New ink fragrance in old times

Xing'er swiftly cleaned up the scattered dishes on the table. She whispered to Hua'er, "Hua'er, I'll go wash the clothes everyone took off yesterday. You go wash the pot." After that, she picked up the basket full of dirty clothes and walked briskly towards the backyard.

Huaer nodded, with an innocent smile on her lips, turned and walked towards the kitchen, and began to busy herself with washing pots and dishes.

Lin Sizhe, a little boy with a childish face, quietly walked to Lin Mo's side, with anticipation glittering in his eyes.

"Third brother, we have to hurry!" He lowered his voice with a hint of urgency in his tone, "If it's too late, grandpa will find out and he will probably blame us." Hearing this, Lin Mo stood up and followed Lin Sizhe's footsteps, secretly guessing what to do next.

Lin Mo followed Lin Sizhe to the backyard. It turned out they were feeding the chickens. Lin Sizhe expertly opened the coop, and the chickens leaped out, happily pecking at the grains on the ground. He also poured some water into a nearby stone basin. Then, Lin Sizhe took Lin Mo to feed the pre-chopped hay to the family's cows.

Just as the two were busy, Huaer came staggering over carrying a heavy wooden bucket. Beads of sweat hung on her face, but she still persisted.

Seeing this, Xing'er quickly put down her clothes, stepped forward to take the barrel, and carried it to the low house on the other side. She knocked on the barrel with a stick, and a groaning sound came from inside. Xing'er carefully tilted the barrel and poured the contents into the pigpen.

After finishing all this, Xing'er handed the empty bucket back to Hua'er. "Hua'er, take them to shred the corn kernels. I'll come over after I finish washing the clothes."

Arriving in the front yard, Hua'er first quietly checked on He'er, who was soundly asleep inside, to make sure she hadn't been woken. Only then did she leave with peace of mind and wave to Lin Sinan and Lin Siheng, who were having fun in the yard. "Wu Lang, Liu Lang, come over and help."

When the two little guys heard this, they immediately jumped and ran to the flower.

Lin Mo looked at the two little guys who walked unsteadily and couldn't help but feel a little doubtful. What could such young children do? Lin Mo casually picked up a freshly picked corn, peeled off the husk, and was about to start threshing, but found that the kernels were unusually tight and difficult to pick out.

Seeing this, Huaer smiled and said, "Sanlang, these newly picked corns need to be placed outside to dry in the sun after peeling. Once they are dry, they will be easier to thresh."

Lin Mo suddenly realized what was going on and quickly tried a corn cob that looked drier. Although the process was still a bit difficult, he was finally able to pick out a few grains of corn.

At this time, Xing'er, who had just returned from washing things in the backyard, joined them. She sat aside with an awl in her hand and began to peel the corn that had been prepared. As she did so, she said to Lin Mo, "Sanlang, take the corn that has been awled. Those will be faster to peel."

The six children have clear division of labor and work together.

The sunlight slanted down on the golden corn piles, casting a warm glow on the busy scene.

Xing'er sat nearby, holding a sharp awl, her eyes focused and deft. She gently twirled the tip of the awl on top of each kernel of corn, her movements swift and precise, as if performing a silent dance.

With each penetration and withdrawal of the cone, the top of the corn is cleverly opened, revealing the neatly arranged corn kernels inside, paving the way for the subsequent threshing work.

Huaer and Lin Mo were threshing the corn.

Hua'er grabbed one end of the corn cob with her left hand and an empty corn cob with her right hand. She twisted it gently, and with a crisp "click" sound, golden corn kernels fell like raindrops and landed in the bamboo basket that had been prepared long ago, making a pleasant rustling sound.

Lin Mo imitated Hua'er's movements and began to thresh the grains awkwardly.

Lin Sizhe sat nearby, a pile of corn in front of him. His small hands peeled off each layer of the hard outer husk surrounding the corn kernels. Though not as quick as an adult, his movements were meticulous, fearing to damage the precious kernels.

Lin Sinan and Lin Siheng, though still young, were not far behind. They bent down and carefully picked up scattered corn kernels, placing them one by one in the basket. Other times, they gently patted the corn cobs with their little hands, showing some effort, though not much strength.

After about a quarter of an hour, Lin Mo's strength seemed to be gradually exhausted. His movements slowed down involuntarily, and every bit of strength seemed extremely heavy. He looked down at his palms, which were red from being rubbed by the corn cob, and felt like burning flames, causing bursts of stinging pain.

Seeing this, Xing'er said to Lin Mo, "Sanlang, your hands are worn out. You should go and take a break. Why don't you go with Silang? His job of peeling the skin is easier."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo turned around and walked towards where Lin Sizhe was.

He picked up a corn and began to peel it attentively, but his mind began to become active. He wondered if he could get some information out of them. Just as Lin Mo was thinking about how to get some useful information and was secretly calculating, a sudden strange feeling interrupted his thoughts.

Glancing down, he saw a large, fat, white worm entwined and wriggling around his fingertips. Lin Mo shuddered, and the corn in his hand instantly slipped out. He quickly shook his hand, trying to completely shake off the creepy feeling.

"Brother, don't be afraid!" A childish voice rang out, and the two little ones, Lin Sinan and Lin Siheng, quickly gathered around him. Far from being afraid at all, they excitedly grabbed the little white worm and carefully placed it in a small bamboo cage nearby. They said proudly, "Feed it to the chickens, and they'll lay more eggs!"

Lin Sinan and Lin Siheng were immersed in their "big discovery", waving their hands excitedly and jumping around. They carefully carried the corns that Lin Mo and Lin Sizhe had worked so hard to peel to the place in the yard where the sun could shine.

They also carefully checked each corn kernel, fearing that they would miss any small white worms that might be hiding in them.

Even though the bugs had been dealt with, Lin Mo's stomach still felt sour, as if even the bowl of warm porridge he had eaten in the morning was about to be vomited out by this sudden feeling of nausea.

The residual touch on his hands was sticky and uncomfortable, like a nightmare that lingered. Lin Mo thought to himself that if possible, he really wanted to get a pair of clean and fresh hands to get rid of this discomfort.

Lin Mo took a deep breath and tried his best to calm his chaotic mind. He was in a dilemma. He didn't want to endure the continued pain in his hand, nor did he want to resist the sudden feeling of nausea.

Although he was extremely reluctant, reality forced him to make a choice between the two, and Lin Mo felt extremely tormented.