Chapter Forty-Four

A gentle breeze blows, and the seedlings in the fields sway in the wind, making the village lush and green.

In order to have a good harvest, if two or three seedlings sprout from a hole, the smaller seedlings usually have to be pulled out so that the remaining one can grow faster.

If there are holes where seeds have been sown but no seedlings have sprouted, then fill them with the seedlings that have been separated and are growing a little stronger.

When it was time to transplant and replant seedlings, Mu Jin went to the field early in the morning after having breakfast.

This job was very busy, but Wen Zhaoran learned it very quickly. After feeding the chickens and ducks at home and watering the vegetable garden, she went to help out in the fields.

People were bustling about in the fields, with every household busy working in the fields.

The newly cleared wasteland was not as fertile as fertile fields, and many seedlings failed to sprout.

Mu Jin walked around the field, her brows furrowing slightly. So many seeds hadn't sprouted yet; she was worried that the seedlings she had separated wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps.

"Si'er, you and Zhaoran divide the seedlings, and I'll replant them, so that the seedlings won't wilt when the sun gets too high."

Zhou Si nodded. Mu Jin went home first and fetched a bucket of water from the river.

After replanting the seedlings, quickly water them.

Because they needed to use the seedlings, Zhou Si and Wen Zhaoran handled them gently when separating them, trying their best to keep the roots of the seedlings neat.

Hibiscus carefully took the separated seedlings, filled them with soil, and watered them with a ladle of water after circling the seedlings.

After two days of busy work, the task of transplanting and replanting seedlings in the field was almost complete.

Sure enough, there were still some areas where the seedlings hadn't sprouted that hadn't been filled.

After thinking for a moment, Mu Jin went to the field of the Mu Hunter's family not far away and asked for some seedlings that the Mu Mian family didn't want.

"Mian'er, this is enough to nourish her." Mu Jin waved her hand as she saw Mu Mian still putting more in.

“Take them all. I’d just throw them away if they stayed here. You can pick and choose the strongest ones later.”

As Mu Mian spoke, she added some more.

Mu Jin laughed and said, "There's no need to pick and choose. The ones you separated are even better than the ones I kept."

Mu Mian added some more. "Your field is always like this every year. I heard from my uncle that when our family first cleared the land, my father, husband, and brother-in-law were mostly busy hunting in the mountains. He was the only one taking care of the field, so he couldn't manage it all and didn't apply any base fertilizer, so the crops grew sparsely. Now it's much better. Your field is considered to be growing very well."

Mu Jin picked up her bamboo basket. "My family didn't fertilize either. In the spring, there wasn't much manure left. Sigh, never mind. I just saw those men working at your house."

Mu Mian nodded and smiled, "They work very efficiently, which has saved my father, Lingyun, and me a lot of trouble. My father said he was too busy to handle things himself when he came down the mountain, so he hired them. In a year, the most money we spend is only enough to buy a deer."

"It's better to hire people if possible. I'll head back now and get the seedlings planted as soon as possible."

The cotton trees provided quite a few seedlings, and after the hibiscus was replanted, there were still some left. So, a small row was planted near the village road.

When I got home, I realized I hadn't had tofu in a long time, so I went to Aunt Wang's house in the village, where she sells tofu, and bought two pieces.

When Mujin got home, she steamed some buns and quickly stir-fried a plate of greens and tofu. She sautéed Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies until fragrant, then added garlic cloves to enhance the aroma. The dish was fragrant, spicy, and peppery, and it smelled so appetizing that it made her want to eat more.

Zhou Lin came home a little late today, just as it was getting dark.

"Why are you back so late?"

Mu Jin took the basket from his hand, filled a wooden basin with water for him, and looked a little worried.

Zhou Lin scooped up a handful of water with his large hands, washed his face, and felt much more refreshed.

