Scholars in the courtyard

Yang Xiaotao welcomed the two into the room and introduced them to each other.

"It couldn't have come at a better time."

Yang Shitou has been here several times and knows that Yang Xiaotao has good things here. He immediately smiled when he saw the big watermelon.

"It's a coincidence that it came sooner rather than later!"

Uncle Chen said on the side, Yang Xiaotao quickly cut the watermelon, and several people ate it.

In the hot summer, eating a piece of cold watermelon, especially when Yang Dazhuang and the two walked together, felt even cooler.

After a while, Yang Xiaotao and others sat at the table. Except for leaving a piece of a big watermelon for Aunt Chen, the rest were destroyed by several people.

Uncle Chen took the watermelon and returned to the house, leaving space for the three of them.

Yang Shitou took the leftover watermelon rind and a bucket of water from the water tank, and went to the front yard to feed the donkey.

"Xiao Tao, go this time..."

As Yang Dazhuang talked, Yang Xiaotao listened and nodded from time to time.

In the middle courtyard, Yi Zhonghai stood under the eaves, avoiding the sun. His face trembled when he saw Yang Shitou coming out carrying a watermelon rind.

“I still have money to buy watermelon, but I’m really struggling.”

The aunt on the side also saw it, "Don't you see, those two flour bags must weigh at least a hundred pounds."

"Um."

Yi Zhonghai replied solemnly, looking at the Yang family, feeling depressed.

Originally there was nothing he could do against Yang Xiaotao, but now Yangjiazhuang has shown himself to be a clear protector.

In this regard, he, a big man, can't do anything.

A feeling of powerlessness washed over me, followed by regret from the bottom of my heart.

I regret that I was so stalemate with Yang Xiaotao. If I hadn't been so partial at the beginning, I would be in the same situation as the Chen family at worst now.

Alas~~~

Yi Zhonghai sighed, and Yan Fugui in the front yard also shook his head and said nothing.

Looking at the man in front of the gate, the watermelon rind on his hand turned blue when chewed, but the rest of the rind was still edible.

This much is enough for a meal.

But this man actually used it to feed the donkey?

"Hey, boy, stop, stop!"

Yan Fugui rolled his eyes, quickly ran to Yang Shitou, and stopped the watermelon rind that was sticking out of the donkey's mouth.

"Old man, what do you want to do?"

As he spoke, he pinched Yan Fugui's wrist.

Yang Shitou has a lot of strength. Although he knows this person, Xiaotao told him last time he came here that there are a few people who don't need to be ignored.

Just like the woman who married in Qinjia Village next door, he didn't even look at her.

"Young man, you can't feed a donkey."

Yan Fugui said eagerly, but the pain in his wrist made him afraid to do anything.

"Why can't we feed it? Donkeys can also eat what humans eat!"

"Oh, you kid really doesn't listen to the old man. If this donkey eats it, he will definitely have diarrhea!"

Yan Fugui said seriously, and Yang Shitou was startled.

When the donkey has diarrhea, its legs become weak.

They still hope to take the car home.

Yang Shitou quickly let go and even took back the watermelon rind.

"real?"

"Of course, I'm a school teacher."

"Are you a teacher?"

"That's right, if you ask me, who doesn't know me?"

"A serious teacher at Hongxing Elementary School."

Yang Shitou was in awe.

In the face of scholars, he was born in the countryside and had a natural yearning for them, especially when there were people like Yang Xiaotao who could read and write around him, and they were doing big things.

Scholars know a lot, and what they say is definitely correct.

That's what Yang Shitou thought. He quickly took the watermelon rind over and looked around to get rid of it.

"Young man, you must be from outside."

"Well, I'm from Yangjiazhuang, and I live in the same place as Xiaotao."

"That's it. We live in the same compound. We can't see each other when we look up. We can be considered our own people."

Yan Fugui hit the snake and got on the roller, and quickly got close to him, "Well, you don't know where the garbage is, so I'll throw it away for you."

"Ah, that's so bad."

"Why are you so polite? We men from Sijiucheng don't want to be polite. Give it to me."

As he said that, he took a bunch of watermelon rinds from Yang Shitou's arms, with a kind smile on his face, but his arms were tight, for fear of being snatched away by others.

