With the family branching out and Ji Xuan leaving, Wang Shi settled down, and all the turmoil subsided. Jiang Nuan's days became busy and fulfilling.
With the addition of these servants, she hardly had time to manage anything. The formations and seedling cultivation already took up a lot of her time, and she also had to run between the estate and the county town. Occasionally, she would accompany her parents back to her parents' home.
The purchased estate has been registered with the government and is now called Wolong Village because Jiang Nuan discovered that the surrounding mountains resemble a sleeping dragon.
Construction of the house began, and the tenants helped with the work, earning some copper coins in the process.
In the blink of an eye, half a month has passed, and the Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner.
On this day, Jiang Nuan was finally able to set up a mini One Element Array.
Upon seeing the floating pebbles, the whole family gathered around.
"Mother," Huang Lao Er exclaimed in surprise, "the stone actually floated up, like a magic trick!"
Unbelievable!
As he spoke, he couldn't help but reach out and carefully poke at the floating pebbles. Then, the array he had painstakingly set up suddenly collapsed.
Huang Lao Er was stunned. "Mother, I didn't mean to."
Jiang Nuan didn't mind. "It's okay, I'll just put them back in place."
After saying that, they put it back in its original position according to the orientation.
This time, Huang Lao Er dared not move again, he just stared at him anxiously, even his breathing became soft.
"Mother," Huang Xiaosan asked excitedly, "Can this formation really nourish the soul?"
It feels so unbelievable.
Jiang Nuan didn't speak, but placed a rabbit in the formation. "Let's try it first."
The rabbit was very small, about the size of two palms. It was Da Niu and Er Niu's beloved pet, a gift from a tenant farmer in the village. It had red eyes and was completely white without a single stray hair. The two little ones were captivated at first sight and carried it everywhere they went from then on.
The rabbit entered the formation, first curling up uneasily, scanning the area warily, and then falling asleep shortly afterward.
He was sleeping very soundly, but it was also very strange.
"Mother," Huang Laoda couldn't help but frown, "this formation can help you sleep?"
"Well," Jiang Nuan rubbed her nose, "maybe."
She didn't know what was going on either.
"Anyway, it won't do any harm," Xie said confidently. "Look at this rabbit, it doesn't seem uncomfortable at all. Maybe it was so comfortable that it fell asleep."
"That makes sense!"
Jiang Nuan stroked her chin and nodded earnestly.
After saying that, he removed the stones, and the rabbit immediately opened its eyes without delay.
“It really is,” Xie said, both excited and surprised. “Mother, when are you going to have a big one? Your daughter-in-law wants to try it too.”
"Wait a little longer," Jiang Nuan said with a smile, "it shouldn't take long."
The beginning is always the hardest. Now that we've set up this mini-array, other sizes will be just around the corner.
“Mmm,” Xie looked at Jiang Nuan with admiration, “I knew Mother could do it.”
Once the initial excitement wore off, the family began discussing the wheat harvest.
“Mother, the harvest starts tomorrow,” Huang Laoda suggested, “you should offer the first incense.”
"What is this?" Jiang Nuan asked in confusion. "Does it mean we need to set up an altar and offer incense before the harvest?"
“Yes, this is the old custom,” Old Huang said, a hint of harvest joy on his face. “The weather is so unpredictable these days, let’s offer a prayer and ask God to give us a little more time.”
Although he knew it wouldn't be of much use, it would at least give him peace of mind.
"It's fine if the three of you come to discuss it," Jiang Nuan refused. "I'm not going to join in the fun."
"Mother, don't refuse yet," Huang Xiaosan said helplessly. "The county government also wants you to come and offer the first incense. The county magistrate has already come to me three times. It's hard to refuse without an excuse."
Every time, he came full of excitement but left disappointed and dejected, so Huang Xiaosan couldn't bear to refuse him anymore.
Those who can offer the first incense stick are always of great importance, and Jiang Nuan did not want to get involved in this mess.
"No," he refused without hesitation. "There are so many people in the whole county, why would they need me?"
Jiang Nuan didn't know what Ji Xuan had told her, but she could clearly feel that the entire Ping'an County's attitude towards her family had changed.
They were both respectful and wary, wanting to befriend each other but seemingly having some reservations.
She couldn't be bothered with all these complicated matters. If people didn't come knocking on her door, she would just live her own life peacefully and freely.
What Jiang Nuan didn't know was that those people didn't want to come over, but they had been repeatedly warned that if they provoked the Huang family unjustly, they would bear the consequences.
Some people didn't believe in superstitions and were sent to the county government office to be sobered up before they could even take action, so no one dared to come over.
"Who knows what they're thinking?" Huang Xiaosan was also very puzzled. "I don't know what's going on lately, but I keep running into strange people who seem to want to say something but don't, like they're out of their minds."
I always felt that those people were trying to please me.
However, what does one's own family have that makes others want to please them?
Jiang Nuan guessed the reason but didn't care. "Don't worry about them. Just do your own thing. Their true colors will be revealed sooner or later."
Then, changing the subject, "Did you receive the saber I had someone make?"
"I got it," Huang Xiaosan said hesitantly, "Mother, can this scythe really be used?"
After all, they've always used sickles to cut crops; no one has ever used these strange and unusual tools before.
"Don't worry," Jiang Nuan smiled, "it will definitely work."
The scythe can be considered the most primitive harvester. It was unusable in later generations when wheat fields were dense and thick, but it was an invaluable tool in this era, at least five or six times faster than a sickle.
Moreover, the materials are extremely simple: bamboo strips are woven into a winnowing basket-shaped net, and after the edges are sealed, an iron sheet is placed at the opening. When in use, you simply roll it forward and cut a piece at once.
Of course, it's not without its flaws; it's not as light as a sickle, and it's not as strong.
But this is exactly what this era has in abundance.
The people who have worked hard all year round have long since developed a lot of strength.
"Will ten be enough?"
"It's enough, don't worry."
Although Jiang Nuan spoke with certainty, Huang Xiaosan was still somewhat worried, so he brought a sickle with him when he went to the manor.
When it's time to harvest the grain, even the youngest children can't sit still at home. Everyone understands what this means. After breakfast, the whole family sets off for the village together.
By this time, the tenants had arrived early, waiting for their master to offer incense before they began harvesting.
After her sons begged her repeatedly, Jiang Nuan finally agreed to be the one to offer the first incense.
After the incense and candles had burned out and everyone had started moving, the Huang family members took their sickles and eagerly headed towards the wheat field.
After settling the elderly and children in, Jiang Nuan picked up a shovel and started swinging it.
Huang Xiaosan was initially skeptical, but after swinging his arm down, he cut a bundle in the blink of an eye, leaving him speechless with shock.
"Wow, that's amazing!"
The others noticed this too, and immediately, they all turned to look at Jiang Nuan.
"What are you looking at me for?" Jiang Nuan wiped the light sweat from her forehead. "With such good stuff, why aren't you getting to work!"
It started getting hot and humid in the morning. This awful weather is really unfriendly.
Fortunately, every drop of sweat shed turned into a harvest!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com