Taking the cloth handed to him by Mu Jin, he replied, "Steward Zhao said today that the master said the shop would open ahead of schedule, so the master and I stayed a little longer to catch up on the work."

"How's the work over there going?"

"Just like today, it'll be quick. We can finish in another four or five days."

Mu Jin nodded. "Now that we have some manure at home, Si'er and I will compost it. The seedlings in our field are growing too weakly. After composting, we can apply fertilizer, which may help them grow better."

Zhou Lin poured the water from washing his face onto the vegetable garden, and upon hearing this, said, "We still don't have enough manure..."

Before she could finish speaking, Mu Jin quickly interrupted, "Don't say anything more, I haven't eaten yet. Let's talk about this after I finish eating."

Back in the kitchen, he brought out the vegetables and dark-colored steamed buns that were keeping warm in the pot.

Zhou Si and Wen Zhaoran had dinner under the peach tree in the yard tonight, enjoying the breeze and feeling quite pleasant.

Because of the hibiscus, they didn't move it into the kitchen. Instead, they lit an oil lamp and ate in the courtyard with Zhou Lin.

"Why didn't you eat with Si'er and the others? You don't need to wait for me."

Zhou Lin picked up a piece of dark-colored steamed bun, added a piece of fried tofu, and said.

Mu Jin smiled and said, "Eating with you is even more delicious."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lin glanced helplessly at Mu Jin, realizing that her husband could spout sweet words so easily.

Each time, he listened with a mixture of joy and shyness.

I picked up a piece of tofu for Mujin, saying, "This tofu is delicious."

The couple ate and talked in the courtyard. A breeze came and the oil lamp's light flickered a few times, but thankfully it stabilized.

Zhou Si and Wen Zhaoran went back to their room early, closed the door, and went to sleep.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of the two people talking.

After taking the last bite of the dark steamed bun, Zhou Lin wiped the bowl containing the food, leaving it spotless with not a drop of soup.

After dinner, the two washed the dishes, went to the backyard to get the oil lamp, checked to see if the poultry had returned to their roosts, and then went back into the house.

"Today, Steward Zhao gave me my wages for making the furniture, two taels of silver. You can give it to Si'er tomorrow."

Zhou Lin handed the money bag to Mu Jin.

Two taels of silver was quite a lot. Mu Jin glanced at it and then put it under the bedding, planning to return it to Zhou Si the next day.

After the two finished washing up and lay down on the bed, Mu Jin had just closed her eyes when she heard Zhou Lin suddenly turn to the side and speak, as if he had thought of something.

“Speaking of composting, we still have a lot of manure. Five acres of land probably won’t be enough.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Jin opened her eyes. Farmers rely on manure to fertilize their fields; it's incredibly precious, and this stuff is something you can't even borrow.

At this time, most villagers would prepare fertilizer in advance before turning the soil, and then spread the fertilizer when turning the soil.

Since there probably wasn't much manure at home, even if there was, few people would be willing to lend it.

Hibiscus has been so busy these days, only knowing how to compost fertilizer, that she forgot to check if she had enough.

"What should we do then?"

Zhou Lin started working in the fields when he was seven or eight years old, and now he can be considered a skilled farmer.

"When composting, burn some wood ash, add more rotten leaves and dried grass, and I'll buy some lime in town and add it in. After composting for about a month, it will have some fertility."

Mu Jin nodded. The crops didn't grow well this year because the family had just separated.

It seems we still need to raise two pigs in the summer. Pigs can produce waste, and after the autumn harvest, we can use them to make fertilizer, which we can then use to make manure in the winter.

Early the next morning, Zhou Lin got up early, carried the small green vegetables on his back, and went to the Zhao residence with Mu Heng.

After having breakfast, Mu Jin took out the silver and handed it to Zhou Si.

Zhou Si was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant and refused to accept it.

"Brother, I have enough to eat and wear at home, how could I possibly need this money?!"

