There wasn't any lantern festival in town during the Lantern Festival, probably because of the drought.
On the day of the Lantern Festival, Liu made several flower shapes out of dough at home and steamed them. She poured some rapeseed oil into the center of the flower, put in a small piece of wick, lit it, and then shone it on the noses, eyes, and ears of the family. That was how the festival was celebrated. They didn't even eat glutinous rice balls.
There were no dragon boat races on the second day of the second lunar month after that; their town never had this activity.
On the second day of the second lunar month, before dawn, every household would draw a circle in the yard with wood ash, put grains in the middle, and weigh it down with bricks and tiles. This was called "building a granary," which meant that the granary was high and full of grain, hoping for a good harvest this year.
Another dish is stir-fried beans, also known as stir-fried soybeans. The main ingredient is soybeans. The soybeans are soaked in advance, dried, and then stir-fried on the day of the festival. You can then put them in your pocket and go play at the local temple.
On this day, one is not allowed to drink porridge, lest it irritate the longan and shorten one's lifespan; one cannot comb one's hair indoors, lest centipedes appear on the roof; and one cannot use needles and thread in the room, lest it harm the longan's eyes.
After the second day of the second lunar month, spring planting begins.
Fertilizing and preparing the land were tasks that Yue Jiuyue didn't need to do. She and Liu Shi were cultivating sweet potato seedlings at home, and they could start planting sweet potatoes around the Qingming Festival.
As the water in Nanhu Lake dwindled and planting was about to begin, the day was still perfectly sunny with no sign of rain. Everyone was getting anxious, worried that there wouldn't be enough water, so they started spring planting early, regardless of the time.
Yue Jiuyue did not stop Lin Chaodong and his family from planting, but the cultivation of sweet potato seedlings takes time. Their family used the sweet potato vines left over from last year to grow sweet potatoes.
The same applies to other households in the village.
“Mom, we’ve finished planting all our land, including the land we cleared last year. I was thinking that the sweet potatoes from last year grew quite well, and since there’s not much work to do these days, I’m planning to clear some more land. That way we can get three more years of tax exemption. What do you think?”
While eating, the eldest brother discussed things with Yue Jiuyue.
"You can handle it as you see fit. You don't need to ask me about these things. It's just that you're able to relax for a few days because you started planting early. But when autumn comes, won't you be swamped with work? Do you think you'll be able to manage then?"
Who knows what the autumn will be like? Besides, they don't know her plans. Aren't they afraid she'll get sick from overwork?
"Then, I'll cultivate another acre of land. I'll plant two-tenths of it with corn, and the remaining eight-tenths with soybeans, mung beans, and the like."
Lin Chaodong pondered for a moment before giving his answer after careful consideration.
Yue Jiuyue declined to comment. In any case, she wouldn't slack off while she was working, nor would she work herself to the bone. As long as they were making a profit, that was fine.
The three sons started clearing the wasteland again, then fertilizing the land, and planted corn and beans. It was only then that the Qingming Festival arrived.
This year's Qingming Festival is destined to be free of drizzling rain.
Willow and pine branches were inserted into the door frame early on. The men went to worship their ancestors, while the women's lives seemed no different from usual, and they did what they were supposed to do.
Meanwhile, at Yue Jiuyue's home, Yue Jiuyue and Liu Shi were picking sweet potato seedlings from the sweet potato plant. They were stacking them neatly in bunches of about twenty seedlings each, tied together with straw rope, and placed in a basket, waiting to deliver them to the county magistrate the next day.
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