There is a mountain in her arms

Wang Quan chattered non-stop as Grandpa Jiang drove the ox cart to take them home.

"Grandpa Jiang, have the roads here been repaired?"

"Yeah! Let's play during winter break."

"Okay! Grandpa Jiang, we went to Beijing this time and also visited your farm."

"Oh! What did you play?"

Wang Quan and Grandpa Jiang were talking about things on the farm. Jiang Yichen and An An would sometimes interject a few words. Zhang Ji and Yu Hansheng listened while enjoying the scenery along the way.

"Huh? What is that? It looks like a watermelon! Jiang Yicheng, do you grow watermelons in your village?"

"Yes! Every household in our village grows watermelons."

"Your family also grows it? Aren't you in the city?"

"My grandpa has been back before!"

"Yes, I came back once in April and sold a batch of watermelons at home. You came back at the right time. Tomorrow others will come to the village to harvest them again. You can go and see the scene then."

"Grandpa Jiang, that's awesome! I'm going there tomorrow."

"Okay! When you get back, you can go to our orchard. Although most of the fruits haven't borne fruit yet, the flowers are still very beautiful."

Zhang Ji and Yu Hansheng were moved by what they heard and couldn't help but feel a little yearning for it.

When they returned home, Grandma Jiang was already waiting at the door. She didn't mind the hot sun, and kept looking around while fanning herself with a palm leaf fan.

"Grandma, grandma, I'm back!"

An An looked at Grandma from a distance and began to wave. Grandma Jiang walked down the stairs subconsciously, and An An jumped down impatiently, frightening Grandpa Jiang to quickly hold the ox cart.

"Be careful!"

Jiang Yichen also jumped down. Wang Quan and the other two saw that they had arrived anyway, so they got off the ox cart.

"Grandma, I miss you."

An An hugged his grandmother's waist and acted coquettishly. Grandma Jiang complained about the heat, but she was reluctant to pull him away.

"Grandma, Wang Quan and the others are also coming to the village to play."

Jiang Yichen felt the scorching heat on his head and couldn't help but remind him.

"Oh! Yes, yes, come in quickly! Children, I have chilled some watermelon for you with well water."

Grandma Jiang saw that the three boys were sweating and their faces were red, so she quickly invited them into the house.

"Grandma Jiang, your watermelon is so delicious. Eating a piece on a hot day makes me feel much cooler."

"Haha! Even though it tastes good, you can't eat too much. This thing has been chilled. If you eat too much, you might get a stomachache. Have a simple meal at noon, and I'll make a big dinner for you in the evening."

"it is good!"

Although lunch was simple, it was actually quite rich.

There were cold-mixed zheergen, dried fish, tiger-skin green peppers, crispy pork, and rice dumplings with fermented glutinous rice, as well as a large bowl of cold shrimp and egg pancakes.

Eating cold shrimps with brown sugar water is simply a delicious dish at this time.

The three boys had never tasted cold shrimp before. It was smooth, glutinous, refreshing, soft and sweet. They ate several bowls in a row and felt that every pore in their body was clamoring for comfort.

It is easiest to feel sleepy in the afternoon, especially after eating or drinking enough.

Grandma Jiang cleaned out the tool room next to An An, and there was only a bed and an old-fashioned cabinet in it.

"I packed in a hurry, so you can only make do with this for now. Next time you come, I will definitely buy it for you."

Grandma Jiang spread out mattresses and mats for them and said modestly.

"Granny Jiang, this is already very good. We were the ones who were rude."

Zhang Ji and Yu Hansheng answered politely, but Wang Quan had already taken An An to rest.

When Jiang Yichen saw that Grandma Jiang had finished cleaning up, he pulled Grandma out so that they could have a good rest, and he also went to take a nap.

Although she had a rest yesterday, she was in the car for a long time today and her whole body was sore.

The yard became quiet, and the old couple took a nap for a while for fear of disturbing the children.

In the afternoon, the sun was still hot, so Jiang Yichen and his friends took a break and opened a big watermelon to relieve some of the heat.

"Sister, let's go catch crayfish tomorrow! We haven't eaten any yet this year!"

"Didn't Grandpa say that the village will harvest watermelons tomorrow? We should go to the fields to help."

"Sister Cheng, why don't we go later? The sun won't be so strong after a while."

Wang Quan had heard about it from An An before, and this time he finally caught up, so he was eager to try it.

Zhang Ji and Yu Hansheng were real city people. They didn't know what they were talking about, but they still showed great interest.

"Okay then! Grandpa, has the water in front of our door receded a little?"

"There's been enough rain this year. Even though the sun is shining every day, the fish haven't retreated much. Why don't you just use ground traps or fish directly?"

"Okay! There are so many of us, so we don't have to be idle."

Grandpa Jiang found the trap for them. It had been placed in the tool room before, but was moved to the woodshed today.

