Make a Fortune and Become Well-off [90] - Chapter 17
Jiang Ning didn’t know if the pollination of these pumpkin flowers was over, so she poked the pollen from the male flowers onto the female flowers. She picked one and poked another, soon gathering a large number of male flowers. Various ways to eat pumpkin flowers came to her mind.
In the countryside in summer, food was everywhere.
She walked back with a bunch of pumpkin flowers in her hands and a pumpkin vine on her wrist.
The neighbor who was observing the scene next door couldn’t resist commenting, “Ning Ning, don’t blame your mother for punishing you. You’re so lazy, you haven’t been disciplined harshly enough.”
“Your two brothers aren’t home this year. Only Father Jiang and Mother Jiang are working in the fields. You’re a big girl and you don’t even know how to help them. Instead, you go off to pick flowers. Your father has spoiled you. If you were in my house, your legs would be broken.”
Jiang Ning smiled and retorted, “Aren’t the Eldest Sister and the Second Sister both lame now?” Referring to the two girls in the neighbor’s house as sisters according to their seniority.
The neighbor laughed and said, “When your second sister was your age, she could handle three or four acres of land by herself.” Continuing with his work, he remarked, “Your parents went easy on you. You need a few more beatings to ensure you work hard.”
As a man leading a cow to drink water by the pond passed, he interjected, “What’s the use of a girl studying? She doesn’t want to get married. Look at how indulged she is by her father. Picking flowers—what kind of fruit will that bear? If you can’t contribute, who would want to marry you?”
It was as if they were afraid she wouldn’t hear, speaking almost pointedly in front of Jiang Ning.
An internet-famous saying suddenly popped up in Jiang Ning’s mind: “No one wants to marry someone like Liu Yifei in our village.” (referring to the Chinese American actress).
The countryside was so beautiful in summer, with rolling green hills behind and a sparkling river in front. Lotus flowers swayed in the pond at the door, and the fragrant fragrance of gardenia lingered in the air.
Every time Jiang Ning saw these beautiful scenes of nature and smelled the fragrance of flowers, she was sincerely happy admiring the beauty of the world.
Except that among these beautiful mountains and rivers, old, decadent, distorted words and thoughts full of malice toward girls were like an invisible cage, tightly covering the people who lived in it. Like poison, they had to fight against.
She waited until Mother Jiang went out again before quietly returning home.
The book that Mother Jiang tore into pieces had been carefully put back together. Even though she was illiterate, she took the pages one by one and compared them perfectly.
She could be very nice to people if she wanted to.
It was just that that person wasn’t her.
Jiang Ning was actually afraid of Mother Jiang. Even though she showed that she was not afraid of Mother Jiang these days and even provoked her, the fear she brought to her was engraved in her bones.
She couldn’t be under the same roof with Mother Jiang because she didn’t know when she would suddenly slap her for what reason; maybe it was the dust in the corner, or maybe it was the baskets placed that she didn’t like. Perhaps because the chair was placed in the wrong direction, she suddenly got angry and yelled at her.
Only when she grew up did she realize how valuable emotional stability was.
After the rice was harvested, the work continued. Fields needed plowing, harrowing, watering, transplanting, and late rice planting.
Throughout this period, the hydropower station’s pumping machine worked tirelessly, running 24/7. It pumped water continuously for days and nights until all the paddy fields in several nearby brigades were filled with enough water.
With the onset of the water pump’s operation, all the crayfish in the original ditches were swept away by the rushing water. Meanwhile, the surrounding farmland received a constant supply of water, day and night.
Village children were not idle during this time. Almost every household brought fishing nets to catch fish in the ditches.
Proximity to the hydropower station determined the abundance of fish. While some fish remained intact, most were dead, their heads and tails missing, crushed by the relentless water pump.
The area around the hydropower station, facing the river, posed great danger during the pumping period. Anyone falling into the river risked being instantly sucked into the massive pump and crushed. To prevent accidents, many brigade cadres stood guard on the embankment outside the station, ensuring that no playful children ventured too close.
Most children who came to fish were under strict instructions from their families to fish only in the designated area near the hydropower station.
Grandpa Jiang was among those fishers. He crafted fish baskets from straw, placing them strategically in the fast-flowing ditch. He intercepted live fish drifting downstream or dead fish carried by the current.
The ditch bordered the rice fields, requiring the Jiang family to multitask. While attending to the fish baskets, he also chased away sparrows attempting to steal rice. Sweating from exhaustion, the old man remained enthusiastic about his tasks.
When Jiang Ning brought food to him, like Xian Bao, Grandpa Jiang proudly displayed the fish he had caught. “Ning Ning, look, Grandpa caught a lot of fish.” Lowering his voice conspiratorially, as if sharing a secret, he whispered in Jiang Ning’s ear, “Take them to the mountain hut to marinate later. Don’t let your parents know. When school starts, I’ll cook them and bring them to school for you.”
Grandpa Jiang smiled with satisfaction.
“Wow, there are so many fish,” Jiang Ning exclaimed, peering into the basket filled with fish, some missing their heads and tails. She looked up at Grandpa, her eyes sparkling. “Grandpa, you’re amazing.”
She gave Grandpa Jiang a thumbs up, eliciting such hearty laughter that his rickety back seemed to straighten a bit.
“Go and bring me your brother’s fishing net. That net is big and can catch a lot of fish,” Grandpa Jiang urged, his motivation palpable as he envisioned returning with a basin full of fish, enough to fill three large cans for his granddaughter.
“Uh-huh,” Jiang Ning replied eagerly, grabbing the straw basket and running home happily.
As she ran, she pondered how to make money.
To escape Mother Jiang’s control, she knew she needed financial independence.
For her, the easiest and most direct path to her first pot of gold was to bake crayfish and sell them. Even though crayfish were plentiful and locals weren’t accustomed to eating them, she believed they could still turn a profit, especially if sold at a lower price.
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smart girl. get out as soon as possible