But whenever his gaze fell upon the small pile of wheat, an irrepressible joy would well up within him.

Every grain of wheat represents the fruits of their hard work and dedication; it is hope that everyone has nurtured with their sweat.

It's been a whole year! Ever since the wheat was harvested last year, everyone has been working tirelessly, taking advantage of the sweltering heat of the dog days of summer, to plow all the land.

The sun during the hottest days of summer is like a giant fireball, scorching the earth and the people who are working.

But no one cared about that. They knew that farming time waits for no one and they had to finish plowing the land during this hot season to prepare for the next planting season.

After the land is plowed, the next step is to plant wheat.

Sowing wheat seeds in the ground is just the beginning.

From then on, I had to go to the fields at irregular intervals every day, always on guard against wild sparrows. Those clever little creatures would sneak up on the seeds when no one was looking and feast on them.

I've been eagerly awaiting the wheat to sprout green shoots, but I still can't put my mind at ease.

They inspected each plot of land one by one, their eyes like scanners, not missing a single corner, for fear that insects might grow in the ground.

Once insects are discovered, pesticides must be applied immediately to kill them; there is no time to lose.

Once the wheat has grown a little bigger, it will be time to weed again.

Weeding, while not enough to cause back pain, is certainly hard work.

We have to make sure all the weeds in the field are pulled up by the roots, but we can't damage the fragile wheat seedlings.

Take one acre of land as an example. Even if three or four experienced farmers were to weed every day, it would still take them a week to finish weeding.

Winter has finally arrived, and people seem to have more free time, but their hearts are still on edge.

Sometimes, the weather is dry and cold, but it just won't snow, which worries everyone. Every day they have to go to the fields to check on it, full of concern that the wheat will freeze to death.

But if there are several heavy snowfalls in a row as soon as winter arrives, everyone will be overjoyed.

After all, as the old saying goes, a timely snowfall promises a bumper harvest.

The thick snow, like a warm quilt, covered the wheat, so everyone didn't have to worry about the wheat freezing to death.

As winter fades and spring arrives, the ice and snow gradually melt, and the fields come alive again.

Wheat wasn't the only crop that survived the winter; wild vegetables with particularly developed root systems also thrived again, thanks to the spring breeze.

So, a new round of weeding and pesticide spraying began.

Finally, after a year of careful tending, the wheat ripened.

Watching the golden wheat swaying in the wind like golden waves, being hauled back to the threshing ground truckload after truckload, everyone's face was beaming with uncontrollable smiles.

This year, things went exceptionally well in Xiliu Village, and the weather was also very cooperative, with no rain at all, providing excellent conditions for the harvest.

Although the weather was favorable, no one dared to relax their vigilance.

Every day at five o'clock in the morning, before dawn, everyone gets up and, taking advantage of the cool weather, sharpens their knives and prepares to harvest wheat as soon as it gets a little light.

Between noon and 1 p.m., the hottest time of day, everyone goes home for lunch and a short rest.

At 2 p.m., I went to the fields again on time and kept cutting until after 8 p.m. When it was completely dark and I could no longer see, I dragged my tired body home.

Walking on this road, even Xie Yan, who was always afraid of the dark, didn't feel scared at this moment. Because there were quite a few people with him, and at any intersection in front, behind, left, or right, there might be a few people, or even just one, carrying a sickle, silently walking back.

Unlike the lively chatter we had when we met in the morning, everyone was unusually silent in the evening.

A day of intense labor had drained everyone's energy, leaving them speechless as they walked home with heavy, slow steps.

After Xie Yan and Gu Bin parted ways at the intersection of their two houses, they could see what looked like a figure in front of their own house from afar.

As soon as the figure saw the dark figure approaching from the intersection, it quickly moved closer. Seeing the moving figure, Xie Yan's heart tightened, and his pace unconsciously quickened, but he was ultimately no match for the speed of the figure opposite him.

Seeing the rapidly approaching figure, Xie Yan cried out in alarm, "Slow down, slow down! It's so dark, you should just wait at home, why are you running out here?"

"What will you do if you fall and get hurt, and I'm not there for you?"

Taking advantage of the fact that Xie Yan couldn't see clearly at the moment, Yu Yuehui couldn't help but twitch her lips slightly and secretly roll her eyes.

She's not so easily defeated; she's quite formidable now.

In other words, Xie Yan always treated her like an ordinary pregnant woman, forbidding her from doing this or that.

For example, during this busy farming season, she wanted to go to the fields to help, but Xie Yan absolutely refused.

Even though she listed many pregnant women who were more advanced in their pregnancy than her and were still able to work in the fields, Xie Yan was stubborn and refused to let her go.

Yu Yuehui was also witnessing Xie Yan's stubbornness for the first time. Being clumsy with words, she had no way to persuade him and could only stay at home obediently.

Xie Yan ran to Yu Yue's side and, by the dim moonlight, eagerly looked her up and down to make sure she was safe and sound before he was relieved.

Yu Yue looked at Xie Yan with amusement and asked, "It's so dark, can you see clearly?"

Xie Yan took her hand and led her home, honestly replying, "I can't see very clearly."

"Then why are you still watching?"

Xie Yan smiled, his tone full of tenderness and concern, "Just to put my mind at ease."

Watching Yu Yuehui's belly grow bigger day by day, especially now, round and plump like a fully inflated balloon, Xie Yan was truly terrified.

Unlike Yu Yuehui, who was very brave, he couldn't help but feel terrified whenever he thought about the various dangers of childbirth.

Especially seeing Yu Yuehui running around with her big belly, he was extremely worried.

When the two arrived home, kerosene lamps were already lit under the eaves.

The dim, yellow light flickered, illuminating a table of exquisite food.

Water had already been poured into the washbasin. Xie Yan put down the sickle, took off his sweaty clothes that he had worn all day, and quickly tidied himself up.

Before the water droplets on his body had dried, he picked up a clean shirt and put it on, only buttoning the bottom one, wearing it loosely so as not to feel uncomfortable if the clothes stuck to his skin.

He reached up, grabbed a towel from the shelf, tossed it over his head, and quickly began wiping himself.

His short, already very short haircut stopped dripping wet after a few wipes.

He casually put the towel back, took a few steps to the table, sat down, and picked up the soup that Yu Yuehui had already prepared, gulping it down in one go.

After finishing the soup, Xie Yan felt a little full and less hungry, so he said to Yue Hui, "Wife, next time you should eat earlier by yourself and not wait for me."

Yu Yue looked at him with a smile.

The sun and wind of this period of time have tanned Xie Yan's originally fair skin into a healthy wheat color. Coupled with his extremely short buzz cut, it doesn't look bad at all; instead, it adds a touch of wild charm that he didn't have before.