Chapter Seventy-One
The rapeseed in the fields has produced seeds, and the wheat has turned yellow, swaying in the warm autumn breeze.
Rapeseed is supposed to be sown in the fall, but unfortunately it was not sown at the right time. Although spring sowing can also yield a harvest, it is still less than that of autumn sowing.
Bai Qiqiu, holding a sickle, exclaimed, "In summer, the fields are covered with flowers, attracting countless butterflies and bees. They can be harvested in the blink of an eye; it's incredibly fast."
Mu Jin smiled, bent down, and gently used a sickle to cut the rapeseed at the roots, then piled it neatly.
Mu Bai and Wen Zhaoran followed behind, carrying the rapeseed that had been placed in the field home and laying it on a bamboo mat spread out in the yard.
The two walked very carefully, afraid that if they made any sudden movements, the seeds inside, which were meant to be pressed for oil, would burst out.
The original plan was to plant one mu of rapeseed and hibiscus, but later they planted half a mu of sorghum, so they reduced the planting by half a mu.
Harvesting wheat and rapeseed is back-breaking work, and the weather is still incredibly hot.
The sun was high in the sky, scorching the people working in the fields. Before long, they were covered in sweat.
Mu Jin and Bai Qiqiu were both used to farm work, and they wielded their sickles with great skill and ease.
The two of them spent most of the day harvesting half an acre of rapeseed.
They need to be dried separately for one or two days before they can be easily threshed.
Harvesting two acres of wheat was more painful than harvesting rapeseed, as the awns were prickly and itchy.
It took two days to harvest the wheat and bring it home. The rapeseed was just dried and ready to be threshed.
These past two days, Zhou Lin has been busy since returning from town, making three flails.
Wen Zhaoran had never seen this before and was very curious about the farm tool used to thresh rapeseed.
He and Mu Bai were having a great time.
Mu Jin sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. She carried the threshed rape stalks aside and then carried a few more bundles to the bamboo basket.
A flail, if used correctly, can be quite labor-saving.
After learning from Mu Jin, Wen Zhaoran and Mu Bai played for a long time, still full of enthusiasm and not feeling tired at all.
The rapeseed seeds fell into the bamboo basket with a soft patter, making a very pleasant sound.
Mu Jin was happy to have some free time, so she handed over the task of picking rapeseed to the two of them and went to the side with Bai Qiqiu to dry the wheat.
When Mu Jin was harvesting wheat, she knew that this year's wheat harvest would probably be meager.
Although there are many ears of wheat, most of the grains are small and flat, and there are probably quite a few shriveled wheat grains.
He sighed inwardly, thinking that he probably wouldn't be able to sell them, so he might as well keep them for his own consumption.
After the rapeseed was threshed, Mu Jin used a winnowing basket to scatter the broken straw inside.
Half an acre of land yielded only a little over six pounds of rapeseed.
After drying for one or two days, the rapeseed can be harvested, and its weight should be even lighter.
Mu Jin secretly calculated that she could only extract a little over a pound of oil.
After the wheat is dried, threshed, dusted, and then spread out in the yard to dry for two or three days, it can be stored.
It took the group seven or eight days of hard work to finally harvest the grain from the fields and start drying it.
The rapeseed hibiscus was put into a small burlap sack and placed at the bottom of the cupboard, waiting for the family's oil to run out before Zhou Lin would take it to town to be pressed.
The weather has been great these past few days, and the wheat has dried quickly. Hibiscus gently picked up a grain and pinched it; it was dry enough.
By noon, they can be stored in large sacks.
Wen Zhaoran and Mu Bai held up the sacks, while Mu Jin and Bai Qiqiu poured the dried wheat into them.
Dust billowed up, choking Wen Zhaoran and Mu Bai, causing them to cough repeatedly.
The long eyelashes were covered with a layer of dust.
Their two little faces looked dusty and grimy.
