Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

On a sunny morning in Taohua Village, someone grabbed a sickle and pulled a wooden cart. With enough money, they built their own wooden cart—a human-drawn cart. This single trip could carry a lot of crops, more easily than carrying them on one person's back. Someone shouted, "Harvest time!" Amidst the fragrance of flowers and chirping birds, and the joyful chatter of the people, one could see both tiredness and joy. After breakfast, people from the capital joined in the harvest. Chai Zhen also came to help, first cutting the corn stalks, then squatting to break the cobs. Later, it was just the stalks themselves, while others broke the cobs and still others packed the cobs for the carts to haul back. When a few households began harvesting, the whole village came to help. Many people from a single farm helped, and within a day, the corn was broken. They took the stalks home, treasures they treasured, and piled them against the wall outside their homes. The sorghum ears bent with laughter. The farmers first clipped the stalks a little longer, removing the kernels to make brooms, and then cut the stalks. Sorghum stalks can also be used to make chicken fences and retaining walls. Arranged tightly together, they can keep out the cold in the winter. They can also be used as firewood. In short, they are all useful and should be brought back home. ...

Early that day, the Chai family was about to harvest. Jia Le summoned everyone from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue to help with the harvest. Li Guang's family arrived, and Chai Xin's family also locked their doors and went to their third uncle's house to help. Wang Min looked after the children, and after they fell asleep, she helped with the cooking. Li Ru, Li Hongying, and Ma Xiaohong cooked. A short while later, Zhang Qing joined them. As they cooked, Old Lady Li said, "We'll steam white rice and white flour buns. Whoever wants can have whatever they want." Before leaving, Chai Zhen bought a large pig, and the young men helped slaughter it. Half was refrigerated in the cellar. Half was eaten today, and the ribs were saved for soup. The family had all the ingredients for sweet and sour pork rib soup, millet and mung bean soup, and sugar. In the middle, Old Lady Li brought mung bean soup to the fields for everyone to drink when they were thirsty. Li Ru carried a basket of pears and watermelons to the fields. Whoever wanted to eat could have whatever they wanted! Everyone who arrived at the field enjoyed a few minutes of delicious food. Then we worked so hard, we were all thinking about what to eat at the end of the field! Some of us even had a competition...

The corn leaves were broken off and thrown into piles on the ground. Some people put them into baskets and loaded them onto oxcarts at the edge of the field. When the carts were full, they were sent back. ... Someone broke them open to see the seeds, which were golden and plump. "This has grown so well," said a man from the Ministry of Agriculture. Another said, "The seeds are plump and can be used as seeds." Someone else echoed, "Let's send all of this to the capital." Another said, "Talk to the head of the Chai family. We have to leave enough food for them. Even if it's for the emperor, the Chai family should know!" "Of course!" Only Wei Hao, a small official from the Ministry of Revenue, knew that he came here on the emperor's orders. He didn't say much, and called

Everyone, work hard and talk less. We're here to learn how to grow crops. Learn to grow whatever's available here. He thought, once he's learned, he'll have to teach people all over the country how to grow crops. Food is the most important thing for the people and a national priority. ...

Chai Zhen worked for a while, then stood up to stretch his legs. He looked at his twenty mu of land, a satisfied smile on his face, and went back to work. He also planted soybeans in the middle of the field. Some people were harvesting them and tying them into bundles, while others were breaking them open to examine the seeds. The soybeans were large and yellow, like golden beans.

Little Naibao and his brothers were picking cowpeas with Xiaodong watching over them. The boys broke open the seeds. "Red, purple-red!" One boy broke a handful and put them in his pocket, wanting grandma to cook them for him. When the sack was full, Xiaodong tied it up and changed to another one. Xiaodong looked at Guoguo and Chai Ye and said, "Pick the beans and put them in the bag. Don't put them in your ears, nose or mouth. Put them in the bag. Grandma will make delicious food for you when we get home." "Brother Dong, we will remember this." The boys said in unison.

Autumn is the season of harvest. Sorghum is red, cowpeas are purple, corn is yellow, mung beans are green, and millet is being planted on the wasteland reclaimed by the Chai family, preparing to harvest the millet after the land is harvested. Adults and children, men and women, are all busy gathering the crops, and the fields are filled with the sight of a bountiful harvest! ...

The oxcarts pulled home again and again. When going uphill, two or three people would always help them back, helping the carts up the slope. One person would rush home, two would go to the fields, and one person would unload the carts. In half a day, most of the yard was piled high with food. The women at home were busy cooking. The meal was almost ready, and rice was already on the table, in shallow baskets covered with bamboo cloth. Baskets of large white steamed buns were also served. Two large pots of potato vermicelli, cabbage, and pork were stewed with scallions, ginger, cilantro, and sesame oil, and the aroma wafted far and wide. Many of the vegetables were brought in by Xiao Naibao. The Chai family also grew vegetables in their yard, and behind the houses, there was a wide variety of vegetables, abundant and abundant. The villagers had to plant seeds again. Taohua Village had no shortage of food: vegetables. There were also wild vegetables from the fields, such as almond stalks and pork made into steamed buns, a delicacy. In fact, Taohua Village had enough food to last a lifetime. I haven't even been to the woods west of Hexi, so I wonder what's out there further afield? Only a few people occasionally hunted wild game nearby, and there were plenty of plants and animals, but few ventured in to explore, leaving a mountain of treasure uncollected. ...

