Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

Old Lady Li and Old Man Chai slept for an hour before waking up at daybreak. Old Man Chai skipped breakfast. He picked up his basket and sickle and headed to the fields. Old Lady Li fed the chickens first, then went to cook.

Old Mrs. Li washed the pot and cooked rice. She didn't make too much, just some porridge. She then went to the back of the house to pick two big radishes and two cabbages, and went home.

Old Lady Li washed the radish, cut it into shreds, sprinkled it with salt, washed the cilantro and scallions, sprinkled them on top, added sesame oil, and mixed everything. She prepared pancakes and scallion pancakes. Old Lady Li grabbed a jar that held two pounds of oil. She went to her room, brought out a bucket of peanut oil, poured it into the jar, put the bucket back, covered the kang with the sheet, and closed the door.

In the past, this can of oil would last the family a year, but now it's lucky if it lasts a month. The food is oilier and better! But Mrs. Li couldn't bear to part with it. She wrapped a cloth on one end of her chopsticks and dipped it in oil to wipe the pan. She called it a fried pancake. It was almost like a dry pancake, not soft. More oil would make it softer. Later, Mrs. Li learned that the only way to make fried pancakes is to roll out the dough, sprinkle it with salt, dip it in oil, roll it up, cut it into balls, and then roll it out and bake it.

Old Lady Li finished baking the pancakes. The meal was ready, and she served it to the fourth son's wife. Mother and daughter were still asleep, so Old Lady Li patted Li Ru awake and said, "Ru, eat! Eat before you go back to sleep! You have to eat." Li Ru said, "Thank you, mother." "What are you thanking me for? We're family." Haha.

Old Lady Li came out and closed the door. The three sons got up and washed up. Old Lady Li took the meal out and asked her sons to eat.

Seeing that her grandson was still sleeping, Old Mrs. Li went to eat.

The three brothers ate their fill. The eldest said, "I'm going to go around the fields and see if there's anything left to harvest. I'll collect it." The second and fourth brothers stayed at home working.

The eldest son found his father in the field, but there was still some left. There were sorghum, millet and cowpeas. The sorghum was bent with laughter, the millet hung its head, and the cowpeas were crawling all over the ground. Whoever saw it liked it, just like the eldest son and the eldest daughter. The father cut the millet again, and the eldest son went to cut the sorghum. After a while, the sorghum was cut, and the eldest son gathered them together and tied them up, and then took the sack and picked cowpeas. Old man Chai was happy to see his eldest son, and the second son knew and felt sorry for him! The old man said it as if the second and fourth sons were not good to him. In fact, he was always competing with the second and fourth sons, and he couldn't beat those two brats, and he felt angry! Old man Chai finally finished cutting the millet in this field. The eldest son put the sorghum on the millet basket and picked it up. He said, "Dad, you pick cowpeas in the field, I'll take you there first." Old man Chai said, "Okay."

Old man Chai was picking cowpeas happily. The eldest brother came again, bringing a sweet potato to Old man Chai. He asked his father to rest for a while and eat it. The eldest brother sat with his father, looked around to see if there was anyone around, and whispered: Dad, the three of us brothers have discussed and want to build an underground house at home. Should we buy the bricks or burn them ourselves? Where should we burn them? Dad, give me some advice! "Old man Chai thought, there are too many things at home, and they can't all be put in the open. They should be kept in the dark... Thinking about last night, he went for a walk in the village. Every household had a good harvest, and the houses seemed small. He stayed with the village chief for a long time! The village chief's name is Sun, and his name is Sun Gui, which means noble. He has two sons. The eldest is Sun Quan, who is in his early twenties. He farms with his father at home and recognizes many words. His father taught him But he didn't like studying, he just liked working. His five-year-old son was called Tiedan, and his full name was Sun Baohua. The second son, Sun Qing, was seventeen years old and still unmarried. He was in the county school, preparing for the imperial examination. They were about the same age, both forty-two, and they got along well. They also farmed nearly twenty acres of land, with four laborers. When they went, they took the children with them, and their daughter-in-law could only be considered half a laborer. The good thing was that the village chief had an oxcart, which he used to take people to the county. Each person earned three cents, which meant thirty cents for ten people. He would sell some grain, and the eldest son would go out to work in his spare time to earn some money to supplement the family income. He also paid for the second son to go to school. The family had many expenses and was very tight. Old Man Chai discussed with the village chief that after the autumn work, they would have four or five months of nothing to do. What to do? Earn some money to get through the winter. The family needed to make cotton clothes, otherwise they would freeze to death! The house also needed to be repaired. It was worried that it would be fragile and dangerous in the heavy snow.

