Chapter 298: Rebirth in the Nineties: Overbearing Flower Chapter 299: Two Dogs

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Chai Mi

"Eldest Sister, your garden, why not tidy it up a bit……"

Chai Xiu hadn't finished speaking when Chai Mi immediately shot her a glance: "Come, Xiu'er, you go tidy it up for Eldest Sister. I see you have nothing to do today either."

Chai Xiu: "Uh……"

I was just saying, my Eldest Sister just dislikes me talking too much.

"Chai Mi, don't keep bullying Xiu'er. Xiu'er is so cute, round and chubby." Yao Lianhua smiled: "What Xiu'er said isn't wrong. My garden really is messy."

Chai Mi heard Yao Lianhua say Chai Xiu had gotten fat, and was obviously stunned, then carefully looked at Chai Xiu once more.

Indeed discovered Chai Xiu had put on a circle of weight.

Chai Mi had some joy between her brows, unexpectedly Xiu'er's condition had been good recently, eating until she got a bit fat. Thinking that everything at home had been fine recently, Xiu'er being able to eat fat was also considered a pretty good thing.

However Chai Xiu felt someone saying she had gotten fat, and was somewhat dissatisfied in her heart, although Chai Xiu was still young, girls still didn't really like hearing people say they were fat.

Even though she had just eaten someone's meal today……

Several people walked inside, Chai Mi sometimes couldn't help but sigh, the families in these mountains, besides the courtyards being a bit smaller, the surrounding places were truly large.

Yao Lianhua's place was not far to the east, also a hillside, planted with quite a few fruit trees, but that one seemed to be collectively owned by the village. Her small vegetable garden, besides not having much else, had many weeds, and many qumaca.

This qumaca thing, grows connected at the root. Belongs to one root being able to grow out many, many branches. If no one manages it, the output is also quite high.

However this qumaca, indeed is a wild vegetable. Tasting it fresh is fine, eating too much isn't tasty. However this also depends on personal taste.

Actually Chai Mi's mother Su Wan really liked eating this.

Generally speaking, qumaca in spring is the tastiest. By autumn, it will grow especially large. Making you completely unable to discover it's a wild vegetable.

After this thing grows up, it's similar to lettuce.

Grows section by section, grows very tall, leaves are also especially many.

Chai Mi actually took a fancy to this patch of qumaca all at once.

Because the temperature in the mountains isn't very high, plus the soil here is very poor, it made this qumaca grow especially poorly.

However poor has the benefit of being poor, which is that this vegetable is relatively small, comparatively speaking, more tender.

Qumaca eating methods are relatively simple, like in the Northeast, you can dip it in sauce to eat.

Everything can be dipped in sauce, shepherd's purse is no exception.

Another eating method is to use the vegetable soup from stewed vegetables, soak and eat. Similar to half hot pot eating method, the taste is still not bad.

The rest are all niche.

However, it can also be made into dumpling filling.

Dumpling filling this kind of thing, sometimes is especially bizarre. For example someone doesn't eat mutton, doesn't eat cilantro, but eats mutton cilantro dumplings. Someone doesn't eat seafood, but eats seafood filling dumplings.

Similarly, someone doesn't eat this wild vegetable, but eats wild vegetable dumplings.

Chai Mi came from bitter days, previously at home there was no money, wild vegetables were eaten plenty. Like this 曲麻菜, sometimes can even be eaten as staple food. Generally just when贴饼子 put some in, taste is much better than directly dry eating饼子.

"Eldest Sister, how about…… these shepherd's purse, you pick some tender ones, later give them to me. When I wrap dumplings next time, can have more filling."

"Fine, you want however many are fine. Wait a bit let your brother-in-law prepare them for you."

Yao Lianhua's home lacked nothing most, it was labor.

Zhang Guoxiang's three brothers, were all labor with nothing to do. Actually, many years later, Zhang Guoxiang's two older brothers actually couldn't get wives, Chai Mi also knew this point.

According to statistics, actually being poor is really hard to last three generations, generally this proportion is as high as eighty-seven point five percent.

Of course, at this time there will definitely be reader friends saying: You're talking nonsense.

Actually, truly not talking nonsense.

Give an example, ancient times definitely also had slaves, also had many poor commoners, but we are all descendants of Yan and Huang, yet no one says slaves' descendants.

(The sentence above, no one can refute.)

"Right Chai Mi, you usually go sell dumplings and such, how much per bowl?"

"Eight yuan." Chai Xiu stretched out fingers gesturing eight: "My sister, that guy, is black to the point of bizarre."

Yao Lianhua couldn't help but gasp: "Eight yuan?"

