Chapter 28 It’s not that no one wants to plant, it’s that no one dares to plant
After many setbacks, the Su family finally settled down in Tubei Mountain.
More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
During this period, the Su family also got to know Tubei Village a little better.
Those who live here are exiles from all over the place who came here to open up the wasteland.
The first mean woman they met was a family of two people, her husband's surname was Huo. He was not in good health and stayed at home all day. The couple did not farm, but went back and forth to Fengyun City to do some small business. They were considered to have a good life among the dozen or so households in Tubei Village.
As for the others, they struggle on the brink of death every day, living a decadent and numb life.
There is absolutely no hope in this place.
As spring approached, the Su family looked worriedly at the bare Tubei Mountain behind their house.
Reclaiming wasteland and farming to support a family is not something that can be done just by saying it.
Now they have neither farm tools nor seeds, and even the best cook cannot cook without rice.
Old Man Su squatted under the eaves at the entrance of the main hall, his brow furrowed. "The snow on the mountain has almost melted. Now that the spring plowing season has passed, it will be too late to open the land for farming."
Old Mrs. Su was helpless in the face of this situation.
During this period, the family was able to survive only thanks to the things the little granddaughter brought out.
If the land cannot be planted in the spring, there will be no food to eat for the next year. Do they have to rely on their granddaughter to support them for one or two years, or even for the rest of their lives?
What's that?
She had already made up her mind that as long as she could support the family, she would not allow her granddaughter to take anything from her.
She was really afraid of ruining her granddaughter's fortune.
Even if Tianbao has it, they can’t keep asking for it and can’t take it for granted.
As elders, it should be their responsibility to support the family and raise children.
"Old man, please take care of the kids at home. I'm going to go next door." Old Mrs. Su straightened her clothes, gave some instructions, and prepared to go out.
He hesitated for a moment before leaving, then returned to the kitchen and took out a handful of dried fish from the bag hanging in the corner.
Ever since the house and yard were built, my granddaughter started playing the game of throwing fish outside. Every day, they could pull out big and small fish that kept jumping from every corner of the house, as well as wild rabbits and pheasants stuffed into bags...
There was so much that the family couldn’t finish it, so they had to secretly air-dry and bake these goodies so that they could be preserved longer.
Now that she was visiting someone with something to ask for, Mrs. Su weighed the pros and cons and decided to take some out, which would make it easier to talk her way out of the situation.
Old Mrs. Su put the dried fish in a small cloth bag and went directly to the Huo family, which was the closest to her home.
When he reached the gate, he raised his voice and called inside, "Is Madam Huo home?"
Footsteps were soon heard from inside, and the tightly closed courtyard door creaked open a crack. Mrs. Huo leaned against the door, her eyebrows raised, "What's going on?"
Old Lady Su didn't mind her attitude. She looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. She quickly stuffed the package in her arms into Mrs. Huo's hands and said with a smile, "Mrs. Huo, I'm sorry to bother you. I came here to ask you something."
The thing in her hand was quite heavy, and through the cloth bag she could smell the aroma of fish. Mrs. Huo's eyes moved, and her expression brightened visibly. "Hey! Why are you being so polite to distant relatives or close neighbors? Just ask whatever you want to ask! I will definitely not keep anything I know to myself!"
"Look, spring is almost here, and my family is worried about clearing the land. Madam Huo, I'd like to ask where we can get the farm tools and seeds for the land clearing here?"
"Tsk! This is a bit difficult." Mrs. Huo glanced at the things in her hand, hesitated, pulled Mrs. Su into the house, closed the door, and then spoke frankly, "Aunt, I'll tell you the truth, if you want some farm tools, I can find you a set if I look around the area, but you have to go to the city to buy crop seeds, and the price is not cheap."
"Why is it so difficult to farm a field?"
"The Tubei Mountains are also divided into different regions. Those with some power have countless farms and fields under their control, but they lack people to work them. So they grab all the crop seeds and can't buy them outside. The people who come to open up the wasteland have no seeds, can't farm the land, and can't earn food. In order to survive, they can only become tenants for those families. Do you understand?"
Old Mrs. Su was speechless.
Mrs. Huo explained it so clearly, how could she not understand?
There are people who are rich but unkind and treat people like animals!
Being a tenant farmer, you toil tirelessly year-round, not only can you barely make ends meet, but you might even end up owing rent to your landlord! This kind of thing happens all the time.
In the eyes of those rich people, tenants are worse than dogs!
Considering the bag of fish, Huo's words became more sincere. "Besides, even if you get the crop seeds, you may not be able to get what you grow in the end. It's not easy to survive in Tubei Mountain. There are wolves everywhere. Otherwise, why do you think such a large area behind is completely barren? It's not that no one wants to plant, but no one dares to plant. What you plant will eventually be snatched away. People with no power and influence can only cry out in vain and be slaughtered."
Old Lady Su's face turned pale, her lips trembling, "...The imperial court won't do anything about it?"
"The imperial court? Tsk! The imperial court has long since abandoned this place. It can't control it. This place is not as simple as you think."
The gate of the Huo family's courtyard opened and closed again. Mrs. Huo opened the small cloth bag and saw the dried fish inside. Each one was well-proportioned and beautifully colored. She grinned with joy, "Boss, I'll make you something delicious tonight!"
A suppressed cough was heard from inside the room, "Cough cough cough! What good stuff?"
Mrs. Huo walked into the house and showed the man the things. "Fish! Dried fish! The Su family looked like beggars when they came. I don't know how they hid such good things. I didn't even notice them!"
"It's indeed a good thing. The Su family is willing to give it to them as a token of their gratitude and trust." The man coughed twice and sighed softly, "You just scared me."
"I'm just telling the truth. Do I have to say nice things to fool them?" The woman disagreed.
It's not that she doesn't know how to say nice things, but what's the point of saying nice things? Reality can't be whitewashed with nice words.
But the Su family is indeed difficult.
There are several children to support, tsk.
"I think that family knows how to be grateful. If you can help them, then give them a hand."
"Alright, alright, I get it. You're the only one who talks too much! Do you want some dried fish?"
"Eat, I'll make it for you."
"Stay! I'll do it!"
The woman gave the man a cold look. If the smoke coming out of the stove wasn't enough to make him cough, wouldn't she be heartbroken?
The corners of the man's lips moved, and a low laugh escaped his mouth.
On the other side, Old Mrs. Su returned home in a daze. When she entered the yard, she saw the old man sitting under the eaves watching the children, and the four little kids smiling without any worries. The emotions that were weighing on her heart could no longer be held back, and she squatted down and burst into tears.
Old Man Su was so frightened that he jumped up and rushed to the old woman in two or three steps to help her up. His voice trembled with anxiety, "What's going on? Are you being bullied?!"
Su An's three sons were also frightened by their grandmother. They all rushed over and hugged the old woman's feet, calling her "Grandma, Grandma" non-stop.
"Old man, what should I do? I can't get the seeds, and even if I did, it would be useless. I can't plant them, I can't plant them, wuwuwu!"
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