Zhao Lanxiang picked up the glass shards and dug a hole to bury them. She quickly asked the educated youth who was going to enter the city in the afternoon to help bring back a bottle of medicinal oil.
At night, He Songbai saw a brand new bottle of medicinal oil in front of his window. He gently opened the lid and a mild and slightly pungent smell overflowed out. He slightly furrowed his brows and his sharp and deep eyes were extremely silent at this moment.
However, Zhao Lanxiang didn't have time to pay attention to whether He Songbai had applied medicine or if his leg was better because she quickly fell into heavy labor. This month, the higher-ups issued an important decision to dig a canal in the mountains. They planned to open up paddy fields in autumn and winter and use the water from the canal for irrigation. Next year, they planned to plant rice in the mountains.
This was undoubtedly a move that would benefit a hundred generations. Province X's underground water was abundant and there were many mountains and forests. If they could open up paddy fields halfway up the mountain, the trees at the top of the mountain could conserve water. Once they connected the canal and opened up paddy fields, they wouldn't need to rely on manpower for irrigation in the future.
As a result, Zhao Lanxiang's group of educated youths were forced to work hard again. Although they didn't need to do any heavy labor, they couldn't escape the misfortune of having to work.
Even if she had the leisure to think about other things, she didn't have the time to waste on an insignificant problem.
… …
Three days after Liang Tiezhu said he would move food for Zhao Lanxiang, he rode his Golden Deer brand bicycle to the He family before the sun had even risen.
Zhao Lanxiang was still asleep when she was woken up by the diligent Tiezhu.
Tiezhu gasped for breath as he took a bag of flour from the back of his "Big Golden Deer". He then took out a bag of wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and other dry goods. Finally, he took out a bag of sticky glutinous rice. The sleepy Zhao Lanxiang immediately became alert. She quickly took out a thermos and poured a bowl of warm water for him to drink.
Tiezhu gulped down the water and Zhao Lanxiang said, "There's no rush right now. I'll make breakfast right away. My movements are very nimble. We can eat in a bit."
Although Tiezhu woke up early, their line of work was hard and tiring. How could they have time to eat breakfast? He was used to delivering the "goods" to the customers before dawn. He had not eaten breakfast for three years.
However, Zhao Lanxiang's cooking was very good. Everything she made was delicious. She asked him to stay for breakfast. Tiezhu couldn't ask for more! He nodded fiercely. Suddenly, he realized that the sky was dark, and it was still far from dawn. How could it be time for breakfast?
Zhao Zhiqing was just as Brother Bai had said. He was kind-hearted.
Liang Tiezhu had been selling grain for so many years, but no customer had asked him to stay for breakfast. They couldn't wait for him to immediately disappear after handing over the grain. They were afraid that the transaction just now would be discovered.
Zhao Lanxiang quickly went to the woodshed to make breakfast. There was no more meat in the house, and she was too lazy to go to the store to buy meat to eat. She looked at the bag of dry goods Liang Tiezhu had brought over and turned to Tiezhu.
"How about vegetarian pot stickers?"
At this time, Liang Tiezhu had already woken up He Songbai. He walked to the door and asked doubtfully, "Vegetarian pot stickers?"
Zhao Lanxiang smiled and said, "Don't underestimate them. Vegetarian pot stickers are delicious. They taste better than meat. You, you … wait a minute."
As she spoke, she found that He Songbai had also come. She didn't know when he had arrived, but he silently moved a small stool to squat in front of the woodshed.
His face was full of sleepiness as he leaned against the wall and yawned softly with a bird's nest on his head. Only a slit could be seen in his squinted eyes. His pitch-black eyes glowed with fragmented light.
Liang Tiezhu shyly scratched his head. After all, they were a man and a woman, so he had to be careful. Thus, he also woke up Brouther Bo.
Zhao Lanxiang turned around and kneaded the dough. The name of the pot stickers didn't live up to its name. When people heard it, they would think of burnt rice crust.
In fact, the pot stickers were a type of fried, crispy, and fragrant dumpling. They were crispy, soft, and delicious. The soup was rich. The taste was much better than eating dumplings, but it was also much more troublesome to make.
The pot stickers had to be soft and tender, and at the same time, they had to be able to contain the filling. This required that the skin was soft enough, but also tough enough. If it was too soft, it wouldn't be able to contain the filling, and the skin would break easily. If it was too hard, it wouldn't have the wonderful feeling of softness and crispness. Thus, Zhao Lanxiang kneaded two balls of dough. One was hot water, and the other was cold water. The hot water was soft, and the cold water was tough. Finally, they were kneaded together.
