CHAPTER 159: CHAPTER 159: YOU CAN’T CALL A GIRL BY HER GIVEN NAME CASUALLY

There are quite a lot of sweet potatoes in the Jiang family this year.

Sweet potatoes, sorghum, and corn can be intercropped. Jiang Hu intercropped four acres, so there’s pigweed for feeding pigs.

The sorghum and corn stalks have been cut, and the land has been fertilized and turned over again.

Now, new sweet potato vines have climbed over, absorbing the nutrients from the soil and growing more luxuriantly.

Jiang Hu and Second Mother each took a sickle, cutting a section off the long sweet potato vines, then turning up the remaining vines to expose the sweet potato ridges.

Xiaomi, Xiaoxue, Tiedan Liu Ze, and of course, Qixi.

The few of them were responsible for slowly using bamboo knives to dig up the soil, choosing the larger sweet potatoes, digging out one from under each sweet potato vine, and then refilling the soil.

Luckily, there were many people, otherwise with this method, they wouldn’t be able to dig out a few even in one day.

"Xiaoxue, keep an eye on Tiedan so he doesn’t cause trouble."

Tiedan is still young and can’t carry out his tasks well, often helping less and causing more trouble.

"Okay, Mother, I’ll watch him."

Xiaomi rolled her eyes, putting the big sweet potato in her hand to the side: "Tiedan, take this and put it in the basket, and I’ll roast sweet potatoes for you tonight."

The basket was on the edge of the field.

"Really, sister will roast them for me?" Tiedan thought his sister’s roasted sweet potatoes tasted better.

Xiaomi nodded: "Sure, I’ll roast them for you. We’ll dig, and you take all the sweet potatoes over there."

Xiaomi would sneakly bring sweet potatoes out from the space, so the taste occasionally varied.

But sweet potatoes, even if they grow on the same plant, can taste different, some better and some worse, so the adults didn’t mind.

But in Tiedan’s eyes, he just felt his sister’s roasted sweet potatoes tasted better!

"Thank you, sister!" Tiedan immediately became happy, picking up a sweet potato and going towards the edge of the field.

After all, at only two years old, Tiedan had limited strength, holding at most two sweet potatoes before running to the edge of the field.

All for the roasted sweet potatoes made personally by sister, go for it!

Xiaoxue secretly laughed: "Xiaomi, you’re really clever, always finding a way to make Tiedan listen."

This way, Tiedan couldn’t make trouble.

Xiaomi lifted her chin proudly: "Of course, Xiaomi is the smartest."

Beside them, Liu Ze couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. Xiaomi was very clever, and Xiaoxue was very gentle. They were truly two good sisters.

Although the sweet potato digging was slow, by the end of the afternoon, there was quite a harvest; Jiang Hu and Second Mother each carried a basket back and dumped it by the river.

Second Mother took a bamboo basket and a stick to wash the sweet potatoes by the river, while Jiang Hu and Qixi went back to the field to carry back sweet potato vines.

They filled half a basket with sweet potatoes and placed it where the river flowed, just enough to submerge most of the bamboo basket. By stirring inside, the mud was washed away by the river water.

The washed sweet potatoes were poured directly onto the stone pile by the riverbank, in the sun before it set, drying the moisture on the surface to avoid getting everything wet on the way back.

"Sister, such a big fish."

Next to them, Tiedan lay on a big rock, eyes wide open, staring at the big fish swimming in the river.

Behind him was Xiaoxue with a stern face, holding tightly onto his clothes to prevent him from accidentally slipping down.

Next to Xiaoxue stood Liu Ze. It was his first time by the river, and like Tiedan, he was very curious.

In the past few days, his health had improved, his legs were getting steadier, and today he walked to the field by himself and back.

Xiaoxue, holding Tiedan, didn’t forget to caution Liu Ze.

"Brother Ze, step back a bit, don’t get too close to the edge. Be careful not to fall in, you’re not well, and the wind by the river could easily give you a cold if your clothes get wet."

Liu Ze nodded: "Okay."

Then obediently took two steps back.

On the other side, although Xiaomi wasn’t lying on the rock, she was also peeking into the river.

"Such a really big fish, and it’s so bold, not even running away when it sees us!"

Xiaoxue furrowed her brows tightly: "Xiaomi, step back a bit, be careful not to fall."

Xiaomi waved her hand to show she heard: "Don’t worry, Second Sister, I’m watching, I won’t fall. Besides, the water here isn’t deep, there’s nothing to be afraid of."

Indeed, it wasn’t deep; even if they fell, it would reach up to Xiaomi’s waist at most.

Xiaoxue sighed deeply, always feeling she could never stop worrying about her younger siblings.

Fortunately, Xiaomi was sensible and wouldn’t do dangerous things, and Tiedan was very obedient to Xiaomi, so she wasn’t too tired taking care of the two.

No, Xiaoxue suddenly grabbed Liu Ze’s wrist; there were three!

"Brother Ze, I told you not to get close, why didn’t you listen!"

She glared at Liu Ze as she spoke.

Just a moment ago, he’d taken two steps back, but while she talked with Xiaomi, he’d moved to the front again!

Liu Ze felt a bit embarrassed: "Sister Xiaoxue, I was being very careful; I just wanted to see the big fish."

Having lived with the Jiang family for so long, he’d eaten fish several times. There was a stone tank in the Jiang family’s yard where quite a few were kept.

But those fish were noticeably smaller than the one in the river. He had never seen such a large fish, at least as long as an adult’s arm!

Xiaomi looked at Liu Ze with curiosity.

"Brother Ze, why do you call me Xiaomi but always call Second Sister Sister Xiaoxue?"

Xiaomi was purely curious and didn’t overthink it, really!

Instead, it was Liu Ze who blushed from the question but still carefully explained.

"Sister Xiaoxue is grown up, and you can’t call names randomly. Xiaomi, you should remember that when you grow up, you shouldn’t let boys casually call you by your name either."

Xiaomi blinked her eyes, so there was nothing to worry about as a child? Is that how it works?

"It ran away, Sister, the big fish ran away."

Tiedan wailed, shaking Xiaomi’s hand, almost crying as if he had lost something of his own.

Xiaomi helplessly patted him: "Okay, okay, careful not to pull Second Sister into the water with you. If it ran away, let it be. There are so many fish at home, how can we not have any to eat?"

Liu Ze also steadied Xiaoxue: "Be careful, Sister Xiaoxue, are you okay?"

Earlier, Tiedan excitedly grabbed Xiaomi’s hand, causing the Xiaoxue holding onto his clothes to stumble. Fortunately, Liu Ze moved quickly, or Xiaoxue would have fallen into the water.

Xiaoxue shook her head: "I’m fine; the riverbank is too dangerous. Let’s go back first."

Liu Ze nodded in strong agreement; it was indeed too dangerous.

Xiaomi had already pulled Tiedan down from the rock and was running to the pile of sweet potatoes by the river.

Pulling Tiedan, she didn’t forget to shout to her mother: "Mother, we’re going home first, to roast sweet potatoes for Tiedan!"

Second Mother straightened up, relieving the soreness: "Go slowly, be careful not to fall."

"Got it."

Passing by the pile of sweet potatoes, she didn’t forget to pick a few suitable ones to take back for roasting, as the sweet potatoes at home were already gone.

Liu Ze: "Sister Xiaoxue, let’s go back first too."