After thinking about it, she added, “When I bought it, it was an industrial ticket plus 12 yuan. You should first tell your friend, and if she can accept it, I will ask.”

Chen Qianyue thought the price was reasonable. If she didn’t already have a kettle, she would buy it herself.

After chatting, Chen Qianyue didn’t stay long.

She could see Wen Jiajia’s discomfort and felt a bit lacking in tact. She should have noticed that the timing was not right.

A person like Wen Jiajia, who was harvesting for the first time, should be almost dead tired at this moment. Chen Qianyue knew this feeling well, so she hurried away.

After she left, Wen Jiajia didn’t care about eating and went back to the house to sleep. She didn’t wake up until Wen Chun and Wen Xuan returned.

Because of the autumn harvest, the school hours of the nursery school had been extended.

It was getting late, and the children were sent home by the teachers at the nursery school.

The teacher who sent Wen Chun and Wen Xuan home was still Chen Ai. Wen Jiajia guessed that Chen Ai’s family conditions were good. Her clothes fit well and were well-cut. Her hair was black and shiny, and her skin was ruddy and glowing. At first glance, you could tell she didn’t worry about food and clothing.

Wen Jiajia sighed in her heart.

At all times, there are people who are doing well.

“Are you hungry?” She asked the two girls.

Wen Xuan, ever the eager one, immediately hugged her leg and shouted, “I’m so hungry.”

Just be hungry, eat!

Wen Chun and Wen Xuan had dinner in the cafeteria, and Wen Jiajia also brought back their share.

There was no need to work in the evenings, so the meals were still not as hearty as at noon.

What did they eat? Stir-fried vegetables and carobs.

Fortunately, the oil and water were sufficient. It was “fried” rather than “boiled,” and Wen Jiajia found it easier to swallow.

The autumn harvest often began around the same time.

When the autumn harvest of the Fuyang Brigade began, the autumn harvest in Hegou Township was about to start.

In the past few days, Tian Junxia’s mother, Grandma Tian, has been quite busy. She found a few suitable girls for the Wei family and wanted to introduce them to Wei Dai before the autumn harvest began.

“You’re already going on a blind date,” she said.

“Who is it again?” Wei Dai was silent, as if he were dumb.

She thought he was playing tricks on her, the old lady.

Wei Dai’s parents also felt their son was playing tricks on them. If not, why hadn’t he even said who he was going on a blind date with?

“You’re getting older, you should be prepared. Otherwise, the good girls will get married, and then who will you marry?” Cai Ruyun said bitterly.

Wei Chengcai nodded, affirming his wife’s statement.

Wei Dai’s face was calm. “I’m preparing.”

“Where?”

“In private.”

After Wei Dai finished speaking, he turned around and went out with the fish basket, leaving his parents so angry they almost had a heart attack.

He went to the river, undressed, and jumped into the water, swimming like a nimble fish.

After a while, he had two more fish in the basket. He planned to send them to Wen Jiajia tomorrow. Today was the first day of the autumn harvest for the Fuyang Brigade, and he wondered how well she was adapting.

On the way home, he met an old man who had finished with his boat and was heading home.

“Wei Dai, catching fish?”

“Yes, Uncle. Would you like one?” He handed over a fish as he spoke.

The old man waved his hand. “There are two at home. Keep them for yourself.”

The local river had plenty of fish, and the rule was that you couldn’t use a private net, but you could still catch fish privately.

“Then you take care. It’s getting dark.” Watching the old man leave, Wei Dai was thoughtful.

When he got home, he casually asked, “Dad, do we have more fish in our brigade this year?”

Wei Chengcai was the person in the team who often checked the ground cages, and he knew best whether there were many fish.

“A lot. Fishing was not allowed in the past few years, but it was permitted again last year, and this year there are especially many.” The honest man Wei Chengcai’s face rarely showed a satisfied and proud smile.

Their Hegou Township was surrounded by mountains and rivers, and there had been enough food to eat in the past few years. Even if you couldn’t eat pork, you always had fish.

Wei Dai asked, “Are they all sold to the county factory?”

Wei Chengcai knocked on the cigarette stick and nodded. “There are also a few supply and marketing cooperatives.”

Wei Dai saw that his niece kept swatting at mosquitoes, so he went to the house to get a handful of dried wormwood, lit it, and smoked it. He asked, “I see the autumn harvest has begun nearby. Why didn’t anyone think of selling the fish to the canteens of those brigades? It would be good for unity and cooperation with the nearby brigades.”

Wei Chengcai was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and lit a cigarette. “I don’t know.”

Wei Dai didn’t expect his father to have much to say. His father was an honest man who only contributed without using his brain.

So Wei Dai went to the captain’s house.

The captain of Hegou Township was also surnamed Wei and was part of Wei Dai’s extended family, so he was very surprised by Wei Dai’s visit.

“Have you eaten? What’s wrong?” Wei Chengsong asked. Then he brought him a stool and asked his son to pour water.

Wei Dai hurriedly said, “Second uncle, don’t bother.” As he spoke, he took the glass with both hands.

He said, “I just wanted to ask about the fish in our team.”

“Fish?” Wei Chengsong was puzzled. “What about the fish?”

Wei Dai said, “Look, everyone is harvesting in the autumn recently, and basically all the brigades have opened canteens. Chen Dun’s tofu shop has made a lot of money.”

This… is not impossible.

To tell the truth, it was better to sell to the nearby commune brigade than to the county factory.

First, most of the communes were related to each other, and when discussing things, they wouldn’t look down on you.

Second, it built favor and allowed for resource exchange.

Don’t underestimate the brigade. The brigade also had resources. Just like Hegou Township, people relied on the river to eat fish, and the fish farming industry was booming.

