Chapter 25 Autumn Harvest: Kelly, the Wheat Truck, and Harvesting
It wasn't just Maggie's family; the same scene was playing out in other households throughout the village.
They might be secretly speculating about how much inheritance Victor and his wife left for the two brothers, or envying Rye for having such a good relative, or mocking Hagrid for raising outsiders' children.
In short, there are many who are just jealous, but few who offer genuine blessings.
Brian was sharpening knives in the room, while his wife Kelly sat by the window mending clothes.
"Father has money to subsidize Lai and the others, so why can't he lend us some more?"
Kelly asked casually.
“Your father gives both our families living expenses every year, so don’t say that.”
Kelly rolled her eyes, wondering what she could possibly do with that money.
Brian and Reese always gave all their earnings to the Hagrids first, and she couldn't even buy nice gifts for her parents when she went back to her parents' home for holidays.
"Sigh, if only we could have been separated sooner."
"Don't say things like that again."
Brian was somewhat displeased, but he wasn't the type to take his anger out on his wife. He grabbed his things, opened the door, and left the room.
The family's good life is all thanks to his father and mother. He knows that once the family separates, things can never go back to the way they were before, and he loves this warm and loving family.
Kelly stared wide-eyed at her husband's departing figure, not at all feeling that she had said anything wrong.
After marrying Brian, the comfortable life she enjoyed for more than a decade had long made her forget the hardships she had endured at her parents' home.
Now, she is filled with gratitude for her parents' kindness, instead of remembering how her parents always thought of her younger brother first when it came to good things. She often scrapes together gifts to send to her parents' home.
It was only because of Brian's good nature and the fact that other family members didn't hold it against her because she was Brian's wife.
Unfortunately, she couldn't understand this point and kept urging Brian to separate from the family as soon as possible. She also disapproved of Linda's favoritism towards her sister-in-law Farah.
Little did they know that Linda had treated them both equally for the first few years, even giving her priority when it came to good things. But people are all human; she had never truly integrated into the family, so Linda's attitude towards her naturally cooled.
The wheat in the field has matured over time.
The wheat is growing exceptionally well this year, with large and plump ears, promising a good harvest. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the wheat's ripening.
Even so, we cannot let our guard down.
If it rains after the wheat ripens, all the hard work of the year will be wasted. Every day, someone goes to the fields to keep an eye on the wheat's ripeness.
And so, some time passed amidst the villagers' anticipation.
The truck bed has been finished in the last few days. Lai first led the little beast to get the ropes and harnesses for the truck.
The craftsman who made the rope loops was extremely skilled. Because Ray paid in full without extending credit, he was even given an extra bell and a sturdy hemp rope.
The bells hanging around the little animal's neck are highly recognizable, and they make a tinkling sound when it walks, which helps prevent it from getting lost.
The small beast looked quite large, but it wasn't yet an adult Delraston, so the rope was a bit too wide on its body. The craftsman made some adjustments on the spot, tightening the rope a bit, and it fit perfectly.
Then Ray went to get the truck bed.
The wood used in the truck bed is a special type of balsa wood. The wood is very light, but it is also very tough and strong.
Vehicles here are usually made of this kind of wood so that livestock can pull more loads.
The Delraston beast has a pretty good carrying capacity. The little beast was a bit unaccustomed to being harnessed to the truck bed at first, but after a few laps, it got used to the load.
When they got home, it was Lai who drove them back.
The little beast was a bit excited, running around like crazy the whole way, making Neil almost throw up his dinner from the night before.
The little animal's behavior is bad. If it continues like this when transporting fragile fruits and vegetables, it will cause problems. It needs further training before we can confidently let it pull cargo.
Lai rarely sells mung bean soup anymore; the wheat harvest season is just around the corner, the most important event of the year for the village. The tunnel construction will have to stop then, and everyone will be given a holiday to go home and harvest wheat.
The grapes from Guge's family will be collected by someone in town; he doesn't need to deliver them himself.
He couldn't manage it all by himself, so Lai and Neil helped pick grapes for several days and ate quite a few freshly picked ones. Old Gug didn't restrict their intake, but the two of them were very careful to pick out the ones that didn't look good and wouldn't sell.
In his spare time, Lai would drive to the woods to cut down trees, bring them home, chop them into firewood, and keep them for later use.
Lei has a restless personality.
After the autumn harvest comes winter, when the weather is cold and a lot of firewood is needed to keep warm.
He currently has enough firewood for daily cooking, but he still wants to prepare more wood in advance, just in case.
Their daily routine consisted of felling trees, chopping firewood, or helping old Guge with chores. And so, the wheat in the fields finally ripened.
The wind blew, creating golden waves in the wheat, and the aroma of the wheat attracted flocks of sparrows and wild birds. All the villages entered the busy autumn harvest season.
When Lai woke up in the morning, he went to work in the fields with the rest of the group.
He had little experience when he first started harvesting wheat, so he harvested very slowly.
Later, by observing others and becoming more skilled, he began to increase his speed. He could even keep up with an adult who had been doing farm work for many years.
The sickle danced in the wheat field, making a pleasant swishing sound—the sound of cutting wheat, the sound of harvest.
