With a heavy heart, Old Chen took his grandson and turned to leave.
Hao'er, however, was in a cheerful mood, her steps light and quick, even humming a little tune—the one her daughter-in-law often sang. Perhaps infected by the cheerful melody, Old Chen took a deep breath of the field air. Yes, he was still alive and well, living with the hopes of his son, daughter-in-law, and wife! For the rest of his life, he would dedicate all his strength to raising Hao'er, and then he could reunite with his family! Until then, what reason did he have not to live well? Otherwise, wouldn't they blame him over there?
Hao'er squeezed her grandfather's hand. "Grandpa, the bun smells so good! I haven't had one in so long. Let's go back and eat it!"
The child's eyes were shining brightly, and there was only Chen Laohan in them. He was the child's everything. He couldn't be hurt. Not only could he not be hurt, but he also had to live well and earn some wealth for his grandson. Didn't he have a lot of drive when he was young? It's not too late now!
"Alright, let's go home and eat! After we've eaten, Grandpa still has work to do and will buy meat for Hao'er!"
The morning sun shines on the village road, the branches and leaves on the trees begin to grow lush, and the laughter of the grandfather and grandson echoes along the path, creating a vibrant scene.
"Third Aunt, Third Aunt, come quickly and see if our rice seedlings are ready?" Wu Chunhua would come over every day to check on the seedling nursery and see how the seedlings were growing. As a typical northern woman, she had never grown rice before, so she never doubted that there was anything wrong with this planting method. If her own land could produce rice in the future, it would mean that she could eat white rice. Just thinking about it made her happy!
When Qin San Niang went over to take a look, the rice seedlings were lush and green, and they were growing really well! "Hmm, they're almost ready. We'll go to the fields to transplant them tomorrow."
In the past two weeks, the wall around the new house has been basically completed. Yesterday, Old Man Wang and his apprentices came to hand over the work, and the families settled their wages with them, totaling fifteen taels of silver!
Seeing so much money in his account, Old Wang happily accepted it; he now had enough capital for the year! He warmly told them that if they needed any repairs, they should come to Wangjia Village to find him, and he would come as soon as possible!
With Old Man Wang's task completed, Old Han's nearly month-long stint as a helper also came to an end. She and Liu had gotten along well during this time, and the thought of parting brought them some sadness. Fortunately, Qin San Niang persuaded her, saying that the two villages weren't far apart, and if Old Han had time, she should come and visit her mother.
Yesterday, Chen Laohan completed the first batch of furniture, including wardrobes, cabinets, chairs, and wooden sofas.
Qin San Niang went over to take a look and was very satisfied. Chen Lao Han's craftsmanship was truly top-notch! Chen Lao Han had improved some issues that she hadn't noticed. Although it hadn't been polished yet, it was already very pleasing to the eye. The two discussed it again and improved some details.
Besides furniture, Chen Laohan also contracted to provide front doors for several of their homes.
All the families were practical, and their only requirement for the wooden door was that it be sturdy and solid. So Chen Laohan used elm wood that was over ten years old. Although the door made of elm wood was heavy, it was very stable! Qin Sanniang and the others were very satisfied.
Qin San Niang also met Chen Ming, Chen Lao Han's apprentice. Unlike her previous impression, Chen Ming was a very handsome young man, only sixteen or seventeen years old. If he wore a long robe, he would look like a scholar. He greeted Qin San Niang very politely, and after speaking, he quickly went to work. He seemed to be a clever and sensible person.
Clearly, Old Chen was very satisfied with this apprentice, which could be seen from his lecturing tone. Finding a good apprentice is a blessing for any master.
Qin Sanniang strolled leisurely home, in a wonderful mood. Through their hard work over the past six months, they had not only built a large house but also integrated well into the village. Even when Liu Meixiang rolled her eyes at her on the way, it didn't spoil her good mood.
That evening, the families discussed the matter and decided to plant the rice paddies first. They decided to move out a month later, when they could have a big celebration and invite the villagers to a feast.
The next day, Qin Sanniang led everyone to plant rice seedlings, attracting many onlookers. Most of the villagers had already planted their rice more than ten days ago.
At the time, some people were surprised that the new family hadn't planted rice yet. Did they want to plant other crops? Some kind-hearted old farmers even planned to inform them not to forget the solar terms!
Seeing them all out today, I naturally came to see what was going on. Why are they so late? And what are they planting instead of rice seedlings?
The old men, who had lived to this age, all said they had never seen rice planted like this before.
"Young lady, why is your rice so late? Isn't it past the season? Also, are these rice seedlings? Why not plant them directly in the field?"
At this point, the farmers turn into curious children. For them, who have farmed all their lives, this is something they have never heard of before. But in their familiar field, this feeling of being out of touch is really unpleasant!
“Brother, this is a method my eldest daughter learned from a master. It involves first cultivating rice seedlings, and then planting them in the paddy field when they grow to about this height. It is said that rice grown this way yields a higher harvest!” Liu answered patiently. She knew the old man’s intentions; he meant no harm, only curiosity.
"Of course, we haven't tried this method before, and it's our first time planting it. As for whether it will succeed, we'll have to wait and see! If you think it's good, you can plant it this way next year. You can come to my house then, and I can teach you how to cultivate seedlings!"
The old man who had just asked the question nodded. Although he didn't think this method would definitely work, he appreciated Liu's generosity.
"That's wonderful! We've never seen this method before. If it can increase rice yields, it would be a great benefit to everyone! But can you really make that decision? Can you really teach us the seedling cultivation method?"
Not only the old man, but the other elderly farmers watching also stared at him with wide eyes, their eyes full of doubt.
Qin Sanniang couldn't help but smile. "Uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters, if our method works, we'll definitely teach you. My mother is the boss in our family, and I have to listen to her!"
Liu looked at everyone with a beaming smile, her face beaming with undisguised smugness, as if to say, "See? I'm the boss in our family! This feeling is really great!"
Hearing Qin San Niang's assurance, what more could the villagers possibly want? They hurriedly said, "Qin Niangzi, I'll help you too. Anyway, I've finished all the work in my fields. I'd like to see if your fields are more productive than mine! Look, my fields are over there, next to yours."
The man who had been speaking laughed heartily as he went down into the paddy field, rolled up his sleeves, and followed Liu to plant rice seedlings.
Seeing this, the others were also eager to try. There was a trick to transplanting rice seedlings, so it would be good to learn it, and it wouldn't take much effort.
The men who were familiar with Gu Qingshan and He Yingyuan, as well as the women who were familiar with Wu Chunhua and Liao Hongying, also followed them into the paddy fields.
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