A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 75 Taking Off the Hat

This question left Zhang Niu momentarily speechless. "Just kidding. How about I take you inside and show you?"

"Okay. Let's see what good stuff is inside." With that, he turned and ran into the bamboo house.

As soon as she entered the bamboo house, Xiaohua wrinkled her little nose and caught a faint scent of perfume. Following the scent, she saw a bottle of Chanel perfume on the bamboo table in the room. Isn't that a girl's perfume? Does he have a girlfriend? She picked up the perfume bottle and smelled it; it was rose.

Xiaohua had seen this perfume brand at her school friends' place; she heard it was quite expensive, but its fragrance was wonderful.

"Hey, you've got a girlfriend, you stinky cow!" Xiaohua teased, holding up a perfume bottle.

Zhang Niu heard Xiao Hua say that. He was truly wronged. It seemed that the round girl had left it here. She hadn't been coming over much lately. "Don't talk nonsense. Look at me, I'm happy I'm not giving myself away." It was left here by a friend.

"Hehe, even the stinky cow in our village has learned this trick!" Xiaohua said mischievously. "How about I introduce you to some of my girlfriends? They're really pretty."

Do all girls take pride in introducing others to their partners? This thought flashed through Zhang Niu's mind. "Forget it, I'll just hope we're destined to meet again. But don't call me 'Stinky Ox' anymore."

Little Flower pouted and said, "You stinky cow, that's how I'm going to call you!" She even puffed out her chest.

It seems Xiaohua has developed a fuller figure now. I don't know if it's from eating too much stewed papaya in Guangdong... Anyway, she's got great curves now, no longer the flat-chested girl she used to be.

He secretly glanced at Zhang Niu a few times before quickly looking away.

"Are you free this afternoon? I've been wanting to go to the terraced fields to pick 'hats' lately," Xiaohua said, lying on the bamboo bed and looking around.

"Take off your hat. That's for kids to eat. Are you interested in it too?" Zhang Niu was a little confused.

He glared at Zhang Niu a few times and said, "Are you going or not? I don't have any friends in the village, otherwise I would have asked you, you stinky ox, to come."

"Okay, okay." Zhang Niu had no choice but to surrender. "Then let's wait at the village entrance this afternoon!"

When Zhang Niu reached the door, Xiao Hua had already gotten on her bicycle; he could only see a slender figure and her black hair blowing in the breeze.

After Xiaohua left, Zhang Niu went back to his room to clean up the trash that filled the house. He hadn't even soaked the clothes from this morning yet. Sigh, running a household isn't easy. Zhang Niu couldn't help but think of how nice it was to be at home.

The cat next to me had its mouth open, seemingly wanting to eat; this had become its trademark. What a glutton! Big Red no longer takes care of it; I guess it left because it can't fly!

Seeing that no one paid attention to it, the cat started playing with the little turtle again, one curling up inside and the other pecking at the turtle's shell, making a thumping sound.

After lunch, Zhang Niu rode his bicycle home. He then planned to wait for Xiao Hua at the village entrance.

After parking the car, grab a laundry basket from home so you can use it to store the "hats" later.

Little Flower was already waiting at the village entrance. In the afternoon, she changed into a white casual outfit, wearing a straw hat and two long-sleeved shirts tied around her wrists.

Walking along the path at the village entrance, heading towards the back mountain. The fields on the back mountain are terraced, and the "hats" grow on those terraced mountain walls or along the edges of the fields.

Walking up the small hill, Xiaohua's forehead was already covered in sweat. "Are you alright? Do you want to rest?" Seeing that Xiaohua looked a little tired, Zhang Niu stopped and asked gently.

"No need, just walk slowly, I can't keep up with you if you go too fast," she said, panting slightly and blushing.

It turned out I was walking too fast. "Okay, let's walk slowly then," I said with an embarrassed smile.

Purple morning glories bloom all over the mountains and fields by the roadside. After the cold winter, these figures, some red and some purple, adorn the roadside and add a lot of color to the little mountain path.