After putting the wheat into the kitchen, Mujin quickly boiled two pots of water, and the four of them took a bath and washed their hair at noon.
They helped each other rub off the dust, and looking at the dirty water in the basin, Wen Zhaoran frowned slightly. He had never been so dirty before.
Farm work is really tiring and dirty.
Finally, he carried the bathwater into the vegetable garden and sighed.
The four of them took two showers before changing into clean clothes, feeling refreshed, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brother, can picking cotton get this dirty?"
Wen Zhaoran sat at the dining table, picked up some noodles with her chopsticks, and felt a little afraid of farm work.
Mu Jin chuckled and scooped a spoonful of garlic water into his bowl.
"There's no such thing as doing farm work cleanly."
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhaoran sighed deeply. Compared to Mu Jin and Bai Qiqiu, his work was much easier.
But they still couldn't stand such tiring work.
He couldn't help but say, "Brother, why don't we just stop farming? I have money, I'll support you all."
Mu Jin took it as a joke, "Eat quickly, in a couple of days I'll get some of our own wheat to grind into flour, you can try it, it tastes different from what you buy."
Wen Zhaoran was speechless. "Really?"
Mu Jin smiled and nodded, "It tastes even better because it contains the fruits of your labor."
Wen Zhaoran thought about it and felt a little bit of anticipation.
"When the time comes, I'm going to eat three bowls of noodles."
After lunch, since Mu Bai didn't need to do laundry, Mu Jin threw his dirty clothes into a wooden basin and washed them for him.
The others all carried their wooden basins and went to the riverbank.
Mu Bai originally wanted to go to the river to play for a while, but then she thought that she hadn't seen her father for a long time and really missed him, so she went home first.
The river surface shimmered, a gentle breeze blew, and the group sat under the shade of a tree, enjoying the cool breeze.
Why are there so many people there?
After the three finished washing their clothes and returned home, they saw a large crowd gathered at Mu Zhaoye's new house not far away.
Bai Qiqiu loved watching excitement, and Wen Zhaoran, being young, was also very curious about everything.
"Brother, help me dry this for a bit, I'm going over to take a look."
After saying that, the two of them slipped out the door like a gust of wind.
Mu Jin glanced at the two wooden basins on the ground and sighed with a helpless laugh.
The Kishino family.
Uncle Mu beat his chest and stamped his feet, pointing at the gentle-looking, somewhat thin woman beside him, looking as if he had suffered a great injustice.
"How could you let her come?! I've fed you and clothed you since you were little, and raised you from infancy! If anyone should be filial, it should be to me!"
Bai Qiqiu and Wen Zhaoran squeezed to the front, only to see Mu Zhaoye standing calmly in front of his father, subtly protecting the woman behind him.
No matter how much Mu Bo cried out to heaven and earth, he remained unmoved.
Mu Zhaoye's stepfather wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, glaring hatefully at the three-room brick house that had already been built, a hint of greed in his eyes.
Such a nice house, if anyone should live in it, it should be him and his son.
Mu Zhaoye said calmly, "The family has already been divided, and I haven't spent a single copper coin of yours. Why should I act like I owe you eight hundred taels of silver?"
Besides, his mother only came to take a look.
Mu Zhaoye didn't say this, but Mu Bo's jumping up and down was both comical and laughable.
He wanted to watch it a little longer, like watching a monkey show.
Upon hearing this, Mu Bo tried to pull him away, but Mu Zhaoye dodged him.
“My son, I regret it. You are my own son and the eldest in the family. You should be supporting each other at home with your younger brother. I was blinded by greed back then, but the kindness of raising you all those years can never be erased!”
As Uncle Mu spoke, tears streamed down his face, and he looked deeply remorseful.
Mu Zhaoye's eyes remained completely still as he looked at Mu Bo as if he were a complete stranger.
There was a time when he grew tired of the days spent fighting on the battlefield, with the stench of blood lingering in his nostrils and impossible to wash away.
