Zhou Xiaoyun’s Happy Life

Chapter 73 Silkworm Baby

 Spring is warm and flowers are blooming, and it’s May in a blink of an eye. Every family raised silkworms.

It only takes more than a month for silkworms to go up the mountain to form cocoons, but it is still a very busy job. Feed five or six times a day regularly, including getting up once at night.

 Zhao Yuzhen has not even gone to the market recently and concentrates on serving silkworms at home. Don't underestimate these small silkworms. Once you pick the cocoons, you can sell them for a lot of money. They are another major source of income for rural people besides raising pigs.

The place where the silkworms are placed is a long and wide plaque. The plaque is made of breathable gauze. In order to sterilize and ensure the temperature, some lime is usually spread on the silkworm plaque and then a layer of white paper. Sprinkle it evenly every day when feeding the silkworms. Mulberry leaves. The "rustling" sound of silkworms eating mulberry leaves can be heard clearly.

Picking mulberry leaves is a tiresome job. Whether it is heavy or not, you have to pick several baskets every day. The more you pick, the more you pick.

 At the beginning, the mulberry leaves have to be cut into thin strips for the little silkworms to eat. After a few days, the silkworms grow bigger and bigger, and the mulberry leaves have to be scattered on them.

 Generally, farmers will plant a row of mulberry trees on the stems of the field, and some people directly plant a certain area of ​​mulberry trees specifically for raising silkworms.

The Zhou family is one of the latter. The four or five rows of mulberry trees cannot use up all the mulberry leaves every year. Villagers and neighbors often come to borrow mulberry leaves. In fact, I just came here to pick mulberry leaves, so there was no way I could pay them back. Fortunately, it was not a valuable thing, and no one would say anything to anyone I picked mulberry leaves from.

Zhou Xiaoyun carries a basket to pick mulberry leaves every day after school. She can't carry the full basket. It doesn't matter. There is a strong Dabao at home. All the strength is in vain.

Dabao was used to being ordered around by his sister. When Zhou Xiaoyun told him to follow him with the basket, he naturally did so. He had no intention of refuting, and his reaction to Zhao Yuzhen’s words was not so quick!

The two brothers and sisters arrived at the mulberry field. The sun was still very high. You can see many people picking mulberry leaves in the nearby mulberry field.

Mulberry leaves are about the size of a palm, and they are tender and easy to pick. Most of the mulberry trees are more than one meter high, and Zhou Xiaoyun can basically reach them except for the highest ones.

She dexterously picked mulberry leaves from here and there quickly, while Dabao Rengao found high places to pick them. The two of them cooperated very well, and the two baskets they brought were full in no time.

Next door is the uncle's land. Shen Huafeng is also picking mulberry leaves. She hears Zhou Xiaoyun and Dabao talking and heads over to take a look. He was quite surprised at this look: "Daya, Dabao, are you two here to pick mulberry leaves? Where is your mother?"

Zhou Xiaoyun replied: "My mother has to take her younger brothers and sisters at home. She doesn't have time to pick mulberry leaves, so my brother and I came here."

Shen Huafeng looked at Zhou Xiaoyun's neat movements and Dabao's hard work and couldn't help but sigh: Look at the children in the second family, they all know that they are here to do the work in the fields for the adults.

Zhou Xiaoyun has always been obedient and capable. Needless to say, even Dabao knows how to help.

In contrast, my two children know how ridiculous it is to play all day long. Haizi is not yet old, and Xiaoxia is already eleven years old. They just want to play without knowing how to do anything. Compared with others Brother and sister are far apart.

Zhou Guofu was making furniture at home, and Shen Huafeng was the only one who came to the mulberry field. His movements were inevitably a little slow, and the two baskets had just been half filled.

Zhou Xiaoyun motioned for Dabao to come with him to help. Dabao immediately understood the look Zhou Xiaoyun gave him. The brother and sister still had a tacit understanding.

The two of them picked a basket of mulberry leaves for Shen Huafeng and didn't stop until it was full.

Shen Huafeng carried two baskets and walked back home with Dabao Zhou Xiaoyun. On the way, Zhou Xiaoyun wanted to carry a basket, but Dabao refused: "I can carry two baskets by myself. You follow me."

Dabao walked in front of his sister like an adult, while Zhou Xiaoyun followed behind silently, accepting the care from his brother's simple words.

Shen Huafeng kept chatting with the two of them. When he got home, he saw Zhao Yuzhen feeding pigs in front of the door and couldn't help praising the brother and sister Zhou Xiaoyun:

"His second aunt, your Dabao and Daya are so capable. I was picking mulberry leaves in the field today and heard voices in your field. I thought it was you at first. Then I stretched my head and took a look, and I realized It was two children picking mulberry leaves there! They even picked a basket of mulberry leaves for me. I really don’t know how to praise them.”

Zhao Yuzhen felt indescribably comfortable after hearing this, and pretended to complain: "I am really busy at home. The child's father is busy collecting pigs all day long, and I have to take care of two little ones by myself. Taking care of a yard of chickens, ducks, pigs, and serving silkworms, there is no time to go to the fields to pick mulberry leaves! To tell you the truth, since the silkworm babies were brought home, Daya and Dabao have been picking the mulberry leaves. !”

After hearing this, Shen Huafeng immediately felt uncomfortable.

This was obviously a boast, but it was understandable to praise someone else's child for being sensible, which immediately made Shen Huafeng feel that his child was inferior to others.

After exchanging pleasantries with Zhao Yuzhen, Shen Huafeng went home and gave Zhou Zhihai and Zhou Xiaoxia a lesson:

"You siblings play or watch TV all day long. Look at the second aunt's family, Daya and Dabao. They go to help the family pick mulberry leaves every day. You will go with them tomorrow. They are such big children. , I’ll see if I can do this well.”

So, at noon the next day, after dinner, Zhou Xiaoxia took Zhou Zhihai to find Zhou Xiaoyun and Dabao, asking to go picking mulberry leaves with them.

The mulberry fields of the two families are close to each other, so it is very convenient to go together. Dabao and Zhou Zhihai ran away in front, and Zhou Xiaoxia and Zhou Xiaoyun behind them couldn't catch up, so they just walked forward slowly.

Zhao Yuzhen was secretly amused at home. Shen Huafeng was as sweet as a needle and wanted to force everything even on her children.

However, Zhao Yuzhen thought proudly that her children had a huge advantage just in terms of number, not to mention their ability. There is no comparison between Zhou Zhihai and Dabao in terms of naughtiness, but how can Zhou Xiaoxia, who is so cute and charming, not look like a rural girl at all, compare to Daya?

 (End of this chapter)