Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around
Chapter 5: A great harvest in autumn, Little Dumplings celebrate autumn
On the third day after the little girl was born, just as the sky was getting light, her resounding voice broke through the darkness before dawn. "I've slept enough, I need to get up," she tried to say. Instead, she just wailed. She was so angry that she ahed and ahed hard... The whole family woke up. Until she managed to trick her two older brothers into going away...
"My sister is calling me, asking me to play with her," Hengheng said to his mother. "I need to get dressed," the little guy said, and he got up, his bare bottom waiting for his mother to put on his clothes, hiding his feet. "Mom, hurry up!" Zhang Baohua was afraid the child would catch a cold, so she quickly got up to dress him and put on his shoes, then opened the door. Hengheng ran out on his short legs, shouting, "Sister, brother is here, brother is here to play with you, hehe." With his bare head, he ran to the west-most room, patting the door with his little paws and shouting, "Sister, brother is here." The fourth child was already up and opened the door. "You little brat, you're up so early!" He picked up his little nephew, went into the house, took off his shoes, and put him on the bed. "Come play with your sister."
Old Lady Li also got up, washed her hands, and made a bowl of noodles with two poached eggs for the fourth son's wife. She told the fourth son to bring it to his wife, letting her eat first. Old Lady Li said to the fourth son, "Your wife's health has been damaged giving birth to you. You must make sure she eats well and rests well to recuperate. Remember that." Old Lady Li also whispered, "No sex for this month. Let your wife recover." The fourth son lowered his head, blushing, and said, "Mom, I know. I found out yesterday. I ran into Zhang Er's wife on the way, and she told me. I went there." Old Lady Li said, "Okay." Let your wife eat while it's hot.
Huanhuan, meanwhile, was slow to dress himself. The little boy knew not to burden his mother, so he insisted on getting dressed himself. After getting dressed, he slowly climbed down, clutching the quilt with his hands. Once he got down, he sat down on the ground. He felt embarrassed, and then, with his hands on the ground, he lifted his little butt and climbed up. How do you put these shoes on? Little Huanhuan scratched his head with his little hands and called softly for his mother. Wang Min was already dressed, squatted down to put on his son's shoes, patted his head, and whispered, "Go ahead." Huanhuan was taller than his brother, so he could reach the door with his hands raised. He opened it and ran out. Wang Min smiled silently at her son. The eldest son also dressed and stood up, looking down at his wife with narrowed eyes, which made Wang Min shy. The eldest son laughed heartily, feeling sweet at his wife. Wang Min stepped forward and slapped him. "Get out of the way! I'll fold the quilt and make the bed. You go cut some ears of corn for a while." Jia He laughed heartily and left, leaving Wang Min blushing.
Wang Min quickly folded the quilt neatly and swept the floor. She placed a small table by the bed, where a bowl of water usually sat. At the foot of the bed sat a large wooden box, where the washed clothes were placed, and nothing else. Wang Min quickly left, closing the door behind her.
The two daughters-in-law helped Old Lady Li cook while the men cut the ears of grain. When the meal was ready, Old Lady Li called out, "Dinner's ready." The two daughters-in-law set the meal on the courtyard table, all laughing and joking, and came to eat breakfast. Old Lady Li took care of her two grandsons, a thin vegetable porridge with millet flatbreads. It wasn't good, but it was enough to fill their stomachs, a sign of a middle-class family. After everyone finished their meal, Old Man Chai, along with his three sons and two daughters-in-law, each with a sickle, and four male laborers, carried four teams of baskets and headed out to the fields.
On the way north, they ran into their neighbor, Old Man Sun, who was a year younger than Old Man Chai. Old Man Sun called out to Old Man Chai, saying, "Brother Chai, has your family had another baby? Why haven't I heard any children crying?" Old Man Chai glanced at Old Man Sun and said, "My granddaughter is so well behaved, she doesn't cry. Humph, who is like your eldest grandson, who is eight or nine years old and still cries all day long? Aren't you annoying?" After saying this, Old Man Chai didn't wait for Old Man Sun to say anything. He stood straight, didn't even look back, and walked forward with the basket on his shoulder. His son and daughter-in-law also followed their father and walked quickly forward.
