Chapter 297

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

"How come you're so smooth with words?" Yao Lianhua said helplessly, "Our cousin's figure is so good, slim and sleek, so spirited. You just hurry up and fry your chestnuts."

Once Yao Lianhua actually said it, Zhang Guoxiang stopped talking too, and quietly fried chestnuts.

Yao Lianhua was a bit chubby, but after all she was a woman getting on in years, and on top of that she had just given birth, eating nutritious food every day, so she had gotten a bit fatter.

"Sometimes I'm actually quite envious of you, Chai Mi, your figure is pretty good. Look at me, Eldest Sister, now I'm so fat I'm like a ball."

"No way... it's still that Brother-in-law feeds you well, letting you eat all the good food, so you just got a bit fatter. Besides, whether we're fat or not, we've given birth to sons, haven't we?" Chai Mi said jokingly, "Given birth to sons, we're in the right no matter what."

The sisters laughed, teasing each other, and a good while passed just like that.

Originally because Chai Mi's Second Aunt's house wasn't very big, Chai Mi's mother and Eldest Aunt would definitely have to stay over there. If Chai Mi went over it would obviously be even more crowded, so she also planned to stay at Yao Lianhua's house.

So later when Yao Lianhua said to let Chai Mi stay at her house, Chai Mi didn't refuse either. Fortunately there was nothing much going on either way, plus Yao Lianhua's second child was indeed a willing eater and sleeper, so the few of them didn't have too much burden. As they chatted, Chai Mi brought up the matter of pickling pickled vegetables.

"Eldest Sister, do you have quite a lot of that Qu Ma Cai in the mountains?"

Qu Ma Cai is actually a kind of wild vegetable, tastes a bit bitter, but clears heat and detoxifies, eating a little feels quite good.

"There is... that stuff grows patch by patch, can't clear it out no matter what. Covers the ground in patches." Yao Lianhua was indeed a bit troubled, "You also know, there isn't much land in these mountains to begin with, I just grow some vegetables, just that vegetable garden on the east side. As a result, that Qu Ma Cai grows patch by patch, and its roots are damn deep, simply can't clear it out."

On top of that, Yao Lianhua recently did the month-sitting after giving birth, so she had even less time to fiddle with it.

And Father-in-law and Mother-in-law were busy with other things, the family's vegetable garden was basically abandoned too.

Mainly lack of water is also a problem.

Other places, the water is as high as the mountains are high.

But there will definitely be exceptions.

For example Juren Zhangzi is like that, the mountain is high but the water isn't. The whole village shares one old well, the problem is that old well doesn't have much water either, barely enough to get by.

Let alone watering fields and vegetables, even for people to drink it's not too sufficient.

Every household's daily water use is very limited, save wherever you can. Although it's not as bizarrely water-scarce as the Great Northwest, households with conditions still dig a water cellar, store some when it rains heavily, only then is it enough.

No water to water vegetables, the planted vegetables have yellowed quite a lot.

But that wild Qu Ma Cai is doing fine instead, vitality is quite tenacious.

But Yao Lianhua obviously doesn't like that stuff: "I just have no time to deal with it, your brother-in-law is lazy to death too. The vegetable garden on the east side is all wasted, originally planted a few pear trees, vegetables don't like to grow underneath. Then a bunch of Qu Ma Cai sprouted on its own, my cucumbers and eggplants on that side, I didn't get to eat a single bite."

Just as they were talking, Zhang Guoxiang finished frying the chestnuts and brought them up: "These are ones I picked myself, taste is alright."

Chai Mi picked two, they were a bit hot to hold, so she put them on the kang head to let them cool a bit.

Yao Lianhua said with feigned anger: "Just out of the wok, such a hot thing you bring up. Afraid you won't burn Chai Mi."

Zhang Guoxiang scratched his head, a bit awkward, then went out again and found some candies, handed them to Chai Xiu to eat.

Chai Xiu had just already eaten a piece of candy, now Zhang Guoxiang brought another big handful, Chai Xiu was a bit embarrassed, shaking her head and looking up at Chai Mi, unable to decide for herself.

"Eat, Xiu'er, what are you being shy for?" Yao Lianhua directly peeled two soft candies and stuffed them into Chai Xiu's mouth: "This is orange flavor, super sweet."

Chai Xiu pursed her lips and laughed: "Hehehe, I'm afraid my sister will scold me."

Chai Xiu's words weren't really lying, in the past whenever Chai Xiu had some slightly ungraceful behavior, Chai Mi would start scolding.

If it were before, if Chai Xiu ate candy, Chai Mi would at most let her eat one piece, then would admonish Chai Xiu: eating candy causes cavities.