He abandoned his military achievements and returned home with his monthly salary from those years of military service and the three hundred taels of silver awarded by the general.
I long for a peaceful and tranquil life where I can work at sunrise and rest at sunset.
Having faced life and death several times, he gradually came to see things in a more open-minded way.
When he returned home, he had already made up his mind that if his father could treat him like his own son, he didn't have to spoil him, but he just needed to be able to act like a father.
He can then fulfill his duty as a son and properly care for him until his death.
He gave Mu Bo a chance, for two years, until his second husband instigated him, not only coveting his money but also forcing him to marry a mentally challenged man.
At that moment, her heart turned completely cold towards Uncle Mu.
Mu Zhaoye is a ruthless person. When he's willing to give you a chance, everything is negotiable.
Once he gives up, there will be no chance to reconcile with him.
Whether it's their own parents or anyone else.
Mu Bo trembled under Mu Zhaoye's cold, emotionless gaze.
"I just came to visit Aye, I never thought of moving in."
Mu Zhaoye's mother slowly spoke, revealing that she had already remarried.
As for Mu Zhaoye, her past suffering stemmed from him, and she had even resented him when he was still an infant.
After she was divorced and returned home, she married a widower from the same village who already had two children.
Over the years, she had other children and her life became a little easier. As for Mu Zhaoye, she only felt guilty.
Knowing that he had gone to the northern frontier, she almost stormed into Mu Bo's house, but was stopped by her husband.
My heart, which had been clenched with anxiety, finally settled down when I heard that Mu Zhaoye had returned from the northern frontier.
Until a few days ago, I heard that Mu Zhaoye had returned and separated the family.
She finally mustered up the courage to come over and take a look at her son, whom she had neglected so much.
Seeing that he had built a new house, a brick and tile house, he knew that his life would be good, and he finally felt completely at ease.
Uncle Mu maintained his composure, his face still showing annoyance. "It's good that you know. With me here, I will never let you set foot in my Mu family again."
Mu Zhaoye's mother gave a bitter smile; Mu Zhaoye didn't treat her any better than he treated Uncle Mu.
They both appear equally cold-hearted and indifferent.
Uncle Mu was still afraid of Mu Zhaoye. If he hadn't heard from others that Mu Zhaoye's mother had come, he wouldn't have dared to cause trouble.
This energy, once it weakened, then it was exhausted, and now it has completely deflated.
"A-Ye, take good care of yourself."
After saying this, Mu Zhaoye's mother wiped away her tears and hurried home.
Seeing that she had left, Uncle Mu couldn't stay any longer, so he pulled Mu Zhaoye's stepfather and went home with him.
With no excitement to be seen, the villagers who had gathered around gradually dispersed.
I reckon they'll be talking about this for the next two or three days.
Mu Zhaoye looked up and saw Bai Qiqiu peeking at him with a pitiful look in his eyes. He twitched his lips slightly and turned to walk over.
What he dislikes most is being pitied by others.
"Why are you here again? Which of my family's craftsmen have you taken a fancy to this time?"
As soon as Mu Zhaoye finished speaking, the craftsman who had been sneaking around watching the commotion quickly withdrew his head from the sidelines.
The whitest-skinned man, in particular, ran exceptionally fast.
Bai Qiqiu choked, swallowing back the words of comfort.
This person is as annoying as ever.
She rolled her eyes at him and pulled Wen Zhaoran aside.
"My fiancé, Zhaoran, is studying at an academy and has found several promising scholars for me! Scholars! Do you understand?! They'll become high-ranking officials in the future! I'm not going to come to your house to find my fiancé!"
Mu Zhaoye raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Bai Qiqiu was embarrassed and annoyed; Mu Zhaoye's appearance was truly infuriating.
"Oh what? We'll see."
After saying that, he grabbed Wen Zhaoran in a fit of rage and turned to leave.
Mu Zhaoye casually asked, "Want to go fishing?"
Bai Qiqiu immediately stopped in his tracks.
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