Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

On the first day, Li Donghuali woke up late and skipped breakfast. The women spent the morning making clothes. Old Lady Li placed a cotton-padded jacket beside Li Dong. Li Dong tried it on and it fit him perfectly. He walked out the door and asked about his aunt. Old Lady Li smiled and said, "I made this for you. Wear it and don't take it off. This one is a little thin. I'll make a thicker one in a few days. Wash up and get ready for lunch."

At noon, everyone got up and cooked pork ribs and potatoes, stir-fried green peppers with meat, and steamed buns made with leavened dough. They also made egg soup and a cucumber salad. Everyone enjoyed a delicious meal. Li Dong went to the east end of the yard to do some carpentry work. Chai He went to work with Li Dong, sawing wood boards, pulling the saw. It was a job for two people.

After a while, the village chief came and said to Chai Zhen with a smile, "Uncle, the cow was sold to our village. The conditions are a little better. I gave it 25 taels of silver, which is a good price. Each person gets one tael of silver, and there is still 83 and 4 more coins. Everyone is at home now. As long as the men who came that day are counted, it means that they all stepped forward to face the problems together. The spirit is commendable. There are three brothers Jiahe, Ping'an, Li Dong, you, uncle, me, Sun Quan, and Chai Xin, a total of 12 people. I divided it into bags. Uncle, your family can give it to you. Here are 10 bags, and mine is 2 bags. I'll take the 4 coins. Chai Zhen said, "If you want it, you deserve it for your hard work." "Yes." "The most important thing is to sit for a while. Ping'an wants to build a few houses and burn bricks by himself. I'm thinking of looking for clay in the fields. Let's see if there is any wasteland first. Can you dig the soil in the ground? "Sun Gui said, "There's no need to ask. We can decide for ourselves, unless the land is too vast. Besides, you're just digging the soil, and you can plant it afterwards. You haven't taken it for yourself. You can dig it." Sun Gui added, "Uncle, let's do the kiln together. I'm also making bricks and want to build a kiln." Chai Zhen said, "Why not? Where should we build the kiln?" The village chief thought about it and said, "Go to the river at the west end. It's convenient for getting water." "Okay." "Let's go north." "Start tomorrow." "Let's take a break tonight. Everyone's been tired lately. As for building the kiln, let's build a big one at once. Anyone can use it. It will be convenient for the whole village. Just let everyone line up at your place! It's good for us and for the village." Sun Gui said, "That's it. Start tomorrow. Let's see who in the village is free to come and work." Chai Zhen also said that this is a good idea. More people means more work. It unites everyone. It will inspire the whole village! Sun Gui said, "I'm leaving first." "Okay," Chai Zhen saw him out.

In the afternoon, Jiaxing and Jiayu were fishing for hemp. Chai Ping'an, Chai Zhen, Old Lady Li, Wang Min, and Zhang Baohua were all peeling the hemp. As Jiayu fished, he said to his brother, "Brother, hurry up! I can fish in this pond, I see." Jiaxing replied, "Just watch you. I'll go faster if you're faster." The fourth child went into the water, wearing only a single layer of clothing. It was freezing! Look how fast he was! Before nightfall, all the hemp, which had been fermenting for four or five days, was gone. Old Lady Li quickly brought him some water for a bath and let him immerse in the hot water. Then she went to the west room to get some clothes.

Ru found the fourth child's cotton-padded jacket, an old one from last year. She had patched it up, thinking of giving it to her younger brother, but her mother had made a new one instead. She also pulled out a set of underwear. It was tight, the tightest she'd ever seen, but also loose enough. She found a single layer of clothing, put it over the cotton-padded jacket, and handed it to her mother.

