"The Farmer's Fat Wife": Fat Men Are All Potential Stocks (Part 3)...

But she certainly couldn't tell Hua Xigu directly. Ye Xiqing lowered her head and said, "We don't need to go into too much detail. Just tell her about the dream. How to interpret it is up to others."

"If this didn't happen, it was just a dream, and we can consider it a fulfillment of the marriage agreement."

"If so, there will be signs of heavy rain before the flood. Once the rain falls, everyone will remember this dream. It's always better to be prepared than not."

No one believes outrageous things, but people will believe things that are particularly outrageous. Hua Xigu no longer doubted Ye Xiqing's words, mainly because Ye Xiqing had no reason to tell her such nonsense.

If it really is a divine warning about the flood, then it's not just a matter for one or two people. Not daring to keep this news to herself, Hua Xigu immediately said, "I'll go tell them right away!"

There has been no peace in the village lately. The imperial court is conscripting soldiers, not only in Shangwa Township but also in Xiawa Township. Every day is filled with misery, with people crying and horses neighing.

Men whose names were on the conscription list not only had to serve in the military, but their families also had to provide their own clothing and provisions, essentially risking their lives to fight for the imperial court at their own expense.

As for why they didn't rebel despite all this, we have to mention the complete set of methods used by the Legalists to control the people in feudal society. Putting aside everything else, just take the household registration and travel permit as an example. It could nail a person to the spot, and becoming an unregistered resident meant that there were no more ways to survive than joining the army.

Hua Xigu pondered who to talk to about this matter, and finally decided to talk to her "god-daughter".

Hua Xigu was the only matchmaker in the village. She arranged most of the marriages in the village, and all the young women and wives she brought together called her "godmother."

Upon seeing her enter the house, he hurriedly invited her to sit in the inner room and asked her what was wrong, looking haggard.

The women, whose children, husbands, and fathers-in-law had all been conscripted, had given up the struggle and were now processing and altering cotton-padded clothes.

I heard that I'm going to be transferred to the north for this battle. The winters in the north are tough, and the imperial court usually doesn't care about the lower-ranking soldiers.

We didn't care about how we'd survive after that; we dried and processed the food, and took everything we could with us.

Although Hua Xigu is a money-grubbing and profit-driven person, she feels compassion for her kind and cannot remain indifferent to widespread disasters.

Join them in crying for a while, say a few words of pity, and even make those who aren't crying cry. Then, find the right moment to recount Ye Xiqingmeng's story.

There's no such thing as a bad talker; when it comes to stories, there's always someone better to talk. Hua Xigu absorbed stories from Ye Xiqing and recounted them with even more vividness and emotion.

The family, already ravaged by war, felt even more alarmed upon hearing this and quickly stood up to ask her, "Godmother, what does this mean?"

Hua Xigu had already prepared her explanation and sighed, "What does Your Highness mean? How could a mortal like me know? I just feel that this dream is quite ominous, and I want to find someone to talk to about it."

Her words were ambiguous, but upon hearing the claim that the Taishan Niangniang Temple had been flooded, few people could help but connect it to the flood, and everyone became anxious: "Then I also want to go back to my parents' home to tell them..."

Hua Xigu quickly slapped herself, saying, "Don't take it too seriously. It's possible that my daughter had a nightmare and that's why she had this kind of evil dream. She'll be fine after we go to the temple to pray to the goddess in a few days."

Even so, everyone took it to heart, preferring to believe it rather than not.

So, with almost no special publicity, the news of "the flooding of the Niangniang Temple" spread like news of a war in the imperial court.

It has been passed down by word of mouth, and has been distorted in many ways. Few people believe it, and many more despise it, but it has still left its mark on the people.

The system stared in disbelief at Ye Xiqing, who had unwittingly spread news of the flood: "Host, what are you doing?"

Ye Xiqing honestly replied, "It's about saving people from suffering. If this news gets out, it will save so many lives. I'm such a kind person."

The system didn't believe she was being so kind and retorted angrily, "You want to rebel?"

Ye Xiqing couldn't help but laugh: "What's wrong? Is it not allowed? Isn't this world all about rebellion?"

The system immediately got to work: "Do you think rebellion is so easy to succeed? How many rebellions throughout history have failed? Have you thought about what the consequences of failure are!"

