Chapter 82 The weaker you are, the more you should grit your teeth and move forward
Most of the stories about Xu Yu in the past were unconventional, but one characteristic of his never changed: he always kept his word.
The little ones were forced onto the road of diligent study and hard training without any defense. After several days of tossing and turning, not to mention Xu Yanran, who was raised to be delicate, even Xu Mingyang, who was full of energy and running around like a small landmine, lost his spirit.
Xu Wenxiu sighed, "Mingxu has never slept well at night since he was born, often waking up and crying in the middle of the night. But ever since he started practicing martial arts with Yu'er, he's now a sound sleeper."
Forget about making time to cry. The little guy just feels like he doesn't get enough sleep anyway, and his eyelids droop even at the dinner table.
Second Aunt Xu also found it amusing: "Mingyang doesn't make noise at night, but after practicing for a few days, he has seen results. Now his arms and legs are surprisingly firm, and his appetite is much bigger than before."
Although heartache is inevitable, all parents hope that their children can make progress.
The Xu family is already in this state, and the child's future is all their hope for the future.
In this situation, even if one masters both literary and martial arts but cannot report to the imperial court, it is at least better than growing up as a commoner in the mud.
Xu Yu was able to raise the little ones without holding back. The profound meaning of this was far more touching than the hardship and suffering he was enduring now. Even Aunt Xu San, who did not particularly approve of her daughter's martial arts training, could not find fault with it.
Aunt Xu sighed deeply before saying, "In theory, Yanran didn't need to learn martial arts. I initially thought the child couldn't endure such hardship, but now I think it's actually my own narrow-mindedness as a mother."
Xu Yanran did secretly hug her arm and cry in grievance for the first two days, with an expression of reluctance on her little face.
But on the third day, Xu Yu said something to her, but the depressed girl suddenly cheered up and even turned around to comfort her parents.
"Yanran said that Big Brother told her that girls also need to be able to protect themselves. Only by protecting themselves can they protect others. She also said that Big Brother thinks she is extremely talented and is no less talented than Mingyang and Mingxu."
The tears in the little girl's eyes were still there, but her words were firm.
Now she gets up early every day to practice martial arts more enthusiastically than Xu Mingyang and Xu Mingxu. After struggling for a long time, the couple finally followed her.
"Her elder brother is right."
Aunt Xu worked away at her needlework without looking up. She blew a breath of warm air into her palm and said, "Women often rely on men for survival, but when men are no longer there for them, don't they still rely on themselves in the end?"
She had suffered enough from marrying the wrong man, and now she was able to shoulder the burden of supporting the family, and there was a look of openness in her expression that had not been there before.
"It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Having real skills is worse than any lucky marriage you can find."
The weaker you are born, the more you should grit your teeth and move forward.
Otherwise, you will be stuck in the mud for the rest of your life and unable to get out.
Aunt Xu and Xu Wenxiu looked at each other and just smiled.
After the last stitch fell, Xu Wenxiu suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Yu'er and Xia Xia said they were going to buy grain seeds, but how come they haven't returned for half an hour? Could something have gone wrong on the way?"
"With Xu Yu here, and Xia Xia being steady and experienced, what could possibly go wrong?"
Aunt Xu laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, instead of worrying about this, you should think about what we're going to make for dinner. By the time we're done, they and the two elders who went to the fields to fertilize should be back soon."
Xu Wenxiu stood up quickly as if reminded: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Before Xia Xia left, she said that the stone pressing on the tofu box needed to be turned over. I'm going to do it now..."
The voices at home could not be heard outside the courtyard, but the person who was being worried about did not look relaxed at the moment.
This was the fifth grocery store they had found.
Xu Yu saw that Sang Zhixia looked uneasy, so he walked over and squatted beside her and whispered, "Zhizhi, what's wrong?"
Sang Zhixia loosened her grip with mixed feelings, letting the seemingly full grains slip back into the bag through her fingers. She said helplessly, "It still doesn't work."
The land we bought from the village has been tilled and fertilized gradually during the sunny days. If we continue at this pace, we will be able to plant seeds after the New Year.
It was just the first year of farming and there was not a single grain of seed at home, so buying suitable seeds in advance became a very important matter.
But Sang Zhixia visited several grain shops in succession, and his expression became increasingly solemn when he saw the grain seeds that the shopkeepers took out.
Xu Yu couldn't tell the difference, so he stared for a long time without saying anything.
Sang Zhixia shyly declined the waiter's enthusiastic introduction, beckoning Xu Yu to follow before saying, "This isn't right. The seedlings that grow in the ground won't be much better."
Soil fertility, seed quality, and seedling maintenance during sowing are the determining factors for yield.
If the grain seeds are not good, no matter how hard you try, all you will see are weak seedlings. How can you get a good harvest from such weak seedlings?
Xu Yu probably understood what she meant. He paused and said, "Then let's look for it again?"
"It's probably impossible to find it again."
Sang Zhixia lowered her eyes and said, "We just went to the largest grain stores in the county. They all brought out this kind of goods, not to mention the other places."
It's not just the grain shops that are like this, she suspects the seeds kept by the villagers at home are similar.
None of these were of the quality she wanted.
Xu Yu was a little troubled and frowned slightly.
Before he could come up with a solution, Sang Zhixia stopped and suddenly said, "How about we build a greenhouse and try it first?"
"Hothouse?"
"Yes, the greenhouse."
Sang Zhixia quickly outlined a plan in her mind and said thoughtfully, "It's too cold outside to plant seeds, but if we could build a greenhouse to keep out the cold, we wouldn't be restricted by winter."
Greenhouse cultivation is an extremely common technology in modern times, but in ancient times when productivity and material resources were extremely low, these became a major drawback to cultivation.
But others can't do it, but she can!
Since the grain seeds don't satisfy her, why not just try to cultivate them herself?
Although she couldn't fill herself up with food even if she made a makeshift stove when she was hungry, and her current actions couldn't keep up with this year's spring plowing, there was still a long way to go, and she wasn't looking for today's gains.
After Sang Zhixia finished speaking, the plan in her mind gradually became clear, and she immediately said, "Let's go buy some oilcloth!"
When it comes to farming, the Xu family basically relies on Sang Zhixia to have the final say, and whatever she says goes.
Xu Yu followed her closely with the silver he earned from selling sorghum wine. After finishing his shopping, he returned with all the things, big and small, until it was getting dark.
It was dark when they got home.
Xu Wenxiu, who also felt relieved, was busy preparing the dinner for the guests.
The old man had obviously been waiting. When he heard the noise and saw that both of them were safe and sound, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Why are you back so late today? Did the wine sales go wrong?"
"That's not the case."
Sang Zhixia watched Xu Yu carry the rolled-up, oversized oilcloths into the yard one by one. Without even bothering to drink the water, she said, "Grandfather, I want to build a greenhouse in the field."
A familiar look of doubt flashed across the old man's face: "Greenhouse?"
"What is this?"
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