She wrapped the big dumplings and fried them in the pot until they were golden. While frying, she poured egg liquid over them and brushed them with lard. Wood ears, mountain mushrooms, bean curd, and bamboo shoots were kneaded into the filling, which intertwined into an incredible combination. The fresh taste of all kinds of mountain delicacies was immersed in the lard soup. It was very fresh and fragrant.
The fragrance of the lard mixed with the fragrance of the pot stickers itself overflowed. The two men guarding outside the woodshed became energetic. Tiezhu swallowed his saliva expectantly. It smelled so good, so it must be delicious.
Zhao Lanxiang took out the piping hot fried dumplings. Each of them had three dumplings. She only needed one dumpling to fill her stomach.
Liang Tiezhu took a bite. It was soft and crispy. It was fried until the outside was tender. The taste was excellent. He took another bite, and the rich and delicious vegetable juice wrapped in the pot sticker flowed out, bringing with it a variety of delicacies, fragrant, and salty flavors. It was hot and hot, making Tie Zhu gasp for air. It was so delicious. The skin was fried until it was soft, and he couldn't help narrowing his eyes. Even the slight sting of being burned became enjoyable.
It was so delicious that he couldn't wait to swallow it whole, but he couldn't bear to wolf it down. In the end, he obediently tasted it mouthful by mouthful.
He Songbai also narrowed his eyes in enjoyment and slowly finished three pot stickers.
Zhao Lanxiang went back to her room and took out ten yuan and gave it to Liang Tiezhu. Tiezhu gave her three yuan and sixty cents. With a full stomach, he rode away on his big golden deer with a satisfied face.
The sky was just beginning to break. Zhao Lanxiang was full and went back to her room to rest for a while. Soon, she threw herself into the intense work.
In addition to the participation of the villagers, the government also hired an engineering team to dig ditches.
Everyone was full of energy. After all, they were very curious about this method of irrigating the paddy fields from top to bottom. When they heard the foreigners mention it, their faces were full of confusion and envy! When it was time to work, some people who were used to being lazy didn't dare to be presumptuous.
Zhao Lanxiang saw that Jiang Li was also a bit more diligent for the first time. He wasn't as lazy and delicate as he usually was. Zhao Lanxiang felt that Jiang Li wasn't the kind of person who was easily influenced by the people around him. When she moved the broken stones down, she saw a group of people who looked like they were doing work. Only then did she understand.
Although Zhao Lanxiang came to work after eating breakfast, she didn't have much strength. After working for half a day, she couldn't take it anymore. Every step she took was as heavy as carrying a mountain. She walked and walked and suddenly couldn't walk anymore. The small cart, which was only filled with a little bit of broken stones, slid down with her.
A strong hand firmly held the cart from behind. Zhao Lanxiang turned around to look. It was Sister He.
She smiled and touched Zhao Lanxiang's head. Her hands were strong enough to move the cart to the pile of broken stones. She gestured and said, "You're tired. Go rest."
"I'll help you."
Zhao Lanxiang didn't force herself. She took out a water bottle and replenished her water and salt. She turned her head and saw that Jiang Li was still working persistently. She lifted her head and dug the soil bit by bit. Her light red short-sleeved shirt was wet with sweat, and a layer of white salt stains came off.
Zhao Lanxiang had a whole new level of respect for her.
However, the slap in the face soon came. At noon, after everyone finished their work, they gathered together to eat the bento they brought from home. Zhou Jiazhen sat on a rock under a tree and enjoyed the cool mountain breeze. He ate while whispering in Zhao Lanxiang's ear.
"Lanxiang, why didn't you perform well just now?"
Zhao Lanxiang's chewing movement was a bit slow. She asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
Zhou Jiazhen knocked her head in disappointment and asked, "Didn't you go to the countryside for that matter?"
Feeling guilty, Zhao Lanxiang's heart skipped a beat. Was her performance that obvious? When she was working just now, she clearly didn't look at He Songbai much.
However, she connected the dots. Zhou Jiazhen didn't seem to have found out that she wanted to get close to He Songbai. Why would she need to "perform well" to get close to He Songbai? Thus, she asked calmly, "What's the matter?"
Zhou Jiazhen thought she was still playing dumb. He said angrily, "Of course it's to elect the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University Students."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
