<>Chapter 0001: Offering Cooling Tea

 people participated | time:2026-03-06 06:00:35
In July's scorching heat, by the pond's edge, a willow tree, cicadas sing. 。After taking the junior high school entrance exam, Wang Xiaobing knew he hadn't passed the county key high school. It was expected, and his heart wasn't affected at all. On a hot day, sweaty and sticky, he took off his clothes, put on shorts, and jumped into their small fish pond to cool off. 。This small fish pond belongs to Donghe Village's collective, and the Wang family rents it to raise fish. 。

Wang Xiaobing soaked in the lukewarm pond water, cool and refreshing, feeling much better. He was clear-headed and looked at the fish playing and chasing each other in the water. His heart felt grounded because this fish pond was an important source of income for his family.

。He swam to the shade of willows, wiped the water droplets from his face, stood in the waist-deep water, shook his hair, and felt quite contented. 。Suddenly, I felt a fish swim in. As I reached in to shoo it away, I laughed and scolded, "No need to greet my little brother like this." 。Walk a few steps to the shore, get down on your hands and knees, and throw it onto the grass. 。I took a moment to admire my own glossy, solid... very satisfied. 。

At that moment, a burst of laughter sounded.

。Wang Xiaobing followed the sound and saw that Bai Qiugun, the wife of the village secretary, was standing on the side of the road not far away, wearing a wide-brimmed white cloth hat and looking at him with interest. He suddenly realized that he had **exposed himself, muttered to himself "bad luck," and hurriedly plunged into the water, smiling awkwardly: "Sister Bai, I caught a tail carp for you>。"Oh no, this can't be happening" 。Before the sway, the two peaks swayed their branches and actually took two steps closer. 。This is my way of showing filial piety to you. 。"The lease on the fishpond is coming to an end, and it's time to renew the contract. I still have to rely on the village head's help behind the scenes." 。"Oh, you really don't need to " 。Just keep that in mind. 。Though said so, yet he did not leave. 。Firstly, Bai Qiung saw Wang Xiaobing's mighty dog, his heart raced; secondly, he also wanted to earn some money from selling a fish. 。Please wait <<< 。Wang Xiaobing took a deep breath and dove into the water, searching for a suitable fish. 。Catching fish with bare hands in the water requires a great deal of skill. If you are not an expert, having practiced since childhood, it is basically impossible to catch even one fish. 。In a while, Wang Xiaobing caught a carp weighing about three catties. It was golden and shiny, very beautiful. 。

"White sister, this tail is not bad

。"Wang Xiaobing went to the pond and broke a reed, strung up some fish, and handed them to Bai Qiun." 。"Can eat two meals " 。Bai Qiuqun was not polite. He stood by the pond and reached out his hand to... 。"Be careful!" Wang Xiaobing's words had not yet left his mouth when, with a splash, Bai Qiuqun lost her footing and fell into the fish pond. 。Bai Qiun is not a good swimmer, he's like a duck out of water. Although the water at the edge wasn't deep, only about one and a half meters, he panicked. His limbs flailed wildly, splashing water everywhere as he bobbed up and down, his clothes were completely... 。Although he was a son, Wang Xiaobing didn't have time to think about himself. He saved the person and threw the carp onto the shore. Then with both hands, he scooped up two lumps that were quite bouncy. His heart skipped a beat. He hugged Bai Qiugun's chest and pulled her out of the water. 。"Bai Jie, are you alright?" Wang Xiaobing asked with concern. 。

"Cough, cough, cough"

。。Bai Qiugun vomited several mouthfuls of water, it was indeed cool against his shirt, with two yellowish-black spots coming out. He was leaning back on Wang Xiaobing, arching his back halfway, and right in front, he bumped into Wang Xiaobing's prominent manhood. 。

"It's good that you're alright."