"Afraid of what, at Eldest Sister's house, Eldest Sister backs you up. I'd like to see your sister dare to discipline you? Eat more, it's not like you eat it every day, no problem."

Chai Mi glared at Chai Xiu who was tattling, then laughed and explained to Yao Lianhua: "My mom's teeth aren't too good. I'm okay, but Xiu'er has loved sweets since childhood. She's got several cavities already, better to eat less."

Then she gave Chai Xiu another sideways glare.

After a while, the chestnuts here had cooled a bit too, so Yao Lianhua peeled a few for Chai Xiu to eat.

Also fried with sugar.

Northeast's famous specialty product is sugar-fried chestnuts. Mainly sweet to a heartless degree, forcibly covering up that fishy astringent taste of chestnuts.

Chai Xiu saw no one was minding her, so she ate a few more.

Zhang Guoxiang poured tea and water for Chai Mi and the others, afterwards he remembered: "Right, Chai Mi, have you been staying at home recently? Didn't you go out to work?"

Zhang Guoxiang and Yao Lianhua live in the mountains after all, they don't interact much with Chai Mi's family.

Being able to know Chai Mi's family's situation is basically just from last time when Chai Mi's Second Aunt went to Chai Mi's house to give gift money, some things heard secondhand.

At that time, when Chai Mi's Second Aunt came back and spoke, Chai Mi's family seemed to be doing not too well, the old man and old woman making trouble, the eldest aunt making trouble, the younger uncle making trouble, anyway it was chicken flying dog jumping.

And Chai Mi's mother had a third child, the family was also more difficult, so Zhang Guoxiang thought Chai Mi should have gone out to work.

Liaoxi side, although it's also Reform and Opening-up, it's exactly completely opposite to other regions.

When other regions did Reform and Opening-up, it was all building houses and starting enterprises. But when it came to this side, it became that a lot of people had no work to do, could only go out to work.

Compared to entering a factory, working has unstable income. And food and lodging are worse too.

But there's no other what method, what way out can little common people have?

Nothing more than two kinds of work suit them.

Either it's physical labor, the so-called suffering hard labor. All work that outsiders won't do, falls to this side's rural men to do. What carrying sandbags, building houses, construction site work like that.

Or it's 'point chang'. Actually refers to work with relatively longer working hours. Relatively easier, but actually more tiring.

Earlier we actually said, like when Chai Mi went to set up a stall, that side's factory working hours were twelve on twelve off.

Put plainly, it's work twelve hours, rest twelve hours. And there's night shifts mixed in too.

And there's not a single day off, when shifting shifts, it's those night shift people get off work, morning go home sleep, afternoon continue work, then continue day shift.

Tired is especially tired.

But, even this kind of work is scarce.

The general public, especially young girls, generally can only do some slightly easier work. Most go to restaurants to be waitresses and such.

Some who can endure hardship go to factories.

Then there's picking up odd jobs.

Although odd jobs here pay decently, they're exhausting after all. When Chai Mi had no money at the start, she also went to plow fields for others to earn a bit, only then did she have money to buy urea and fertilize her own family's land.

"Thinking about going out to work, there's no good work. Just stayed home doing nothing."

Chai Xiu raised her eyebrows, looked at Chai Mi, then at Yao Lianhua, muttering in a low voice: "My sister is at home running a dumpling stall, this trip over is to buy some pickled vegetables from Cousin. My sister's dumpling stall is booming, supply can't meet demand, people haven't even arrived yet and the stall already has a queue. Basically within an hour or two, the dumplings are sold out."

Chai Mi smiled awkwardly upon hearing this: Chai Xiu, just wait till you get home and get dealt with, nobody dares control you when you go out, you'll say anything.

"Nothing much. Just that I really had nothing to do, so I set up a stall selling dumplings. It's actually not bad, lots of people there, not just my stall booming, all of them are booming."

While talking, Chai Mi deliberately took out two hundred yuan and put it on the kang: "Eldest Sister, Brother-in-law, no other meaning. I didn't bring anything when I came, bought Eldest Sister's pickled vegetables at market price too. This two hundred is for the child."

"How can that work?" Yao Lianhua hurriedly took the money, trying to give it back to Chai Mi: "You big spender, throwing out two hundred at a time, can't live your days? I heard your Second Aunt say, you threw her two hundred last time, now throwing money at me again. How can that work?"

Zhang Guoxiang couldn't say anything, could only awkwardly lift the door curtain and go to the outer room.

This wasn't Zhang Guoxiang being hypocritical or putting on airs. It's just that visiting relatives generally involves giving some money.

Like Chai Mi and Yao Lianhua are from two aunts' families, according to local custom, Chai Mi's family would give gift money, whoever receives it is about the same. But a second portion of money must also be prepared, that's for Yao Lianhua.

