When the pears are green

Song Li sat by the well, cleaning the pottery jars, preparing to make sweet and sour garlic. Her brows were furrowed, and she kept thinking about it, and finally decided to make sugar-free sweet and sour garlic. She was willing to spend thirty cents to buy a piece of mulberry paper, but she would not spend the same money to buy a pound of white sand sugar. Investing in education is of course more important than the momentary desire for food and drink.

Song Li put the cleaned pottery jar in the sun to dry. She poured out the fresh garlic she had picked from the basket, picked up the dagger on the stool beside her, and began to sit on the stool, bending over to peel the garlic whiskers.

With a creak, the gate of the Jiang family's courtyard was pushed open and Jiang Qingzhou walked in quickly.

Song Li raised her head and said with a smile: "I thought you would be back in a while!"

"I talked to my aunt and the others for a few words and then came back. My aunt gave me some corn kernels to plant in that half acre of land. My uncle said that when it's time to plant the mulberry seedlings, he and Brother Jixiang and Ping'an will come to help." After Jiang Qingzhou finished speaking, he put the basket in his hand next to Song Li, then took the dagger from Song Li's hand and continued to work.

After taking a look, Song Li took the basket to the main room and placed it on the eight-immortal table. She washed her hands and prepared to peel the new garlic. The new garlic was thrown into a clean basket prepared on the side. The pure white new garlic soon covered the bottom of the basket.

The two of them quickly cleaned up the new garlic. Jiang Qingzhou brought a basket of peeled new garlic to the kitchen, and Song Li went to see the pottery jar. There was still some water in the pottery jar, so Song Li wiped the water with the kitchen steaming cloth and started to pickle the garlic.

Jiang Qingye and Song Xing also returned home from the study. Song Li told Song Xing that she would send him home tomorrow.

Song Xing looked at Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou, who were much darker than before. He said loudly that he would wait until the mulberry seedlings were planted before going back. Although he was only a child, he should be grateful and repay the kindness he received.

Song Li nodded to Jiang Qingzhou, and Jiang Qingzhou walked to Song Xing's side with a smile. He patted Song Xing's shoulder and said, "Then Xiaoxing, don't complain about being tired when the time comes."

Song Xing quickly patted his chest to assure himself that he would not complain of being tired. He counted on his fingers and began to count the farm work he had done.

Seeing Song Xing's serious look, Song Li couldn't help laughing first. Jiang Qingye and Jiang Qingzhou also laughed along with Song Li, and finally even Song Xing himself laughed.

In the evening, Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou spread a rolled mat made of sorghum stalks in the corner of the main room. Song Li took the old clothes prepared yesterday from the eight-immortals table and spread them on the mat. Then, together with Jiang Qingzhou, they carefully scooped up the seeds in the wooden basin with a ladle.

Song Li scooped up the seeds in the water with a ladle. Jiang Qingzhou covered the mouth of the ladle with his hand, drained the water inside, and then put them on the clothes.

The seeds in the wooden basin were getting fewer and fewer, and it was getting harder and harder to fish them out. Song Li picked up a shirt without holes on the Eight Immortals Table and placed it on an unused wooden basin. Jiang Qingzhou picked up the wooden basin with the seeds in it and poured the water on the shirt, and then fished out all the seeds.

Song Li covered the seeds with a layer of old clothes. She glanced at the dark sky outside and urged Jiang Qingzhou to go wash up with her.

Jiang Qingzhou saw Song Li tossing and turning on the bed. He hugged Song Li and asked, "Xiao Li, what's wrong? We will be busy from tomorrow. Go to sleep."

"I'm thinking about how to thank Mr. Hu. He has helped us a lot. He doesn't like ordinary things, and we can't afford anything too expensive." Song Li has never liked owing favors to others, but this time she didn't know how to repay Hu Zhimin's favor.

Jiang Qingzhou was also in trouble, and he and Song Li frowned together.

The two frowned and looked at each other for a while. Song Li reached out and touched Jiang Qingzhou's brow. She suddenly had an idea: "Qingzhou, I will go to plant corn tomorrow. Our corn will definitely be harvested a few days earlier than that of ordinary people. Then I will give it to Mr. Hu to taste."

Jiang Qingzhou nodded, he thought what Song Li said made sense. Hu Zhimin was much richer than ordinary people like them. Ordinary people cared about practicality, but Hu Zhimin wanted something new and fresh.

Song Li's worries were gone, and after making a fuss with Jiang Qingzhou, she fell asleep in a relaxed mood.

