After a simple dinner, he went to apply for a tractor to be used at night, came back to take a shower, and as soon as he lay down, Ye Yaodong fell asleep immediately with his hand on the pillow. Lin Xiuqing originally wanted to talk to him, but had to give up.
The next day, before dawn, it was pitch black outside without any light at all, and Ye Yaodong was awakened by the punctual old lady.
As people get older, they sleep less, even when it is still dark.
The old lady usually gets up around four or five in the morning to feed the chickens and ducks, help cook breakfast, and water the vegetable garden.
Ye Yaodong didn't object to her working, as it could also help her exercise her body. Besides, the vegetable garden was in the yard, and the small piece of land by the road had now been taken over by his sister-in-law and was being renovated.
Because the second sister-in-law occupied a room in the old house to raise pigs, the land had to be divided equally among the three sisters-in-law. Otherwise, they would always hear some nagging, which would make Father and Mother Ye very annoyed. So the small piece of land on the side of the road was given to the eldest sister-in-law to farm.
Anyway, Ye's mother is too busy working to farm, so the small plot of land and chickens behind her house are enough to keep her busy.
But Aqing didn't want anything. One child had already consumed all her energy, and she would have to go to work after she left.
Today the old lady got up even earlier and woke him up at around two o'clock.
This time it was a big deal. It had to be delivered to the troops at six or seven o'clock. It would take more than three hours to get to the city by tractor. He had to get up and set off at almost two o'clock. It was better to arrive early than late.
He was afraid that he would oversleep. If he was trawling normally, it would be okay to stay up a little longer, and it would be okay to get up at three o'clock after oversleeping. But not today, he had to get up early.
So, during dinner, he specifically told his father not to oversleep and to get up early to wake him up. The old lady was worried about him and said that she didn't sleep enough and she would wake him up.
When Ye Yaodong heard the noise, he woke up with a start, as if he had been given an injection of chicken blood. He was instantly clear-headed and not at all dazed from just waking up.
In fact, he had something on his mind and was on edge all the time, so he couldn't fall asleep soundly. He just said a few more words to his father.
Lin Xiuqing woke up when she heard the knock on the door.
"It's cold in the morning and evening, and the wind is strong on the road. Remember to wear a hat and wrap yourself tightly in a cotton-padded jacket. I stopped knitting yesterday and knitted a scarf for you. I put it on the table. Remember to put it on later. If it gets hot during the day, you can take it off. A scarf is equivalent to a piece of clothing..."
"Okay, I understand. Go back to sleep."
Ye Yaodong put on his clothes and cotton-padded jacket quickly, picked up his scarf and hurried out, with the cloth bag still carried close to his body.
The tractor hadn't arrived yet, but the sweet potato porridge in the pot was already bubbling. The old lady was stirring it with a spatula, and at the same time she took out two freshly pickled salted duck eggs and rinsed them with cold water to cool them down.
She turned to look at Ye Yaodong who had just finished putting on his clothes, and smiled kindly, "You've been talking about salted duck eggs. They've been pickled for a month, and they're almost ready to eat. I'll cook two for you in the morning to go with your porridge, so you don't have to go out too early and come back too late to eat."
“It’s marinated so quickly?”
"Not fast. These duck eggs are newly laid. They are small and pickle quickly. I wanted to let them produce oil, so I pickled them for a few more days. There should be some oil. I'll cut them in half and take a look."
"good."
"I like it. I pickled some more today. I have already saved more than 30. Knowing that you want to eat salted duck eggs, my family deliberately uses chicken eggs. Duck eggs are used less and saved faster."
It feels so good to have someone caring about you and pampering you.
Ye Yaodong smiled and said, "Okay, just do whatever you want. Just make sure there's enough food. Don't be busy all day."
"Hey, I know. I haven't done any work. I just fed the chickens and ducks. Go wash your face and brush your teeth first. I'll prepare the food for you. Once it cools down, you can eat it right away. Eat before you leave."
"Things outside are so expensive. You spend a lot of money when you go out. Although we are successful now and can make a lot of money, we should save money if we can... Money will be wasted... There will be many more places to spend money in the future..."
Ye Yaodong responded with a few "hmm" and "ah" and went to brush his teeth and wash his face. The old lady behind him was still muttering to herself, not caring whether he was listening or not.
By the time he finished washing up, hot sweet potato porridge had been served on the table, and two salted duck eggs had been cut into four pieces. The yolk in the middle was not yellow, but orange-red. The whole thing was shiny with oil and had stained the white egg white. It looked delicious at first glance.
"Your salted duck eggs are so well pickled!"
The old lady smiled happily, "Duck eggs are good. I usually go to the beach to swim and catch small fish and shrimps. Of course, eggs are good if they are delicious."
Ye Yaodong sat down and stirred the porridge with a spoon. The porridge was very thick. They probably made it thicker because they were afraid that he would not be full.
Only three bowls were served on the table. One of them was smaller and thinner, with a lot of sweet potatoes in it. It was placed in the fixed place where the old lady usually ate.
