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

Zheng Xiucai, who strode over, looked at Ji Yongning and the others who were behaving suspiciously and asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

“We…we’re going to become sworn brothers…” Ji Yongning continued, laboriously pinching Zheng Xiding’s philtrum as he spoke.

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked up and met Zheng Xiucai's gaze... Zheng Xiucai's face was pitch black, and the scene froze instantly, the air solidifying.

Zheng Xiucai stared at Ji Yongning and Zheng Xiding on the ground with an icy expression. Seeing that Zheng Xiding's face was covered in blood and he was lying motionless on the ground, he raised his sickle without saying a word and was about to beat Ji Yongning.

Upon seeing this, Ji Yongning and the others quickly got up and ran away.

"Sir, please listen to me..."

"What are you talking about! What exactly did you guys do to Xiding?!"

“I didn’t do anything, sir! Listen to me, Xiding’s face is covered in my blood! My blood… Look at my fingers…”

"I'll teach you kids a lesson for being so young and not learning anything good! I'll beat you all up..."

"Ah...ah...sir, it's not like that..."

That day, Ji Yongning and his brothers ran and ran against the wind, running very, very fast...

……

Lin Shengwen stayed in Niujiazhuang for a few days. Although the daily farm work was plentiful and tiring, he enjoyed it immensely. These few days were the most carefree, brightest, and most unrestrained time of his life.

Every day after finishing his work, he would grab a handful of foxtail grass and, imitating Ji Manqing, weave crickets as he walked along the village's field ridges. In the distance, under the afterglow of the setting sun, smoke curled from the chimneys of every house, and an indescribable warmth and contentment would fill his heart. He knew that Ji Yongling would be in the yard, setting up a table and benches, waiting for him to return for dinner.

However, this pure and simple joy probably won't last long. Huo Zhenglian will likely receive a letter from his family soon informing him of his arrival in the Northwest.

Lin Shengwen hesitated several times, wanting to find an opportunity to talk to Ji Yongling alone, but Ji Yongling was always accompanied by Ji Yongru and Ji Yong'an, giving him no chance at all.

That day, the two little ones finally held hands and ran to the side to pick flowers.

Lin Shengwen looked at Ji Yongling, who was pursing her lips in thought, took a deep breath, mustered up his courage and walked over, and slowly said, "Um... I'm leaving in a few days... There are some things I still want to ask you."

Ji Yongling had just finished recording the wheat yield per mu this year and started drawing a three-line table to compare the crop yields of the past few years when he heard Lin Shengwen's words.

She looked up and asked, "What is it? Just ask! Why are you being so polite?"

Lin Shengwen pursed his lips, staring intently at Ji Yongling, afraid of missing a single expression on her face, and asked, "I asked you last time if you wanted to go to the capital. Today, I want to ask you again, do you want to go to the capital?"

Ji Yongling smiled gently, shook her head without hesitation, and continued writing and drawing, saying, "I answered you last time, and I'll give you the same answer today. The capital is too far away for me; I have no longing for it. So, even if you ask me this question again in the future, I will still give the same answer!"

Hearing this, Lin Shengwen felt inexplicably disappointed, but he wasn't discouraged. He continued, "Aren't you sure you want to think about it more? If you go to the capital, you won't have to work so hard, toiling in the sun and wind every day, and you can live like those noble ladies in the city!"

I've already prepared a small courtyard for you. The front can be used as a clinic and pharmacy, and the back can be for living quarters. With your medical skills, you should be able to make money! Besides, I know you're reluctant to leave your family; that courtyard is big enough for your whole family to live in!

Upon hearing this, Ji Yongling looked up at the clear and sincere young man in front of her, smiled, and asked, "And then? In your opinion, being served like those noble ladies from wealthy families, having your every need met, is that what it means to be a superior person?"

"You work so hard, isn't it all so that your family can have an easier life?" Lin Shengwen asked.

Ji Yongling shook her head, her deep eyes looking at Lin Shengwen, yet seemingly looking through Lin Shengwen at someone else.

She stretched out a hand in front of Lin Shengwen and said, "There are some things you really don't understand! Look at my hands, aren't they rough and ugly?"

Lin Shengwen looked at the hand in front of him. Although it was slender and had distinct knuckles, the palm was rough and there were thick calluses on the fingertips and joints. It was obvious that it was the result of years of hard work. He felt a pang of heartache for no reason.

“These hands may not be delicate or smooth, but their roughness makes me feel grounded. I earn my living through my own strength and skills. Although it’s hard work, I feel at peace. Life in the capital may be glamorous, but that’s not what I want!” Ji Yongling’s voice was calm and firm, as if he had already seen through the emptiness behind the world’s prosperity.

Lin Shengwen was speechless for a moment. He couldn't understand why Ji Yongling was so determined to refuse to go to the capital time and time again. Whether they were officials or businessmen, who wouldn't want to go to the capital? The capital was so prosperous, and you could make more money there. Even just going there to broaden your horizons would be good!

He felt a little wronged and tried to persuade him again: "But don't you want to have an easier life? Not to worry about making a living, not to have to toil in the fields every day..."

Ji Yongling chuckled and interrupted him: "Easy? Lin Shengwen, what do you think ease is? Is it doing nothing all day, having everything done for you, waiting to be served? That's the life of you rich and powerful people, not for an ordinary person like me from a farming family."

Although I am tired every day, watching the fields grow day by day, with their full ears of wheat, millet, and sorghum, fills me with joy and a sense of purpose. I was born and raised to believe that "labor is the most glorious thing," and that sowing hope and reaping fruit through labor and creation is a shared belief of mine and my companions.

I don't need a life where I'm waited on hand and foot. I just want to rely on my own hands, working from sunrise to sunset every day, living a simple and honest life. Although it's hard work, at least I'm not dependent on anyone; I live on my own. And I also want to do something meaningful in the rest of my life.

Lin Shengwen fell silent. His gaze shifted from Ji Yongling's determined eyes to her high nose bridge and sharp jawline. Her entire face exuded a stubborn and unyielding tenacity that was unique to her.

He should have known long ago! From the first day he met Ji Yongling, he had experienced Ji Yongling's "stubbornness" and "unyieldingness," but what was he sad about?