The help she said that day was just a casual remark, but when I think about it, dozens of seedlings must produce at least more than a hundred watermelons. Although she can do it by herself, but now that she is simple and low-key, she leaves everyone with the impression that she is simple and concise. To put it bluntly, she is lazy. She has a good reason. I am still young and growing up.
Then, when I saw these two young farmhands, well, it's good. If she wants to send them away later, she doesn't have a reason. Isn't this ready-made? Anyway, she has nothing to do now, so I will just keep her company.
Liujiatun used to grow watermelons many years ago, but the yield was extremely low and the taste was average. The years after that were getting worse and worse. It was either war or natural disasters. The stomach was important, and no one had the leisure to make this thing that was not worth eating and drinking.
However, several old people have eaten it. After returning, Mr. Liu Sanye and his wife heard about it and specially taught Huzi how to distinguish what is ripe and what is raw.
What to say, Lou?
How is that possible? This is food, how can it be left to go bad?
That is, even if it goes bad, it is still a good thing.
As for the adults, no one from the two families came. They said they would ask the children to help. Besides, there were only a circle of plants at the base of the garden. They would not be tired. The adults always felt uncomfortable when they went, as if they were thinking about the little girl's food.
I have to say that the children in the countryside are different. They got the hang of it after a simple instruction.
Except that Xiaohua couldn't hold it and had to ask Huzi for help, it was much smoother than the simple speed.
"Sister Jian, are these all placed under the front house?"
After all, there was really no cheating in this watermelon. Ah, except for the seeds, which were found in the base, the rest of the growing environment and conditions were all field experiences in Liujiatun, so the fruits were really not big, not much bigger than the mine watermelons in later generations. The big one could be about 12 or 13 jin, and the small ones were 5 or 6 jin, 7 or 8 jin.
The children cooperated very well. When the big Huzi came, an eight-year-old boy in the countryside was already half a labor force, which was not a problem for him at all.
The smaller Heidan could be carried, and the smallest Xiaohua, which weighed five or six kilograms, could also be carried.
It can be said that Jiandan had almost no worries. When she realized that she was a little tired, she had already reached the other end of the garden, which means that they were almost halfway done.
When she looked up, the sun was up, and then she looked at the time. It was past ten in the morning.
After working for more than two hours, the three children's faces were red, and sweat was running down their faces. They didn't pay attention and wiped it with their hands, resulting in black marks on their faces.
Oh, Jiandan blamed herself. Isn't this child labor abuse?
Don't think about anything else. Prepare lunch. After working for a whole morning, can people go home with an empty stomach? That's absolutely impossible.
"Huzi, Xiaohua, Heidan, let's go, let's go back to the front yard and rest for a while."
The children were also tired. When they heard this, they relaxed their energy and their arms were weak. The watermelon in Xiaohua's hand immediately slipped down and broke with a "snap".
The four little ones who followed them in their fun immediately came up and hunted happily.
The little girl stepped back in fear and looked at Jian Dan timidly, tears almost coming out.
Jian Dan started to praise,
"Hey, Xiao Hua, how did you know that Ji Xiang and the others were thirsty? I was thinking of going over to give them another one later,"
He came over and held her hand,
"Hey, I'm thirsty from working too, let's go back and eat."
She started picking in the morning and asked Hu Zi to put several watermelons in the small jar. The well water had just been changed in the morning, and even if it had been exposed to the sun for most of the morning, the watermelons were completely cooled. Now they were cool, just right.
Xiao Hua was just beginning to feel sad and blame herself when she was pulled out. She forgot what had just happened when she saw the watermelons in the small jar rising and falling.
"There's water in the basin. Go wash your hands and face, and then come and eat melon."
This routine is familiar. Hu Zi and Hei Dan's eyes lit up immediately. They said they were given melon to eat. After all, it was not their own family, and they were not the kind of children who had never come here. Even if they were really asked to work and didn't give it, they would not open their mouths to ask for it.
Half of it was thrown to Da Hei, and the rest was cut.
"Come and eat it, cool it down, and take a break."
It was the first time for Xiao Hua to eat it. She took a bite of the sweet water in her mouth and was reluctant to swallow it for a long time. Her eyes were almost narrowed into a slit.
Jian Da didn't disturb them, just left a sentence,
"No one is allowed to leave!"
Then he went into the house.
No matter what kind of work, you have to provide food for the work.
Jian Jian had never raised a child, and didn't know what the child liked to eat, but she guessed that it should be meat.
It has been more than half a year since she came here, almost a year, and Jian Jian's cooking skills have improved. It can't be said to be very good, but it's all learned from the live broadcast, and it's also presentable.
Today, the adults of both families did not come, obviously they did not care about their children's relationship (Jiandan has automatically lowered his generation). They are all children, Jiandan does not intend to do those fancy things, just eat well and be full.
Beans, there are in the garden,
Potatoes, there are in the garden,
Corn, now is the season for eating green corn, it is not rare, but the villagers are reluctant to eat it now, they all want to save more food for the autumn harvest.
Moreover, there are many things to eat now, not a single bite is a big deal, save them for the winter when there is a shortage of food, maybe it can save lives.
There is no special method. Pork belly, spare ribs, beans, potatoes, corn, and a nearly edible squash are added. A circle of cornmeal pancakes are pasted on top. This is not uncommon. Many families have this as their staple food, but few people use pure cornmeal. They all mix it with bran. Many people grind cornmeal with corn pulp. This way, you can eat it for a long time, but it must be much rougher. People like Jiandan who are "lazy and good at eating" can't swallow it.
When making this kind of cornmeal, add a lot of wild vegetables. You can imagine the taste. The gift is also less oil and salt. The main seasoning is pickled cabbage and homemade soybean paste. It can be said that wild vegetables and green onions, cabbage and radish dipped in sauce also solve many hunger and fullness problems.
Although it was coarse grain, there was meat underneath. As soon as the pot was opened, the three children, whose stomachs had just bulged after eating watermelon, started to cry again. They looked at each other. They had been taught since childhood that they could not stay at other people's homes during mealtime. It was impolite and would be disliked by others.
The children hesitated. Sister Jian had just said that they were not allowed to leave, but she wanted to eat again. This was a bit, not so good.
What should they do?
Heidan and Xiaohua both looked at Huzi. He was the oldest of the three children, but he didn't know what to do at this moment. He stood there smelling the increasingly strong fragrance and the increasingly unsatisfactory sound of his stomach. Didn't he just eat enough?