Many people, like them, brought lunch to the fields.
The sun was directly overhead, and everyone had found a shady spot to sit and eat.
Upon seeing Song Wei and the old lady arrive, Xiong Zai was more enthusiastic than anyone.
“Awoo!”
The old lady smiled kindly and patted Xiong Zai, who had come trotting over.
“Xiong Zai, you’re hungry, aren’t you? Don’t worry, we brought food for you.”
Lin Zhen walked over and took the items Song Wei was carrying in her hands and on her back.
“We also brought two large watermelons.”
It was the last batch of watermelons for the season, and they were not as large as the previous ones.
The two watermelons had been chilled in well water and were only taken out when they left.
On such a hot day, eating an ice-cold watermelon was incredibly refreshing.
They weren’t the only ones who had brought watermelons—most people had.
Only a few households, whose watermelon vines hadn’t been well cared for and had stopped bearing fruit, could only watch enviously as others enjoyed their watermelons, unwilling to spend money to buy one.
Xiong Zai was the happiest.
He got a huge slice of watermelon.
He didn’t mind eating the rinds others had finished either. If someone handed him one, he’d stuff it into his mouth, wasting nothing.
Of course, even without Xiong Zai, nothing would go to waste. Everyone gnawed their watermelon rinds clean.
The watermelons at this time of year had relatively thick rinds, but the flesh was red and sweet.
The whitish part of the rind was also gnawed down.
If it really couldn’t be eaten, people still wouldn’t throw it away. They’d take it home, chop it up, and feed it to their chickens or ducks.
Some even took it home, washed it, removed the outermost green layer of hard skin, and sliced or shredded it to make a cold dish.
So, in this era, especially in the countryside, watermelons were truly not wasted at all.
After eating watermelon, they moved on to stuffed steamed buns. With one bite, the rich aroma filled their mouths.
The smell wafted all the way to the neighboring fields.
Several people craned their necks, looking over with envy.
Some had initially thought their own meals, which included eggs, were quite good. But once this fragrance hit them, their eggs suddenly seemed far less appealing.
A few had brought meat, but most people at this time were reluctant to use oil when cooking. The meat ended up pale and bland.
Even so, bland meat was still meat, and it tasted good.
Of course, without comparison, there’d be no discontent.
Lin Zhen, working as a truck driver, had brought back many good things, including soybean oil.
Not only did their family have enough soybean oil to eat, but they had also helped the brigade leader’s family and Grandma’s family purchase quite a bit.
The old lady had lived well in her youth. Though she had become frugal later in life, she was still more generous than others.
With plenty of oil at home, she naturally didn’t hesitate to use it when cooking.
So, once again, this entire family, along with Lin Zhen and Lin Ping’an, became the envy of everyone else.
Even Xiong Zai devoured two stuffed steamed buns.
This little guy would eat anything and, like humans, had a remarkably strong stomach.
So, giving him two stuffed steamed buns wasn’t something to worry about.
He also happily munched on two cornbread buns.
When thirsty, it would drink sweet mung bean soup and then munch on raw sweet potatoes or vegetable leaves.
Song Wei had specially prepared a food bowl for it, ensuring a balanced diet with both meat and vegetables.
The meat consisted of two sparrows that the white eagle had caught and dropped off for her. The sparrows had been cleaned and prepared.
There were also three eggs.
The vegetables included sweet potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, and a small half of a pumpkin.
The bowl was filled to the brim.
It ate everything with great relish and always finished everything cleanly. Thanks to the good habits it had learned at home, it would finish whatever it was holding in its paws before moving on to the next thing, making it a perfect little “food streamer.”
Song Wei loved watching Xiong Zai eat.
And it wasn’t just Song Wei—others enjoyed it too.
Watching Xiong Zai eat made their own meals taste even better.
Once full, Xiong Zai would pat its belly, signaling that it was ready to get back to work.
With the sound of a gong, everyone returned to work.
Song Wei sat under the shade of a tree, watching Lin Zhen work in the fields.
Children as young as Lin Ping’an could also help out, at least by picking up the wheat ears that had fallen to the ground.
Xiong Zai, now full and energized, wearing a straw hat, also ran into the fields to help.
It didn’t even need a basket. Lin Zhen would tie the wheat into bundles, place them on Xiong Zai’s back, and secure them with rope. Xiong Zai would then crawl on all fours, effortlessly carrying the load to the tractor.
Since the production team had acquired a tractor, everyone’s workload had lightened considerably. At least they no longer had to carry the wheat such long distances.
The tractor driver also had a tough job, helping to load the vehicle, driving nonstop to the threshing ground, assisting with unloading, and then rushing back again.
No one had an easy task.
Song Wei also went into the fields to help cut some wheat.
But Lin Zhen watched with anxiety, genuinely worried about her large belly bending over.
After cutting for a while, Song Wei felt aches in her back and waist, and Lin Zhen grew increasingly uneasy. Eventually, she decided to stop.
Lin Zhen breathed a sigh of relief: “Hurry back home. I can handle things here.”
Song Wei nodded: “Alright.”
She figured she might as well go into the mountains to forage for food. At the very least, she could find some meat to help replenish everyone’s energy after this exhausting period.
Thinking about replenishing energy reminded Song Wei of the large softshell turtle they had retrieved from the frozen lake last winter.
That had truly been nourishing.
There must be more than just that one turtle in the lake.
So, she decided to try her luck and see if she could catch one.
Dinner wasn’t something Song Wei needed to worry about. There was still chicken soup simmering, and the rabbit dish hadn’t been finished yet.
Carrying the entrails of the two sparrows and a fishing rod, Song Wei made her way to the lakeside.
She had consulted Grandma about the habits of softshell turtles, as older people tended to know more about these things.
After all, softshell turtles weren’t actually fish—they needed to breathe air.
So, they would swim to the surface periodically to take a breath.
Some would even climb onto the shore to bask in the sun.
They liked to burrow into mud and were attracted to foul-smelling food.
She didn’t cast the bait immediately. Instead, she first scanned the areas along the shore where she could observe.
Not spotting any turtles, she turned her attention to the lake surface.
She couldn’t just fish blindly—she needed to identify the general areas where the turtles were active before casting her line.
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