Jiang Yichen picked up a few bamboo poles, tied a long line to them, and tied a earthworm that Grandpa Jiang had dug out from the fertilizer pond at the end, and a simple fishing rod was ready.

Jiang Yichen was afraid of getting tanned, so he wore a straw hat and a scarf on his face, leaving only his eyes exposed. He sat down by the river in front of the door fully armed.

An An had already set up the traps with Wang Quan and the others, and then they sat in a row by the river, each holding a fishing rod.

There was no need for Jiang Yichen to teach them. They learned it at a glance and everyone was staring at the line in the water intently.

"Cousin, An An, you're back!"

Suddenly, a dark-faced boy came running over with three or two children. Jiang Yichen didn't recognize him at first, until he realized who he was by his name.

"Zixiao, why are you so tanned? You're almost as dark as an African. Don't smile, don't smile. If you smile and show your big white teeth, you'll look even more like an African."

"Cousin, which rural kid isn't dark-skinned? I'm just a little darker than others."

Zixiao was a little dissatisfied and grumbled quietly, but then he asked her happily.

"Cousin, are you guys going to have lobster for dinner? I'll help you with that too."

This way I can eat something together. Zixiao's thoughts were too obvious, and Jiang Yicheng went to find him.

"You can come and eat even if you don't cook. Your family hasn't deducted your food. Why are you always so greedy?"

"Cousin, you don't understand how hard it is for me to be alone at home. My dad's cooking is good enough if it's barely cooked, and the taste is hard to describe. Even if he makes a good dish, it's overshadowed by his cooking skills."

Jiang Yichen found Jiang Zixiao's complaints somewhat amusing.

"Didn't you graduate from elementary school this year? How did you do in junior high school? By the way, how did your sister do in the high school entrance exam? Are your cousin's college entrance exam results out yet?"

"My sister was admitted to No. 3 Middle School. My grandma said that I should go to school in the city, so that I wouldn't be left alone. My eldest brother was admitted to the Public Security University. But he wasn't very happy because it was a transfer major."

"China's People's Public Security University is a first-class university after all. I heard that you can transfer to another department in the future. There is no need for my cousin to be unhappy."

"My eldest brother is pretty awesome! Cousin, I'll go back and get the trap."

Jiang Zixiao said a few words to his fellow villagers, and then everyone dispersed.

After a while, Jiang Zixiao came over with Jiang Zitao and Jiang Ziqing.

"Cousin, cousin."

"Cousin, cousin."

Jiang Yicheng and An An saw them coming and hurried to greet them.

"These three are my classmates. You should know Wang Quan. These two are Zhang Ji and Yu Hansheng."

After greeting each other, they all started fishing for lobsters by the river. Jiang Ziqing sat next to Jiang Yicheng and whispered to her. After the high school entrance exam, she was obviously much more relaxed.

There is strength in numbers. Crayfish start to proliferate in the summer, and they caught a large bucket in less than an hour.

Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Jiang calculated the time well in advance and came out to change a big basin for them, then carried a bucket of shrimps in to process them first.

Seeing that the boys were good at fishing, Jiang Yichen gave his seat to An An and Jiang Zitao, and went lobster fishing with Jiang Ziqing.

In the evening, Grandma Jiang prepared another lobster feast, and there was one table for the children alone.

Grandma Jiang even specially cut a piece of chilled watermelon and placed it on the table so that they could relieve the spiciness after eating the lobster.

It was the first time for Wang Quan, Zhang Ji and Yu Hansheng to eat crayfish. They didn’t expect it to be so delicious, so they all worked hard.

The meal lasted almost two hours, and they only finished it hurriedly when Jiang Weiguo came over.

The next morning, Grandma Jiang got up early to prepare breakfast. She had to hurry up because she had to pick watermelons today.

"Grandma, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Jiang Yichen was awakened by the smell. He got up dazed and saw that his grandmother was almost done in the kitchen.

"As we get older, we sleep less. Today, some people from the village are coming to pick watermelons. Your grandfather has already gone to the orchard to pick them. I will also go there after I prepare breakfast. You can eat by yourselves when you wake up."

Grandma Jiang hurriedly took two pancakes and left. Jiang Yichen quickly knocked on An An and Zhang Ji's door.

"Hurry up and have breakfast, and help my grandparents pick watermelons."

The door on the bed was still dreaming when he was woken up by Jiang Yichen's shout.

They hurried to the yard to wash up, and Jiang Yichen had already cleaned up and was serving breakfast.

"Sister Cheng, this is too early!"

"What do you mean early? Do you want to run around in the fields under the scorching sun? Everyone wants to finish their work quickly while the sun is not too hot. It's better than getting a heat stroke."

After being scolded, Wang Quan immediately sped up his work and quickly sat down at the table.

"Huh? This is rice noodles cooked in chicken broth."

Wang Quan took a sip of the soup and immediately fell in love with it. He ate it with pickled vegetables and shredded lean pork.

