paddock

Yuan Ning was very happy to meet two new friends, Xiao Qingqing and Xu Jing.Early the next morning, he followed Luo Yuanliang to see the cellar of the ranch.The air in the cellar is a bit stuffy, but there are a lot of juicy vegetables and fruits in it, all of which are used for winter.Yuan Ning followed Luo Yuanliang to put the wild hawthorn picked yesterday in the cellar. Luo Yuanliang said that it could be stored for the New Year, and then used as a new year's product.Yuan Ning touched here, looked there, and after leaving the cellar, he and Luo Yuanliang listened to Xu Jing's lecture, although they didn't quite understand.

At noon, Yuan Ning reluctantly got into the car and left the ranch.Xiao Qingqing and Xu Jing watched the car leave in the dust, and said, "What a cute kid, it makes me want to have a younger brother too!"

Xu Jing said: "If you have a younger brother, it depends on what kind of younger brother you are. Do you remember the younger brother of Shen Lei's family?" Xu Jing shook his head and sighed, "It's a pity for Shen Lei."

Shen Lei is their classmate, and he can be regarded as a high-achieving student. Although he was dressed a bit rustic when he first entered the school, he is kind and enthusiastic, and everyone likes him.Later, he entered Zhang's together with them.

Shen Lei has a childhood sweetheart girl, and the two of them like each other. Originally, the woman's family nodded, but Shen Lei's mother felt that the girl was more suitable for the younger brother, so she asked Shen Lei to give the girl to the younger brother, and asked Shen Lei to quickly prepare the dowry and help her. The younger brother took the girl home.The reason of Shen Lei's mother is: "Anyway, you are a top student, anyway, you have a good job - anyway, you don't have to worry about finding a wife. Don't think about so many things that you have, you have to make money quickly, and buy a wife for your brother in the city. House. You have read so many books, but your younger brother has not, so you have to give him up."

The girl noticed that Shen Lei was shaken by his mother's request, and she couldn't help but feel sad when she thought that the family would marry her off as long as the dowry was sufficient, and she jumped into the river at night and died.

After Shen Lei found out, he didn't say anything, and jumped into the river from the bridge at night, and became a life and death match with the girl.

It was not long ago.

They all felt sorry, and also felt that Shen Lei should not commit suicide.But the matter didn't fall on them, and they didn't feel that kind of pain, so they could naturally say "be carefull" in an understatement.

Thinking of Shen Lei, Xiao Qingqing also sighed: "What a nice person. That's right, not all younger brothers are so good. I'd better look at other younger brothers. Every time I hear about such a family, I'm glad I was born in a more enlightened place, my parents said, I choose who to marry."

Xu Jing nodded and sighed long.

Yuan Ning slept all the way with the wild hawthorn in his arms, and when he got home, he found a few wild hawthorn scattered.He quickly picked up the wild hawthorn, said goodbye to driver Li, got out of the car and ran inside.As soon as he entered the door, he shouted: "Aunt Shen!"

Aunt Shen was tidying up the table in the living room, and when she heard Yuan Ning's call, she responded with an "ah", raised her head and looked at Yuan Ning softly: "Ning Ning is back?"

Yuan Ning said: "I'm back!" He ran over and asked, "Aunt Shen, did elder brother call back today? When did you call back?" He tried to call Zhang Xiuyan from the ranch, Zhang Xiuyan There was no one there.Yuan Ning was extremely disappointed, so he kept asking questions like this as soon as he came back.

Aunt Shen looked at Yuan Ning's expectant face and said with a smile, "No."

Yuan Ning was even more disappointed, with disappointment written all over his face: "Isn't there? Brother must be very busy."

"I didn't make a call, but," Aunt Shen looked upstairs.The door upstairs happened to open, and a figure very familiar to Yuan Ning came out of it. He held a cup in his hand, stood in the corridor and looked down from the top, and happened to look in their direction.Aunt Shen smiled and said to Yuan Ning, "Look up."

