Chapter 58: The whole family joins the battle (Part 3)
At about 4:30 in the morning, Qin Yao and Liu Ji got up.
After a good night's sleep, Liu Ji's arms, which had felt nothing yesterday, suddenly felt sore and his legs felt heavy. He gasped for air when he went down the stairs because of the soreness.
This is what it feels like for someone who hasn't exercised for a long time to suddenly do strenuous work. Qin Yao nodded to show her understanding, then handed the sickle to him and said, "Let's go."
The two of them ate a simple meal to fill their stomachs, took their lunch and water with them, and went out.
Qin Yao was carrying a shoulder pole and a rope, and wore a veiled hat borrowed from He on her head. It could not only block the sun, but the piece of cloth under the brim connecting to the chest could also keep out mosquitoes. Only a pair of eyes were exposed on her face.
I also wore light shoes and socks on my feet, and tucked all my trouser legs into the socks and fastened them with straps. With experience, I was well armed this time.
After leaving the village, we walked for almost an hour before arriving at our destination.
This area overlaps with the mountains and forests of the neighboring village, and there are many reclaimed wastelands nearby, all of which belong to the neighboring village.
When the two arrived, people from other villages had been busy in the fields for a while.
Everyone wasn't familiar with each other, so there was no need to say hello. They just went to the fields and did their own thing.
Seeing the situation in the field, Qin Yao understood why the amount of wheat and weeds Liu Ji carried back yesterday was equal.
Because this land is all grass as far as the eye can see!
It is surprising that wheat can grow in unattended land.
No matter how small a mosquito's leg is, it's still meat. If we harvest these two acres of wheat, we should be able to produce about 100 kilograms.
Liu Ji had already harvested one acre of wheat yesterday. Today, Qin Yao was in charge of bundling and transportation, so he went directly to harvest the other acre of wheat.
Every time Qin Yao carried out a bundle, she would carry it back on a shoulder pole.
She walked alone and her pace was much faster. It took her two and a half hours to go back and forth. After two trips, Liu Ji had finished harvesting the wheat and was sitting under a shady tree eating the food he had brought in the morning.
Qin Yao also put down her carrying pole, sat down to eat and rest for a while.
After finishing the meal, under the coercion of Qin Yao, Liu Ji, who originally wanted to lie down, was forced to get up and help stalk the wheat.
Qin Yao said, "Hurry up, finish it early and go home to rest, it's good for everyone, otherwise don't blame me for slapping you here!"
Liu Ji was so tired that he didn't want to say anything. He just nodded, and his slow movements became noticeably faster.
By the evening, the last two loads were tied up, and each person carried one load home, and finally the two acres of wheat were harvested.
All day long, the four brothers and sisters of Dalang stayed at home and practiced calligraphy, but did not go out to play.
After lunch, I picked out the weeds from the wheat that my parents brought back, rubbed off the wheat grains with a wooden hammer, and spread them out in the yard to dry.
The four children were even more skilled at these tasks than the two adults, Qin Yao and Liu Ji.
Sanlang and Si Niang's tender faces, which they had managed to keep for a whole winter, were now turned red by the prickles of wheat awns and weeds.
But the two did not complain at all. They followed behind their eldest and second brothers and picked out the weeds bit by bit. When their little hands could no longer hold them all, they took them out and threw them next to the firewood shed. The weeds could also be used to start a fire.
At dusk, when the sun was still half hanging on the top of the mountain, Qin Yao and Liu Ji returned home carrying the remaining wheat.
As soon as he put down the burden, he saw Sanlang and Si Niang holding the baskets, helping their brother to collect the wheat that had been dried in the sun, to prevent the morning dew from wetting the wheat, which would have been wasted the day's drying.
There were not many ears of wheat left after the weeds were picked out, and neither basket was full.
Qin Yao scooped a basin of cold water to wash her face and hands. Seeing the red faces of the four children, she couldn't help but feel distressed.
"Come here and wipe your faces." Qin Yao asked them to put down the basket and she would carry it into the house later.
