The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

Cheng You: "Dad, this is an old joke from so many years ago. Who brings this up now?"

Cheng Jianguo was momentarily dazed. Upon closer reflection, he realized it was something that happened ten years ago.

Time flies, so fast that it catches you off guard.

Ten years ago, my daughter was a sweet and adorable little girl who would cuddle and act cute. In the blink of an eye, she has grown into a graceful young lady.

Although this young woman is a bit rebellious, children are individuals with their own thoughts and independent personalities.

As parents, they won't force her to make choices; they'll only offer a word of advice when she goes astray, and silently lend a helping hand as she embarks on her journey.

"You're so talkative, go upstairs." Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Cheng Jianguo stood up with a smile. The kids are all grown up now. Once he's done his job at the commercial city, it'll be time for him to retire and enjoy life with his wife.

……

The rain drizzled down on Luanyun Ridge for two whole days.

The rain lingered without us noticing, and the mountain roads were slippery, so the villagers simply stayed indoors and worked together in their courtyards.

A dozen people worked together day and night to weave straw sandals, while Gou Ya, Xing Hua, and Ji Chun Tao made hats. Because of the rain, the originally planned week-long project was shortened by almost two days.

The small bamboo baskets next to the hat squad were piled high with hats of all sizes.

Xinghua wove nearly twenty hats specifically for kittens and puppies.

The people there are quite particular; they even have sizes for pet hats.

The letters S, XS, M, L, XL, and XXL are strange and crooked. Even Uncle Tiesheng couldn't recognize what they meant and could only guess from the content that they were symbols for distinguishing sizes.

The difference between each symbol is only 1.5 centimeters, so precise that Xinghua kept marveling at how comfortable even small animals live.

The hats look like a lot, but she actually only made one style in three colors.

Light yellow, light pink, and sky blue.

The little hat was also very interesting; it was a design she had never seen before. The wide brim and soft top made it look like an upside-down plate at first glance, and there was a matching ribbon at the bottom, which was probably for securing it.

Because straw has a certain stiffness, the brim can bend and shape itself. When it's turned down, it can cover the face, and when it's turned up, it looks like two little upturned ears.

So cute!

As for Gouya's hats, she has even more—simple ones, elaborate ones, inlaid ones, ones with ribbons, all kinds of styles.

They were packed into baskets according to different sizes, and Ji Chuntao also helped with many of the inlay and sewing tasks. The smaller the hat, the more labor-intensive it was.

Because of the rain, we couldn't go up the mountain. We had stocked up on a lot of meat, vegetables, grains and oil these past few days, so Ya Ya didn't go there anymore. She just asked Grandma Duck to help tell her aunt so that her aunt wouldn't worry.

On the third night, the persistent drizzle finally stopped completely.

The rainwater washed the grass and trees, making them lush and green. The jars, buckets, and basins outside the yard were already full of rainwater.

The ground was still wet, and the sky had not yet turned blue, but there were already several figures in the fields.

The village chief, carrying a hoe, led Old Sun, Grandpa Liu, and others, walking slowly along the field ridges with flashlights in hand.

The rain had just stopped overnight, and the farmers dared not slack off; they had to go to the fields to inspect the fields immediately.

With the continuous rain these past two days, the drainage ditches everywhere need to be checked every day. If the waterways are blocked by fallen leaves or silt, they must be cleared immediately. Otherwise, the water will stagnate in the fields, trapping moisture and causing the roots of the newly sown seeds and tender seedlings to rot and decay sooner or later.

After inspecting the drainage ditch, the village chief bent down, grabbed a handful of damp soil from the edge of the field, and rubbed it carefully. After rain, the ground is most prone to hardening and compaction. If it becomes compacted, the soil must be loosened as soon as possible to prevent the seedlings from being trapped in the soil and unable to sprout. He also had to carefully observe the soil moisture level, calculate which areas needed drainage, and which areas had good moisture levels for replanting crops.

Nannan still has quite a few seeds; she can plant them all gradually when she has some empty space.

The group walked along the field ridges, checking each section carefully, including the field edges, embankments, and slopes.

If there is a small gap, it must be repaired in time.

As soon as the rain stops, the weeds grow faster than the crops. In a few days, the wheat seedlings will grow wildly. We need to hurry up and weed and manage them so that the weeds don't steal the water, fertilizer and sunshine from the crops.

If weeds are not removed in time, they can easily breed small insects that harm the seedlings.

This year, these few acres of land were planted with the magical seeds that my daughter brought back; we can't afford to make any mistakes.

After inspecting all the acres of land, it was just getting light, and the time was barely the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

When the village chief and his entourage returned to the courtyard along the wet path, all twenty-odd villagers had already gathered.

A thick, mushy white porridge was simmering in the pot.

Ji Chuntao only started cooking after seeing the village chief and the others return from patrolling the fields.

Heat the wok, add a spoonful of lard, then add the sliced ​​pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat and stir-fry until the pork is fragrant and flavorful. Then add the chopped and washed green garlic shoots and stir-fry quickly over high heat.

After stir-frying the sweetness several times, a plate of fresh and delicious stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts is ready.

Meanwhile, the other pot was also busy. Grandma Liu chopped up some bright red persimmons and put them in the pot to stir-fry until they released their sweet and sour juices. Then she poured in the beaten eggs and stir-fried them together. In no time, the sweet and sour persimmon and egg stir-fry that everyone in Lotus Village loved was ready.

After quickly washing their hands, everyone sat together. The sound of continuous rain was gone, and a faint light appeared behind the distant mountains.

Ya Ya sipped her milk powder and looked out into the yard, resting her chin on her hand.

I haven't visited my aunt for two days. I wonder how her business is doing, and if it's raining where she is.

After a peaceful and pleasant breakfast, everyone rested for a while before the village chief began to take stock of the goods that the villagers had prepared in the courtyard.

There's no set quantity for the straw hats; the contract specifies that they'll be sold in a 40/60 split. We don't know yet if they'll sell, so we're not in a rush to make them.

With some free time, Gou Ya, Xing Hua, and the others joined forces with the straw sandal group to focus on making straw sandals. Some of the delicate work really could only be done by a few young people.

By the end of the 9-11 PM, the last pair of straw sandals was finished. Straw sandals of different sizes and styles, padded with straw stalks, were neatly laid out in the yard, creating a rather spectacular scene.

The village chief, Ji Chuntao, and Granny Liu carefully checked each pair of shoes before gently putting them into the large bamboo basket that had been prepared earlier.

"Nannan, look at these pants. The fabric is a bit short. I think I added a bit more, but I don't know if this style will work..." After finishing making the straw sandals, Ji Chuntao brought over a small bundle and moved closer to Yaya.

"Are these pants for that girl with the ripped pants? They're done so quickly!" Ya Ya's eyes lit up.