Zhao Er'ni smiled and nodded, "It's perfect. Chengyan, you can stop and rest for now. When Lianqi comes over after work, let him help you tie it up. He's not as good at the fine detailing work as Lianfa, but he can still manage basic work like weaving big baskets and setting up fences."
Zheng Xiaotian rolled her eyes at her sister-in-law and chuckled. "Sister-in-law, you're so humble. Lianfa is good at talking, but he's far worse than eldest brother-in-law when it comes to work involving physical strength!"
The two sisters-in-law joked with each other before going back to work.
Ling Chengyan washed her hands, then brought out a jar of warm water and two empty bowls. Xiao Xing also brought out the only two low stools in the house. Ling Chengyan poured some water for her two cousins-in-law. Xiao Xing then put down the stools for them, "Eldest Aunt, Third Aunt, please sit down and rest for a while."
Zheng Xiaotian looked at Xiao Xing, her eyes filled with surprise. "This little girl is so considerate and caring. The more I look at Xiao Xing, the more I like her. I wish I could kidnap her home to be my daughter."
"You're her Third Aunt. Who can stop you from cherishing Xiao Xing?" Zhao Er'ni smiled and laughed.
Zhao Er'ni had four children, two sons, and two daughters, so she didn't lack anything. Zheng Xiaotian, on the other hand, only had two boys. She was looking forward to having a girl after her third pregnancy. However, she wasn't getting pregnant again, even after her second son, Hong Liang turned 4 years old. She could only feel envious as she looked at other people's young daughters.
Ling Chengyan picked up a shovel and accompanied Zhao Er'ni and Zheng Xiaotian to dig the ground. Her body had recovered a lot these few days, and her strength had increased. She dug the ground very easily, and she even received a lot of praise from her two cousins-in-law.
In the evening, Wang Lianqi and Wang Lianfa came back from work. Wang Lianqi rolled up his sleeves and started to tie the fence without saying anything. Meanwhile, Wang Lianfa came back with a fishing net and asked Ling Chengyan to cast a few more nets.
In less than half an hour, Ling Chengyan returned with half a bucket of fish.
Zhao Er'ni and Zheng Xiaotian took the fish and went straight home. If they wanted to cook fish, they had to put in oil and seasoning. Ling Chengyan and her children didn't have any form of seasoning here, thus Zhao Er'ni and Zheng Xiaotian took the fish back to season them before bringing them back.
As for the wild rabbit meat caught the other day, Ling Chengyan washed and skinned it, then chopped it into small pieces with an axe and put it in the pot to stew.
Although she had led countless troops to war in the Great Chu and died on the battlefield, she had once been urged by her mother to learn how to cook for a few days, so she could still make a few simple dishes.
In this era, there was a lack of oil and meat. As long as the salt didn't get mixed up with sugar, it would taste all right if it was boiled in water.
Sometime later, although Zhao Er'ni and Zheng Xiaotian didn't come back, they sent one of the young boys to deliver half a pot of stewed fish and half a basket of baked cakes to Ling Chengyan.
Wang Lianqi and Wang Lianfa also didn't stay to eat. After all, they were Ling Chengyan's cousins-in-law. Staying to eat with her would be a bit inappropriate.
Ling Chengyan didn't insist. After sending the two cousin brothers off, she called Xiao Juan and Cui Yi over for dinner. The rich and fragrant fish soup along with the stewed rabbit meat was enough to make the two women, who hadn't tasted meat for half a year, excited.
As they ate the delicious food, even the taciturn Cui Yi became more talkative. While chatting with Ling Chengyan, Xiao Juan and Cui Yi noticed that this woman was different from most rural women. This woman was smart in her choice of words and sentences. She could even recite ancient poems casually. After some prodding, they found out that she learned how to speak and read from her father and brother. She had also read some ancient poetry in the past.
Xiao Juan and Cui Yi didn't ask Ling Chengyan why she didn't go to school. After all, in the past ten years, the education system was largely abandoned, and it was common for schools to stop classes. Hence, it wasn't strange that Ling Chengyan had not attended school.