The fourth child dressed, ran into the west room, and climbed onto the kang. His singlet returned, untouched. He slid into bed, then onto the kang. He held the child and played with his daughter. The daughter said, "Daddy's cold, so cold!" The little kid laughed at the fourth child's antics and reached out his hand to touch his face. Li Ru went to fetch firewood and put it on the kang, warming the room even more. Jiaxing fetched hot water and a change of clothes. Later, he poured out the fourth child's bath water and cleaned the bucket. He helped his father peel the hemp skin. "We've done quite a bit this afternoon, and we've torn out quite a bit of hemp. We'll finish it tomorrow," Chai Zhen said. "Hongying, Wang Min, and Baohua will tear it tomorrow. Laogui and I have agreed to start the kiln tomorrow and prepare to make bricks. You can dig up any clay you want. Let's go to the wasteland to the north and look for it. We'll dig up as much soil as we can." Jiaxing said, "A few days ago, I went east of our house to drive the cattle. I went down the deep ditch and headed north. It felt a bit slippery and sticky red, making it difficult to walk. Is that clay?" Chai Zhen listened to the second son's description and said, "I'll go check it out tomorrow. It's just that this road is difficult to walk on. Let's check it out first." It was almost dark. Old Lady Li and her two daughters-in-law were cooking, and Li Dong and Jia He were finishing work. They all came to tear the hemp skins. Looking at the hemp hanging out to dry, no one complained. They just wanted to make a lot of money. It was better than having no work at all! Who would complain about being tired? They all wanted to work without sleep!

They didn't stop until Old Lady Li called for dinner. Everyone carried the bare poles to the east end, where they stored firewood for the fire. The poles were so beautiful, white and shiny. "Poles are strong," Chai Zhen suddenly thought. With the ox carts pulling soil, they needed baffles in front and behind the cart sheds. He immediately said, "Everyone, wait and find some thick, long poles. We'll weave them into baffles. We have oxen at home, too. Let's use the ox carts to pull soil, which will save us effort and allow us to get more!" Everyone shouted in unison, "We didn't think of this. Great! Let's weave them after dinner."

After dinner, the women would sew, making cotton-padded clothes for the men in the family. This year, cotton was used instead, so each man would get a new coat, patching up last year's coats as thin ones.

Men made the fenders for the carts. Hemp stalks are flexible and strong. Young people were attending school nearby. They used hemp strips. They made it into a flat surface and wrapped the edges with rattan, making it densely packed. The winnowing baskets at home were woven with rattan, making them durable and strong. There were four in total. Chai Zhen asked everyone to wash their hands and then go to the fourth brother's house. Seeing that everyone was there, Chai Zhen said, "The village chief's cow was sold. It was from our village. The family was well-off. It was sold for twenty-five taels of silver. The men who had the accident that day and went to drive the cows all had it. The three brothers Jiahe, Ping'an, Li Dong, me, Chai Xin and the other four people, the village chief and his son, a total of twelve people, divided it. Each person got one tael of silver and eighty-three coins. I will distribute the money to everyone. Our family has ten shares in total. Chai Zhen distributed it to each person. "One or two more." The whole family was happy! There are still four cents left. Chai Zhen will go home tonight and take it back. He put it in his pocket. "Go to bed early. I'm going back." Old Lady Li said, "Fourth brother, please see your grandfather off." "The fourth child watched his grandfather enter the house before coming back.

Li Dong said to Chai Ping'an, "Uncle, how come there's still some of mine?" Chai Ping'an said, "This is the village chief's share. You should take it. The village chief always does things for a reason. Take it." Old Lady Li said, "When you encounter something, you are also brave enough to step forward. You should also have a share. Take it."

Li Dong gave the money to Old Lady Li and said, "Auntie, I made me a cotton-padded jacket. Please take the money." Old Lady Li replied, "It just took a little time to make it. It's nothing special. I won't take the money. Please keep it and spend it on your future marriage." Li Dong had no choice but to accept it. Chai Ping'an said, "You will earn money every day from working. Everyone in the family will be paid. Please keep it." Li Dong gave the money to his sister and asked her to keep it for him. "Okay, okay." When her brother came home, she gave the money back to him. The man went to bed early. The woman had to work hard.

