Chapter 10: The Weather Is Changing
Upon hearing this, the village chief waved his hand repeatedly and said frankly, "There are so many people in the village, nothing can be delayed!"
Diligence is a quality deeply ingrained in everyone's bones; they wish they could be working every single hour of the day.
“But they’re still tending the chili fields, digging peanuts, and making adobe bricks. They must be exhausted,” Shen Zhiyi said.
The village chief paused, about to speak, and asked, "Then, what do you think should be done with Chen girl?"
“We’ll arrange for people to patrol the village’s chili fields. One person from each household with two members, regardless of gender, will patrol all the cultivated land. Five people will form a team, and each team will patrol for one day,” Shen Zhiyi suggested. “As for what else to do, we have the manpower, so no one will be too tired.”
After a moment of serious thought, the village chief looked at Shen Zhiyi with a more complicated expression. Was this still the Shen girl he knew?
"Grandpa Village Chief, what do you think of my suggestion?" Shen Zhiyi asked with a smile.
Upon seeing that smile, it was as if all sorrows were swept away, and the doubts that lingered in one's heart vanished instantly. This was Chen Yatou from their village.
The village chief thought to himself, then heard Shen Zhiyi's voice, which said earnestly, "It's worth a try."
"Then let's hurry down the mountain to inform everyone, so as not to delay the work of building the heated kang tomorrow." Shen Zhiyi said, and seeing that the village chief was swaying when he stood up, she quickly reached out to steady him. "You told me not to come to the mountain, but you came so fast. After this batch of peanuts is harvested, we won't plant them on the mountain anymore."
"Well, where do you plan to plant it? Almost all the wasteland in the village has been cleared." The village chief couldn't help but ask.
"We'll see when the time comes. The seeds have to be planted eventually," Shen Zhiyi said earnestly. Right now, the village is growing chili peppers, and adding peanuts is just icing on the cake.
"It's good that you know what's going on," the village chief said calmly, as he and Shen Zhiyi slowly descended the mountain.
Without the shade of trees, it should have felt warm and cozy on this sunny day, but in reality, it was too cool. Wearing straw sandals, Shen Zhiyi felt a chill on her feet.
Following the route, the two passed by Shen Zhiyi's house first on their way down the mountain. She looked up and saw Grandma Qin, then looked at the village chief beside her, her eyes curving into crescent shapes, and said, "Grandma Qin, are you here to pick up Grandpa Village Chief? You two are really close."
"You silly girl, you dare to tease us like that." Grandma Qin tapped Shen Zhiyi's forehead from a distance, and when she came closer, she stuffed the bundle in her hand into her hands. "This is for you."
After Grandma Qin finished speaking, without waiting for Shen Zhiyi's reaction, she and the village chief slowly walked towards the road leading to their home.
Watching their figures walk away, supporting each other, Shen Zhiyi refrained from disturbing them, but the bundle in her arms felt heavy.
She arrived here without deliberately pretending to be the original owner of this body, revealing her true identity in every way. She thought she would eventually face questions like "You're not Shen Daya," but unexpectedly, they chose to be understanding and help her cover up the origin of the chili peppers…
Shen Zhiyi silently carried the bundle into the house. When she opened it, she found two sets of cotton undergarments, a linen shirt, and embroidered linen shoes.
For some reason, I felt a pang of sadness in my heart.
The sound of gongs echoed through the village, and people from every household went out to gather at the ancestral hall. Since it was just one person from her family, Shen Zhiyi went with the others.
Whether it was her imagination or not, when Shen Zhiyi arrived at the ancestral hall, even though she was at the very back of the crowd, people in front of her would deliberately make way for her. She would take a step forward, and then more people would move aside. She would take another step...
Before she knew it, she was in front of the crowd, looking at the village chief. When the chief nodded to her, Shen Zhiyi nodded in response.
"I called everyone here today for two things. The first is to patrol the chili fields..." the village chief began.
After discussing the formation of a chili pepper patrol team and the making of adobe bricks, Deng Ashun immediately chimed in, "The patrol is fine, but why should the brick-making be done in shifts? Anyway, the magistrate didn't specify the number, so a few will suffice!"
“If that’s how you put it, then when your mother calls you for dinner, she can just let you take a bite, since it’s all about eating anyway!” another feisty aunt retorted.
"Hmph, I don't think you're one of the people from our village. Hurry up and go back to your town to be a son-in-law, or you'll embarrass our village!"
"You've already married into someone else's family, your household registration should have been transferred long ago!"
One person's words almost overwhelmed Deng Ashun, who could only shrink back and remain silent, waving his hands repeatedly to beg for mercy.
The village chief didn't tell anyone about the upcoming Great Cold next month. He only said that they needed to make adobe bricks, and the more the better, probably because he wanted everyone in the village to build their own heated brick beds.
To avoid being too late when it gets really cold.
Deng Ashun is an anomaly among hardworking people. Every time he speaks, he hits the nail on the head, yet he can't control his tongue.
"While the sun is still high, hurry back and make adobe bricks! The more the better, so the county magistrate can see the strength of our village!" the village chief shouted.
"Alright! We absolutely cannot let Ba Village down!"
Amidst these unanimous voices, Deng Ashun's lazy response stood out.
"Who threw stones at me?"
"Huh? There are still some!"
