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墨書 Inktalez
"Yezhi, are you worried about the seed money?" Village Uncle saw Yezhi hesitating and then sighing in silence, thinking she was concerned that the village couldn't come up with the money to pay her uncle for the seeds.
If it weren't for Village Uncle reminding her about the seed money, Yezhi would have completely forgotten about it. Finally finding a reason to question him, she said, "Village Uncle, that's quite a bit of seed money. If I take half, I can consider it my task payment. The extra cabbage and radishes can be sold for money. Why are you being so generous? Is it easy for us while others are struggling?"
After hearing Yezhi's words, Village Uncle looked surprised: how could they say their village was struggling? "Yezhi, we can't abandon the tradition of helping each other in times of need. Our village still relies on the rice fields, but for the other three villages, the radishes and cabbages in the fields are their only hope. If our village has the ability to help but chooses not to, we wouldn't be able to sleep soundly at night. Besides, with the remaining cabbages and radishes, each household in our village can get 1,700 jin!"
"1,700 jin!" Yezhi didn't expect to receive so much. There were only two people in her household—her and Aunt Zhou—so even if they ate it every meal, it would last them more than half a year. Easily satisfied, Yezhi couldn't think of any reason to oppose helping others at this moment. Seeing her astonished expression, Village Uncle chuckled and said, "Yezhi, Director Zhang said that our village is self-sufficient and doing well. While we may not have much in terms of relief grain or vegetable seeds, we won't miss out on any relief funds. Once the funds arrive, I'll go with you to thank your uncle and return the seed money."
Her uncle... Yezhi smiled bitterly; where was she supposed to find an uncle? "Village Uncle, my uncle is busy with research and traveling between Dajiang North and South; he might not even be around! Just give me the money!"
Village Uncle shook his head disapprovingly. "That won't do! We must personally thank him; he is our village's savior. By the way! Yezhi is also a benefactor of our village. Thank you!"
With a serious expression, Village Uncle thanked Yezhi. She felt unworthy of such gratitude. "Village Uncle, I'm also from Zhoujiatun; it's only right to do this. You don't need to thank me; it's too formal." Village Uncle wasn't being overly polite either; he insisted on taking Yezhi to his home for dinner to celebrate the bountiful harvest.
That night, Yezhi got quite drunk again but thankfully had Black Treasure to carry her home; otherwise, Aunt Zhou would have struggled alone.
The next day at Team Dam, people were bustling about with smiles on their faces. Bull carts, horse carts, and flatbed carts were all mobilized to transport cabbages and radishes back home in baskets. Yezhi's family relied on Cart Master's Stagecoach for transportation; one round trip took care of everything.
At dinner time, Yezhi naturally wanted to taste the premium radishes and cabbages from Cabrala Star. She rolled up her sleeves and prepared to show off her skills. As she cut into the plump radish, rich juice flowed out from the round cut surface. Unable to resist, Yezhi popped a piece into her mouth; the crisp sweetness and juiciness of the radish amazed her. Was this even considered a vegetable? It tasted better than fruit! Excited about such a good thing, Yezhi quickly took another piece for Black Treasure sitting by the warm stove; Black Treasure happily gnawed on the radish with juice dripping everywhere.
Yezhi made a simple Radish Soup, stir-fried spicy cabbage, and steamed Yam. After Aunt Zhou tidied up the cellar, she sat on the kang with Yezhi for dinner. "Girl, why are these radishes so delicious? They're both sweet and melt-in-your-mouth."
Yezhi also thought it was delicious. This was her first time eating radishes and cabbage since autumn began. Her family didn't have any, but there were plenty in One Egg's and Village Uncle's garden. Yesterday, she had radishes at Village Uncle's house, which were far inferior to those from the Field.
"Delicious, so eat more!"
Aunt Zhou was eagerly eating, and the two of them finished all the vegetables that were served in a basin. After dinner, Aunt Zhou even sliced a radish to eat as fruit, filling the entire room with the crunching sounds.
