Chapter 23
In the golden autumn and August, the rice is fragrant. During the harvest season, not only the rice fields are covered with golden patches, but also everywhere in the village. The harvested rice is drying in the yard of every house.
After the rice is taken home, there is still work to be done. The harvested rice must be separated from the grains quickly, and then the full grains must be dried and put into the warehouse.
Early this morning, Gu Nanfeng took his small sickle and went to the fields with the Mei family to cut millet.
Cutting and threshing millet is not a tiring job, and you can see many women in the fields, but carrying the millet in the mixing bucket home is very tiring. It is convenient for those who have mules, but for those without mules, it is very tiring. I had to carry it back on my shoulders, and the next day my whole shoulders and back were sore.
The Mei family doesn't have a mule, and they farm a lot of paddy fields. Fortunately, the uncle's family has a mule, and he can come over to help in two days.
After Gu Nanfeng had been busy all morning, Mei Aniang no longer planned to let him work in the fields at noon, and asked him to cook at home.
"Forget it in the morning and in the afternoon. It's very hot at noon, and there's no shelter in the rice fields. The ears and leaves are still prickly, so don't go. The weather is nice this year, so there's no need to rush. You Just help at home.”
While Mei Aniang was talking to Gu Nanfeng, she started to put on a straw hat and tie up her sleeves and trousers. There are many people in the family but little land, and there is no rule that women and men cannot go to the fields. If all the men in the family farm so much land, they will be exhausted.
After cleaning herself up, Mei Aniang looked at the sunbathing mat laid out in the yard at home and said, "It's not easy at home. We have to cook for the whole family and turn over the grains."
Gu Nanfeng knew that he could not defeat Aniang Mei, so he simply agreed. Mei Aniang had told him what dishes to cook in the afternoon, and he also knew where the things at home were. It was just a meal, and he could handle it.
Before Mei A Niang left, she told him one more thing, asking him to keep an eye on Mei Mei and not let her run out. These days, everyone is drying millet at home, and they definitely don’t want their children to go home, lest the children be ignorant, spoil the food, and scatter the grain everywhere.
Mei Xiaomei heard her mother-in-law mentioning herself, but she understood that it was not a good word. She pouted her mouth and tilted her head to the side to defend herself, "I am very obedient!"
"Okay, okay, if you are obedient, then you will be obedient at home and help your third brother with something. You are not allowed to run outside, okay?"
"knew."
After Mei Aniang went out, Gu Nanfeng went to the kitchen. After he put a few pieces of bacon that had been cleaned in the kitchen into the pot and cooked it, he carried a small basket on his back and called Mei Xiaomei to come to the house with him. I went to pick cucumbers next to me.
At this time of year, there are already a lot of old cucumbers on the cucumber vines. The skin of the old cucumbers is so hard that even with nails you can’t pinch them. This kind of old cucumber is no longer tasty when fried, but it is delicious when used to stew bacon. It is also delicious when steamed.
The cucumber vines at home stretch far and wide, some climbing to the cherry and orange trees beside the house, some climbing along the eaves behind the house to the eaves, and some climbing all over the house along the land. The high ridge behind.
Gu Nanfeng is like a little brother in terms of courage. He is most afraid of snakes, insects, rats, and ants, especially snakes and insects. He didn't dare to dig at the ridge for fear of touching insects or stepping on snakes, so he went to an orange tree and prepared to climb up the tree to pick cucumbers.
"Little sister, please stay away from the tree. I'm afraid the cucumbers will fall and hit you. You go and wait for the third brother further away." Gu Nanfeng climbed up the tree with a basket on his back, but some cucumbers would go up by themselves. If it fell, he was afraid of hitting Mei Xiaomei, so he asked people to go further away.
The little girl was quite cautious. When her brother said that he would hit her, she immediately covered her head with both hands and ran away carefully.
There were only a few sparse oranges on the orange tree that Gu Nanfeng climbed, and the fruit didn't grow well. He didn’t know whether it was because the oranges themselves had no fruit, so the family let the melon vines climb all over the tree, or whether it was because the melon vines had grown all over the trees, so the oranges didn’t bear fruit well.