。I'll help you up. 。After being rubbed a few times, Wang Xiaobing also woke up. He didn't struggle anymore and hurriedly half-held and half-pushed Bai Qiun towards the shore. 。"Today I offended the Dragon King, I'll have to burn incense when I get back." 。Bai Qiugun used his hands and feet to climb onto the shore. 。<>。

As soon as they reached the shore, Bai Qiuqun stomped his feet to shake off water. He took off his hat and wiped the water from his face with his sleeve, also shivering a bit. Even in the water, he could feel the sharpness of Wang Xiaobing's sword.

。

Bai Qiugong was stunned for a moment, and Wang Xiaobing whispered, "Bai Jie, are you uncomfortable?"

Hearing this, Bai Qiugong withdrew her thoughts and smiled, "It's nothing"

。Go change your clothes. 。This carp, I've got it. 。Bai Qiuqun's big red bottoms were faintly visible. As she bent down to pick up a carp, her hips swayed, highlighting her figure even more. Wang Xiaobing swallowed nervously and thought to himself: "Damn it, all the good girls have been taken by the branch secretary." 。"Munch munch, smiled and said: "Whenever you want to eat fish, come here." 。Then I’ll remember. 。"Bai Qiuqun had a smile in her flower-like eyes, holding a carp as she walked two steps thoughtfully. Suddenly, she turned back and said, "Da Zhong said your dad made a cup of cooling tea to dispel heat, did he make it?" "He did." 。I will send it to you later. 。"I'm not sure if I did it right, but Wang Xiaobing blurted out without hesitation. " 。"Later, after six o'clock." 。After thinking for a moment, Bai Qiuqun’s face was filled with anticipation. He looked around and smiled, “ 。"Sounds good!" Wang Xiaobing replied cheerfully. 。

Liu Dazhong often accompanies the local leaders to drink, causing his liver fire to rise. Wang Congle, who has a slight understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine, frequently provides Liu Dazhong with free herbal medicine to relieve heat.

。The fish pond belongs to the village collective, and the old contract is about to expire. They need to sign a new one, and they still need Liu Dazhong, this village secretary, to help them. Otherwise, it might be rented out by others, so they dare not offend him easily. 。Wang Xiaobing returned home, his younger brother Wang Zhiwen was not at home, only his mother Xu Juan was weaving bamboo baskets, and asked: "Mom, did Dad help Liu Dazhong get some cold tea ready?" "Probably not..." 。I heard Liu Zhibushou told him last night. 。He was busy selling fish today and didn't even have time to... 。Xu Juan is very skilled at weaving bamboo baskets. Her creations are popular and sell quickly at the market. 。I went to Liu Dazhong's wife and asked if we had made a good match. I said that we had already made a match. 。I will take it over tonight. 。"Wang Xiaobing lifted the lid off the pot on the table and took out a sweet potato to eat from the aluminum pot." 。"What should we do?" Xu Juan stopped her work, "Your dad hasn't come back yet." 。You can't offend <<< them >>>. 。Our fish pond contracts still have to rely on the clerk's word. 。Making iced tea is very simple, Dad comes back and finishes it in three or two. 。"Wang Xiaobing turned on the TV and watched Journey to the West, thinking to himself that if he were Sun Wukong, he would turn Liu Dazhong into Pigsy." 。Under the spring breeze of reform and opening up, Wang Xiaobing's family in the early 1990s had not yet reached a comfortable life, but they had solved their basic needs for food and clothing, and even bought a Gold Star brand color TV. They no longer needed to go to other people's homes to watch TV in the evenings, but without a VCR, they couldn't watch the Hong Kong films rented on tapes from video stores. 。

Apart from Xu Juan weaving bamboo products for sale to earn some money to help with household expenses, the most important source of income is still selling fish, accounting for more than 70%.

。Around five o'clock in the evening, Wang Congle, with a flat head and a sincere and honest face, rode back from the market on his twenty-eight-inch Huang brand bicycle after selling his fish. 。The fish basket on the back of the vehicle held a black wooden scale with a pyramidal weight, along with about one jin of pork belly, a large head of cabbage, and a bunch of celery. The distinctive aroma of celery could be smelled from afar. 。<<>>。

A fish seller eats a lot of fish. Generally, they buy some pork to eat.

