When the pears are green

Song Li was pulling radishes from the ground with great effort. The radishes piled up into a small hill beside her.

Jiang Qingye squatted beside the pile of radishes and, following Song Li's instructions, cut off all the radish tops and put them in the basket.

While cutting, Jiang Qingye asked, "Sister-in-law, what do you want to do with it? In the past, my brother and I would just pull it off and chop it up to feed the chickens and pigs."

Song Li reached out and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She smiled and said to Jiang Qingye, "I have learned how to make dried vegetables before. I plan to make the radish leaves into dried vegetables. We can eat them in winter. They are delicious."

"Dried vegetables? I've never seen that. My brother and I only know how to dry radishes." After Jiang Qingye finished speaking, he pressed down the radish leaves in the basket with both hands, trying to make more space.

"Then when the dried vegetables are ready, I'll stew meat for you. Let Qingye taste it first, okay?" After Song Li finished speaking, she put her hands over her eyes and looked towards the intersection. Jiang Qingzhou had not come back yet.

Song Li put her hand down, turned around and prepared to continue pulling out the radishes.

Song Li noticed that the basket was full. She smiled and said to Jiang Qingye, "Qingye, take the radish tops home first. When you get home, wash them with water, tie them with the cloth strips I prepared, and hang them on the rope to dry. Don't come again. I'll take the rest back. Tell your brother that the radishes are almost finished."

Jiang Qingye nodded and walked home with the basket.

Song Li continued to squat and pulled out the remaining radishes one by one.

"Are you the bride of the Jiang family?" someone asked Song Li.

Song Li looked towards the source of the voice and found that a pretty girl was talking to her.

"Yes, it's me. May I ask who you are?" Song Li recalled the people she had met in Jiangjia Village in the past few days, and indeed had never seen this little girl.

After the little girl heard what Song Li said, she ran to Song Li, looked at her again and again, and then asked: "Were you deceived?"

After hearing this, Song Li smiled softly and said to the girl, "No, Qingzhou and I were arranged by a matchmaker. We registered with the government."

The girl looked at Song Li, then said to herself, "I was engaged to the Jiang family before."

Song Li had never heard Jiang Qingzhou talk about this before. She looked at the little girl who was talking to herself in surprise.

"I liked him very much before. He was handsome, literate, and treated me well. But people said that his parents died early, and he would not live long. Whoever married him would be a widow, so I broke off the engagement with him. Unexpectedly, he got married after just over a year." The "he" the little girl was talking about was obviously Jiang Qingzhou.

After listening to her, Song Li glanced at the little girl and continued to pull her radishes. As she pulled, Song Li thought, I really have to thank you.

The little girl looked at Song Li's indifferent expression and asked, "Aren't you afraid?"

"Little girl, have you been deceived? How can one be sure of such a thing? Maybe I'm better than..." Before Song Li could finish her words, someone covered her mouth and she fell into a warm embrace.

"Xiao Li, don't talk nonsense. Take a break. I brought you some water." Jiang Qingzhou let go of Song Li, poured a bowl of water from the pitcher and handed it to Song Li, who drank the water. When she looked up again, the little girl had left.

Song Li asked jokingly: "Qingzhou, who is that?"

"I knew him before, but I don't know him now." Jiang Qingzhou said as he put radishes into his backpack.

After hearing this, Song Li laughed softly, then squatted beside Jiang Qingzhou and put radishes into the backpack together.

Jiang Qingzhou looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. He looked at Song Li, and seeing that Song Li's expression remained normal, he swallowed what he wanted to say in his heart.

Song Li looked at the radishes that had already been pulled out, and she said to Jiang Qingzhou: "Now that we have pulled out the radishes, this piece of land cannot be left idle here. Let's plant some garlic, which can be used as a seasoning and can also kill bacteria and viruses."

"Of course, I'll go to town to buy some garlic tomorrow and plant it the day after tomorrow." Jiang Qingzhou said as he carried the backpack.

Song Li hurriedly followed, supporting the backpack with her hands, hoping that this would reduce the gravity of the backpack sinking and relieve Jiang Qingzhou's shoulders.

After returning home, Jiang Qingzhou dumped the radishes in the backpack into the west compartment. After a short rest, he and Song Li went to the field again to carry back the remaining radishes.

When Jiang Qingzhou and the others returned, Jiang Qingye had already washed all the radish tops and tied them with cloth strips and hung them on a rope to dry.

After seeing this, Song Li praised Jiang Qingye and asked, "Qingye, what do you want to eat for lunch?"

Jiang Qingye thought for a moment and said, "Sister-in-law, I want to eat noodles mixed with the pickled cucumbers made by aunt. It's especially delicious."

The pickled cucumbers that Jiang Qingye mentioned were the ones that Zhang asked Song Li to bring back yesterday.

Song Li responded and went into the kitchen to knead the dough.

Jiang Qingzhou looked at the two of them. He felt that he was completely ignored by Song Li, and then followed Song Li into the kitchen.

Jiang Qingzhou followed wherever Song Li went. Song Li asked curiously, "Qingzhou, what's wrong with you?"

Jiang Qingzhou said with a wronged look on his face: "You only asked Qingye just now, and didn't ask me. Are you still angry that I shouldn't have concealed the fact that I was engaged?"

Song Li considered herself to be a very generous person, and she would not get angry about such things, so Song Li smiled and said, "Qingzhou, I am not angry."

Jiang Qingzhou looked at Song Li's half-smiley expression. He grabbed Song Li's hand as she was kneading dough and said, "I didn't mention it at the time because I was afraid that Xiaoli would dislike me. I have always felt guilty."

After Song Li heard this, she put her forehead against Jiang Qingzhou's and said, "Are you afraid that I will dislike you? Don't you believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe it, but I don't know how to start." Jiang Qingzhou looked at Song Li and said.

"Okay, let's not dwell on this issue. You can go out first and we can eat soon." Song Li raised her head and continued to knead the noodles in the bowl.

Jiang Qingzhou sat on the stool in front of the stove and said to Song Li, "I'll light the fire for you later."

Song Li knew that she couldn't drive Jiang Qingzhou away, so she just let him go.

After dinner, Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou washed a basin of radishes, then cut them into thick strips, preparing to take advantage of the good weather in the next few days to dry them into dried radishes.

Song Li, who was tired after a day of work, lay drowsy on the bed. She opened her dazed eyes and looked at Jiang Qingzhou who had been staring at her. She said weakly, "I told you, I'm not angry. If you do this again, I'll be really angry."

Jiang Qingzhou turned around hurriedly after hearing this. Song Li smiled after seeing this, and then reached out and patted Jiang Qingzhou on the back. While patting him, she said, "Go to sleep, go to sleep." Then she fell into a deep sleep.

Jiang Qingzhou turned around again, gently held Song Li's hand, and fell asleep together.