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墨書 Inktalez
As Yezhi and One Egg rushed back to the village, it was already dark. After bidding farewell to One Egg, Yezhi held onto Black Treasure and returned home.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Aunt Zhou came out to greet them, followed by a woman from Wujia Village. Upon seeing them, Yezhi's smile froze on her face. "Miss Yezi, you're back!" This woman from Wujia Village enthusiastically took Yezhi's hand and turned to Aunt Zhou, saying, "They say that rural girls are capable, and your Yezi is not only beautiful but also exceptionally talented." This compliment warmed Aunt Zhou's heart; indeed, her daughter was one in a hundred. Still smiling, Aunt Zhou humbly replied, "Oh! It's not as good as you say!"
The woman from Wujia Village said seriously, "Of course it is! Aunt Zhou, you are truly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter." Meanwhile, Yezhi was puzzled about whether this woman from Wujia Village was the one who bullied Er Niu. However, her gaze was filled with deep meaning, making Yezhi instinctively dislike her.
Yezhi intentionally loosened her grip on Black Treasure. The polite little guy eagerly dashed forward and gave the woman from Wujia Village a hearty hug.
"Oh my, what is this little bear doing?!" The sudden embrace startled the woman from Wujia Village, causing her to panic and struggle. Yezhi burst into laughter while Aunt Zhou shot Yezhi a disapproving look for her lack of decorum.
"Don't be afraid, little sister! My little bear is just greeting you!" Aunt Zhou stepped forward to pull Black Treasure away. Black Treasure happily tumbled into Aunt Zhou's arms. "Look at this!" Black Jade obediently leaned against Aunt Zhou.
"Aunt Zhou, your little bear is quite intelligent!" the woman from Wujia Village exclaimed in surprise as she patted her chest.
"Yezi, this is Aunt Sun from Wujia Village!" Aunt Zhou knew that Yezhi wasn't fond of outsiders but believed in the saying that one should not strike a smiling face, especially since they were all from the same region.
Yezhi pouted and reluctantly called out, "Aunt Sun!"
Just as Aunt Sun from Wujia Village was about to say something to Yezhi with a smile, Yezhi quickly slipped into the kitchen. Aunt Zhou awkwardly explained, "This girl must be starving!"
"Well, it's already dark now. Aunt Zhou, I won't keep you two from having dinner. If you don't mind, I'll come back tomorrow to chat with you!" Aunt Sun was not at all upset with Yezhi; instead, she waved goodbye cheerfully to Aunt Zhou.
After sending off Aunt Sun, Aunt Zhou stepped into the kitchen and saw Yezhi and Black Treasure each holding warm yams for dinner. "Aunt, is that person the one who bullied Er Niu?"
"Girl, one should not strike a smiling face. You shouldn't behave like this today!" Aunt Zhou didn't answer Yezhi's question but instead scolded her for being rude. Yezhi knew very well that this behavior was inappropriate; having worked in customer service before, she understood the importance of being polite. She just didn't feel like pretending anymore and didn't want to cater to everyone’s expectations.
"Aunt, what did she come to talk to you about?" Aunt Zhou poked the unyielding Yezhi. "She didn't say much, sigh! This disaster is unbearable! Actually, everyone is having a hard time."
Yezhi was taken aback and sighed inwardly: Yes, everyone is struggling; isn't it because of poverty that we are all so calculative?
The next day, Aunt Sun came to Yezhi's house uninvited. Yezhi no longer ignored her. Aunt Zhou and she were inside laughing and chatting about who knows what. Yezhi was quite curious about what could be so enjoyable, so she squatted by the window to eavesdrop.
However, as she listened, Yezhi's face turned green. Aunt Sun was discussing her lifelong issue with Aunt Zhou, enthusiastically promoting her nephew who worked as an accountant in Wujia Village.
"Zhou Jie, my nephew has graduated from junior high school; he can be considered educated. He is tall and strong, a perfect match for your daughter Yezhi!" Aunt Sun, whose real name was Sun Qing, introduced excitedly.