Yang Shitou was stunned for a moment and didn't say anything. There are so many people who do good deeds and are willing to help others these days.

Just think of it as a good Samaritan.

He reached out and touched the donkey's head, "Heipi, don't worry, I'll get you beans to eat."

The donkey raised its neck, and then saw Yang Shitou unhooking a cloth bag from the cart, reaching out and taking out a handful of fried soybeans, and then handed it to the donkey's mouth.

Yan Fugui looked on from the side and curled his lips.

These days, animals eat better than people.

When Yang Shitou wasn't paying attention, he turned around and returned home.

The third aunt watched her old man running back with a bunch of watermelon rinds in his arms.

"Old man, what are you doing with the leftovers?"

The third aunt was a little disgusted.

"Young women, you don't understand."

Yan Fugui began to show off his knowledge.

"This watermelon rind is not useless."

"You see, if you cut off the hard outer layer, the remaining inner skin can be used not only for stir-frying, but also for pickling."

"And the book says that this stuff has a light smell and is a good thing for clearing away heat, relieving summer heat, quenching thirst, and promoting urination."

"Do you think it's useful?"

The third aunt immediately stared after hearing this, "Old man, you are still the best, you are really awesome."

"Stop talking, hurry up and clean up. This guy has chewed it so cleanly, it's just one layer, I don't know how to leave more!"

"One floor is enough."

The two of them were tinkering for a while, and Yan Jiedi in the room stared at the green watermelon rind with her eyes wide open, drooling.

In the Yang family room, after Yang Dazhuang finished speaking, Yang Xiaotao also talked about handing in the paper. The two of them also understood that they alone could not handle this matter.

So just go with the flow and just plant good land.

Yang Dazhuang said that there should be more varieties in autumn, and Yang Xiaotao also knew about it and said it was no problem.

But what Mr. Yang said about supporting other villages was somewhat beyond his capabilities.

With such a big yard, Yang Dazhuang is also someone who knows the market, so he naturally knows that there are not many seeds that can be planted in this small area.

In his opinion, Yang Xiaotao's grain should have been saved from the year before last.

He even thought that Yang Xiaotao didn't have much inventory on hand.

So, when it comes to this, he doesn't force it.

Just make sure there is enough food in your village first.

The two chatted some more and soon arrived at lunch time.

Yang Dazhuang was about to get up and leave. He had thought about it before he came and went back quickly so as not to cause trouble here.

But how could Yang Xiaotao let him leave like this?

Anyway, let the two of them stay and finish their meal before leaving this time.

At noon, Yang Xiaotao made a simple meal.

Three salted duck eggs and two goose eggs were cut into quarters and placed on the plate.

A plate of braised carp, roast duck that Wang Xiaohu bought for two cents (two cents for running errands), pig intestines brought from Wang Dashan's house, and a bowl of fried cabbage.

The four dishes made Yang Dazhuang restless.

Such a way of eating shows how rich the family is.

But Yang Shitou came here and sat there relaxed.

During the meal, Uncle Chen came over with a bottle of Fenjiu, and the four of them started drinking at the table.

Finally, the staple food is fried rice.

In this meal, I also ate all the rice bags at home.

Of course, there are more than a dozen bags of vacuum-packed long-grain rice in Yang Xiaotao’s space.

A few people didn't use their chopsticks much. After finishing the meal, most of the roast duck was still untouched.

After eating, Yang Xiaotao put the prepared things in the car.

Several bottles of chili sauce, some pickled pickles, a few canned peaches, duck and goose eggs, and leftover roast duck were all put in the car.

The two couldn't refuse, so they could only walk back with red faces. I don’t know if it’s because I’m shy or because I was drunk.

He got on the donkey cart, waved to Yang Xiaotao and left under the sun.

It wasn't until the car disappeared at the entrance of the alley that Yang Xiaotao turned around and walked home.

As soon as he entered the front yard, he was stopped by Yan Fugui.

"Third uncle, what are you doing?"

Yang Xiaotao smelled of alcohol, and Yan Fugui came over to him with a smile on his face, but he didn't mind.

"Xiao Tao, if something happens, let's talk in the room."

