Xu Ningyan received confirmation and returned to find Gu Zhiyuan back in the fields.
She hurried over to his side, "Didn't I tell you to rest for a while? Why are you so eager?"
Seeing that the people harvesting wheat on both sides were far apart, he quietly taught Gu Zhiyuan how to slack off.
To be honest, this is something she's an expert at.
They all dream of being lazy and content, and they have their own unique insights into lying down and slacking off.
In short: they seem incredibly busy, but actually they haven't accomplished anything.
Gu Zhiyuan found it both funny and exasperating. Looking at Xu Ningyan's quirky and mischievous appearance, he couldn't help but reach out to ruffle her hair, only to realize that she was wearing a straw hat.
He could only tap her head lightly with his finger: "I know what I'm doing! You should take it easy too!"
Both of them then slowed down a bit.
It was almost noon, and the women in the fields on both sides of the road had put away their sickles and were hurrying back to cook for their families.
Moreover, the midday sun is scorching hot; working under the midday sun would likely result in heatstroke.
Everyone got up one after another to go home for lunch, then rested for a while before going back to work in the fields when the afternoon sun wasn't so scorching.
Xu Ningyan and Gu Zhiyuan had harvested about a third of the land in the morning. Once they saw that most of the people had left, they called it a day.
I've finished all the water I brought this morning, and now I'm both tired and thirsty.
Back in the courtyard, one of them first downed a large bowl of tea, which barely relieved the heat.
Their courtyard was situated on high ground, nestled against the back mountain. Sitting under the camphor tree, they felt the mountain breeze and fanned themselves vigorously with palm-leaf fans for a long time before the sweat on their bodies finally stopped.
After resting for a while and recovering a bit, I went to cook again.
Fortunately, Xu Ningyan had already steamed a large pot of steamed buns while it was still cool in the morning. Since it was hot, there was no need to steam them again; they were perfect to eat right away. This was the way most families did during the busy farming season.
Slice the pork belly that was cooked in the morning, stir-fry it with chili and fermented black beans, and it's savory, slightly spicy, and has a wonderful aroma.
I made a cold cucumber salad and a bowl of egg drop soup.
Although there were only three dishes, the portions were very generous.
The two people and the dog ate to their hearts' content.
Don't say you can't eat because of the heat; after half a day of physical labor, you could eat a whole cow.
After finishing their meal, Gu Zhiyuan went to wash the dishes. Xu Ningyan saw that there weren't many steamed buns left, and since there was still time, she cooked a pot of porridge.
If you cook it now, it won't be too hot when you get home in the evening. You can have it with steamed buns and a couple of stir-fried dishes for dinner.
Gu Zhiyuan also took the two of them to the river to sharpen their sickles. They had been used all morning and were already dull. If they didn't sharpen them soon, it would be even more difficult to harvest wheat in the afternoon.
After finishing all this, I need to take a quick rest, otherwise I won't be able to stay awake all afternoon.
Xu Ningyan felt as if she had only closed her eyes in bed when the work whistle blew again.
As she yawned and walked out of the house, Gu Zhiyuan had already prepared the tea she would drink in the afternoon, and his sickle was sharpened to a gleaming shine, waiting for her.
We went straight to the wheat field, where some people had already arrived.
Xu Ningyan and Gu Zhiyuan didn't say much, they just kept their heads down and bent over to harvest, just like heartless robots.
Although the two of them were just dawdling, they didn't dare to go too far.
The whistle to signal the end of the workday only sounded when the sun had set and night had fallen, when it was almost impossible to see and the sickle was about to cut someone's leg.
The two of them hadn't finished harvesting their plot of land; about three-tenths of an acre remained.
However, the two of them had already done their best.
The scorekeeper glanced at it and recorded six work points for each person.
Although she wasn't as good as the women in the neighboring brigades, who all had more than eight work points, Xu Ningyan was content.
I practically dragged myself home.
It was dark when they got home, but luckily Gu Zhiyuan had candles, so he lit them and started cooking.
The porridge in the pot was warm; ladle it out.
They stir-fried the leftover meat from lunch and also fried an egg. The two of them were too exhausted to even speak. By the dim candlelight, they silently finished their meal.
Xu Ningyan forced herself to prepare enough tea and bathwater for the next day. She then put the large bones into a clay pot, added two pieces of ginger, filled it with water, and placed it in a large wood-burning stove. She simmered it over a low flame until the bone broth was ready by tomorrow morning.
After preparing everything, washing up, glancing at the casserole dish again, I went back to my room, climbed into bed, and then knew nothing more.
When I woke up the next morning, I felt like my legs and back didn't belong to me anymore.
It makes a creaking sound with the slightest movement.
After getting up and moving around for a while, my joints seemed to loosen up.
Gu Zhiyuan had already returned from fetching water from the river; the water vat was full, and he was sitting under a tree sharpening his sickle.
Seeing Xu Ningyan come out rubbing her back, the two looked at each other and smiled wryly.
Xu Ningyan went into the kitchen and made a noodle soup, adding a few eggs, some green leafy vegetables, and a drizzle of sesame oil.
I kneaded the dough again and set it aside. When I came back at noon, I cut the dough into noodles and cooked them.
Fearing that they wouldn't get enough nutrition, Xu Ningyan also made a bowl of malted milk powder for each person and put a handful of fruit candies in her pocket, so they could replenish their sugar levels if they couldn't hold on any longer.
For three consecutive days and nights, all the wheat was finally harvested.
Starting the next day, some elderly people went to bundle up the wheat stalks that had been left overnight, and then the men began to carry the bundled wheat to the threshing ground using shovels.
The threshing ground had been watered and rolled smooth as a mirror with a stone roller a few days ago.
The wheat bundles were piled in a frustum-shaped pile on the threshing ground, and the ropes binding them were untied.
After the threshing ground was covered with straw, they led oxen and dragged stone rollers to tamp the straw in circles.
After the wheat grains have been threshed, the stalks are tossed aside with a winnowing fork to remove any remaining impurities from the wheat.
After the wheat has been winnowed, if the sun is shining, it will continue to dry for a few more days. During this time, elderly people and young children will be sent to watch over the wheat.
From time to time, they would use a rake or go barefoot to spread out and dry the wheat grains.
In the evening, the wheat grains would be gathered together and piled into a cone shape. Then, a tin can filled with lime would be placed around the pile of wheat grains, with a symbol drilled into the bottom.
Then two shifts of people were arranged to stand guard at night next to the threshing ground.
At this time, everyone can take a couple of days off and rest.
In preparation for the next step of rice planting.
Xu Ningyan wasn't assigned to turn over and dry the wheat grains, nor was she assigned to keep watch at night, so she was able to rest for a few days.
After eating her fill that evening, she announced that she would get a good night's sleep the next morning and not be woken up; she would take care of her own breakfast.
Gu Zhiyuan watched as Xu Ningyan, who had finally managed to gain some weight, lost it all back in just a few days.
No matter how tired or hard it was these past few days, Xu Ningyan never complained once.
Now I'm too lazy to see her show that childlike side; all I feel is happiness.
He quickly said, "Don't worry about me, just sleep!"
Xu Ningyan slept so soundly that she didn't wake up until noon.
I felt weak all over and my stomach was growling; I woke up purely from hunger.
Even so, she didn't want to move, and just lay on the bed listening to the sounds outside.
Gu Zhiyuan seemed to be talking to his lackey: "You scheming dog! You actually sneaked into the mountains to hunt. You just wanted to help Aning recover because you saw she was thin and tired, didn't you?"
"Luckily, I managed to snatch some meat from the commune, otherwise I would have been outdone by you, you dog!"
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