Everyone slept well that night!

Daybreak arrived, the sun beaming. Early in the morning, Chai Zhen arrived with his nephews and grandsons. He brought Ping An, Chai Xin, and Jia Yu, along with sickles and hoes, to check the clay in Donggou. Old Lady Li cooked and fed the chickens. Baohua washed clothes. Li Dong and the eldest brother worked as carpenters. The remaining Chai Dong, Shuai, Pai, Jiaxing, and Wang Min peeled hemp.

The village chief held a gong and walked around, banging it, shouting, "It's time for a meeting, it's time for a meeting, let's go to the square for a meeting." "Dong dong, dong dong!"

Dongdong! Kuangkuang! Someone came out, "Village chief, is the meeting starting now?" Sun Gui: "Hurry up, let's go to the square." "Kangkuang" "The meeting is starting!" The village chief went around the village one by one. By the time he finished his rounds, the sun was already high in the sky, and the village chief was tired. He went home, got some steamed bread, and ate it while walking.

The village chief arrived at the square, a patch of grassless land with a mound of earth. Standing on it, he saw that almost everyone had arrived—about fifty households, each with a child in hand. He said loudly, "Quiet!" He continued, "Our village is building a brick kiln. Every household must provide one worker. Those who want to make bricks or build houses with bricks should line up here. Even if we're not building, we still need one person. Someone asked, "Can a woman do it?" Sun Gui replied, "No, women can't do the heavy work. Men can't be lazy!" There are always lazy people everywhere. Sun Gui looked at the person who was speaking. He saw it was one of the village's bachelors. Their village was called Taoyuan Village. Legend has it that there were many beautiful, pink mountain peach blossoms. Men farmed and women wove, though their lives were hardship, but they were also carefree. It took countless years for the village to become what it is today. The village is remote and lazy, so some people can't find wives. "You don't have a wife, and you still want women to work? You're the only one who can." "You deserve it." Someone started talking. "The child isn't ugly, and he's not very old." "His mother is the most tired of the family, getting up before dawn every day to work." "Oh, it's her mother's fault, she just liked him because he's pretty!" "The lazy have good fortune." The village chief looked at them and said, "Go home, grab your pickaxes, pick up your baskets, and walk north along the river. You'll see him there. I'll be waiting there. Let's go!"

Their village, far from being a poor village in the entire county, had plenty of fertile land, but they simply didn't want to plant more. They could sell some crops, but they were lazy. Gradually, more and more land became barren. Alas, they couldn't starve to death.

"Untrained in the ways of the great, born in hardship, die in comfort!" The village chief was also worried. He was the only one in the village who was a scholar. Fortunately, his villagers listened to him, so no one died, but some did not live well.

Chai Zhen, Chai Xin, Ping'an, and Jiayu descended to the eastern cliff. Looking up, they saw a depth of more than ten feet, and the vegetation below was dense, making it difficult to see clearly from above. So, they personally walked down the cliff. From their home, they followed the cliff northward, following a gentle slope. Their previous trip southward had involved almost a straight climb, which was arduous. While it was manageable with light luggage, carrying or pulling things was impossible. This time, the path they found was longer, but it could be used by oxcart. The western cliff face was clay, and rain washed away the clay beneath, leaving the roadway and allowing it to be dug up. No one had explored, and they knew where to go south and north. Looking around, Chai Zhen remembered a man who once went hunting west of the village, barely making ends meet. He had no idea what the mountains were like. He heard that to the west, there were mountains upon mountains. He didn't know how far he was until Shanxi Prefecture, but he also heard that Shanxi Prefecture was poor. Their place belonged to Pingjin Prefecture, Taoyuan County, and Taoyuan Village. For generations, no one had left the village. Only the women who married into the village rarely left. The changes of history outside rarely affected this place. No one held official positions, only farmed. Men farmed and women wove, a very isolated place. Over the years, his family had a family, and they hadn't been back for three years. Chai Zhen said, "Let's go back. When we have time, let's go further. Let's walk south." After dinner, everyone went to the river. The village chief arrived, and villagers were walking down the road in groups of three or four.