"Hey stinky cow, do you think the flower on my head looks pretty?"

Zhang Niu, who was walking in front, looked back and saw a red morning glory tucked into his long hair. He smiled and said, "It looks good," offering a compliment.

"Hmph! You just blurted it out without even thinking. You're just trying to fool me." She pouted angrily.

Zhang Niu was sweating bullets. Who knew it would turn out like this? Isn't it true that saying nice things is always the right thing to do?

After this little incident, Zhang Niu and Xiao Hua had already climbed the steps. Walking up the terraced fields required careful footing. The path was slippery and paved with stones. Over the years, the stones had been worn smooth.

Looking straight ahead, there was a patch of green grass growing beside the terraced fields. Among the green leaves, there were many red shadows, which were the "hats" that Zhang Niu wanted to pick.

"Hat" is a wild fruit. There are many varieties near Zhangjia Village. One type grows on short grass stems, while the other grows on taller shrubs. Everyone likes to call this one "Milk Hat," and it tastes better than the shorter kind. Both are covered in thorns, so Xiaohua put on her sleeves to protect herself from the thorns.

The "hat" is similar to a regular straw hat from a village, a hollow semi-circle covered in fine down. You can squeeze out a sweet, red juice. Zhang Niu still has plenty to pick now, but on weekends, the whole mountain will be full of little kids and their little girls following behind.

"This year I can finally get to eat hats!" Xiaohua had several red "hats" in her hand. "You really can't see these hats at school, I didn't expect to have a chance to pick them this year," she said as she ate a few.

"Hehe. Yes, there's been less rain this year, and we didn't get much fruit last year. Let's go up ahead and look for milk caps."

Xiao Hua knew the "hat" below wasn't tasty, but she followed along. When Zhang Niu walked up the terraced fields, he saw the five-meter-tall octagonal thorn tree in the distance.

"Look, do you remember when a group of us went there to pick milk caps?" he said to Xiaohua, who had just come up.

Xiao Hua had just come up and was catching her breath. "Oh, I know. Isn't it the tallest and biggest octagonal thorn in our village? You were quite the talker back then, saying you were going to cut it down to burn for firewood." She stared at Zhang Niu with a smile.

Zhang Niu scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "I really miss the old days. When I was young and ignorant, I said I wanted to chop some wood to burn. With everyone egging me on, I ran home to get a machete and got a good beating from my dad."

Xiao Hua laughed, "You were the best back then. Come on, let's go up and take a look. I remember I carved some words on the tree trunk."

In front of Zhang Niu was an open space overgrown with weeds. There were many hats there too. Beside the terraced fields stood a thorny bush. The villagers said that this tree, growing to over five meters tall, had lived for about twenty years; it was already over three meters tall when Zhang Niu was young. Its entire body was covered in leaves; if you picked one and held it in your palm, you'd find exactly eight thorns. Getting pricked by them felt a bit like getting a shot.

"It's gone. This tree covered everything too quickly." Little Flower, who had just arrived, was eager to see it, but unfortunately, it was blocked by the thorns in front of her.

"Forget it. I doubt you can even find your handwriting now. Can't you see how lush this thing is?" Zhang Niu gestured as he stood in front of the tree.

Unable to find the numbers on the sign, the two could only pick some milk caps from the surrounding open space to take back. The "milk caps" were much smaller than those big red hats, only about the size of a child's thumb.

The milk cap is still blooming with snow-white flowers, and little bees occasionally land on it.

This open space was as big as a school playground. Lots and lots of hats were growing there. Little Flower was picking them enthusiastically. Zhang Niu, on the other hand, was eating nearby, shaking his head at Little Flower – "That guy's too lazy. Hopeless."

After picking about half of the fruit into his basket, Zhang Niu decided to stop. His hands were pricked a few times by small thorns, leaving tiny specks of blood.

Standing by the terraced fields, gazing at the lush green hillside opposite, Zhang Niu suddenly remembered that it was the village's tea plantation. He recalled his mother carrying a small bamboo basket early this morning, saying she was going to pick tea. The tea was currently nine yuan a jin (approximately 0.5 kg). A day's harvest could earn sixty yuan, and women from the village and even nearby villages would come here; the mountains were all tea plantations.

