zhang Hongmei.
"Don't worry, everyone. I'll write your names and scores down for them after the exam results come out the day after tomorrow. I'll let you know if there are any other requirements then."
"Hongmei, we all want this job, so please take good care of us."
"Don't worry, they're all my brothers. I'll do my best. Okay, I'll start cooking. You guys can read the newspaper and ask each other if you don't recognize any words."
After Zhang Hongmei finished speaking, she took out a stack of newspapers. "Brother Dashan, there are benches inside. Bring them out. It will make the yard brighter."
Zhang Hongmei ignored them and went into the kitchen, resignedly working up a sweat.
With so many people, they could only eat cornbread. They boiled water and scalded two large basins of the mixture. After that, they went to the yard and picked all the large eggplants, more than ten tomatoes, and all the cucumbers and green beans.
There was no other way; there were just too many people.
Stewed vegetables in the bottom of the pot, and flatbread stuck to the sides. Both the east and west sides of the pot were used.
Da Shan came in and said, "Hongmei, I'll help you."
"No need, the pot can be opened in a little while. You just need to move both tables out."
Half an hour later, Zhang Hongmei brought out two large bowls of vegetables and two large bowls of flatbread and placed them on the table outside.
"Let's eat first, there's no rush. Brother Dashan, there's water in the jar, and the washbasin is inside."
Don't underestimate these young men's appetites. Even though Zhang Hongmei cooked so much food, she still felt they weren't full.
"Are you all still hungry? It was my first time cooking for so many people, and I didn't quite get it right. I'll cook more tomorrow morning."
"No need, we'll eat out tomorrow, so you won't be late for school."
"It's okay, there's not much to eat outside these days. I'll make the dough in a bit and steam some buns for breakfast."
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