Chapter 9

“Alright, Jiajia, you’re quite capable!” An Ye shouted excitedly, “We can have an extra meal today!”

“Don’t be impatient, let’s fish twice more!” Ning Jia took the fish off the hook, threw it on the grass, and then cast the second rod.

After a while, the second fish was caught, which was bigger than the first.

An Ye cheered again, and Ning Jia’s sense of accomplishment instantly reached its peak.

She cast the third time, but unfortunately, she didn’t catch any fish this time. The fishing line broke and the hook was lost.

“Two will be enough!” An Ye took out a match from his pocket, “Let’s go on a picnic!”

It is autumn now and we are deep in the mountains, so the thing we have the most is dry firewood.

The dead branches that fell from the persimmon tree were the best materials for making fire. Ning Jia took out a box of matches from the kitchen in the morning from his pocket, struck them twice and lit the dead branches.

The two men gutted the fish, skewered it on a branch, and roasted it over the fire.

“I almost forgot, there’s this.” An Ye took out two raw eggs and threw them into the fire. “I blackmailed Li Xu last night.”

Ning Jia was about to ask, but An Ye immediately said, “Don’t ask me how I blackmailed you. Don’t ask.”

“Hehe.” Ning Jia laughed twice, “Don’t worry, I won’t ask, I’ll just eat.”

The fish was very cooked. As we were talking, the aroma of the fish wafted over.

Without seasoning, you can only use the most primitive cooking method.

Fortunately, I brought a handful of salt with me, which I sprinkled on the fish, and it tasted delicious.

“It’s hot, but it smells so good. The fishy smell is negligible.”

“Let’s bring more seasonings next time!” Ning Jia tore off a piece of fish, blew on it, and put it into his mouth, chewing it slowly.

The meat is so delicious!

“It would be even better if it could be braised.”

“The stewed sauce is also good.”

The two of them were eating, but their eyes were fixed on the blisters, pondering them.

Winter is approaching soon, and Lin Xiaoxi will need to clean up the fish here soon. They must get ahead of Lin Xiaoxi.

“Jia Jia, we have to find a way. We can’t accomplish this just by the two of us.” An Ye spoke first.

Ning Jia scratched his head: “The question is who to find. Can these two brothers be trusted? I don’t want to share this fish pond with others.”

“You are absolutely right!” An Ye agreed immediately. “Li Xu exchanges his work points for money every month and gives every penny to his mother! If he knew about this, wouldn’t that big mouth make the whole family know about it?”

“Li Yao is the same.”

Except that night, he left her ten dollars.

“But if they can’t trust the two brothers, then others can’t be trusted either.”

Ning Jia hesitated for a while and said, “No hurry, let’s wait and see the situation before making plans.”

“good!”

After the two of them had eaten, they basked in the sun for a while. As the sun gradually set, they headed back.

Tonight, the production team will show a movie in the threshing ground at the east end of the village. I’m sure every household will go to watch it. Ning Jia also wants to join in the fun, so he walks home first.

An Ye was not in a hurry and walked home slowly.

When Ning Jia arrived at the door of his house, the sky had already darkened and the sound of pots and pans colliding could be heard from the yard.

Dinner is almost ready.

Just as she was about to enter the house, she saw the seventh brother Li Chuan rushing out of the house, holding his stomach, and almost bumping into Ning Jia.

“Seventh Brother? Why are you walking so recklessly?” Ning Jia was startled and couldn’t help but complain a few words.

“Sorry, sister-in-law, my stomach hurts, my stomach hurts…” Li Chuan explained and ran out without looking back.

In the blink of an eye, the person disappeared without a trace.

Ning Jia turned around, raised his leg and walked back, and as soon as his foot landed, he stepped on something soft.

She squatted down and took a look on the ground. It turned out to be a piece of steamed sweet potato that had been stepped on by her and was smashed to pieces.

Huh?

Where did this thing come from?

She poked it and found that the sweet potato was still hot!

Ning Jia’s mind suddenly lit up, and he understood immediately: Great, Old Seven! Is he going to help Lin Xiaoxi again with some things in his pocket?

She chased after him decisively, determined to find out what was going on.

This time she really guessed it right. When he chased her to the big stone tablet at the entrance of the educated youth site, she just caught him and stuffed something into Lin Xiaoxi’s pocket.

“Seventh Brother!” she shouted.

Li Chuan was startled by the sudden noise, and the thing in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.

He didn’t have time to pick up the things. When he turned around, he saw Ning Jia standing in the shadow of an old tree.

“Six…Sister-in-law Liu? What are you doing here?!”

Ning Jia rushed forward and picked up the oil paper bag on the ground.

When I opened it and took a look, wow, I almost got angry – steamed sweet potatoes, white flour buns, peach cakes, and a small bag of brown sugar.

“This stuff is quite rich! Old Seven, your Sixth Brother earns enough work points for two people a month and gives it all to the old lady. Why do you keep your money secretly?”

“Sixth sister-in-law, I’ll keep it this time.” Li Chuan scratched the back of his head embarrassedly.

What else can he say after being caught red-handed?

“Sister-in-law Ning Jia, what you said is not right. Why can’t Li Chuan keep the money he earned by himself? You just need to take care of Sixth Brother, why are you interfering with Li Chuan?” Lin Xiaoxi frowned, looking unhappy.

Yesterday, because of Ning Jia’s shouting, the entire production team watched when Old Lady Xu was giving her something.

In addition, An Ye was a talkative person who spread rumors all over the place, which seriously damaged the good image she had worked so hard to build.

There were actually people in the village discussing what kind of love potion she had given Old Lady Xu that allowed such a shrewd and calculating old lady to feed her delicious food without the knowledge of her family.

She had been sulking for the entire night, and Li Chuan coaxed her for a long time. Old Mrs. Xu also felt bad for her, so she secretly packed some delicious food and sent it to her today.

As a result, Ning Jia caught him red-handed again. He couldn’t help feeling angry, and his words were much more aggressive than usual.

“Li Chuan exchanges all his earnings for things and sends them to you, and he still has to rely on his brothers for support. You’re not losing out on this account.” Ning Jia laughed and teased her, “After all, he’s from a big city, so his brain works faster than those of us in the countryside! Seventh brother, you’re really lucky to have found such a smart partner! I’ll go back and talk to your brothers about it.”

Ning Jia turned around and was about to leave, but Li Chuan quickly grabbed her arm and said, “Sixth sister-in-law, don’t go. Let’s talk it over.”

“There’s nothing to say.” Ning Jia shook off his arm. “Either you take the things back, or I’ll tell your brothers. Choose one.”

“Oh, sister-in-law!” Li Chuan stamped his feet anxiously, “Just this once, is that okay?”

“No.” Ning Jia turned and left.

“Sixth sister-in-law, this thing was not bought by me, but by our mother! Xiaoxi has been feeling unwell these past two days, so…” Li Chuan had no choice but to carry the old lady out.

He himself couldn’t handle the unreasonable woman, Sixth Sister-in-law, so he just let her go to the old lady.

When Ning Jia heard this, he immediately had an idea in mind.

Just when I was worrying about not having any opportunities, this opportunity just came right to my doorstep, didn’t it?

“Okay, then I’ll go find the old lady.” Ning Jia turned around and walked back.

Just when she was halfway there, she ran into An Ye who came to look for her.

“I saw you running in this direction from a distance. Why are you running here instead of going home?” An Ye asked.

Ning Jia smiled and said, “Go and keep an eye on Old Seven. Don’t let him give the things to Lin Xiaoxi. I’ll go back and come right back.”