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

When they arrived home, everyone else had already eaten. Hu Xirong helped set out the food she had left for Ji Manchuan and the other two under the apple tree.

Ji Manqing hadn't eaten yet. Holding chopsticks and spitting as he spoke, he recounted to everyone, in a theatrical manner, how he delivered the herbs that day and how Ji Yongling obtained the herbs and medicine pouches from Liang Dong's family.

Ji Yongning and Ji Yongzhou listened with stars in their eyes, looking at Ji Yongling with admiration.

Hu Xirong slapped Ji Yongling on the back, startling Ji Yongling into coughing twice.

"My goodness, you usually seem so quiet and reserved, but you've managed to do such a big job without saying a word!" Hu Xirong continued to exclaim, ignoring Yang's glare. "So, Auntie can make those medicine pouches and earn money too? Oh my goodness, I can earn money too!"

Yang looked at Hu Xirong speechlessly and scolded, "You have no manners in front of the children!" Turning to Ji Yongling, she said softly, "Ling'er, is what your fourth uncle said true?"

Ji Manqing took a sip of vegetable soup, the bowl still hanging in mid-air in his hand, and said with dissatisfaction, "Mom, why don't you even believe your own child?"

Yang glared at him: "You're always so serious, living in a clay pot, how can I trust you?"

Ji Manqing was about to argue when Ji Manchuan chimed in, saying to Madam Yang, "Mother, this time Manqing is absolutely right. Ling'er got two jobs for us today: one is collecting medicinal herbs, and the other is making medicine pouches."

Yang was still skeptical, saying to herself, "How could Master Liang possibly agree? Our skills as farmers are certainly not as good as those of the embroidery workshops in the prefectural city. Are you trying to trick us?"

Hu Xirong slapped her thigh and said, "Yes, yes, yes, is my skill good enough for city people? Sigh, I should have learned needlework properly a long time ago."

Old Master Ji exhaled a smoke ring from his pipe and said to Madam Yang, "Man Chuan has already said that the matter is settled. Why don't you believe it, old woman? Master Liang is the person in charge of Jishi Pharmacy. What are you trying to fool us for? Do you want us to be penniless, or do you want us to not bathe in winter?"

Yang glared at Old Master Ji: "We'd better be careful! Otherwise, wouldn't we have to pay upfront for the herbs and the medicine pouches?"

Ji Manqing swallowed the vegetable leaves in his mouth and said, "Mother, don't worry. Although Ling'er is young, my third brother and I aren't some pushovers that can be easily coaxed."

Ji Yongling smiled and said to Madam Yang, "Grandma, it's right to be careful. Liang Dongjia will send someone over in a couple of days to discuss this with us in detail, so don't worry."

Only then did Madam Yang feel relieved and nod.

Grandpa Ji stubbed out his pipe, looked up, frowned, and asked, "Kid, in the end, these two jobs were obtained in exchange for Granny Liu's recipe. You have to go and kowtow to Granny Liu twice and pay your respects."

Ji Yongling nodded: "Okay, I understand, sir. I'll go when I have time."

Hu Xirong nudged Ji Yongling quietly and asked in a low voice, "Ling'er, do you still have that prescription? Don't take it out casually again. Keep it for yourself."

Ji Yongling smiled and looked at Hu Xirong.

Seeing that Ji Yongling did not respond, Hu Xirong assumed that she did not understand and said, "You young people are too naive to know what is important. No matter what kind of prescription it is, it is very valuable. You cannot give it away casually or tell people about it. You must keep it hidden away."

Ji Yongling smiled and shook her head, then nodded.

Hu Xirong patted Ji Yongling's arm anxiously again. Ji Yongling nodded helplessly once more, and only then did Hu Xirong leave satisfied.

After the meal, everyone went back to their own business.

Ji Yongling first drew and wrote on the apple tree with a twig, then ran around, first searching through the cave dwelling where Ji Manchuan did carpentry, and then looking in the cave dwelling where he kept various farm tools.

Ji Yongzhou and Ji Yongru, the two little boys, followed behind Ji Yongling, running around.

Ji Yongling said, "You two little ones, don't follow your sister anymore, go find your brother Yongning to play."

Ji Yongzhou stared with his innocent big eyes and said, "My brother said he was going to raid a beehive and harvest honey, but he didn't want us to go with him or tell the adults."

Hu Xirong suddenly appeared behind Ji Yongzhou, grabbed his ear, and roared, "Tell me, where did your brother go to raid a beehive? Who did he go with?"

Ji Yongzhou grimaced, covered his ears, and said with a wronged expression, "Mom, my brother said we can't tell the adults."

Hu Xirong gritted her teeth, strode angrily to the side, grabbed a stick, and shouted, "Will you talk or not? If you don't, I'll beat you flat!"

Ji Yongzhou immediately hid behind Ji Yongling, pressing his head against her back and saying, "I promised my brother I wouldn't tell, I wouldn't tell. If I do, my brother will beat me to a pulp when he gets back."

Ji Yongling was both amused and exasperated. She said helplessly to Hu Xirong, "Fourth Aunt, wait until Yongning comes back before you beat him. Yongzhou didn't do anything wrong."

Hu Xirong snorted, put the stick back in its place, and cursed, "Look at your dazed look, you'll be sold off sooner or later, and you'll be helping them count the money!"

Seeing his mother walk away, Ji Yongzhou came out from behind Ji Yongling, gave her a silly smile, and ran out of the yard.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Ji Yongzhou returned with a forced laugh on his face, followed by Ji Yongning, whose face and eyebrows were so swollen that they could not be seen. They happened to run into Ji Manqing, who had just finished cleaning the mule shed and was carrying a broom.

Ji Manqing looked at Ji Yongning, whose face was swollen and red, whose eyes were only slits and whose mouth was pursed like a pig's snout. He couldn't react for a moment. After looking at him carefully for a few moments, he finally realized that this was his son. He immediately exclaimed in surprise, "My goodness, what kind of trouble have you caused? How did you end up like this?"

Ji Yongzhou suppressed a laugh, his chest heaving.

Ji Yongning pouted, feeling wronged. He had just opened his mouth to speak when he hissed in pain.

Ji Manqing's scream attracted Hu Xirong from the kitchen. She put one hand on the kitchen door frame and glared at Ji Yongning at the gate, as if she was about to tear him apart at any moment.

Ji Yongning sensed the anger in his mother's eyes, took two steps closer to Ji Manqing, lowered his head, and dared not utter a sound.

Seeing Ji Yongning's attitude, Hu Xirong became even angrier and shouted, "You're really like dew on a watermelon, a cowardly melon. You're only a little big, yet you try to raid a beehive. Why don't you go raid your ancestors' coffins! I think you're really a rusty anvil—you deserve a beating. If you don't get a beating for three days, you'll start climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles!"

Ji Manqing pulled Ji Yongning aside, carefully examining his face, and said to Hu Xirong, "Stop cursing. This is just a matter of building a temple with three tiles, a trivial matter. Which boy hasn't done something like this when he was little? You're making it sound like your kid has killed someone or set a fire."

As soon as he finished speaking, he burst out laughing, and he couldn't stop laughing, even making a goose-like sound.

When Ji Yongzhou saw his father laugh, he also clutched his stomach and laughed wildly.

When Ji Yongling arrived, she saw Ji Manqing and his son laughing wildly around Ji Yongning, whose face was swollen and red.