She picked up the young prime minister while fleeing famine

However, seeing Xiaoshuang'er so serious as she was picking soybeans in the field, Banxia couldn't help but pick her up and put her on the edge of the field.

"Little Shuang'er, this is not how you harvest soybeans."

"You're still young, so just cheer on your older brothers and sisters. You don't need to do anything else. All you need to do is follow me and pick up the beans that have fallen on the ground."

Banxia smiled and patted Xiaoshuang'er's head, then said to the three boys.

Then, she waved and started working with Lian Chengmo. She could keep an eye on the younger ones, but as for the older one, well, let him be.

The two men were cutting the half-dried soybeans in front, while the three boys followed behind picking up the fallen ones. As for Xiao Shuang'er, she actually stood by the field and cheered them on.

When Mr. and Mrs. Wu arrived with their eldest son, Qi Yun, this was the scene they witnessed. They exchanged a glance and silently joined the soybean harvesting effort.

After more than two months of recuperation, Qi Lei can stand up again. The injury he suffered back then didn't damage his bones or muscles much, and now it doesn't affect his work at all.

Banxia initially tried to persuade her, but seeing that Wu Shi only kept her head down and worked without saying a word, Qi Lei smiled and said it was nothing. Qi Yun happily joined the three boys in playing and picking beans, looking like he was there to have fun.

Alright, they wouldn't listen to any of them, so Banxia went with them.

With the help of two strong adults, the 1.5 mu of soybeans were harvested in one day, leaving only the small patch of hemostatic grass planted by Banxia and Lianchengmo.

However, the small patch of pinellia was almost ripe, and she planned to harvest the herbs after finishing the beans and hand them in as her homework.

In ancient times, beans were not classified very finely. Soybeans, mung beans, peas, and broad beans were all called soybeans, while the soybeans grown by Pinellia ternata were the most widely used.

Soybeans can be roasted and eaten directly, or ground into powder and eaten as a whole grain, making them a common staple food for ordinary people.

But Banxia didn't intend to eat soybeans like that. Not to mention that soybeans can be pressed for oil, there are so many soy products that you could eat them every day for ten days or half a month.

Banxia wouldn't waste resources by grinding soybeans into powder and eating them directly; that would be a real waste of food.

However, the soybeans that were just harvested haven't been threshed yet and aren't dry enough, so we'll have to wait a while before we can eat any soy products.

After gathering all the beans and placing them in the front yard, Banxia wanted Qi Lei and the others to stay for dinner. However, Wu Shi made an excuse that her father-in-law and youngest son had no one to take care of them, and then simply took her husband and the child and left.

Banxia shrugged helplessly, knowing that Wu wanted to repay the kindness of saving her life back then, so she didn't chase after her to stop her.

"I'll cook some more food later and have Ayu and Changshan deliver some to their family," Lian Chengmo said gently, trying to smooth things over when he saw the little girl's reaction.

Today it's his turn to cook. His skills are definitely not as good as the young lady's, but I'm sure the Qi Sanshui family won't mind.

Just kidding, Qi Sanshui's family certainly wouldn't complain. These days, Lian Chengmo and Banxia's family have the best food in the whole village.

Most of what we eat every day is refined grains, not to mention that we can eat meat every few days.

"Are you alright? Aren't you tired after doing so much work today? Otherwise, I can cook for you." Banxia looked at Xiaoguban with some concern.

After all, he is the son of a wealthy family. Apart from the hardships he endured while fleeing famine, today's farm work must have been the most tiring day for him.

"No need, come over for dinner in a bit." Lian Chengmo's expression remained unchanged as he beckoned Ayu back to assist him.

As for Xiao Shuang'er, she likes to stay close to the little girl, and Lian Chengmo is quite at ease leaving her here, so he'll let her play here.

"..." Banxia felt that something was not right.

Unable to figure it out, the person went to work on the soybeans. Some of the ones they had brought back earlier were still being dried, but now that it was getting dark, they had to be taken in and covered with an oilcloth.

Otherwise, the heavy dew at night will soak the plants, and all the sun-drying will be for nothing.

The three little ones followed Banxia around, busying themselves. They weren't afraid of getting pricked; while Banxia carried large bundles, they carried small bundles, gradually gathering up the spread-out soybean stalks and piling them into a small mountain.

One and a half acres of soybeans is quite a lot. After finishing, they covered it with an oilcloth. Banxia then saw a bag full of soybeans that the children had collected that day.

She picked it up and weighed it; it was about five or six pounds, which was quite a lot.

Those soybeans still on the stalks will probably take three days to thresh, and after threshing, they will need to be dried for a few more days to be completely dry before they can be stored and used.

However, these five or six jin can be used for now, but she still needs a stone mill. No matter what kind of bean products she makes, she has to grind the soybeans first.

Thinking of this, Banxia looked at the mule in the yard. After raising it for so long, it could finally be put to use. Hehe.

It turns out that mules can be used for transportation, but once they reach the valley, there's almost no use for them, so they've gotten quite fat.

With that in mind, Banxia told the children to stay home obediently while she went to find Carpenter Yao.

There was no other way; there were no stonemasons in the village, so she could only see if carpenter Yao could make a stone mill.

"We're trying to figure out what you're talking about."

“In the past, everyone in northern Xinjiang grew coarse grains, and two or three stone mills in the village were not enough.”

"But back then, we always had people from the next village do it. I didn't know if it would work. I guess we'd have to try a few times."

"Don't worry, Miss Banxia, ​​when the stone mill is finished, it will definitely be yours first," Carpenter Yao assured her, patting his chest.

It's true that their village was too poor. Not only was his family the only carpenter, but there wasn't a single stonemason.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a craft, as if artisans make a lot of money and never have to worry about food and drink. In reality, a set of tables and chairs can be used for three generations, and a set of stone mills can be used for countless generations.

Therefore, if craftsmen can't get any work, they might as well be farmers. And even if they do get work, a set of tables and chairs might not sell for much money.

Because cheap timber can't fetch a good price, and good timber is too expensive for anyone to buy.

Their craftsmanship is generally average, so wealthy people won't order from them, and ordinary people can't afford anything too good. How much they earn in a year depends entirely on luck and the demand from the surrounding villages.

"So that's how it is. I think Lian Chengmo seems to understand these things. Why don't you ask him, Carpenter Yao?" Banxia thought that carpenters and stonemasons were not much different, but she didn't expect that Carpenter Yao didn't know how to do stonemasonry and she would have to try.

But she didn't want to wait too long, and thinking of Lian Chengmo's book on mechanisms and formations, she made a suggestion.

"Wouldn't this be too much trouble for the young master?" Carpenter Yao was tempted, but then he hesitated when he thought of the young master's always stern face.

"Don't worry, even though Lian Chengmo always looks serious, he's willing to do anything that's good for everyone."

"You've been watching for so long, has he ever shown any impatience with the various construction projects in the village?" Banxia smiled slightly, exposing the man's true colors.