The Sweetness of the Seventies-Chapter 25 - Great Situation_1
Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Great Situation_1
Chapter 25 -25 Great Situation_1
He Tiantian tentatively took this sentence as a compliment.
“Hehe,” He Tiantian laughed naively, “It’s nothing, just thinking of preparing more, in case the weather is bad tomorrow, it can last a day.”
“That’s true, we now have to cut fresh grass and also prepare some hay for the cattle and sheep to get through the winter,” Aunt Liu said.
“You go and rest a bit, I’ll clean up the grass you’ve cut.”
“Then I’ll have to trouble Aunt Liu,” He Tiantian said with a smile, picking up her water bottle and taking several large gulps.
After drinking, He Tiantian didn’t rest but instead cleaned the wild vegetables she had gathered and made a cold dish for Old Man Qi.
Old Man Qi was very pleased and said, “Hehe, Girl Tian, you’ve troubled yourself.
Over there I have a plot of private land, where I’ve grown vegetables.
I can’t finish them all; you can take some home to eat.”
Aunt Liu didn’t hold back and said while working, “Then I won’t be polite, Girl Tian; can you check the yard to see if there are any ripe cucumbers, green beans, bottle gourds, or loofahs?”
“Okay!” He Tiantian replied.
She guessed Old Man Qi wanted to give her some benefits in hopes that she would often help him with cooking in the future.
Since she was one-handed, He Tiantian had seen the kitchenware, which although washed, was not clean.
He Tiantian couldn’t stand sloppiness, so while washing the vegetables, she tidied them up as well.
This vegetable garden was much larger than Third Grandma Qi’s.
She guessed it was a piece of private land that Old Man Qi had opened up himself.
At the foot of the mountain, there wasn’t much fuss about it!
There were several rows of cucumbers, early and late green beans, year-round beans, and also tomatoes, eggplants, and chili peppers.
The surrounding fence was covered in loofah vines, and there were green pumpkins on the ground.
Ah, no wonder Old Man Qi was so generous; he couldn’t possibly finish all this produce by himself!
He Tiantian picked the vegetables.
It was getting late today, so she didn’t weed.
She would help Old Man Qi tidy up the vegetable garden tomorrow.
He Tiantian brought back a whole basket full of things and said with a smile, “Grandpa Qi, your vegetable garden is quite big, and there are a lot of things inside.
If you can’t finish them, I can pick them for you to pickle and dry.
In winter, they’re the best to use for stewing vegetables.”
The winters in Qijia Village were damp but very chilly, and there were no fresh vegetables.
The cabbage and radishes stored up were all there was.
Dried vegetables from the summer were treasured.
“Sure!” Old Man Qi laughed breathlessly, “If I can’t finish everything, you can also take some home.”
“Uncle Qi, those cucumbers are nice.
I’ll take a few later.” Aunt Liu didn’t hold back, planning to make some cold cucumber salad with salt for dinner at home.
“These tomatoes look good, I’ll take two tomatoes,” He Tiantian didn’t want to be treated specially and said, learning from Aunt Liu, “Grandpa Qi, it’s still early, I’m idle anyway, why don’t I make you dinner to thank you for these two tomatoes.”
Old Man Qi was very happy as he was just worrying about how to ask for help, and the girl took the initiative.
That was perceptive of her.
“Hehe, then I’ll trouble you,” Old Man Qi said, “In the future, if there’s anything, just say so.
As long as this old man can put in a word, I’ll definitely help you.”
“Thank you, Grandpa Qi,” He Tiantian crisply said, having gained another helper.
Cooking, for He Tiantian, was second nature, the easiest thing in the world for her.
Since there was an abundance of vegetables, He Tiantian, while helping Old Man Qi with stewing eggplants, casually stuck a few cakes to the side of the pot, which were Uncle Qi’s staple food.
Adding some seasoned wild vegetables and a couple of cucumber cold dishes, she completed Old Man Qi’s dinner.
Old Man Qi was very happy.
Although Aunt Liu usually cooked for him, her cooking was not as good as He Tiantian’s, nor did it taste as nice.
By the time Aunt Liu had finished her work, He Tiantian was also done, and they returned to the village together.
Her first day of work was a complete success, earning the recognition of Old Man Qi and Aunt Liu, which laid a solid foundation for her future work.
For several days in a row, He Tiantian had fully adapted to rural life.
Rise with the sun, rest with the sunset.
Although a bit tired, it was nothing compared to the contentment in her heart and the hope for the future!
When the sour jujubes turned sweet, He Tiantian, carrying a half-basket of them along with a few cucumbers and tomatoes, went to visit the youths who had settled in from the city.
Along the way, she encountered some villagers.
She greeted those she recognized, and she smiled at those she didn’t, never too proud to ignore anyone.
The young people from the city were sitting on a few large stones at the entrance of the settlement eating and laughing while they ate.
Huang Jingli saw He Tiantian coming and hurriedly waved her over, “Tiantian, come sit over here.”
“Who’s this?” The older sister, who looked to be about twenty years old, turned and asked.
She didn’t appear to be a village girl.
With neat clothes and fair skin, she looked more like a youth sent down from the city than they did.
Huang Jingli laughed, “Sister Wu, she’s from the city too.
She came with us.
But since there was no more room for her to stay here, Secretary Qi arranged for He Tiantian to live with a local family.
The family really likes He Tiantian, so she’s staying there now.”
He Tiantian put down her basket, and seeing everyone looking at her, she confidently said, “Hello, brothers and sisters, I’m He Tiantian, from Nan City.
I hope to receive everyone’s support in the future.”
Since they were all young people from the city, no one gave He Tiantian a hard time.
Besides, He Tiantian was so polite, calling everyone brother and sister and even brought food.
The male youths chuckled, while the female youths were more enthusiastic towards He Tiantian.
The one called Sister Wu laughed, “You can really tell you’re from the big city, so polite.
Hey, you should’ve just come to hang out.
Why did you bring a basket over?”
He Tiantian lifted the cloth covering the basket and said, “There’s nothing much—just some jujubes I picked while I was cutting grass the other day.
Grandma Qi said these are sour jujubes that turn sweet after a few days and are very tasty.
So, I brought some for my brothers and sisters.”
“Sour jujubes are great, really delicious.
Comrade He, you’re so thoughtful.
My last name is Wang.
You can just call me Wang Lei.” An older man said.
This was Wang Lei, who had come here two years ago.
Because he had been here longer and he was also older, everyone respected him, treating him like a big brother.
“Big Brother Wang Lei,” He Tiantian said, “Since they’re tasty, I’ll go wash them, and let’s all eat together.”
Ever since He Tiantian came over, everyone gathered around her, chatting and laughing.
Lin Xiaoru stood aside looking at He Tiantian’s fair face and arms, even fairer than her own.
Lin Xiaoru had fallen behind a few times during the days’ work and her skin had tanned, her face, neck, and hands marked with the red scratches from corn leaves.
“Tiantian, you’re so lucky to have made good relations with the locals, which lets you get the easy jobs,” said Lin Xiaoru, feigning envy.
They all came from the city, from the same place, so why should He Tiantian have a better life than them?