At noon, Grandma Li went to the field and called everyone back to eat, "Everyone go home, eat before you work, it's better to work after you are full!" Then she heard a boy say, "Eat, the food cooked by Second Grandpa's family is delicious." .... Many other family members in the village came to help. Grandma Li looked at the field and it seemed that the harvest could be finished today! ! Li Laitai found Guoguo and saw Xiaodong holding and pulling Ye'er. Grandma Li went forward and picked up Ye'er and said to Guoguo, "Go home for dinner. Your mother made steamed egg custard for you little brats." Chai Ye said, "Grandma, put me down and you hold Guoguo. I can walk and I want to follow my buddies!" "Okay, grandma put you down." With that, Chai Ye got off the field and ran away. Old Lady Li smiled, "You little brat, you run so fast." She took Guoguo, looked at him, and said, "Did you miss grandma?" Little Milk Bag: "Yes, Guoguo misses grandma, but Guoguo also wants to help with the housework, just-----just for a short time---" Little Milk Bag stretched out his two little hands to gesture, not missing him at all. Old Lady Li smiled and said, "My Guoguo is still the cutest!" Then she kissed Guoguo on the cheek. Xiaodong had already run to catch up with the boys, and Old Lady Li carried Guoguo home. The main group also returned home one after another, and the ox carts were busy pulling full loads of corn, clattering all the way back...

Chai Ping'an was the last to return. He was off to herd sheep and cattle, and he was beaming with joy as he walked home. He wasn't empty-handed; he was carrying a bag of cowpeas. Jiale came back to pick him up and carried the load for him. The grass was growing lushly now, and the cattle and sheep had been driven out to pasture, so they didn't need to be fed during the day. At night, Chai Ping'an only had to add some grass to the cattle's fodder, always including a handful of soybeans. The sheep had given birth to a few more, and Chai Ping'an had to worry even more about feeding them. He had lost weight during this time.

Jiale called out to him, "Dad, hurry up! It's time for dinner." Chai Ping'an smiled. His children were all so kind to him! Their family, from generation to generation, lived in harmony, and they would wake up smiling every day.

At home, there were many tables set up in the yard, as if there was a big celebration. And it was a big celebration: the autumn harvest! Wash your hands and eat. Tea turned into pork rib soup and mung bean soup, which were placed on the table to the side. Whoever wanted to drink could help themselves.

Several older people in the village sat at one table, the young people sat with the young people, the women sat at one table, and the children sat at another. Chai Zhen brought out a few jars of wine and put them in small bowls. Chai Zhen said, "It's not too strong, have a few sips!" Several old men picked it up and tasted it. "Good, good wine, good wine!" Chai Zhen: "It's just like a drink!" Someone asked, "Old man, where did you buy this wine? I'm old and I've never tasted such good wine." Chai Zhen: "I make it myself. The longer it's stored, the better it tastes. It's still young. Everyone in our village grows grapes. The grapes and sugar at the door will do." "Let's try it at home!" "It's easy to make. I want dessert, so add more sugar. Seal it tightly and open it whenever you want to drink it. Don't touch it until you finish it."...

Let's not talk about the adults eating; it's indescribable how delicious they were! Let's just talk about the children. Granny Li was nearby, feeding Guoguo, saying, "Eat slowly! No one's going to snatch it from you. There's plenty." Granny Li first fed Guoguo some egg custard, then a few mouthfuls of pork rib soup. The little kid was soon stuffed. Shaking her head, she said, "Grandma's not eating anymore." "Okay, eat when you're hungry." Granny Li turned to feed Chai Ye, but Chai Ye refused, grabbing a spoon and eating heartily. Granny Li watched him eat, "Don't stuff yourself. Eat when you're hungry." Chai Ye said, "Grandma, I know." "What do you know? Grandma will give you something else later. I won't let you go hungry." Hengheng was able to eat on his own, and Huanhuan, Wangwang, and Mumu were all stuffed. Xiaodong saw that they had almost finished eating and said, "Let's go to Grandpa's room and go to sleep." Xiaodong picked up Guoguo, and the other kids lined up behind him, chattering and heading to the east room to rest. Xiaodong went to bring some tea, fearing that some of them would be thirsty and drink it later. The children took off their shoes and climbed onto the bed. "Brother, there are too many people to lie down." Xiaodong said: "That's easy."

Xiaodong took out a cool mat and spread it on the ground, then put a mattress on top, "Lie down." They all crawled down to the ground one by one, and Xiaodong laughed, "Hahahahahahaha, you little brats, you can lie down anywhere, why do you have to squeeze together?" Little Naibao climbed onto the bed and lay down to close his eyes to rest. Chai Ye also crawled to Guoguo's side to sleep. Xiaodong closed the door and lay down on the bed to close his eyes to rest. The guys on the ground chirped for a while, and fell asleep unknowingly.