Mu Jin smiled and said, "One thing at a time. You are A Lin's own brother. If we have to pay money to raise you, what will others think of us? If we calculate it that way, your older brother and I have benefited from you and eaten a lot of pheasants and rabbits. In the end, we still have to give you money."

Zhou Si still shook his head, refusing to accept the two taels of silver. Seeing that Mu Jin was about to stuff it into his arms, he picked up the basket, turned around, and ran out the door.

Seeing this, Wen Zhaoran laughed and said, "Big brother, look how you've driven Si-ge to the point that he's run away from home."

Helpless, Mu Jin handed the silver to Wen Zhaoran, saying, "Put it under your brother Si's bedding for me."

Wen Zhaoran waved his hand, "No way, Brother Si doesn't want it, how could I dare? What if Brother Si gets angry and won't let me stay in his room tonight? It's only two taels of silver, why are you arguing back and forth? Brother, you keep it for yourself."

Mu Jin suddenly didn't want to talk to this guy who didn't know the value of firewood and rice.

When Zhou Si returned home with a pheasant given to her by Mu Lingyun, Mu Jin was at the outhouse, covering her mouth and nose with a cloth, busy composting manure.

Zhou Si put the tied-up pheasant in the backyard and walked over to Mu Jin.

“Brother, I’ve thought about it. I can’t accept these two taels of silver. You and I will definitely give it to you, but we’re not happy about it. Let’s just have you buy two pots. I can use them too. Even if I get married, I can still use them when I come back. Consider it something I’m adding to the family.”

In Mujia Village, most families have two people working on their earthen stoves, which makes cooking and steaming buns convenient.

The Zhou family's old house used to house many people. Since there were two earthen stoves in the kitchen, two pots were needed to match them.

Mu Jin pushed him outside. This place smelled terrible, and it was a wonder he could speak without batting an eye.

Now that they were far from the composting site, Hibiscus lifted the cloth covering her face and let out a breath.

"Alright, I'll do as you say."

When Zhou Si gets married, he and Zhou Lin will simply add more dowry for her.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Si's eyes lit up with a smile. "Big brother? I just ran into Brother Lingyun outside. He gave me a pheasant. Shall we stew it for dinner tonight?"

Mu Jin thought for a moment and smiled, "Tomorrow, when your older brother buys a pot and sets up the stove, we'll use this chicken to start cooking."

Wen Zhaoran, having finished feeding the chickens and ducks, came over sometime during the day.

“Brother, the earthen stove in our kitchen is cracked. Since we’re buying new pots, why not build a new stove too, and renovate the kitchen with yellow mud? I’ll pay for it.”

Mu Jin gently patted him and said with a smile, "I still have enough money to build a clay stove, so I don't need yours."

There are skilled craftsmen in the village who specialize in building earthen stoves. Uncle Huang is cheap; he can build a sturdy and durable one for just ninety coins, without any stuffiness.

When renovating the kitchen, everyone in the village would mix yellow mud to plaster the walls. Mu Jin thought she would give Uncle Huang a total of 120 coins and let him cover it all.

“Si’er, go find Uncle Huang. Today we’ll renovate the stove and the kitchen. We’ll prepare the mud and straw ourselves, and it’ll cost 120 coins. Ask Uncle Huang if it’s possible.”

Hibiscus is a woman of action; she does things decisively and without hesitation.

I've made quite a bit of money selling bok choy lately, and with some savings, it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a new pot and renovate the kitchen.

Zhou Si nodded, "Okay, big brother, I'll go right away."

Adding new things to the house always makes people feel better.

The hibiscus compost is even more potent now, and I don't mind the strong fumes anymore.

Wen Zhaoran couldn't stand the smell, so he took a hoe and went to weed the vegetable garden.

The work of transplanting and replanting seedlings in Uncle Huang's field had just been finished yesterday. When Zhou Si came to look for him, he was lying in a rocking chair, enjoying the breeze and resting quite comfortably.