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In the afternoon, Wang Zhenhe and his friend, Ma Yongchao, went to the mountain to collect two boxes of native bees for his daughter. To prevent any mishaps, they transferred the bees directly into the space. The corn and wheat had just begun to flower, and with these bees, it was likely that the harvest would be even better.
Once in the space, the bees flew out eagerly to collect nectar, showing no aggression towards Wang Qian. She was very pleased with their behavior.
In the evening, Ma Yongchao joined the Wang family for dinner. Wang Qian and Wang Xuan also joined the table. With only a few people in the house, the dinner table was filled with warmth and liveliness.
As the two friends who had grown up together reminisced over dinner, they couldn’t help but feel emotional. “Zhenhe, thinking about how you used to live hand-to-mouth, it’s amazing to see you now, with a big house and successful children. I envy that. None of us in our group of friends have children as accomplished as yours,” Ma Yongchao said, speaking almost non-stop about the children in the Wang family. He continued until Wang Qian and Mingyuan, along with the elderly man, went to study. The two friends hadn’t finished their conversation by then.
A few days later, Ma Yongchao brought over a bucket for stirring honey.
During that summer break, Mingcheng and his younger siblings took the beehives to the mountain during the day, while Wang Xuan helped with household chores and cooking at home. Old Chen and Wang Zhenhe participated in the production team’s labor, and Zhang Lan looked after the children. With Wang Zhenhe’s support, Old Chen wasn’t overwhelmed, and he even enjoyed the company of others, having someone to talk to.
In the days leading up to the start of the school year, Wang Qian and Mingcheng finally hand-stirred their first batch of honey. Seeing the golden liquid, Mingyuan carefully dipped his finger and tasted it.
With a satisfied expression, he exclaimed, “It’s delicious, guys! You should all try it. It’s so sweet, sweeter than the sugar we eat, and it has a faint, refreshing aroma.”
Proudly, Wang Qian said, “Of course! This is pure rapeseed flower honey. It’s fragrant and sweet. Big brother, big sister, make sure to take some to school. Drinking a bit every day will help replenish your energy. Save some for our family, and let’s also send some to Grandma and Grandpa.”
That evening, everyone in the household enjoyed a bowl of sweet honey water. Old Chen couldn’t help but praise it, “Excellent! It’s pure and nutritious. Niece, from now on, everyone in the family should drink a bit of this honey water every day. It’ll keep our digestion in good shape.”
“Of course, Grandpa Chen, you should drink it every day. I’ll prepare a jar just for you to keep in your room. You can have it whenever you want. This is our family’s own produce, so you should have plenty,” Wang Qian assured.
Old Chen smiled and patted her head, “Yes, our family’s life is getting better and better. Even I, an old man, get to enjoy such precious honey. It’s all thanks to your filial piety. Old Wu and the rest don’t have this kind of blessing.”
As the topic of honey water came up, Wang Zhenhe’s face turned slightly red. Wang Qian noticed the change in her father’s expression and swiftly jumped up from the kang, fetching a bottle from the kitchen. “Dad, here, this is for Grandpa. You can take it to him later. But be sure not to mention that we’re raising bees. Just say it’s from someone else. Otherwise, there could be trouble.There are greedy folks everywhere. We have limited honey, and choosing who to give it to might offend others. Good things should be kept discreet.”
Wang Zhenhe understood the wisdom behind this. Otherwise, the children wouldn’t have secretly hidden away to release the bees in the ditch. Children know how to be discreet, and he certainly wouldn’t foolishly tell others that they were raising bees. It would only invite trouble.
“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I’ll take it over in a bit,” Wang Zhenhe reassured.
Seeing her father’s somewhat cheerful expression, Wang Qian couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Blood ties are truly unbreakable, but fortunately, her grandfather was a good person.
Their gesture was only a small token of gratitude. They couldn’t control who ultimately received the honey.
The summer break quickly passed. Wang Qian and Mingyuan were placed in the same class, allowing the siblings to look out for each other. However, being so young, they still looked small standing next to the high school students. The teacher decided to seat the siblings in the front row, side by side. And so, the siblings began their junior high school life in this manner.
Wang Xuan was sent to the city for high school by Wang Zhenhe, and she took along a lot of food and daily necessities, especially oil. As long as they had these, the two kids wouldn’t be lacking in food.
The honey intended for Wang Deshan ultimately ended up being consumed by Wang Zhenguo and his wife. Zhu Qiyu had some complaints, saying that her grandson could benefit from the nutrition of Ma Fenqing’s milk.
Wang Deshan looked helplessly at his wife. “What do you want me to say? Our grandson is almost weaned. No one’s child is breastfed at this age. He’s almost two years old and still not eating properly. Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at if this gets out?”