Old Man Chai then told the village chief about his hemp business! He thought twisting it into rope or weaving it into linen cloth would be even more useful. The village chief was so happy he practically jumped for joy. He didn't ask any more questions, but he understood that Old Man Chai and he were good friends, and they were making money together. He remembered this favor! The village chief was a scholar and a sensible person, so Old Man Chai had approached him. As the village chief, he had many contacts. They could go sell it together later, and he could even ride in the village chief's oxcart, so he'd have company. He considered everything!

After thinking about all this, Old Man Chai said to the eldest brother, "In the next few days, we will first collect hemp stalks. At night, we will ask the village chief to collect them, and during the day, we will make bricks! The roof must be good. Two pillars can be built in the middle of the house to support it. The wall bricks must be good. We can buy green bricks, which are of good quality. For the floor tiles, we will make red mud bricks ourselves. Go to the back of our house, next to our own wall." The eldest brother thought about it and said, "Okay, Dad has thought it through!"

The father and son got up and worked hard. When they finished picking the cowpeas, they picked up their baskets and headed for the next plot. Though the plot was small, the crops were growing well, and the harvest was plentiful. The eldest brother made two more trips back, his baskets filled with millet and sacks on top. Old Man Chai worked in the fields. He was relaxed and happy, his work growing more enjoyable, his whole body filled with energy. A man with foresight works with energy!

I harvested two more plots this morning, and we're almost done. The sorghum stalks need to be harvested; they're useful. They're used to build chicken coops, windbreaks, and firewood. Those who are handy use them to make toys for the kids. They can also be used to make drying sheds—simple sheds where you can dry things without worrying about the rain. For a farmer, everything in the field is a treasure! Everything has a use!

Old Man Chai said, "I'll carry it, you carry the sorghum stalks, and when you're free, you can collect them." "Carry them to the northeast corner of the yard." "No, we'll pick them up and put them outside the east wall." "To the east, grass grows, and easterly there's a cliff. It's not deep, but who lives here? Normally, no one comes here!" Few people come here year-round. Old Chai's family lives here, so it's quite quiet.

The eldest brother carried two large bundles of sorghum stalks and carried them along the path behind the house to the east end, then placed them southward against the east wall. The eldest brother thought to himself, "It's so heavy, I'm tired of carrying it." He didn't say how much he carried!

The eldest brother picked up his shoulder pole, rope, and sickle and headed south around his own courtyard wall. He looked at the east wall, which needed to be plastered with mud; the rain had washed it down badly. He reached the southeast corner, and then west, to the south wall, which was even worse. He thought he'd make more bricks and even reinforce the south wall. The whole wall needed repairing! He even wanted to go out and do odd jobs!

The eldest brother walked to the gate and looked at his own door. It was a good door! The eldest brother lowered his head and walked in, feeling ashamed.

The yard at home was much brighter now. The millet had been threshed and packed into bags for the barn. The second son said to the eldest, "We've threshed eight more sacks!" The whole family was overjoyed! The two boys ran around the yard like crazy. The open space had become so large that they ran away!

