Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

The roosters crowed, and the two wives woke up. They cooked, fed the chickens, and washed clothes. Then Old Lady Li got up, picked up her baskets, and went to the fields to pull radishes. The second wife went to the river to wash clothes, arriving at the village entrance. Carrying two buckets of clothes, she walked north and saw traces of hemp stalks being pulled out, just as the grass had disappeared and the river had widened. Zhang Baohua put down her buckets and walked north again. There was so much more that seemed endless. She walked back south, but seeing no more hemp stalks, she squatted down to wash clothes. As she washed, she thought, "This river flows north forever, who knows where it ends." North of our land was all wasteland. My father had reclaimed a lot of wasteland, and many people had also gone north, but I hadn't seen anyone for days. It was all wasteland, and trees were everywhere. There were trees nearby, but people didn't go far away. Gradually, people stopped going north. A few went to reclaim wasteland, hoping to grow more crops. But with bad years, fewer people reclaimed wasteland, and everyone planted fertile land. There's plenty of sand along the river, and even more to the west. Hemp stalks also grow on the west side. They're overgrown, too much. The people don't know what to do with them. Brambles are everywhere, but they don't know how to make money. They only know how to farm. Knowledge limits poverty! Being uneducated is truly terrifying.

Zhang Baohua finished washing clothes and headed home. She walked all the way but didn't see her neighbor to the west. She hung the clothes out to dry. She picked up her basket and went to the field to pull radishes.

It was almost noon when the women finally ate. The men also woke up and drank porridge, hoping to eat more at lunch. Several men went to retting the hemp. It was the fourth brother who went into the water again and brought up the stones. The brothers lowered the hemp and carried water to cover it. The fourth brother then went in to press the stones down. The water was almost level with the ground and could not be put in any more. The second and fourth brothers started carrying water again. The fourth brother said, "Dig a little wider and dig all the way to the south wall."

Old Man Chai also said, "Big Brother, go to the village head uncle's house and see if they're retting the flax properly. It must be soaked in water and pressed down with stones."

Jia He went. Jia He and Sun Quan were the same age, so they addressed each other by name and said, "Brothers, you two are good friends!"

Jiahe walked south along the riverbank and knocked on the door of the village chief's house. Sun Quan's wife opened the door, saw Jiahe, and invited him in, calling out, "Mom, Brother Jiahe is here." Sun Gui's wife, Zhang Qing, emerged from the house. "It's Jiahe! Come on in!" Jiahe said, "Auntie, I won't go in. My father asked me to come and see if the hemp is soaked properly. Auntie, just take me to see if it's soaked properly." Zhang Qing smiled and said, "Brother Chai is really thoughtful. Come with me, nephew! It's at the far end of the yard, in the southeast corner." Soon Sun Quan followed, his wife having asked him to come, saying, "Jiahe, take a look. Is it all soaked tightly?" Jiahe said, "Press it down with rocks. Some are exposed. No, it's not soaked tightly and can't be used. Find some bigger rocks." Jiahe and Sun Gui went together. Soon, a lot of hemp was brought in, and Jiahe took off his shoes and undid his trouser legs. Sun Quan said, "He, what are you doing? You told me to do it." Jia He replied, "Let me do it. Next time, you do it yourself. This time, you watch." Jia He went into the water. He placed a stone between the base and the tip of the hemp stalk, completely submerging it. Jia He came out, and Zhang Qing brought hot water. Jia He washed, put on his shoes, and lowered his pants. "A Quan, remember, soak it for fifteen days before fishing. Not a day more or less. I'll fish it out at my house tomorrow, and you can go to my house the day after tomorrow to learn how to tear the hemp skin. It's troublesome, but you can make money!" Zhang Qing said, "It's not bad if you can make money from the trouble. We are not afraid of putting in a little effort." Jia He patted Sun Quan on the shoulder, "Brother, let's go, remember what I said." Sun Quan sent Jia He to the door and said, "Brother, I looked at the riverside, there are a lot of hemp on the other side, let's get some more and sell them together." Jia He said, "Twisting ropes, what's the worry? Ask your mother if she can do it, whether she can weave cloth?" Jia He approached Sun Quan and whispered, "If we do it well, we can make a lot of money! This job, after a long time, everyone in our village will know about it. Now we should do as much as we can. There are a lot of hemp south of your house, but it's a bit far. Go back, sleep more in the afternoon, and work hard at night. Try to collect as much as possible. Let's go." Sun Quan watched Jia He walk away before going home.

At noon, Mrs. Li and her eldest daughter-in-law cooked a big pot of vegetables, including meat, cabbage, potatoes, green peppers, and peanut oil. The most important thing was the steamed buns with white and yellow flour, which were fragrant. You could smell it at the gate of the courtyard! The man pulled radishes and smelled it when he returned to the gate. The fourth child shouted, "Mom,

"Is the meal ready? It's time to eat. I'll work for another half day this afternoon. I've almost finished pulling out the big ones."

The second son's wife washed several baskets of white radish and was shredding them to dry. She also found the sorghum awnings she had woven last year and was hanging them out to dry.