"I've thought about it. Going back to the system space? What's the big deal? I have so many points, what's one or two more worlds to go?"

system:……

Ye Xiqing continued to smile as she looked at it: "Is this the first day you know I have a system? Ah, a system?"

system:……

Having spent eight worlds together, it's amazing that we have to get to know each other all over again.

The male protagonist implicitly rebels in the story, but the system only now realizes the danger of this rebellion.

So, the rebellion only became dangerous after she got involved? It turns out it was all free money, huh?

She failed and was tortured for three days before returning to the system space. What could the male lead do then?

Let's figure out who's the one who can't accept defeat.

...

Having such a capable mother makes things so convenient; in no time, the news spread not only throughout their village but also through neighboring villages.

But none of that matters to her; she needs to do something more important now: farm.

The land is something only those who have farmed it truly understand; the land in ancient times was different from that in the 1980s.

In the 1980s, not only were there more advanced agricultural technologies, but also because of the dense population, even large families that had not separated their households only had about ten acres of land.

But in ancient times, land was vast and sparsely populated, and yields per mu were low. So the number of mu could be used to make up for the yield. So how much land did her family have? Thirty mu.

Yang County is located north of the Yi River. The landscape of the north and south is very different because of the river. The south side of the river is mostly paddy fields, while the north side is mostly dry fields.

Fortunately, it's in this location. The Hua family's thirty acres of land are all dry land. If they were paddy fields, Ye Xiqing wouldn't even want to wait three years; she would have rebelled and made others farm the land for her.

Although I've never farmed in paddy fields before, the sight of them is intimidating.

Rice is grown in paddy fields, wheat in dry fields, but it seems that the magical corn has not been introduced yet. Not a single seedling has been seen. If it were introduced, given the corn's robust nature, things wouldn't be like this.

The Hua family's thirty mu of land are all planted with winter wheat. It is planted in autumn and harvested in summer. In May, it is harvest time.

The thought of wind blowing through wheat fields evokes a sense of romance, but the thought of having to harvest those wheat fields herself makes Ye Xiqing want to shove her fingers into her scalp to relieve the mental stress.

Try pleading with Aunt Huaxi: "Mother, I haven't been feeling well lately..."

With Li Qiyue getting married, the Hua family lost a laborer, and they couldn't let her go to waste. Upon hearing this, Hua Xigu immediately smacked her with her pestle: "Stop pretending! Even if you're paralyzed when it's time to thresh the wheat, you still have to go!"

Ye Xiqing: ...

According to the original plot, the original owner was pampered in the Hua family and could slack off, but after Ye Xiqing came in, she was no longer blessed with spring.

Fortunately, it wasn't just the mother and daughter working on the thirty acres of land. Li Sanyue not only had a younger sister, but also a brother and a father.

Her brother was born with a limp, and Hua Xigu used money and connections to get him a job as a jailer in the county town.

As for her father, the imperial court was extremely strict with conscription during that period. They not only conscripted men through official channels, but also arrested the old and the young, those who were in compliance and those who were not. They would arrest anyone they saw on the street.

According to the law, a male member must remain in the family; they cannot be exterminated. Brother Li is already serving his official duties, so Old Man Li is exempt from going.

But since they've already started arresting people, what's the point of talking about laws and regulations?

Once arrested, nothing else matters. The conscription list is easy to get in but hard to get out, so Hua Xigu suggested that Old Man Li go hide with his son for a while.

Li Laoda works in the county town, rents a house nearby, and even got married. After all, it's a county town, and it's not too lawless.

After several waves of conscription raids, the conscription team finally gathered enough men and set off.

When Hua Xigu returned from the city, she whispered to Ye Xiqing that Guangyang County alone had confiscated 15,000 taels of silver this time. Not to mention the good families, the prisons were practically empty.

After hearing what she said, Ye Xiqing roughly understood how the country had fallen, and she sighed along with her for a few moments.

Once the dust settled, Old Man Li and Brother Li returned with their wives to grab the wheat. Not only them, but also Li Qiyue, who had gotten married, came back.

Although harvesting wheat required manpower, it was unusual for a married daughter to return to her parents' home to harvest wheat. Hua Xigu was terrified: "What are you doing back here?"

After Li Qiyue got married, she changed her hairstyle to that of a married woman, and suddenly she looked much more mature.