Old Chaitou was furious all the way. When he got to the field, he said to his son and daughter-in-law, "Whoever wants to say anything bad about our Guoguo, just fight back. Remember that." He put down the basket and went to harvest the grain. Old Chaitou was still muttering, "You want to say that my granddaughter is unhealthy and dislikes girls? Bah, look at your grandson, he's like a big fool, crying all day long, can't say a word properly, doesn't understand anything, and still wants to say something bad about my granddaughter. I'll fight you back every time I see you, hum..." It wasn't until the eldest brother Chai He called him, "Dad, come and have a cigarette and take a break." The old man finally stopped. "Dad, look, if we work harder today we'll be lucky if we can harvest half of the crops." Old Chaitou looked at the endless fields and said, "Well, we have to work harder. There's also the wasteland we've cleared, which is about seven or eight acres. We'll first cut the sorghum ears off the wasteland, then cut the stalks, and bring them all home. After we finish harvesting the main land, we'll harvest the millet on the small wasteland, and make sure the birds don't eat all of it. We'll be lucky if we can finish harvesting it in half a month. There won't be much left for the rest." The eldest brother hummed and said, "Dad, take a rest for a while, your son will do it first."
Old Man Chai said, "Go ahead."
Old man Chai is just over forty years old and still young. He smokes a pack of cigarettes and then goes to work.
A good deal of rice had already been harvested. The eldest brother looked up at the sky, noting it was almost noon. He called to the second and fourth brothers, "Let's take it home." Each of the three brothers carried a full load of rice. Not to be outdone, Old Chaitou filled two baskets with rice, stalks and ears included, and headed back. The two daughters-in-law continued harvesting in the fields.
The two wives gathered together, working and talking. The eldest, Wang Min, said, "Our fourth brother's daughter cried a few times when she was born, but I haven't heard her cry since." The second, Zhang Baohua, said, "I think there's something different about our fourth brother's daughter. That cry today..." Before the second wife could finish, the eldest, Wang Min, said, "That wasn't crying. I think... it was a cry, a very loud cry." The second wife thought about it and agreed that it was a cry. She decided to go home and talk to her mother. So, she said, "Sister-in-law, let's stop talking. Let's get back to work. Let's talk inside behind closed doors. Don't let outsiders overhear and start talking nonsense." The eldest wife said, "Yes, let's get back to work." The two women were very efficient. They didn't talk much, just focused on their work. By then, the three brothers had arrived. Wang Min said, "Stop cutting, you three, and keep picking it up. Let's get to work." The boss looked at his wife and didn't say anything. He thought, really, she's almost as stupid as him. There's only a little bit of stuff in her head, nothing else. Hehe, I really want to pin her to the ground and give her a good beating. The boss's wife didn't know what he was thinking. If she knew, she would scold him and say, "You're going to suffocate me. You're working yourself to death, and you still have these perverse thoughts." The boss looked at his wife and suddenly glared at him. He shrugged and went back to work. It's not tiring to work with a man and a woman together. Hehe, the boss smiled wickedly.
They worked until the sun was setting, and then returned, feeling no one tired. The four men, each carrying a full basket, and the woman also carrying a large bundle, went home laughing and joking. As they crossed the gentle slope, Old Man Chai stopped and glanced back. They were halfway done. He smiled softly. He wiped the sweat off his face with a sweat towel, picked up his load, and headed home. The four men spread the rice evenly before washing their hands.
Old Lady Li cooked some thin rice porridge, which she treated as water. She gave each person a white flour cake with a little chopped green onion, oil, and salt. The whole family praised the deliciousness of the cakes. However, white flour cakes were not enough to fill you up. The wheat harvest was low, and there was little white flour. This was all taken up by the fourth daughter-in-law. While the daughter-in-law was in confinement and it was the busy autumn season, she asked the family to improve their diet and eat millet flour cakes. However, even this was not enough to fill you up. If you were not full, you could drink more thin porridge. Old Lady Li saw that everyone was eating, so she served another bowl of porridge with an egg in it and gave it to the fourth daughter-in-law. She also took out two good flour cakes and glanced at her granddaughter. The baby didn't affect her mother's meal. Old Lady Li went out and closed the door behind her.
Grandma Li called her grandsons over and asked them to sit next to her. Huanhuan could eat by himself, so she picked up a soft piece of bread and gave it to her eldest grandson. She fed him two mouthfuls of soup and let Huanhuan eat by himself. She put a cotton pad under the little grandson and let Hengheng sit down. She said, "Let mom eat. Grandma will feed you. Your mom is tired from work. Grandma will feed you." She tore off the biscuit core and fed the soft piece to Hengheng. Hengheng opened his little mouth and chewed it slowly. She fed him two more mouthfuls of soup and ate it slowly. She had to let this precious grandson of mine eat well. Hengheng said that grandma would eat too, and raised his little hand to put the biscuit into his grandma's mouth. Grandma Li said, "Hengheng, eat it. Grandma is eating it. It's fragrant, sweet, and chewy."
