The wheat harvest was about to begin, and the whole village was busy. No one cared about the Tang family's affairs anymore.
The wheat harvest here is usually from late May to early June. When this time comes, the whole family is mobilized.
Fourth Uncle Tang received his share of the family property when his elders passed away. The family also has seven acres of land, and he is unable to take care of it all by himself, so he asks for help every year.
Reaping wheat is hard work. You have to work under the scorching sun and bend over all the time. You have to use the sickle quickly and accurately. It's easy to get scratched by the wheat leaves, and your body will feel itchy when wheat crumbs get on it, so you can't work shirtless. At the end of the day, even the best farmhands will be too tired to straighten their backs.
After the wheat is harvested, it needs to be threshed. A mule or a donkey pulls a large stone roller and presses it back and forth countless times to separate the wheat ears from the straw.
After the grains are threshed, the straw should be gathered and piled into straw bales, which can be used for burning firewood and cooking.
Of course, the wheat still needs to be winnowed. That is, after the wheat grains are removed, there will be dirt, wheat husks and so on on them, and all of these need to be processed through winnowing.
Use a wooden shovel to lift the wheat high up and let the wind blow away the dust and husks, leaving only the wheat grains.
This job is very hard and requires a lot of skills. If you don't know how to winnow, the wheat will be scattered everywhere. At the same time, someone has to stand by and sweep the husks with a big broom. This should be repeated many times until only the wheat grains are left.
Then spread the wheat out to dry thoroughly to prevent it from getting moldy after being stored in the warehouse. After it is dried, pile it up with wooden spades and you can pack it in bags and take it home.
...
...
For several days in a row, the whole village was busy.
There is also a wheat harvest holiday in the clan school, which lasts ten days every year, but students can still review their lessons in the school during the holiday. Tang Shirong and Tang Junchen are not very good at farm work, so they were not called back this year.
Tang Shiyue originally said that she would wait for Uncle Tang and Madam Zhou to come to the fields, and she could help deliver lunch to the fields. But Madam Zhou said that she had more money this year, so she would just hire someone else and she would not go to the fields. She could just cook when the time came, and it would also save trouble for Madam Sun if she knew about it.
As a result, Tang Shiyue and Qi Jing, who had no land to farm, became the most idle people in the entire village.
Now there is a mountain behind the stone house where she lives, and she doesn't have to pass through the village. Tang Shiyue made an appointment with Qi Jing and prepared to go up the mountain.
The mountain here is steep and people usually don't go up the mountain from this side. Tang Shiyue felt that she was in good physical condition, but in some places she had to use her hands and feet and it took her a long time to climb. The hoe in her backpack fell out and almost hit her head.
Tang Shiyue couldn't help but complain: "I won't go up the mountain from this side next time. It's too difficult to walk."
A hand stretched out in front of me.
Qi Jing's fingers were long and beautiful, but not weak, and calluses could be seen on several places. Tang Shiyue poked them curiously.
Qi Jing wanted to withdraw his hand, but she quickly grabbed it with both hands and climbed up with his strength, asking him: "A Jing, do you think I can learn martial arts?"
He looked at her, then said quietly: "Anyone can learn it, it just depends on how well you learn it."
Tang Shiyue said: "Just about the same as you."
He looked ahead calmly, "I started practicing martial arts when I was three years old. The time gradually increased from one hour to five hours, and the weight I carried increased from two catties to two stones. I practiced all kinds of weapons, on the ground, on horseback, in trees, on boats, and in all kinds of situations. If you want to be like me... it's difficult."
Tang Shiyue was stunned.
She looked at his calm and resolute profile. His face still had a bit of immaturity, a kind of handsomeness between a boy and an adult, but his temperament was as stable as a mountain.
At this moment, she truly felt that everyone around her was not a painting or a symbol, but the years she had walked through step by step.
Tang Shiyue said: "I can't do it."
He looked at her, and Tang Shiyue said quickly: "I just want to meet the needs of life. Even if I can't say that climbing a mountain is as easy as walking on flat ground, at least I can do it easily. It would be best if I can have some self-protection power. If I encounter any accidents, I can at least resist them and create a chance for myself to escape."
The more she spoke, the lower her voice became. Looking at his dark, clear eyes, for some reason, she felt a kind of fear of a poor student facing a strict teacher.
But Qi Jing still nodded: "Okay."
She was a little scared, thinking, would he pick her up and make her practice for several hours a day tomorrow?
In order to prevent herself from changing her mind, she quickly pointed and said, "A Jing, look, what's that over there?"
The terrain was steep, so Qi Jing helped her lean against a tree, then walked over and took a look. Then he frowned, squatted down to take a look, and said, "Ginseng."
Tang Shiyue: “…”
He squatted down and dug out the ginseng, holding it in his hand to study it: "It has only grown for a few decades, probably less than a hundred years." He was a little surprised: "How did you see it from such a distance?"
"Luck..." Tang Shiyue said: "Actually, I didn't see anything. I was just teasing you."
He was silent for a moment, then put the ginseng into the backpack, saying, "Actually, you can live well without making wine, just relying on luck."
"How can they be the same?" Tang Shiyue said, "Wine making is like stairs, you know? It's one step at a time, we can climb up, we can control how we climb, and we know roughly what we can get when we climb up. Luck is like something you pick up on the road, you don't know when you will pick it up, you don't know what you will pick up, the feeling is completely different."
Qi Jing nodded: "It's a good thing to have such luck and a clear mind."
Tang Shiyue was amused by his old cadre tone: "Thank you very much. It's rare that you haven't lost hope despite such bad luck."
Qi Jing's lips curved up: "You are here." As he walked towards this side, he continued: "I met you."
Tang Shiyue: “…”
No, bro, could you please not be so unromantic and straight-laced one second and start flirting the next?
After passing the steep section, the mountain gradually became flat. However, Tang Shiyue was already exhausted, but she still had to maintain her dignity, so she grabbed his bow and arrow for leverage. Qi Jing's body was tilted by her, so she stopped and said, "Let's take a rest after we climb over this mountain, okay?"
Still need to go over the hill? ? She looked at him dimly: "I haven't offended you before, have I?"
He thought about it seriously and said, "I've offended quite a lot of people."
Tang Shiyue: “…”
I just want to ask how low your EQ is and how straight you are to be able to give such a desperate answer!
Tang Shiyue said angrily: "Just walk to that tree! Then take a rest and come back! If you don't agree, then go on your own!"
There is no such thing as returning on the spot. There must be a marker! Do you understand obsessive-compulsive disorder? The phone must be fully charged. If you unplug it at 99%, you will feel uncomfortable for a whole day!
He was silent for a while: "Promise."
She wanted to have fun again, so the two of them walked forward slowly. After walking a short distance, he suddenly stopped and reached back to grab the bow and arrow.
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