The kiln was located northwest of the village, across the sandbank, slightly east of the land. A large hole was dug, with a fire underneath and a rack above. Mud bricks were placed on the rack, and the bricks hardened through the fire. Many people brought brick molds. Chai Zhen said, "Find a few people to haul the mud, and use the oxcarts." The village chief said, "Okay." "Fourth Brother, go and drive ours. Go slowly. Take ten men and pickaxes." Sun Gui asked Sun Quan to drive his oxcart. Chai Xin said, "Uncle, I only have oxen." Chai Zhen said, "Go to your brother's house. Li Dong is working on it. See if it's done." "Yes," Chai Xin said, and went to Ping'an's house.

Near the east weir, a frame was dug downwards. The frame had to be made of iron. Sun Gui asked who had iron bars, even large iron plates. "Give me money." "Ten coins per catty." After asking, it wasn't much. The village chief said to Chai Zhen, "If that doesn't work, let's go to the county!" "That's the only way." He left a few people to dig the hole and sent more people to haul soil. "Chai Dong, you keep an eye on it here." Sun Gui called Chai Zhen aside and said, "Second uncle, let's go back and make some hemp rope for me. I'll try to sell it in the county tomorrow!" "Okay, let's go, we'll go back now."

Chai Zhen, the village chief, Jia Xing, called the general and the party, and went back together. Sun Gui wrote down the names of those who had come today. As he left, he said, "Everyone, listen to Uncle Chai Dong. If anyone here wants to make bricks, you will be given priority. This will benefit everyone in the future. If anyone doesn't come, those who live close to them should send a message. If they don't come for a day, they will pay ten cents, which will be considered as wages for their labor." "Okay!"

Sun Gui went home and picked up two baskets of hemp. When he arrived at Ping'an's door, Chai Zhen was already ready. Less than an hour later, Sun Gui returned home and picked up two more baskets, finishing the job by noon. Twenty-five twenty-meter-long three-split ropes. Sun Gui happily placed the ropes in the baskets. Jiaxing helped him carry a load and took it home. Two hundred pounds! Sun Gui thought he could sell them for fifty taels of silver!

In the afternoon, Chai Zhen put together twenty more pieces of hemp that his family had torn into pieces over the past few days.

That evening, the village chief arrived and agreed to go to the county the next day. Chai Xin, Chai Zhen, and the village chief, Jiaxing, along with four others, would depart by oxcart, leaving at dawn. Chai Dong would oversee the kiln factory and build the brick kiln. "Jiaxing, tell your uncle you won't be pulling hemp stalks tonight. Go to bed early." Old Lady Li heated up the kang where the men slept and put in a large bag of firewood. Old Lady Li took out Dad's cotton-padded jacket and gave it to him, saying, "Dad, you'll be leaving early tomorrow. It's cold. Wear your cotton-padded jacket." Chai Zhen happily took it and said, "Okay." Baohua also took out Jiaxing's cotton-padded jacket and gave it to him. "Wear it tomorrow," Jiaxing said. "I'll sleep in our room tonight. Go heat up the kang." Baohua went to fetch the firewood. Jiaxing put on his underwear first, then his cotton-padded jacket, and finally his outer layer. Jiaxing said, "Baohua, look at how good I look!" "Yes, I look good in anything," he muttered. "You look even better without any clothes. You grown man, yet you're still conceited!" Jiaxing, with his sharp ears, heard her mutter. "Say more, daughter-in-law! I love to hear you!" Hahaha, hahaha. Zhang Baohua lowered her head and just added wood to the fire. When the kang was ready, she ran out.