Chapter 5 Who is in charge of the food?
Chen Yao led the old yellow cow to her own field, attracting the envy of the villagers along the way.
Of course, there are also those who are full of sour words.
Chen Yao turned a deaf ear to him, put down the backpack, and called Yang Wenying over. The two of them worked together to put the ox shuttle between the necks of the old ox.
"You lead the ox, and I'll go and hitch the wooden plow to the back." Chen Yao threw out the rope, tied one end to the ox shuttle, and tied the other end firmly to the wooden plow.
Everything was ready, and he raised his hand to signal Yang Wenying to lead the cow forward.
It was Yang Wenying's first time to lead the old ox to the field. She only looked at the old ox cautiously, then held the ox shuttle and followed the old ox with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
This is not about leading the cow, it is clearly about being led by the cow.
Especially when the old ox mooed twice, turned around and breathed a lot of hot air at Yang Wenying, and shook its tail in annoyance.
Yang Wenying thought the old ox was going to butt her, and she screamed in fright and fell to the ground.
This scene was seen by the tenant farmers who were tilling the soil not far away, and they all burst into laughter.
"Ayao, how come she can't even lead a cow? Do you need us to help you? Hahaha!"
Chen Yao put down the wooden plow, walked quickly to the front and helped Yang Wenying up: "Come here, I will teach you how to hold the plow."
Yang Wenying looked at the farm implement she had brought with her, called a wooden plow. After listening carefully to Chen Yao's explanation, she finally understood how to use it. After trying it out, the embarrassment on her face disappeared immediately. "This is easy. I'll hold the plow, and you go ahead and drive the cattle!"
"If you get tired, call me and I'll come over and switch with you."
"Don't underestimate me. There's nothing tiring about this. Go and get some morning glory!" Yang Wenying pushed Chen Yao away, not wanting her to underestimate her.
In order to let Yang Wenying get familiar with the use of the wooden plow first, Chen Yao pulled the old ox in front and deliberately slowed down the pace, looking back from time to time.
The old ox could still walk slowly while lowering its head to chew the new sprouts from the wheat pile.
At this time, Yang Wenying was holding the wooden plow steadily.
As the wooden plow passed by, all the wheat stalks in the field were flattened, and the roots and stems were plowed into the soil, revealing moist brown clods of earth.
Soon, even she could turn over a ridge of land.
She didn't expect that using the old ox and the wooden plow to plow the soil would be so effective, much better than using her small hoe to reclaim the land.
Yang Wenying felt that Chen Yao was wrong. They could finish plowing two acres of land by noon.
As the sun quietly climbed above her head, the ground under her feet became more and more turned over. Yang Wenying could no longer remember how many ridges she had turned over and how many times she had been scared by earthworms. She only felt that the ground under her feet was like a torn cloth, and there was no end to the plowing no matter how hard she tried.
Yang Wenying's hands and waist were sore, her legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, and her body gradually became hunched. She looked at Chen Yao's back and opened her mouth, but in the end she didn't ask her to switch with her because she couldn't let go of her face.
"Whoa, whoa..." Chen Yao looked at the land that had been turned over by one-third, then reached out to grab the old cow, untied the cow shuttle, patted the old cow's back, and walked back.
When Chen Yao passed by Yang Wenying, she said, "You take a break first. I'll take the cow to the Yan River to eat some water grass."
Yang Wenying forced herself to stand up, still holding the wooden plow in her hand: "You go, I'll stay here."
Chen Yao looked at her, her face flushed with the effort of holding on, and tried hard to hold back her laughter. She took out the fishing net woven by her parents from the backpack, and walked away leading the old ox.
As soon as Chen Yao left, Yang Wenying could no longer pretend. She bent over, supported her knees with her hands, and slowly walked to the edge of the field to sit down. She looked up at the blue sky and held back her tears.
At the same time, Chen Yao had already led the old yellow cow to the Yan River. She tied the old yellow cow to a willow tree by the river and let the old cow eat some water grass first.
Then she caught a few brown frogs in the wild fields by the river, smashed them to death, peeled their skins, tied them together with stones in a fishing net, and threw them into the river to cover up her tracks. Then she took out her cloth bag, sat down to rest, and grabbed a handful of roasted soybeans to fill her stomach.