In rural areas, boys are breastfed for a longer duration compared to girls. This is not only due to valuing boys but also because people believe that breastfeeding until a boy is one year old is beneficial for the child’s health.
However, the Wang family’s precious grandson was almost two years old, and he hadn’t been weaned yet, which was uncommon in the entire village.
Zhu Qiyu complained to her husband, “What do you know? Our grandson would benefit from more milk; he would become plumper. He won’t be able to cope with weaning for a while. Let’s wait a bit longer.”
With no help from an elderly lady, Zhang Lan’s responsibilities of taking care of the pigs and poultry made her quite busy. Nonetheless, due to her schedule teaching the nursery class, she had more flexibility compared to others who went to work.
After school, Wang Qian and Mingyuan carried a bundle of pig feed. They saw Zhang Lan sending a group of children home, each child singing a new nursery rhyme. “I found a penny by the roadside, I handed it over to the policeman. The policeman took the coin, nodded at me, and said, ‘Goodbye, kid.'”
Wang Qian found it amusing. Such nursery rhymes were probably only sung at this age. If you tried to take a penny to the police station in today’s world, they’d probably think you were causing trouble. “Mom, you take the feed back; I’ll walk them home,” Wang Qian offered, taking over Zhang Lan’s task. As she walked, she told the children stories. By the time she had escorted each child to their home, the little ones had even promised to listen to more stories the next day.
Wang Qian realized that children usually don’t have anyone to tell them stories. Adults at home are usually busy earning a living and barely have time to attend to their children’s mental well-being. Simply providing them with food and clothing is already considered good. Today’s children are as innocent as a blank slate, and they likely do not even know where they come from.
When the Wang children were young, they once asked such questions. Zhang Lan had told them they were found in a dung heap or dug out from a pile of rocks. In various ways, they were given excuses, but no one could provide a correct answer. Mingyuan was upset about this for a while, until Wang Qian eventually told him that they were born by their mother, which comforted him.
On her time, things were different. Children might not need adults to explain; they could learn from the media. This is the difference – the difference in eras. So, while children today may not know much, they are at least happy.
At this moment, Wang Qian felt happy herself. Perhaps she was influenced by those children. Even her steps home were bouncy and light.
“Mom, I’m back,” Wang Qian called out as she entered the kitchen.
“Have you safely returned all the kids home?” Zhang Lan inquired, poking her head out from the kitchen.
With a smile, Wang Qian replied, “Of course, I’ve safely taken them all home. By the way, Mom, the fruit in the space is ripe. When Dad and I get back, we’ll bring some for you to enjoy. Otherwise, the little ones won’t be able to get any.”
Zhang Lan nodded with a smile. “Go and talk to your dad. Bring back plenty of each type of fruit, and come up with a good excuse.”
With everything settled in the kitchen, Wang Qian took Wang Zhenhe outside telling they needed to go to their uncle to discuss some matters with him.
Wang Zhenhe, unaware of the situation, allowed his daughter to pull him away. “Qianqian, what do you need your uncle for?” he inquired.
Wang Qian led him to a secluded spot, and in a flash, they both entered the space. “Dad, the fruit is all ripe. Let’s bring some for Grandpa Chen and my siblings to enjoy. If we don’t mention it like that, do you have a better excuse? Once we’re home, we’ll let them secretly enjoy the fruit. No one will tell, and that’s it. Tomorrow, my siblings will be back, and they’ll be so happy to find fruit at home,” Wang Qian explained.
Watching his daughter’s adorable and assertive manner, Wang Zhenhe smacked his forehead. “Daughter, it’s either that I didn’t think it through, or you’re just too clever. Let’s hurry and pick some of each kind.”
The father and daughter returned from outside only after dark, with Wang Zhenhe carrying a large basket filled with fruit.
Mingyuan and the others were getting impatient, seeing their sister return so late and carrying a basket. They were curious about what it contained.
“Dad, we’ve been waiting for you to have dinner. What did you bring back in such a big basket?”
Wang Zhenhe mysteriously gathered everyone together and repeated his daughter’s fabricated story. Mingyuan and Old Chen nodded in understanding. “Don’t worry, we’ll just eat and not speak a word. No matter who asks, we won’t say a thing,” Old Chen assured.
Mingyuan nodded in agreement, “Grandpa Chen is right. If there’s something delicious, we’ll keep it to ourselves. That way, there won’t be any gossip.”
Zhang Lan washed some of the fruit brought back by the two of them. Before dinner, everyone enjoyed a large Blood Peach. Mingyuan’s mouth was stained with red juice, and he kept exclaiming, “Delicious! So delicious! Better than the fruit bought in the city. The fruit from our place is the best.”