The Delicate Darling with Her Rough Man-Chapter 46: A Good Brain

Gu Jiaojiao looked at the plump carp in the Team Leader’s hands and quickly refused.

"Team Leader, you’re too kind. I’m a villager of the Qingshan Team now, too. Grain is important to all of us, so it was the least I could do."

The Team Leader wasn’t as good with words as Gu Jiaojiao, so in the end, he simply put the fish aside and headed for the fields.

A loud RUMBLE echoed as the sky grew even darker than before, and the wind began to pick up.

Leng Yuan and the others didn’t dare to rest; the courtyard was filled with the unbroken sound of hammering.

Gu Jiaojiao watched them for a moment without a word, then silently took the fish into the kitchen. ’I’m not cut out for that kind of labor. I don’t have the strength, so I can’t help at all. The only thing I can do is make sure they eat and drink well.’

By the time the last threshing machine was finished, it was already three in the afternoon. The other villagers had gone home to eat, and Chen JianShe was about to leave as well, but Gu Jiaojiao stopped him.

"JianShe, you should eat here! I made a portion for you."

Chen JianShe scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

To be honest, while he was in the courtyard earlier, he had already smelled the aroma of Gu Jiaojiao’s cooking. That scent was absolutely overpowering; it had his mouth watering in an instant.

He had been desperately swallowing his spit, but with food so scarce right now, he didn’t feel right about eating here and was just about to refuse.

Leng Yuan clapped him on the shoulder. "Stay."

Now that Leng Yuan had spoken, Chen JianShe finally stayed.

Meanwhile, Gu Jiaojiao had sliced the fish, and the broth in the pot was ready. She first blanched some green vegetables, then slid in the fish fillets. Once cooked, she scooped them out, topped them with minced garlic, chili, and Sichuan peppercorns, and poured sizzling oil right over the top.

The spicy boiled fish was ready.

Gu Jiaojiao hadn’t been stingy today; this fish dish was absolutely loaded.

The moment it was brought out, the aroma of the spicy boiled fish filled the entire courtyard, and Chen JianShe’s eyes widened in a fixed stare.

Even Leng Yuan’s brow unfurrowed, and the sight of the food seemed to melt away much of his exhaustion.

Gu Jiaojiao came out with a plate of cornbread and called out to them. After washing their hands, Leng Yuan and Chen JianShe went over and dug in.

The moment a piece of fish entered his mouth, a numbing, spicy, and savory fragrance exploded on his palate. Chen JianShe’s eyes flew wide. ’What is this heavenly flavor?’

’No wonder Brother Leng has been in such a good mood these past couple of days,’ he thought. ’His wife’s cooking is just too good!’

He was so busy stuffing his face that he could only give a thumbs-up, which Gu Jiaojiao found amusing.

Leng Yuan and Chen JianShe ate quickly, while Gu Jiaojiao took her time. The two men were considerate; as delicious as the fish was, they ate more of the cornbread.

Once they’d eaten their fill, the two men rushed back to the fields without a moment’s rest.

With the weather worsening, nobody dared to take a break.

Gu Jiaojiao quickly finished her meal, tidied the kitchen, and rushed out to the fields as well.

In truth, the fieldwork had been going on for several days. Harvesting the corn accounted for ninety percent of the work, and there wasn’t much corn or peanuts left to gather.

The main problem was that threshing the corn was slow work. In previous years, it took at least five days. This year, they had only been at it for one, so you can imagine the sheer volume of work that remained.

Two medium-sized threshing machines and one mini-thresher were all running simultaneously. The machines never stopped; people just swapped in and out as they grew tired. Despite the gloomy weather, the threshing ground was incredibly bustling, with people hurrying everywhere.

Leng Yuan and Chen JianShe helped bring in the rest of the peanuts and soybeans. The team had one tractor to haul the harvest from the fields to the threshing ground, and families who owned flatbed carts brought them out to help as well.

With everyone working together, the fieldwork was nearly finished. Progress at the threshing ground was also excellent. While the machines threshed away, the people didn’t stay idle. Even though their manual work was slower, every little bit helped. In just that one afternoon, they managed to process a quarter of the grain piled on the threshing ground.