Time passed in anticipation, and finally the rice turned golden, but it was also the time of continuous autumn rain. We could no longer wait for the weather to clear up.
Taking advantage of the brief respite from the rain, when the moisture on the straw had dried slightly, we quickly brought the millet back in.
Harvesting rice became a major event for both families, and this time there were even a few more spectators than when harvesting wheat.
Xiang Dejin brought several wounded soldiers over to help, and Li Laoshi stood by with an envious look on his face.
Tsk tsk, everywhere is filled with people fleeing famine, but here they're harvesting grain!
Jiang Zhi and Xu Errui had previously cut down the rice ears of the rice seeds they had marked and hung them under the eaves; the rest were rice for consumption.
With food back in the air, everyone was happy. Even the slight sting of rice leaves brushing against their skin felt strangely pleasant.
Grandpa Xiaoman picked a grain of rice, bit it open to feel its moisture content, smiled, then spat out the husk, chewed the rice inside, and swallowed it.
The women were harvesting rice, while the rest of the people were carrying straw. With so many people, the work seemed like a game.
"Bang, bang bang, bang bang bang!"
Grandpa Xiaoman and Xu Errui were threshing grain in a simple wooden bucket, their rhythmic threshing movements all in slow, deliberate beats.
A group of people around were watching with great interest, perhaps reminiscing about the bountiful harvests of a peaceful and prosperous era.
The rice has been harvested, but there's been a problem with drying it; now it's all wet.
The already narrow courtyard was softened by the rain, and the sunlight that peeked out had to retreat before it could dry the ground.
This is the most worrying and frightening thing for farmers. If the grain is not dried quickly after harvesting, it will sprout and become hot. Not only will a year's hard work be wasted, but they will also go hungry for the next few days.
This year, there's no need to worry at all; we can dry the rice directly on the kang (heated brick bed).
To secure food, Jiang Zhi had to sleep on a makeshift bed under the kang (a heated brick bed) for several days, laying dry grass on the floor.
Unexpectedly, the drying of rice these past few days has made the little wild boar extremely happy!
When it was first taken in, Jiang Zhi felt sorry for it and allowed it to live in the house.
So, the shoes that were taken off at the foot of the kang (heated brick bed) every night became the little wild boar's pillow.
But when Jiang Zhi gets up in the morning to look for her shoes, they are usually already flattened under the belly of the wild boar.
It slept for two months, and as the little wild boar grew bigger, Jiang Zhi chased it out of the house.
This guy doesn't sleep well either. I can tolerate his snoring and teeth grinding, but what I can't stand the most is his farting.
Sweet potato vines and roots, the more you eat, the more you poop. A single fart travels in a winding, meandering path, waking Jiang Zhi up several times with the stench. She slapped him and said, "Pork belly, you stink! You're not allowed in the house!"
The little wild boar was fast asleep when it was woken up and thought it was being told to go outside to pee.
There's no way around it; the little wild boar has its own designated toilet, so it won't dirty the room, and it can hold its poop and pee.
There was no way to deal with this fart, so Jiang Zhi could only send it to sleep in the pigsty under the herb shed.
The little wild boar was unhappy and would nudge the door a few times every night before getting slapped and leaving.
Nowadays, the door to the kang (heated brick bed) is not closed properly for easy turning of the rice to dry, and also for ventilation and dehumidification.
So Jiang Zhi set up a makeshift bed on the ground next to it.
But at night, the little wild boar would sneak in and sleep next to the haystack on the ground.
Although it kept its voice down, Jiang Zhi, who was sleeping on the floor, still woke up, but pretended to be asleep and ignored it.
Anyway, before dawn, the little wild boar will sneak out again.
Jiang Zhi pretended not to know at night, but during the day, she used a bamboo brush to scrub the wild boar clean from head to tail.
The sight of drying rice on a kang (a heated brick bed) was an eye-opener for Grandpa Xiaoman and several wounded soldiers.
Xiang Dejin asked Dejin several times how to build a kang (heated brick bed) and how to heat it: "Although it is too hard and uncomfortable to sleep on, it is quite good for families with few bedding."
