章節 17: Chapter 17: Gathering in the grain-sunning field
編輯: Dragon Boat Translation
The woman's cold voice echoed in the office.
"Name this batch of watermelons as small Qilin melons to create a brand effect." (Qilin is a propitious beast in ancient Chinese mythology)
"Go and order a batch of gift boxes and print the advertisement of 'recruiting children to give blessings, promoting wealth, and gaining advancement. Go on the high-end route. In addition, on the back of the box, it is stated that the small Kirin melon is a type of mountain melon produced locally and is rare because of its difficulty in cultivating."
"When the goods arrive, we will sell them in limited quantities. We will declare that these small Qilin melons are the only source of supply and are unique on the market."
"Finally, the price will be 5 Yuan each."
Dong Wangshu was dumbfounded and prostrated herself.
What a profiteer.
..
Zhang Xifeng sat at home all day, feeling uneasy.
From noon to sunset, she ran back and forth to the village entrance to look out several times.
"Aunt Zhang, it's already evening. Why isn't she going back to make dinner?" The people who had finished work in the village walked home one after another. When they saw Zhang Xifeng at the village entrance, they would talk to her and ask her a few questions.
Zhang Xifeng forced a smile and answered absent-mindedly, "no rush, no rush. I'll go back in a while.
"Are you waiting for Qiqi? I heard from the village that they saw Jianhe take her out?"
Hey, I'm taking my child to town for a walk. We should be home soon.
The sky was getting dark, and the village entrance was completely quiet.
Zhang Xifeng slowly walked to the big stone by the side of the road and sat down. Her back was hunched, and she quietly looked at the road that extended out of the village entrance in a daze.
As the sun setting, large patches of gorgeous clouds appeared on the horizon. It was very beautiful, but also very lonely.
The purplish-red light shone on the old woman's thin figure. In the night wind, the croaking of frogs made him look lonely and lonely.
Ding-ding-ding-
Ding Ling Ling-
The ringing of a bicycle bell came from the end of the road.
The old woman, who was sitting in a daze, suddenly stood up. Then, a smile appeared on her old face, and the loneliness that lingered around him disappeared in an instant.
She heard a call that came with the wind. It was sweet and soft. "Granny, Granny! I'm back!"
The middle-aged man rode his bicycle and appeared at the end of the road, quickly approaching.
The little child in the back seat tilted her body and raised her little hand, waving it in her direction.
"Qiqi, Qiqi, Granny is here" Zhang Xifeng's heart was palpitating with fear as she watched. She jolted her little feet and quickly walked forward to meet him. Sit properly. Don't tilt your body. Be careful not to fall!
Chen Jianhe and the old village chief stopped their bicycles in front of her. "Auntie, why are you here? You were terrified that I'll lose Qiqi?"
Chen Jianhe was in a good mood and cracked an occasional joke.
Qiqi had jumped out of the back seat nimbly at the back. The high distance made Zhang Xifeng's heart beat fast again.
"Granny, no need to be worried. I didn't lose her!" The child landed on the ground and immediately ran to Zhang Xifeng's feet. She raised her little face and smiled brightly.
Holding the child's hand, Zhang Xifeng's heart, hanging in the air for the whole day, finally settled down. She smiled and pretended to be scared. "What's there to be worried about? I was just bored at home and came out for a walk. I was waiting for you to come back."
The old village head also got out of the car and said in a clear voice, "just in time. Don't go back to your place first. Come directly to my house and have dinner at my place tonight! I cut a pound of pork back from town!"
Only then did Zhang Xifeng remember the important matter. She turned around and saw the big smiles on the faces of the two adults and the child. She paused and probed with a trembling voice, "big brother, Jianhe, the matter is ... It's done?"
The old village head laughed heartily, "super successful! Come, let's go to my house first!"
At seven o 'clock in the evening, night fell.
Under the night sky, the lights in Taoxi village were bright. After the smoke and fire in the daytime had dispersed, the village seemed particularly quiet.
"All households of Taoxi village, please pay attention! All households, please pay attention!" The village's broadcast, which had been silent for many years, suddenly rang out with the old village chief's loud and clear voice. There is an important announcement to make. "All villagers, please gather at the grain-sunning field immediately!"
The voice from the broadcast kept repeating.
There was a commotion in the quiet village.
Those who had just gotten home, those who had not put down their bowls and chopsticks, and those who were ready to go to bed all did not dare to delay. They put down what they were doing and rushed to the grain-sunning field.
When they met the villagers on the way, they couldn't help but discuss and Exchange information with each other. Everyone was confused about the old village chief's sudden call for people to gather at this time.
But needless to say, something big must have happened.
It had been a few years since the last time the village had used a loudspeaker to summon a group.
The grain-sunning ground of Taoxi village was in the center of the village, occupying a large open space. The ground was paved with cement.
In addition to drying the rice in autumn, this place was also used to solve all the major and minor issues in the village.
At this time, many people were already sitting on the grain-sunning ground.
The old village head set up a wooden table in the middle of the field. Because there were no wires and lights, he turned on a flashlight to illuminate the place.
In front of the wooden table, those who came early occupied the front row, and those who came later sat in the back in order, finally forming a circle around the wooden table.
Qiqi was sitting on the small folding stool in the front row. On both sides were Zhang Xifeng and Luo Yuqiong. Chen Jianhe and his wife were also there.
As for the announcement that was going to be made, the three of them had already known in advance. At this time, they had more or less digested their surging emotions and looked relatively calm.
The other villagers were different. They were confused and worried. They came to the three families and asked them a few questions. The three families replied that they would wait for the chief to explain.
For a time, the entire venue was in a clamor.
Someone couldn't wait any longer and shouted, "old village chief, what's the matter? Almost everyone's here, so why don't you tell us now?"
The old village chief stood behind the wooden table with a smile. He estimated that most people had arrived, so he clapped his hands to signal everyone to be quiet.
Then, he waved to the front row. "Jianhe, Qiqi, you two come up."
The villagers looked at each other, confused by this scene.
Could it be that what the old village chief was going to say next was related to Jianhe and Qiqi? Could it be that the Jianhe family wanted to adopt Qiqi?
Then what about Aunt Zhang?
Many of the old women present had seen what had happened to Zhang Xifeng's family in the past two days. They had confirmed that Zhang Xifeng wanted to adopt Qiqi.
Was Jianhe trying to take advantage of her?
"Jianhe, you can't trick your Auntie. She's a widow, and it's not easy for her to have a lovely little child to accompany her ..." An old woman couldn't help but ask.
Chen Jianhe laughed and carried the shy Qiqi to the wooden table, helplessly replying, "auntie, am I that kind of person? Don't make wild guesses, everyone. The old village chief has called everyone here today to announce something good!"
The old village head took over the conversation and said solemnly, "I called everyone over to talk about the sales of fruits and vegetables in our village!"
One sentence and the entire place went utterly silent.
The old village head looked at the big guy and said slowly, "the land in our village is not good, and the things we grow don't look good either. Because of this, everyone has been working hard every year, but they can't make any money yearly. They're getting poorer and poorer every year!
"Other people came to our village to buy, and the price they offered was getting lower and lower. They almost ate our bones and blood, but there was no way out, so we could only grit our teeth and endure it."
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