The sweltering heat was relentless, and the winds blowing through and around Chang'an carried an indescribable heat. Even the occasional colorful cloud drifting across the sky and casting a shadow on the ground did little to make those working in the fields feel any better.
In Guanzhong, millet, wheat, and sorghum are grown in large quantities. Most of the people in Tieniu Village choose to grow millet. In June, the millet seedlings in the fields have already sprouted flowers, with clumps of them nestled among the slender leaves. However, due to the hot weather, the millet seedlings look somewhat listless.
It is now the time when millet in the fields is growing joints, and the harvest for the year depends on these days. Therefore, even under the scorching sun, there are still many farmers working in the fields.
Two shirtless men bumped into each other on the ridge of the field. The taller, darker-faced man shouted:
"Wang Dalang, how well did your millet grow this year? Look at this sturdy one, it's almost as thick as my finger!"
Upon hearing someone praise the millet seedlings in his field, Wang Dalang couldn't help but grin and respond a few times:
"Of course, the harvest is just getting better now, and these millet seedlings are a treasure. Even if we don't have water to drink, we can't do without them, right? It's a critical time. If the millet seedlings don't get enough water, it's like a person not having enough to eat. How can they have the strength to grow millet?"
As he spoke, he hastily wiped the sweat from his face:
"Our Emperor is truly a saint. Not only did he reduce our taxes because of the snow disaster two years ago, but he also exempted us from three years of corvée labor. If we are still not satisfied, then we should be struck by lightning. Niu Da, I heard that your family is going to buy a cow?"
"Yes, a family in the neighboring village had a new calf born to their cow. I took a look at it a while ago when I was on my way to pick up my second son for his wedding. The calf was strong and healthy, and the price was good too."
The dark-faced man took off his straw sandals, tapped them against a tree, and poured out a few sharp pebbles that were rough on his feet.
“I took leave from my employer these past few days because I came back to buy cattle. After we got the cattle, my Dagen and Xiaogen grew up. People said that having a working ox at home would make things easier for my wife.”
Two years ago, Chang'an was hit by a snow disaster, and their Tie Niu Village also suffered. Many houses were crushed, and some even froze to death. Niu Dajia was also saddened. Not only were the houses crushed, but the family's oxen were also trapped in the cowshed. Niu Dajia was heartbroken for many days, so much so that blisters appeared around her mouth and she lost a lot of weight.
“Hey, Niu Da, everyone’s saying your wife saw a living deity in the city that day. The deity told her personally that the snow would stop, and then the snow really did stop. There were even people giving out porridge to help with the disaster, which finally gave us a break—do you think that deity was real?”
Upon hearing this, Wang Dalang suddenly lowered his voice mysteriously and began to wink at Niu Da:
"Everyone says your daughter-in-law has a connection to the divine and will become a Taoist nun someday!"
"What kind of plague-ridden bastard would say such a thing?"
Niu Da, however, was furious and began to curse after muttering a few words:
"If there really are gods in this world, then how can there be snow disasters? My wife was so cold that she mistook the benefactor who was distributing porridge for some kind of god. If there really are gods, then why didn't they bring our cow back to life?"
Wang Dalang glanced sideways at Niu Da, as if to confirm whether he was lying. Seeing that Niu Da was truly angry, he then gave a somewhat resentful smirk.
"Okay, okay, I'm not a god, I'm not a god. If there really were gods, they would surely have bestowed mountains of gold and silver upon your family. Sigh! If there really were gods, what would a fairy maiden look like? In the stories, there are fairy maidens who descend to earth to marry the Cowherd. I wonder if the Queen Mother of the West's seven fairy maidens would even look at me."
At this point, he chuckled and pointed to the figure on the distant ridge of the field, saying:
“Niu Er, your Da Gen has brought you food again. Is it freshly steamed millet rice? Please let me have a bite. My mother has bad legs and can’t deliver food to the fields. I’m starving.”
There was little cover on the ridge between the fields, and a child could be seen running towards them from afar.
He wore a coarse cloth outfit that was neither new nor old, and his hair was tied up in a thick knot. His simple and honest face was seven or eight parts similar to Niu Da's. Wasn't he Niu Da's Da Gen?
Niu Da waved his hand dismissively, sat down in the shade, and waited for his son to bring him food.
"Go away, go away! You eat our food all day long, are you going to be my son? When you have time, go and fix your dad's grave. I passed by there the other day and saw that the grass on your dad's grave has grown again. Be careful, your dad might come to you in your dreams tonight!"
“I just burned paper money for my father a couple of days ago, how come weeds have already grown again? Maybe I can borrow your cow sometime when you buy one.”
Seeing that he wouldn't get anything out of it and had been humiliated, Wang Dalang left in shame.
It was the perfect time to work. On the ridges of the fields, one could see strong men, their backs drenched in sweat, toiling away; women carrying loads, walking briskly; and children carrying pig feed, playing and frolicking.
Despite the hardship, their cheerful spirit remained undiminished.
"father!"
The little boy, holding a rough bowl covered with a leaf, eagerly shoved the bowl into the arms of the cow dung sitting under the tree.
"Dad, Mom and Second Aunt steamed bean rice today. Second Uncle went into the mountains to hunt and hasn't come back yet. I thought you must be hungry, so I brought the food over first."
Children are often thoughtless; no sooner had Wang Dalang left than Dagen muttered a few words:
"You're trying to steal my dad's food again. How shameless of you!"
Seeing his son standing up for him, Niu Da laughed heartily, lifted the leaves covering the bowl, and jokingly cursed a few times:
"You're just a little kid, how do you know these things?"
He was stunned as soon as he finished speaking. The rough porcelain bowl did indeed contain rice with beans, but it wasn't the yellow rice he had imagined, which was a mixture of millet and soybeans. Instead, it was a bowl of white, sweet rice.
The cooked and dried white rice was sprinkled with a few tender peas, and topped with a strip of pickled vegetable and two slices of cured meat. Just looking at it made Niu Da's throat itch.
One dou of white rice costs four qian, and one dou of millet costs two qian. In previous years, the family suffered a disaster. Even though Niu Da worked in a butcher shop in the city, the Niu family would not often cook white rice to eat, let alone add two slices of cured meat to the rice.
Niu Da swallowed hard, instinctively wanting to scoop half of the rice out of his bowl and give it to his son.
"Why are you using white rice? Your mother is being generous today—are we having guests?"
Dagen patted his belly sensibly, looking shy: "Dad, you eat. I ate with Xiaogen at home, and Mom even cooked an egg for me."
After saying this, he seemed to remember what he was about to say, and excitedly leaned close to Niu Da's ear and said:
"Dad, let me tell you, someone came to our house. He said it was sent by a living god! He's incredibly tall and strong; even one of his arms is as thick as his thigh!"
A living deity?
Niu Da didn't react for a moment, his face full of confusion.
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