He was a native of Bajun and had grown up using soft straw beds; this was the first time he had ever seen such an earthen bed.
Ba County is full of mountains, so there is no shortage of firewood for heating the kang (a traditional heated bed). During the day, people are warm outside and do not need the kang, but at night, it is warmer to lie on the kang than to have a fire burning in the middle of the house.
Moreover, this method is even more effective for drying grains, as it is truly difficult to find a dry place during the wet season.
Li Laoshi's eyes darted around: "Sister-in-law Jiang, have you always used this... this earthen bed?"
Jiang Zhi was never warm towards this "honest man," even though she had helped Xu Errui before.
Seeing that he was also curious about the earthen kang (heated brick bed), he simply said, "The kang also has its drawbacks; there's no way to deal with it in the summer."
Of course, the downsides are also related to the different geographical location. Bajun is humid and hot in summer, and if not handled properly, the entire kang (heated brick bed) can become damp.
After the heavy rain, the kang (a heated brick bed) in Xiaoman's house was flooded, and the legs of the kang remained wet. Eventually, they had to dismantle it.
The houses in Jiangzhi are located on high ground and in a relatively dry area. They were also often heated with kang (heated brick beds) in the summer to dry medicinal herbs, which is why they have been preserved.
Li Laoshi chuckled and said, "Sister-in-law Jiang, why don't you teach me how to build a kang (heated brick bed)? If I make money in the future, I'll give you half! Just don't let anyone know if it's good or not."
Jiang Zhi glared at him: "You should think about how to clear land and farm it, that's more practical."
The wounded soldiers lived on a slope. If they were diligent and hardworking, they could clear small patches of land on the slope and grow some vegetables.
Xiaomanye said that Li Laoshi should take some radish and cabbage seeds and plant them in the fields there. He couldn't stay with Xiang Dejin and the others for long; he would have to rely on himself to have food in the future.
Li Laoshi nodded and agreed, but several days have passed and there has been no progress.
Upon hearing Jiang Zhi mention land reclamation, Li Laoshi chuckled dryly and left.
If he were willing to farm, how could he be a lazy person? But coming up the mountain wasn't a wasted trip. Besides getting some food and drink, he also wanted to learn to identify medicinal herbs, but Granny Jiang wouldn't teach him.
However, in the attic where Jiang Zhi stored the medicine, Li Laoshi saw two familiar herbs.
He realized that those ubiquitous wild grasses were actually medicinal herbs, and he instantly felt like he had lost a hundred taels of silver.
When Li Laoshi wanted to look again, he was chased away by the little wild boar, which gored and bit him.
Below the wooden attic was the wild boar's burrow. Apart from the three of them, no one else was allowed to approach the wooden attic, not even Xiaoman.
Li Laoshi was sent away, and Xiang Dejin, who was standing next to him, felt a little awkward. He had just been thinking about whether he could teach the earthen bed method to others.
However, he still spoke up, "Aunt Jiang, there's no way to burn charcoal for warmth in the medical shed during the winter. It would be so much more comfortable to lie on this heated kang. Could you please have the medical shed repaired with a kang?"
There are no welfare and medical care institutions now, and those wounded soldiers rely on the individual policies of each general.
The medical shed was a large tent made of tarpaulin. People would sleep on a large wooden board with blankets on it. It was fine normally, but it was uncomfortable in winter.
With so many quilts unable to be aired out, they inevitably become damp and cold.
Grandpa Xiaoman also said, "That's true. The handymen are all grown men, and they're quite rough around the edges when they're washing and scrubbing. If they get injured and then catch a cold, it won't be good for them."
Xu Dazhu had been paralyzed for two years, and they had taken care of him for two winters, so they knew that patients were most afraid of catching a cold.
Jiang Zhi didn't want to make money from the kang (heated brick bed), especially not from sucking blood from patients: "Then you should talk to Zhang Juntou. If he wants to build a kang for the medical shed, let Xiaoman and Errui teach him."
Xiang Dejin repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "Aunt Jiang is very generous. On behalf of the other brothers, I thank you, Aunt Jiang."
Without wasting any time, he immediately sent Li Laoshi down the mountain to deliver a message.
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