Sometimes people are just like that; the less valued they are, the more they want to show off. Hua Xigu always favored Li Sanyue, and Li Qiyue always wanted to make a good impression.

He clung to her arm and said sweetly, "Mom, I was just thinking of you. Your son-in-law is so good to me. He has a big family, so he doesn't need me. It's fine for him to come back."

Hua Xigu instantly lost her temper. They said it was nothing, and you actually believed it? Are you out of your mind?

Go back now!

Li Qiyue's good intentions were not rewarded; instead, she was scolded severely by her mother.

The mother and daughter were arguing fiercely when Ye Xiqing appeared from behind and said quietly, "It's good that you're back. It's good to have one more person to do the work."

Li Qiyue: ……

Hua Xigu: ……

What's it to you!

Li Qiyue ultimately stayed, but unlike what she had imagined, her mother was deeply moved to see her return, and she failed to make a successful impression at all.

Frustrated by his poor performance, Li Qiyue decided to work harder to prove himself, so he picked up a sickle and started cutting.

Ye Xiqing glanced at her and clicked his tongue, saying, "Stupid people always use stupid methods to do things."

Li Qiyue was already seething with anger, and upon hearing this, she immediately retorted sarcastically, "As if your pig brain could come up with any clever solutions!"

Hua Xigu: ...

The reason she liked Li Sanyue was because they were similar in size and circumstances, and people always empathize with their past selves.

Li Qiyue had heard Li Sanyue's insults before, and of course, she would get angry every time she heard them, thinking, "Who's calling me a pig-brain!"

Before Hua Xigu could get angry, Ye Xiqing snorted and slowly took out a "big basket" from behind her back: "Hey, I actually have one."

Everyone had noticed the large thing behind her long ago, but they had no idea what it was for. Some said it was a straw hat, but no one had one like that. Others said it was for picking wheat ears, but the basket was too shallow.

Ye Xiqing took the item down and, amidst everyone's skeptical gazes, unfolded the "large basket" with the handle and blade, letting the ancients see the ancient people's exclusive wheat-harvesting tool—the scythe.

Agricultural technology is constantly improving, and the ancients also had ingenuity.

Harvesting wheat involves cutting it bunch by bunch with a sickle, bending over all day long. It's slow and tiring.

So people drew inspiration from the broadsword used for slashing people and designed a long-handled sickle that could cut down a large area without bending over.

However, wheat harvested this way falls to the ground in front of the rows, and it's inconvenient to have to bend over and pick it up.

So they took it a step further, combining the long-handled sickle and the bamboo basket, designing two handles to control both the basket and the blade.

Grasping the two handles of the sickle, with coordinated arm movements, and using the waist as the center, swing it in a semi-circle, cutting the wheat with the blade as it swings.

The cut wheat is left in the bamboo basket, where it can be easily piled up, allowing all the harvesting actions to be completed at once, making it countless times more efficient than the traditional wheat harvesting method.

She doesn't know where this world came from; there are no significant dates for reference, so she can't make good judgments. But to harvest thirty acres of land with a regular sickle is just too frightening.

Fortunately, Ye Xiqing had spent a long time weaving sieves in the previous world, and would even weave a twig basket in her spare time, which greatly improved her hands-on skills, allowing her to successfully replicate the scythe.

The scythe not only eliminates the need for frequent bending over, but it also cuts quickly. A skilled worker could harvest ten acres of land a day, making it a semi-automated operation in the ancient world.

Ye Xiqing certainly wouldn't treat himself like a living beast. With a half-circle swing, he knocked over a piece of wheat, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

Farmers rush to harvest wheat because they are racing against the season. After the wheat is harvested, they also need to plant beans between the stubble.

After the wheat harvest in May or June, there are still some days before the first frost. In the remaining short period, another crop of soybeans can be planted to increase the yield.

The earlier soybeans are planted, the more time they have to grow, and the better the harvest. Every second counts.

So the Hua family had five sickles, and everyone went to the fields to cut crops. Even with so many people working together, it seemed that they couldn't compare to Ye Xiqing's casual swing.

The Hua family had no idea that Li Sanyue had been replaced, so they had no idea where she had obtained this secret technique. They could only stare wide-eyed.

No, you were unmoved when you watched us work so hard, but now that it's your turn, you want to make a move, right?

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Author's Note: Qingqing: ...

I feel like I've been wronged.