While picking cucumbers, Gu Nanfeng thought about the time they went to the town to sell cucumbers. He thought that if he could save so many cucumbers, he would be able to sell them in the town in the middle of winter. Sell it for a higher price.
At that time, it was not easy for people without vegetable plots to eat fresh vegetables.
When they went back after picking melons, they found someone at the door of the courtyard before they entered the courtyard. They were still strangers.
"Excuse me, what's the matter?" Gu Nanfeng looked at the back of a girl at the door of the courtyard. He was careful about what he said. When the girl turned around, he felt that there was something unpleasant on the girl's face, as if she was a little angry. look like.
He didn't know why the girl was a little hostile to him, but Gu Nanfeng would never get stage fright in front of his house. He stepped forward generously and asked the person's purpose again. The girl stopped looking at her and only said that she was here to see Mei A. Damn it.
"Auntie has gone to the fields. You can come over in the afternoon, or you can ask me to convey it." It was obvious that the girl was a little hostile to him, but Gu Nanfeng didn't care. His identity was indeed disgusting, and Mei Just because your family doesn't care doesn't mean others don't care.
Gu Nanfeng had always been open-minded, and his tone of voice was not bad because of the girl's bad attitude. The girl might have been a little boring, so she stopped talking to Gu Nanfeng, and instead walked towards Mei Xiaomei with a smile on her face, and then squatted down He lowered his body and handed Mei Xiaomei a piece of candy.
Mei Xiaomei was not polite. She took the candy and called her "sister". Then she stuffed the candy into her mouth and ran into the yard. After Mei Xiaomei entered the room, the girl glanced sideways at Gu Nanfeng again, said "come back later" and left.
Being stared at by someone, but not even knowing who that person was, Gu Nanfeng smiled helplessly and called Mei Xiaomei's name and followed him into the house.
Mei Xiaomei was only five years old, an age where she was not very sensible but very destructive. Gu Nanfeng did not dare to let her out of his sight, and had to call her by his side no matter what he did.
Looking for the sound, he went directly to the kitchen. Gu Nanfeng took out the candy on his body and shook it at Mei Xiaomei, telling her that if she stayed by his side, she would always have candy to eat.
Country children can't eat sweets every day. Even if they are loved by their families, they can only eat sweets when adults go to the street and come back. Naturally, the same goes for Mei Xiaomei.
When she saw that the third brother had candy, she became obedient and took the initiative to stick to him. She would accompany him in whatever he did, and she also took the initiative to help others with things.
"Little sister, we will bring some food to grandma and brothers later. Be good and I will pick ground fragrant fruits for you to eat." Gu Nanfeng had previously placed two large firewood sticks in the stove pit. Now, The firewood is burning just right, so there's no need to add more firewood. You just need to throw some corn cores in to help the combustion.
He threw a few corn cores in, then opened the lid of the pot, took a chopstick and inserted it into the bacon. When he found that it couldn't be inserted at all, he knew it would have to cook for a while. The bacon, which has been left for more than half a year, can withstand cooking and must be cooked for at least an hour before it is fully cooked.
The bacon must be cooked before the cucumber can be put in to cook. Old cucumbers can also be cooked very well. However, the taste of old cucumbers is quite different from when they were tender. It is not only sweet but also a little more pink and glutinous, giving it a thicker texture. Quite a bit, and the stewed soup is very delicious.
After boiling it together with bacon, the soup has both the strong fragrance of the twelfth lunar month and the sweetness of cucumber. It is best eaten when soaked in rice.
The family had breakfast at Sishi, and dinner had to wait at least until the people in the fields were willing to come back. In the meantime, they had to work for four or five hours. If they didn't eat something, how could they have the strength to work?
Gu Nanfeng took out five or six cucumbers he had picked, and cut each one in two directly from the middle. He also moved an old pumpkin from under the eaves, cut it into pieces, and washed a dozen more. The potatoes came out and several other foods were steamed in the pot.
