Chapter 26 Chapter 26-Two-in-one little girl, silver and money are not enough...
The man spoke very loudly, and when he looked, everyone in the whole field heard it. Those who were mowing the grass stopped, those who were hoeing the ground put down their hoes, and even those who were sitting on the ridge to rest hurriedly stood up and looked over.
Lin Chunxing saw so many pairs of eyes looking at her that her ears turned red in an instant. She pretended to be busy working, but the sickle did not cut the weeds for a long time.
She was also afraid that if it was true as others said, they would not get any harvest and would not only have nothing to eat, but would also become a laughing stock among the villagers.
Lin Chuntao watched her movements, worried she might accidentally cut her hand. She whispered, "Just sit down and rest for a while. What are you afraid of? Even if we don't harvest a single crop, are we going to starve to death? I can pick mushrooms to sell, and your brother-in-law still has a job butchering pigs. Besides, if we really don't harvest a single crop, why would I bother with all this effort?"
Lin Chuntao's voice was calm, but Lin Chunxing could hear the displeasure in it.
She pursed her lips and looked up at Lin Chuntao, "How can I guarantee that, sister?"
Lin Chuntao looked at her and smiled, with a hint of mystery in her eyes.
"Then tell me, why can I pick so many mushrooms every day when I go into the mountains in the dark?" Lin Chuntao's question stumped Lin Chunxing. They had picked mushrooms before, but they had never picked so many.
Seeing Lin Chunxing's silence, Lin Chuntao said helplessly, "You are my sister. Listen to me and not others, okay? My dear sister?"
Lin Chuntao bent her waist and stretched her neck, speaking in a coquettish tone. Lin Chunxing was stunned and nodded vigorously.
"I remember, sister, I remember."
The man who was asking the question looked at the two sisters mumbling without replying, and continued to ask loudly: "Chun Tao, what are you going to plant?"
"Grow corn." said Lin Chuntao.
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a cry of pain all around.
"If you plant corn now, will you sisters eat corn grass in the winter?"
"That's right, it's too late and no buds will form, which is a waste."
Lin Chuntao looked at the vast green fields below, including corn vines that were almost knee-high and lush potato seedlings.
Looking at the villagers who were groaning, she smiled and said, "Alas, we are left with no other options. What if we plant some seeds and see if they grow? Even if they don't, look at you aunts and uncles. Every family's crops are growing so well. I'm sure the harvest will be good in autumn. I'll go door to door to borrow money. If each of you can lend me a bushel or two, we sisters won't starve to death!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the whole place fell silent.
It seemed as if the people standing in the field were not living people, but scarecrows one after another. The only sound around them was the rustling of grass and trees in the wind.
It was the woman who greeted her at the beginning who broke the awkwardness with a smile.
"You kid, if you really don't have any harvest, come here, as long as your aunt has it, your aunt will lend it to you!"
Lin Chuntao said with a smile: "I hope God will give us food so that we don't have to borrow grain."
As she spoke, she looked at the man who had just spoken, still holding a sickle, and she shouted, "Second Uncle, please take the sickle and help us cut the weeds. It's already May, and we're so anxious, but we can't cut all the weeds!"
Lin Changhua was stunned when she called him. He didn't know whether to cut it or not, so he pointed at a few half-grown children.
"You guys, come up and help your sister Chuntao cut the weeds. I have to turn the soil."
The half-grown children who were pointed at all came up. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Oh, what a nice touch. Thank you, Uncle. Brothers and sisters, feel free to cut the grass and throw it on the ground. If there's any that can be used as pig fodder, you can pile it up and carry it back."
Four children came up, two girls and two boys.
Lin Changhua's biological father is the second oldest in the clan. He is a brother of Lin Cunzheng and the old man of the Lin family. These four half-grown children are from their family and are cousins with Lin Chuntao and the others.
Although the relationship is a little distant, there are no conflicts between the children.
There are crops in the fields, and most of the time they go to the fields to pull weeds instead of hoeing the land. The adults are afraid that they will dig up the crop seedlings without paying attention.
Now they were asked to cut the weeds, and they ran up happily as if it were a game.
"Sister, do you need to mow the weeds on these two plots of land?"
Lin Chuntao nodded: "Yes, they all need to be cut."
"Isn't this too much?" Lin Jiaye sighed.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "More than that, there are two more by the river and four more on the back mountain."
