Chapter 229: Picking oranges

Ye Chenghu sat on the ground playing for a long time before he felt a bit bored. Everyone was picking oranges there, and he was the only one sitting there eating.

Eating too much is sour, and his teeth can't take it, and he can't sit still.

Using oranges to add another layer to the two circles and surrounding the two soft-shelled turtles, he climbed up the hillside again and leaned over to his dad's side.

"Dad, I want to pick too."

"Had enough? Your teeth are going to be softened by eating. That short one next to you is just right for you to pick. Go!"

Ye Chenghu touched his cheeks and felt that they were a bit sour and soft, so he didn't dare to eat anymore.

Children don't have determination in the first place. After a while, he turned his head to look at his two soft-shelled turtles, confirmed that they were still inside the oranges, and then ran back to continue picking with peace of mind.

He didn't find it troublesome to go back and forth several times. After being scolded a few times, he finally settled down and worked honestly.

Ye Yaodong and the others were sent directly by tractor today, so the speed was faster. It was only nine o'clock when they arrived. After eating snacks and wasting some time catching turtles on the road, it was already past ten o'clock when they went up the mountain.

They hadn't picked for two hours when he heard Lin Mu calling for dinner from below.

Turning his head to look, she was carrying two bamboo baskets with a shoulder pole, and there were two buckets and two soup basins in the baskets. One bucket contained bowls and chopsticks, one bucket contained rice, and the soup basins contained dishes.

Hearing that it was time to eat, the children threw down their work and shouted, instantly rushing down. As a result, Ye Chenghu found that his two turtles were gone and instantly cried loudly.

"I clearly surrounded them with oranges, how did they crawl away?"

Ye Yaodong also saw that the orange castle he piled up had collapsed. He looked left and right, but didn't see them.

"What are you crying for? Just look around here, and you'll find them."

Everyone followed to look. Finally, they found one in the bushes far away, and another one fell down a small slope, lying on its back with its four limbs waving wildly.

"Holy crap, they ran quite far."

Ye Yaodong carried both of them into the bamboo basket where Lin Mu sent the food. "Put them inside and they won't run away. Let your grandmother take them back later."

"Leave one here, I will definitely watch it well and not let it run away."

"As you wish, anyway, if it runs away or dies, I will beat you."

Ye Chenghu pouted. He only knew how to scare him all day long! It's not like he hadn't been beaten before?

"Eat quickly, worked all morning, must be hungry."

Ye Yaodong felt it was okay. He had just eaten snacks after nine o'clock, so he only served half a bowl of rice and sat on the ground. Lunch was three dishes: a bowl of potato and pickled vegetable soup, a bowl of dried fish he brought, and a bowl of scrambled eggs with leeks.

A group of children reached out for the scrambled eggs with leeks, filling their bowls to the brim, and only started eating after being scolded a few times.

One by one, they quickly shoveled the rice and dishes. After eating, they excitedly ran to the corner to play with the turtles.

The adults chatted while eating, mostly revolving around Ye Yaodong, asking about his situation at sea, how the harvest was...

After chatting casually, everyone continued to work without stopping after eating.

All afternoon, everyone was picking oranges on the mountain. There were people moving on the opposite hill, all picking oranges.

The weather was good today, and the sun came out after nine o'clock, but it was a bit windy. It was quite comfortable to sunbathe and pick oranges on the mountain.

It was just that the sun shrank into the clouds early in the afternoon, and the wind became stronger, feeling a bit chilly when it blew.

When they picked until about four o'clock, the eldest brother-in-law asked him and the younger brother-in-law to help bundle the oranges bag by bag and lift them to the cart at the foot of the mountain. He wanted to send the oranges to the commune. The purchasers would go to the commune to collect them around this time.

The others continued to pick. The remaining ones could be picked and sold tomorrow.

But the children were no longer in the mood to pick and secretly hid to play with the turtles. The adults also turned a blind eye. They didn't count on them to work from beginning to end anyway. It was good if they could help pick a little.

It wasn't until the sky was a bit dark that the younger brother-in-law announced the end of work.

The children cheered and rushed down the mountain.

Ye Yaodong saw that there was still a small half-patch on the top of the mountain, and it was estimated that it would take another day or two to finish picking.

The cart had already been pushed away by the eldest brother-in-law. The remaining few bags of oranges were just right for the four adults to carry one bag each.

Several children were jumping and bouncing in front, falling, rolling over, and climbing up to continue running. Regardless of how the adults called them to be careful and walk slowly behind, they all turned a deaf ear.

"Ye Chenghu, remember to bring the pomelo you just picked." Ye Yaodong shouted at him.

Ye Chenghu instantly braked, backed up, and held the pomelo that had been thrown down by him in his arms. Thinking about it, he couldn't hold it, and one hand was still holding the turtle.

He licked his face and asked his eldest cousin Lin Guangyuan to help him take it, and then he ran forward happily again.

The smallest one, but with the loudest voice, was shouting that he wanted to take them to the river to see the big turtle...