This is what the old lady left for herself. The two bowls are relatively large and thick. The ones without sweet potatoes are for him and his father.
This was not the first time she had served rice like this. He did not want to say anything more. It was useless to say anything. He agreed with her, but she would serve rice like this again the next time.
Fortunately, sweet potatoes are coarse grains, so it’s good to eat a moderate amount every day.
The old lady saw him stirring the rice and said, "I got up late today. The porridge was not served early, so it's cold. It's a little hot. Eat slowly. Eat the salted duck eggs first..."
Just then, Ye's father came over. As soon as he walked in, the sound of a tractor was heard outside. The three of them turned back at the same time, and Ye Yaodong also put down the Kuaizi at the same time.
The old lady craned her neck to look at the door. "The tractor is here, so you guys move the dried fish first, and then come back to eat it. It won't be so hot."
"Well, let's get to work first."
Both father and son walked towards the pile of dried fish in the corner, and each of them walked out carrying a bag.
Ye Yaodong also invited the tractor driver to come into the house to have breakfast together. He was very good at handling these social etiquettes.
But he was very sensible and refused directly, saying that he had already eaten.
After putting all the dried fish into the car, the father and son quickly finished their porridge and got into the car with ten boiled eggs. It had been many times since they took eggs out. They didn't expect the old lady to prepare them today. They probably came back too late last night.
The troops were stationed near a relatively remote village in the city. Although it was said to be near the village, it was actually quite far away from the village.
Fortunately, it was already early morning when they arrived at the surrounding villages. Although it was not yet completely bright, smoke was already rising from several chimneys in the village. When they entered the village, they could see scattered people working early with hoes. They could also ask people for the location, otherwise they would be at a loss.
They asked along the way. Fortunately, they got up early today. It took them quite a while to ask for directions and find the place, but it did not exceed the agreed time.
Looking at the rows of people in green military uniforms doing morning exercises inside the railings, Ye Yaodong also revealed a longing expression. If he had been reborn a few years earlier, he might have signed up to join the army.
Thinking of this, he muttered, "It's pretty good to be a soldier these days. I should have built a good relationship with the brigade a few years ago, and maybe I could go..."
Ye's father laughed at him without giving him face, "Come on, you're still going to join the army? They get up before dawn to train, but you're so lazy that you'll be sent back in two days. If you go to the battlefield, you'll be buried on the same day. You'd better stay at home and fish. You're old, and you're still thinking about all sorts of things..."
Ye Yaodong pursed his lips, "Don't look down on others. The army can transform people and make them grow. If I had gone there a few years earlier, you might have been able to walk around the village like a boss."
"Don't brag, I'm not a crab. Let's find the gate quickly. It's already six o'clock and the sky is bright. Don't delay making money."
"I'm just fantasizing about it. It's pretty good now. I'm a soldier, and it's hard to go home all year round."
"That's good to know."
The father and son climbed onto the tractor again while talking. They had just passed by here and saw a large number of soldiers training inside the railings. They stopped the tractor and jumped down to watch for a while.
The tractor circled the perimeter of the wall before finding the main gate.
Before they jumped out of the car, soldiers came forward to question them. After Ye Yaodong explained his purpose, a soldier went in to report.
The father and son stood at the door looking around. After waiting for more than ten minutes, Team Leader Zhao, whom they had met yesterday, came out.
Team leader Zhao is a very efficient person. As soon as they met, they shook hands and exchanged a few simple greetings, and then they started inspecting the goods.
Ye Yaodong still has confidence in the dried fish he makes at home. After all, the women in his family have been killing fish for many years, much more than most people would kill in their entire lifetime, and the fish still look very good.
Team leader Zhao opened a few bags at random and checked more than 20 kilograms. They looked and smelled very good and looked very fresh, so he immediately ordered 300 kilograms.
"Cook one or two meals and try. Leave me a phone number where I can find you. If it goes well, I'll ask you to deliver it."
"Oh, good."
Although he was a little disappointed that they only asked for 300 kilograms and not all of them, he was still happy to be able to sell 300 kilograms at once, and there was still a chance to do business next time.
Without Team Leader Zhao telling him the price, he took the initiative to compromise. The retail price was 45 cents, but he only charged 42 cents. After weighing the items and taking the money, he made an excuse that he had something to say to Team Leader Zhao. He walked to the corner and secretly stuffed the remaining 26 yuan into Team Leader Zhao's pocket and said some nice words.
Team leader Zhao frowned and hesitated for a moment, then resolutely refused, "No need to do that, this is what you deserve. If the dried fish is good, I will still ask you to deliver it."
Ye Yaodong blinked his eyes. Did he really meet an honest person? He didn't want any benefits? Or was it the wrong place
Maybe it was because he was unfamiliar with it and didn't know the details, so he didn't dare to accept it. Maybe he could find a chance to give it again next time? But he would rather believe that Team Leader Zhao was honest!
After putting the money away, Ye Yaodong praised him a lot and asked his father to weigh another 20 kilograms to give to the troops.
This time, Team Leader Zhao did not refuse. Everyone likes someone who is sensible and knows how to talk.