At lunch, Old Man Chai said, "Today's meal is to celebrate Guoguo's 20th day at our home. The little girl is beautiful and has an even better heart. She's part of our family, Old Chai. Let's eat!"

Old Mrs. Li said, "Fourth brother, go to your relatives this afternoon. I'll pack your things for you later. Ask Ru what to bring back, and take everything. The others won't have a break at noon. Once you finish pulling the big white radishes, you won't have time tomorrow."

After dinner, the eldest son's wife washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Old Lady Li took a piece of cloth and wrapped ten steamed buns. She fished the meat out of the well, cut a large piece, and wrapped it in cabbage leaves. She took out a large bag of carrots from the back of the house and put it in a white cloth bag. She asked the fourth son to take them all to his room. Old Lady Li cut out two pieces of transparent cloth and cut out a large piece, as big as a house, with two layers, enough to cover the roofs of two rooms. She went to the kang hole and took out a large piece of white cloth with four quilt linings. She took out some flowers, enough to make three cotton-padded clothes. She took out a piece of cloth for cotton-padded clothes. One hundred meters per bag, and a barrel of oil. She asked the fourth son to take it to the west room. Half a bag of yellow flour, half a bag is one hundred pounds.

Li Ru looked at these things and burst into tears, speechless. She was filled with gratitude! Old Lady Li knew her daughter-in-law was a good person, and she was also worried that Li Ru would worry about her parents. The old couple were in poor health. Their son could still earn money, but their parents were constantly on medication. The family was poor, and even now, her brother still had no wife. She said to the fourth child, "Stay for a few days to see if the land has been harvested. Help with the harvest." "Sure, Mom."

The fourth child brought two baskets. Old Lady Li padded a basket with dry leaves, then placed a cloth and cotton on top. She wrapped the basket tightly with old cloth and then went to get a roll of black cloth. Three cabbages were placed on top. The other basket contained vegetable buns and transparent cloth. She told the fourth child that this was two layers of cloth, to be used as the roofing for the two rooms. "Go and re-roof the roof with your brother. Remember to seal the gaps between the bottom layer of wood with yellow mud. Then, lay the transparent cloth and cover it with a straw fan. Cover it tightly with the transparent cloth so no one can see!" Cover the fan with two layers of wood, press the corners firmly, then place the wood on top, and bring a few stones to hold it down. Li Ru then took out two sets of underwear and wrapped them for her mother to wear. Then the baby woke up. "Daddy, Mom, and Grandma are all busy. Seeing Mom, she cries." Grandma covered the baskets tightly with rags, filling the two large baskets. Old Lady Li said, "Go ahead. There are fewer people on the road at noon." She then added, "Tell your relatives that if anyone finds out, just say it was given by your son-in-law. Keep it a secret. Let's just say it was brought back by the third son. I've got it." "Yes, mother, I've got it." "Go ahead. It'll take at least half an hour. Tell your relatives that in ten days, on August 25th, our family will celebrate the full moon. It's harvest time, and we haven't told our in-laws to come visit for three days. Let's go." Old Fourth Li picked up his basket and left.

Grandma Li brought Ru a bowl of water and said, "Drink if you're thirsty." Then she looked at her granddaughter and said, "Grandma is going to the fields. I'll hold you tonight."

After Mrs. Li left, Li Ru thought of her father, mother, and brother, and felt sad. She hadn't forgotten to change the baby's diaper, so his pants weren't wet. She fed him, tears streaming down her face. She was so grateful to Mrs. Li. She had a good life and a good diet, but every time she ate well, she remembered her mother's hardships. Seeing the baby needing to be raised, she had to eat too. She had become a mother! The little baby ate obediently, one tiny hand touching her mother's belly, as if to comfort her. Li Ru felt the baby's soft hand and smiled, and her heart melted.

Three women and three men were working in the fields, pulling out the weeds very quickly. They finished before nightfall. The older ones had all returned home, and the younger ones were still growing. Even when it was cloudy, they pulled out the weeds quickly. Back home, the three men went to cut radish roots, Wang Minbao cut white radish shreds to dry in the sun, and Grandma Li fed the chickens and cooked. The two grandsons were playing with their younger sister. Li Ru, now dressed in thick clothes and able to go out, watched everyone go to work. The two grandsons woke up, Huanhuan looked at the younger brother, and Hengheng looked at the older brother. Grandma had forgotten about them. The two brothers had slept for most of the day and were still woken by the urge to pee. Li Ru looked at the two and forgot there were two more lying on her kang. The quilt was warm, and the little brats were sleeping so soundly that they had gotten enough sleep. Li Ru dressed the two children and let them play in the room. She went to heat up their food and set the table. Huanhuan sat on a stool and ate by himself, while Hengheng was fed by Li Ru. The little baby lay on the bed, shaking his hands and kicking his feet, thinking. Li Ru looked at her daughter and said, "Mom will feed your brother. I'll hold you and play with him later."

The yard was piled high with large radishes, their roots cut. The cherries were piled high, and the white radishes were covered with a layer of radish leaves. The floor was swept clean and tidied.