In the blink of an eye, the autumn harvest is over, the public grain is handed over, the surplus grain is distributed, and every household returns to the warehouse. Entering September, the weather is cool, the men are busy planting wheat, but the women and children are relaxed.
However, the propaganda team was busy. Lin Lan went to the county and commune to hold several meetings. At the same time, propaganda cadres from other communes and battalions came to learn from the experience. Fortunately, Dong Huaihua and Liu Chuncai helped to receive her, so she would not be so tired.
Tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival on September 9th, which is not a big festival in the countryside, and the members do not celebrate it. Lin Lan pondered that there was nothing to do in the field. She could cook something delicious to relax in the scene. It would be fun to go hiking and climbing, but the children had already started school and were not on vacation.
When Lin Lan came home from outside in the evening, Wangwang and Xiaobai immediately ran over wagging their tails, sniffing her legs, and purring cordially. Lin Lan rubbed the two of them with her legs, "Let's play." She opened the door, and Xiao Bai rushed out immediately, but Wang Wang paced out slowly.
Lin Lan first took the grass outside and put it back into the grass house. At this time, it was frost and foggy, and the grass could easily get wet and fail to catch fire.
A few ducks heard her come back, quacking their necks and pecking at the colorful flowers outside the fence.
When Lin Lan saw it, she hurried over to stop it, "Don't peck! I'll go back and chop up cabbage for you." At this time, there were no fresh and tender wild vegetables for the ducks to eat, so they could only find them from their own vegetable garden.
She looked at the few flowers that were pecked by the ducks. What a pity, these beautiful chrysanthemums were brought back to her by Han Qingsong.
In autumn, there are many flowers that can be admired. Chrysanthemums of various colors bloom elegantly and lively. There are bowls with large mouths, tubular fringes, and rich colors. Next to it is a cluster of Hundred Sun Reds, which is extremely attractive and can be opened for more than three months. It was given to her by Ren Hongxia. In addition, there are many seasonal flowers and plants such as cockscombs and a bunch of red flowers, which she has accumulated. The flowers and plants decorate the gray corners like a garden.
It was a pity for Lin Lan to see that a few chrysanthemums were broken, so it would be better to make some chrysanthemum cakes or something to suit the occasion. She simply used scissors to cut a few more chrysanthemums, and threatened the ducks with scissors.
"Quack" The ducks quickly turned and walked away.
At this time, Han Qingsong came back, just in time to see her bending over, holding scissors, and gesturing with several ducks.
Han Qingsong: "..."
Lin Lan was very happy to see him: "Third brother, you are back so early."
Han Qingsong parked the bicycle under the gatehouse, took out a few things from the basket, hid one hand behind him, and walked over to her with the other.
Lin Lan saw that he had taken a few sweet potatoes, and said with a smile, "Third brother, where is this sweet potato?"
Han Qingsong: "This is the flower I gave you."
flower
Lin Lan burst into laughter, "Sweet potato flower?"
Han Qingsong nodded, "It's the sweet potato flower. The flower has a big mouth and is very beautiful."
Lin Lan pursed her lips and smiled: "Then we won't see it until next year." Then she saw his hand hidden behind his back and took out, and her eyes suddenly lit up. There were three dahlias with big bowls and extremely gorgeous, as red as red. The fire is as warm and rich as it is not gaudy at all, and the pink is also very fresh and bright.
Lin Lan's eyes widened in an instant, "Dahlia! It's so beautiful!" Of course she knew about dahlia, but she had never seen the underground part, so it was also called sweet potato flower.
Han Qingsong handed it to her, and even picked up a pink flower and gestured on her head, only to give up when he realized that the flower was bigger than her face.
Lin Lan: "..."
She was very happy, holding the flowers and turning around, "Thank you third brother for sending flowers."
Seeing her happy like a child, Han Qingsong felt that the trip was worth it.
"Then can I still plant it now?" Lin Lan looked at the sweet potatoes.
Han Qingsong: "Find something to bury it." The sweet potato flowers are still blooming brightly at this time. They will be dug out and stored in the cellar when it snows and freeze, and planted in April next year.
Lin Lan immediately said cautiously, "That must be kept well, but don't let the mice eat it."
She went to find a big broken gourd, filled it with soil and buried a few sweet potatoes, and hid it in the cellar.
She took out the wine bottle at home, there was still a little white wine in it, filled it directly with water, inserted three dahlias in it, and went to the yard to cut a bunch of red flowers and inserted them together with the 100-day red of the small flowers. The wine bottle is bright and bright, and it can be watched for a few days and a half on the dinner table.
