Crossing the farm gate, the whole family reunites in the disaster year

"The county magistrate has awarded me so many acres of land."

Old Mrs. Cui sat down and stood up again, rubbing the hem of her clothes with her hands.

What do farmers value most? Of course, it's the land.

With the addition of twelve acres of land, Old Man Cui rarely smiled in front of the younger generation. He fumbled for his pipe and took a few puffs.

"Although this land has been barren for a short time, it still needs to be reclaimed."

Old Man Cui knew all the farmlands in the village, from those stretching for dozens of acres to those as small as a few mu, without even looking at them. When he thought about the fact that this piece of land was right next to the river, his sparse eyebrows couldn't help but raise.

Before the family split up, he only had two acres of prime farmland.

In this short while, Old Man Cui has already figured out how to farm these fields.

"You have no experience in reclaiming wasteland, so I will help you do it first."

The soil of the land planted in the first year must be turned over thoroughly, and the grass roots and stones must be picked out. This is physical work, but it also requires patience.

The third son’s wife has never farmed before, Jingwen has to study and cannot do these kinds of work, as for Silang and his children.

Old Man Cui called Silang over and said, "I will help you cultivate your land."

Shi Lang hurriedly shook his head: "Grandpa, we can do it."

Old Man Cui smiled and straightened his crooked collar. "I'm not old yet. Erlang is still in poor health and can't get out of bed. Xiaowu and Xiaoqi are also young. You should work with your Third Aunt to earn money for the next few days."

"Once you have land, you also need suitable farm tools. You have to spend money to buy them. Earn more money. After the autumn harvest, I will take you to the blacksmith shop to make farm tools."

Shiro pursed his lips tightly, tears welling up in his eyes.

Old man Cui poked his head and said, "You're already a grown-up boy, and you're still crying."

Ever since these children moved back to the old house, Old Man Cui, who originally disliked them, has quietly changed his mind.

As long as the child has a good character, he is willing to help.

Returned to the east room.

After all this trouble, the family was no longer sleepy. Cui Jingwen washed his face, rolled up the quilt on the kang, and continued copying books.

Compared to the previous one, this one is much smoother to copy. I can finish it tomorrow if I work hard.

Last time, I had to take out the hairpin to make my mother happy. Who knew that she actually wore it every day? This time I copied two more books, and the first thing I did with the money I earned was to buy her a hairpin made of silver!

He had long been displeased with that broken copper hairpin.

I also need to buy two more pretty hair ties for my sister. It seems that there is enough food at home, but there should not be much meat left, so I need to buy some more meat.

The more Cui Jingwen calculated, the more frightened he became. Fortunately, he did not agree to go to school, otherwise his mother and sister would have to eat porridge every day at home.

His writing speed has increased a bit, and he still needs to be at home.

Outside, the bean sprouts that sprouted a few days ago have thick roots.

Lin sat on a stool, picking off the bean sprout roots one by one. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Cui Zhaozhao pull out more than twenty small silver ingots from under the cabinet like a hamster hiding food.

Cui Zhaozhao counted them quickly, took out a piece of cloth, wrapped the silver ingots, and stuffed them back under the cabinet.

Seeing her squatting in front of the cabinet with a bitter and resentful look on her face, Lin couldn't help laughing.

"Do you have too much money and worry about where to spend it?"

Cui Zhaozhao was so worried that he leaned his body and rested his head on his mother's legs.

"I feel like a corrupt official who accepted bribes. I have a room full of money but can only look at it and not spend it."

Lin's hand was occupied by Douya, and he smiled and stroked the loose hair on her head with his wrist.

Since my daughter grew up and went to college, she only comes home during the winter and summer vacations every year. We have been so close for a long time.

Although she is mentally adult, looking at her small body now, people still subconsciously regard her as a little girl who needs her parents' protection.

"Take your time. Our lives are much better than others. Mom and brother are here. Just grow up happily."

Cui Zhaozhao rubbed against his mother's arms.

After acting coquettishly, Lin sent her to deliver bean sprouts to Yu.

In the west room.

Three heads crowded together, their eyes glued to the egg in Lidong's hand.

This is the wages given by my third aunt. There are eight eggs in total, each one is round.

Upon learning that Silang and Wulang were rewarded with four acres of land, the children were happy and decided to have a small celebration.

Boil an egg.

Lidong split the egg in half and said, "This half is for my second brother."

The three little heads nodded hurriedly, saying that the second brother needed to recover from his injuries and eat more eggs.

The remaining half egg is carefully divided into four parts.

Xiao Qi licked the egg yolk crumbs carefully and sipped them again and again on the tip of his tongue.

Lidong used his fingers to pick up the egg yolk crumbs from the knife and put them in his mouth.

"It turns out that eggs are so fragrant." Xiao Qi took another bite of the egg white and chewed it carefully. The egg yolk was still delicious.