Tea plantations are mostly located in rural villages, and are largely contracted out to local big bosses. During the harvest, they hire villagers and buy the tea leaves by weight (per kilogram), then transport them out for further processing. There's also a collection point in a small, more distant place called Xiandu.

Some families in Zhangjia Village do grow their own tea, but it's too little. Uncle Zhang from the village is a master at stir-frying fresh tea leaves; I heard he was invited out of the mountains to help by a certain boss.

The vegetation in Zhangniu is abundant, the slopes are relatively high, and the air is humid. There's a saying, "Good tea comes from high mountains and misty clouds," which also refers to Zhangniu. They generally grow varieties like Wenlv and Liren, which are high-mountain teas.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Little Flower called out from behind, having just returned with a basket full of hats.

"No, I just saw the tea plantation across the way and remembered it's tea-picking season." She took a handful of hats from her small flower basket and popped them into her mouth.

Little Flower stomped her foot, truly unable to do anything with this guy. "How about we go over there and take a look?"

"That thing isn't anything to see. What's the point of going there? You'll look pale again later." He recalled her pale face as they walked up the stairs.

Zhang Niu finally agreed to go there with Xiao Hua.

Zhang Niu carried the small flower basket as they walked along the narrow stone path towards the tea plantation. Along the way, they could hear the sound of mountain streams flowing down the terraced fields, forming small puddles below, their water crystal clear. If they were lucky, they might even find a cold-water puddle.

The little flower in front was hopping around. "Be careful, don't fall off the terraced fields." Zhang Niu behind was a little worried as he watched the little flower hopping around.

The mountain path was slippery and overgrown with weeds. Zhang Niu himself had to be careful walking on it.

Zhang Niu, who was following behind, casually plucked a stalk of grass and chewed on it. He looked a bit like a scoundrel. Xiao Hua, who had just turned around, saw him and said, "Stinky Niu, it looks really bad of you to be chewing on that stalk of grass." She covered her mouth and chuckled.

Puzzled, Zhang Niu spat out the weeds. "Even finding something to do gets me criticized; it's really painful."

In the blink of an eye, Xiaohua was holding a large bunch of red azaleas, some of which were still buds. She waved the azaleas at Zhang Niu and even bit one into her mouth. "The azaleas on the mountain now aren't as sweet as they used to be," she said, tilting her head as she looked at Zhang Niu.

She avoided his gaze. "It's been raining. The scent has faded. I hadn't noticed how much the flowers have faded with the rain these past few days. Take a look for yourself if you don't believe me."

After looking at them up and down for a while, she said, "Yes, look how different these two flowers are," with the air of a child.

Holding the azaleas in her hands, Xiao Hua sang an old song from the village: "There's a girl named Xiao Fang in the village, beautiful and pretty..."

The crisp sound echoed on the steps.

Zhang Niu, sitting behind her, was also engrossed in the song. It's a song Xiao Hua has sung since she was little. Back then, she really wanted to be Xiao Fang, the character with the big eyes in the song.

"Did you sing well?" Xiao Hua, turning around, almost bumped into Zhang Niu.

"Hmm... It still sounds as good as before," Zhang Niu blurted out as soon as he came to his senses.

Xiao Hua knew that Zhang Niu had been listening intently; he'd been singing this song for years. Back then, she used to be followed by a large group of children. Now, only Zhang Niu remained in the village, and he was the only one left to keep her company.

The two turned off the mountain path and climbed the hillside, slowly ascending the terraced fields. Little Flower, however, looked even paler.

He turned around and reached out his hand. "Come on. Let me give you a hand."

Xiao Hua placed her small hand on it, panting, "Thank you for your help." Beads of sweat dripped down her face.

Xiao Hua's little hands were small and soft, with a faint scar on her wrist. It was from a fall while hiking when she was little. Zhang Niu and the others still feel very bad about it.