Yao Lianhua wasn't someone who hadn't seen money, but if you say in this era eight yuan per portion of dumplings, Yao Lianhua felt it was bizarre.

She still occasionally went out to do odd jobs, only ten yuan a day.

Feelings working a whole day, just to eat one meal of dumplings……

Eight yuan……

Indeed too damn black!!!

"However Eldest Sister you rest assured, you eat for free." Chai Xiu said then paused: "Uh…… just give some capital is fine. Capital two yuan seven……"

Yao Lianhua: "……"

Chai Mi was somewhat awkward: "Xiu'er, you've been very playful recently."

The female cousins spoke, then looking at a pear tree, Yao Lianhua picked several pears, they were Hua Gai Pears.

Yao Lianhua picked several larger ones, handed to Chai Xiu.

Chai Xiu tasted a bite, then her mouth twisted.

"Eldest Sister……" Chai Xiu spat saliva directly: "Too astringent. Can't eat……"

Yao Lianhua had an awkward face: "Seems not ripe…… how about tasting an apple?"

Afterwards Yao Lianhua stood on tiptoes, picked several small apples.

Actually, those apple trees and pear trees weren't planted by Yao Lianhua; they grew naturally and had been there originally. Yao Lianhua didn't know exactly when they appeared.

The variety of that apple tree was truly ancient.

Chai Xiu took another bite and almost threw the apple away.

The feeling was like chewing raw potatoes—watery and not sweet at all.

And it indeed wasn't very ripe.

Seeing Chai Xiu test the poison, Chai Mi simply didn't eat it.

But she wasn't too embarrassed to refuse what Yao Lianhua gave her, so she took a small bite and said while chewing: "Oh... I've eaten this apple before. Back then I craved it terribly. Other older children went to other villages to steal apples, and I went too, but in the end someone caught us... we just ran."

Chai Mi laughed as she said: "That time I even lost my shoes running, and afterward my mom found them for me. This little apple still tastes like back then. Quite... nostalgic."

This apple was indeed hard to eat.

Nostalgia was only because they were too poor back then; when they couldn't fill their stomachs, eating a few astringent apples was better than nothing.

After chatting for a while longer, Yao Lianhua had Zhang Guoxiang go dig wild vegetables, so they wouldn't be too busy tomorrow to have time.

Chai Mi and Chai Xiu thought dinner was still early, so they returned to Second Aunt's home.

After Chai Mi left, Yao Lianhua seemed to have discovered a new continent, and said to Zhang Guoxiang in the vegetable garden: "Sigh... you say Chai Mi's making dumplings and setting up a stall—is that reliable? Or should we set up a stall too?"

Zhang Guoxiang was stunned: "Chai Mi's family finds it easy to go out; not far behind is the highway. They can go anywhere. What do we do?"

Yao Lianhua sighed, feeling that Zhang Guoxiang had killed this matter with one sentence before it even started.

Before they even started preparing to learn from Chai Mi to set up a stall, it was already dead.

The mountain roads around Juren Zhangzi were rugged and completely unsuitable for doing business, unless they had a cart.

"By the way, I saw Liu San drive here. He even bought a small truck. Sigh... Maternal Aunt's home and Third Aunt's home both have money now. Our family... my brother still hasn't married a wife."

"My two older brothers haven't married wives either."

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

Yao Lianhua didn't oppose Zhang Guoxiang's two older brothers marrying wives, but it really wasn't very possible.

Yao Lianhua was nearly thirty, while Zhang Guoxiang's two older brothers were already in their thirties; at that age, with the family being so poor, marrying a wife was simply impossible.

Moreover, this broken place Juren Zhangzi had too few residents—only a dozen or so households in the whole village, just a few people in total.

Everyone said the most important thing for marrying a wife was having a matchmaker, and matchmakers were generally villagers or relatives.

But there was no matchmaker in the village at all.

Other families' sons hadn't married wives either.

It was just very difficult.

However, Yao Lianhua still cared quite a bit about marrying off her own younger brother.

But after all, she had to consider Zhang Guoxiang's feelings; if there was a suitable one, when her younger brother married a wife, Yao Lianhua would naturally contribute some money.

But now, it definitely couldn't be counting chickens before they hatch—she just kept scheming at home...

"Alright, dig more of this shepherd's purse. Chai Mi said she wants tender ones. Anyway, there's plenty of this stuff and it costs nothing, so don't be lazy. Don't dig up a bunch of old things. By then they'll be terrible to eat, and Chai Mi will complain." Yao Lianhua said: "I'll go check on the child... the child has been sleeping all day too. Let me see if he's awake. He can't sleep all the time; if he sleeps too much during the day, he won't sleep at night. Then I won't be able to sleep either from the trouble."

