Chapter 24
There is a large wetland next to the paddy field at the entrance of the village. The wetland is not yellow soil but sandy soil, and there are a lot of large rocks and gravel. It is not suitable for cultivation, but there is a lot of growth in this place. The wild fruits are a good place to have fun.
After Gu Nanfeng finished harvesting the small half of the rice, he led Mei Xiaomei to pick fruits. The most popular fruits in this season are ground fragrant fruits. In May and June, there are very few prickly pear fruits. You can only find them if you are lucky. Several late-maturing thornberry vines.
After picking leaves from trees by a ditch and making leaf bags, Gu Nanfeng asked Mei Xiaomei to follow him closely, and then he concentrated on looking for fruits. He has liked to get these wild fruits since he was a child, and he always takes the best ones back to his mother. His mother also likes to eat these fragrant and sweet wild fruits, which taste better than the fruits at home.
It only took the two of them, one large and one small, about two quarters of an hour to fill two leaf bags. Gu Nanfeng let Mei Xiaomei eat what she had in her hand, and then gave it to the three people who were busy again in the field.
"You eat it yourself, I don't want it." Aunt Mei shook her head at Gu Nanfeng, cutting rice straws in her hands. Brother Mei on the side still laughed, "You two can eat what this kid eats."
Gu Nanfeng was also greedy. After being teased by his elder brother for being a child, he deliberately threw several of them at himself. After eating more than a dozen in a row, he took Mei Qingshan's hand and stuffed the things into his hand while pointing towards elder brother Mei. After snorting, he pulled Mei Xiaomei away.
Today, Dad Mei is not at home. He got a good job two days ago. There is a half-baked wall builder in the next village. He wants to learn his craft again. He plans to use his own hut to practice his craft. He wants to find an experienced wall builder to help him. Take a look. The old master doesn't have to do anything, he just gives instructions and imparts experience and skills, and he can earn one hundred pence a day.
This job was led by the current patriarch of the Mei family. Everyone in the family was very happy, especially Father Mei. After so many years, he could make some money for the family again.
When Gu Nanfeng and the others went back, the grandmother at home was sitting under the eaves with a long bamboo pole, helping to chase away the pecking birds.
"Grandma." Gu Nanfeng and Mei Xiaomei called together. The old lady was already in her sixties, but she was in good spirits. When they saw the two coming back, she put down the bamboo pole and prepared to get up and go back. They were also busy today. She still had to go back to cooking.
Today, everyone in the uncle's family, except the eldest cousin's daughter, went to work in the fields.
"Grandma, please let Yinger come over and let her play with my little sister, so that you won't miss it." Yinger is still young, only three years old. This age is the most troublesome. She can run and jump but is not very sensible. I was afraid that something would happen to her if she accidentally ran away.
Gu Nanfeng wanted to help take care of the child, but Xiao Yinger was much more capable than he thought. After listening to Gu Nanfeng's words, grandma just waved her hand, "No, that little girl got a task from her grandma this morning. She has to help the family catch birds. She is very obedient and has been staying well. Guarding her white rice and not going anywhere.”
Ying'er is the eldest grandchild in the family. Even though she is a girl, she is also very popular with the elders. However, the little girl has a very good temper and is not spoiled even by the whole family. Now she is chasing the edge of the sunbathing mat with a small branch. The bird ran away, muttering, "I'll eat whatever you eat, I'll eat whatever you eat." '
After Grandma returned, Gu Nanfeng also went outside and brought in a branch. After putting it in Mei Xiaomei's hands, he asked people to chase the birds in the yard.
"Little sister, be obedient. Third brother will go and prepare delicious food for you."
"You can't call me third brother. My second brother said that I should call you brother Nanfeng." When Mei Xiaomei said this, she shook the branch in her hand with a proud face. She thought that she had a very good memory and would never forget it. From now on, I will call you Brother Nanfeng.
Although the words were childish, Gu Nanfeng was still a little disappointed by Mei Xiaomei's words. Afterwards, he cut a piece of bacon and gave it to Mei Xiaomei. Mei Xiaomei happily called him "Brother Nanfeng", a little bit. He felt a little relieved when he was no longer separated from others and separated from others.
If you don't call him Third Brother, then don't call him. It's just a title, nothing to worry about. The people he calls Third Brother and Aniang are not very kind to him.
After the bacon and cucumber were stewed, it was time to start cooking. During this period, Gu Nanfeng ran to the sweet potato field at home to pick a basket of wild vegetables and came back. The bacon soup was so rich that it could be considered a meat soup, and he also wanted to cook a vegetarian version. Soup, boil wild sage and dip it in vinegar. It is refreshing and can be eaten with rice. It is also a delicious dish.
After Gu Nanfeng started cooking, Brother Mei or Mei Qingshan would carry the millet home every half an hour. Every time they came back, no matter who they were, Gu Nanfeng would open a small stove for them and pour it into people's mouths. Stuff some food into it.
People who have worked hard to carry millet home don't care what they eat in their mouths. As long as there is something to chew in their mouths, they feel that the journey is not so tiring.
When Gu Nanfeng prepared dinner, there was only a little afterglow of the setting sun on the horizon, but it was not until the sun completely set that it was already Xu hour, and the three people in the field came back each carrying a big bag of millet.
Gu Nanfeng knew how tiring the work in the fields was. He himself had worked from dawn to dusk. As soon as the Mei family, mother and son, came back, he quickly started setting the dishes on the table and asked him to wash his hands and face. Let’s eat quickly.
After a day of sweating, my whole body is sticky, so just washing my face and hands will make me feel better, and I can start eating refreshed.