When Chen Yao came back to her own fields, Yang Wenying was still sitting on the edge of the field chewing soybeans and refusing to get up.
"The cow is full. You hold the rope and don't hold the shuttle. It will follow you naturally. Don't be afraid!" Chen Yao handed the rope to Yang Wenying.
Yang Wenying looked at the old ox's wet nostrils, lowered her head, patted the grass debris on her body, and pulled the rope: "Who's afraid? I've ridden a horse before."
It was almost dusk when the two of them worked together again to turn over the remaining two-thirds of the land.
Yang Wenying packed up her farm tools, looked at the two acres of land she had deeply plowed, then glanced at the other tenant farmers who were still tilling the land with their bare hands. She frowned and asked Chen Yao, "Why don't the government raise more cattle so that everyone can have cattle to plow the land?"
Chen Yao picked up the basket and followed her gaze. All she could see were the figures of farmers working hard to cultivate the land. "Do you know who gets the grain that the tenant farmers pay every year?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the color on Yang Wenying's face disappeared in an instant.
Aristocratic families!
Yang Wenying knew this. Her family once owned thousands of acres of fertile land, but she had no idea of the hardships of growing crops on reclaimed land.
I never knew that some nobles could be so cruel and ruthless to their own family just for their own selfish interests!
"Let's go and collect the nets and see if we can have an extra meal tonight." Chen Yao patted Yang Wenying's lowered head and led the old ox to the river.
By the Yan River.
Yang Wenying was holding a bundle of water grass and rubbing the dirt off the farm tools, looking up at Chen Yao from time to time.
"How's it going? Did you catch any fish?"
"have!"
When Chen Yao lifted up the fishing net, she saw small fish and shrimps escaping from the mesh. When she dragged it ashore and opened it, she found that there were quite a lot of fish and shrimps inside!
There were dozens of small fish as long as fingers, one of which was a grass carp that looked bigger than her father's palm, and there were also many river shrimps with tails as thick as fingers.
"Hey, what is this? It's black and sticky." Yang Wenying walked over with farm tools and poked the mass with a reed.
"Loach." Chen Yao tied the fishing net bag tightly with a straw rope and threw it into the backpack. She told Yang Wenying, "I'm going to the foot of the mountain to dig some wild garlic and ginger. You wait here with the old ox."
"I'll go with you." It was getting dark and the people who were digging the canal in Liuying were about to come over, but Yang Wenying refused to stay here no matter what.
Even if Chen Yao asked Lao Huangniu to accompany her.
There was no other way, Chen Yao could only take both the people and the cattle away.
Fortunately, due to the busy farming season, every household that can hold farm tools has to go to the fields, so no one comes to dig up the wild vegetables at the foot of the mountain.
The white flowers of dandelions are in bloom, and when the wind blows, the seeds return to the fields; if you dig up the grass, you will find mushrooms everywhere; as for wild garlic and wild ginger, they are a little difficult to find, but you can still find some.
Chen Yao put the farm tools in a backpack and signaled Yang Wenying to use a wooden stick to dig dandelions, while she was responsible for picking mushrooms.
Chen Yao didn't dare let Yang Wenying pick them, for fear that the young lady would pick poisonous ones. Tomorrow when her cousin comes home, he won't be selling tofu, but they will just cover the fruit with a white cloth, play the suona, and start the feast right away!
Picking mushrooms is addictive. When the basket was full and Yang Wenying called for help, Chen Yao stopped and covered the basket with some dead branches and leaves to hide it from others. Then the two of them rushed home.
"Mom and Dad, we're back!"
Before anyone entered the yard, the sound came into the main house.
Shen Qingshan and Huang Xing were waiting for their daughter to come home so much that they were almost as tired as two giraffes. Hearing the joy in their daughter's voice, they knew that she must have something happy to tell them today.
"Ayao, have you finished turning over the fields?" Shen Qingshan struggled to stand up and looked outside. Huang Xing had already lifted the quilt and was able to get out of bed and walk slowly.
"Mom and Dad, the fields have been plowed, and I have returned the old ox to Village Chief Zhao." Chen Yao squatted down and placed the backpack at the door of the main house, then went in and helped her mother sit on the bench.