Lin Qingqing hissed coldly, looked at Lin Chuntao worriedly and said, "How are you going to finish this? Do you still need to dig the ground?"
"If you want to dig the ground, there's no need to cut the grass. Just dig it up and bury it."
"We can't dig out all the land. We're going to rent some oxen to plow it. We need to cut the tall weeds, otherwise..."
"What? You want to rent an ox? When will you rent it? Sister, why don't you rent an ox to plow the field?"
Before Lin Chuntao could finish her words, Lin Jiaye exclaimed and interrupted her.
"Have you invited enough people? I can plant the seeds. I'll help you plant the seeds."
Before Lin Chuntao could say anything, Lin Chunxing saw through his thoughts. "Jiaye, you spread seeds everywhere...do you also spread seeds? If you want to come and see the cows, just tell me."
Lin Jiaye scratched his head embarrassedly and said, "Then I can also help pick up grass roots."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It should be done in the next few days. After we clean up the weeds, we can go and rent some cows. If you want to see the cows, come and see them when you are free. It's nothing."
Several people worked while talking. With four helpers, they had mowed most of the land in a short time.
Pei Ying climbed up the tree and cut down the branches that provided shade for the roof. Although there were only a few branches, the fir tree had many branches and dense leaves, so even one branch was quite heavy.
It was very difficult for Lin Duoer to drag one branch.
Seeing her struggling to drag the fir tree, Pei Ying said, "You two stay home and look after the house. I'll go to the fields and drag it."
Lin Duoer breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her sweetly. Lin Chunhe pursed her lips and said, "My sister has already assigned the tasks. Isn't this a bad idea?"
But as Pei Ying finished her words, she had already piled up all the cut branches, ready to drag them away at once. She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and stayed in the yard with Lin Duoer to guard the house.
When Pei Ying was dragging the fir branches to the field, he was a little surprised to see four more people working.
Lin Chuntao saw Pei Ying coming, but there was no sign of Lin Duoer and Lin Chunhe.
"Where are they?"
Pei Ying said, "At home, this is a bit heavy and they can't drag it, so I dragged it here. Where are you going to put it to burn?"
"Put it in the middle." She pointed to a spot. Pei Ying dragged the branch over and put it down. He picked up the sickle and said, "I'll go to the mountains to cut some pine branches."
"Okay, go back and lock the door, and ask them to go get some dry firewood or fallen leaves."
Pei Ying responded and left.
Several cousins followed and continued mowing until evening. The weeds in the two plots of land had been almost completely mowed. Lin Chuntao said, "Come to my house for dinner tonight."
Lin Qingqing and the others refused repeatedly and followed the adults home.
Pei Ying brought Lin Chunhe and the others to get the last batch of branches, dead grass and leaves. Lin Chuntao divided them into two piles and started burning them.
The sun was setting in the west, the firelight in the ground illuminated the sunset in the sky, and two streams of green smoke rose from the ground.
Seeing how big the fire was, Lin Chuntao and her sisters gathered all the weeds they had cut today and threw them into the fires on both sides. In a few moments, they were burned to ashes.
Lin Cunzheng and his friends came back from the back mountain and saw Lin Chuntao and her friends still in the field with the fire burning. The old couple gave the farm tools to their son and daughter-in-law and went to see Lin Chuntao and her friends.
When I entered the field, I found that the weeds in both plots had been cut, and two large piles of weeds and branches were burning.
Sun said, "Oh, you sisters are so efficient! Have you finished mowing the weeds in both plots?"
Lin Cun was nodding his head approvingly beside him. He had originally thought that the girls were afraid that they wouldn't be able to finish the work because of the time spent farming, but he didn't expect that they could do it quite well.
Lin Chuntao smiled when she heard this and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, it was Qingqing and Jiaye who helped us cut it."
Sun asked with a smile, "Did you go and invite someone?"
"No, aren't the plots of land below owned by Uncle Changhua? They were working in the fields, and when they saw that Chunxing and I were too busy, they called Jiaye and the others to help me."
Sun raised her eyebrows slightly. Lin Changhua would be so kind? It was really rare.
"Are you ready to go home?" asked Sun.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Wait until the firewood is burned out."
As she spoke, the old couple walked around in the fields and then said, "Then come home after you finish your work. After dinner, we'll go to the headman's house."