The Chendun Brigade next door was doing well in the bean industry, producing tofu and dried bean curd every day. It was said that their bean curd sticks had been sold to the provincial capital.

The Nanhu Brigade had opened a chicken farm, and half of the eggs in the county store and city department came from Nanhu.

What did the Fuyang Brigade have? Wei Dai thought about it seriously and couldn’t think of anything for a while.

But it didn’t matter. When the time came, the Fuyang Brigade wouldn’t be left behind.

Wei Chengsong pondered for a moment and said, “The amount of fish we have is not large. If we supply the nearby brigades, then more people will catch fish every day.” He added that they would also have to reduce the amount that went to the factory.

After all, it was a seller’s market. But the autumn harvest was coming soon, and the team members had to work in the fields. Every minute was precious, and he had to calculate whether it was cost-effective or not.

Wei Dai saw his hesitation and suggested, “This is a good thing for those brigades. The autumn harvest lacks oil and water, so they can send people to fetch the fish. They should be willing to do so.”

Wei Chengsong considered it and nodded.

He wondered why Wei Dai was so insistent on this. What did he want to achieve?

He couldn’t figure it out and decided to let it go.

The next day, Wei Dai went to the Fuyang Brigade early, ostensibly to communicate with these brigades, but he took a back road.

So when Wen Jiajia opened the courtyard door and saw him, she was really startled.

“Good heavens, you’re a genius, scaring me like that!” she exclaimed.

She grabbed him tightly at the door, then poked her head out and stared nervously at the road.

Seeing no one, she sighed in relief.

Then she turned around and glared at him, huffing, “You nearly scared me to death! At this hour, it’s really hard to explain if people see us.”

She hurriedly dragged him inside. The fence was so low that if someone passed by, they would still see this tall man.

“Wait…”

“Wait, wait, don’t talk yet.” The Chen family next door had sharp noses and ears. What if they heard something?

It was not yet dawn, and the hall was still naturally dark.

Wei Dai’s eyes were shining, and he looked at Wen Jiajia with a warm gaze.

Wen Jiajia let go, yawned, and asked, “How long have you been here? What’s so important?” If it wasn’t urgent, she would give him a piece of her mind!

She had just gotten up, and the fire was still burning. Her hair was scattered over her shoulders, showing how early it was.

Wei Dai handed her the fish in his hand and, without waiting for Wen Jiajia to ask, walked out again.

Wen Jiajia was stunned. “Wei Dai!”

Was he just going to deliver two fish in the morning and then leave without saying a word?

Wei Dai said helplessly, “My cart is still at the door.” He didn’t want anyone to see it and get suspicious.

He was about to say more, but she interrupted him again.

Wen Jiajia was speechless and truly exasperated.

In the kitchen, she put the two fish brought by Wei Dai into a water tank. The fish, likely transported in a bucket, were both still alive.

The fish were grass carp, one over three catties and the other almost four catties. Wen Jiajia wanted to make boiled fish but lacked the necessary ingredients.

However, she thought pickled fish could work too. The pickled vegetables at the Wen family’s house had a strong sour taste, which should be suitable for making pickled fish.

“Where’s your cart? Don’t leave it in the yard.” After Wei Dai walked back in, Wen Jiajia asked him. “Also, the courtyard door needs to be closed.”

Wei Dai was busy and saw Jiajia washing green onions, so he went over to help and took the green onions from her hand.

“The water is too cold. I’ll do it.” He said, “The cart is by the patio, and the courtyard door is locked, even the front door.”

Wen Jiajia was relieved. She then looked at Wei Dai, expecting an explanation.

Seeing her growing impatience, Wei Dai finally stopped teasing her and said with a smile, “I’ve come to your village to discuss something. If it goes well, you’ll have less fieldwork to do.”

Wen Jiajia was stunned for a moment, then smiled. “What are you discussing?”

Wei Dai explained about selling fish, and Wen Jiajia quickly understood.

This job involved transporting fish.

It was tiring, but certainly easier than working in the fields and would make the village happy.

Wei Dai asked her, “Do you know how to drive?”

Wen Jiajia shook her head.

Wei Dai pondered for a moment. “It’s okay, I’ll teach you.”

In the morning, they had wild onion omelets with sweet potato porridge.

At home, they made a batter, beat two eggs, added chopped green onions, and spread it in a pot.

Wen Jiajia had always wanted to get a pan. Her family often made cakes, and having a pan would be much more convenient.

But due to the lack of materials or perhaps bad luck, she hadn’t gotten one yet.

Watching her cook breakfast, Wei Dai gained a new appreciation for Wen Jiajia.

She was quite generous.

She added a spoonful of oil before spreading each cake, making the walls of the pan shiny. The cakes were undoubtedly delicious.

And the sweet potato porridge? There was more rice than sweet potatoes, and the sweet potatoes were actually sweet.

Wei Dai observed Wen Jiajia, and Wen Jiajia also observed Wei Dai.

If Wei Dai had dared to criticize her at that moment, she would have thrown the money and fish back at him and told him to leave.

Fortunately, the money and the fish remained.

As the sky brightened, the transparent moon in the sky completely disappeared.

When Wen Chun and Wen Xuan got up, drawn by the fragrance from the kitchen, they were really startled to see Wei Dai.

The two girls remembered eating his candy but were confused and overwhelmed by his early morning presence. They leaned on Wen Jiajia’s legs, hiding behind her, and watched him warily.

Like puppies whose territory had been invaded.

They wanted to chase him away but were too weak, so others only thought they were cute.

Wen Jiajia smiled and rubbed the faces of the two children. “Eat up! If you don’t, he’ll eat all our food.”

Wei Dai sat down comfortably and said to Wen Jiajia, “This is worth a meal.”

Wen Jiajia raised her eyebrows. “A good deal!”