Chapter 94
The rice harvest is over, and we need to plow the land and plant wheat immediately.
Before that, farmers would bring home the dried rice straw from the fields, then set it on fire to burn the remaining short stalks, thus eliminating pests and leaving the ash to fertilize the soil.
Shu Wanxiu's two acres of straw had also been dried. As promised, she returned the straw she had borrowed from each household when she was renovating the roof.
After everyone carried away the rice straw from the fields and burned the stalks, the gap in the stream that the Shu family used to drain water was reopened.
A shallow layer of water was placed on each acre of land to slightly moisten the fields that had been deliberately dried for easier harvesting, making it easier to plow and harrow the land later.
These one or two days are the easiest time between harvesting and planting.
In previous years, the farmers would take a long nap, sharpen their dull sickles, and put them away, and then carefully check the condition of the wheat seeds.
There is a wedding banquet this year, and everyone is eagerly waiting for the day to come and have some fun.
As Shu Wanxiu and Xun Yi's wedding day drew near, Chen Sanhe, along with Chen Lian, came to the Xun family home yesterday to help tidy up the house. Xun Ai, on the other hand, had moved back to her parents' home a day earlier with her infant child.
The Xun family's rooms were thoroughly cleaned and tidied from the inside out by several diligent women.
Not only was Xun Yi busy, but Shu Wanxiu was too.
Xu Zhen helped finish harvesting the rice at home, working non-stop all day, and immediately brought Shu Tingyi to help.
The main advantage of the Shu family's house is the large open space outside. Weeds keep growing back after weeding, so cleaning the house doesn't take long; the main effort is spent on weeding.
With more people in his family, Shu Shouyi felt both shy and happy.
They would weed outside for a while, and he would check on them every now and then. If he found them sweating a lot, he would bring them a bowl of water.
Shu Tingyi loves to steal a moment of leisure from her busy schedule; she'll take a break every now and then while weeding.
Of course, when rushing to meet a deadline, she couldn't be too obvious about slacking off, so she would look for opportunities. Whenever she saw grasshoppers, dragonflies, butterflies, or the like, she would say, "This is fun, I'll catch it for Shouyi."
Then, naturally, she threw down her hoe, caught some insects, and ran to play with Shu Shouyi for a while, until Xu Zhen called her.
Shu Shouyi had no idea that he was just an excuse for Shu Tingyi to be lazy. Last time when Shu Tingyi came to help with the rice planting, she had taken him to play with her. He hadn't forgotten that. Now that Shu Tingyi was taking him to play again, he felt even closer to her.
Xu Zhen was busy weeding and didn't make much noise, but the two cousins were laughing and joking together quite a bit.
Shu Wanxiu took a rag made from a tattered piece of cloth and wiped the dusty betrothal gift box and the dowry box that had just been packed and delivered a few days ago.
Incidentally, before the wedding, they also did a final check on the betrothal gifts and dowry.
Every now and then, she would look around the room and sigh softly.
As the wedding date drew closer, Shu Wanxiu became increasingly anxious.
If you ask her why she's feeling uneasy, she can't explain it.
Perhaps because her parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law had all passed away, she felt very guilty for troubling her aunt with all this.
Perhaps vegetables were planted in front of the house and trees were planted behind it. The house was allocated to the newly settled family last year, and they were reluctant to leave because they were getting married and would have to move out.
It could also be due to uncertainty about the future.
Although it's just a distance from the top of the mountain to the bottom, it's actually not that simple.
Xun Yi is excellent, practically flawless.
But in the past few days, Xu Zhen taught her how to be a wife, how to be a wife, and even some principles of life during her spare time from work.
For example, he told her how to be a virtuous wife at home, how to be shrewish in public so as not to suffer losses, and even some secrets that could not be revealed to outsiders, such as how to control Xun Yi, manage the family finances, raise her children in the future, and Shu Shouyi.
What Xu Zhen taught was far more complex than anything she had ever imagined.
Although Xu Zhen eventually reassured her.
—Even if all else fails, she still has her family and these two thatched huts on the mountain.
But these words ultimately made her feel more uneasy about the future.
The wedding day will be after today.
Perhaps her unease was obvious, because before returning home in the evening, Xu Zhen took Shu Shouyi back to Wuli Village, leaving Shu Tingyi behind.
"You two sisters are about the same age. It's your last night before you get married. Chat together and get to know each other."
Xu Zhen's arrangement did indeed help Shu Wanxiu relieve her tension.
Although Shu Tingyi is lazy, she is lively and talkative.
As soon as the two lay down that night, her silvery laughter rang out.
Shu Wanxiu was completely confused, but then she was immediately embraced with a bear hug.
"Sister Wanxiu~"
"Tell me quickly what your brother-in-law looks like? When did you two meet?"
"This..." Shu Wanxiu blushed, but she couldn't resist her sister's persistent questioning and quickly told her about her experiences of getting to know Xun Yi.
Some of them are long-hidden girlish secrets.
She couldn't tell Xu Zhen or Chen Sanhe, much less Shu Yanrong or Shu Shouyi.
After she poured out her heart, listening to Shu Tingyi wriggling and squeaking like a caterpillar, Shu Wanxiu blushed, but her heart wasn't so heavy anymore.
After listening to Shu Wanxiu's story, Shu Tingyi also shared her own worries.
After her marriage was settled, Shu Yanrong and Xu Zhen began looking for a suitable family for Tingyi.
"My father and mother both say that your marriage is the best, Wanxiu. I wonder if I will ever be able to find such a good marriage in the future," Shu Tingyi said with a touch of melancholy and confusion, her hands behind her head.
Shu Wanxiu had long held a deep affection for this younger sister, and words of comfort came from her mouth, her tone firm and full of blessing: "Yes, it will be a better marriage."
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Author's Note: Xun Yi: Damn it! We're getting married soon, how come someone else has already taken my wife? (Don't explain, not even a woman.) [Clown][Clown][Clown]
The next chapter is the wedding! The author can't wait to write the wedding scene, but I have a feeling I'll get writer's block [laughing and crying emoji] (I want to write a whole chapter, from the wedding procession to the bridal chamber).
I'm worried I won't be able to finish writing, so I'll take a day off tomorrow and post it all the day after.
Finally, I'd love for everyone to check out my next pre-order book, "After Running a Restaurant in the Bitter Cold Border Region." If you're interested, I'd be so grateful if you could add it to your favorites! [kissing emojis]
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