After Lin Chuntao agreed, the old couple left.
She wanted to watch the fire in the field, so she asked Lin Chunxing and the others to go back and make a fire and cook.
Lin Chunxing didn't know what to cook. She looked at Lin Chuntao and asked, "Sister, what are we eating tonight?"
There were vegetables, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, but they were missing some meat. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "How about cooking some rice, making some lard rice? And stir-frying some melon."
When Lin Duoer heard about rice with lard, she jumped up high, and Lin Chunhe also raised a smile at the corner of her mouth.
After a busy day today, everyone is hungry and wants to eat some meat.
Even without meat, rice mixed with lard is still very satisfying.
"Then you go back and light the fire and boil some water. I'll watch this fire burn out."
"Oh, and take the pig grass from the ridge back home for the piglets to eat."
After she gave the order, Lin Chunxing took her sisters back, leaving Pei Ying and Lin Chuntao in the field.
Pei Ying saw that there were a lot of weeds on the ridge of the field, so he took a sickle and wanted to cut them, but Lin Chuntao stopped him.
"Don't cut, don't cut. There are bubbles on the ridge."
As she spoke, she bent over and started looking. The white bubbles looked like small strawberries, but one was round and the other pointed.
So many children go to the fields during the day and often look for bubbles on the ridges. They must have searched this ridge many times.
Lin Chuntao looked around and found about ten, and gave a few to Pei Ying.
Pei Ying took it and looked at it carefully. He had seen Lin Chuntao pick a lot of these last time, and she seemed to like eating them very much.
"Where can we pick this for daily consumption?" Pei Ying asked.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "On the ridge, on the meadow, but people tend to graze on the meadow, so the cattle and sheep will eat it and it will be difficult to find it."
Pei Ying nodded and put the bubble into his mouth. It was soft and sweet, not sour at all.
Then he joined the group looking for bubbles. The two of them looked for bubbles on the ridge while waiting for the two piles of firewood to burn out.
The two fires did not burn out until the sun had set and the sky was getting dark.
Lin Chuntao went over and stirred the soil with a stick. One acre of land would require at least fifty kilograms of wood ash. She looked at it and said to Pei Ying, "Do these two piles of wood ash weigh a stone?"
"More than that."
"That's enough. Tomorrow we'll go to the back hill to cut some weeds and burn some more. Cut more on the side that's closer to the hill and burn it. Then carry it back to the two plots of land by the river."
As she spoke, Pei Ying nodded. He had to go to the city to slaughter a pig tomorrow and might be back late. He said to Lin Chuntao, "You guys go cut the grass first. I'll chop it and burn it when I get back."
"Um."
"Are you going to pick mushrooms tomorrow morning?" Pei Ying asked again.
Lin Chuntao smiled. It depends on whether the system has broadcast it. If it has, she will definitely go. If not, she has been busy preparing to plant corn in the past two days. She is not made of iron, so she will take a break.
"I'm tired today. Let's see if I can get up tomorrow."
Pei Ying curled the corners of his lips when he heard this.
After the ash was burned, Pei Ying scooped some with a hoe and covered it with the ashes. The two of them picked up their farm tools and headed home.
At home at this time.
Lin Duoer was leaning against the door watching the piglets eating grass. Lin Chunxing had just returned with half a bucket of water, and Lin Chunhe was watching the fire and cooking.
As soon as Lin Chuntao entered the house, she smelled the fragrance of rice.
Although it is brown rice, it has a very strong rice aroma and tastes very sweet. The only downside is that it is cooked in an iron pot, which is very slow and easy to get mushy, so someone needs to keep an eye on it.
Lin Chunxing saw them coming back and scooped water for them to wash their hands.
After washing her hands and resting for a while, the rice was cooked. Lin Chuntao took out the lard jar and salt jar and started mixing it directly in the pot.
While the rice is still hot, the lard melts quickly and the dish becomes more flavorful.
After mixing, serve one bowl each and put the rest in a large bowl.
Lin Chuntao quickly ran to get the young melon, washed it, cut it into shreds, put it into the pot and started stir-frying.
This melon is an early-ripening melon and can be cooked with green beans, or simply stir-fried. It only needs a little salt and is very fresh and sweet without any seasoning.
Moreover, the shredded melon can easily produce soup when stir-fried. When Lin Chuntao was a child, she loved to use this soup to soak rice.