Zhang Ji and Yu Hansheng were a step slower and followed Wang Quan's example by taking a sip of the soup. It was delicious!

Jiang Yichen waited for them to finish eating, washed the dishes neatly, and took them to his own orchard.

"Sister Cheng, there are a lot of people in the fields over there. Are they picking watermelons?"

Jiang Yichen squinted in the direction Wang Quanzhi was heading and it seemed to be their neighbor Uncle Dawang's house.

"Yes! Our village has negotiated with the department store in the city. They will take care of all the watermelons in our village this year."

Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Jiang wore straw hats and put the watermelons into the basket, and then slowly picked them out.

Their orchard was not very big, only a little over five mu. Grandpa Jiang had chosen the mountain land on purpose, so the village gave it all to him.

"Jiang Yicheng, you have several kinds of fruit trees in this orchard. When the harvest is good, it should be able to produce a lot of fruit."

Yu Hansheng looked at the small orchard. The fruit trees planted in each row were different, but there were watermelon seedlings between the rows.

"It's still early! My grandfather has only been planting for a year. Other than watermelons, other crops will take three to five years to bear fruit."

Except for An An who was not very strong, they worked in pairs to pick watermelons along the way.

Grandpa Jiang told them how to identify and pick them, and then continued to work.

After more than an hour, their cheeks were all red from the heat. Jiang Yicheng picked a watermelon, broke it open with his fist, cut it into several pieces, and ate it with them in the watermelon field.

"Sister Cheng, please don't show this to outsiders. It's too violent and bloody!"

“Eat it if you like it!”

"Eat! Eat! I'm just reminding you kindly."

Wang Quan was so hot that he quickly gave in.

"You think I'm you. As long as they don't touch my bottom line, I don't care about those who are looking for trouble. Of course, if it can be solved with fists, I don't reject it either."

Jiang Yichen clenched his fist and shook it in front of Wang Quan.

"Sister Cheng, when are you going to teach me some powerful moves? I saw you were so powerful last time!"

"Shut up!"

Jiang Yicheng was afraid that his grandparents would hear him, so he quickly scolded him. Wang Quan also reacted and quickly slapped his mouth.

"Chengcheng, have you finished picking? My grandfather asked us to come and help."

Jiang Ziqing and his two friends were shouting outside the orchard. When they saw them sitting and eating watermelons, they picked one and asked their eldest brother to open it. Then the three siblings also started eating.

Wang Quan couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling when he saw Jiang Zitao opening the watermelon in exactly the same way as Jiang Yichen.

"Brother Zitao, have you practiced it before?"

"Yeah! I learned it with Cheng Cheng when we were young, but I'm not as good as her."

As expected, they were of the same origin, and Wang Quan quickly changed direction.

When the truck entered the village, villagers came out one after another carrying baskets. Someone had already come over with a scale, and the village cadres organized people to keep accounts.

Wang Quan and the other two also ran over to watch the fun. Along the way, they could see many people picking watermelons.

Jiang Yichen's family did not compete with them. She heard her grandfather say that when the time comes, they can just use the ox cart from her great-grandfather's family.

The excitement lasted for most of the day. Jiang Yichen's family was the last in line, and many strong laborers in the village came to help.

Thanks to Grandpa Jiang’s generous donation, the villagers all made a lot of money this time.

Most villagers know how to be grateful, as they were helped by the road construction in the past and given the watermelon seedlings for free in the future.

So when Jiang Weiguo drove the ox cart to help his second uncle pull watermelons, the families in the village who had sold their watermelons all carried baskets to help.

When several large trucks drove out of the village, the villagers were overjoyed holding the money in their hands.

"The last crop of watermelons has been harvested. Everyone, please remember to save the seeds. My second uncle won't be in charge next year, so everyone should show off their talents!"

Jiang Weiguo gently shook the rope, left after saying this.

The whole village was in an uproar, and some people who felt uneasy gathered in groups of three or two to discuss ideas.

Everyone knows that this watermelon is difficult to grow, but there is no help from where to buy it.

"Why don't we ask Uncle Jiang?"

"Yes, yes, yes. I still have a bag of peach cakes at home. I'll go back first."

"I have a basket of eggs saved at home, so I'll go back for a visit as well."

"Oh! I had some candy in my house, but my greedy grandson ate it."

"It's my house too. I'll go back and see if there's anything else."

……

The aunts and young wives in the village left in a hurry, and the heads of the village gathered in twos and threes to discuss the matter.

Finally, they all returned home in unison, carrying their things and walking towards Jiang Yichen's house.

At this moment at Jiang Yichen's house, Wang Quan was encouraging An An to go to the mountains to shoot birds.

"Brother Quan, aren't you tired from carrying watermelons today?"

"I'm tired! But it won't affect my plans for tomorrow!"

"Then let's call my eldest cousin to come with us tomorrow! Now is the season for mushrooms, we can pick some and bring them back for hot pot."

"Hot Pot?"

"Well! You will know today."