Old Mrs. Li was so happy she couldn't stop smiling. She made another meat stew and hand-rolled noodles. There were so many dishes today! Stir-fried pork and green peppers in a small pot—not too small, either, but enough for the whole family. It was filled with minced ginger, garlic, and cilantro. The aroma was so good that the eldest child could smell it as soon as he sat down at the stone table! Fortunately, the gate was far away! To the north was his own vegetable patch, to the east was deserted, and to the south was the main road. South of the gate, there was grass everywhere, rarely used. There was a road to the west, but it wasn't even the main road. So, in short, our home was remote, a tiny corner of the village. The western house was far away. A thousand meters away, its gate was in the southwest corner, right next to his house, so the distance was significant. The village had a lot of land but few households, unlike larger villages where households were close together. There was a lot of sandy and wasteland in the village, and no one cultivated it. When the drought hit, they couldn't get enough water, so every household didn't plant anything until they had enough to eat. Even if they did plant, they'd die of drought! There wasn't enough seed left! This village was still good; at least no one was starving! It means eating less, wearing less and suffering from the cold in winter.

I also stir-fried some mushrooms and meat for the kids and the fourth son's wife! A big pot of stewed vegetables is also good, with cabbage, eggplant, and beans. Old Mrs. Li had removed the seeds from the beans and saved them for seed! I chopped up some scallions and cilantro, added soy sauce, and it looked and smelled great. Old Mrs. Li tasted it and it was delicious!

Old Mrs. Li first cooked a large bowl and two small bowls, scooped in the cabbage sauce and then the mushroom sauce, and told the second daughter-in-law to serve them to Huanhuan and Hengheng, while Old Mrs. Li went to give it to the fourth daughter-in-law.

In the west room, Grandma Li pushed open the door and, with a smile, handed the meal to her daughter-in-law, saying, "Ru, hurry up and eat! It's delicious when it's hot. It's not tasty when the meat is cold." "I've tried it, it's delicious!" Li Ru took a bite and exclaimed, "Delicious!" Li Ru ate with great joy. Seeing her mother enjoying her meal, the little babe raised her hands and swayed, "Ahhh!" Grandma Li picked up her granddaughter, walked to the door, and asked her to look outside. "Guoguo, look outside. Look, Grandpa, uncles, daddy, and brother are all eating. They're all enjoying themselves so well thanks to you! Grandma is so happy! You too, grow up quickly and sit with your brother to eat." Grandma Li held her granddaughter, patting her and rocking her. Seeing her, as soft and tender as a little flower bud, a delicate and adorable little ball, her heart melted! Grandma Li kissed her granddaughter, tears welling in her eyes! It's all the blessings that children bring!

Old Lady Li rocked her granddaughter to sleep in her arms! Haha!! She put the child back to bed and tucked her in. A big quilt is always better. Li Ru finished eating. Old Lady Li said, "You sleep too." She tucked Li Ru in. She took the bowl and left. She left the door open; it wouldn't be cold at noon, so she could get some sun. Old Lady Li went to close the gate, thinking, "The courtyard is too clear once you enter." She should build a screen wall to block out the view. Rich families accumulate wealth this way! The village chief's family does it this way. Old Lady Li closed the door and locked it.

Wang Min and Zhang Baohua were busy in the kitchen cooking noodles, leaving only the three women who hadn't eaten yet. The men and children were all well fed.

They all went to rest. Without more rest, even the best food wouldn't last. The second child carried Hengheng back to his room. The eldest child also carried his son back to his own room, lowered the window fan, and went to sleep with the child.

The fourth son walked to the door of his room, saw that his daughter and wife were both asleep, so he did not go in. Instead, he turned around and went to his parents' room. Old Man Chai looked at the fourth son and said, "You are so smart. It's so hard for the two grandsons not to be here. I want to talk to my wife. Okay, here comes a bigger light bulb." "Go to sleep." Old Man Chai said to the fourth son.

Mrs. Li and her wife ate with great relish! Chinese New Year is not this good!

Old Lady Li thought, "Let's dry the grain we harvested today." This afternoon, she'll have her second and fourth sons dig a ditch at home, extending it and deepening it. She'll soak the hemp from last night in it. Old Lady Li's literacy is uncharacteristic of a country girl; she's generous and knowledgeable. The children also know a little and understand simple principles. Everyone in the family sees her as intelligent.

After dinner, Grandma Li asked her daughter-in-law to rest while she washed the dishes and cleaned the house.