It’s quick to stir-fry shredded melon and it’s ready in a short while.
Several people gathered around a bowl of stir-fried shredded melon, eating rice mixed with lard, and enjoyed it very much.
Lin Chunxing was eating, and when she thought of how Lin Chuntao stretched her neck and called her her dear sister today, she pursed her lips and couldn't hide her smile.
"Second sister, what are you laughing at?" Lin Duoer asked.
Lin Chunxing quickly put away the corners of her mouth and replied nonchalantly: "I'm not laughing, did you see it wrong?"
Lin Duoer pouted, "Is your bowl better? Give me a bite."
Lin Chunxing glared at her speechlessly, then looked at the chopsticks extended to her and quickly got up and ran away.
"Sis mixed them in the same pot, so they must be the same. Don't put your chopsticks into my bowl."
Lin Duoer refused and ran around the yard chasing Lin Chunxing with the bowl in her hand.
"No, I want to eat it! I want to eat yours!"
After chasing for a long time, Lin Chunxing got tired of it and was forced to stop.
"Come on, I'll give you some."
Lin Chunxing said as she scraped some of the food from her own bowl and gave it to Lin Duoer, saying as she did so, "You must have been a puppy in your previous life, you just loved eating from other people's bowls."
"Why? Is the one in my bowl more fragrant?" Lin Chunxing asked.
Lin Duoer was not angry and nodded with a smile.
Lin Chunxing said helplessly: "When will you change your habit of staring at other people's bowls?"
"I think it was my sister who spoiled you."
Lin Duoer turned around and looked at Lin Chuntao. She stuck out her tongue playfully. Lin Chuntao looked at them with a smile without saying a word.
In the original body's memory, Xu Xiu fell ill after Lin Duoer was born, and had no milk to feed her, causing her to be very thin. A few years later, Xu Xiu passed away, and Lin Changhe didn't care about them at all. Not long after Xu Xiu's death, Lin Duoer fell ill and almost died.
After she recovered, Lin Chuntao loved her younger sister especially.
To be honest, Lin Duoer was raised by her and Lin Chunxing, and Lin Chunxing loved her equally, so how could she really think she was dirty?
"Duo'er, how about you wash the dishes tonight?" Lin Chuntao asked with a smile.
When she heard this, Lin Duoer just took a mouthful of rice into her mouth and nodded vigorously. After a moment, she mumbled, "Okay."
Lin Chunhe muttered beside her, "If she can't clean it thoroughly, we have to do it again."
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and whispered, "Then you wash with her."
Lin Chunhe: “…”
Seeing Lin Chunhe's expression, Lin Chuntao smiled heartily.
After dinner, Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer washed the dishes. She and Pei Ying prepared to go find Muramasa to ask about renting a cow.
Lin Chuntao went back to the house to get the money. She counted it and included the money she earned from selling mushrooms today. She only had more than 600 coins, not even a guan of cash. She didn't know if it was enough. She decided to take it all with her and figure out what was missing later.
After taking the money, Lin Chuntao remembered that Lin Cunzheng and the others had talked about seeds during the day, so she decided to take some seeds with her.
Before leaving, she reminded Lin Chunxing: "Take good care of your sister and the house."
Lin Chunxing nodded.
When she and Pei Ying arrived at Lin Cunzheng's house, the old couple had changed their clothes and were already waiting for them.
Lin Chuntao took the initiative to say, "Grandpa, look, this is the corn seed I bought today."
Lin Cunzheng grabbed a handful from the bamboo basket, looked at it carefully, and frowned after looking for a while.
"The seeds you bought seem to be different from the ones we planted?"
Lin Chuntao's heart skipped a beat as she heard Lin Cunzheng say, "The kernels of this corn seem to be bigger than the ones we grow, and they're a little yellower, with darker buds."
"Grandpa, is this good or bad?"
Lincunzheng heard the worry in her tone and smiled, "These seeds are very plump, very good."
"It's getting dark, let's go. If we go too late, everyone will be asleep."
Lin Chuntao responded, and Lin Cunzheng and Sun took them away.
Night has fallen, enveloping the entire village.
The half-moon in the sky was trying to climb up. Lin Cunzheng took a torch, but he didn't light it because he could still see.
When they arrived at Dongping Village, many families were still sitting in their yards to enjoy the cool air. There were voices of conversation inside the courtyard walls, and children were running around in the village, playing and fighting.