Aunt Sun's high regard for Yezhi was certainly not because of her education. When she first arrived in Zhoujiatun, she saw this girl returning from the mountains loaded with goods. The flying dragon they had eaten a few days ago was also caught by this girl. Upon further inquiry, she learned that the seeds were obtained through her connections, and that she was the one leading the sale of peaches and planting them... Marrying this girl would mean having a treasure trove.
"Sigh, it sounds good to me, but my opinion doesn't matter; it depends on the girl's feelings." It would be a lie to say Aunt Zhou wasn't moved; she just cared more about Yezhi's willingness. When it came to perfect matches, Aunt Zhou favored Teacher Xiao even more.
"For such an important matter as marriage, how can we not have you oversee it, Zhou Jie? If you approve, I'll arrange for them to meet!" Aunt Sun suggested confidently about her nephew's prospects.
"Well..." Aunt Zhou really didn't dare to agree.
"Zhou Jie, look, the day after tomorrow is harvest day; my nephew will come over. Let's have them meet then," Aunt Sun said eagerly before Aunt Zhou could refuse and ran out of the Zhou household.
Once Aunt Sun left, Yezhi rushed back into the house and exclaimed, "Aunt, I don't want to meet that accountant nephew of hers!" Aunt Zhou guessed Yezhi's reaction and said, "She is so enthusiastic; I really don't know how to refuse." Hearing that Aunt Zhou wanted to decline made Yezhi smile brightly as she sat beside her.
Aunt Zhou gently stroked Yezhi's hair. "Girl, I still think you are most compatible with Teacher Xiao." Upon hearing Aunt Zhou's words, Yezhi burst into laughter.
In the blink of an eye, the long-awaited harvest of cabbage and radishes in the village finally arrived. Looking around, the fields were lush green. Families from Jiajia—young and old, men and women—were all out in force.
The fresh green cabbages and plump radishes were being sent in baskets to the Team dam. The Village Uncle also hurried back from the rice fields to oversee the weighing work. This was part of the distribution plan negotiated with three other villages after the "radish theft" incident: unified harvesting with average distribution based on weight. Therefore, the importance of this weighing work was self-evident.
Yezhi and Aunt Zhou were busy in the field, not expecting that pulling radishes would be such a physically demanding task. Yezhi was tugging at the radish tops with all her might while happily recalling the countless times she played the game "Pulling Radishes" as a child, humming the nursery rhyme, "Pull, pull! Pull the radish..."
Sitting on the ridge of the field, Black Treasure watched as Mama Bear, Granny Bear, and Young Man's companions repeated the same action. Unable to sit still, he excitedly shouted and ran over to Yezhi, using his chubby hands to pull up a plump white radish and toss it into the basket.
"Zhou Jie, your Black Treasure is quite a good worker!" Flower Sister pointed at Black Treasure pulling up a radish and praised with a smile.
"Yes, Chunhua, your Black Treasure certainly earns his keep!" Cart Master chimed in cheerfully.
Aunt Zhou patted Black Treasure's head with pride and said, "My treasure can work just as hard as any strong young man in the village."
"Black Treasure, you're so capable! You've pulled up three already, while Sister Ye hasn't pulled out even one, haha!" One Egg's hearty laughter was particularly grating to Yezhi's ears.
"Black Treasure, One Egg wants to wrestle with you!" Yezhi shouted. Black Treasure dropped the white radish in his hands and pounced on One Egg nearby. Everyone watched as One Egg was pinned under Black Treasure's chubby bottom, unable to move, and couldn't help but laugh.
By evening, with the villagers working together, the radishes and cabbages in the field were all harvested. Yezhi, Aunt Zhou, and the mud-stained Black Treasure chatted and laughed as they strolled home with everyone.
The team was still lively at the dam; Zhou Village Head placed the last basket of cabbage on the scale. "52 pounds," Old Accountant filled in the final number. At this moment, both villagers and outsiders anxiously awaited the final results.
A moment later, Old Accountant smiled broadly and announced loudly, "A bountiful harvest! Cabbage 200,000 pounds, white radish 310,000 pounds." Although everyone had an idea of what to expect, hearing the numbers still took them by surprise.
Old Zhao's eyes glistened with tears as he exclaimed, "Great!" Others from outside the village were so moved that they began to wipe their tears. Zhou Village Head gritted his teeth and said, "Our village is small; you can take two-thirds away!"
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