Amid Deng Ashun's rising and falling voices, the arrangements for patrolling and making adobe bricks had been finalized.
The story then spread throughout the village about Deng Ashun being beaten by his mother and wife again when he returned home.
The brilliant sunshine hung in the sky like a beautiful decoration, offering no warmth whatsoever. Everyone was carrying clay back to their homes to mix with mud. Shen Zhiyi wasn't as fast as them; just as she was carrying an old wooden bucket out the door, she saw Old Man Tang coming over with his load on a shoulder pole.
"Uncle Tang," Shen Zhiyi greeted him with a smile.
"Da, Zhiyi, hurry up and pour out the clay, then you don't need to go," Old Tang said, not needing Shen Zhiyi's help at all. He carried the wooden bucket into the yard, asking, "Where should I put it?"
There was absolutely no time to say no.
Shen Zhiyi pointed to the side of the courtyard gate, where Old Man Tang swiftly poured out two buckets of clay and left after finishing his task.
"Hey, Uncle Tang, have some water before you go," Shen Zhiyi called out as she chased after him.
"No, thank you." Old Man Tang walked away even more hurriedly.
Helpless, Shen Zhiyi had no choice but to go back and start preparing the clay, which involved digging a hole in the middle of the pile and watering it. During the process, she also had to stir it, remove small stones, and break up large clods of soil.
During this process, she was already exhausted and drenched in sweat.
Knock knock.
A knock suddenly sounded at the door, and Shen Zhiyi quickly said, "The door is open."
She initially thought it was Hua Ya, but when she looked up and saw the robust girl, Shen Zhiyi called out according to seniority, "Sister-in-law Cuihua, is there something you need?"
"I made a few extra bundles of straw when I was chopping it today. I didn't know if you needed any," Wang Cuihua said with a smile, handing over the neatly arranged straw.
"Thank you, Auntie, I was just about to need some," Shen Zhiyi said with a smile, her dirty hands still holding the wooden stick, her expression becoming a little embarrassed. "Sister-in-law, take a rest, I'll get you a bowl of water."
"No need! No need!" Wang Cuihua quickly refused, walked to Shen Zhiyi's side, and took the wooden stick without saying a word. "You're a young lady and not very strong. I'll do this. I guarantee I'll do a good job!"
“Sister-in-law, you…” Shen Zhiyi wanted to refuse, but she was no match for Wang Cuihua’s strength and could only watch helplessly as the wooden stick was taken away.
The wooden stick becomes incredibly energetic once it changes owners.
When Shen Zhi noticed Wang Cuihua doing something, she would occasionally glance in his direction out of the corner of her eye, with a familiar expression that suggested she had something to say but didn't know how to bring it up.
With a little thought, one can tell that it is related to Deng Ashun today.
Even if it's an apology on behalf of Deng Ashun, that should be addressed with the village chief, not with her.
"Sister-in-law, how is Aunt Deng? She hasn't come out in a long time, I miss her so much," Shen Zhiyi said.
When she was sick, Aunt Deng would secretly leave some food by her bedside on the nights. Even half a bowl of wild vegetables was one of the keys to getting her through the difficult times.
The villagers never regarded Aunt Deng as an unlucky person; it was just that she herself couldn't get over the hurdle in her heart.
It's a pity that Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but feel.
"She's doing great, praising you at home every day," Wang Cuihua said with a smile, and then she started talking non-stop, "Oh my, I never knew my mother-in-law could speak so sweetly, just like in the opera!"
Shen Zhiyi smiled sheepishly. She didn't know that, but she completely agreed that Aunt Deng had a nice voice.
If we were to categorize them, they would have to be at the level of a queen of pop.
“My Ah Shun doesn’t think before he speaks, so don’t take his nonsense to heart.” Wang Cuihua changed the subject, getting angrier as she spoke. “If he says anything that upsets you again, just tell me, and I’ll give him a good beating so he’ll learn his lesson!”
“I know what kind of person Ah Shun is, I won’t take his words to heart,” Shen Zhiyi said with a smile. “But you, Sister Cuihua, are so cheerful and reasonable. I like talking to a sister-in-law like you more.”
"Haha, you're such a...lovable girl!" Wang Cuihua laughed heartily, then, as if remembering something, she handed the wooden stick in her hand to Shen Zhiyi, "Little sister, help your sister-in-law carry this."
Shen Zhiyi took the wooden stick, and just as she held it in her hand, her left hand was grabbed and something warm was slipped onto her wrist. She was startled when she saw it and said, "Sister-in-law, this thing is too valuable, you should take it off right away!"
“No! From now on, you’re my sister, Cuihua’s sister! This bracelet is a pair; my mother gave it to me when I got married. I originally intended to leave it to my daughter, but… I haven’t been able to conceive all these years. Since the bracelet is just sitting there anyway, let’s consider it a token between us sisters!” As Wang Cuihua said this, she moved the bracelet further onto Shen Zhiyi’s wrist. “It’s just that you’re too thin, sister; you need to eat more. When I go back to town in a few days, I’ll bring you a few pounds of meat.”
"No need, Sister Cuihua, I..." Shen Zhiyi racked her brains for a reason to refuse, when there was another knock on the courtyard gate. It was like a timely rain. She quickly turned around and shouted, "Who is it? The door is unlocked, come in."
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