Chapter 71

The sun is scorching. It is the busy farming season and farmers are harvesting wheat in the fields under the scorching sun. The weather has been good recently and it has not rained. Most farmers in Ganzhou County have to harvest, dry and store the wheat before the rain, and then harvest another wave of millet in the fall. This year, the food will be almost enough for the family to eat.

A farmer was bending over and using a sickle to cut wheat. He was waving the sickle very quickly, and in a blink of an eye, a pile of wheat appeared at the edge of the field.

Some time ago, the county government sent a message to all the villages, saying that this year His Majesty would take charge of the government and there would be a year's tax exemption. When the farmers heard this, they were overjoyed. Although the emperor of this dynasty is benevolent and taxes are much lower than those of the previous dynasty, it is still a burden for ordinary people. Without this expenditure, they can save more food and live more comfortably.

During this period, every household earned a lot of money by working in the county. Many people would spend money to go to the county to watch operas, and their children could be sent to school. It was obvious that life was getting better and better.

Working in the fields is a bit tiring, but the more food he brings home, the more at ease he feels. The farmer thought silently and continued to harvest wheat.

Hearing a sound from a distance, he put down his sickle and stood up to look over. A group of people were coming over noisily, and they seemed to be holding something in their hands.

Xiang Li Gu came over with the craftsmen carrying the fan cart, and Li Zheng was leading the way.

"After walking for a while, we will find the threshing ground ahead," said the head of the village.

The farmer came over and called the village head, asking, "What are you doing?"

"The county government has sent over several fanning carts, which can be used when you winnow the grain." The head of the village pointed to the fanning cart lane.

"That's great. My wheat will be harvested in the next few days and can be used when threshing. The county officials are so kind." The farmer wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile.

The head of the village also followed suit with a few words of praise, and Xiangligu urged impatiently a few times, saying that the weather was so hot, they should put the fan away first, and couldn't wait to talk later.

The head of the village felt hot himself, and the craftsmen following him kept wiping their sweat with their hands. He then quickly took everyone to the threshing ground.

The farmer watched the group of people walking away and chuckled. With the winnowing cart, he could winnow the wheat more quickly and finish harvesting the wheat earlier. He could also do more work in the county.

Xiangli Gu and his group arrived at the threshing ground. Farmers had already spread the wheat on the ground. The farmers drove oxen to pull the millstone to thresh the wheat ears. Most villages in Nanxiang adopt the lottery system. Whoever's family is drawn will have priority in threshing the wheat. Other people in the village will come back to help. Men help with threshing and collecting wheat straw, and women help with cooking and sifting wheat. These are considered favors and must be repaid by each family later.

In ancient times, people depended on the weather for their livelihood, and harvesting grain was the most important thing, so it was common for families to help each other.

Xiangli Gu had the fan wheel installed, and the head of the village called the farmer who was threshing today and asked him to ask someone to come and try it out.

Farmers use a winnowing basket to put the threshed wheat seeds into the hopper, and use a hand-cranked handle to turn the fan. The fan will then generate a gust of wind to blow away lighter chaff, husks, dust and other debris, while the heavy wheat seeds will fall into the basket. It can be used by several people working together.

Xiangli Gu picked up a handful of clean wheat seeds without impurities from a basket and asked several farmers to pack them up. The wheat still needed to be dried in the sun before it could be stored.

The village head said happily, "I have seen this kind of fan before, but it is rarely used in our southern village. Xiangli, how many will be distributed to us this time?"

It won’t be just a few planes like last time, right? Li Zheng frowned and thought.

"This time, County Magistrate Lin arranged for us to do it early. There is enough for every township, so there is no need to worry." Xiangli Gu shook the handle of the fan cart, and replied when he saw that it was sturdy and durable.

"That's good, that's good. It's better to harvest the grain as soon as possible so that we can feel at ease." The head of the village smiled innocently, and the farmers next to him nodded.

Xiangli Gu had nothing to do today, so he simply helped a farmer to grind all his wheat. When he was busy, he saw a familiar figure in the distance.

He quickly put down the wooden shovel in his hand and went forward.

"Sir, why are you here?"

Lin Shuge smiled and said, "There is nothing to do in the county government office today, so I came over to take a look."

The head of the village recognized Lin Shuge's identity and ran over with everyone. He rubbed his rough hands nervously and said, "Greetings, Mr. County Magistrate." All the farmers were also very nervous.

Lin Shuge said hurriedly: "No need to be polite, I am here in my normal clothes today, just treat me as a fellow villager who came to help, I will definitely ask for a bowl of rice for you."

The head of the village waved his hands repeatedly and replied, "No, no, how can I let you work when County Magistrate Lin is here?"

Lin Shuge didn't say anything and started to help. The village head was anxious to help but was stopped by Xiang Ligu. Seeing that Lin Shuge worked efficiently and was not afraid of dirt or hard work, everyone stopped trying to persuade him and went back to work.

The fan wheel made a whirring sound, and in the distance farmers were picking out the milled wheat straw with wooden forks and stacking it up layer by layer to make haystacks. These wheat straws can be used to feed livestock and also to burn firewood and heat the kang.

Most of the farmers who came today are fellow villagers and neighbors. Everyone knows each other and there is no one who is cheating or playing tricks. Everyone chats while working. It is the harvest season and even if it is hard work, they are happy in their hearts.

One farmer glanced at Lin Shuge who was helping to harvest wheat and said softly, "This is the first time I've seen County Magistrate Lin. He looks like the god on the stage when I watched a play in the county town last time. He doesn't put on airs at all."

