"Hey, Aunt Li is at home! Your plums are delicious, and the little ones at home have been thinking about them and urging me every day these days. I thought the plums should be almost ready, so I came here early." Wu Xiufang approached and socialized skillfully, not forgetting to introduce them to Jianshu.
"This is my sister, her last name is Jian. She just came here last year. She heard that your plums are delicious, so she came with me."
Jian Shu nodded politely and greeted, "Hello, Aunt Li!"
With more business coming in, Aunt Li's smile widened, and her face, which was marked by the traces of time, was indescribably happy. For her, if one more person came, she could trade more plums.
Rather than eating too many plums that cause acid reflux, farmers prefer edible grains and vegetables, which they can dry and store to fill their stomachs during lean times. This is the most economical way.
The two plum trees at home are quite old and can produce two to three hundred kilograms of fruit every year. We used to eat them all ourselves. Occasionally, villagers would come to exchange some, but they couldn’t get much. They would only come to exchange some for their children because they loved them so much that they could take them home to try.
It wasn't until two years ago when I met Comrade Wu at the market. She said her fruits were delicious and she wanted to exchange some to take back for her children. Later, she brought a lot of military wives from the family compounds to exchange as well. You had three kilograms, she had five kilograms, and most of the fruits were exchanged the first time.
They harvested more than 200 kilograms of vegetables, dozens of kilograms of coarse grains, and some miscellaneous daily necessities. They still remember that period of time, the whole family felt like they were dreaming. They never thought that the plums that they could not finish eating every year and had to be dried, and the more they ate when they were hungry, could be exchanged for so many things.
The family has been getting better and better in the past two years. Her little grandson has flesh on his body and is no longer just a few dry bones. Every time she touches him, she cries with heartache.
All these changes were brought about by Wu Xiufang. Aunt Li was so grateful to her that she couldn't express it in words. She was also very enthusiastic about the Jian Shu she brought. "Hello, Comrade Jian, please come in. The plums are ripe, big and red. Take your time to pick them. If you like any, let my eldest grandson pick them for you."
Then he shouted inside, "Da Zhuang, quickly call your brother and the others out, there are guests coming!"
As the two of them stepped into the room, they saw several young boys quickly rushing out of the room. They were dark and thin, but the smiles on their faces were equally enthusiastic.
Two of them even came into the room, brought stools for Jianshu and Wu Xiufang, and served them tea and water, which was almost too much to handle.
It’s so enthusiastic!
Jianshu could only hold the cup and thank him repeatedly.
The children, taught by their parents, understand that a visit from their family means they can exchange food and vegetables for food. Food and shelter are paramount. Thinking back to the days of being woken by hunger in the middle of the night and having to tighten their belts to continue sleeping, they cherish the thought of being able to eat half full now. Therefore, they treat their guests with exceptional care, hoping to have them come more often.
There are many plums at home, and about 200 kilograms can be exchanged every year. The rest is distributed to the villagers, and there are still dozens of kilograms left at home, which they cannot finish eating. They hope to exchange them all for grain and vegetables.
Jian Shu sat in a chair, looking up at the two plum trees. They were tall; she had seen them from afar when she'd ridden over earlier. Their branches were lush, and clusters of purple-red fruits hung from their branches. At first glance, it was a scene of abundant harvest.
At this time, Aunt Li picked a few fruits from the low ground, washed them with water, and handed them to Jian Shu. "Come, Comrade Jian, try them. The plums in my house are delicious."
"Thank you." Jian Shu whispered his thanks and took a light bite. The skin was a little astringent, but when the juice came into his mouth, it was sweet with a slight sour taste. The sourness was not obvious, which neutralized the sweetness very well and brought a refreshing taste that would not make people feel greasy.
"Well, not bad." Although it is not as good as some plums in the previous life, it is very good at this time. It would be a good idea to exchange some and take them back to try.
After hearing her words, Aunt Li felt relieved immediately. The deal was done!
"Just pick whatever you like. Once you've picked one, ask Dazhuang and the others to help you pick it."
Before he finished speaking, the two smaller children jumped up the tree, while the older one found two baskets and put them on the ground to hold the plums.
"Then I have to pick carefully and take back some big ones!" Wu Xiufang had been dealing with them for two years, so she didn't bother to be polite and started picking under the tree.
"Sister Shu, come over and choose quickly. I'll pick all the big ones later." Seeing that Jian Shu was standing there without moving, he didn't forget to greet her.
"Hey, here they come!" Jianshu took a closer look at the children in the tree, and only felt relieved after confirming that they were as agile as monkeys.
Although she knew that children these days could climb trees and catch fish, she was still worried when she saw half-grown children running around in the trees, not realizing that they were veterans and much more agile than she was.
"This one is so big, almost as big as an egg. Dazhuang, help me press this branch down."
"Hey, there's this one too. This one's good too. It's dark in color and must be super sweet!"
"This one won't do. It's still a little green. It needs to grow longer."
"Sanzhuang, please climb slowly, be careful not to slip."
“…”
The two of them were picking and choosing under the tree. If they found something they liked that was low down, they would pick it themselves. If it was higher up, they would ask the children to help. Later, because they felt they were too low to see the fruit clearly from the higher ground, they set up a ladder and climbed up to see it. They were having a lot of fun picking.
In the middle, Jianshu saw several children running around among the branches and couldn't help but remind them, but they all got the same little faces in return, but they didn't restrain their movements at all.
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