Yao Lianhua naturally wouldn't complain too much about Zhang Guoxiang. Compared to him, Zhang Guoxiang was quite capable—able to endure hardship, diligent and responsible—but that was just the local situation. Doing business was too difficult; without a cart it was probably too hard. You have to know Liu San drove here for several hours. Even if Yao Lianhua went to the nearest market to set up a stall, she feared it would take two hours, and that was with a cart. If it were a donkey cart, it would be even harder—almost impossible.

Even a clever woman cannot cook without rice.

And...

Yao Lianhua's family situation was very, very different from Chai Mi's. She had married and had two children; raising children cost money, after all.

Yao Lianhua's eldest was a daughter, currently attending Xiaoxue, crossing mountains and ridges every day.

Now there was also a son, and she still had to work hard to earn money, saving for her son to marry a wife. Although the son had just turned one month old...

But marrying a wife cost a lot of money; you had to start saving from childhood.

In contrast, Chai Mi's family—Xiu'er didn't go to school, and the third child was also a daughter, so the issue of marrying a wife didn't arise at all.

Thinking of this, Yao Lianhua was furious.

"Having a son means you have to marry him a wife, save money for him from childhood. Then he has to go to school, eat and drink—all money. If he's unfilial when old, there's no end to it..."

But raising sons and daughters are parents' debts. Yao Lianhua felt she had no way to make money, and wanted to go all out like Chai Mi, but if she lost, the family couldn't even keep the pot boiling.

There was no way.

Yao Lianhua didn't want everything to go by the book, but actual life left her helpless. Common folk can earn, but cannot afford to lose.

The money at home was just enough for food and drink. Even losing a little would leave them in a tight spot.

This was also the main reason they couldn't go out to make their way.

That's just their fate.

But when Yao Lianhua saw her own son sleeping soundly, that dissatisfaction vanished, and she became happy again in an instant.

"Having a son is also quite good."

On the other side, Chai Mi and Chai Xiu strolled back to Second Aunt's home. Anyway, it wasn't very far, they knew the way, and didn't need anyone to accompany or see them off.

As soon as they reached the door, they saw Second Aunt Su Hui fussing with a box at the door, and inside the box were two furry little puppies.

Two black little puppies.

The puppies were very, very small—smaller than Chai Mi's palm. Although they could stand, they were a bit unsteady.

"Oh... Chai Mi, I know your mom likes little dogs. Last time your mom and I talked, she said if they could raise two little dogs or something, there would be some movement in the house. Well, Dongzi is bringing three dogs from the mountain near Laoye Miao in the west, and giving your family two."

Chai Mi was a bit dumbfounded: Uh...

Chai Xiu was young after all and impatient. She thought the little puppies were quite cute, squatted down, and petted them.

But obviously the puppies were very shy, hiding in the back and not daring to move.

"Second Aunt, when did my mom say that..." Chai Mi truly didn't remember Su Wan saying anything about wanting little dogs.

Chai Mi's family had raised dogs before. Generally, farming families keeping some cats and dogs was quite normal.

A kitten can catch mice, and it can also sleep in late.

As for a puppy, it can guard the home and courtyard, eat leftover food, and sometimes, when bored, it can relieve boredom or something.

Song Qiushui kept a whole courtyard full of dogs—four large dogs that could eat more than her entire family…

But Chai Mi's family hadn't kept dogs in the last two years. The last dog they kept was a small male dog, quite cute and obedient, but after it grew up, it became dishonest, always going out. Once it went out, Chai Mi searched for several days, and later heard from others that it seemed to have run onto the highway and been hit by a car.

But Chai Mi didn't see it herself, and never saw that dog again afterward.

After that, they didn't keep any more.

Besides, Su Wan had never mentioned keeping a dog either.

"Your mom… said it that year when your second aunt was acting up, when I went to your maternal aunt's home," Su Hui explained.

Chai Mi frowned even more: this matter was at least three years ago.

Three years, and only now did the second aunt help get the dog?

That's really bizarre.

Originally, when Chai Mi's family didn't have that dog back then, they had thought about getting another one, but later there were many things going on, and life was actually getting tighter, so keeping a dog became difficult.

It's hard enough just for people to live, how could they keep a dog?

Of course, mainly it was that Chai Youqing didn't quite agree, feeling that the dog ate more than people, so he didn't quite agree either.

As for Chai Mi herself, regarding keeping two dogs or something, she wasn't particularly concerned. Keeping was fine, not keeping was fine.

She didn't care either way.

But she thought her mom probably wanted to keep two dogs or so. Su Wan probably really liked keeping something; when there was no child to dote on, doting on two dogs was also good.

And during the busy farming season, the dog following to the fields could also provide some company or something.

"So what did my mom say?"