NOVPUBThe other brigades all grew some fruits and so on, but their brigade had very few because Han Yongfang didn’t like it! He said it was a waste of land, so it would be better to just plant crops instead. Not eating fruits was fine but it was criminal to not have rations and crops, so the entire Shanzui Village planted very few of these fruits and melons.
Lin Lan took some of the melons out and asked the children to wash them before eating. Everyone could eat whatever they liked. If everyone liked the same thing then they would split it together. But no matter what, no one was going to eat one entire thing on their own.
Xiaowang and Sanwang both wanted to eat the musk melon since they knew they were not going to be able to finish it alone. In the end, Erwang was the one who was going to cut it up.
When Erwang was about to cut it, Sanwang immediately shouted, “Second Brother, don’t cut it. The melon will have a smell after the kitchen knife cuts it.”
Erwang, “I washed it.”
“The smell will still be there,” Sanwang insisted.
The kitchen knives at home were made of iron and since they were used to cut up meat and vegetables all day, there was bound to be some sort of residual smell on the knife.
Dawang then took the melon, smashed it with his fist and broke it open for his brothers to enjoy.
Sanwang groaned, “I want to smash it too.”
As a result, he didn’t care about eating the melon and merely wanted to smash it, but Dawang grabbed him by the neck and directed him towards the open melon to eat it.
Lin Lan had picked out the ripe ones and ate them first. Then, she chose some more to have Maisui send to Eldest Sister-in-Law Han’s house and picked a few for Han Qingsong to send to the old lady’s family.
Han Qingsong watched the children eat, but he didn’t move to grab one. On the contrary, he was helping Lin Lan.
Lin Lan then gave him a melon.
Han Qingsong used his five fingers to crush it with one hand before handing it back to her.
Sanwang, “Wahh, I…I want to do that too,” He then picked up a peach and squeezed it, squirting out a waterfall of peach juices.
Maisui slapped him in the face and yelled at him, “You eat it!”
Everyone laughed.
Lin Lan fed Han Qingsong a piece of melon and told him about the dowry discussion, “I think it’s too much and we can’t afford it, so I’m letting them talk it out once more.”
When Han Qingsong heard that they wanted quilts, money and food, he frowned slightly and said, “I’ll go take a look tonight.”
After dinner, Sanwang urged the rest of his siblings, “Hurry up, we got to look for the cicada larvaes,” Now, all of the children headed to look for the bugs. Plus, they have to be quick. Otherwise, if the spots they were looking at were already ransacked by someone else, then there would be no meaning to it. Even Maisui had been roped into this addiction of catching cicadas.
Lin Lan originally thought Dawang would stay behind and study, but she didn’t expect him to follow along. Nevertheless, she noticed that the palm-sized notebook was still placed into the pocket of his trousers.
After greeting their parents, the children headed out again, leaving Lin Lan and Han Qingsong at home.
