Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

At noon, no one in the family rested. Aside from Little Guoguo, the eldest and second daughters-in-law washed the pots and dishes, tidying up the house. Old Mrs. Li and Old Man Chai cut the ears of corn, while the eldest and second daughters-in-law pounded the millet, and the fourth daughter-in-law soaked the hemp stalks. Soon, the eldest and second daughters-in-law had cleared the kitchen and yard tables, and fetched winnowing baskets and sacks to winnow the millet and collect the seeds. In the afternoon, Old Mrs. Li went to boil water for everyone. After a good lunch, everyone was thirsty. Old Mrs. Li offered her grandson some water, worried that he would be thirsty.

Huanhuan and Hengheng were having fun, while the adults were busy working. The cut ears of corn were hammered aside and packed into more than ten sacks. The fourth child carried them to the barn. There weren't many grains left on the ears, so they would be dried tomorrow and hammered again. There was still a little grain left, so everyone would finish it in a day. The fourth child went to rub the sorghum. He swept a large area of ​​land, took a shovel, grabbed a handful of sorghum, pressed it against the shovel, and pulled hard. The seeds fell out. Don't hit it with a stick. Sorghum rice is delicious.

In the afternoon, Old Lady Li said, "Men, let's do it." She called the eldest and second daughters-in-law, "Come on, let's stop working on this. Take a shower, change into clean clothes, and make cotton pants for Huanhuan and Hengheng." The women quickly boiled water, found some nice clean clothes, and took a shower. When the three women emerged, they stunned the four men! They poured out the dirty water, washed the clothes, and hung them out to wear tomorrow. Old Lady Li said to the women, "We can also make cotton pants with light floral patterns. Wear a single layer of clothing over them, and they won't get dirty inside." The two women said, "Okay." Old Lady Li took up her scissors and began cutting. Wang Min took up her needle and thread and worked on Huanhuan, while Zhang Baohua worked on Hengheng, both smiling. The second daughter-in-law said, "Let's make a big table. It'll be handy." Old Lady Li said, "Let's do it this winter. Find out what needs repairs, count them, and get them done." Old Lady Li found the fourth son's old pants, altered them to make single pants for Huanhuan, while Hengheng wore his brother's.

It was getting dark, and Mrs. Li went to make a bowl of noodles for Li Ru. She asked Huanhuan and Hengheng if they wanted to eat. The two children said they were not hungry and refused to eat. The little brat was having a great time!

The weather was good during this period, and the crops dried quickly. The eldest brother went to thresh the cowpeas, while the second brother went to get the winnowing basket and sacks. After they had threshed the cowpeas, they patched up the sacks and were ready to go. The two brothers worked quickly and energetically. By nightfall, the cowpeas were threshed. This was a small plot of wasteland where grain was grown. Three sacks. The eldest and second brother looked at each other and smiled! They each carried them to the barn. The two brothers went to the barn and counted the cowpeas. Eleven sacks, each weighing over 200 jin. Sixteen sacks of millet, each weighing over 180 jin. Twenty-five sacks of sorghum, each weighing over 150 jin. At 150 jin, that's over 3,700 jin! A high yield! The eldest and second brother emerged from the barn, closed and locked the door, and ran to Old Man Chai. The second brother whispered, "Dad, we've got 25 sacks of millet seeds! Each sack weighs over 150 jin. I'm calculating over 3,700 jin!" Old Man Chai also smiled and said, "This year's harvest is good, all kinds of crops are growing well! This year is a bumper harvest!" After thinking for a while, he said, "It depends on how much the government collects. Last year, we collected 50 kilograms per mu of land, and our family collected 500 kilograms from 10 mu of land. This year is hard to say. If this is a year of famine, we won't have enough to eat and will starve to death. When we go out, don't tell anyone how much we have harvested. Let's buy two large jars tomorrow to store some millet and sorghum."

