Chapter 97: Pollination

Wang Zhenhe led the children away from that detestable home and met his youngest daughter on the way. “Qianqian, how are you feeling?”

“Dad, I’m fine. It’s just that Mom’s heart doesn’t feel quite right. I think she’s been upset by Grandma. Have you resolved everything?” Wang Qian asked.

Wang Zhenhe lifted his youngest daughter. “You won’t have to deal with Grandma like that in the future. Your sister warned her with the head of the commune committee. If there’s any trouble in the future, the police will come and arrest her.”

Wang Zhenhe didn’t seem to feel any remorse about the idea of his mother being arrested. Wang Qian carefully observed her father’s expression. It didn’t seem fake. There’s nothing worse than a dead heart. This time, Wang Zhenhe had truly pushed his mother to their side. However, this was a good thing. In the future, their family could be united and live in harmony.

“Dad, I feel like kicking Grandma. She’s so old, yet she does such things that make it impossible to respect her. I don’t want to call her Grandma anymore,” Mingyuan grumbled from behind.

Wang Zhenhe turned to look at his son and said with a smile, “Son, even if you don’t call her Grandma, she’s still your grandmother. It’s like how I don’t want to call her Mom, but whether you admit it or not, she’s still my mother. It’s a pity that we’re stuck with this. Until you’re able to protect yourselves, stay away from them. I’m afraid you’ll be hurt again. Our family can’t afford such turmoil.”

Zuo He, following his grandfather’s teachings, started singing a song, “The sky in the liberated area is clear and bright. The people in the liberated area love it. The democratic government loves the people. The party’s kindness is endless…” The children joined in, and Wang Qian felt that the song couldn’t be more fitting. In the future, they could sing the song of the emancipated serfs.

The two of them were delighted to see Wang Zhenhe’s cheerful demeanor. “Dad, I feel like our family can finally be in charge of our own affairs.”

Wang Zhenhe patted his daughter’s backside. “Little one, from now on, you’ll be in charge. Dad will listen to you. As long as it’s the right thing to do, Dad will support you.”

…..

Seeing the family in high spirits, Zhang Lan quickly called the children to come and eat. It was already past lunchtime, and the family hadn’t eaten yet. After the siblings finished eating, they hurried off to school.

Wang Zhenhe noticed that his wife didn’t look well, so he asked her to rest at home in the afternoon. She didn’t need to worry about the work points for that half-day.

With some free time at home, Zhang Lan and Wang Qian inspected the crops in the space. Zhang Lan opened a handful of wheat and found that it had matured. “Qianqian, in a couple of days, we’ll be able to harvest. Our family will have enough food in the future.”

Zhang Lan was delighted, but Wang Qian was still worried. “Mom, what about the threshing?”

Zhang Lan hadn’t thought about the next step, as she was only thinking about the children not going hungry in the future. After her daughter’s reminder, she fell into deep thought. It wouldn’t be possible to thresh the wheat in the space. “Qianqian, I’ll figure something out. After the harvest, you stay at home and dry the wheat. We’ll figure out the next step.”

After discussing their plan, Zhang Lan carefully inspected the corn and estimated that it would be ready for harvest in a couple of days. As there were only two of them and one was a child, they had to take it slow.

Zhang Lan sharpened the sickle at home to make the wheat harvesting faster. A couple of days passed, and in the dead of night, the mother and daughter entered the space to harvest the wheat. Wang Qian also held a small sickle, but her mother made her wear gloves to protect her hands.

The sharpness of the wheat was a concern, and Zhang Lan didn’t want her daughter’s tender hands to get hurt. Although she was young, she had the heart of an adult and was diligent in her work. She persevered even when tired, knowing that her mother’s health wasn’t good, and she wanted to help as much as she could.

The mother and daughter harvested the wheat at night. The next day, while Wang Qian was alone at home, she locked the door and took the wheat out to dry in a corner of the yard.

In the evenings, the mother and daughter managed to harvest an acre of wheat in two nights. After drying in the sun during the day, Zhang Lan brought the wheat back into the space when everyone returned, making it quite convenient. The intense summer sun was sufficient, and after two days of sun exposure, the wheat was almost completely dried. Wang Qian went to the production team’s tool storage area and brought a roller into the space. Since there were many tools, no one checked the inventory at this time, and they would only return the roller after using it.

After resting for a day, Zhang Lan and Wang Qian went to the place where she had collected scrap metal and compressed the wheat. They then used a winnowing basket to separate the chaff from the wheat. Finally, the mother and daughter finished processing the wheat.

Next, they began to harvest the corn. Due to her small stature, Wang Qian couldn’t be of much help in harvesting the corn. However, after Zhang Lan finished, she sat beside her mother and helped to husk the corn. Husking the corn was not an easy task, and it required a lot of effort.

