The floodwaters had not yet receded, and there was still much to be done. Yue Jiuyue's family, being from Linjiagou Village, could not remain uninvolved. Therefore, one member of their family, Lin Chaodong, went to Nanling to dig a cave on behalf of the whole family.
Liu's belly was already more than three months along, and the pregnancy was stable. She could do things like lighting a fire, cooking, and picking wheat seeds at home. Yue Jiuyue felt at ease and went up the mountain with her two sons to tidy up the land first, since the soil had been washed away by the rainstorm.
However, there was a lot of sand and soil piled up inside the newly built wall. Since the fields would be converted into terraced fields in the future, Yue Jiuyue did not clean it up for the time being.
Terraced fields didn't exist in this era; the land was divided up and crops were grown directly on it. So, during heavy rains like this, soil erosion was particularly severe.
"Mom, what's the point of all this tiring of building terraced fields? It's a waste of time! We should use that time to plant wheat. Maybe if we work hard, we can plant a whole hillside before winter!"
Lin Chaobei expressed deep resentment towards Yue Jiuyue's request to repair the terraced fields.
Land preparation is a very hard task. The mountain soil is mostly sandy, so it's not too muddy and is actually quite soft, making it easier to dig than usual. But it still requires a lot of effort and would normally take many days. Yue Jiuyue's request has doubled their workload!
"Look north, you've all seen those piles of sand and soil under our wall, right? Let's not even talk about what would happen if there was another heavy rain, but even in the summer when it rains, won't the sand and soil on the mountain wash away with the rainwater?"
Yue Jiuyue was exhausted, so exhausted she could barely stand up straight. But the terraced fields had to be prepared; she didn't want the three hills she had worked so hard to buy to end up as nothing more than three bare hills.
"Of course! There's no need to say more!"
Lin Chaobei frowned and asked again:
"Won't the rain wash away the soil from the mountainside?"
Yue Jiuyue stood up, rubbed her lower back, stretched her shoulders, and patiently explained to him again:
"Didn't I say it should be built like a staircase, flat and even, piece by piece? Even if some soil is washed away by rain on flat ground, it's less soil washed away than on this slope, right?"
"Okay!"
Lin Chaobei agreed with Yue Jiuyue and responded slowly and deliberately.
"Yes, I know you're exhausted. When we came out, I told your wife to cook you a nice meal that evening so you can eat something oily and nourishing these next few days!"
Lin Chaobei loved hearing Yue Jiuyue's words!
Thinking back to that huge pot of stewed chicken he ate for lunch, the whole chicken was his! It smelled so good! Even the wild vegetables in it smelled like chicken. It was the first time he thought wild vegetables were actually quite delicious.
"Sure! For the sake of delicious food, this terraced field will definitely be finished!"
Lin Chaobei was motivated and wielded the hoe with great vigor!
Yue Jiuyue looked at Lin Chaobei like this and felt both amused and exasperated.
He's still just a child; a meal of meat is all it takes to appease him.
"Hey! There's no rush, slow down, be careful not to strain your back!"
"It's okay, my back is fine!"
He hasn't even gotten married yet, and his back is already acting up. How is he supposed to get married?
Yue Jiuyue had no idea that this young man was already thinking about getting married. She smiled, then bent down and continued working.
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