I boiled eggs for my mother before the beginning of winter. There were three or four eggs in the pot, and I added five more pieces of firewood after the water boiled.

Just now, she felt sorry for the firewood and only added three sticks. When she cut it open, it turned out to be a bright yellow egg yolk, which seemed a little different from the one she cooked for her mother before.

But it tastes very delicious in the mouth.

Sure enough, the eggs from Aunt San’s house are different from other eggs.

It took four children half an hour to finish a small piece of egg.

Xiaoqi licked the palm of his hand that had just held the egg, and secretly watched his second brother take a bite of the egg and then put it down.

The second brother smiled and pushed the egg to Xiaoqi, who deliberately didn't finish it.

"Second brother doesn't like to eat eggs, Xiaoqi will eat them."

Lidong put her hands on her hips and scolded, "No! You need to recover, you must finish eating."

Xiaoqi swallowed his saliva and imitated Lidong's behavior to put on a stern face: "Fourth sister is right, second brother is not good for being picky about food." But his eyes couldn't help but slip towards the eggs again.

Second brother, please eat quickly, he really can’t control himself anymore.

Erlang shook his head and smiled as he stuffed the egg into his mouth, leaving a small piece of yolk. When Lidong wasn't paying attention, he secretly stuffed it into Xiaoqi's mouth.

The coordinated movements of the second brother and Xiaoqi were seen clearly by Silang, who clenched his hands into fists.

Grandpa was right. He wanted to make more money, and the first thing he would do after making money was to catch chickens and raise them so that everyone could eat whole eggs.

The moon shines thousands of miles away.

The spring water in the river channel quietly sparkled with silver light under the moonlight, casting a mottled painting effect on the sleeping village.

But the Cui family was so excited that they could not fall asleep.

When Old Man Cui thought of the twelve acres of land, he lost all desire to sleep and his eyes lit up, while Old Mrs. Cui sat facing the window, sewing clothes non-stop with her hands.

But that’s not entirely true. Lin took care of the three children and slept all night until dawn.

I haven't had such a sound sleep in a long time.

As soon as the sun rose, Old Man Cui and Cui Chengliang carried their hoes and went to the fields.

Silang changed into the new clothes sewn for him by Old Lady Cui, put ten cents in his pocket and went to Shanghe Village again.

As soon as Silang left, Yu came with a basket.

Old Mrs. Cui straightened up with the watering can. "You're so busy in the fields, why are you here at this hour?"

Yu smiled and said, "Da Lang left first. I'll go around the corner to look for my sister-in-law."

Ever since the county magistrate personally ordered yesterday to allow the use of spring water for irrigation, the fields of Xiahe Village have been full of people. Men are carrying buckets of water to their own fields, and women are leading their children to weed and fertilize.

The soil is full of water, and the weeds grow faster than the crops, and they can grow very tall if you are not careful.

Old Mrs. Cui's eyes fell on the basket, which was covered with a cloth. She had no idea what was inside.

Before, Feng had been making trouble every day, and although Yu endured it silently, she was not without temper. In order to avoid confronting Feng, she simply closed the door and pretended that there was no such person in the house.

Old Mrs. Cui's temper became increasingly irritable due to Feng's pressure. In order to avoid being affected by Feng, they finally closed the door and lived their own lives.

Old Mrs. Cui seemed to be lost in thought. She had almost forgotten that the family could still visit each other often and deliver gifts.

"Go ahead. Your sister-in-law is in the east room. Tell me when you leave. I have something to tell you."

After saying that, he forced a smile and bent down to continue tending to the vegetable garden.

Yu walked into the east room in a daze, with a look of disbelief on her face.

"Why do I feel like something's wrong with Mom? I still have some money on hand. How about calling Doctor Luo to come and check on Mom?"

When did mother ever laugh?

Cui Zhaozhao and Xiaoliu were not at home. Lin was picking beans outside, preparing to steam some red bean paste buns for lunch. Upon hearing this, she put down the winnowing basket in her hand, stood up and got a stool for Yu from the corner.

"Maybe he's happy because he has more land. Didn't you see Dad? He never let go of his pipe yesterday. Smoke leaked out whenever he opened the door to his room."

Yu was amused by her and waved her hand: "It's okay, I won't sit down, I have to go to the fields later."

After saying that, he lifted the cloth covering the basket, and three furry heads immediately popped out from inside.

Lin's eyes lit up: "Little chicken?"

Yu pursed her lips and smiled, "My hens hatched them, and I thought it would be perfect to give them to you. They can eat the grass seeds I dug up from the ground, and the insects will eat them. They'll lay eggs in winter."

Lin took the chicks out of the basket in surprise. The chicks were well raised by Yu, and they chirped non-stop in her hands. Lin put them on the ground and let them walk around the house.

