In the blink of an eye, it was mid-October, and for the mountain kids, it was the happiest time of the year.
Because the wild fruits in the mountains were ripening.
The fruits that couldn’t be eaten could be made into jam, and the wild vegetables could be pickled into salted vegetables or made into sauces, which were the most delicious ingredients for winter.
Gu Lingling didn’t idle either; with school becoming increasingly chaotic, she discussed with Liu Yating and Hao Lianlian and directly asked the teacher for leave, deciding not to go to school.
Every day, they headed to the mountains, of course taking along the little tag-along, Liu Yaxin.
The little girl, like Su Ziqiao, was a genuine foodie. Hearing about going to the mountains to pick wild fruits and vegetables made her extremely happy.
Yao Jingsong also brought his group of boys to join Gu Lingling’s team, and this is when the boys’ skills shone, even bringing back some wild game.
Having been embarrassed by Gu Lingling recently, they now acted like untamed horses.
If not for Gu Lingling’s restraint, these boys would have dared to venture deep into the mountain.
Gu Lingling first helped Liu Yating’s family pickle a few jars of wild fruits, and the little foodie Liu Yaxin would run to the jars every day to steal a glance.
In the summer, they had too many tomatoes in their field to consume, so it was Gu Lingling who proposed a solution: peeling the fresh tomatoes, chopping them into pieces, and steaming them in jars over a pot.
The steamed tomatoes were still fresh for Wang Shuxia to stir-fry now. They had prepared several jars, eating sparingly enough to last until New Year, ensuring they still had tomatoes to eat.
Now, it wasn’t just Liu Yaxin; even Liu Jianping praised that their family’s meals were much better than before.
"Brother Hai, here’s some jam I made, along with these pickle sauces." The pickle sauce Gu Lingling made wasn’t just wild vegetables; it also included minced meat and peanuts that Yao Jingsong picked from the fields.
She chopped the peanuts into bits, fried them with the minced meat, and added wild vegetables and pickled peppers from Grandma Yao. Whether eaten with rice or bread, it was very appetizing.
Knowing that Yang Yunhai had a sensitive stomach, Gu Lingling only made one bottle with pickled peppers, while the rest were non-spicy.
As for the spicy one, it was specifically prepared for Su Ziqiao, anticipating his visit for meals.
Yang Yunhai didn’t hesitate at all and accepted the items. His stomach now seemed a bit spoiled by Gu Lingling, "There’s one more thing I need your help with."
Yang Yunhai handed the industrial vouchers and fabric tickets he had to Gu Lingling, "These tickets are about to expire. See what you need and use them to buy."
"Haven’t you always wanted to buy a bicycle for your grandpa? There’s also a bicycle voucher here," he handed each item to Gu Lingling.
Gu Lingling was somewhat dumbfounded.
How long had Yang Yunhai been saving all these tickets? And just like that, he was giving them all to her, was that alright?
Why did it feel like she was being handed over a small treasury by a husband?
Peh, peh, peh... what nonsense was she thinking?
"How did you know I wanted to buy a bicycle?" Gu Lingling asked in confusion.
"Guess," Yang Yunhai’s lips curled into a slight smile, "I’ll give you an address, find this person when you buy the bike."
After speaking, he picked up a pen and wrote down a name, "This is Director Zhao of the department store, talk to him beforehand when you buy."
"But I can’t just accept all these things from you," Gu Lingling said, dumbfounded.
Bicycle vouchers were already difficult to acquire, but if there was someone she knew, she could get the model she wanted. She had always wanted to obtain one, but she couldn’t just take something from someone for no reason.
"But I can’t take these tickets," Gu Lingling handed the fabric and industrial vouchers back to Yang Yunhai, "These are too valuable."
"Of course, they’re not just for free," Yang Yunhai’s lips curled into a slight smile, as if he had already predicted Gu Lingling’s reaction.