The next day, Yingbao arranged for Chuchu to help her open up the wasteland and expand the vegetable garden.
The original vegetable garden was too small, my parents were too busy, and I was too small to do the work alone, so I had to ask for help.
Facts have proved that she was right. Chuchu is very capable. She is not only efficient but also very careful at work.
She cut the weeds first, then started digging the ground, digging out grass roots and shrub roots, shaking off the dirt and throwing it into a pile.
Chuchu broke up the soil as she dug, and picked out all the small stones, making the ground soft and flat.
Yingbao was very satisfied and immediately gave her a boiled egg.
Chu Chu took the egg, her eyes were red, and she whispered, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Just eat. Oh, by the way, you can pick some vegetables to cook when you cook next time. I'll get you some salt later."
It’s not that Yingbao didn’t want to let her stay at home for food and accommodation, but Chuchu’s identity was special, so she couldn’t take her home and let her eat at the same table with her parents.
"Hmm." Chu Chu carefully peeled the eggshell, not throwing away any of the egg white stuck to the eggshell, and ate it all.
Yingbao ran home, picked up a black turnip, put some salt in a small ceramic bowl and brought it to the hut.
Now the hut has been cleaned up by Chuchu and the bedding is neatly folded.
Outside the thatched cottage, Chuchu built a simple stove with stones and piled a lot of dry firewood and grass roots next to it. She usually cooked on the stove in a pot.
Of course, the fire starter and other things were given by Yingbao.
That day, Erni came over, grabbed Yingbao and walked back, saying, "Sister Dani wants to ask you a question."
Of course Yingbao knew what Dani wanted to ask, and she had already thought about how to answer it.
When she arrived at her uncle's house, she saw Dani glaring at her angrily, "Yingbao, why did you keep the girl from the Chu family?"
Yingbao smiled and said, "I hired her to help me with the work."
Dani was speechless. "Why hire her? Don't you know she is the replacement of the Chu family?"
Yingbao blinked, "What kind of replacement? Brother Dacheng and she don't have a marriage certificate. She is just an employee of our Jiang family now, nothing more."
Dani: …
Indeed, my eldest brother and this woman do not have a marriage certificate, and this woman works for my third uncle's Yingbao, not for my family.
Dani's expression eased a little, and she muttered, "Then you can't keep her either."
Yingbao: "If I don't keep her, and she refuses to go home, what if something happens while she sleeps in the haystack at night?"
Dani was stunned and remained silent.
Zhou and her husband looked at each other and sighed. "We are not as thoughtful as Yingbao, alas."
Jiang Dalang: "You and I were angry at the time, but now that I think about it, the Chu family's child is a girl after all. We can't let her stay outside alone. Our Nanpo is deserted. If something happens, it will be really troublesome."
"It's all a bad idea from the Chu family. Well, let Yingbao do whatever she wants, as long as Dacheng is not implicated." Zhou felt exhausted.
Jiang Dalang comforted him: "With Yingbao watching over you, Dacheng will not be implicated no matter what, don't worry."
…
Over the next few days, Chuchu worked hard and soon opened up a large vegetable patch.
After the vegetable patch was leveled, Yingbao took her to the wild bamboo forest to cut bamboo and brought it back. She cut off the bamboo branches and left only bamboo poles to be inserted around the vegetable patch.
When the bamboo fence was being erected, Yingbao asked that the thatched hut be included in it.
By the time the bamboo fences were built and the vegetable seeds were sown in the vegetable fields, it was already May and the Jiang family began to harvest golden ears.
Yingbao's golden ears matured earlier than those of her father and his family, and more than half of them have been harvested now.
After watching carefully for half a day, Chuchu was able to master it and did it faster and better than Yingbao.
So Yingbao let her do it and started to grow the bacteria herself.
This busy schedule lasted for several days.
The golden ear and white ear were dried out after being exposed to the scorching sun for a few days. Yingbao put them in a basket and moved them into the storeroom at home for storage.
At this point, the task that Yingbao had assigned to Chuchu had come to an end, and it was time to pay her.
"Sister Chuchu, here are three strings of copper coins, please count them." Yingbao pushed over three large strings of copper coins.
Chu Chu suppressed her excitement and wiped her hands on her old dress again and again before she went to get the copper coins. "Really, really give them all to me?"
"Yes, this is your monthly salary. We agreed on it." Yingbao said with a smile.
This Sister Chu really helped her a lot. She wanted to give her more rewards, but after thinking about it, she decided not to.
Chu Chu counted the copper coins one by one, her heart leaping with joy.
She had never come into contact with so many copper coins in her life, and now she felt like she was dreaming.
As she was counting, she became confused and stopped counting. Instead, she held the coins and started crying.
This was money she earned, a huge sum of money she earned through her own hard work.
"Yingbao, can I really take all this money away?" Chuchu still couldn't believe it: "Will your parents scold you?"
"This is the reward you deserve. Why would my parents scold me?"
Yingbao patted Chuchu's shoulder and said earnestly: "If you continue to work with me in the future, I will pay you."
Chu Chu nodded vigorously: "I'll follow you!"
After hesitating for a moment, he asked hesitantly, "Yingbao, can I...can I go home first?"
"Of course." Yingbao nodded: "Summer harvest is coming soon, I will give you a month of agricultural leave."
Chu Chu jumped up happily, hugged Ying Bao tightly, and choked up, "Thank you Ying Bao."
Early the next morning, Chuchu came out of the hut carrying her small package, closed the door, and walked out of the bamboo fence with light steps.
When he looked up, he saw a mule cart parked in front of him. Xiao Yingbao, her two little brothers and her mother were sitting on the shafts of the cart and smiling at him.
"Hurry up and get in the car. We'll take you back." Chunniang said with a smile.
She has also realized these days that this girl is really good.
He is honest, hardworking and not afraid of losing out. He is a good kid.
Chu Chu pursed her lips, hummed softly, and climbed onto the mule cart.
Wiping away her tears secretly, Chuchu smiled and spoke to Chunniang: "Aunt, thank you."
Chunniang scolded, "Silly child, why thank you? We are going to town, so we can take you home."
"Yeah." Chu Chu nodded.
She knew that Aunt Xu said this on purpose because Chushan Village and the town were not in the same direction.
Yingbao drove the car on this trip.
The mule listened to her and ran at full speed without her whipping it. It didn't even slack off at all.
The mule cart soon arrived at Chushan Village and stopped in front of Chu Laoshi's house.
As soon as Chu Chu jumped out of the car, she saw her brother Chu Qing running towards her. "Sister! Sister!"
Chu Qing threw herself into her sister's arms and burst into tears.
Chuchu also cried and hugged her brother and asked him questions.
Yingbao only took one look, then whipped the mule cart and drove away.
When passing by a young man, I couldn't help but stare at him for a moment.
Chu Yan
It’s really Chu Yan!
He was tall and slender with stern eyes and eyebrows. Although his face was still childish, his expression and aura were unmistakable.
The young man turned his head and looked at her, but after just a moment he turned his gaze away and ran quickly towards Chu Chu.
The mule cart passed him by, went farther and farther away, and gradually disappeared in the distance.