Chapter 49 The Cursed Land
The moment the snow-white fingertips passed through the inky black hair, Sang Zhixia's only direct feeling was that it was so smooth.
He is tall and strong, and his body is hard all over. You can't tell that his hair is quite smooth.
Hair that is too smooth is often difficult to tie.
Sang Zhixia tried it and decided to use the simplest method, tying a high ponytail on Xu Yu's head in no time.
The headband is made of leftover material from making clothes. It is two fingers wide and forearm long. It is tied at both ends of the hair roots and falls naturally. It lacks the solemnity of the usual wooden hairpins, and has an indescribable sense of elegance in its flowing style.
She took a small step back, looked up and down, and sighed with genuine emotion, "It's true that a face can complement everything."
What if the clothes aren't nice?
Look at this little boy, so handsome.
Xu Yu chuckled after hearing this, reached out and touched his neatly tied long hair, and said jokingly: "Your craftsmanship is good, better than mine."
Sang Zhixia waved her hands modestly: "Thank you for the compliment, but do you really want to wear this out?"
"Or..."
“This one is also very good.”
Xu Yu selectively ignored the twisted stitches and tangled threads on his clothes, stood up, and said, "I'm going to the county town to deliver charcoal today. Do you want to come with me?"
Sang Zhixia couldn't stop him and chose to cooperate. She shook her head and said, "I have other things to do. You can go by yourself."
"A few days ago, I heard from Mrs. Wu that there is some idle land in the village. I want to find some time to inquire about it."
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Xu Yu's eyes: "You want to buy some farmland?"
"yes."
Sang Zhixia gathered up the scattered needles and thread on the bed and said without looking up, "November is almost over, and we won't be able to make charcoal for much longer. If we want to catch up with the spring plowing, we have to consider buying farmland."
Land is the life of farmers.
If it weren't for family misfortunes or natural disasters, the family's land would be firmly held in the hands of generations, and even if you had money, you might not be able to find a suitable buyer.
But she heard from Mrs. Wu that there seemed to be some idle and unowned land in the village.
If that's the case, it would be best if I could buy it.
After all, once you enter the village, land and food are the lifeline of survival, and both cannot be ignored, but the Xu family has neither.
Xu Yu drove a borrowed mule cart into the county town alone, and Sang Zhixia also found Wu's sister-in-law under the pretext of buying snacks.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she started talking, Mrs. Wu asked in surprise, "Xia Xia, are you interested in the land at the foot of Nanshan Mountain?"
Before Sang Zhixia could reply, she nervously waved her hands repeatedly, "That's not something you'd want to think about. You'd better give up thinking about it."
Sang Zhixia said with a smile: "What do you mean?"
"Could there be something fishy about those empty plots of land?"
Seeing that she knew nothing, Mrs. Wu groaned and said with a gloomy face, "Your family just moved here not long ago. I don't know the situation over there."
"Think about it, if the land is perfectly fine and there's nothing wrong with it, how could such a large area be left empty? The reason no one wants to grow it there is because it's cursed, and the crops grown there are deadly poisonous!"
"It's a sure thing, and no one who's taken it on has escaped! A few years ago, someone who didn't believe in superstition planted wheat. After enduring spring and summer, they finally saw the harvest, but the new wheat killed their entire family. Since then, no one has dared to think about it anymore..."
When talking about the tragic situation many years ago, Mrs. Wu's face was full of lingering fear. The old people in the same village also said the same thing.
The vast land at the foot of Nanshan Mountain is stained with the blood of several people in the past, and has therefore become a cursed place in the eyes of the people in the entire village.
If it wasn't for a terrible curse, how could the crops grown in the ground poison people to death for no reason?
Sang Zhixia entered the house carrying the small dishes she had bought for a copper coin. As soon as she put them down, she heard the old man say, "Yu'er's wife."
"Why?"
The old man frowned and said, "The idea you mentioned before is good, but I'm afraid the land over at Nanshan won't work."
The rumors that she could hear, the old man could naturally also find out.
Thinking of the curses that people uttered with such confidence, the old man was half-believing and half-doubting in his heart, but with the idea of trying not to waste time, he still wanted to retreat.
Regardless of the amount of land, it is necessary to cultivate it only if the harvest grown on the land can keep people alive.
If something dug out of the ground is inherently poisonous, then there is no point in thinking about it.
Sang Zhixia was not surprised by this and said with a wry smile, "But Grandfather, except for the piece of land at the foot of the South Mountain, there seems to be no vacant land in the village."
The old man was also a little worried: "It's true that I can't find one for the time being, but it's better to have nothing than to have something bad. It's better not to take risks with this kind of thing."
The cheapest acre of land in the village costs two taels of silver. Now everyone in the family, big and small, has started working, and the monthly income does not exceed five taels.
The cost of purchasing land is too high, and it also involves the issue of subsequent harvest. This matter must not be taken lightly.