"I've been thinking about catching some chicks to raise these days, and now I can finally put my mind at ease." Lin smiled as she watched the chicks twisting their bodies and spinning around the edge of the winnowing basket.

Seeing that she accepted it, Yu Shi did not stay any longer: "I have to hurry to the fields, so I will leave first."

Lin stopped her: "Wait a minute, I can't take it for free."

A chick usually costs ten cents, and thirty cents is not a small amount.

She still had sixty cents left from buying a jar yesterday. She gave ten cents to Silang, and still had fifty cents left.

Lin counted the coins, and Yu closed her palm: "I don't want your money, put it away quickly."

Yu really wanted to give the chicken to Lin.

She learned how to grow sprouts here a few days ago. She followed Lin's method and actually grew sprouts.

One ounce of soybeans can produce a pound of sprouts. If you buy them outside, it will cost at least ten cents.

This saves a lot of money.

Yu said she didn't want any money at all. Although she looked thin and weak, she was very strong and Lin was almost pushed to the ground by her.

Lin shook her wrist, which hurt from her grip: "Okay, okay, I'll take it."

Yu then smiled again, left the east room, and went to the vegetable garden to find Old Mrs. Cui.

Old Mrs. Cui had already prepared everything. Pointing to a small bundle of beans on the ground, she said stiffly, "Your father and I can't finish all these vegetables. You can take them back and eat them."

After saying that, he got up and went back to the upper room, leaving Yu standing in the yard, confused.

Mom, do you really not need to ask Doctor Luo to come and see me?

Old Mrs. Cui leaned against the window and secretly watched Yu take the dishes away before she breathed a sigh of relief.

After being so strict for so long, I’m still a little uncomfortable.

next time.

She'll be more natural next time.

When the sun was three feet high, Shiro returned with the ox cart from the brick kiln.

As soon as Lin opened the door, she saw a figure rushing into the west room. Lidong and Wulang came out shortly after, carefully moving pottery from the ox cart.

There was a layer of broken pottery under the ox cart, with bowls and basins stacked in an orderly manner on top, including three pottery jars.

Shiro quickly came out of the house and changed back into his old clothes.

Walking to the carriage, Silang secretly stuffed two eggs into the arms of the old man driving the carriage.

"We'll be a little slow unloading the truck, please wait for us, Uncle Wang."

These eggs were stolen from Lidong, and we can't let that girl see them.

At least not now.

Uncle Wang grabbed two eggs with his skinny hands and put them in his arms with a smile: "I'm not in a hurry, old man. You guys can take your time unloading them."

People in Shanghe Village often go to the brick kiln to pick out good quality used bowls to take home for use. They all understand.

Lin saw Silang's bribery clearly, smiled, rolled up her sleeves, and moved down with them.

If Silang's intelligence is used in the right place, he will be a good candidate for business.

The pottery was placed in rows in the yard, and the remaining pottery fragments were unloaded outside the yard.

Only after the carriage drove away did Silang breathe a sigh of relief. He had a lot to say to Third Aunt, but he couldn't say it in front of Uncle Wang just now, which made him feel so suffocated.

"Aunt San, when I went there, I happened to see the kiln open. I even went in to take a look. The temperature inside the kiln was so high that I was sweating all over after just a while."

Lidong and Wulang looked through the pottery that had been brought back, and Lin listened to him with a smile.

Shi Lang took a breath and continued, "Two bowls were put on top of each other and cooked. I saw the worker in the workshop use a knife to break the sticky parts apart."

"No wonder there's so much waste. It must have broken if you knocked it that hard. Oh, and I saw a huge jar in there." Shilang stretched out his hand and drew a circle. "The manager said it was made to order according to a customer's request. Wow, it can be fired according to the customer's request."

Shiro felt that he had finally opened his eyes this time.

Lin listened silently as he shared what he saw and heard on this trip.

In fact, Shiro has a very detailed observation ability, and when he has questions he will not keep them to himself but will seek answers from people around him.

Seemingly unrelated issues may form a new business route when connected together.

"Many things can be customized according to the customer's preferences." Lin continued softly, "Aunt San used to run a breakfast shop. Customers came to buy wontons. Some customers didn't like green onions, and some didn't like vinegar. Based on their personal tastes, each bowl would be different. This is the simplest way to make custom."

Silang seemed lost in thought, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "The clothes that grandma made for me don't fit my second brother or Xiaowu, but they fit me. Is this custom-made?"

Lin smiled and nodded.

Old Mrs. Cui was originally sewing clothes for the children in the house. When she heard the noise, she wanted to go out to see what was happening, but when she saw there were strangers on the ox cart, she simply waited in the house.

She didn't know much about this matter, so she shouldn't go out and say the wrong thing, which would ruin things for Lin and the children.

"Are these all leftovers?"

Old Mrs. Cui looked around at the pottery on the ground and immediately caught her eye with a large deep basin with a wooden lid, which was perfect for storing cold boiled water.