Han Qingsong came in and went out, thinking that this flower is very beautiful, so big and so beautiful, it looks better than all wild flowers!
Seeing his slightly satisfied expression, Lin Lan couldn't understand what he was thinking. He felt that he was really funny and jealous, but he restrained himself and didn't show it, nor did it affect her work. He just looked for opportunities to please her.
Of course she was happy, that was his intention.
"Third brother, help me make chrysanthemum cake. Tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival. You can go hiking."
Han Qingsong: "I don't seem to be going to work tomorrow."
Lin Lan glanced at him, "You can go to work, but you don't have to. The children don't have holidays."
"Let's go." He decided.
Lin Lan didn't have any ready-made materials to make chrysanthemum cake, so she could only think of a way. She took the sweet potato and cut it into small pieces, and asked Han Qingsong to grind the sweet potato pulp. After the pulp has settled, add sugar and a little salt, stir well, and then use the method of making cold skin.
She boiled water, scalded the washed chrysanthemum petals and took them out for later use, and then made dinner in another pot.
When Han Qingsong was finished, she helped her continue the fire. She used a tea tray to fill the sweet potato paste, threw the chrysanthemum petals and stamens in, and steamed them together. When it was cooked, it was a solidified chrysanthemum cake. Wait for the sweet potato to freeze, take it out and let it cool, pour it on a clean panel and cut it into various shapes, such as rounds with wine cup buttons, diamonds with direct cut and so on.
She pinched a piece and handed it to Han Qingsong: "Third brother, can you taste it?"
Just at this moment, Sanwang and Xiaowang ran in, "Mother, big joy, big joy... ah, what's so delicious, mother?"
Han Qingsong watched the child come back. Lin Lan wanted to take back the chrysanthemum cake that was handed to his mouth, so he took her hand and ate the chrysanthemum cake. After chewing it, it was soft and firm, sweet and delicious, "It's delicious."
Lin Lan quickly pulled back her hand and greeted the children after school, "What great joy, you child is so exaggerated."
It reminded her of those exaggerated matchmakers in TV shows.
At this time, Maisui Erwang and Dawang also came back, and even Dawang looked happy. They were amazed when they saw the beautiful dahlias on the dinner table.
Lin Lan: "Is it really a good thing?"
Erwang smiled, "Mother, guess what."
Xiao Wang suddenly flashed his big eyes to remind Lin Lan silently.
Lin Lan looked at this, looked at that, and laughed, "I know, it must be you..."
"Yes, we won the award for composition! Haha." Sanwang shouted happily, but found Lin Lan laughed teasingly, "Wow, mother, you are cheating."
Xiaowang: "Mummy is delicious, what is this?"
Mai Sui also hurried over to see, "Mother, it's so beautiful, what is this? There are also petals."
Sanwang turned his head and saw the dahlia on the table, and was amazed, "What a big chrysanthemum, look good, I haven't seen it before."
Lin Lan: "This is called sweet potato flower, which my father brought back from outside." Well, it seems that dahlia is also a species of Compositae
The kids are amazing and have never seen it before.
Xiaowang: "Little third brother, it's alright to be your daughter-in-law, and she's good-looking and bears sweet potatoes."
Sanwang: "That's not good, it's from my father to my mother."
Lin Lan quickly took out the chrysanthemum cake for the children to eat, while Erwang and Mai Sui studied how to do it.
Dawang glanced at it and picked up a piece. He didn't dare to squeeze it too hard. He hesitated to put it back. Sanwang took his hand and put it into his mouth, "Brother, if you don't eat it, give it to me."
Dawang immediately put it into his mouth, it felt similar to eating vermicelli, but softer and sweeter.
Seeing that they all like to eat, Lin Lan gave them popular science about the Double Ninth Festival, "Tomorrow, my father and I are going to go to the top of the mountain, you should go to school well."
"Mother, I'm going too!" Sanwang was very excited, how could he not take us when we went out to play.
Xiao Wang also looked at Lin Lan eagerly.
Lin Lan insisted, "Now that the autumn vacation is over, it's time to study hard."
Mai Sui looked at Erwang and smiled, Erwang understood and said with a smile, "Ask the teacher tomorrow if you should take us on a hike and tell us about the history and poetry of the Double Ninth Festival by the way."
Although they didn't study history, they had language classes, and Han Qingping would also lead them to read poetry.
Sanwang immediately said: "I know that being alone in a foreign land is a foreigner, and I miss my relatives every time during the festive season, that's right. Hehe."