After putting a few coarse grains into the pot, he took out the stone mortar while the food was steaming, hammered out some chili pepper noodles, and made a large bowl of dipping sauce. It was given to those who were busy in the fields to fill their bellies.
It only took half an hour for the things to come out of the pot. After the things came out of the pot, Gu Nanfeng found a chopstick and skewered a piece of cucumber for Mei Xiaomei. Then he put everything into the basket and put it into the backpack, and prepared some more. Qing Shui, before leaving, took a look at the bacon in the pot, then lit the fire in the stove, and then took Mei Xiaomei to the fields to deliver food to people.
When the two went out, they met many people who were going to the fields or carrying millet home. Everyone had smiles on their faces. This year is a good harvest year. The weather is sunny and rainy at the right time. The millet is going to be harvested. We have collected nearly 20% more than in previous years. How can we be unhappy about this?
The paddy field that Gu Nanfeng and the others were going to was at the entrance of the village. It was very close. They were there in a short time. Before they even reached their own paddy field, they could see the people in the field waving to them.
"Nan Feng, you are a reliable kid!" Mei Aniang's face was red and full of sweat, but what was more eye-catching than the sweat on her face was the smile on her face.
After calling her two sons to stop first, Mei Aniang quickly held the backpack on Gu Nanfeng's back and helped him put it down. After putting down the food, the two of them searched for a long time but couldn't find a shaded place, so they could only put it on the edge of the field and let it dry in the sun. They were used to it anyway, and it was enough to have something to eat.
"I was still talking just now, and I forgot to tell you to bring you some food. You came right after I said that." It's not enough to work without strength. When your stomach is empty, your hands will be weak. Only when you are full can you have the strength to work. Live.
"Boss, second brother, please stop for a moment and come over to eat." Mei Aniang called someone, only to find that Gu Nanfeng had also prepared some dipping sauce. She nodded with satisfaction, took a sip of water, and started It’s time to eat.
The two brothers from the Mei family were already very hungry, so they ate a cucumber as soon as they sat down. Cucumber is sweet and juicy, which can moisturize the throat. On this hot day, the throat is on fire. It will be more comfortable for the stomach after eating cucumber.
"Little sister, sit down and eat. Third brother will take you to pick ground berries later." After rubbing Mei's head, Gu Nanfeng took out a piece of candy and stuffed it into his mouth, then took Mei'a. My mother's sickle has gone to work.
There was still half a field left where he had just cut it, and he should be able to finish it while they were eating.
When the Mei family's mother and son saw that Gu Nanfeng had gone to work, they all told him to stop cutting. They would finish the little grain in a short time. Gu Nanfeng was very stubborn and refused to listen at all. His subordinates kept turning their heads and smiling at them, asking them to eat slowly and take a chance to rest.
Seeing that Gu Nanfeng refused to listen, Mei Aniang stuffed the remaining pumpkin into her mouth and said vaguely: "This child is really disobedient."
"Third brother is disobedient." Mei Xiaomei echoed Aunt Mei's words, pointing her little hand in the direction of Gu Nanfeng, and then pointed at herself, "Little sister, be obedient."
"Little fat man, are you obedient? Then remember, you are not allowed to call me Third Brother or Brother Nanfeng in the future." Mei Qingshan pinched his sister's round face and pretended to talk to others in his younger sister's accent, speaking in a deliberately cooing voice. He was angry, but his mother still asked, "Why don't you call me Third Brother? You stinky boy, I want to accept Nanfeng as my godson and you won't do it. You also have objections to my little sister being called Third Brother. What the hell are you doing?" So much? Do you believe I will whip you?"
Mei A Niang pretended to hit someone, and Brother Mei laughed and joined in the fun, but he was stunned for a moment as he thought of something. Then he turned to look at his younger brother. After squinting for a long time, he didn't think there was anything wrong with the boy. He felt that he might have thought too much. It was impossible. How could his younger brother have such thoughts about Nanfeng.