Yuan Ning was taken aback for a moment, then looked up, his heart pounding.yes, Sir!Brother is back!Yuan Ning happily ran upstairs: "Brother, you are back!"

Looking at Yuan Ning's flushed cheeks, Zhang Xiuyan knew that Yuan Ning had regained his usual spirit and hadn't languished because of the death of Mr. Xie, so his hanging heart was finally relieved.He stayed up for several days and nights, and now he finally felt a little sleepy, nodded and said, "I'll go get a glass of water, and catch up on sleep after drinking."

Yuan Ning stared fixedly at Zhang Xiuyan, only then noticed that Zhang Xiuyan looked extremely tired, obviously he didn't sleep well recently.Yuan Ning immediately snatched the cup from Zhang Xiuyan's hand: "I'll go pour water for elder brother!"

Zhang Xiuyan did not refuse, but only told: "Be careful, don't burn yourself."

Yuan Ning nodded vigorously, and ran to the place where the hot water was put, but instead of pouring hot water, he poured some spring water for Zhang Xiuyan.Since he knew the concept of temperature, he found that he could freely control the temperature of the water!Yuan Ning controlled the spring water to be warm, and ran upstairs to Zhang Xiuyan who had already returned to his room: "Brother, go to bed after drinking it, and I, Mom, and Aunt Shen will make candied hawthorns for you to eat!"

"You came back after picking the hawthorn?" Zhang Xiuyan took a sip of water and asked.

"Yes!" Zhang Xiuyan asked, and Yuan Ning immediately told Zhang Xiuyan about climbing mountains to pick wild hawthorns with great interest, "Many trees on the mountain have lost their leaves, their branches are bare, and their bark is also dry. Baba, you can see the traces of the little wild boars gnawing on them. They are really naughty. If Uncle Tree could talk, he would definitely complain to me and ask me to discipline them! Luo Yuanliang is familiar with the mountains, so we walked around After a while, I saw the bright red wild hawthorn. The wild hawthorn over there grows very well, the tree is full of red fruits, and even the branches are bent under the pressure. There are thin thorns on its paper strips. I think it She doesn’t want us to pick the fruit, but sister Xiao said that’s not the case. The wild hawthorn makes the fruit so red, but it actually wants us to help it take the fruit away and take the seeds to other places. Brother, it’s really like this Is sister Xiao coaxing me?"

"It's like this. Many plants rely on animals to distribute rice and seeds." Zhang Xiuyan answered Yuan Ning's question authoritatively, then paused, "Sister Xiao?" In a few days, where is this sister Xiao? Out of it?

Hearing Zhang Xiuyan ask Xiao Qingqing, Yuan Ning naturally introduced it happily.

Zhang Xiuyan finished listening, and commented objectively: "These two people are very good." These two people were assigned to the ranch to teach Luo Yuanliang, but they were still able to do things in a down-to-earth manner, and even took the initiative to observe the environment of the ranch and manage the ranch. It can be seen that he can calm down and endure loneliness.But Zhang Xiuyan was surprised that they could make Yuan Ning fall in love so quickly.Zhang Xiuyan asked nonchalantly, "Do you like them very much?"

Yuan Ning froze for a moment, then nodded.He likes Xiao Qingqing and Xu Jing very much, and he can't say why, he just thinks that these two people are very good.He thought for a long time before he came up with an inexplicable reason: "Their eyes are bright, and it feels like the world in their eyes is shining."

But Zhang Xiuyan understood.He stared at Yuan Ning, and saw in Yuan Ning's eyes the feeling that Yuan Ning himself said—the feeling that the whole world was glowing.Zhang Xiuyan finished drinking the water in the cup and rubbed Yuan Ning's head: "Didn't you say you want to make candied hawthorn?"

Yuan Ning said, "Brother, take a good rest!"