Xiaowang: "I will too. I will wait until the Double Ninth Day and come back with chrysanthemums." He will not be difficult, but simple is still possible.
Mai Sui and Er Wang also each said two poems that fit the situation.
Then we all watch Dawang together.
Dawang, who was holding the chrysanthemum cake and was about to put it in his mouth: "..." Why are you looking at me
Lin Lan: "Big Brother, as long as it has something to do with the Double Ninth Festival, Ascend, September, and Chrysanthemum." Relax the boundaries for Big Brother.
Dawang stuffed the chrysanthemum cake into his mouth, chewed a couple of bites, and when the tip of his tongue rolled the sweet and glutinous taste into his belly, he said, "Pick chrysanthemums under the east fence, and see Nanshan leisurely."
"Ah, how come I didn't expect it to be so simple!" Sanwang was very annoyed, "I obviously remember it."
Xiaowang immediately went to the bookshelf to look through the 300 Tang poems in their family's book, but couldn't find this one.
Lin Lan turned to look at Han Qingsong, Han Qingsong immediately looked at his nose and mouth and cared, he didn't know how to recite poems.
Lin Lan didn't make it difficult for him, and asked the children about the awards for their compositions.
Han Qingsong breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiaowang: "Mother, eldest brother is amazing, he won the second prize in the county."
Lin Lan was very pleasantly surprised, "Brother is great!"
Dawang: … In general, count down at home.
Lin Lan looked at Mai Sui and Erwang again, but Sanwang took her hand, "Mother, why don't you ask me?"
Lin Lan: "Hey, you also participated?"
Aren't the lower grades not going to participate
Sanwang proudly said: "The teacher said that I wrote it well, so I took it."
Lin Lan asked curiously, "Then... how many prizes did you win?"
A few children laughed, but Dawang's expression was serious. Lin Lan thought about it for a while, and said in surprise: "Little third brother, are you okay, the second prize or the first prize?"
Sanwang took out the prize at once, and it turned out to be a hero brand pen.
Lin Lan: "Little third brother, you can do it, you can get a pen yourself." Although it is an ordinary pen, it is not ordinary at this time. It is a symbol of status, and ordinary students don't have it.
She looked at Dawang, "What is the prize for Big Brother?"
Dawang took out a 32-sided thick notebook from his bag.
Lin Lan praised: "It's not bad, it's great, it's such a big book."
Dawang stuffed it to her, "Give it to you."
Lin Lan immediately stared at it, "Big brother, do you really give it to me? Really? Then I'm welcome." Although she has a lot of her own, it was given by her eldest son, with a different meaning.
Dawang: "I don't need it anyway."
Lin Lan smiled and asked Mai Sui and Er Wang again.
Mai Sui smiled and said, "Mother, we are the second prize."
"Second prize?" Lin Lan couldn't believe it. "No, the third brother is the first prize, so why don't you two get the special prize?"
Erwang explained: "Mother, we are from the region."
"Wow!" Lin Lan exclaimed, turned her head and said to Han Qingsong, "Third brother, did you hear me?"
What a surprise.
Han Qingsong also nodded, "Very good." There was no more word.
Lin Lan: "..." You said they were pretty good, wouldn't it
Mai Sui and Er Wang issued exquisite immortal brand iridium pens, which were high-end pens at this time, and even literati themselves would not be willing to buy them casually.
The two also gave Lin Lan the pen. They were used to it, and Lin Lan gave them the prize.
Lin Lan smiled and said, "You keep it, and you can use it later when you go to junior high school or high school." She was really happy, holding the notebook and happily saying: "Our family is so good, it's all about the culture of inserting pens. people."
In the country brigade, the brigade secretary, accountant, and primary school teacher would have a pen, but the others basically didn't. Wearing clothes with four pockets and a pen in it is very enviable at this time. If you wear leather shoes, you will be no small cadre.
Their family now doesn't need pens except for Xiaowang, and everyone else already has pens, which is really amazing.
Sanwang: "Mother, can I use a pen in the future?"
Lin Lan: "Teacher told you to use it?" Sanwang wrote very hard, the pencil was dark, and now he has changed a lot, but at this time, the quality of ordinary pens is not good, and it will leak. He is so strong, it is estimated that he can write. It will be a bit of a hassle.
Sanwang: "The teacher said let me use it again in the fourth grade."
"Then wait another year. The pen won't be damaged anyway. Just keep it."
Sanwang thought for a while, "Then I'll give it to Dad." Maybe Dad will give him a better one next year.
Han Qingsong took it and said, "Okay."