First, Ray cut two clumps of wheat, twisted them together to form a "rope," then placed the cut wheat on top and tied them together with the "rope." After tying, the wheat ears stood upright with the ends facing upwards.
Neil followed behind Rye, carrying a large basket and picking up ears of wheat.
It's still a bit inefficient for one person to both cut and bundle wheat.
Later, they changed the method so that after Ray finished cutting the fruit, he would put it into neat piles and then bundle it up at the end. This saved a lot of time, and Neil could also help bundle some of the fruit.
Neil wanted to help Ray harvest wheat, but Ray refused, worried that Neil might accidentally cut his leg. So Neil took on the tasks of preparing lunch and delivering water.
They worked from morning until noon, and after a short rest after lunch, they continued cutting wheat until dinner time before heading home.
After just one day of doing this, Lai Yi experienced firsthand the hardships of farming.
It wasn't just the hard work of harvesting wheat that was exhausting, but also the scorching sun. When the temperature got hot, you'd be drenched in sweat in less than half an hour.
Lei has fair skin and doesn't tan easily, but she gets sunburned easily.
The skin first turns bright red, and then soon peels. It's not a big problem, but it looks scary. Neil will be very startled when he sees it.
Therefore, when Ray was harvesting wheat, he rarely dared to expose his arms, firstly for fear of sunburn, and secondly because the wheat awns were prickly and would affect his efficiency.
After working for only a short while, my shirt was soaked with sweat. If I kept working like that, I'd be lucky to avoid heatstroke.
When Neil went back to prepare the meal, Ray specifically instructed him to add a little sugar and salt to the water he had brought, so that it could replenish electrolytes.
Neil ate lunch with Rye in the field.
Lai had chopped the side dishes before leaving in the morning, and Neil just needed to start a fire and stir-fry or pan-fry them when he got back.
A large, oily pancake is rolled up with stir-fried shredded meat and potatoes, then topped with scallions and cilantro, and a small pancake roll is ready.
The two of them ate with great relish.
Other villagers' homes usually have bread and vegetables, and those who are better off might bring an extra jar of stewed meat and vegetables. Of course, nothing compares to Lai's shredded meat wraps.
The glistening, juicy little pancakes rolled with shredded meat immediately attracted a lot of attention when they were taken out. They had never known that pancakes could be made so thin yet so chewy.
Ray ate four in one go before feeling full, while Neil stopped after eating two.
"Are you full? Have another one, we'll eat dinner a little later."
"Then I'll have another one."
Upon hearing what Ray said, Neil rolled up another roll without any meat.
Lai did a lot of hard work, and he wanted to leave all the meat for his brother.
After lunch, Lei chewed on a cucumber.
The cucumbers at this stage are starting to age, not as vibrant, tender, and sweet as when they first formed. They're thicker and more fleshy, but they still provide some hydration.
Even if the cucumbers start to age, there's no need to rush to pull up the cucumber vines. Just let the cucumbers grow there until the skin turns completely yellowish-brown, then pick them and store them.
Peel off the skin of the old cucumber, and the flesh inside can be made into old cucumber soup, or mixed with scallions and salt as a cold dish.
The unique sourness of mature cucumbers gives the soup a distinctive flavor that vinegar cannot match. Furthermore, mature cucumbers can help lower cholesterol and blood sugar.
When Ray was still in modern times, his grandmother would make him a soup with old cucumber and meatballs every year. Unfortunately, after he started working and living in the city, he never bought authentic old cucumbers again.
It could be said that this sour taste carries Lei's childhood memories.
After lunch and a short rest, we started a new round of work.
Ray wielded the sickle with incredible skill, while Neil spent the entire afternoon tying wheat stalks and gathering ears of wheat. Although there were only two of them, they managed to complete a significant portion of the work on the field.
After harvesting this wheat field tomorrow, I can catch the cart in the afternoon to take it home to dry. Then I'll continue to the next field to harvest wheat and glean the ears of wheat.
Although the autumn harvest is tiring, everyone's face is filled with the joy of the harvest.
After working from dawn till dusk for five or six days, Lai finally finished harvesting more than half of the wheat.
Families with large households in the village have already finished harvesting all their wheat and are using the village's threshing ground to begin the next phase of their work.
Hagrid's wheat harvest was mostly complete, and Hagrid sent Brian, one of his family's best workers, to help Rye with the harvest. He wouldn't ask for a penny, but Rye would prepare lunch.
Mini rolls, cold noodles, Sichuan-style chicken, dried fruit toast, and savory steamed buns.
Ray would prepare anything that could be done in advance. Other ingredients and seasonings would also be prepared beforehand, and Neil only needed to carefully follow Ray's instructions.
Although Neil's cooking skills were somewhat lacking, Brian still ate with great relish.
"Now I know why Lamb always likes to come here."
Brian laughed and took a bite of half of the steamed bun.
In less than three days, Brian and Rye had harvested all the wheat. This was just the first step in the autumn harvest; much more work lay ahead.
It was a stroke of good luck that the weather was sunny and clear all day without any rain.
One by one, each household finished harvesting their wheat, leaving only children and the elderly gleaning the remaining ears of wheat in the fields.
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