"Oh dear, this was specially made for you. You should eat it quickly and not worry about it," the team leader's wife said.
"Sister-in-law, you really don't need to be so polite. We've troubled you by coming here, and we're so grateful for your hospitality. There's no need to cook for us; we can eat the same things as everyone else." Wen Ruan smiled, then picked up a piece of cucumber with her chopsticks. The cucumber was very crisp and refreshing, with a hint of sweetness.
While eating, she praised, "The cucumber pickles that my sister-in-law made taste really good. I can't make them taste like this at home."
Seeing how down-to-earth the two were, the team leader and his family didn't say anything more.
Hearing Wen Ruan's praise, the team leader's wife smiled broadly, her teeth almost disappearing. She was very happy and said, "They're all grown in our own vegetable garden, nothing fancy. But if you like them, I'll pack a bag for you to take home and eat slowly when you leave."
"It tastes best with porridge. Every time my daughter goes to school in the county, I pack a jar of it for her before she leaves..."
Afterwards, the team leader and his family would tell Wen Ruan about Song Yan's deeds in the brigade and his efforts to change the brigade, praising him endlessly.
Wen Ruan kept observing Song Yan's reaction as she listened to these words. Although he didn't show anything on his face or say anything, Wen Ruan knew that he must be very happy inside, because this was the people's recognition of him.
The group ate and chatted, filling the courtyard with laughter.
After the meal, Song Yan, the brigade leader, and his two sons went to the orchard to continue their work.
After seeing the others stand up, Wen Ruan also volunteered to go with them, saying that she could do some statistical and calculation work.
Song Yan thought for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement. After informing the captain, he took Wen Ruan back to his small hut, found a long-sleeved shirt and draped it over her shoulders, patiently reminding her, "There are more mosquitoes at night, so it's more appropriate to wear long sleeves..."
Wen Ruan did not refuse and obediently let him do as he pleased.
Once everything was ready, the two returned to the orchard.
It was around 6:30 p.m., and the orchard was bustling with activity. Everyone's face was filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest. This was a rich gift from nature, and the culmination of their hard work over the past year.
Both men and women were busy in the orchard, having not experienced such a bountiful harvest in a long time.
Previously, due to the limitations of terrain and natural conditions, grain yields were particularly low. Every autumn harvest, instead of joy, every household felt worried about the meager harvest.
As the brigade leader had said before, "Our brigade is the one in the whole county that needs the most relief grain. We can't even hold our heads up when we go out!"
But now, they are full of hope. Everyone knows that after these fruits are harvested, they will be transported out and sold to various regions, and the money earned will be distributed to each household.
Once all the fruit is sold, it means that in the new year, they will no longer go hungry, children will have the opportunity to go to school, and the sick will no longer have to suffer from illness because they cannot afford hospital fees...
Everyone here is full of energy because this is their hope for the coming year...
Wen Ruan was also caught up in the enthusiastic atmosphere. She waved to Song Yan, telling him to go about his business and not to worry about her. Then she took the initiative to find the captain, claim a task, and offered to help.
After that, the captain assigned her the task of counting weights.
After the fruit is picked, it will be weighed and its weight recorded to calculate the yield and approximate sales revenue.
After receiving the task, Wen Ruan took it seriously and worked with the brigade accountant to make records.
Once the fruit is ripe, it must be picked in time, otherwise birds will damage it, or the fruit will rot and fall to the ground because it is too ripe.
To minimize losses, almost the entire village came to help. They worked until late at night, and finally, all the ripe fruit in the orchard was harvested.
Wen Ruan originally thought that this matter was finally over and she could finally rest, but things were far from that simple.
After the fruit is picked, it needs to be transported to a road accessible to trucks before dawn tomorrow. It's not far from the town the two of them went to before. Wen Ruan thought about the road she and Song Yan had traveled before, which was probably three or four kilometers long. Because of the complicated road conditions, it took them almost an hour to walk there.
But it was already late at night, the sky was pitch black, and the road was very winding. They also had to carry heavy baskets on their backs, which was a huge challenge for everyone.
Everything else was fine, but Wen Ruan was very worried that something might happen in the middle.
So he told Song Yan about his worries.
Song Yan had already considered these things, but that was the reality, and there was really no better way. Song Yan convened a meeting with the surrounding brigades in advance and organized nearly twenty wheelbarrows to transport the fruit.
Two people worked together, one pulling from the front and the other pushing from the back, with torches tied to the wheelbarrow, and they could only transport the goods out carefully.
Upon hearing Song Yan's plan, Wen Ruan silently calculated the yield and the amount of fruit each cart could carry. At most, she estimated it would require at least two trips...
Although it was late at night and everyone had been working for a long time, their eyes showed signs of fatigue.
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