Chapter 270 Spring Ploughing Disturbances
Erhu frowned, clearly not believing this explanation: "You came out on your own?"
Seeing that she couldn't hide the truth any longer, Xiaotao put on an expression as if she were telling the truth:
"Brother Tiger, actually it was the maidservant from Mother's side who brought me out. But I had a stomachache and wanted to go to the outhouse, but she wouldn't let me. So I had to take out the dried meat I had prepared for my girlfriends and give it to her. Only then did she agree to let me go. As a result, I couldn't find her when I came out of the outhouse. She's probably hiding somewhere eating dried meat."
"I didn't dare stay inside for too long, so I hurriedly came out."
Perhaps because she was serious, Erhu actually believed her to some extent.
Everyone in the building knows that the items in Miss Jiang's general store are all top-notch and unlike anything they've ever seen before.
Erhu narrowed his small eyes, a hint of greed flashing across them.
Not wanting to get entangled with her any longer, he went to find the little maid to share the dried meat.
His tone softened somewhat, but it still carried a threatening undertone:
"I bet you wouldn't dare! Alright, get out of here! Don't get in my way."
"Yes, yes! I'll go right away!"
Xiao Tao felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She quickly bowed and hurried toward the small black door.
When Xiao Tao stepped onto the bluestone path of the alley outside and felt the cool morning air fill her lungs, she felt her tense nerves relax a little.
She didn't dare linger, lowered her head, and quickened her pace toward the alley entrance.
My heart was still beating fast, and every step felt a little unsteady.
She was really afraid that Erhu or some other person would suddenly appear from some corner.
They dragged her into that inescapable hell.
Just as she was about to reach the alley entrance, the familiar blue-canopied carriage stopped at the noisy spot.
For some reason, Xiao Tao saw it at a glance.
On the carriage shaft, Xiao Ran was sitting there. He had already bought the things Jiang Ling wanted and was eating the flatbread he had just bought.
The moment Xiao Tao saw the carriage and Xiao Ran's figure, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
An indescribable feeling of bitterness and grievance welled up in her nose, making her eyes burn.
She hurried across the street to the carriage.
Xiao Ran saw her too and immediately jumped off the carriage shaft.
"Is it all over?" he asked in a low voice.
Xiao Tao nodded. "Let's go back."
Xiao Tao got into the carriage and curled up in the corner of the carriage.
Xiao Ran quickly returned to the driver's seat, flicked the reins, and the carriage slowly started moving, driving away from the troublesome Fengqing Street.
The carriage drove straight back to Jishui Village without stopping.
Inside the general store, Jiang Ling heard the news Xiao Tao brought back, and felt a mix of emotions.
It's neither good news nor bad news.
The "bad guy" that Hongxiu mentioned should be Fang Shijie.
It's highly likely that the man in black told her that Fang Shijie was from the Great Sheng Dynasty.
She disregarded everything for love and went to a foreign land...
Hongxiu guessed that she would go to find Xiaoqiu, which is why she left a message.
...Don't dwell on your sorrows, which actually means telling her not to make a big fuss about searching for herself.
It seems that this is all Xiao Qiu knows.
She refused to go with Hongxiu, and Hongxiu wouldn't tell her everything.
Now that the first thing is done, it's time to prepare for the second thing.
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The warm spring sun shines on the fields of Jishui Village; the snow has long since melted, revealing the moist and fertile black soil.
As dawn broke, the men of the village, carrying hoes and plows and leading their most capable old oxen, arrived at the fields.
As the most experienced elder in the village, Grandpa Zhao naturally became the commander-in-chief.
He stood on the edge of the field, loudly assigning tasks:
"Fourth brother, your ox is strong, so you're in charge of plowing those hard patches of land on the east side! Second ox, take a few people and clear the irrigation ditch again, so it doesn't get clogged when we water the fields! Women and children, once the fields are cleared, follow behind and sow the seeds, be quick and efficient!"
"Alright!" everyone responded in unison, their faces filled with anticipation for a bountiful harvest.
Although Zhao Yin's legs were not nimble, he couldn't stay idle. He helped check farm tools and repair fences.
Xiao Ran is now an important source of labor for the family, and with spring plowing being a major event, Jiang Ling gave him two days off.
He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his slightly thin but already strong arms, and followed Zhao Yin to learn the techniques and strength of plowing.
Xiao Yi has stayed in the village for so long and has made some new friends.
She is Grandma Chen's granddaughter, an eight-year-old girl.
Aunt Chen was strong and capable, and her granddaughter Xi'er not only looked like her, but also had a very similar personality.
Even at such a young age, you can already tell he's a very competitive person.
Now, he is leading Xiaoyi, carrying a water bottle, to deliver water to the uncles working in the fields.
Jiang Ling's general store has been exceptionally busy these past few days, with villagers frequently coming to buy salt, needles and thread, or nails and ropes needed for repairing farm tools.
Occasionally, she would bring some homemade cakes or high-energy chocolates she brought from modern times to the fields to reward the hardworking villagers.
Grandpa Zhao is directing everyone to draw water for irrigation.
The river water gurgled and flowed into the parched fields through the newly cleared irrigation canals.
When it was the turn of the plot of land next to Lai Er's, the villager in charge of watching the water outlet had just diverted the water there when he noticed that the water flow had visibly decreased.
"Huh? Why is the water level so low?" The villager scratched his head, checking along the irrigation ditch, but found no blockage.
Zhao Shiying, who was plowing a field nearby, noticed something was wrong. She went over to take a closer look and frowned.
He crouched down, parted the weeds by the irrigation ditch, and discovered that on the side closest to Lai Er's field, someone had secretly dug a sizable opening, and clear river water was gushing into Lai Er's unplowed field, already accumulating into a large puddle.
"Lai Er!" Zhao Shiying stood up, her voice cold, and shouted at Lai Er, who was squatting on the edge of his own field, pretending to sunbathe but actually peeking over.
"Did you do this?"
Lai Er, seeing that he had been discovered, remained calm, slowly stood up, and said with a forced smile:
"Master Zhao, what are you saying? This irrigation ditch has been in disrepair for years and cracked on its own. How can you blame me? I was just looking for something to plug it up!"
As he spoke, he even kicked a clod of dirt at his feet in a mocking manner.
Lai's family also received a few acres of land, located at the west end of the village near the small river, where the soil quality was considered above average for the village.
But he was used to being idle and would often shirk his duties during the spring planting season, relying on relatives and neighbors for help, or simply leaving the land fallow and then going to town at the end of the year to do odd jobs to make a living.
"It cracked by itself?" Zhao Shiying pointed to the neat gap that had clearly been deliberately dug open with a hoe.
"This crack certainly knows how to find a place, flowing right into your field?"
The surrounding villagers also gathered around, and seeing the scene, they all understood what had happened and began to criticize:
"Lai Er, you're really dishonest! Everyone's lining up to water their plants, and you just steal water!"
"Exactly! Your land hasn't even been plowed yet, what's the point of watering it now? It'll all seep away!"
"All they think about is taking advantage without putting in any effort!"
Water resources are not abundant in Ping'an County, especially during the spring planting season, when everyone cherishes them.
After all, the first thing to do after sowing seeds is to water them thoroughly.
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