Zhang Xiuyan nodded.He watched Yuan Ning go out, but found that he was not sleepy at all.The exhaustion that had lingered on him for the past few days seemed to suddenly disappear. He felt extremely energetic and his mind was exceptionally clear.The problem that has been troubling him for the past few days suddenly has a new inspiration.He didn't plan to go back to sleep, and went back to his desk to write, and made new adjustments to the contents of the bidding plan and development plan.

Yuan Ning went downstairs, picked up the wild hawthorn on the table and went to the kitchen.Ms. Xue just finished her lunch break. Seeing Yuan Ning holding a bag of bright red wild hawthorns, she asked with a smile, "Ning Ning, did you pick the wild hawthorns back?"

Yuan Ning said: "Yes! Mom, can you make candied hawthorn? Can you teach me how to do it?"

Ms. Xue said: "Of course."

The two went into the kitchen. Ms. Xue asked Yuan Ning to wash the wild hawthorn and remove the stems. She took out the sugar, added water, and let the sugar melt into syrup. It was thick and thick, so I turned off the fire and asked Yuan Ning to pour the hawthorn into the pot.

Ms. Xue taught Yuan Ning to mix the wild hawthorn with the syrup. After a while, the sugar cooled down and turned into small white crystals, which covered the wild hawthorn like snow-white autumn frost.The sweet and sweet taste of sugar comes out, lightly, not too greasy.The white icing and the red fruit complement each other, the white is whiter, the red is redder, it makes people's index finger move.

Yuan Ning poked one with a toothpick, put it in his mouth, and bit it down. The sourness of the wild hawthorn poured into the taste buds first, and then the small icing sugar melted one by one. The sweet and sour taste met on the taste buds. , so that Yuan Ning couldn't help eating the whole one.He happily said to Ms. Xue: "It's delicious!"

Ms. Xue said: "Then let's share some. I'll give it to your father to taste, and you take it to your elder brother to taste. Keep the rest and give them to your sister and third and fourth brothers when they come back."

Yuan Ning said: "Okay!" He took out two plates and divided them into two small plates, carried them upstairs with Ms. Xue, and walked to both sides of the corridor separately.

Yuan Ning ran to Zhang Xiuyan's door and carefully knocked on the door.He was afraid that Zhang Xiuyan was sleeping.

"Come in." Zhang Xiuyan's voice came from inside.

Only then did Yuan Ning walk in with a plate in his hands, with the excitement of learning to cook new food on his face: "Brother, try it! This is the candied hawthorn I made with my mother, it's delicious!" He ran forward Put the sugar hawthorn in front of Zhang Xiuyan.

Zhang Xiuyan picked up the toothpick placed next to it and poked one.He took a bite, tasted it carefully, and commented as before: "It's too sweet."

Yuan Ning was very disappointed: "Is it too sweet?"

"What's too sweet?" Zhang Xiuming's voice came from the door.Before Yuan Ning could react, Zhang Xiuming had already rushed forward, "Sugar hawthorn! I haven't eaten it for a long time! Brother, do you think it's too sweet? Then it's all mine! I like sweet ones!" Zhang Xiuming stretched out his hand end plate.

Zhang Xiuyan reached out and grabbed the other side of the plate.

The plate stopped in front of him without moving.

Zhang Xiuming: "..."

Zhang Xiuming snorted: "If you like to eat, you will love to eat! What's so embarrassing? You obviously like to eat and say that Ningning's cooking is too sweet, brother, you will not be able to get a wife in the future!" Zhang Xiuming gave up and took the whole plate away, He picked up a toothpick and poked one, "It's so sweet!" He swallowed it whole, then poked another one for Yuan Ning, and fed it to Yuan Ning's mouth.

Yuan Ning was stunned, and opened his mouth to bite down.He caught sight of Zhang Xiuyan and silently poked one into his mouth, feeling inexplicably happy.Big brother obviously loves to eat too!Brother is stubborn!

The icing sugar slowly melted in Yuan Ning's mouth.

Yuan Ning also thought it was so sweet.

Much, much sweeter than when I tried it in the kitchen just now.