Xiao Juan became even more enthusiastic as she chatted. "Chengyan, we have some books in the house. Feel free to read them if you're interested. Is there anything in particular that you'd like to read?"
Ling Chengyan wanted to read some books and understand this world, so she happily accepted Xiao Juan's kind invitation. She also learned from the two women that there was something similar to the Great Chu's 'plagiarism' in this world, and it was more convenient and extensive to transmit documents in real-time. It was called 'newspapers', which not only contained major domestic events, but also the movements of the surrounding countries. Hearing this, Ling Chengyan's eyes lit up.
Ling Chengyan had merely treated her two neighbors to a meal, but she had already gained a lot of benefits. After the meal, she followed the two of them and borrowed a few books along with some old newspapers.
Although they were all outdated events and news, they still broadened Ling Chengyan's horizons and allowed her to understand more about this world.
She stayed up almost the entire night reading, sighing at the huge changes in the world before going to sleep.
The next day, she sent Xiao Xing and Xiao Tian to her Eldest Aunt's place early in the morning. Ling Chengyan then headed out with her two cousin brothers-in-law, along with Hong Jun, Hong Bing, and Hong Ming. They caught up with the production team's mule cart and set off, heading toward the river mouth twenty miles away.
Their residence was not far from the river. It was only fifty or sixty miles away from it. There were several river trenches along the coast, and the water in the river was all salty and fresh water. The intersection of salty and fresh water in the river promoted the birth of many different species of fish and shrimp.
It was the beginning of spring, and the ice in the river had just melted. It was the best season for catching tasty fish and shrimp.
They came to the nearest estuary of the river. Ling Chengyan was the main force, and Wang Lianfa was the support. They took turns casting the net and pulling it up. Before noon, they had caught a lot of fish. Most of the fish they had caught was of the best type to catch here during spring. It was known as the 'Kai Ling shuttle', or generally known as pike fish.
After eating some of the biscuits they'd brought along and drinking some water, the group returned home.
They didn't make a fuss when they went out, and they didn't make a fuss when they came back. They went to the commune first and sold the fish to the acquisition station for money. Then, they returned to the brigade.
Leaving a bucket of fish for her aunt and cousins-in-law to prep for the next meal, Ling Chengyan took half a pot of stewed fish and a few pancakes before she brought her two children home.
Ling Chengyan didn't forget to scoop a bowl of fish and delivered it to Xiao Juan and Cui Yi's quarters.
Xiao Juan was both surprised and happy to see the fish stew. "I've been eating so well ever since you moved in. Thank you so much."
Cui Yi didn't say much, but took out a letter and handed it to Ling Chengyan. "This letter was delivered during the day. You weren't at home, so I kept it safe for you."
Ling Chengyan took the envelope and saw the signature on it: Bin Hai farm. She could guess who had written it. As expected, when she looked up, she saw Xiao Juan and Cui Yi's awkward and evasive expressions. Ling Chengyan smiled calmly. "Thanks. You guys go ahead. I'll go back first."
She returned to her room, tore open the envelope, and took out the two pages of paper from the envelope.
"Cheng Yan, when you receive this letter, I'll have already settled down on the farm. You don't have to worry about me too much. I'm doing fine here. Other than the lack of freedom, I'm living a pretty good life. I work with the production team every day. There's also the canteen providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's not great, but it's enough to fill my stomach. I don't want to go hungry. But I miss you and the two children, especially Xiao Tian. I'm afraid that if something were to happen to me during your confinement, you'll be worried sick. Would that affect your and the children's health?"
Ling Chengyan skimmed through the contents of the letter and looked at the signature at the end. "I'm very sorry for what I put you and the children through."
Ling Chengyan chuckled and went back to read the letter, only to see that the whole letter was about how he was doing well and that he didn't need his wife to worry about him. It also said that he felt guilty and missed his wife and children at home... There weren't any serious matters at all.
Other than family affairs and love, didn't this man have anything of importance to tell her?
After putting down the letter, Ling Chengyan thought of another possibility. Since one didn't have any freedom on the farm, how could he manage to send the letter? Wouldn't it have to be examined?