First, they used a corn husking tool to open the husks, and then they peeled off the layers one by one. Wang Qian’s small hands didn’t have much strength, so she had to peel the layers one by one. After finishing, they needed to exert a lot of effort to break the cobs off the stalks. In the end, Wang Qian had to use a kitchen knife to cut them off, and then the mother and daughter worked together to husk the corn.

After several nights of work, they finally managed to tidy up all the corn in the space. As August approached, it was time for the sunflowers in the production team to be pollinated. The older children in the family were required to go to the mountains for this task. Pollination only took one or two days, so the schools had started giving agricultural leave to allow students to return home to help.

Zhang Lan made several cloth puffs resembling powder puffs and took the older children to the mountains. Even the elderly gentlemen were asked by the team leader to participate in the labor. The siblings followed the elderly gentlemen, working and discussing the knowledge they had learned the previous night.

Old Chen was particularly pleased to see the sunflowers covering the ground. He felt a sense of joy at finally being able to see the outside world. “Old Zuo, I think this place is quite nice. The mountains are clear, the water is beautiful, and the air is filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers. It’s much better than the city. If I can live in a place like this when I’m old, I’ll be content.”

Wang Qian chimed in from behind, “Grandpa Chen, when I grow up, I’ll build a big house specifically for you. When you’re old, you can come here for leisure and relaxation. By then, I’ll plant some fruit trees, and you can help me pick the fruits. Those days will be like living in paradise.”

The elderly gentlemen were drawn in by the picturesque scene she described and laughed, saying, “Qianqian, it’s a deal. We’ll come to your house in the future. By then, don’t pretend you don’t know us, okay?”

Wang Qian knew the weight of these elderly gentlemen and replied, “Grandpa, when the time comes, I want to invite you over. I’m afraid you won’t have the time. Hehe, in the future, you mustn’t pretend not to know me. After all, I’m your disciple.”

The elderly gentlemen looked at the young girl speaking like an adult and laughed heartily. “Alright, little one. When the time comes, others may not see us, but you must. Because with you, we feel that there’s still something to look forward to in life.”

This statement came straight from the hearts of the elderly gentlemen. During the dark periods of their lives, they were fortunate to have this family by their side. Even if they forget others, they will never forget the people here. There was once a family that helped them and brought a ray of sunshine to their cold hearts.

As everyone chatted, they didn’t slow down their work. They used the puffs to dab on each flower head, moving from one to the next. Although the task was somewhat monotonous, the ground was filled with fellow members and children, and everyone chatted and laughed, making time pass quickly. At noon, Wang Zhenhe invited the elderly gentlemen to have a meal at his home. Of course, he had already informed the work team’s comrades. Zhang Lan hurried back home with the children to prepare.

The elderly gentlemen and Wang Zhenhe walked leisurely behind, taking the opportunity to appreciate the mountains, waters, and flora. It was a rare occasion for them to be out, and they particularly enjoyed the scenery outside.

“Mom, we’re going to the river to catch some small shrimp and maybe get some crabs for the grandpas to taste.”

After returning home, Mingcheng left these words and took his younger siblings to the river. Zuo He and Wang Qian followed behind, hoping to find some eggs, as they didn’t have any at home and couldn’t make egg dishes.

After searching around the dam, the two little ones didn’t find any eggs, so they followed Mingcheng to catch crabs in the river. When they returned, they heard the sound of a hen laying eggs in the cornfield to the east of their house, which delighted them.

Mingcheng handed what he had to his younger brother and quickly went into the cornfield. There, he found five eggs. It wasn’t clear which family the eggs belonged to, but since he found them, they were now theirs. It was a perfect opportunity to satisfy the elderly gentlemen’s cravings.

“How many, bro?” The others gathered around. Mingcheng held up a palm, looked around, and then hurried home with his siblings, afraid of being seen by others.

“Mom, we have eggs today. Look what we found,” Mingcheng showed off the five eggs he had found, excitedly displaying them to his mother.

The elderly gentlemen sitting in the yard laughed heartily. “Zhenhe, your children are really something. They can find things as soon as they step out the door. Those little hands are like treasure-hunting hands. Today, we’re going to have a good time.”

Lunch was plentiful, with stewed potatoes and beans, a large pot of crabs, fish soup for the elderly gentlemen, cold noodles with cucumber, stir-fried shrimp and eggs, and a plate of farmhouse vegetables with dipping sauce. The main dish was flatbread made from two types of flour.

This time, Zhang Lan and the children joined the table for the meal. The elderly gentlemen told them that they weren’t particular about such things, and that eating together not only made the food taste better, but also created a family atmosphere.

Zhang Lan didn’t refuse. She considered these elderly people as her elders and family. Besides, her children were sensible and wouldn’t cause any trouble at the dinner table.