Zhou Huaishan carried the mixing barrel on his back, Zhou Huairong carried the fence, and behind them followed Zhou Huaian and several others who were carrying baskets.
When we got to the main road, we saw that some rice fields had already been worked, and we could hear the sound of thumping rice.
Zhou Huaian stretched his neck and said, "Which family starts threshing so early? I thought my family was one of the early ones!"
Mother Zhou took a look and said, "That piece of land belongs to your eldest father. Your grandfather is also helping there."
The family arrived at the rice field, and everyone went into the field with sickles in their hands. They bent their bodies, held a handful of rice in their left hands, and held the serrated sickle in their right hands. They skillfully swung the sickles in their hands and cut the rice with a little force.
After the sounds of "crack, crack, crack", rows of rice stalks were neatly placed in the rice fields.
When the area of cut millet is larger than the mixing barrel, Zhou Huairong and his brother pick up the millet handles to both sides, leaving enough space for the mixing barrel, pull the mixing barrel into the field, and insert the fence.
Zhou Huaijun looked at Zhou Huaian with a smile, "Youngest, are you going to tie the grain handle or beat the grain?"
"Forget it, I can't even get rid of the tadpole I tied up, so I might as well just beat the millet!"
Zhou Huaijun glanced at him sideways, "Such a clever guy, how come he can't even tie up the grain handle!"
"Second brother, if you can do it, you go ahead!" Zhou Huaian said as he picked up the handle of grain and started beating it.
"I like to harvest rice, and my mother is the best at tying the straw bundles."
Zhou Huairong also picked up a handful and stood on his left. With the "dong dong" sound of the two brothers thrashing the rice, the golden rice fell into the mixing barrel. Some of the rice splashed onto the fence and fell back into the barrel.
Zhou Huaian put the straw used to thresh the millet next to the mixing barrel, and felt that it was much easier for him to thresh the millet this year.
Mother Zhou gathered a bundle of straw beside the mixing barrel with both hands, shook and smoothed it neatly in the warm field, grasped the tip of the straw with her left hand, picked up a few straws with her right hand, pressed them under her left thumb, and twisted the straw tightly along the edge with her right hand, and the straw was tied into a knot.
Pick up the grass bundle with your left hand, pick up the lower end of the rice stalk with your right hand, and scatter it on the open ground. The lower end of the rice stalk spreads out like a skirt and stands steadily in the field.
This seemingly simple technique of tying straw bundles was something Zhou Huaian had been learning for several years but had not yet mastered. The straw bundles were clearly tied properly, but when he picked them up and tried to let them go, they fell apart.
The mixing barrel was soon filled with half a barrel of millet, and it became increasingly difficult to pull it forward.
Zhou Huairong came over with a basket and asked, "Youngest, do you want to pick the millet or keep the millet for pounding?"
"I'll pick it!" Zhou Huaian picked up the scoop and stepped into the mixing bucket. After filling it up, he poured it into the basket and accidentally spilled some on the field.
"It's all scattered. Why weren't you more careful? You'll go hungry if you waste food." Zhou's mother muttered as she squatted down, picked up the food and put it in the basket.
"I didn't mean to do that. Be careful next time!"
After Zhou Huaian filled the basket, he picked it up and walked back. The red sun slowly climbed up the top of the mountain.
…
Yang Chunyan cleaned up the stove, boiled a full pot of water, grabbed a handful of tea leaves and put them in the bucket to soak, then went to the yard without stopping.
He spread out the rolled-up drying mats piled in the yard one by one, then called Zhou Jiaming and others to get up and replace Zhou's father.
Zhou Jiaming and the others came out rubbing their eyes and sat on the straw bench at the entrance of the main hall. "Aunt Yao, are my mom and the others gone?"
"I've been walking for a while. I'll be back with the grain soon. The food is on the table in the main room. Wash it quickly and eat."
"Oh!" Zhou Jiaming stood up first and walked towards the well.
Yang Chunyan went to Li Qiuyue's room and saw that it was clean inside. There was a yellowed mosquito net hanging on the bed. Zhou Xiaolin was sleeping soundly on the bed with her belly sticking out. The small quilt was kicked aside.
"Little girl!" She smiled and pulled the quilt over her belly. The little girl's eyelids moved a few times and slowly opened a crack.
Yang Chunyan bent down and patted her gently, "Be good, sleep a little longer, Auntie will come and wake you up."
Zhou Xiaolin looked at her and didn't cry or make a fuss. She was dazed for a moment before turning over and sitting up, "Aunt, I need to pee."
"Okay, let's pee." Yang Chunyan carried her off the bed, put on her shoes, and took her to the vegetable garden to help her pee.
…
Zhou Huaian came home carrying grains and saw Yang Chunyan picking cowpeas in the vegetable field. "I'm back. Have Xiaoqian and the others gotten up to go to the construction site to replace the old man?"
"They went. Xiaolin also followed them after dinner." Yang Chunyan came out of the vegetable field carrying a basket. "Pour the millet onto the drying mat to the west."
"Got it." Zhou Huaian walked over steadily, placed the basket on the drying mat, lifted it up and poured everything into it, "Harvesting herbs in the mountains is easier and more interesting than harvesting millet."
"Of course! Looking for herbs is like treasure hunting. I always think that there will be more valuable and rare herbs ahead. I don't feel tired if I have hope in my heart."
"That's right. Harvesting millet is much less interesting. I always feel like I can never finish harvesting all the millet in the field."
Seeing that the sun was not shining, Yang Chunyan did not start raking the millet. "I made some tea. You can bring it over."
"Yes!" Zhou Huaian wiped his sweat, "I see that Secretary Xu's thresher is much faster. We should buy one next year so that we don't have to use a mixing barrel to beat our hands and arms until they are sore."
Yang Chunyan smiled and said, "If we want to buy next year, unless the four of us buy together, it will only take a day and a half to harvest the millet from our one-acre field."
"Yeah!" Zhou Huaian followed her and walked towards the kitchen. "It seems that Yi Ding hasn't come back today. I wonder when he will start harvesting?"
Yang Chunyan felt a little strange. "Nothing wrong, right? Logically, he should be back to harvest the grain in the next two days!"
"I'm worried too, maybe something's wrong?" Zhou Huaian put the tea bucket into the basket. "Yesterday afternoon, when I went to park the tractor, no one was there. I'll go check later."
"Well!" Yang Chunyan hung the porcelain jar on the hook above the bucket, "Walk slowly to avoid spilling it."
Zhou Huaian nodded, "Where is that brat Jiaming?"
"I went to the toilet."
"Lazy cows and horses produce lots of shit and piss!"
Yang Chunyan looked at him with amusement, "Have you forgotten? Last year you were not as diligent as Jiaming!"
"You still have to work when harvesting rice, otherwise my pipe will break." Zhou Huaian picked up the basket and walked out, not forgetting to turn back and remind him, "Don't be too tired, call Jiaming if there is anything to do!"
"What are you calling me for?" Speak of the devil and he will appear. Zhou Jiaming came over with his hands swinging, looking at Zhou Huaian with a smile, "Dad, catch some grasshoppers and bring them back. We'll cook them and eat them!"
"What's so delicious about grasshoppers? Just stay home and work hard, and don't tire your aunt out. When the millet is harvested, your father will go up the mountain to catch wild rabbits and roast them for you to eat."
Yang Chunyan felt warm at heart as she looked at him. Although this man was a little off-kilter, he was not a bad person. He had suffered such a fate in his previous life because of his youth, impulsiveness, lack of experience, and lack of proper guidance.
Zhou Jiaming's eyes lit up, "Keep your word!" (End of this chapter)
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