In the afternoon, Old Lady Li slept for half an hour [that's one hour now], drank some noodle soup, and went to feed the chickens and collect the eggs. Hey, she turned around and came back, looking for the tools, but couldn't get them, so she grabbed a large bowl with nine eggs. Smiling, Old Lady Li returned to the kitchen, where a large jar of eggs sat behind the door. The chickens had been well fed these past two days, and they were laying more eggs. In the afternoon, she took a few eggs to trade for some salt. Old Lady Li packed many bags of corn shavings for the chickens. She also ate the outer leaves of cabbage, and sometimes a handful of millet flour, which she fed to the chickens, earning them a lot of praise!

In her dream, little Milkbag came to the Northeast, where her child bought her a home! She had thirty acres of black soil and was planting soybeans! Alas, little Milkbag sighed, no one would replace her, no one would replace her! She started singing! She woke up while singing. Hahahaha, even Li Ru woke up with laughter! Li Ru looked at her daughter and laughed too. Li Ru picked up the child, it was much easier to hold, the diaper was hard! She helped him pee, just in time, the diaper was not wet. She fed the child. Old Lady Li brought in a bowl of noodle soup. Li Ru drank from the top, while little Milkbag ate from the bottom, looking at her mother.

Little Milkbag fell asleep while eating, but she wasn't awake yet. She woke up laughing in her dream. She was busy! She was busy harvesting soybeans, her little arms swinging as she put the beans into bags. In the end, she had 300 bags, weighing 15,000 kilograms. There was a large horse-drawn cart and a plow in the yard, and the harvester was fully automatic, controlled by remote control.

Little Milk Bag harvested corn, commanding the remote control. The machine chugs, chugs, and in an hour, it was all harvested! Hahahaha, Little Milk Bag was laughing so hard he was rolling on the ground. He'd filled one hundred and fifty large sacks, over twenty thousand pounds of corn! Ten acres of rice, the harvester raced through the field, gathering another hundred bags. !!! Little Milk Bag's hulling machine churned out fifty bags of bright white rice. Grandma also ground the corn into fifty bags of flour. Hahahaha, Little Milk Bag was laughing, hahahaha!! This time he really woke up from laughing! "Mommy, mommy!" He waved his little hand, and shrieked, "Sh ...

As soon as Old Lady Li arrived at the door, she saw a house full of fields. She walked over and untied them to have a look. Haha, they were all things they had never seen before, and they were delicious. The cornmeal smelled delicious. Old Lady Li looked at the little milk bag and knew it was freshly ground! It smelled so good!! She looked at the beans and said, "These are yellow beans. We grow red ones at home." The rice, white and larger than millet, looked good. Old Lady Li grabbed a handful and went to feed the chickens. She put the rice in the basin, and the chickens ate it up with a "da da da"! It was so fast! Old Lady Li ran to wake up the eldest and second sons, "Go to the fourth son's room." The fourth son and Old Man Chai were awake. The brothers took a look and laughed! They had never seen anything like it before, and they smelled delicious. They were all delicious! "We won't starve to death this winter, there are still delicious things to eat." The brothers laughed so hard that they were silly. "This kid of ours is unspeakable!!"

Old Lady Li asked her son to carry the rice to her room and put it on the kang! Old Lady Li went to find a cloth bag, filled it with half a bag of rice, and put it in the kitchen. Cornmeal, also called yellow flour, is yellow in color. She also filled half a bag with it and ate it. She also filled half a bag with soybeans and put it in the kitchen. The eldest son carried the cornmeal on his back, and it was heavy. It was heavy, there was so much flour! The second son carried the rice, but he couldn't lift it. The fourth son tried to lift it but couldn't move it. The two brothers tried hard, and the fourth son said, "I'll carry it, brother, give it to me." The fourth son carried the rice on his back, but he could still carry it! The second son asked his wife to give it to him, and the second son also carried it on his back. It was heavy! The whole family can eat it for a long time! It's delicious! The fourth son got into the kang hole, dragged it in, dragged it all in, and put it upright. The kang hole is almost full, and can't put any more in. Put more plugs! Old Man Chai is on guard, and he has a heavy responsibility!