The farmer next to him carried the straw onto the haystack and compacted it before saying, "Yes, he is still so young, yet he is so gentle and polite to us peasants."

"I heard that he has a younger brother who is very skilled in martial arts and can kill a wolf by himself." Someone asked curiously.

"That's the head of the guard tunnel. He came here last time with County Magistrate Lin. I saw him from afar. He was young, but he looked very majestic, like a general." A farmer whispered.

The head of the village came over and glared at him, "It's almost dark, why don't you hurry up and harvest the wheat?"

"Hey, head of the village, you always tell lies with your eyes open. The sun is shining brightly, how can it be dark?" said the farmer with a smile.

The headman pretended to kick him and walked away cursing. Several farmers laughed, which made Lin Shuge look over there.

The head of the village walked to the side of Lin Shuge and winked at Xiang Ligu, asking him to help quickly.

Xiangli Gu ignored him. If he could have persuaded him, he would have done so long ago.

The village head had no choice but to say, "Sir, Madam Li brought some water. It's a good time to go over and have a drink and take a rest."

Xiang Li Gu also said: "We have been working for a long time. I am thirsty too. Sir, let's take a rest together."

Lin Shuge wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded.

He followed the head of the village to a willow tree, where several women brought millet porridge, which was cooked thickly and was being distributed to the farmers who had just finished working.

Someone noticed Lin Shuge and anxiously handed over the drink in his hand, "Sir, you drink first."

The woman who was distributing the porridge was quick and brought the porridge over quickly, "Sir, drink a bowl and take a rest."

Lin Shuge thanked the two of them and held out his hand to take it. A little child who came with his mother kept staring at Lin Shuge curiously.

Lin Shuge took out a few candies from his pocket and gave them to him, then touched his forehead and asked, "Are you hot?"

The little boy nodded.

"Sir, how can this be done..." the child's mother said nervously.

"It's just a few candies, don't worry about it." Lin Shuge said gently.

Lin Shuge sat under the tree with them. He drank a few mouthfuls of porridge and asked a few questions about their harvest this year.

Several brave farmers immediately opened up, "This year's harvest is good. I can go out to work during the slack season, and my wife can also earn money by weaving cashmere in winter, which is much better than in previous years. The court also exempted taxes for one year this year. My wife and I have discussed that we will have more money next year and send our children to school."

Lin Shuge nodded and asked a few more questions about the use of the new farm tools.

Another farmer said, "Of course it is useful. The county government issued a few curved plows this year, and my family bought one for our own use."

Seeing that Lin Shuge was approachable, several farmers started talking to him about trivial matters at home. Some said that their eldest son was getting old and needed to be married, while others said that their daughter was getting married and needed to prepare a dowry. They also invited Lin Shuge to attend their weddings without any prior arrangement.

The village head couldn't help laughing when he saw the county magistrate, who was not even twenty years old, was deeply involved in marriage matters, and had to comfort them by saying that their children and grandchildren would have their own blessings.

County Magistrate Lin is not married himself, but he still helps people solve these problems.

"But something feels wrong today. Our northwest has usually had little rain, but this year it seems to be especially rainy." The topic turned to farming again.

Several farmers nodded. "We have a waterwheel this year, so the crops are irrigated well. In addition, the northwest is dry and rainy, so we don't feel anything. It's hard to say about other counties. I heard a long time ago that it hasn't rained in Wei County, and I don't know what the situation is now."

Lin Shuge was shocked when he heard this. Zhou Du had mentioned this before, but as he saw that the crops in Ganzhou were growing well, he always thought it was no big deal. If there is a drought, it will be a devastating disaster for the people.

Everyone sitting around was worried. In the days when people depended on the weather for their livelihood, many people had experienced droughts, and the fields had no harvest. It was not unheard of that countless people had starved to death.

"Here you go." The little boy came over at some point and grabbed Lin Shuge's sleeve.

Lin Shuge looked down at the little boy holding a green fruit in his hands, and reached out to take it.

"Thank you." Lin Shuge laughed and pinched his chubby face.

The child's mother blushed a little, "Don't despise it, adults. This is called dragon fruit. Xiaoyu will give it to you because he likes you. Normally, I won't give it to anyone who wants it."

Everyone burst into laughter at once. They were interrupted by this little episode and forgot what they had just said. After taking a good rest, they started to work again.

Lin Shuge held the fruit but didn't know how to open it, so Xiang Ligu said, "Sir, let me help you."

He opened the dragon fruit very smoothly, "Sir, you can eat it now."

Lin Shuge looked at him and said with a smile: "Xiangli, are you used to eating this?"

"The adults have forgotten that I am from the south. Every year when the wheat is harvested, there are fruits like this on the roadside. Children don’t have much snacks, so we pick these to eat." Xiangli said with a hint of nostalgia in his tone.

"My Lord, I know that you care about the common people. The matter in Wei County is just hearsay. You don't have to worry too much.

"I was worrying too much." Lin Shuge said.

Xiang Li Gu shook his head and looked at the busy farmers in the distance, "It is a blessing for the people to have adults in Ganzhou."

"Xiangli, when did you learn the skill of flattery from Qian Wancai?"

Xiang Li Gu's dark face showed a trace of embarrassment, "I'm telling the truth."

"Okay, tell the truth, and get to work." Lin Shuge's ears were a little hot, and he walked over a few steps.

Xiangli Gu looked at the sun above his head and sighed in his heart: I hope God bless the people.