Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Thanks to the advent of the sickle, the Ji family was able to harvest wheat much faster, and within two days, all the wheat was brought back to the threshing ground.

Grandpa Ji carried two sickles and delivered them to Ji Laoliu and Ji Mancang's wheat harvesters, so that they could speed up the harvest.

Some villagers saw this and asked if they could make a sickle to harvest wheat, because the wheat in some plots ripened a little later and they had to wait two or three days before they could start harvesting.

Grandpa Ji waved his hand and said to do as instructed. If anyone didn't know how to do it, they could ask Ji Manchuan. This made the villagers very happy, and they praised the Ji family for their kindness and generosity.

The old man who was harvesting wheat, who had taken the sickle, also had tears in his eyes and said, "Fellow villagers, you are so kind and righteous, so kind and righteous."

Grandpa Ji waved his hand and said, "You said we're from the same village. All farmers in the world are hard-working people. Everyone has their difficulties. You can use this first."

The old man, a migrant worker, wiped the corner of his eye with his rough, calloused hands and asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Fellow villager, my grandson and I still have to work as migrant workers to get back home. I wanted to ask if I could make two of these scythes?"

"I'm not afraid of hardship, but my grandson is still a baby. Harvesting wheat is really exhausting, and I'm afraid he'll collapse on the way."

Looking at the ragged, emaciated old man before him, whose request was so simple, straightforward, and yet profound and heartfelt, Old Master Ji nodded and said, "This blade was made at the blacksmith's shop in my Ningping County market, and this bamboo basket is easy to make. If all else fails, you can take this scythe with you on the road."

The old man, a migrant worker, hurriedly refused, saying, "No need, no need. Fellow villager, I've already met a good person; I can't be greedy."

At the old Ji family farm, just after Old Master Ji left, Yang Laosan and his wife Feng stormed in, with Feng dragging Yang Jiafa, who was covered in excrement, along with him.

"Ji Manqing, aren't you going to do anything about your child? Look what your child has done to my child!" Before Feng Shi even arrived, his roar could already be heard.

Ji Manqing and Hu Xirong, who were stacking wheat, both stopped and turned to look at Feng.

Ji Manqing asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Feng pulled Yang Jiafa to Ji Manqing, shoved Yang Jiafa forward, and said, "What do you mean! Look at yourself, look at how covered in smears on my Jiafa!"

Ji Manqing fanned his nose and said, "Your kid's name is Shit-Hu, what does that have to do with my kid?"

Feng jumped up and down, saying, "What's it to you, kid! If it weren't for your Yongning and Yongzhou, would my kid have turned out this badly!"

Ji Manqing pinched his nose, took two steps back, and said, "Get to the point. Quickly pull your kid back, don't ruin my wheat."

Feng glared at Yang Laosan beside her and said, "Look at you, you're as tough as a tile. Your wife and children are being bullied, and you're just cowering behind them. Are you even a man?"

Yang Laosan grinned, his porcelain-like face contorted, and said to Ji Manqing, "Your kid bullied my kid, what do you say we do about it?"

Hu Xirong couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "You keep saying my child bullied your child, so tell me, how did my child bully your child?"

Feng clapped his hands and shouted angrily, "Are your eyes covered in shit? This is all your child's doing!"

Ji Manqing curled his lip and said, "Everyone can see whether my eye sockets are covered in poop or not, but your Jiajiafa is definitely covered in poop!"

Feng said angrily, "You—"

Hu Xirong interrupted Feng Shi, looked at Yang Jiafa, and said, "Jiafa, tell me, how did my Yongning and Yongzhou bully you? Did they throw this shit on you?"

Yang Jiafa hung his head and said, "No."

Feng grabbed Yang Jiafa's ear and said, "Is your mouth sewn shut? Tell me, how did Yongning and Yongzhou bully you!"

Yang Jiafa covered his ears, crying out in pain as he said, “I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I was holding a rubbed dung pad to clean my groin when Yongning and Yongzhou poked it with a stick behind me and shouted, ‘There’s a worm! There’s a worm! Jiafa’s groin is being bitten by a worm!’ I was so scared that I fell to the ground with a thud, and then… I got covered in smears.”

Ji Manqing chuckled, but seeing Feng Shi gritting her teeth as if she wanted to tear him apart, he immediately put on a serious face and said, "They're just kids, they're just playing around. When Yongning and Yongzhou come back, I'll have their mother give Meimei a good beating."

Hu Xirong suppressed a laugh and said, "Oh dear, these two naughty brats, they're itching for a beating! Wait till I teach them a lesson! Peach Blossom Mother, it was my child's fault. Why don't you take off the clothes the family gave him, and I'll go wash them?"

Just as Feng was about to say something, Ji Yongning shouted from behind, "Mother, we can't wash it. It was Yang Jiafa who started pulling our wheat, and not only ours, but also Grandma Deaf's. I saw it all, so we went to scare him."

"What? You even took the wheat from Grandma Deaf's house?" Hu Xirong asked angrily.

Everyone in the village knows about the deaf grandmother's situation, and everyone says that the deaf grandmother's family is pitiful.

The deaf grandmother single-handedly raised two sons, both as mother and father, and finally helped them get married. However, a few years ago, her eldest son and his wife passed away one after the other, about ten days apart, leaving behind two children.

The second son himself had two children who were two or three years old. Not only did he not shirk his responsibilities, but he also took on the heavy responsibility of taking care of his two nieces. In addition, he helped his elder brother pay off the five taels of debt he owed for medical treatment.

The deaf grandmother's poor eyesight and hearing were caused by excessive grief in recent years.

When Feng heard that her son had stolen the wheat from the deaf grandmother's house, she felt a little embarrassed, so she pinched Yang Jiafa's ear and asked, "Is what Yongning said true?"

Yang Jiafa screamed and cried out in pain, finally saying, "I didn't tear it that much, is it really that big of a deal!"

"What did you say? Say it again! No wonder you always manage to bring back a whole basket of wheat when I ask you to glean it; you've been stealing other people's wheat! I'll beat you to death!"

Actually, it wasn't just Yang Jiafa; some mischievous children claimed they were picking up stray wheat grains from the field, but they were too playful to actually gather any wheat ears. Unable to explain themselves to the adults, they would simply pull some wheat stalks off the carts when others passed by.

Sometimes when other people were pulling their carts, there would be people pushing the carts from the side or back. Yang Jiafa wouldn't dare to pull on them. He could only do so when there were no people pushing the carts. The deaf grandmother's family was the best target for him.

Feng originally wanted to have a fight, but she didn't expect that her son would be the one to lose face. She could only scold her son and then scold Yang Laosan. In the end, she ran out of words to scold, so she left with Yang Jiafa.

Hu Xirong was still calling out from behind: "Peach Blossom Mother, don't hit the boy! It's good for boys to be a little naughty when they're young. Only naughty boys can be successful when they grow up!"

Although Yang Jiafa has left, Ji Yongning and his companion still need to have their bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork.