Chapter 66: Plowing the Field
Mrs. Liu quickly said yes and asked her youngest daughter to go to her second brother's study to get paper and pen.
Liu Gong's second brother Liu Li just got married in the first month of the year. He was the one mentioned by Zhang at that time who was sent to the county town by his parents to study but dropped out of school after only half a month because he couldn't afford the travel expenses.
But Zhang did not say what happened later, which was that Liu Li later went to live with his aunt in the county town and studied in the county academy.
I was supposed to take the exam in the county this spring. If I passed, I would be qualified to take part in the prefectural exam. If I passed the prefectural exam, I would become a scholar.
However, a bandit incident delayed his work for the entire year.
Fortunately, the engaged woman did not break off the engagement because of his leg problem, and the two families completed the wedding as scheduled.
Liu Li watched Qin Yao pick up paper and pen to draw a blueprint and thought she was very unusual. Although her pen-holding posture was strange, the lines she drew were straight and horizontal without a ruler. It was obvious that she was a person who had been drawing for many years.
Everyone in the village knew that Qin Yao had fled here from another place, but no one knew what her family background was like before she fled.
Now Liu Li guessed that her family must have been a wealthy family before.
Otherwise, if a girl can write and paint, she can be said to be valued and loved by her family, but if she wants to learn a variety of skills or martial arts, it is not something that ordinary people can have.
Qin Yao naturally knew that the look in Liu Li's eyes when he looked at her was full of inquiry, but there was no evidence to prove it, so she could only talk nonsense and no one would expose her.
So she was very frank and answered every question, regardless of whether you believed it or not.
This time, she said that her uncles were interested in carpentry and she had learned some basic skills from them.
In fact, in his previous life, he worked many odd jobs in the base to make a living, and was trained in a medical device factory.
The drawings were completed, one of which was a pair of crutches. Liu Li and his third brother only had one broken leg, so this was more appropriate.
One is a picture of a wooden wheelchair. The method is actually very simple. Large wooden wheels are too luxurious and difficult to make. They are only for short-term use, so just add four small wooden wheels to the chair.
The middle seat board is detachable, making it convenient for going to the toilet. The wheelchair is also equipped with armrests to make it easier for Liu Gong's wife to push it. It can be said that this is very thoughtful.
Qin Yao handed the map to Mrs. Liu and turned around to leave.
Mrs. Liu didn't even have the chance to express her gratitude. She was amazed at Qin Yao's generosity. She gave her such an exquisite drawing without any intention of keeping it for herself.
There were some strange symbols on the drawings that they didn't understand.
But Madam Qin said that Carpenter Liu knew, so let's take it to Carpenter Liu to have a look.
"Oh, this is an ancient number. People in the Western Regions use this number as our one, two, and three. The provincial capital and the capital have all adopted this number." Carpenter Liu explained.
Mrs. Liu nodded. So that's it.
"Madam Qin knows so much." Liu Yue Niang, the younger sister of the Liu family, said admiringly.
Carpenter Liu nodded in agreement, "Of course, Madam Qin has been to the capital."
To be precise, it was Yao Niang who went to the provincial capital.
Qin Yao herself was also a little surprised that she actually saw the use of Arabic numerals in her original body's memory.
I don't know whether it really came from outside or whether other time travelers have come here before.
Moreover, women in Shengguo do not have menstruation, but secret menstruation, which does not worry them and does not affect their fertility. It is a blessing for women to travel through time!
For now, Qin Yao is generally satisfied with this world, except for farming.
"My lady, let's take these ten acres. They are connected together and close to the river, so it will be convenient for irrigation."
Liu Ji stood on the ridge of the field, pointing to the ten acres of land in front of him, and said with mixed feelings.
Qin Yao nodded. The land here was good anyway. She went to Liu Dafu's house in the afternoon and settled the land rental issue with Liu Gong.
Other families have already started plowing the fields. Without livestock, they work in groups of two, one pulling in front and one holding from behind. This way they go faster.
There were also people who were alone, holding the plow and plowing slowly.
These plows are made of different materials and have different speeds.
If conditions are good, use an iron plow; if conditions are bad, use a stone plow or a wooden plow.
There are two plows at the Liu family's old house, one made of iron and the other of stone. Fortunately, they rented a cow from the village chief's house, otherwise they would be exhausted after plowing the hundred acres of land.
Also, because the land is large and relatively scattered, it is very difficult to plow each acre of land once. Only irrigated fields are plowed twice.
Qin Yao and Liu Ji went to the Liu family's old house and watched for a day how to plow the fields with oxen. Under the coercion of Qin Yao, Liu Ji rolled up his trousers and went to the fields to practice. After gaining a certain amount of experience, the two started working in the fields the next day.
The two of them each worked one acre. Liu Ji used an iron plow borrowed from Liu Dafu's family to couple with an ox plow, while Qin Yao used an iron plow also borrowed from Liu Dafu's family, and used only human power to plow the field.
Both of them had good ideas. One of them was a strong man and the other had a cow, so it should be easy for them to work two acres a day.
However, only after getting started did you realize how difficult it was.
The reason why fields near water are good is that it is convenient for storing water. There is no need to guard the ditches specifically to release water, and you don't have to watch them day and night to prevent other people from blocking the water and diverting it to your fields.
Villagers often fight over paddy field water issues. No matter if you are a relative or not, if you dare to block my paddy field, I will fight you!
Therefore, the land rented by Qin Yao's family is always filled with water. While releasing water, they plow the land. Every step creates a mud pit. People get stuck in the mud and it is very tiring to lift their feet.
But humans are extremely adaptable creatures.
After two days, Qin Yao and Liu Ji had miraculously adapted to this kind of work. Although they went out early and came back late every day, their bodies were no longer as tired as before.
Of course, mental fatigue is also an important factor in fatigue.
Now I have gone from being exhausted to being numb, so my mental state is much better.
Dalang and Erlang took the initiative to take on the housework and cooking tasks, and also delivered lunch to their parents in the fields at noon to ensure that no farming time was delayed.
It took three and a half days to plow all the land.
Others who didn't have cows or plows were all faster than them. The couple's performance in the fields provided the villagers with a lot of laughter.
Fortunately, both husband and wife are people who don't care about other people's opinions. Liu Ji is the type of person who can still give you a scoundrel smile even if you scold him.
These days, Old Man Liu and Zhang saw how hard the couple worked and were secretly moved. They thought the fortune teller was right. It would take a shrewd woman to subdue a man like the Third Brother.
Look, now she can do housework and work in the fields. The change is so great that it is hard to believe.
But he's still as shameless as before.
"Dad, please give me rice seeds for ten acres of land." Liu Ji leaned on the door frame of the main room of the old house and stretched out his hand to ask Old Man Liu for rice seeds with confidence.
Qin Yao gave him money to buy it, but if he really gave him money, he would not be called Liu Laosan.
Unexpectedly, Old Man Liu didn't say a word and went into the house to take it for him.
Because he had expected that Qin Yao's family would not have any rice seeds left, so he had already prepared them.
Only Liu Fei looked at Liu Ji in the yard, "How shameless! You've already separated from your parents, yet you still come to ask for things."
Liu Ji never got angry about this, but smiled and said, "It is only natural for a son to take advantage of his father."
Liu Fei had never seen such a shameless person. He immediately picked up the plow and went to the field angrily.
Knowing that he wanted to turn his anger into productivity, Liu Ji waved his hand and said with a smile: "Work hard and plow deeper! Brother Qiushou will come to ask for food again!"
It is said that you should not bully others too harshly. Liu Fei turned around fiercely and said, "Liu Ji, wait for me. I will tell my third sister-in-law right away!"
Don't think he doesn't know that he has hidden his private money!
Tell that evil woman Qin Yao?
Liu Ji's face changed drastically, and he chased after him with a brisk step, "Wait a minute, little brother! Listen to my brother's explanation to you"
(End of this chapter)