It had rained for several nights in a row, and the originally dry and hard soil had become much more moist. On a breezy morning, Grandma Xu led a few children to begin this year's spring planting.
The food supply in town has stabilized considerably, and Xu Genshan and Liu Fang have become increasingly skilled. Although some people have tried to learn from them, they haven't grasped the essence of their methods, and the Xu family's business hasn't been greatly affected.
Spring planting is the most important start for farmers. Even the village school gave the children a three-day break for the busy farming season. Apart from Xu Genshan and his wife from the town and Xu Genzhu who went from street to street, everyone else went to the fields, including Xu Genshu.
"Genshu, you should study hard at home. We don't have much land this year, and with your nephew and the others, we can manage." Old Mrs. Xu didn't want her son to waste this time.
"Mother, even if you study every day, you still need to rest. Just consider this my rest." Even if I study every day, I still can't pass the imperial examination. I should do some work instead. Xu Genshu thought to himself.
"But the exams are coming up soon." Grandma Xu knew her youngest son was sensible, but this was a very important matter.
口口五六37四三六七伍
"It's alright, don't worry, Mother, I know what I'm doing." As the two were talking, Xu Genshu had already put the grain seeds into the bamboo basket, slung the hoe over his shoulder, and shouted. The children in the backyard immediately ran out and followed him.
Seeing him like this, Grandma Xu felt a little sad. This year would be Xu Genshu's fourth time taking the exam. She thought the boy was carefree now, but she wondered how he must feel when he was alone.
"How could a mother not know what kind of son she has?" Old Mrs. Xu sighed, picked up her hoe, and followed after him.
The area around Dashi Village is suitable for growing a wide variety of grains, including corn, potatoes, wheat, and rice. Today, the Xu family mainly grows corn, potatoes, and some vegetables and beans.
These are all large-scale production areas and are staple foods, and they were selected from a few relatively fertile plots of land at home.
The adults dug the ground, and the children were responsible for placing the seeds. They dug three-inch holes, with corn seeds on one side and string bean seeds on the other.
These string beans have vines, so you can let them grow alongside the corn, and the vines will climb onto the corn stalks, thus saving you the trouble of building a trellis.
There was a distance between each pair of rows, and in the middle, some eggplants and green vegetables would be planted. Even along the edge of the field, Grandma Xu planned to plant some pumpkin seeds.
Let the vines spread along the ridges; this way, they won't take up much space. We don't have much good land at home, so we have to be very careful with our resources and not waste a single bit.
The adults in front dug the hole, Xu Yi and Xu Mao squatted down in the middle to put the seeds in, and Fu Man'er, Xu Wen and Xu Wu in the back bent over and used their hands to dig soil to cover the hole.
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Every time Fu Man'er made a hole, she had to stand up and take a long breath. There was no way she could breathe properly with her butt sticking out like that.
Xu Yi watched from the side and laughed for a long time. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Where's your little hoe? Didn't Grandpa make you a little hoe?"
Old Xu not only made her a small hoe, but also a small bamboo basket that reached just up to her bottom when she carried it. It was a small bamboo basket, about the size of the large bowls used for eating noodles at home.
Fu Man'er treasured it terribly. On the very first day she received it, she carried it with her and showed it off to the other children. She only allowed others to look at it, but not to touch it.
When he wanted to sleep with her in bed at night, Xu Genshan almost threw her, along with her bamboo basket and hoe, into the yard.
"Grandma borrowed it." Fu Man'er pointed ahead. Grandma Xu was sowing vegetable seeds, sowing with one hand and turning the soil with the other. The big hoe was inconvenient, so she borrowed Fu Man'er's small hoe.
Xu Yi raised his eyebrows in surprise. Someone who was practically sleeping with a hoe could still lend out a small hoe. "Did Grandma say she was going to buy you something to eat?" He figured there must be something going on.
Sure enough, Fu Man'er nodded, smiling like a cat that had just stolen some cream, "Grandma said she'll steam two eggs for me to make steamed egg custard later."
She covered her mouth with her hand while speaking and whispered to Xu Yi.
The old hens at home now lay six eggs a day, and in just a few days they'll have a whole basin full. Grandma Xu also makes some eggs for the children every few days.
The original text comes from Tower & Read Novels~&
Xu Yi knew it would be like this. He couldn't resist reaching out and pinching her chubby face. It was so tender and soft, so nice to pinch.
"Once we're done with the farm work these next two days, your brother will take you up the mountain to pick wild fruits." There are already quite a few wild fruits growing on the mountain now; they're sweet and sour, which is perfect for children.
Having received Xu Yi's promise, Fu Man'er was like a man possessed, working tirelessly without stopping, as if she couldn't finish the work if she stopped for even a moment.
She wasn't just after the wild berries; mainly, Xu Yi hadn't played with her in a long time, and she wanted to finish her work quickly so she could play with her brother again.
After a morning of hard work, the entire plot of land was sown. Old Mrs. Xu stood by the roadside watching. Right now, it was still just yellow soil, but in a few days, green shoots would sprout from it, and then grow stronger and stronger. This place was the hope of the Xu family.
"Grandma, dinner's ready!" Fu Man'er called out to her from under the tree.
The whole family came out to work, so they brought their own food. Now that the weather is warmer, eating cold food doesn't have much of an impact.
For lunch, we brought multigrain steamed buns, homemade pickled vegetables, and stir-fried dishes from last night. It was simple, but enough to fill the whole family up.
When Grandma Xu came over, Ma Hong had already taken out the food and set it out. After everyone poured water from the kettle and washed their hands, they all sat down around.
"We brought plenty of food, so everyone should eat their fill. We still have a few plots of land to work on later." This meant that after eating, they would go straight to the fields to work, and it would probably be dark by the time they got home. They wouldn't have the energy to work if they weren't full.
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None of the family members were fussy; they grabbed the steamed buns and started eating them heartily. (m.cascoo.net)
Grandma Xu glanced at Fu Man'er, whose little face was flushed. She gently touched her cheek with the back of her hand. "Man'er, does your face hurt?"
The little girl's face is very fair now. The sun was quite strong today, and Grandma Xu was a little worried that she might get sunburned after being in the sun for so long.
"Huh?" Fu Man'er paused in her bite of the steamed bun. Her brother had been rubbing her face the whole time, and he kept rubbing it even when she told him not to. "Ugh, it hurts." Fu Man'er nodded heavily. She was going to tell her grandma.
Xu Yi, sitting next to her, felt like his head was about to disappear into his stomach. Why did he have to be so handsy? If Grandma found out, she would scold him again.
"Oh dear, my sweet girl, don't come down to the ground with me later. Find a shady spot to hide, or your face will hurt even more."
These boys in the family are very sturdy; they'll run to wherever the sun is. My little granddaughter has delicate skin, so we can't afford to hurt her.
"Okay, I'll listen to Grandma." Fu Man'er thought that if she didn't sit next to her brother, he wouldn't pinch her.
Xu Yi, standing to the side, almost choked on his laughter, coughing softly.
This prompted Grandma Xu to glance at him, saying, "You're such a big boy, eat slowly. Look at Man'er, she's eating so well."
Fu, who had been praised, sat up straight, and the invisible little house behind him started swaying again, making Xu Yi's heart itch.
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