ebookland Chapter 174 Digging a Deep Well
Chapter 174 Digging a Deep Well
An Nian stood up from under the stove and said confidently, "Sister, we agreed to let Niannian cook, so let Niannian cook!"
An Yue grinned and responded, "Come on, come on, let's cook every year." After that, the brother and sister switched positions and An Yue walked under the stove.
It was An Nian’s first time cooking and he seemed a little flustered. Under An Yue’s guidance, he proceeded step by step.
After a while, a dish of scrambled eggs with Chinese toon was ready.
After frying, An Nian picked it up and smelled it, boasting: "It smells so good! Niannian is really great!"
An Yue covered her mouth and laughed, "Niannian, you are really like a woman selling melons, boasting about yourself. You said something nice, what do you want your sister to say later?"
“Although Niannian’s cooking skills are not as good as her sister’s, she will work hard to learn how to cook in the future.”
The brother and sister, one holding the food and the other holding the bowls and chopsticks, walked towards the main hall while chatting and laughing.
Sitting on the bench at the round table, the brother and sister began to eat dinner.
An Yue knew that An Nian started learning to cook when he was only seven years old. He just wanted to grow up quickly and help her share more of the burden.
At the end of the You hour, it is not yet dark.
The sunset in the sky and the dinner on the eight-immortals table are appreciated and tasted together. They are all beautiful to the eyes and the stomach.
After dinner, night fell quietly and oil lamps began to light up in the house.
The brother and sister sat in the main hall, soaking their feet under the oil lamp. An Nian was reading a book while soaking his feet, and he had learned something.
An Yue sat quietly beside her, soaking her feet, listening carefully to An Nian explaining to her his understanding of the world, lofty ambitions, and beautiful rivers and mountains in the book.
Although their life is simple, the brother and sister love and help each other, which is a wonderful scene that others envy.
As the night deepens, the moonlight shines into the yard, illuminating this warm little courtyard.
After soaking their feet, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
With the sky full of stars and the sound of frogs in the fields, the brother and sister fell asleep quietly.
The next day, early in the morning.
After the brother and sister finished their breakfast, An Nian went to the school.
An Yue carried a hoe and came to the wasteland beside the yard.
At this time, Qin's mother and son brought three young men from the village over.
An Yue watched them coming over with various digging tools, and hurriedly greeted them, "Aunt, Uncle Jing, you are here!"
Qin asked with a smile: "Is Yueyue busy?"
"Not busy, Yueyue just got here too."
Qin smiled and pointed to the blue brick and tile house in the yard, saying, "Look, I told you yesterday that Yueyue built a blue brick and tile house, but you didn't believe it. Come and see if it's true!"
Li Jing asked in disbelief, "Yueyue, is this blue brick and tile house really yours?"
An Yue smiled sweetly, with dimples appearing from time to time at the corners of her mouth.
"Don't be surprised, Uncle Jing. Yueyue was able to build the small courtyard thanks to the help of my uncle and aunt."
Li Jing scratched his head and said, "Yueyue is really capable. Uncle Jing is ashamed of himself!"
Qin interrupted, "Come on, Yueyue, take everyone to see where to dig the well first!"
An Yue pointed to a place not far away and said, "It's right there. Please follow Yue Yue."
After saying that, An Yue led everyone towards the water source.
Come to the water source.
An Yue pointed to the big hole she dug yesterday and said, "Yue Yue wants to dig a deep well with a round mouth that is about four feet wide and ten feet deep."
She explained to Li Jing the specific implementation plan for digging the well, and Li Jing quickly understood An Yue's idea.
Afterwards, he began to distribute the excavation tools and gave the three guys special instructions on what to pay attention to before starting the work.
After everything was arranged, An Yue and Qin returned to the place where they had dug the ground before.
An Yue was digging the ground with a hoe, while Qin squatted down to help pick up weed roots. An Yue deliberately asked Qin, "Aunt, do you know which family in our village has given birth to piglets?"
"The sow from your Aunt Li's house in the west of the village gave birth to a litter of piglets a few days ago."
"Does Auntie know when her piglets will be ready for slaughter?"
“The details are still unknown.”
Qin asked curiously, "Yueyue is so detailed, is it because she wants to feed the pigs?"
"Well, my aunt guessed it right!"
Qin suddenly stopped what she was doing and frowned, saying, "Yueyue, you two are the only ones in the family. You will go to school every year, and you will be the only one left at home. You have to farm the land, wash clothes, cook, and feed the pigs. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it all!"
An Yue thought for a moment and said, "Aunt, it's okay. I have learned how to cook every year. Our home is in a wasteland with weeds everywhere. We can feed the piglets with just some pig grass."
After hearing this, Qin still had some concerns in her heart, but she didn't know what to say.
Seeing that Qin was still frowning, An Yue thought she was still worried, so she quickly comforted her: "The situation at home is like this now, Yueyue has to work harder to get by."
"Yes, yes, yes. It's just that you are so young, and yet you have to suffer so much. Alas! You are really pitiful!" As Qin spoke, she began to shed tears.
"Aunt, life is not hard every month. My sister and I are lucky to have you and uncle to help us."
An Yue comforted Qin for a long time before she calmed down.
Qin, feeling better, said she would go back to make lunch.
Only then did An Yue realize that it was almost noon.
She picked up her hoe and prepared to go home to make lunch.
As soon as she arrived at the yard, she saw the peeled bamboo shoots in the corner of the front yard. Then she remembered that if she didn't go up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots, they would soon grow into bamboos.
So she planned to go to the back mountain to dig bamboo shoots after lunch. She would put the digging of the wasteland on hold for a few days. After all, the wasteland was close to home, so she could carry a hoe and dig for a while whenever she wanted.
But the bamboo shoots on the mountain do not wait for anyone, they can grow several inches high in a day.
Anyway, I bought the mountain behind with my own money, so if there are a lot of bamboo shoots, I can dig them up and dry them.
After a while, lunch was ready.
An Yue walked out of the courtyard gate and shouted, "Uncle Jing, call them to come over for lunch!"
"Okay, I'll be right there." Li Jing responded.
The four of them walked into the yard, simply washed the mud off their hands, and then went into the main hall to have lunch.
......
After lunch, the few of them lay down on the haystack at the edge of the wasteland, ready to take a short rest.
Several people looked at the blue brick and tile house in front of them, occasionally pointing here and there, as if they were talking about something. While they were talking and laughing, there were strange looks in their eyes.
After washing the dishes in the kitchen, An Yue took off her apron and went to her room to rest for a while.
Two quarters of an hour later.
She carried her backpack and prepared to go up the mountain. Several people who were resting outside the yard also stood up, stretched, and prepared to dig a well.
After locking the gate of the yard, An Yue walked straight to the back mountain.
Along the way, she was calculating in her mind that since the An family's old house was burned down, she first purchased barren hills and wasteland, and then bought materials to build a house. Adding up all the miscellaneous expenses, the total cost was as high as one hundred and thirty taels.