The four children ran over with smiles on their faces. Qin Yao scooped some water for them to wash their hands, and then filled a basin with clean water for them to wipe their faces.
Sanlang and Si Niang giggled happily, looked at Qin Yao with big eyes, and called her softly: "A Niang~"
Qin Yao looked at Sanlang in surprise. The little guy actually followed his sister and called her "A Niang".
My heart softened and I gave these two cute little faces a kiss each.
Sanlang's face turned even redder and he shyly hid behind his sister, leaving only a pair of bright eyes exposed.
Si Niang touched the face that had been kissed, grinned, and laughed foolishly.
He was clingy to begin with, and now he grabbed Qin Yao's clothes and followed her wherever she went, like a sticky candy hanging on her leg.
Dalang and Erlang looked at each other and smiled secretly.
Looking at Liu Ji again, he went into the kitchen as soon as he entered the door, took out some sugar, mixed a bowl of sweet and sour water for himself, drank most of the bowl in one breath, burped, sat in front of the stove with his legs spread out, and was about to fall asleep with his eyes closed.
Qin Yao couldn't help but punch him!
After being with Qin Yao for so long, Liu Ji has already learned how to dodge. When the fist came, he turned his head to avoid it.
But he was hit hard on the shoulder and fell backwards to the ground, crying out in pain.
"Aren't you cooking yet?" Qin Yao urged impatiently.
Maybe it was because farm work was too torturous, and she got even angrier when she saw Liu Ji being lazy.
Liu Ji just lay on the ground, crying out in pain, but couldn't get up.
In the end, Dalang and Erlang took the initiative to take responsibility because they were afraid that their father would be beaten to death by their stepmother.
Liu Ji was deeply moved, "Da Lang and Er Lang, I am so lucky to have you as my father!"
The food was good this winter. The nine-year-old Dalang had grown a lot taller and no longer needed a stool to stand in front of the stove.
Dalang asked Erlang to help with the fire, and the two young boys started cooking properly.
"Mother, are you tired?" Si Niang asked with concern.
Qin Yao smiled at her warmly and said that she was not tired. She walked forward, picked up Liu Ji, threw him into the main room, and was too lazy to take care of him anymore.
Because she was very tired today and didn't have the energy to compete with the scoundrel.
Someone was cooking, and Qin Yao sat on a chair to rest with peace of mind. Sanlang and Si Niang squatted beside her, one on each side, and took the initiative to massage her legs.
The little hands didn't have much strength, but the tapping made people feel so warm inside. Qin Yao closed her eyes and sighed:
"It's another beautiful day!"
Liu Ji, who was lying on the ground with no one paying attention to him: I'm tired of saying the word "envy"!
Dalang and Erlang cooked wild vegetable porridge with just the right amount of saltiness. Qin Yao drank five large bowls of it.
After a full meal, I feel refreshed.
Leaving the dishes to be cleaned up by the four children, Qin Yao grabbed Liu Ji and went to the yard to separate the remaining wheat and weeds so that they could be spread out to dry tomorrow.
Liu Ji had just been punched in the face, so he became much more obedient. Enduring the pain, the two of them lit lanterns and worked hard in the yard until the moon was at its zenith. Then they cleared all the weeds, knocked down the wheat grains, and went back to their room to sleep.
After a day of farm work, I can fall asleep as soon as I touch the pillow, and my sleep quality has improved.
The sun was very bright for the next two days, and all the wheat was spread out on old mats to dry. Qin Yao and Liu Ji each spent half a day, taking turns turning the wheat over so that it could be dried evenly.
Compared to harvesting wheat before, this job can be described as easy.
The wheat has been dried, and now the last step is to husk it.
The good news is that the wheat weighed less than 200 kilograms, just enough to fill two baskets.
The bad news is that the stone mill for shelling is human-powered.
I'd like to recommend a book by a friend. If you like stories about abstinent ministers and farming heroines, you can give it a try.
Title: She is soft-hearted and wild, and she is favored by abstinent officials every day
(End of this chapter)