As he said that, he pointed towards his house.

Yang Xiaotao frowned and didn't want to talk to him.

"If you have anything to say, just say it here."

"This, this."

Yan Fugui was a little embarrassed to speak. He looked around but still didn't say anything.

Yang Xiaotao waited for a while, but when he saw that he still didn't speak, he was about to leave.

At this time, the third aunt came out with Yan Jiedi in her arms. The little girl had a pair of big eyes, holding a green stick in her hand, crunching it.

Yang Xiaotao recognized it as watermelon rind.

My heart was inexplicably touched.

"Xiao Tao, I do have something to discuss with you."

The third aunt spoke.

Yang Xiaotao looked at Yan Fugui and then at the third aunt, "Okay!"

Yan Fugui quickly welcomed Yang Xiaotao into the house.

The third uncle's house is neatly arranged. Except for Yan Jiekang who is doing homework, Yan Jiecheng and his two brothers are not at home.

After coming in and sitting down, the third aunt quickly poured tea.

"Don't bother, I'll just stand."

He didn't dare to drink Gao Cui from the third uncle's house, because drinking it would be a conspiracy.

"If you have anything to say, just say it. If you don't come, you won't get anything. I don't find it troublesome."

Yan Fugui and the third aunt looked at each other, and then Yan Fugui started to talk.

Now that the food supply has been reduced, their families have more or less food to eat, but there are so many people and so many mouths that there is not enough to chew.

And unlike the Jia family, they also have Yi Zhonghai to help them, and sometimes Silly Zhu will lend a hand. In addition to relying on Yan Fugui's salary, Yan Jieping has little salary and can only calculate some things.

But these days, everyone is like a hairless rooster, and they can only make some gains by fishing.

Over the past few months, Yin, who has been eating food for a long time, has become a little unable to bear it.

So today, when they saw Yang Dazhuang and the others delivering food to Yang Xiaotao, and then thinking about the corn grown in the yard, the couple put it together and came up with a solution.

That is to exchange the fine grains they have with Yang Xiaotao for coarse grains.

In this way, the number will increase and you can eat it.

Immediately, Yan Fugui said what he was thinking, and then looked at Yang Xiaotao.

After Yang Xiaotao heard this, he thought secretly in his heart.

Now Yan Fugui hasn't gone to the countryside to buy food, it must be time.

At this time, everyone in the countryside is eating a big pot of rice. How can anyone have enough food?

It is estimated that no action will be taken until the big pot meal is over.

But he didn't expect that Yan Laoxi would now have a plan on him.

Seeing the longing expressions on the faces of Yan Fugui and his wife, Yang Xiaotao turned his eyes to Yan Jiedi, finally thought about it, and nodded in agreement.

Yan Fugui and Yan Fugui had been looking at Yang Xiaotao's expressions. Seeing him nodding, Yan Fugui immediately laughed.

"Third uncle, please tell me how to change the method."

Some things need to be made clear. He knows who Yan Fugui is.

Regardless of how well-behaved you look now, I will definitely plot against you if I get the chance.

"Xiao Tao, I'm asking."

Yan Fugui had already made a draft. He had already researched this kind of thing, but he had never found an implementation target.

"The prices given by the grain store are: fine grains are 25 cents per pound, and coarse grains are 11 cents."

"If you calculate it this way, one pound of fine grains can be exchanged for two and a half pounds!"

"Third uncle will suffer a little loss, just give me two catties and two taels."

Yan Fugui had shrewd eyes and a smile on his face.

Yang Xiaotao responded with a sneer, then stood up and left.

This was completely beyond his expectation, so he quickly grabbed Yang Xiaotao.

"Xiao Tao, if you have something to say, say it nicely. Say it nicely."

"Say it nicely? What did you say? Are you plotting against me like this?"

Yan Fugui immediately shook his head after hearing this, "How dare I, Xiao Tao!"

"You still dare not? OK, go to the grain station and tell them that you don't want fine grain, and see what they give you!"

"Yan Laoxi, do you think food rations are set casually?"

"Do you think everything written in the food book can be changed casually?"

After saying that, Yang Xiaotao pulled off his sleeves and walked out to the middle courtyard.