As night fell, the fourth son piled the sorghum into a huge pile and called it a day. The eldest and second sons came over to fill the sacks and carry them to the barn, where they asked their mother to open the barn. Finally, the eldest son locked the door. He bundled the sorghum stalks into bundles and placed them against the south wall at the east end of the yard. He would cut them into brooms (to sell) and cooking brooms (for sweeping beds and washing dishes) when he had time. He would harvest the sorghum stalks from the field and bring them back when he had time. The sorghum didn't need to be winnowed; the husks were hulled when it was time to eat it, making it easier to store.

Tonight's meal consisted of millet porridge, boiled sweet potatoes, and two large scallion pancakes per person—more than enough for everyone, if not more sweet potatoes. Planting sweet potatoes in cleared land didn't take up much space; any embankment or slope could be used. A little lard was added to the pot. When the little girl smelled the lard pancakes her mother was eating, she felt embarrassed. She watched her mother eat, swallowed her saliva, and forgot about it. She had no idea how well her family ate! She remembered the supermarket's dazzling array of delicious food, which made life difficult for her mother. The little girl had never been out of the house and didn't know how difficult life was. But she had seen over the past few days that her family wasn't doing well, with her grandmother busy and toiling away at home. Grandpa, uncles, and father worked day and night and still didn't have enough to eat. Even her two aunts were thin and emaciated. The little girl was determined to make sure her family lived well. She looked at her warm little flowered cotton jacket and her two brothers, still wearing only pants. Her heart ached, "Ahhhh!!!!" Li Ru quickly put down her meal, checked her daughter, and opened her diaper; it wasn't wet. "Guoguo, are you hungry? Mommy should feed you first." Li Ru picked up the child and fed her. The little milkbag shook her head, "Woo, woo, woo." Li Ru patted the child and said, "What's wrong with you? You won't eat." The little milkbag blamed herself. She couldn't make her mother anxious. She stopped whimpering. Li Ru coaxed the child and fed her again. "Oh," the little milkbag sighed. "Eat!" Li Ru looked at the child, worried that something was wrong. After the child finished eating, she undressed him and checked. He was fine. The little milkbag was blowing bubbles and having fun, and Li Ru was relieved. She hugged the child and ate. The fourth child came in and saw the scene. He quickly took the daughter, held her, and let Ru eat. The little girl looked at her father. She was pretty, but dark and thin. She had to make sure her father had good food and drink, a healthy body, and a plump and white body. "Hehe," the little milkbag smiled a little wickedly. The fourth child looked at the girl, his face constantly changing expressions. It was funny, this little adult! The fourth child had never been to school and didn't know how to describe her. How should I put it? They're like adults, except they can't talk. The fourth child, holding her daughter, can only grin and giggle. Walking around the house, "Hahaha," hehehe! "My daughter is beautiful, my daughter is good, my daughter is a flower. My daughter is a little adorable!" The little milk bag watched her daddy blow bubbles, "Ah, ah ah ah!" Li Ru laughed! The two can't talk! After Li Ru finished her meal, she asked the fourth child to bring the child over, and she held the child herself. The fourth child took the bowl out and closed the door.

Old Lady Li washed the pots and pans while the eldest and second sons' wives went to make cotton-padded clothes for the children. No farm work tonight, just rest. Old Man Chai lit a pipe and went out for a walk. The three brothers, the eldest, second, and fourth, gathered together and said, "We have plenty of food at home. If anyone sees it, it'll be troublesome. It might bring bad things." "Mom can't store much in her kang." "Let's build a cellar. A big one, with several connected rooms." "Behind the kitchen and behind Dad's house." "We need to burn some red mud bricks and build a brick wall. How deep should we dig it? Should we go straight up and down, or slope it?" "We'll also need to cut down trees and stone for beams!" "This is a big project!" The fourth brother said, "Okay. Build a house underground and build steps down. Too deep is unsafe. We'll cover the roof with thicker materials, but don't put heavy things on it, like millet stalks or bean sprouts. People are generally not allowed in there!" The eldest and second sons agreed.