After a simple rebirth

After lunch, they usually rested for half an hour. The other helpers sat in the yard of the second aunt's house and talked, and the three people from Fu Ying's family went home first. Fu's mother wanted to see if the fire was out and add some coal. Fu Ying and Fu Zhe wanted to come back and sit for a while, because the second aunt would definitely come to call them when they set out.

Fu Ying washed her face with a towel and wiped her neck. She was not scratched much because of the scarf, but it was still a bit uncomfortable to cover her neck after exercising and sweating, but it was much better than she remembered.

"Mom, do you want to bring a silk scarf with you this afternoon? It's uncomfortable to be scratched by corn leaves all the time!" Fu Ying asked her mother.

"I don't want it anymore. If you keep touching me like this, my scarf will get snagged and I won't be able to keep it. It's so hot in the afternoon, it will be even more uncomfortable if I keep it covered!"

Fu Ying insisted on wearing it anyway, and now she felt hot but not itchy, which was good.

Fu Ying decided to take a nap anyway. Being able to sleep for ten minutes was better than staying up all the time. After saying goodbye to her mother, Fu Ying lay down on the quilt and went to sleep. Not getting into bed was her last act of stubbornness.

Sure enough, Fu Ergu had not arrived yet, but the voice arrived first. Fu Ying also woke up and continued to set off with her equipment.

We finished less than half of it in the morning, but we were able to finish it today. In the afternoon, we did it outside, close to the main road, so they could carry it back and forth faster. In addition, they were more skilled in the afternoon and wanted to finish it earlier and go back to rest, so the overall process was faster.

It was even hotter in the afternoon. Around three o'clock, Fu Ergu asked Wang Cong to buy a large bottle of Coke and then poured it into disposable cups for everyone to drink.

In fact, people didn’t care about this in the past. They just drank raw water. For example, there is a small river not far from this land. People in the past would drink the water there when they were thirsty. This is how we have lived since we were young. No one brought water or bought drinks on purpose. They thought it was mountain spring water and healthier.

Later, those who started to help had to be more polite and offer to drink rice soup made with sweet glutinous rice wine, otherwise no one would be willing to help your family. But making glutinous rice soup was troublesome, so they offered to drink some drinks, which was more convenient to buy with some money, and those who smoked could order cigarettes and share the money, so that they would not be called stingy.

Fu Ying only drank a little. She liked to drink ice cola that was almost flat. This one had too much gas and would cause her to burp continuously, which would make her feel even more uncomfortable later.

Fu's mother was sitting on the edge of the field. Seeing that she didn't drink much, she asked her if she wanted to eat corn stalks. Fu Ying thought about it and nodded. Fresh corn stalks are delicious and can also replenish sugar.

Fu Ma stood up and picked a thin green one. She stepped on the side and the corn stalk broke. Fu Ying took it. As she expected, she relied on brute force. Today, they were just breaking the corn. No one brought a knife. The most direct way was to kick or break it. Breaking it was too laborious, so kicking it was the most direct way.

Don't choose too thick ones, because thick ones are old and may be sweet, but they are hard to chew. Thin ones are more tender, juicy and sweet.

Fu Zhe also picked up a corn stalk and kicked it, but it went crooked and missed. Fu's mother pulled him away and helped him break it.

Eating corn stalks is the same as eating sugarcane. Don’t remove the skin. Chew the flesh inside to get the sweet juice, and then spit out the residue.

There is no tool to peel the corn, and no one cares about peeling it specifically or peeling it in sections. They just hold the whole corn stalk in their hands, tear off the skin of the corn stalk with their teeth, and then chew the meat. If you are not familiar with the operation, it is easy to scratch your lips with corn husk. Fu Ying has scratched herself several times before, so now she is very careful and eats slowly.

When the corn is ripe, no matter who grows it, they will tacitly allow passers-by to eat a few corn stalks. It's not an exaggeration. You won't be chased and scolded if you don't waste corn.

After eating the corn stalks, everyone continued to work. Before the sun set, they had harvested all the corn in the two fields.

Fu Ma and Fu Ergu checked and found that there were a few leaking ones, so they broke them off and put them into the backpack. They took turns breaking them, so they couldn't tell who leaked them, so there was no need to make it public.

After carrying the corn and picking up the tools, they prepared to go back, leaving only empty corn stalks in the cemetery.

Some families would want this corn stalk, cut some when it is fresh and feed it to the pigs as a snack, and then throw it into the pigpen in the winter to spread out a few layers after it is dried. This way the pigs will not be so easily caught cold in the winter.

Some families don't want to cut the corn stalks and the outer corn cobs. They tear the corn head along the silk, break it off from the root, and cut the remaining corn stalks and corn cobs together. This kind of delicate work is inefficient and only suitable for families with few plants or many people.

Fu Ergu's family chose to move everything back home first. When they had nothing back home, they would sit down and tear open the corn husks. Then they would put the corn in the granary to dry. The torn layers of corn husks would be thrown into the corner, and in winter they would become the pigs' sheets and quilts.

The chopped corn stalks would be tied together and piled into haystacks, which were a great place to play hide-and-seek when we were kids.

But it is also easy to cause fires, so adults always warn us not to play there, especially not to play with fire in the fields. When we have free time in autumn, the corn roots still in the soil will be dug out, piled in the corn haystack, burned, and left in the soil for composting, and the soil will be turned over in the spring of the following year to prepare for spring planting.

I don’t know when Fu Ergu’s family will cut corn stalks, but Fu Ying will definitely not come. Bending over to cut corn stalks will easily cause congestion in the brain, and her method is also likely to hurt herself, so forget it.

When we returned to Aunt Fu's house, my second uncle started cooking. There were too many people and they didn't use an electric rice cooker, so it couldn't steam enough.

The old-fashioned way of steaming rice is to wash a lot of rice first, soak it for two or three hours, and then steam it in a steamer. It is not the long round steamer used for steaming buns on the market. The diameter is about the same as a frying pan, but it is deeper. It is no problem to steam rice for more than a dozen people at a time.

This kind of steamed rice is very fragrant and the grains are distinct, but it takes a lot of time. The soaked rice needs to be steamed for half an hour, and when it is almost cooked, sprinkle some water evenly on the top layer of rice, and then steam it for another 15 minutes on high heat to be completely cooked.

Seeing that they were busy, Fu Ying said something to her mother and went straight home to take a shower. It was too hot today and she couldn't bear it without a shower.

Even without leaving, Fu Ying could guess what Fu Ergu wanted her to do. Either she had to help wash and cut vegetables, or she had to start tearing corn cobs. Anyway, she would not be left idle and would always have something to do.

There was warm water at home, and Fu Ying took advantage of the hot weather to wash her body first. There was no bathroom so she couldn't take a shower. Then she washed her hair, squatting under the faucet, rubbing the bubbles and then rinsing it directly. It was convenient for short hair!

But during the New Year, I still have to consider persuading Fu's father to renovate the toilet. It doesn't matter whether the dry and wet areas are separated, it would be great to have a dedicated room.

Fu Zhe also wanted to take a shower. Boys are more casual. They don’t need very hot water, just a little bit of warmth is enough.

Fu Ying boiled a kettle of warm water again and asked Fu's mother to take a bath. Fu's mother said she would take a bath in two days as she would probably have to help Fu's second aunt's family for a few more days.

Fu Ying told her to take a shower now while there was still water and time, and if she said she would take another two days, she would just prepare the hot water for her, and Fu's mother would have no choice but to go into the room to take a shower.