Chapter 22

The next morning, Wu Xiaoxiao got up at dawn. Although there wasn’t much talk of pollution at the time, in the village, by morning, every household was burning firewood to cook, and there was quite a bit of smoke in the air.

As for the orchard, only Uncle Changfa’s family was there, and with the large fruit orchard, the air seemed to carry a faint sweet smell of fruit.

Taking a deep breath of this intoxicating air, Wu Xiaoxiao walked to the edge of the forest. She slowly activated her ability on the trees that had severe pest damage.

She didn’t intend to fully use her powers on the trees but instead buried them deep at the roots. Over time, the powers would slowly rise through the tree trunk and into the fruits, not only killing any eggs currently present in the fruits but also making the fruits exceptionally sweet.

This delayed-effect technique for her ability had been one of her secret weapons in the past. While it was less effective now, it was still good enough.

“Xiaoxiao, why are you up so early? You’re still young, you should sleep more, otherwise, you won’t grow tall,” Aunt Changfa was surprised to see Wu Xiaoxiao had already returned from the orchard so early.

“The bed was especially comfortable last night, and I slept really well, so I naturally woke up early,” Wu Xiaoxiao replied with a smile. “Aunt, are you making breakfast? Let me help you.”

“No need to help, breakfast will be ready soon. Just bring out the steamed rye buns from the other day for me,” Aunt Changfa said.

Breakfast was a simple porridge made from cornmeal, along with steamed buns, but there was plenty of it. Changxi and Changle, two young men, were eating buns and slurping down the porridge, each holding a bun and munching on it.

Although Wu Hua was still a half-grown child, he ate a lot as well. Fortunately, the orchard’s work points were sufficient, and the money earned at the market each year was no small amount; otherwise, it wouldn’t be enough to feed these few people.

“This pickled vegetable is delicious this morning, especially with the fresh cucumber strips. It tastes really great!” Uncle Changfa praised while tearing open a bun, placing a large helping of pickled vegetables with cucumber strips inside, and taking a bite. It was crispy and refreshing. After drinking a sip of the rich cornmeal porridge, it was so satisfying!

Aunt Changfa smiled and said, “This was made by Xiaoxiao. I just used a little cottonseed oil, sautéed it in the pan, then stir-fried the cucumbers in it, and the flavor came out. Next time, we can make it this way.”

No wonder the cold dish tasted so good; it had oil in it. Upon hearing this, the three young men immediately grabbed their chopsticks and dug in. In no time, the entire large plate of cold dishes was gone.

“You guys really eat a lot! If you didn’t eat so much, what would we do?” Uncle Changfa laughed and scolded.

“No, it’s mainly because Sister Xiaoxiao cooks so well, it’s way better than Mom’s cooking!” Wu Hua said with a grin.

“You little brat, your mom cooks for you every day, and you say this.”

Aunt Changfa laughed while scolding her second son. He had a different temperament than the eldest; the eldest was quiet and serious, while the younger one was mischievous and lively. It was surprising that this little rascal had spent the whole afternoon yesterday sitting in the room talking to Xiaoxiao, not causing trouble by climbing the roof or fishing in the river. She was quite impressed.

“I’m telling the truth. Chairman Mao said we must respect the facts. By the way, Dad, could you take me to the town today? I haven’t been there to play for a long time.”

“You little rascal, we’re going to the town to get things done, not to play. Next time when there’s a big market, I’ll take you. Alright, hurry up and eat, we need to leave as soon as you’re done.”

As soon as they mentioned going to town to buy pesticides, Wu Changfa picked up the pace. The second steamed bun was almost forcefully shoved into his mouth, eating so quickly that it got stuck in his chest. After drinking a large bowl of porridge, he pounded his chest a few times before finally swallowing it.

“Why don’t you slow down? There’s no rush for this moment,” Aunt Chang complained as she helped him catch his breath. “Besides, Xiaoxiao is still eating, why do you always act like the sky is falling?”

Wu Xiaoxiao finished eating her steamed bun and quickly put it down, saying, “I’m done too. Uncle Changfa, let’s go early. If we leave early, we can get back early. We’ll be able to spray the trees today. Oh, by the way, Uncle Changfa, do we have any equipment in the orchard for spraying the trees?”

“Don’t worry, Xiaoxiao, you and Uncle Changfa go buy the pesticide, and we’ll prepare the equipment at home. It’s been in use before, we just need to clean it up today,” Changxi and Changle replied.

After finalizing the plans, they split up and headed out.

The town was about thirty miles away. Usually, they would go with the team’s tractor, but yesterday Wu Changfa asked at the team office and found out that they weren’t sending any vehicles to town today.

So, he borrowed a bicycle from the team, one for each of them, and they rode there.

The bicycle was a bit too tall for Wu Xiaoxiao, but after trying a couple of times, she managed to ride it.

Uncle Changfa followed her from behind, reassuring her, “It’s fine, it’s fine, you’re doing great, just keep going forward. It’s a bit high, but when you get off, just be careful. Let’s go.”

Aunt Chang took a glance and saw that Wu Xiaoxiao seemed stable, so she relaxed. Otherwise, she would have gone with them.

—-

The thirty-mile mountain road took a lot of time, but after a while, they finally reached the town. Though it was called a town, it was more like a village with a single street, a shop selling groceries, a place for farm tools and products, and a supply store selling clothes.

The whole town was just one main dirt road. Whenever someone walked or drove through, a lot of dust would rise into the air.

The road was bumpy and uneven. Wu Changfa and Wu Xiaoxiao headed straight for the store that sold farm tools and fertilizers.

“Xiao Wu, I’m here to buy some more pesticide.”

As soon as they entered the store, Wu Changfa called out loudly. The person who responded was a short shopkeeper behind the counter, who immediately came forward when she saw him. “Uncle Changfa, you’re here to buy pesticide again. How did the insecticide you bought last time work?”

“Well, it didn’t seem very effective. We did get rid of some bugs, but not long after, they came back.”

Wu Changfa scratched his head. “Right, this is my niece Xiaoxiao. She’s working at the orchard now. We came together to buy some more pesticide. Xiaoxiao knows how to read, and she’s read about a few types in books. They’re the ones Mao Zedong said were effective, so we have to try them.”

This was actually a misunderstanding by Wu Changfa. Nowadays, books always had to include quotes from Mao Zedong at the beginning, so he assumed that whatever pesticides were mentioned in the books had been endorsed by Mao Zedong. If he said they worked, then they must work. Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu was immediately in awe: “Wow, Xiaoxiao, you’re really impressive! So, what pesticides are you planning to buy this time?”