Qiao Mei helped Qiao Qiang back into the house. The people around them all reminded Qiao Qiang to take good care of himself. Auntie Dong brought the few older women into the courtyard.
"Thank you all so much today," Qiao Mei said with a smile.
"Qiao Mei, why are you being so polite to us! We're all neighbors and it's our duty to help one another!" Auntie Dong said with a smile.
Xia Zhe looked at the women chatting happily. It was not convenient for the menfolk, Qiao Qiang and him, to hang around. He patted Qiao Qiang's back gently and said, "Grandfather, let's go in. I'll make you some tea."
Qiao Qiang smiled and said, "Alright, all of you can chat here! Xiao Zhe and I will go into the house!"
"Uncle Qiao, don't you want to talk to us for a while more!" Auntie Wang shouted.
"No, no! I'm old! I have to rest more!" Qiao Qiang said leisurely.
Ever since Qiao Mei came back, Qiao Qiang went around with a smile every day and even seemed more nimble than usual. No elixir or medicine was as useful as Qiao Mei and Xia Zhe being filial by the old man's side!
If there was anyone in the village whom the villagers were most envious of, it would be Qiao Qiang. He had such a filial, beautiful and capable granddaughter, and now he had found a grandson-in-law who was capable in all aspects.
He could simply live his life like an immortal!
"Mei Mei, quickly teach us how to grow bean sprouts! We can't wait!" Auntie Dong said excitedly.
"That's right, Mei Mei! We've already prepared everything and are just waiting to learn from you!" Auntie Wang said.
Qiao Mei took out a few baskets from the storeroom, containing the beans that she had already chosen. Last night, she had filled up all the beans with energy. Even if someone who had no knowledge at all came by, the person would be able to grow bean sprouts of good quality.
"Aunties, I've prepared everything. Take the amount of beans that you need to grow the amount of bean sprouts you want," Qiao Mei said with a smile.
Everyone went forward to get a portion of beans. Everyone took a fair portion and no one took more.
Qiao Mei took a portion for herself and slowly walked to the center. She sat on the stool and said, "There are many things to note about the beans. You can't just do things casually and expect them to grow out fair and plump."
Everyone listened to Qiao Mei attentively, afraid that they would miss out on any important information.
Qiao Mei was actually making it up. If she did not have her energy, she would only be able to grow the same type of bean sprouts as everyone else. However, she needed to keep up with the pretenses.
Fortunately, in Qiao Mei's other life, she liked trees and plants and stuff like that, and she knew some theories. Since what she was doing now was related to plants, the same theories should be applicable!
"Everyone, you have to choose the beans first. It definitely won't work if there are any holes or defects. You can pour the beans into the basin and fill it with water. The low-quality beans will float on the surface of the water by themselves. This way, everyone can choose much faster," Qiao Mei said earnestly.
Everyone noted what Qiao Mei said. Some of them even took out their notebooks to take notes.
Auntie Wang pointed at Auntie Dong and said, "I say, Auntie Dong, you're taking notes! Those who don't know better might think that we're having an important meeting! What is the term that my son uses! Yes, yes, yes! Recorder!"
"Hahahahaha!" The laughter in the courtyard attracted the attention of countless passers-by.
"Shoo, shoo, shoo. Haven't you heard of a saying! A good memory is not half as good as a lousy pen! What if your brains can't remember what Qiao Mei said! Won't we still have to trouble Qiao Mei again then! If you're so good, don't come and ask me if you have any questions in the future!" Auntie Dong said as she waved the notebook in her hand.
Although she was illiterate, she was good at drawing! She just needed to roughly draw what Qiao Mei had said, in a way that she could understand herself!
"It's fine. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come and ask me again," Qiao Mei said.
"Mei Mei, you can continue. What should we do next?" Auntie Dong asked seriously.
"Next, we'll fish out these beans and put them in water again to ensure that every single one of them is flawless," Qiao Mei said hesitantly.
It was normal for a batch to contain one or two bad beans. There were at least thousands of beans in one basket. Who would be able to pick them out carefully one by one?
"Mei Mei, if we don't manage to pick out the one or two bad ones, will it affect the germination of all the beans?" Auntie Wang asked curiously.