On the tea mountain, many villagers carried bamboo baskets, their hands moving swiftly up and down as they picked tea leaves.

"Zhang Wa. You're here too!" Zhang Niu, who was watching the tea leaves being picked, heard the voice.

Little Flower's mother emerged from the path through the tea bushes. "Little Flower, what's wrong? You're not feeling well," she asked anxiously, noticing Little Flower's pale face.

"Mom, it's nothing. I haven't been up the mountain in a long time, I'm just not used to it yet," she explained.

He handed over the basket. "Mom, try some. We just picked these with Zhang Niu down there."

She took a few hats. "Be careful up here. The road is slippery. Huahua, you need to go home early. Mom probably won't be back until late today. Cook some food for yourself."

"Okay, I understand." She nodded gently.

"Zhang Wa, could you please take care of my Hua Hua?" said someone as they entered the long tea-lined path.

"Xiaohua, let's walk up a bit more, then we'll come down." This tea mountain is much colder than the terraced fields on the back mountain we just visited.

"kindness"

The villagers were busy picking tea leaves and paid little attention to Zhang Niu and his companion. Many people come to the tea mountain every day.

Walking along the tea-growing path, I saw tea trees taller than half a person in front of me. At their very tips were tender green leaves. I'd heard that only these few leaves were picked.

Zhang Niu, itching to pick more leaves, plucked a few and put them in his mouth. A faint bitterness filled his tongue as he spat out the leaves. "These leaves taste even more bitter than honeysuckle..."

Watching Zhang Niu eat the tender leaves, Xiao Hua laughed and said, "You... you really do some childish things..."

"Isn't this just to taste it?" She picked a few more tender leaves from the side. "Why don't you try some too? I just love the aroma after the bitterness."

"No way! Your tricks might work on other people, but don't even think about using them on me." She rolled her eyes at Zhang Niu.

Going downhill is less strenuous than going uphill. At a puddle, Zhang Niu scooped up some cold water and washed his face. "Feels good... Xiao Hua, you should wash your face too, it feels really good."

Sitting on a rock, fanning herself with her straw hat, Little Flower exclaimed, "Great... there aren't any leeches here, are there?"

Zhang Niu was puzzled. How could anyone still believe such nonsense? "Don't overthink it... Look, I just showered. It's nothing."

When they reached the edge of the puddle, Zhang Niu had already given up his spot.

The cold water made Xiaohua's face look much better. "Not bad, right? This water. It came from the bottom of the cold water puddle."

"You're so sweet-talking," he said, pulling out a tissue from his pocket. He took one out and asked, "Want one?"

He waved his hand, saying, "I don't need it; I'm more comfortable this way."

Washing my face with cold water. The slight coolness feels soothing.

After washing their faces, they both felt much more refreshed. Walking down the mountain, carrying quite a few hats, they ran into some village children returning from school in the afternoon. Seeing all the blue hats, Xiaohua would share a few with them. After receiving them, they would all say thank you, sister.

The once-blue hat was now only half blue. Little Flower smiled broadly as she watched them eat and walk, completely oblivious to the hats that had been given away.

After taking Xiaohua home, Zhang Niu carried a basket of "hats" home. Just as he was about to enter the house, he saw Wenwen and her younger sister walking back together, humming a little tune.

Upon seeing Zhang Niu standing in front of the door, the younger sister grabbed Wenwen and ran over.

"Brother, did you just pick these?" the little sister asked after popping two into her mouth.

"Yes. I picked these for you, you greedy little devil. Wenwen, have some too, don't be shy. Anyway, these things can't be kept overnight." He handed the basket to his little sister. "Eat slowly."

The little girl grabbed the basket and ran home; they must have been eating and cooking together. Zhang Niu knew his little sister quite well.

Update complete. That's all for today! This chapter isn't very well written. I rushed through it this afternoon, so please forgive me. I recommend my friend Zimu's novel, also a farming story, book ID: 1371082, "The Little Farmer's Mischievous Adventures." Just between you and me, this book is really worth reading.