Ye Yaodong had to trot to keep up while carrying oranges behind, but he hadn't walked a few steps when he heard a cry from the front again.

"555... my egg... my egg is gone, the egg is broken all over the ground... 555..."

Ye Yaodong felt a throbbing pain in his head. Running up, he saw Ye Chenghu squatting on the ground, tears streaming down, one hand still scooping up the broken egg liquid in the broken eggshell.

"Who can you blame if you are not careful? It's broken, so get up quickly. Isn't there another one in your pocket? Don't break it again. If it's broken, there will be nothing to eat tonight."

He wiped his tears aggrievedly. "I didn't mean to, it fell out of my pocket by itself."

"If you didn't run, could it fall? Walk properly for me. If you throw the soft-shelled turtle into the water, I'll take off your pants and beat you when we go back."

"Dad, shall we go to the river to look for wild duck eggs later?"

"Where is the time? Didn't you see we are carrying oranges? Go home first, it's dark, hurry home to eat."

I don't know where they got such vigorous energy. They were still jumping around after picking oranges all day, and still thinking about playing.

Lin's eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law also scolded them, telling the children not to make trouble and hurry home to eat. Only then did they look at the river and walk back reluctantly.

Then a few of them whispered to each other about coming to find wild duck eggs tomorrow, and happily shared the process of them coming to the river to find wild duck eggs before...

Passing by the river section with the big turtle, Ye Chenghu still had a good memory, stopped and pointed to them, saying it was at the bottom of the river.

Just as they were excitedly preparing to climb down, they were scolded by the adults again. They gave up with regret, and then could only trot to continue walking back.

Lin Xiangyang also looked curiously when he approached the river, and then asked Ye Yaodong, "Did you really see that big turtle?"

"Mm, when passing by in the afternoon, I saw two small soft-shelled turtles. When I went down to catch them, I just happened to see a big one as big as a washbasin underneath."

"There have always been rumors in the village that there is a big turtle in this river blessing us. It has been passed down for many years. I also heard that someone caught it before and let it go back. I haven't heard of it in these years."

"That should be it! It's so big, it should be a hundred years old."

Ye Yaodong was convinced that it was undoubtedly the soft-shelled turtle that guards the river. It is rare for a wild one to grow so big. Old people will believe more in whether it has become a spirit.

"Maybe. The small ones can be caught, but that big one cannot be moved."

"I know."

Didn't you see his hands were empty?

A group of people ran to the house one after another. Lin Mu had already cooked a fragrant table of food, just waiting for them to come back to eat.

Ye Chenghu took out the wild duck egg in his pocket with a grievance and handed it to Lin Mu. "Grandma, can you help me stew the duck egg?"

"Where is the other one?"

He was still showing it off like a treasure on the mountain at noon, taking out two to show off. She wanted to bring it back for him, but he refused, saying he wanted to put it in his own pocket.

"It fell out of my pocket on the way down the mountain and broke."

"So careless. Then keep this one and boil it for you to eat tomorrow morning. There is food for tonight, eat first."

"Okay."

There were no fewer children in the Lin family than in the Ye family. Two brothers each had three and four, and the table was full of children as soon as they sat down.

They had already divided the family, and they only ate together during busy farming seasons.

Eating together with many people is also lively. The dining table is noisy with children's shouts. This one's hands are not long enough to reach the dishes, so he shouts there. That one says others have taken too much, and he wants it too...

A meal was eaten until the roof was about to be lifted. Only after the children had eaten and left the table could the adults in the house eat with peace of mind.

Ye Yaodong had been quiet for a few days after dividing the family, and now that the whole family was eating together, he felt his head was about to collapse, and it was always throbbing with pain. Only after everyone left the table did he breathe a sigh of relief.

So many children, it's really too scary!

Some of the older generation had seven or eight, or even a dozen. For example, his mother's siblings were many, plus cousins, and they gathered together during the New Year... too scary...

He hurriedly shook his head. Fortunately, he only had three at most!

Hurry up and drink a sip of soup to suppress the shock.

His mother-in-law stewed sea bass with rice wine. Everyone knows that sea bass is very good for wounds, so no one touched this bowl of sea bass soup on the table, only the children ate a little.

Everyone only ate the hot and sour soup cooked with lizardfish. It was cold, and eating it hot and sour was particularly appetizing and warm.

Except for vegetables, everything else on the table was brought by him. Lin Mu also steamed a large plate of starfish.

He had eaten enough at home in the past few days and had long since not wanted to eat it, but he still took one and peeled it for his wife. Just now, he saw her only feeding the younger son.

Coming to the mother-in-law's house, he had to perform well.

He broke the starfish from the middle, divided it into petals, took one petal and broke it from the middle, and saw the starfish meat, then put it into her bowl, letting her dip it in soy sauce and eat it directly.

Eating too much of this starfish will cause diarrhea. He only peeled one and didn't do it again.

Seeing this, Lin Mu started muttering again, saying why did he send so many over?

How can they finish eating...

Must not bring things over next time... ===== CHAPTER 230 =====