The roads in the village were too bad for cars to enter, so Meng Yao and Jiang Wenlei followed the uncle into the village with their things.
In this era, rural areas were all about the same, with adobe and thatched houses, and the better ones were the newly built tile-roofed houses.
Entering the village, it was peaceful and quiet. Maybe it was because everyone was working in the village and selling goods at this time. After walking for a while, I didn't see anyone.
The dog at home smelled a strange smell. Several dog barks came one after another, followed by human voices scolding the dogs. Then someone opened the door with a "squeak" and stuck his head out.
"His second uncle, why are you back so early today? These two people are relatives of yours, have you never met them?"
"no!"
Uncle Huang waved his hand and subconsciously asked Meng Yao for her opinion. Seeing that she had no objection, he said, "They are here to collect some walnuts and hawthorns!"
When the man heard this, he asked with bright eyes: "Did you get a lot? Among other things, the walnuts and hawthorns here are very good. If you don't believe me, you can go and have a look at home!"
Meng Yao smiled and said: "The collection is small for the time being, but we will come again if needed!"
"Okay, okay, Uncle Huang, if you want these two people, you can come home and say hello."
Uncle Huang responded with a smile.
After walking far, Uncle Huang introduced to Meng Yao: "People in our village have mountainous land and cannot grow food. They all plant walnut trees and hawthorn trees. No one usually harvests them. They are all eaten by themselves!"
"But the walnuts and hawthorns we have here are indeed good. The walnuts have thin skin and lots of meat, and the hawthorns are not sour."
Meng Yao responded with a smile on his face.
Whether the quality is good or not, you need to see it to know.
There are many people on the village street. Some are drying food on the roadside and some are not busy chatting.
Uncle Huang's family lived on the street, and as they walked and greeted each other, Meng Yao and the two strangers attracted many curious eyes.
Uncle Huang's house has earthen walls and wooden doors, and the doors are locked.
When Uncle Huang saw it, he knew that his wife had gone out. "My wife is not at home. She should have gone to the mountains. She just can't stay idle!"
"We are both old, so we only cultivated one acre of land in total. We thought it would be enough for us to eat. My wife sneaked on the mountain by herself and reclaimed a place. Under the shade of the trees, we planted some peanuts and some peanuts.
Sesame, I wish I could harvest more!"
Uncle Huang took out the key, opened the courtyard door, and invited them in.
Maybe it's because the sun is nice today and the walnuts are drying in the yard.
Uncle Huang put the keys away and grabbed one.
The green skin on the outside has gone away, and the dried walnut shells are light yellow and look very beautiful.
"Daughter, you have a taste, and little brother, you have a taste too."
Meng Yao took it and saw that the walnuts were indeed heavy. You could tell how much meat there was without opening them.
Meng Yao was still looking for something to crack open the walnut, but there were two "click" and "click" sounds from the left and right.
Uncle Huang and Jiang Wenlei opened the walnuts with one hand.
Meng Yao chuckled and squeezed hard.
Only then did I realize that the skin of the walnuts was really thin and it would open as soon as I pinched it.
Uncle Huang originally wanted to give the walnuts in his hand to Meng Yao, but when he saw that she had squeezed them open by herself, he said with a smile: "The skin of our walnuts is very thin, and the walnuts are also fragrant. My dear, please try it!"
Meng Yao has already eaten the walnut in his mouth.
As the uncle said, the skin is thin and the meat is rich, and it tastes particularly fragrant.
Meng Yao tasted it and agreed on the price with the uncle.
Walnuts are expensive in other places, but in a small and remote place like theirs, it's hard not to sell them.
Although most of the people in their village have grown walnuts, they suffer from the lack of sales and hope that someone will come to harvest them, so the price is very low, sixty cents per pound.
Meng Yao didn't have much money in hand, and he was going to open a shop for business later, so he didn't deliberately offer a high price and took the price according to the price offered by the uncle.
Uncle Huang's family had three bags of walnuts, and he kept half of the bag for his own consumption, and sold the rest.
In fact, he was a little hesitant about selling the remaining bits. It didn't matter whether he and his wife would eat them or not.
But thinking about my several sons and daughters, I finally left some for them.
One hundred and fifteen pounds in total.
There are also those hawthorns. Hawthorns are not as good as walnuts and are difficult to store. Basically no one wants them. Uncle Huang can give them as much as he wants.
Meng Yao calculated the money for the uncle. The uncle took the money and was so happy that he couldn't open his mouth and said, "Girl, please wait for me for a while. I will take you to the mountain. You want saplings. Yes, the saplings are small and not worth much."
Just think of it as my gift to you!"
Another saving, Meng Yao thanked him profusely.
Jiang Wenlei took a large sack and put all the walnuts in it, while Meng Yao carried a light hawthorn and waited for Uncle Huang for a while before he came out. He thought he just hid the money.
Uncle Huang found a straw hat and a basket in the yard, put it on his shoulder and greeted them quickly, "Daughter, let's go!"
Meng Yao and the others were weighing things, and naturally some villagers asked.
Uncle Huang's walnuts were sold, which aroused the envy and inquiries of many people.
However, Meng Yao had already collected enough things, so he declined them one by one and told them to come over and buy them if they needed them.
After putting these things in the car, Meng Yao originally planned to invite Uncle Wang to get in the car and drive to the foot of the mountain.
Who knew that Uncle Huang waved his hand and refused!
"It's very uncomfortable for me to ride in this car. It's only a few steps away, so I won't sit in it. Why don't you go over and wait for me for a while? The road up the mountain is right in front of you."
Seeing how far the distance was, Meng Yao didn't take the car and asked Jiang Wenlei to go first, while he and Uncle Hu chatted while walking.
Before, it was Meng Yao asking Uncle Hu a question, but now it's Uncle Hu asking what Meng Yao does?
When he found out that Meng Yao was selling food, Uncle Huang gave him a thumbs up.
"My daughter, the snacks you gave me taste so good. They are better than the ones my daughter bought for me in the store before. They are so delicious. Your craftsmanship is beyond praise!"
Meng Yao was a little shy after being praised, "Thank you for your praise, I'm just messing around!"
"Where is the fuss? Old man, although I have never eaten anything good, I can still tell whether the food is good or not! My daughter, you are so good at your crafts, you can definitely make a lot of money!"
Meng Yao laughed at Uncle Huang's kind words, "Then let's take advantage of uncle Huang's good words!"
This mountain must have existed for a long time, and the road up the mountain is smooth and solid.
Uncle Huang said that they often take care of this mountain. Neighbors often come together to hoe weeds and other things. There are snakes and other things, but they are not poisonous. However, if you are stung by some insect, scorpion, or bee, you may feel uncomfortable.
Uncle Huang picked up a stick and gave it to Meng Yao and asked her to hold it.
If there are weeds, use a stick to explore the path first. Don't go in easily. Some grasses have thorns, which can be unpleasant if they get stuck on your body.
Meng Yao acted like he was hiking a mountain, holding the long stick and waving it here and there while walking.
And sometimes luck comes and you can't stop it.
Meng Yao just casually poked the thick weeds with a stick, and with a "clack" sound, a pheasant flew out from the weeds.