Chapter 47
After the wheat harvest, the rice planting season begins in earnest.
The rice seedlings are growing taller and taller every day, and it's time to plow the fields.
Shu Wanxiu didn't have any farming tools like plows or harrows, and she was a little at a loss as to how to start with her two acres of land.
Not every household in the village has a plow or harrow; those who don't will borrow one from someone who does.
But if it were a matter of borrowing, in terms of personal relationships, Shu Wanxiu would definitely be last.
She was the only one in her family who could work in the fields, and if she pulled the plow herself, there was no one to help her. She didn't know when she would be able to finish working on her own.
Even if they borrowed a plow and harrow, they were still far behind everyone else after turning the soil.
Anxiety was of no use, so she tried her best to find a way out.
After buying the rice seeds, her uncle reassured her, saying that they would come and help with the planting when they had time.
But now... their family's situation is also quite awkward.
My uncle's family was allocated ten acres of land, but they only had three able-bodied men. Even with sufficient farming tools, they would work non-stop throughout the entire farming season. Moreover, they also faced a shortage of farming tools, so they were barely able to take care of themselves.
That day, Shu Wanxiu went over to check on the situation and found that they didn't have a plow or harrow, so they borrowed several hoes to turn the soil. Even the women in the family were taking turns working in the fields with hoes.
Shu Wanxiu stayed behind and cooked for them for a day.
But she was somewhat inspired by this trip.
The wheat stalks were burned once, but the roots still remained in the ground, and the fields were hardened by their root systems.
Loosen the soil with a hoe, and it will save you some effort when you bring the plow to till the land later.
With this idea in mind, Shu Wanxiu wrapped her hands with strips of cloth early the next morning, picked up a hoe, and took Shu Shouyi to the field.
At Chen Sanhe's age, she'll be having a granddaughter-in-law in a few years, so she doesn't work in the fields. She just stays at home taking care of the family's meals, washing clothes, cooking, and feeding the livestock.
At noon, she took her youngest grandson to deliver lunch to the whole family and saw Shu Wanxiu in the distance, turning the soil in the field with a hoe.
Thinking she was seeing things, she went over to take a closer look.
Only when I got closer did I realize that I really wasn't mistaken.
Shu Wanxiu stood in the field, holding a hoe, her body and forehead covered in sweat. Shu Shouyi obediently squatted on the edge of the field, looking at Shu Wanxiu with worried expressions.
Chen Sanhe stood to the side for a while, but Shu Wanxiu didn't notice him at all.
She buried her head in the ground, digging one hoe stroke at a time.
They never complained about the hardship or the fatigue, and they never asked for help.
Chen Sanhe opened his mouth, but found he didn't know what to say.
It's busy farming season, everyone's busy, and at this crucial time, she can't ask the men in her family to put down their work and help the Shu family with the things in the fields first.
She also saw Shu Wanxiu's determination and could no longer persuade her to get married at this critical moment.
After thinking it over, he turned around, went to the edge of his own field, poured out two bowls of water, and brought them over.
"Wanxiu, put down your hoe and bring your Shouyi some water."
Shu Wanxiu heard Chen Sanhe's voice and looked up in the direction of the sound.
When you suddenly lift your head after keeping it down for a long time, you feel soreness because you've been stiff for so long.
She first gave Chen Sanhe a bright smile and called out, "Aunt Chen."
Then he tilted his head and moved his neck.
The bone immediately creaked twice, like some old, dilapidated object.
Chen Sanhe responded, but since she was holding a bowl in both hands, she couldn't wave, so she could only call out to her verbally again.
Shu Wanxiu obediently walked up to the edge of the field.
There were no earthenware jars for storing water at home, so she didn't bring any water with her when she went to work in the fields.
I sweated a lot this morning, so I was really thirsty.
After thanking him, he gulped down the whole bowl of water in one go.
Just as Chen Sanhe handed another bowl of water to Shu Shouyi, Shu Wanxiu's bowl was already empty.
I took the empty bowl, intending to bring her another one later.
He said, "How can you stand turning the ground like that?"
Although Shu Wanxiu's hands were wrapped in strips of cloth, Chen Sanhe knew without looking that her palms must be blistered and raw.
To put it bluntly, she only managed to plow less than a tenth of the field in one morning. Her delicate hands started to ache more and more as she worked, and her speed dropped considerably. It would take her more than ten days to finish plowing two acres of land.
Shu Wanxiu smiled nonchalantly, "It's okay, it won't hurt anymore once the calluses form."
The more she acted as if she didn't care about hardship, the more worried Chen Sanhe became.
Looking around, Chen Sanhe said, "You helped so many households in the village harvest rice and wheat before. In a while, everyone will come to help you. There's no need for you to shoulder the burden alone."
Not to argue, Shu Wanxiu explained, "Auntie, harvesting rice and wheat is me repaying the villagers' kindness; it's not really helping them."
"Besides, my family is doing well; we didn't harvest wheat this year. Everyone is plowing the fields and drying the wheat at the same time. Although I'm a bit clumsy at turning the soil with a hoe, I can do what I can, which is better than sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else work."
How could Chen Sanhe not understand the道理 (principle/reason)?
I only said that to her because I felt sorry for her for a moment.
The sun was already high in the sky, and Chen Sanhe, not seeing any sign that she intended to go back to prepare lunch, advised her again, "During the busy farming season, you need to eat an extra meal every day. Otherwise, your health will collapse at such a young age."
"It's noon, hurry home and eat something, rest for a while before coming out again."
Doing physical labor does make you hungry faster.
Shu Wanxiu had saved some of the relief food she had received over the past few months and planned to use some of it for the near future.
Seeing that Chen Sanhe was quite worried, Shu Wanxiu didn't want her to work too hard for her, so she went along with her wishes, picked up the hoe, and took Shu Shouyi with her to say goodbye and go home.
After they left, Chen Sanhe looked at the land that Shu Wanxiu had turned over, took off his shoes and went down to pick out the wheat roots that had been hoeed out, one handful at a time, and threw them on the ridge of the field—leaving them in the field would increase the burden on the plow and harrow later.
Shu Wanxiu knew nothing about what was happening in the fields.
After finishing her meal, she didn't want to rest for a while, but when she touched the water while cooking, the blisters that had broken before were stung very painfully.
She had to stop and take a look.
But there was no medicine to apply to the wound, so she could only wait for it to heal on its own. If Shu Shouyi saw it, he would only worry unnecessarily. So she first coaxed Shu Shouyi to go back to his room for a rest, and then spread her hands out to dry the water that had gotten on them.
After more than half an hour, she returned to the field.
After being exposed to the sun, the wheat roots that Chen Sanhe had thrown onto the ridge of the field had dried out considerably, and at first glance, they looked no different from ordinary dry grass on the ridge.
It wasn't until Shu Wanxiu got closer and looked carefully that she noticed.
She was so focused on digging her own field that she didn't notice what others were doing. Then she noticed that everyone was picking out as many wheat roots as possible while tilling the land, so she started doing the same.
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Author's Note: I have some news to share~ This novel will be available for purchase starting tomorrow, beginning with chapter 29. After that, I will update daily. I will take breaks if necessary. Thank you all for your love for this book, I will update more often!
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