After sending out the products sold by Earth's Rarity yesterday, Yezhi busied herself making pickles. She didn't know how to make Northeast-style pickled vegetables, but she wanted to try making pickles from her hometown.
Yezhi let the boiled water cool down, poured it into a dry ceramic jar, then added salt and wine, mixing in three "spicy enough to kill" ingredients. She then submerged the cleaned and dried radishes and cabbage in the jar and sealed it. Yezhi carefully placed the jar in a cool place. After two or three days, it would be ready to eat.
Three days later, when Yezhi opened the ceramic jar, she felt a bit disappointed; the radishes and cabbage were still raw. She patiently waited three more days, and this time her wish was fulfilled. The pickles were bright in color, fragrant, and aside from being salty and sour, they were also very spicy and crunchy. Aunt Zhou couldn't handle spicy food well, but with the pickles, she managed to eat twice as much as usual.
Both Aunt Zhou and Yezhi were generous. Aunt Zhou carried a basket around, receiving bits from one household and another while chatting about everyday life, enjoying themselves immensely. Yezhi was only instructed by Aunt Zhou to go to one place: Zhou San's house to deliver something to Xiao Cheng.
"Xiao Cheng!" Yezhi called out as she walked through the open courtyard gate.
"Yezhi, you’re here!" Zhou San put down the bowl he was holding and pulled up a stool for Yezhi to sit on.
"Zhou San, why are you back?" Seeing Zhou San return from guarding the rice fields, Yezhi asked in surprise.
Wednesday teased with a wink: "Why can’t I come home? Do you think I’m bothering you and Teacher Xiao? Just say it! I’ll make space for you two right away."
Yezhi wrinkled her nose; Zhou San's words made it sound like she and Xiao Cheng were some kind of scandalous couple who needed space.
Wednesday's straightforward teasing made Xiao Cheng feel embarrassed, his face turning red. The discussions in Zhoujiatun about him and Yezhi were not new to him, but being with the person involved made it feel different for the first time.
Since getting closer to Xiao Cheng, Yezhi noticed that he no longer blushed easily. It was quite rare for her to see Xiao Cheng blush, but today, this untimely blush, accompanied by Zhou San's boisterous laughter, made her feel both annoyed and embarrassed.
“Zhou San, if you keep talking nonsense, I’ll tear your mouth apart!” Yezhi shouted, hands on her hips, trying to sound fierce.
Seeing Yezhi getting flustered and ready to explode, Wednesday quickly said, “Leaf Sister, don’t be angry, I won’t say anything more!” With Zhou San being so considerate, Yezhi sat on a small stool and took out some pickled vegetables to share with the two of them.
Looking at the earthen bowl on the wooden table, Xiao Cheng exclaimed, “Pickled vegetables!”
“What is that?” Wednesday asked while picking up some cabbage and putting it in her mouth. As Xiao Cheng chewed on the salty and spicy pickles and then bit into the tasteless Sorghum Cakes, he found them surprisingly delicious.
“Leaf Sister, why does this cabbage taste so good?” Wednesday exclaimed after tasting it. She quickly finished off more than half of the bowl, only leaving some because of Xiao Cheng's presence; otherwise, she would have polished it off completely.
“Leaf Sister, we have plenty of cabbage at home. Since Teacher Xiao likes it so much, you have to help me make some!” With someone enjoying it, Yezhi was naturally happy to share. However, she found it annoying that Zhou San had to mention that Xiao Cheng liked it.
Looking at the laughing Zhou San, Yezhi reluctantly nodded. “Zhou San, if you want to eat it, I’ll make more. Why drag others into this!” Xiao Cheng coughed lightly, and with a mischievous grin on his face, Zhou San replied, “Yezhi, why did you come back to the village? Aren’t you supposed to be watching the rice fields?”
“Leafy, the rice is ripe! Uncle Zhou and the others let thirty of us go home for a day’s rest. The day after tomorrow, we’re going to harvest the rice!” Zhou San announced excitedly.
“Really!” Yezhi jumped up in joy; she was finally going to be free from days of eating yam!
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