。Usually, Wang Congle only buys about half a catty of pork belly. Now he has bought about a catty, and Wang Xiaobing can infer from this that his father's fish-selling business is still going well. 。"Dad, how much did you sell it for?" Wang Xiaobing took out the carp, celery, and Chinese cabbage from the fish basket. 。

"Thirty something pieces"

。Wang Congle took out a plastic bag containing banknotes from his pocket, and there was a fishy smell emanating from it. He moistened his right index finger with saliva and then happily counted the bills. 。Five-yuan notes are the most common, but there are also one-yuan, two-yuan, and five-yuan notes. 。"Zhi Shu, have you finished making the cold tea?" Xu Juan took the vegetables from Wang Xiao Bing's hand and said. 。"Oh, not yet! I'll go right now to..." 。"Wang Congle, who was counting banknotes, suddenly had a look of solemnity. He stuffed the money into his bag and went to the back room pharmacy to fetch a box to make some cooling tea." 。

The Wang family have been folk healers for generations, knowledgeable in traditional Chinese medicine. However, when it came to Wang Congle's generation, he wasn't interested in the profession and his skills were somewhat lacking. He could still manage to brew a few batches of cooling tea though.

。Wang Congle was concocting medicine, Xu Juan was burning the fire to cook, and Wang Xiaole went back to his room to look at "Dragon and Tiger List" for a while. It was a monthly magazine more appealing than "Playboy," which he had rented from an old bookstore for one penny a day. 。After more than half an hour, Wang Zhiwen came back, which was also the time for dinner. 。

Wang Xiaobing carried out the rice cooker and stir-fried dishes. Wang Zhiwen was in charge of serving rice to others, working together collaboratively.

。Wang Congle then washed his hands and sat at the head of the dinner table, waiting for Xu Juan to finish stir-frying the last dish of Chinese cabbage before starting the meal. 。In summer, days are long. Even at 5 or 6 o'clock in the evening, the sky is still bright and you don't need to turn on the lights. 。The aroma of stir-fried celery and mixed vegetables filled the dining room, making one's mouth water. 。The rice was like snow, steaming. 。The dishes are not numerous but very substantial. 。For an ordinary family like the Wangs, dishes with one or two main ingredients are the most common recipes. 。There are three boys in the family, and they all have big appetites. They cooked almost a whole pot of rice in an aluminum pot, which was just enough for the four of them. 。Wang Congle kept thinking about Liu Dazhong's tea as he chewed his rice, and said to Xiao Bing, "Xiao Bing, after you finish your meal, deliver the tea to Branch Secretary's house. " 。"Well," 。Wang Xiaobing nodded in agreement. 。The pond contract is about to expire. 。It is said that Wang Chuanxing also wants to rent this small fish pond and often goes to the branch secretary's house, perhaps to give gifts. 。Alas, I wonder if we'll still be able to keep fish in the second half of the year. 。Wang Congle is a rather indecisive person, and tends to frown and worry when faced with problems. 。"Aren't you going to give the clerk a little gift?" Xu Juan was still quite lively in her thoughts. 。"That's what it is, but I don't know what gift to send. If the gift is too cheap, they might not even look at it, and if it's too expensive, we can't afford it." 。We are street vendors, making a living by the sweat of our brow. Every penny earned is hard-won, unlike those who do business or have government jobs and have a lot of savings at home. They find things easier to accomplish. 。

Wang Congle also thought about giving gifts, but after much deliberation, he couldn't bear to spend a few banknotes.

。After all, having gone through an extremely difficult period, they value thrift even more. 。Wang Xiaobing listened to his parents' conversation, chewing silently on the sweet rice, making up his mind and thinking, "I, Wang Xiaobing, must change this poor situation!" After dinner, Xu Juan cleaned the dishes, Wang Zhiwen sat in front of the TV watching cartoons about Tom and Jerry, while Wang Congle took a fan out of the house and chatted with the neighbors who had just finished their dinner, bragging and relieving their fatigue. 。Wang Xiaobing then carried a bundle of five bags of iced tea to deliver it to Liu Dazhong. 。>

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