The next day, according to the discussion between Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou, Song Li and Song Xing went to plant corn, while Jiang Qingzhou and Jiang Qingye used a cart to transport the wood ash from their home to the riverbank and spread it on the land.

Song Li took out the cloth bag that she had made from old clothes and handed it to Jiang Qingye. Jiang Qingzhou used a shovel to scoop out the wood ash from under the stove and put it into the cloth bag that Jiang Qingye was holding.

Song Li wanted to sprinkle some plant ash or something on that half of the land, but looking at the few plant ash and farmyard manure at home, she thought it would be better to focus on the land on the riverbank first, after all, the significance of mulberry trees is much greater than the corn in front of her. So she carried a hoe and led Song Xing to the village entrance to plant corn.

A familiar woman from the village passed by and told Song Li loudly: "My niece, you can plant it now, but be careful of people stealing it when you can eat it."

Song Li thanked the woman with a smile, then continued to dig a hole in the ground. Song Xing threw two or three kernels of corn into the hole, and Song Li pushed the soil into the hole with his feet to cover the corn kernels.

The other woman nudged the woman who had just spoken with her arm and said with a chuckle, "Whoever dares to steal from his house is waiting to be stabbed by a knife?"

Song Li has been hearing this kind of talk a lot lately, but she ignored it. She sighed and shouted, "Aunts, it's so hot, aren't you thirsty after talking so much? Instead of gossiping about me, why don't you go home and cool down!"

Several women glanced at Song Li, who was a little angry. When they saw that Song Li's hands were tightly gripping the hoe, they laughed dryly a few times and then dispersed.

Seeing that everyone had left, Song Li smiled and continued to work.

"Sister, next time you meet them, just scold them. These people only bully the weak and fear the strong." Song Xing glared at the crowd that was going away.

Song Li paused for a moment, scratching her head, and said to Song Xing a little embarrassedly: "But I don't know how to curse."

"Actually, I don't really know how to do it." Song Xing looked embarrassed.

After Song Li and Song Xing finished planting the corn, they carried wooden buckets and watered the corn.

Song Xing felt pain in his palm, he stretched out his hand and saw a blister. He didn't want Song Li to think he was useless, so he endured the pain and watered the land with Song Li.

Song Li looked at Song Xing who was forbearing. She didn't say anything, but just quickened her work speed.

After returning home, Song Li took Song Xing's hand. She first burned the needle over the fire, and then quickly punctured the blister on the palm of Song Xing's hand.

"Ouch, it hurts." Song Xing cried out. Song Li took out a clean towel and wiped the liquid out, then asked Song Xing: "Xiaoxing, are you tired from studying or working?"

Song Xing glanced at Song Li and replied in a low voice: "Sister, it's tiring to work. Studying is much easier than this."

Song Li stood up and touched Song Xing's head. She told Song Xing that she was not forcing him, but wanted him to know that he should not think that writing is difficult or articles are difficult to read, and that farm work is much harder than studying.

Because Jiang Qingzhou had to transport fertilizer back and forth, the gate of the Jiang family's courtyard was not closed. Zhang Ying shouted at the door and walked in.

"Sister-in-law, I want to see the seeds your family has grown. I want to know if what my father did last night was right?" Zhang Ying was a little embarrassed. It was not that she doubted Jiang Ping. After all, the seeds were not easy to come by, and she didn't want to waste them.

Song Li walked out of the kitchen. She turned around and told Song Xing to continue lighting the fire, then smiled and led Zhang Ying to the main room.

Zhang Ying watched again and again, and was relieved when she saw that Song Li and the others' approach was similar to Jiang Ping's.

"Second sister-in-law, we did everything according to what Mr. Hu said, so there will be no mistakes. Qingzhou and Qingye went to spread fertilizer on the fields. Did you do it at home?" Song Li asked Zhang Ying.

Zhang Ying nodded and told Song Li, "Sister-in-law, my husband and my father have also gone to the fields carrying wood ash. They should be back soon. I'm leaving now. I'm going to cook for them."

Song Li sent Zhang Ying to the door of her house. She went back to the kitchen and put the cloth bag of mung beans back to its original place. She planned to stop growing the bean sprouts and wait until she finished planting the mulberry seedlings.

In the afternoon, the four people in the family went to the riverbank together, some spreading fertilizer and some turning the soil.

The four members of the Jiang family went to the fields at dawn every day. They brought dry food with them and did not come back until dark. Finally, they turned over the fields before the seeds sprouted.