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"Okay, I'll write it all down for you. I can't take advantage of you anymore; you have the most centimeters in our village."
Wang Hongxi took the meal from Liu Maocai and rode her bicycle to pick up the groceries.
Zhang Hongmei went to the building and bought another five jin of brown sugar; they wouldn't sell her more. She already had ten jin of brown sugar left over from other purchases, which added up to quite a bit. She decided to keep the one jin of white sugar for herself.
Wang Hongxi didn't arrive until after nine o'clock. He packed some flour and brown sugar and left.
Zhang Hongmei suddenly remembered the hand pump in the yard. She filled it with two scoops of water and tried it, but there was no pressure. She didn't know why.
I didn't know where to find someone to fix it, so I thought about it and went to the neighborhood office.
"Comrade, I'd like to ask if there are any repairmen around here who can fix hand pump wells?"
"Yes, it's the fourth one in the front row. Go ask there."
Thank you.
Zhang Hongmei knocked on the door. "Comrade, I'd like to inquire if anyone here knows how to repair hand pump wells?"
A thin, elderly man opened the door. "I know how to do it. Where do you live?"
"It's the courtyard in the back."
"I understand. I dug that well myself. Come on, I'll go with you to take a look."
After the old man finished speaking, he closed the door and went back with Zhang Hongmei.
After checking it and testing it with water, it was found that "the water level was not high enough, but the pump is not the problem."
"What should we do then?"
"Don't worry about it. The water level hasn't risen yet. It should be usable by next spring."
"Thank you, sir. How much should I pay you?"
"No money needed. Come find me again in the spring after the New Year. Then I'll pump it up and clean out the sand."
"Okay." Looks like I'll still have to carry water.
I spent the afternoon reading at home. On Sunday morning, I got up early to prepare the dough, soak the dried radish shreds, and soak a bowl of dried squash. Tomorrow morning, I'll stew the dried squash with vermicelli. It probably won't taste very good; I've never had it before. But I don't have any other dishes.
After fetching water, I cut a dozen bunches of chives, picked them, and kept them for dinner.
After thinking about it, I soaked dried green beans and dried eggplant as well, and made a stew. There's no meat, but I'll just add more lard.
Soak the sorghum rice first, so it will be easier to cook in the evening.
I'm craving tofu, but the supply station doesn't sell it. I'll have to go home to eat it. Maybe I should bring some soybeans with me this week and ask Li Cuihua to make tofu for me.
I had a bowl of steamed egg custard, a bowl of rice, and a bag of pickled vegetables for lunch in my online space. It tasted pretty good.
I'm going to try making my own chili sauce this year; I don't know if it will work.
I don't have any soybean paste myself, but I have some in my storage space. I'll chop up the chili peppers and garlic and put them into the soybean paste.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Da Shan and his group of ten arrived. A large group of people, all dressed in new clothes, had upgraded their equipment.
Erlinzi helped cook dinner by starting the fire, while the others went out to play. After all, it's not easy to come to the city. The first two times they came, it was for exams, and they weren't in the mood. This time, they were confident, and since they were all young, how could they sit still?
"Brother Erlin, you can go out and have fun with them. I can stay here by myself."
"No need, there will be plenty of opportunities to stroll around later. It's too tiring for you to cook for yourself. Hongmei, are you going back for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
“I’m going back next Saturday, but the school probably won’t give us a holiday. I’m going back for the mooncakes and to go up the mountain. I promised the people who helped me that I would give them mooncakes, and I also promised to bring them any game I catch.”
"Hongmei, I heard from the village chief that you provided us with grain again this time. Thank you so much, we are all very grateful."
“It’s no big deal. We’re all brothers from the same village. I’ll help you with whatever I can. As long as you can all live well, that’s all that matters.”
"Thank you anyway. Please don't hesitate to ask if you ever need my help in the future."
"Hehe, okay, I'll definitely ask you for help if I need anything."
A little over an hour later, the nine of them returned. Zhang Hongmei was quite puzzled; where had they gone?
Seeing that they didn't have any other expression on their faces, I felt relieved.
The two pots of steamed buns and a large bowl of sorghum porridge were all eaten clean.
After eating and resting for a while, Zhang Hongmei cooked breakfast again. Keeping it in the pot prevents it from spoiling easily, mainly because mornings are so rushed. If she doesn't go to morning self-study again, she probably won't be allowed to ask for leave to go out at noon next time.
The next day, after Zhang Hongmei left, Dashan and the others finished their meal and tidied up the house a bit. Those who knew her well knew that Zhang Hongmei was very clean.
After finishing her morning self-study session, Zhang Hongmei went to find Song Zigan and said, "I need to borrow your bike at noon today."
"Okay, what are you going to do?"
"Go to the post office to pick up the newspaper. Huang Ying's family is off work on Saturday."
Zhang Hongmei also asked her teacher for leave. As soon as she stepped out of the school gate, she saw Dashan and the other ten of them waiting for her at the gate.
"Brother Dashan, how did it go?"
"They've all been selected, but they're still temporary workers for now. They'll be officially hired after two years."
"That's great! When do we start work?"
"Training starts tomorrow. There are dormitories available, but no luggage. I told the village chief, and he will bring the luggage over tomorrow."
"Then you should go home. Is there anyone who can cook? The grain is all in the warehouse."
"I can do it all, don't worry."
Zhang Hongmei handed the key to Dashan, saying, "I still need to go to the post office to pick up the newspaper. I have class this afternoon, so you should go back first."
When Zhang Hongmei arrived at the post office, she said, "Sister Huang Ying, thank you so much! Everyone from our village has been selected."
"Hehe, that's good. I'll be waiting for your pork." His obsession with pork is beyond imagination.
"I can't guarantee the pork, but we will definitely have mooncakes, though they will only have brown sugar and peanut filling."
"Hehe, anything is fine, as long as we have fine grains to eat."
When Zhang Hongmei returned home that evening, she saw clothes drying all over the yard. Hmm, not bad, they're all quite hygienic.
Dinner is ready: a pancake made from three kinds of flour, pickled vegetables, and sorghum porridge.
Several young men were so excited they couldn't sleep, chatting and laughing quietly in the yard. Dashan called them inside, worried they might disturb Zhang Hongmei's school the next day.
Zhang Hongmei got up at 3:30 in the morning to cook for them; one last day wouldn't make a difference.
Cornbread, cucumber and egg soup, and pickled vegetables.
The ten men felt extremely embarrassed; the young girl still had to go to school, and she was getting up so early to cook for herself. These few meals meant their food sacks were practically empty.
Xiao Suo suggested, "Let's buy some fine grains for Hongmei when we get paid. That girl has never been stingy with us."
Even when facing the most difficult circumstances, Zhang Hongmei never felt troubled. She truly treated them like her own brothers.
The remaining people had no objections. They said that if it weren't for Zhang Hongmei, they wouldn't have their current jobs or come to the city. They weren't heartless people; they all knew how to be grateful.
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