Old Lady Li returned to the fourth son's room. Little Milk Bag had fallen asleep again, exhausted. The eldest son went to call his father back and locked the door. They all went to the fourth son's room. Old Lady Li said, "We have more food than we can eat all year, and we don't have to worry about clothes or bedding. We just need money. I think we should all stop going out to work. We women weave hemp, and the men twist hemp ropes. We make sacks and sell them. That's a way to earn money. Men also have to peel the hemp. Men also have to make sorghum rafts, make brooms, and cook brooms, and they have to sell them. Men also have to make bricks, and build and repair houses! "Early and Second Son, even if you go out, I don't know what will happen. It's better to stay here and clear some wasteland. Our baby gave us so many seeds, so we can plant next year. Just now, I touched the cloth of the soybean bag, and the yellow face cloth, and then touched the fabric of Li Ru's quilt. What do you think?..."

The whole family felt it, and the fourth brother said, "It seems the same—soft and comfortable." Old Lady Li added, "Our children's coats are warm. Eldest wife, second wife, the quilts you've been covering yourself with these nights have been warm, haven't they?" the eldest brother said. Ah! The room was so quiet. The eldest brother realized what had happened, blushing! His wife blushed, too, and slapped him. Old Man Chai glared at him. Where was the caring son he promised her?! Old Lady Li quickly said, "If we could weave this cloth, what would our family have to worry about? There's so much work to do around the house, and we can still go out! We can try growing flowers for quilts. We can sell them, too! If we can grow flowers, we can sell them too! Don't go out. Just stay home and work." The three brothers lowered their heads and thought, "What I said is right." Just making money is enough, hehe, and I can still take care of my wife. "Okay!" the three brothers shouted in unison! A warm home for my wife and children—decided! Do it at home!

Old Lady Li divided the work. "Eldest and second brother, go and look around the fields to see if we have any grain that we haven't harvested yet. Second, look for land that no one has planted. There's loess close to home so we can make bricks. Old man, talk to the village chief. When you come back, carry back the sorghum stalks. We have to harvest them all. The millet seeds, too. Old man, you didn't plant sweet potatoes on the wasteland, did you?" Old Man Chai said, "No, they're all behind our house. Dig as much as you can eat. Once we finish digging the cellar, we'll see if we can store it." Old Lady Li came up again. "Old man, rub the sorghum. Fourth brother, dig a big ditch to make it tight and put something on top. If it's not well-drained, it will break if you pull it. Go and check what was done a few days ago to press it into the water. Wang Minbao spent money making clothes for the children. Let's go!"

Old Lady Li went to the kitchen to cook for Li Ru and her grandson. Old Man Chai and his son dug together and found a large puddle that looked like a small lake. It was about a man's height, which was fine. It was close to the south wall and expanded outwards. "Let's talk to the village chief later."

The two men put all the hemp stalks they'd pulled the previous night into the well and went to fetch water. They had a well at home, and the water was shallow, making it easy to draw water. This well seemed like running water, the surface never reaching the bottom, and it was always this deep! Father and son spent over an hour finally covering it tightly. The fourth son found a lot of large rocks to press down on it, soaking it, and fetched water for another half an hour before pouring it in. He also covered it with large rocks from the previous day's soaking. He fetched water again, soaking it completely.

Rub the sorghum, Lao Si, quickly, Old Man Chai is furious. The two grandsons are full and playing in Lao Si's room. Old Lady Li comes over with a dustpan and sack. Old Lady Li ignores her, saying that the child works quickly, and it's not good. What a father's roll of the eyes! Old Lady Li feels sorry for her son and suddenly remembers that there was a kind of gloves made of a cloth that was not thick but hard last night. Old Lady Li goes to get two pairs and throws them to the father and son. She says, put them on and try. Lao Si puts them on and rubs them, and his hands don't hurt and he works quickly. Old Man Chai puts them on and his eyes light up, not bad! This is a good thing, and the old man is also quick. Old Lady Li fills the sack.