Everyone enjoyed the meal with relish. Seeing that they were almost done, Old Lady Li told them to go back to their rooms and sleep, including the two daughters-in-law. She cleared the dishes and said, "Go ahead." The two daughters-in-law quickly washed up and went to rest. Soon, only the two grandsons and Old Man Chai were left in the yard.
Old Man Chai said, "You should eat quickly. Although you didn't go to the fields, there is still a lot of work to do at home. It's enough to keep you busy. You should eat and then take a rest." Old Mrs. Li said, "Well, you go first. I'll stay for a while." Old Man Chai took his eldest grandson and carried his youngest grandson back to the house to rest.
Old Lady Li brought the dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen, wiped the stone table in the courtyard, swept the area, and tidied it up. She washed the dishes and pots, then sat on the kitchen threshold for a simple meal. Only when the kitchen was spotless did Old Lady Li take off her apron, hang it on the wall, and exit. She walked to the main gate, closed it, and secured it with the lever. She returned to her room and lay down on the small couch. Old Man Chai and his grandson slept on the kang, so Old Lady Li didn't go up there.
Another day passed. Old Mrs. Li got up and walked over to look at her grandson. "Alas! What a world this is! We'll see..."
Old Lady Li stood up and went to the kitchen to boil water. She placed the kettle on the stove, squatted down, and added firewood to the fire. Looking at the roaring flames, Old Lady Li whispered that she hoped the family would get better and better. Old Lady Li thought of her grandchildren and no longer felt pessimistic. She added more firewood and the fire was roaring!
The water boiled. Old Lady Li took the kettle and bowls and went out to the yard. She placed the bowls on the stone table, rinsed them with water, and let them air dry. Old Lady Li picked up the kettle again and boiled more water. Sitting on the kitchen threshold, she thought about the crops she had grown and calculated the year's food supply. She also had to factor in the public rations. Ten months would be good. But what about the other two months? What would the family eat? What if something unexpected happened?...
"Alas, let's focus on the present and gather all the food first." San'er had disappeared, and Old Lady Li shed two tears, which she quickly wiped away. Old Man Chai approached her and said, "Don't be sad. Everything will be fine." Old Man Chai, an optimistic man, advised his wife.
Old Man Chai looked up at the sky, realizing it was time to go to the fields. He shouted, "Get up, let's go." Old Lady Li saw Old Fourth coming out and said, "Jia Yu, go get the rooster from the chicken coop and kill it. I'll stew it this afternoon for your wife to eat." Old Fourth Chai went off with a smile. The others drank some water and left first. They had a lot of work to do this afternoon.
Old Lady Li boiled some water, grabbed a kettle, a wooden basin, and a board. Old Chai followed, carrying the chicken. They went to the eastern side of the house, about fifty or sixty meters away, where there were some dead leaves. Old Lady Li said, "Let's kill it right here." Before Old Lady Li finished speaking, the chicken was already dead. His mother laughed, "You're really quick." Old Lady Li put down the basin, and Old Chai placed the chicken in. Old Lady Li filled it with water, pouring the entire kettle over it. It was done. Old Chai plucked the feathers. He tugged at the feathers, and then, with a tug, they pulled them down. The feathers stood up, and the skin stood up too. Old Lady Li slapped Old Chai, "You're too strong! Be gentle." This time, Old Chai pulled gently and slowly, finally pulling the feathers free. Old Lady Li said, "I'll boil some more hot water and get some cold water. We'll wash it right here."
When Old Lady Li arrived home, her two grandsons had just gone out to look for their grandmother. The children followed behind her. Old Lady Li went into the kitchen to boil more water, added firewood to the stove, and sat down on a stool. She sat one grandson on each lap, then embraced them with both arms. She hugged them, kissing them on both sides, calling them "baby, dear." The younger grandson also hugged her and kissed her. "Grandma, I asked your fourth uncle to kill a chicken outside. I'll stew it for you this afternoon, my precious." After a while, the water boiled, and Old Lady Li put her grandson down. "Go wait for me in the yard." Old Lady Li picked up the kettle and called her grandsons, "Let's go wash the chicken." As Huanhuan and Hengheng left the yard, Zeng ran, calling out to their uncles. The younger one shouted, "Hengheng is here." The older one shouted, "Huanhuan is here." It made the work easier. The old lady arrived, carrying hot and cold water. The chicken feathers were already plucking. Lao Si placed the chicken on a board, cut open its belly, and removed the internal organs. He found the chicken's internal organs and threw away the rest. Old Lady Li mixed the water, and Lao Si washed it, then changed the basin of water and washed it again, until it was clean. Old Chai carried the things, while Old Lady Li picked up Heng Heng and pulled Huan Huan along, and they went home in a lively atmosphere.
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