"I'll tell you when I get back, I really have something urgent to do." Actually, Er Ya didn't dare to tell her mother, and besides, her sister was standing right next to her watching, so it was better for the troublesome sister not to know.
He ran to the brigade, grabbed Liu Maocai, and ran outside.
"What's wrong, Er Ya?"
Liu Erya lowered her voice and said, "Dad, Hongmei and I dug a trap. There are wild boars in it, bigger than the last one. Hongmei told me to come back and find you."
"You go find Er Lengzi, and I'll go find a few people. We'll meet at the foot of the mountain."
By the time the five of them reached the edge of the trap, the wild boar had already been stunned by Zhang Hongmei's electric shock.
"Hongmei, we're back! Dad, look!"
The first thing Liu Maocai saw was a large field of sweet potatoes, about seven or eight acres in size. "Did you two plant these?"
"Yes, I have a lot of sweet potato seedlings. Last time I went up the mountain, I found this place and planted them here with my sister Er Ya."
Er Lengzi stood by the trap and said, "You two are really brave. This wild boar is much bigger than the last one. It should weigh at least a hundred pounds more. Third Uncle, let's sell this pig. We just had our first meal. If we bring it back, everyone will be envious."
“Zhong, you have connections outside, so I’ll leave the pig-selling business to you. Hongmei will definitely not let you work for nothing.”
"That's great, guys, let's get this big guy up here. We'll have Hongmei treat us to drinks later."
Upon hearing that there would be wine, the group was full of energy. These were the same people who had helped Zhang Hongmei build the sheep pen last time, and they all knew that Zhang Hongmei was generous with food for everyone. So without further ado, they started drinking.
"Hey, you simpleton, is this pig still alive? Or is it just unconscious?"
"Let me see, it really is. I'll stab it, otherwise it'll be troublesome if it wakes up and hurts someone again. Third Uncle, we don't need you here, go back and drive the oxcart to the foot of the mountain for me."
"Hey, you guys be careful."
"I know, don't you trust me to handle things? The two girls are coming back with you too, it'll be dark soon."
Liu Erya hurriedly pulled her father to the place where the wild vegetables were stored. The two girls each carried a basket on their backs, while Liu Maocai carried a snakeskin bag.
"You two go back and don't say anything. If your mother asks, just say you know and tell her when you get back."
"Uncle, we'll split the money from selling this pig in half with my sister Erya, and we dug this trap ourselves."
"You two can handle this yourselves. Er Ya doesn't need to give this money to me or your mother; consider it as your own tuition fee."
"Okay, Dad."
The three of them jogged back to the village, and when someone saw them carrying wild vegetables, they didn't ask any further questions.
"Uncle, take the wild vegetables from the snakeskin bag home. I've dug up a lot recently, this basket should be enough."
"Zhong, you should go home now."
When Liu Maocai and his son returned home, Li Cuihua greeted them, "What happened, husband?"
Liu Maocai put down the bag. "You go ahead and pack the wild vegetables. I'll talk to you later tonight. I have other things to do, so don't wait for me for dinner."
"Yeah, be careful."
When Zhang Hongmei got home, it was almost dark. She picked up the flashlight that Zhang Aiguo used to use and found that it could still light up, so she ran to the brigade to deliver it to Liu Maocai.
Liu Maocai was harnessing the cart when he said, "Uncle, I have a flashlight here. Take it with you in the dark so you can see the road later."
"Okay, this way even a simpleton can hurry up. You can go back now."
Zhang Hongmei only realized her legs hurt when she got home. She had walked too much that day, and she had even run back home.
Li Cuihua called Da Ya over to pick wild vegetables, saying they would need to be washed soon. She said that Er Ya had gone out all day and brought back so many wild vegetables, so she must have gone into the mountains with Hong Mei, otherwise there wouldn't be so many fresh ones in the surrounding areas.
Er Ya sat on the bench without moving, picking the fruit with her mother. Da Ya sat there reluctantly with a long face, throwing and shoving her hands in a fit of anger.
Li Cuihua completely ignores her now. This simple-minded fool will only suffer mistreatment if she goes out into the world. She's tried to discipline her, scold her, and even beat her, but she doesn't learn a thing or two.
"Er Ya, how did you and Hong Mei dig up so much?"
"We had nothing to do, and we didn't feel like studying today, so we went to dig for wild vegetables. Before we knew it, we had gathered so many. Mom, I see there aren't any left around here. Is there really going to be a famine?"
"I don't know either. Anyway, there are fewer wild vegetables in the surrounding area this year than in previous years. It's good to dig up more so that we won't have nothing to eat later."
"No way, I've had my fill of wild vegetables. It's just that Er Ya is silly and keeps digging them up for us. Mom, when are we going to steam buns? I'm craving fine grains."
"There's no fine grain. Starting tomorrow, you'll feed the pigs and clean the yard, and I'll cook." Li Cuihua was too lazy to talk to her eldest daughter anymore. How could she have given birth to such a clueless brat?
"I'm too lazy to cook. I always break a sweat every time." Da Ya's heart skipped a beat. Had her mother caught her sneaking food? Impossible! Grandma always secretly prepared food for her aunt while cooking, and her aunt never noticed. If she didn't cook, she couldn't sneak food anymore. Thinking about how bad her mother was to her, anger involuntarily showed on her face. But her mother and sister completely ignored her.
Liu Maocai waited for Er Lengzi at the foot of the mountain with his oxcart. The four young men finally managed to carry the pig down the mountain with great effort.
"Third Uncle, this pig must weigh 600 jin, that's incredible. I'd like to dig a trap for it sometime."
"You guys better keep your mouths shut and don't go around saying anything."
"Third Uncle, we won't tell. Don't worry."
Er Lengzi took the whip and said, "You three come with me, let me show you the world."
"That's great, Uncle. You should go back and tell your family."
"You four better watch out. Cover the tarpaulin up, to avoid trouble. Don't cause any trouble outside."
"Understood, we'll definitely be back first thing in the morning and won't cause any trouble."
"Keep a close eye on the oxcart, or I'll kill you all."
"Hurry up and go, Uncle. Why are you so long-winded? Even if we're lost, the oxcart is fine. Let's go."
"Go on, all four of you go, so that Old Niu won't get tired."
The four young men quickly got off and walked away, to avoid their third uncle's endless nagging.
"Hey, you simpleton, here's a flashlight, take it."
"My third uncle is still using this guy's style, isn't he?"
"Hongmei's family, hurry back!"
They finally left, and the four of them breathed a sigh of relief.
When Liu Maocai returned home, his family was waiting for him to eat. "I already told you, don't wait for me, you guys eat first."
"I'm not tired at this time; meals taste better when the whole family is eating together."
That night, lying in bed, Liu Maocai told Li Cuihua about what had happened that day.
"These two girls are too bold. Otherwise, if I asked Er Ya, she wouldn't tell me."
"Let's just let this go. Don't talk about it at home, or it'll cause trouble if you let it slip. I promised Er Ya that I would give her all the money from selling the pigs."
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