If it's a marriage, that's called waist-pressing money.

If it's giving birth and doing the month, that's called pillow-pressing money.

Simply put, this money is placed under the child's pillow, hoping the child will be safe and smooth, happy for life.

But a very obvious thing is, Chai Mi gave a bit too much.

According to current gift money prices, Su Wan would generally give Yao Lianhua's family thirty yuan gift money, then give Yao Lianhua twenty yuan.

It's this rhythm and price.

So Chai Mi's two hundred is on the high side.

Normally, Yao Lianhua shouldn't accept it.

And actually Yao Lianhua doesn't want to accept it either, this money is a bit too much, human relations emphasize reciprocity.

Chai Mi gave two hundred, what about later when going to Chai Mi's family for gift money, what to do?

Yao Lianhua refused no matter what, so Chai Mi changed the subject: "Eldest Sister, don't overthink. This money, you're not just taking it for nothing. I'm giving it to my nephew, but I do have a bit of selfish motive."

Chai Mi explained to Yao Lianhua: "What Xiu'er just said is right, I'm indeed running a stall now. But not for long, business is okay currently, I'm wondering whether to add some pickled vegetables. Pickling vegetables depends purely on technique, ordinary people can't manage it. But I know Eldest Sister, your pickled vegetables are quite tasty. Later I thought, buy some back to try, see if they sell well, how everyone feels, then make further plans.

If more people like them, then later I'll have to trouble Eldest Sister to pickle more. If it doesn't work, maybe I won't do it. So this matter, I'm not sure either. Just saying this for now, later we'll see the actual specific situation to decide. So Eldest Sister look, this is a wishy-washy thing, nobody can say for sure, so maybe later I'll have to trouble Eldest Sister."

Chai Mi said and shoved the money back to Yao Lianhua: "This money, you must take it, otherwise I won't have peace of mind. If later everyone likes the little pickled vegetables, and I ask you for them and you don't give, that'd be bad. Just treat it as me giving you a deposit in advance or something."

With Chai Mi putting it this way, Yao Lianhua couldn't refuse anymore.

Of course, with this much money, Yao Lianhua was especially happy inside, if not for being a maternal cousin, Yao Lianhua would want to immediately enshrine Chai Mi.

Yao Lianhua's family isn't too lacking in food, clothing, and daily needs, but that has a foundation.

The foundation is father-in-law and mother-in-law, plus Zhang Guoxiang's two older brothers, four people saving frugally, plus Yao Lianhua and Zhang Guoxiang the couple working, only barely making this family slightly more comfortable.

Who doesn't want to live a bit better.

"Chai Mi... Eldest Sister this... I'll shamelessly take the money."

Money already taken, the two felt even closer.

Yao Lianhua instructed Zhang Guoxiang: "Later when it gets dark, you go invite Great Aunt, Third Aunt, and Liu San to our house for a meal. Our family's matters, can't eat every meal at my natal family."

Natal family's situation actually isn't good either, even poorer.

Afterwards Chai Mi and Yao Lianhua strolled to the vegetable garden outside the courtyard.

The child was already asleep, Yao Lianhua's mother-in-law very tactfully entered the room to watch the child after the two went out.

This vegetable garden east of Yao Lianhua's house, actually shouldn't be broadly called a vegetable garden.

It's a piece of wasteland.

It's just that in the mountains, soil quality is especially poor, it's that kind of non-water-retaining soil, so growing crops is a bit difficult for this land.

This era, it's look at land to eat first, then look at sky to eat.

Generally the land's own quality determines whether crops can be grown.

Before fertilizer came out, from ancient times to now, no place has been continuously especially suitable for farming.

For example, the once thousand-li fertile Guanzhong Plain, in the Qin Dynasty the land was especially fertile, by the Eastern Han it started becoming barren, by the Tang Dynasty it was almost unsuitable for farming.

This actually shows soil is the first choice for farming. Yao Lianhua's this wasteland is indeed not too suitable for crops, vegetables don't grow well either.

Sparsely planted a few trees, mostly pear trees.

Also two smaller apple trees.

Right now it's early autumn, trees still have some apples and pears.

Can be said to be laden with fruit.

But actually, most have wormholes. Very few edible.

Or rather, good fruit is especially few.

Liaoxi's local climate isn't too suitable for apples, pears and such to grow, it suits those not afraid of drought. If apple trees, only Guoguang that kind of small ones barely pass.

It only suits some wild jujube trees.

And this wasteland, jujube trees run rampant, inside also mixed with lots of weeds, only in one relatively low-lying place did Yao Lianhua clear land and plant some vegetables.