The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 128 - Speculation and Profiteering is Wrong (620+ Monthly Votes)_1

Chapter 128: Chapter 128 - Speculation and Profiteering is Wrong (620+ Monthly Votes)_1

He Tiantian, preoccupied with concerns, even after returning home, continued to think about Qi Xiaoyan and Niu Dajun’s affairs!

Oh, she had no children in her past life! After getting along with Qi Xiaoyan, why did she feel like she was choosing a son-in-law?

Stop thinking about it; if she didn’t sleep soon, she’d have dark circles under her eyes tomorrow.

The next day, He Tiantian heard some noise outside and quickly got up to leave some meat to braise for braised pork, make dumplings, and use the rest to cure for preserved meat. Preserved meat could last a very long time, and it tasted very good.

With nothing else to do, He Tiantian stayed home making delicious food and didn’t go to the livestock team’s place.

At the livestock team’s place, there were Zuo Li, Xiang Rong, Sun Sihao, Qian Shikun, and others; even without He Tiantian and Aunt Liu, they could get the work done just fine.

Seeing that He Tiantian wasn’t leaving, Third Grandma Qi helped her make breakfast, kneaded some dough, and wrapped dumplings.

Third Grandma Qi had built a simple, low, and warm greenhouse herself, about three square meters in size, where she had planted several rows of leeks. They had grown perfectly, and now they could be harvested to make leek dumplings.

With only two people eating, they only needed to prepare small portions of various things, so it was fairly quick. In just over an hour, a steaming dish of chunky pork and leek dumplings was served on the table.

He Tiantian’s nose twitched; it had been a really long time since she had tasted such delicious dumplings.

"Grandma Qi, dumplings are ready!" He Tiantian said excitedly, "You sit tight; I’ll go peel a couple of cloves of garlic, mash them into a paste, add some vinegar, and oh, that will taste even better."

Grandma Qi, seeing He Tiantian’s eager expression, smiled lightly and said, "I’ve already peeled them; you just need to crush them."

He Tiantian made the garlic paste, added vinegar, and placed it in two small bowls, one for each person.

He Tiantian picked up a dumpling with chopsticks and took a bite, "Delicious... ah... so hot!"

"Eat slowly!" Third Grandma Qi laughed, "No one’s competing with you for them; all are right here!"

"Hehe, they really are too delicious. Grandma Qi, you eat too. After I’m full, I’ll go up the mountain to pick pine nuts. I talked to you about this yesterday; I want to pick more, roast them, and send some to my family," He Tiantian said. Others were scared to venture into the back mountain, but she wasn’t afraid with the Snake King’s help.

"You’re just too restless, my child; the good things up there have already been picked clean by others. To find anything at all, you must go deep into the old forest where it’s very dangerous." Third Grandma Qi did not want He Tiantian to take such risks. If something happened, at best she’d be severely injured, or even lose her life!

"It’s fine, Grandma Qi, I’m pretty capable," He Tiantian asserted, "I can run fast; wild boars can’t catch me. Plus, I can climb trees, so if there’s danger, I’ll just climb up."

He Tiantian used to be most afraid of snakes, but now with the Snake King wrapped around her ankle, snakes were the least of her worries.

"Alas, talking to you is no use, but do be careful. You’re the only daughter of your parents; they’d be heartbroken if they lost you," Third Grandma Qi said with emotion. After her son went missing, she’d wept daily, couldn’t sleep at night, and that heart-wrenching pain, even when recalled now, still cut deep.

He Tiantian, upon hearing this, knew Third Grandma Qi was thinking about her son again.

"Yes, Grandma Qi, I understand. That’s why when I can protect myself, I will take good care of my parents. Besides, Uncle Zuo and Uncle Xiang have a kind of powder that reportedly keeps all animals away when you carry it on you." He Tiantian made up a few excuses to console Grandma Qi, so she wouldn’t worry too much.

As expected, after hearing what He Tiantian said, Third Grandma Qi hastily responded, "Then you must ask for some of that powder before heading to the mountains. If they don’t have any, don’t go up there. It’s winter now, and the animals have nothing to eat, so they’ll be roaming about."

"I’ll remember that, Grandma Qi," said He Tiantian. "If I can’t make it back by noon, you should prepare something to eat for yourself and not take it lightly just because you’re eating alone."

"Alright, you go ahead without worry." Third Grandma Qi watched as He Tiantian left.

Carrying her beloved little backpack, He Tiantian cheerfully called for Qi Xiaoyan to go to the livestock farm.

Now, without asking any questions, Zuo Li and Xiang Rong immediately shouldered their bamboo baskets and followed upon hearing that He Tiantian was going to the back mountain.

"I’m just going to pick pine nuts today, not to hunt," said He Tiantian. These two probably had gotten addicted to hunting; they couldn’t sit still, preferring to wander out than doing trivial chores!

"Ha, we’re also going up the mountain to show you something good. I made this bow myself. It’s perfect for shooting rabbits and pheasants," declared Zuo Li. "Let’s go, you might get lucky and encounter some game!"

In fact, He Tiantian indeed wanted to catch some wild rabbits and pheasants to sell and make some money for Niu Lili through Niu Dajun.

Now that she had company, He Tiantian could not go through with it and just honestly collected pine nuts instead.

With the help of Zuo Li and Xiang Rong, they had almost filled a basket by noon, and the three of them descended the mountain, chatting and laughing.

On the way, Zuo Li asked quietly, "Girl Tian, look, if we’re willing to work hard, we can get lots of good things from the mountain. We can’t eat them all, can we sell them?"

He Tiantian was taken aback and quickly advised, "Uncle Zuo, speculating for quick profit is wrong."

Zuo Li didn’t treat He Tiantian as an outsider, and spoke frankly in front of her, "You’re right, speculating for quick profit is wrong, but... but we don’t have clothes for winter. We can’t just huddle up at home and stay warm by the fire all winter! We might be able to cope, but Brother Bai is older than us, and he suffered so much before. Without warm cotton-padded clothes, it might be... it might be very hard for him to get through the winter!"

He Tiantian felt a pang in her heart upon hearing this. Oh, how tough it was for them.

"I have eight or nine pelts that can be made into fur jackets. I’ll ask Aunt Liu for help when I have time, to see if she can make a fur jacket for each of you." He Tiantian said. She didn’t need them herself and couldn’t sell them at the moment, so she might as well give them to them.

"No, that won’t do. Those are what you’ve worked hard to save up; they might be of great use later. If we want them, we’ll hunt ourselves. If we can’t sell them, we’ll eat the meat, keep the pelts to make clothes, and just get through this winter," said Zuo Li. Ah, he didn’t even know how things were at home now. They couldn’t send letters, nor could they send clothes back home.

"Enough of that. We’re sharing hardships together. I won’t be using those things for a while, so you guys take them and use them. Besides, hunting isn’t a sure thing, and it’s very dangerous. So, how about this instead? If we can tell from the animal tracks where there may be more game, let’s set traps," He Tiantian suggested. Even though it was a slower method, it was much safer!

Plus, this way, she wouldn’t have to use herself as bait every time she cheated with the help of the Snake King and get chased all over the mountain by wild boars.