Huang Xing looked up at her daughter, who was sweating profusely, and wiped her sweat with her sleeve. "Don't worry, you just got home. If you have anything to do, take a break. I'll be able to help you when I feel better!"
At this time, Yang Wenying had already put away the farm tools, took out the kitchen knife and round dustpan that Chen Yao asked for, and stood at the door and asked: "How do we clean up these things?"
"I'll kill the fish, you clean the dandelions and mushrooms."
"Wenying, let me help you wash." Huang Xing made a gesture to get up.
Chen Yao patted her mother's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Mom, take a rest. She can do this."
Then he and Yang Wenying moved a stool and sat at the door to rummage through the basket, each busy with their own work.
"Tonight we'll have fish soup first. Let the loaches and river shrimps rest for another day to spit out the sand. We can kill the small fish and dry them. We can also dry the leftover mushrooms and string them together. Mom, can you string them together for me? We'll save them for the winter."
"Okay, I'll go pick some when Mom feels better." Huang Xing picked up the teapot on the table and poured herself half a bowl to moisten her lips. She turned around and asked her husband if he wanted some water.
After being comforted by her husband last night, she decided to cheer herself up and not hold her daughter back anymore.
The couple looked at their busy daughter, feeling both relieved and guilty.
Chen Yao recycled the fish intestines and scales, dug a hole and piled them in the yard to make compost, planning to start a vegetable garden on the land at home in the future.
"Hey, these mushrooms haven't been washed clean yet." Yang Wenying was scraping the dirt off the straw mushrooms with a bamboo stick. Suddenly, she saw Chen Yao reaching out and grabbing a handful of them. She became anxious.
"I'll wash it separately first, and you can take your time with the rest." Chen Yao went to the kitchen with a small dustpan.
There is not much animal fat left in the clay pot. Wait until the pot is heated, then scoop out a little and put it into the pot.
After the oil is melted, put in the palm-sized grass carp, fry until both sides are golden brown, pour in hot water, add wild ginger and garlic to remove the fishy smell, then throw in the washed straw mushrooms and oil mushrooms, cover with a wooden lid and simmer.
Bean porridge was still cooking in the hanging clay pot. Just as Chen Yao brought the fish soup into the main house, she heard the voices of Tian Baolai and his sister coming from outside the fenced yard.
"Cousin, cousin, come in quickly. It's a good time for us to have dinner together." Chen Yao took the wooden basket from Tian Baozhu's hand, closed the fence door and invited them in.
Tian Baolai looked at the full pot of fish soup on the table and couldn't help swallowing his saliva. He looked away and said, "Cousin, no need. We are just here to bring you a basket."
"My father said that if there is anything inappropriate, we can take it back and modify it." Tian Baozhu followed behind and pulled her brother's sleeve to leave.
Chen Yao looked at the four stacked wooden baskets and smiled, "My uncle is a great craftsman. The sizes are just right. We are all family. You can stay and have a bowl of fish soup before you leave."
Without giving the brother and sister time to refuse, Chen Yao enthusiastically scooped a bowl and handed it to Tian Baolai: "The fish was just caught in the river today, and the straw mushrooms were also dug outside. These are all free. Can you try it, cousin?"
A mouthful of fish soup warmed Tian Baolai's body and made him feel comfortable. He had just taken two sips when his sister slapped his arm. "Brother, why did you pick up the bowl? What did mother tell us to do? I'll beat you up when I get home!"
"I, hey, this?" Tian Baolai looked at the two girls at a loss. He didn't want to drink.
Everyone in the room burst into laughter.
Shen Qingshan and Huang Xing looked at the children and said, "Sit down and eat together. If your mother wants to beat you up, just say that your aunt and uncle insisted on leaving the food for you."
Chen Yao first scooped a bowl of fish soup for each of her parents, and then sat down to eat with everyone. The straw mushrooms were soaked in fish soup and tasted delicious and chewy. If she could soak a bowl of white rice in the fish soup, she could eat three bowls in a row.
Chen Yao had no food in her stomach and was afraid that she couldn't handle it, so she ate very restrainedly.
Tian Baolai had wanted to remember his mother's advice and eat less, but his cousin kept scooping soup and adding mushrooms to his meal, so he didn't remember her words at all and ended up only half full.
Everyone was sweating profusely during this meal.
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