Sang Zhixia caught a glimpse of the hesitation in the old man's eyes, thought for a moment and said, "Grandfather, do you believe in curses?"
Without a second thought, the old man said, "A learned man doesn't talk about strange things. Why should you take such nonsense seriously?"
“I don’t believe it either.”
She fiddled with the cabbage in her hand and said thoughtfully, "There's nothing harmful about tilling the soil. If there's no human factor involved, why would the crops growing in the ground contain toxins?"
"If the curse is false, then the problem can only be with the harvest, or in other words, with the seeds."
The earth gives birth to all things that are mutually generated and restrained. If there is food that can provide warmth and a good harvest, there must be things that are harmful to humans.
A vague thought came to Sang Zhixia's mind, and she said slowly, "I've always felt that the poisonous grain isn't closely related to the land. But to find out the details, we still have to go to the foot of Nanshan Mountain."
Xu Minghui listened to them quietly.
After hearing Sang Zhixia's analysis, an invisible light appeared in his eyes.
This sister-in-law who should have been ignored is like a treasure with no end in sight. As you explore layer by layer, you will find countless amazing surprises hidden inside.
Mom is right, my brother is indeed very lucky.
He smiled with an ambiguous smile, and when the old man was silent, he said slowly: "Grandfather, what my sister-in-law said is correct."
"I've read a few miscellaneous books before and seem to have come across similar records. Why don't you consider it carefully first and find out the reason before making a conclusion?"
The truth is to be seen, and rumors cannot be believed.
The old man's concerns were largely dispelled by their words, but he still said with some concern: "Don't rush things, let's wait and see."
It was not appropriate to continue talking at this point, so Sang Zhixia simply shifted her attention to the small hill of cabbages in front of her.
She bought all these cabbages from a villager's house yesterday. There were a total of 200 kilograms of cabbage, but she only spent the price of 10 kilograms of meat.
The old lady was very dissatisfied with her buying so many cabbages at once. She said solemnly, "There are only so many people in the family. Why buy so many at once?"
If you can’t eat it, won’t it be wasted?
Sang Zhixia was watching Xu Mingxu, who was holding a cabbage in both hands and gritting his teeth to hold back his laughter. He cleared his throat and said, "Grandma, aren't these all for eating now?"
She pointed at the gloomy sky and explained, "I heard from the elders in the village that the weather is like this, with clouds gathering for snow. It's going to snow soon. We have to store some vegetables in the cellar before it snows, otherwise we won't have any green leafy vegetables to eat."
Every household in the villages in the northwest has a cellar for storing vegetables. A few days ago, she mobilized people to clean the cellar in the backyard, and she was just waiting to pack the cabbages she bought and put them in the cellar.
The old man had seen the cellar when he was young and was on the battlefield. Before the old lady could express more dissatisfaction, he said, "It should be so."
"I see that every household in the village is stockpiling, so we should prepare some too."
"You only bought cabbage?"
"There are still some big radishes, but I have to wait until tomorrow to go to other people's fields and pick them up and carry them back."
The vegetables in the village are sold cheaply, but to get such low prices you have to work hard in the fields yourself.
After showing a wave of ignorance, the old lady tried to redeem herself: "We can't just eat cabbage and radish, how about preparing something else?"
Sang Zhixia readily replied, "I'll also ask Xu Yu to buy some sweet potatoes and potatoes. These can be stored in the cellar for a long time, so even if the roads are blocked by heavy snow, there will be no shortage of food at home."
The old lady was completely speechless.
Xu Minghui saw Sang Zhixia putting the cabbage leaves that had been broken off into a pile. He walked over and said, "Sister-in-law, can I move these to the cellar first?"
"I don't need this pile. I use it to make sauerkraut."
Although there are not many options to choose from, you can still play with simple cabbage in different ways.
Sang Zhixia gathered the broken leaves to feed the chickens. Seeing Xu Minghui had already taken the basket and started to pack the cabbages, she smiled and said, "The vegetables in the cellar should be stored upright. Don't pick the old leaves on the outside; they will serve as protective shells. If you go to put them there, I won't go over."
Xu Minghui nodded and said yes, then picked up the basket full of cabbages and walked towards the backyard.
Every step is taken steadily.
After this period of hard work, he is no longer the weakling who couldn't even move a brick.
Moreover, unlike his second uncle Xu who was confused and stubborn and went against the whole family, Xu Minghui was smart and knew the current situation.
After realizing that the old man's mind was gradually shifting towards the eldest house, this man quietly began to stand on the side of the people in the eldest house, working hard and without any complaints.
Now, no matter what is discussed at home, Uncle Xu is a firecracker that no one cares about. He has gradually replaced my father's position as the one who has the final say in the old man's heart, and represents the position of the second house without making a sound.
Such a young man deserves his fame in Kyoto.
But Sang Zhixia still thought he was weird.
Especially when he met Xu Yu, this kid seemed very strange.
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