The headman's house was brightly lit. It was the brightest house in the entire village. Not only were there lights burning inside the house, but there were also two lanterns hanging under the corridor to illuminate the room.
There were people all over his yard, and it looked like some of them were visiting after dinner.
Lin Cunzheng was standing at the gate and knocked. The village head looked up and saw who was coming. After seeing who was coming, he smiled and said, "Old Lin, why are you here at this hour? Come in and sit down."
"Chuntao wants to plant crops on the land she was allocated a few days ago. I brought her to see if it would be convenient to rent some cows." As Lin Cun was speaking, the village head looked over at her. He remembered Lin Chuntao and said with a smile, "It's you. Sit over here."
"Isn't it too late to plant crops now? It's a waste of seeds."
Lin Chuntao smiled and replied, "I bought the seeds in the county town this morning. The person who bought them said that this variety matures late when planted, so it won't have much impact."
Everyone sitting in the courtyard was stunned when they heard this. "There's a variety like this? Where did you buy it?"
Lin Chuntao was a little embarrassed. "It's not in the shop, it's on the roadside..."
After she finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Lin Cunzheng eased the atmosphere and said, "I just took a look at that seed. The bud is quite deep and full. It's considered a good seed, but it's a little yellower than the ones we're planting now."
Everyone laughed after hearing what Hayashi Muramasa said.
The village head looked at Lin Chuntao and asked, "Are you going to plant all those twelve acres of land?"
Lin Chuntao nodded. "That's about right. I'll keep a small piece for growing vegetables, and plant crops on the rest."
"Then eight days' rental should be enough."
Lincunzheng agreed, "Yeah, about the same."
Lin Chuntao was not particularly clear about how many acres of land a cow could plow in a day, but Lin Cunzheng said it was about right, so she listened to them.
After all, they have been farming for decades, so this estimate is definitely no problem.
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly. The village head looked at her and asked, "When do you need the cattle?"
"The day after tomorrow, we'll use the cow."
After hearing Lin Chuntao's words, the village head handed the water cup in his hand to a child, then stood up and said to them, "Then I will take you to see the cattle deed."
Lin Chuntao responded, then stood up and left the yard. Only then did Sun ask, "Village head, what's the current rent for a cow?"
The village head looked at Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying, sighed, and said, "It's past the spring plowing season now, so I can give you a discount. But the cow belongs to Boss Zheng, so you'll have to ask him for the exact price."
Sun patted Lin Chuntao with a smile and said, "Why don't you thank the village head? Only the village head here is kind and cares about us villagers."
Lin Chuntao nodded and thanked him. The village head looked at Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying, then said modestly, "We are all from the same village. We are one family, so we should not talk behind each other's backs."
As they were talking, they had already arrived at the Zheng family house mentioned by the village head, which was next door to his house.
As the village head entered the yard, a woman came out of the house and greeted him warmly. The village head looked at her and asked, "Sister-in-law, where is my eldest brother?"
The woman said, "At home, come in and sit down."
The village head brought them into the house. Before they even sat down, he said, "Brother, Lincun is here with a girl to rent a cow. Please give her a discount."
"The village head has spoken, so it will definitely be cheaper." The old man said as he stood up and greeted Lin Cunzheng. After he finished speaking, he looked at Lin Chuntao and said, "Is it you, a girl, renting this?"
Lin Chuntao nodded and replied, "It's me, thank you for your help."
The old man asked, "How many days do you want to rent it for?"
"Eight days." Lin Chuntao replied.
The old man added, "The rent can be paid in grain in the autumn, or in cash now."
Lin Chuntao thought about it. She didn't know whether grain prices would be high or low after the autumn, and it was full of uncertainty. Besides, since they were renting cattle, they couldn't just lend it to you without interest, right? Pondering this, Lin Chuntao asked, "Sir, how much is the cash per day?"
Hearing her ask this, the old man turned around and looked at her in surprise. "The rent is 48 wen a day. If the village head guarantees it, I won't take your collateral."
Forty-eight cents, eight days is three hundred and eighty-four cents. She breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was expensive, fortunately she had enough money for the rent.
"Little girl, if you don't have enough money, you can wait until the autumn harvest to pay. If you pay by grain, it will be calculated by the acre. One dou of rice for each acre of plowed land."
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