The Sweetness of the Seventies-Chapter 23 - Girl Tian, the Shepherd_1
Chapter 23: Chapter 23 Girl Tian, the Shepherd_1
Chapter 23 -23 Girl Tian, the Shepherd_1
Zhao Dajiao explained to He Tiantian alone, and it was also because of the bowl of rabbit meat from last night.
For the young people from other cities, working at the animal husbandry unit was like dealing with excrement; none of them were willing to engage in such work.
Only the real farmers knew that compared to other tasks, this one was somewhat easier.
This time, the tasks assigned by Secretary Qi and Zhao Dajiao, such as herding the sheep, were even more pleasant.
In her past life, He Tiantian, like Huang Jingli and Lin Xiaoru, had been engaged in physical labor, pulling weeds and catching insects.
She got red cuts all over her face, neck, and hands from the corn leaves, which burned and stung painfully, especially when they came into contact with water.
Compared to those tasks, herding sheep was incredibly leisurely.
All she needed to do was drive the sheep to meadows halfway up the hill where the grass was rich, then she could sneak in a rest.
Before returning in the afternoon, she would cut a bundle of grass for the sheep to eat at night, and that was enough.
“Thank you, Director Zhao.
I know you’re looking out for me,” He Tiantian gladly agreed, saying, “I’ll work hard and definitely won’t let you or Secretary Qi down.”
This job was exactly what He Tiantian had in mind, as it would allow her to frequently take the Snake King out for a spin in the cave.
When the Snake King was in a good mood, the benefits for her were considerable!
Zhao Dajiao was happy to see He Tiantian so astute.
She liked talking to smart people.
Zhao Dajiao mentioned the other staff members of the animal husbandry unit so He Tiantian would be aware.
She brought He Tiantian here and said, “Uncle Qi, Liu Dajie, this is the new young person from the city, He Tiantian, responsible for sheep herding.
She’s new here, so if she does anything wrong, please give her some pointers.”
“No need to mention it, we’ll definitely help her with the work,” Aunt Liu said heartily, eyeing He Tiantian up and down.
Hearing Zhao Dajiao’s introduction and learning that He Tiantian was just eighteen this year, Aunt Liu sighed.
She didn’t understand why a young girl would leave her city home and parents to come to the countryside; it was rather pitiful.
“All right then, Tiantian, you’ll work with Aunt Liu.
If there’s anything you don’t understand, talk to Aunt Liu,” Zhao Dajiao said.
“I have other things to do, so I must be going now.”
“Director Zhao, take care,” He Tiantian said with a smile, exceedingly polite.
The fact that the other had personally escorted her and explained so much to her along the way was clearly out of kindness, and she was grateful in her heart.
In the animal husbandry unit, almost seventy years old, Old Man Qi was responsible for the four cows.
He didn’t have to clean the cowshed, but he had to stay overnight at the animal husbandry unit to look after the livestock.
Then there was Aunt Liu, in her forties, responsible for several pigs, cutting pig feed, cleaning the pigsty, and the cow and sheep pens. ƒreewebɳovel.com
She worked more during the day so she could go home at night without having to watch over the livestock.
Originally, she was taking care of the small mountain goats in passing, but now that someone had been assigned to help, she was much relieved and naturally very happy.
“Girl Tian, those sheep are still young and will run around if let out, so you can’t take them out for grazing,” Aunt Liu said.
“You help me clean up here, and while you watch over this place, I’ll go cut pig feed, alright?”
He Tiantian nodded and said, “Sure, Aunt Liu.
You just arrange it.”
Old Man Qi had already driven the four cows out, swaying as he went, unconcerned with the sanitary matters.
He Tiantian and Aunt Liu worked together to clean up.
Initially, Aunt Liu thought He Tiantian, being from the city, would find the place dirty and be unwilling to work.
But to her surprise, after He Tiantian covered her face with a towel tied at the back of her head, she picked up the shovel and started to efficiently scoop the cow dung off the ground.
Hardworking children are loved wherever they are.
With He Tiantian there, Aunt Liu would have much less work to do in the future.
In no time, they had cleaned the cowshed, pigsty, and sheep pen, washed them with clean water, and carried the manure to a compost pit not far away.
This compost pit was a treasure.
Without chemical fertilizers, without it, the fertility of the land wouldn’t improve, resulting in low grain yields.
Aunt Liu looked up at the sun; in the past, these chores would have taken her two hours to complete, but now with He Tiantian’s help, they were finished in just one hour.
She would go out and cut some grass later, and today’s tasks would be complete, leaving her plenty of time to rest.
Aunt Liu “glug glug glug” guzzled an entire enamel jug of water before laughing and saying, “Girl Tian, I’m going to cut the grass.
You stay here and watch over things—make sure no one steals anything.”
“Sure, Aunt Liu, you cut the grass in the morning, and I’ll do it in the afternoon.
You care about me, but I can’t let you get tired either,” He Tiantian crisply said.
Aunt Liu was quite a decent person, except for her fondness for gossiping, she wasn’t malicious.
Her gossip was also quite interesting, as it was always about people she disapproved of.
Now that He Tiantian was so diligent and caught her eye, Aunt Liu would surely sing her praises to others.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu became even happier, her dark face beaming like a flower, and she said repeatedly, “Alright, you’re so sensible.
Let’s do it your way!”
With a super large basket on her back and humming a tune, Aunt Liu went off to the hill behind to cut pigweed.
He Tiantian, left alone and bored, started to clean up the area around the livestock team.
Feeling thirsty, she went to Old Man Qi’s makeshift kitchen to get some water.
Oh my, both above and below the stove were grimy, filthy, and emitting a strange odor.
He Tiantian couldn’t stand such a place and ended up scrubbing every pot and pan until they were sparkling clean.
She gave up on drinking water for the morning and decided to go home for a drink later.
She had forgotten the military canteen her mother had prepared for her today, but she resolved to fill it with water and bring it with her in the afternoon.
By the time He Tiantian had finished cleaning, Aunt Liu returned with a basket full of grass.
Old Man Qi also slowly led four cows back.
After returning, Aunt Liu saw the place much tidier than before and said with a smile, “Uncle Qi, Girl Tian is really hardworking.
She cleaned up the front and back of the house so neatly—your kitchen is finally clean.”
Old Man Qi, nearly seventy and still robust, only lacked one hand.
Although he could live alone, he wasn’t as nimble as when he had both hands.
He was very indifferent to He Tiantian in the morning, but after seeing that she had cleaned his kitchen, he squeezed out a rare smile and said, “Thank you.”
He Tiantian shook her head and replied, “You’re welcome, Grandpa Qi.
I was just sitting around anyway, so I cleaned up.”
Aunt Liu glanced at the time; it was time to go home for lunch.
The days were hot, and she could take a nap at noon; she had no desire to stay any longer.
“Uncle Qi, we’re heading back first.
We’ll come back in the afternoon,” said Aunt Liu as she placed the grass in the house and then took He Tiantian back to the village.
On the way, Aunt Liu chatted as they walked, saying, “Girl Tian, Uncle Qi may seem cold, but he’s a good person.
If you help him with the housework, he won’t take you for granted.”
“Aunt Liu, I actually did it casually, without expecting anything in return,” He Tiantian said, but she was secretly pleased.
Old Man Qi was no ordinary person; he was a skilled veteran who had fought in wars and earned merits.
During a mission, he lost an arm and insisted on returning to his hometown instead of troubling the state.
Even if he now seemed a scruffy old man, the connections he had were anything but scruffy.
Every month, funds, rice, flour, cloth—all without need for ration tickets—were provided to Old Man Qi through a special account from the commune.