Lin Lan laughed secretly, you kid is a kid, but you don't know that your father is so stubborn, you don't want to come back if you give it to him.
Because the children won the award, Lin Lan was very happy, "Come on, what do you want." The children were much happier than she won the award.
A few children murmured, going out to play tomorrow, you can find a teacher, eat meat and fish, you have to see if there is a ticket and can't just ask for it.
Xiaowang: "Mother, we want to eat the canned hawthorn you made."
Lin Lan agreed. Although the materials are not abundant, she is willing to spend her time and effort. She has made canned food, hawthorn cakes, and fruit tan skins sold by the supply and marketing cooperatives for her children.
The children hurried to help, took out the hawthorn and washed it, and used a clean and useless ballpoint pen tube to poke the hawthorn in at both ends to clean out the nucleus. Then pour cold water into the casserole, add a certain proportion of rock sugar and white sugar, boil over medium heat and simmer over low heat. When it is thick, put the hawthorn in it and boil for a while, then put it down.
After it cools down, it is canned sweet and sour hawthorn.
Because there are no preservatives, it must be eaten as soon as possible in a canned bottle, and it cannot be stored for a long time.
At this time, sugar was not easy to come by, and there was no shortage of hawthorn. Dawang brought back a lot from Lin Mei's house. After it was done, Mai Sui went to give some to Fan Xiao, Shen Yu, and Gu Mi, and the rest of the children were eaten as snacks.
On the second day of the Double Ninth Festival, the children persuaded Han Qingping to take them out for a hike. So Lin Lan and his wife accompanied the teacher to take the children to climb Pingdingshan. The highest point of Pingdingshan is only more than 100 meters above sea level, and the top is like being cut off, so it is called Pingdingshan. There are no trees on the mountain, it is all dry rock, loess, and there are some low bushes, which is really nothing to look at.
But for children who lack entertainment, climbing mountains, hiking and climbing over the Double Ninth Festival, and having classmates play games together, is a very interesting thing in itself.
After the Double Ninth Festival, two autumn rains fell, layers of coolness hit, and the atmosphere of Mu Qiu became stronger and stronger. The leaves are scattered, the branches are lonely, without the obstruction of the leaves, the line of sight is unobstructed, and it is easy to have an intimate view with the distance.
This afternoon, Lin Lan was invited by the brigade to hold a cadre meeting.
Although she has always felt that she is not an official brigade cadre, the brigade has actually regarded her as a member. Now she is responsible for the publicity of Shanzui Village and even Shanshui Commune, but she does not have that celebrity self-awareness.
Attending the meeting were the brigade secretary, brigade captain, accountant and production captains.
Han Yongfang's meeting was also simple and rude, without the slightest foreshadowing, and directly threw a small bomb, "I've been thinking about it for a long time, and we also have to start a sideline business."
Unprepared, they were shocked and asked about their side business.
Han Yongfang: "Let's make soap first."
"Soap?" Someone was puzzled. "Secretary, we don't even need it."
"This is not grinding tofu to feed my own people, it's a side business, and it is made to exchange for chemical fertilizers and pesticides." Han Yongfang has that political consciousness, and will never say that it is for making money, but for farming, and everything is for the better. Farming for food.
In this way, there is no reason for others to refuse, and it should be considered. Their brigade has no side business, and there is very little cash income. Every time they want to do something, they have to rely on selling food.
The captain had no idea, so he just said a few words, "Lin Lan, please say a few words."
Lin Lan: "..." Why me, I'm just the propaganda captain.
She thought about it, "I support it, but do we have technicians?"
Han Yongfang: "This can absorb the educated youth. Shen Zhiqing knows something to let him join the technical team."
Lin Lan nodded, this is feasible.
Han Yongfang added: "Erwang is not bad. If he has time, let him come over and help."
Lin Lan: "Secretary, Erwang is still young."
"It doesn't matter how old you are, some people are wasting food if they live to be 100 years old."
Lin Lan agreed.
Han Yongfang also selected people into the group, and each took their own responsibilities. He was the general team leader, and the team leader was the deputy team leader and also the production team leader, listening to the arrangement of the technical team.
"Let Lin Lan take care of the team leader of the technical team, the deputy team leader..." He looked at Lin Lan: "The deputy team leader will let Shen Zhiqing?"
Lin Lan: "Secretary, I don't understand technology either. It's not suitable for me to be the team leader."
Team leader: "The team leader has a high work score."
Lin Lan: "Okay." I will.
Anyway, the team leader signed it, and the deputy team leader did the work.