As soon as Mei A Niang came to the table, she couldn't help but nod her head when she looked at the food on the table. She was extremely satisfied and looked at Gu Nanfeng with smiles in her eyes.
In the morning, she asked someone to cook bacon and cucumber soup, and then stir-fry the cooked bacon, but Gu Nanfeng's cooking was much richer and more thoughtful than what she ordered.
Cooking bacon in soup adds a meaty flavor to the cucumber, and the cooked bacon has to be taken out and stir-fried.
Gu Nanfeng fried potato slices with bacon, cut some leeks from the side of the house and fried cucumbers. He picked the last batch of green peppers and eggplants from the vegetable garden and made tiger peppers and cold eggplants, as well as a pot of wild beard. Together with the dishes, we cooked a table full of meals.
With more dishes, not only will you have more appetite, but you will also feel better. After the whole family started eating, Mei Aniang first added some chopstick dishes to Gu Nanfeng and praised him several times before starting to eat. Gu Nanfeng was so praised. I was quite embarrassed, so I lowered my head and smiled and started eating.
After a tiring day, everyone even talked less than usual after starting to eat. After eating for a while, their stomachs were half full, and then they had time to start talking.
"Nanfeng, when you're done these days, go and buy some ducks. Buy some chickens too. It's convenient to eat eggs. If you lay more eggs, you can make some money by selling them. Let your second brother make the chicken coops for you. It's over." Aunt Mei put another chopstick of wild vegetables into her mouth before putting down her chopsticks. Although she had been tired all day today and was probably going to be busy for several more days, she didn't see any trace of emotion on her face. Tired, but with a satisfied smile on his face.
This year is a good harvest year. Mei's father can earn at least a few hundred cash from his job. Everything in the family is getting better. How can she be unhappy?
Gu Nanfeng nodded slowly. He had the same plan. In addition to chickens, ducks and other poultry, he also wanted to make a stone mill and buy some soybeans to put back.
Soybeans are the cheapest at this time, and they will only become more expensive as time goes by. Soybeans are something you don’t want to keep. If you buy more, they’ll be fine if you keep them for a long time.
What Gu Nanfeng planned to do was something he had carefully considered, and Aniang Mei agreed after hearing it. She only knew that Gu Nanfeng didn't have much money in hand, and this stone mill was not cheap, so she made other plans. The family's income was good this year, and it should be no problem to spend some money to make a stone mill.
Gu Nanfeng didn't know that Mei Aniang was thinking about grinding stones for him. He had already planned it himself. It was not yet September, so he saved two months of money first, and waited until the winter vegetables were less and the tofu was ready. Sell it and start selling tofu again. By then you should have enough money to buy a stone mill.
After the meal, Gu Nanfeng put away the dishes, rinsed the pots and bowls, and Mei Aniang and the others brought out the dustpan and began to separate the grains.
While Gu Nanfeng was busy in the kitchen, he heard guests coming outside. He remembered the girl from the day and listened carefully, and found that it was really the voice from the day.
Farmhouse kitchens are not soundproofed, and the courtyard is right outside the kitchen. Gu Nanfeng can hear the sounds clearly even if he doesn't listen carefully.
He listened to the girl's voice speaking at this moment, which was completely different from that in the day. Not only was it gentle and gentle, but she was also extremely polite and courteous. She looked like a well-behaved junior, without the arrogance at all in the day.
Gu Nanfeng couldn't help but smile, and then took a long breath. He knew now that it wasn't that the girl was not nice, she just didn't want to see him.
Knowing that his current status was objectionable, Gu Nanfeng did not go out and stayed inside after cleaning up the kitchen. He did not go out until he heard the sound of seeing off guests.
The girl had good intentions, but Aunt Mei didn't agree.
"It's always better to take advantage of others less and owe less favors." Mei Aniang kept stirring the handle in her hand, instructing her son to pour millet into the wooden bucket, while explaining to Gu Nanfeng The reason.
"The Yang family has little land, but we have three laborers. Working with us in the autumn harvest is obviously an advantage for our family, so we don't have to do as much as we want." During the autumn harvest, there are often people in the village who work with us. Most of the families are relatives, or they all have similar farm work.
The Mei family and the Yang family were obviously not suitable for anything, so Aunt Mei naturally disagreed.
When Mei Aniang spoke, Gu Nanfeng listened patiently. He would live in the village in the future, and it would be good to know more about the things in the village.
Gu Nanfeng was in the kitchen earlier and didn't notice anything wrong with the two Mei brothers. When listening to Aunt Mei's words, he accidentally noticed that his eldest brother had been deliberately burying his head, and he couldn't see clearly the expression on his face. A pair of red ears can be seen clearly.
After Miss Yang's visit was over, Gu Nanfeng started to help with the housework.
Tonight, they have to take care of all the millet they threshed today, otherwise there will be no place to put the millet collected tomorrow. The sooner the millet is dried, the better. The quality of the rice will not be good if it is left for a long time.
The few people were busy until the middle of the month before finishing the work. It was already very late when Gu Nanfeng went back. Mei Aniang was worried and asked Mei Qingshan to send him back.
The next day, just like the day before, Gu Nanfeng went to the fields for a morning and then stopped going out. He was only busy at home. He finished his work in the evening and was busy until midnight. On the third day, he was fine. The mule at the uncle's house was free. Now that they can help the family carry grain, the two Mei brothers can finally relax.
Such a busy day did not end until five or six days later, and Father Mei also returned from his busy work.
"His mother and children, I'm back!"
