Chapter 45: A Lush Orchard
“If Jianyun can’t work there anymore, then he can’t. We need someone at home. I won’t be free when the baby is born. He came back just in time,” Su Danhong said.
“But there won’t be a fixed salary every month with Jianyun back so soon,” Mother Ji replied.
“What is the use of that salary? If he can come back and help me look after the orchard and take care of our child, then I can embroider two pieces of embroidery a month. Isn’t that better?” Su Danhong boldly said.
Mother Ji was immediately subdued, and then she nodded in approval. “That is true!”
Su Danhong could sell one embroidery for 100 yuan. What she could embroider in one month was enough money to be almost equivalent to Jianyun’s salary for six months.
“Mother will go to town to buy some more chicken to raise so that you will have some during confinement. You can just cook these chickens right now for Jianyun to replenish his health,” Mother Ji said.
Su Danhong nodded. “We already ate today, Mother. You can kill another one tomorrow, and I will cook it for him.”
“Okay,” Mother Ji happily responded.
She followed her son’s wife over to see him. He was still sleeping, so she left.
This time when Ji Jianyun came back, he stayed at home for ten days to rest and recuperate. During the first three days, his wife didn't give him a lot of meat to eat, but he had to have chicken every day.
Three days later, he felt much better. He didn’t know why, but it seemed like his wife changed his dressing.
The injury itself healed very quickly, and his leg healed very well. He used to have piercing pain from time to time, but the situation had become better in the past few days. The wound was itching a little, but he knew that this was because it was healing quickly.
The wound on his chest was very distinctive. Yesterday, he removed the stitching himself. Today, the wound had recovered 70-80%. Tomorrow, it would probably be 80-90%.
Of course, he did not know why he was recovering so quickly. It was all because of the spiritual spring water that Su Danhong was willing to use for everything.
Whether it was cleaning the wound or cooking congee and chicken soup, she used the spiritual spring water. Its effect in the past few days was remarkable.
In the first three days, she cooked one chicken every day. In addition to eating more fruits and vegetables, they ate plain congee.
Three days later, his condition was stable. Su Danhong began to change what she fed him and gave him meat to eat. There was beef, pork, and bone broth. She made all types of food for him.
Ji Jianyun ate until he looked great. When Mother Ji came to see him, she would smile with satisfaction and then say that he had put on a lot of weight in the past few days.
In only ten days, Ji Jianyun was able to get out of bed. In fact, he was able to get out by the seventh day, but Su Danhong did not let him get out of bed for three more days.
The wound on his chest had recovered, but the injury on his leg had not. It still needed some time, but it was almost there. At least Su Danhong did not object to Ji Jianyun leaving the house.
Ji Jianyun felt suffocated after staying in bed for ten days. He went to his parent’s house first. Mother Ji was feeding the chickens in the yard. When she saw him coming, she smiled and asked, “Jianyun, you can get out of bed now?”
“I could get out of bed a long time ago, but Danhong wouldn’t let me,” Ji Jianyun said in a helpless tone. He could not hide the pampering.
“Do you like it when your wife pampers you? You are precious to her,” Mother Ji told him.
“Mother, why are you raising so many chickens?” Ji Jianyun asked, looking at the dozen chickens in the chicken pen.
“They were just bought to prepare for Danhong’s confinement. One chicken a day, that’s not a lot,” Mother Ji explained. “I was raising a lot before, but I decided to let Danhong cook some chicken soup to replenish your body.”
Ji Jianyun thought of the delicious chicken meat and chicken soup.
“Your wife took care of you when you got injured and was more attentive than when women are in confinement.” When it came to her son, Mother Ji did not speak very carefully.
This clearly showed the difference between a mother and a wife.
When it came to the wife, the husband was hers and they would want to be together until they were old. Thus, they would naturally take care of each other. Although Mother Ji also loved her son and wanted her son to be safe, it was different.
Ji Jianyun didn't feel any warmth from his mother, but he felt it from his wife.
After chatting with his mother for a while, Ji Jianyun went up the back mountain by himself.
Although his leg had not fully recovered yet, it was fine if he walked slowly. The back mountain was not very far, and he would be there soon.
Once Ji Jianyun was on the mountain, he was overwhelmed by the orchard in front of him. Despite hearing a lot about the orchard from his wife, it was not as shocking as seeing it with his own eyes.
So green! How can there be grown trees when it was planted this year? Even fruit trees that have been planted for two or three years might not be as good as the trees here!
He looked at a small area of jujube trees. How did it grow so well?
Needless to say, more than a dozen cherry trees had grown a lot of new leaves and branches.
The apple trees had also grown well. So did the chestnut trees, persimmon trees, fig trees and other trees.
Ji Jianyun stared at it blankly for a moment.
In the past, his parents wanted to contract this mountain area for planting fruit trees, but they could not grow any trees. The mountain was very infertile. How could it be like this now? Not only were the fruit trees growing, it also had a layer of weeds under the tree. It looked so vibrant. How did it once look like a barren mountain?
For some reason, when Ji Jianyun was looking at this fruit forest, he felt like he had been cleansed with pure water and had gone through rebirth.
Moreover, his mind was also filled with an unprecedented drive!
His wife was right. Even if he had resigned, it would be enough for him to support his wife by managing the orchard!
Ji Jianyun heard the sound of people working and followed it.
Father Ji was doing work with Ji Jianguo, Ji Jianye, Xu Aidang and Ji Hongjun.
Ji Jianguo and Ji Jianye were mixing the cement while Father Ji and the others were layering the wall. They were extremely busy. When Ji Jianyun arrived, they stopped. But soon they continued to work as they spoke to Ji Jianyun.
It was important to know that aside from Father Ji volunteering to work, the other people were paid 13 yuan a month.
Nowadays, Xu Aidang and Ji Hongjun no longer needed to carry water up the mountain every day since the fruit trees had matured. Thus, their work changed to building the wall. When Su Danhong needed workers to carry water up and apply fertilizer, she would hire workers for the day and pay them that same day.
“Jianyun, will you never work for the unit again?” Ji Jianguo asked.
It was not a secret that Ji Jianyun had come back. Everyone in the village knew about it. Rather than let the villagers’ imagination fly off, Mother Ji said it herself that her son was injured on a mission, so the unit approved his resignation and he came back. He was at home to recuperate, and later he would stay in the village to take care of the fruit trees.
The people in the village didn't say anything, but Aunt Yang from next door was sympathetic. She had a pretty good impression of Ji Jianyun. If he came back, then he was back. Only 1/3 of the land had been planted, and there was still 2/3 of the land that could be planted. How big would the fruit forest be then?
It needed a strong man to keep things under control!