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

Ji Shuicao slid off the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with a "whoosh" and said, "Why did you all come back so soon?"

Yu Maimiao said, "Mom, it's hot now, and all the shepherd's purse is old. They've all been dug up. Xiaoqin and I walked a long way and only managed to dig up a little bit." After saying that, she showed the cage behind her to Ji Shuicao.

Yu Shuiqin nodded and said, "We were afraid that if we went any further, we would encounter snakes, so we came back." After saying that, she seemed to have really encountered snakes, and her body trembled with fear.

Ji Manchuan knew that the deep mountain valley was lush with water and grass, and that there were snakes in some places, and wolves would come to roam in some uninhabited areas.

He looked at the two girls, patted them all over, but couldn't find anything to eat. He regretted that he hadn't thought to ask her mother for some snacks when he knew he was coming to the older sister's house.

Ji Shuicao looked at the shepherd's purse in the cage and said, "This should be enough for tomorrow. You guys go and clean it up first."

Ji Manchuan scratched his head and said to the two girls, "Maimiao, Shuiqin, your third uncle left in a hurry today and didn't bring any good food. I'll definitely bring you some good food next time I come."

The two girls nodded happily, then turned and skipped away.

Ji Manchuan quickly finished the porridge in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and said, "Big sister, the cloth piece in the bundle is for making medicine pouches. You take the two maids and make them according to that sample. They're for the pharmacies that collect medicinal herbs. I'll come back to pick them up in a couple of days."

Ji Shuicao picked up the bundle from the table, spread it on the kang (a heated brick bed), and said as she opened it, "Oh dear, I don't know if it will work, what if it doesn't..."

Ji Manqing disagreed, saying, "If you can't do it well, then no one can! Back then, you made my and my third brother's autumn and winter shoes stitch by stitch!"

Ji Shuicao smiled and said nostalgically, "Yes, back then your second sister was always bad at it. Mother would always say to her, 'You're no good at needlework, no good at cooking, how will you ever get married!' Now all these years have passed, and your second sister's skills are better than mine."

Most married women miss the days when they were young, even if they were poor and had nothing to eat or wear. But when they do remember those times, they are all beautiful memories.

Ji Manqing scratched his head, craned his neck to look outside the door, and said, "It's getting late, let's hurry back."

Ji Manchuan also stood up and said, "We'll be going now. Brother-in-law, take good care of yourself. I'll come back in a couple of days and bring you some medicine from the doctor at the county pharmacy."

Yu Fengshou tried to get up from the kang (a heated brick bed), but Ji Manchuan stopped him. Yu Fengshou took a couple of deep breaths and said, "No need to take them, no need to take them. I won't keep you here. Just walk slowly on the way."

After bidding farewell to Ji Shuicao's house, Ji Manchuan and his companion led the mule uphill all the way, their calves trembling with exhaustion. Only when they reached flat ground did they finally sit on the cart shaft.

Ji Yongling and the others arrived home under the blazing sun, their faces and arms sunburned bright red.

Under the apple tree in Old Ji's yard, a table had just been set up for dinner when Hu Xirong came in and out of the kitchen, carrying a rice bowl.

When Yang saw Ji Yongling and the others return, she laughed and said, "Your nose is really sharp, just like a dog's."

Ji Yongling took off his straw hat, held it in his hand to fan himself, and said, "If you're not enthusiastic about eating, there's something wrong with your thinking."

Madam Yang smiled and scolded, "You're always talking nonsense!" Then she got up and invited Ji Yongbo and Ji Yonghua to come and sit down.

Ji Yongbai and Ji Yonghua originally wanted to go back to their own home to eat, since Ji Yongling had said that she would pay them wages but hadn't mentioned that she would provide a meal. Now, every family was short of food. However, when they saw Ji Mantun come out of the cave where the medicinal herbs were stored and walk towards the dining table, they nodded, put down the cart, and went to wash their hands.

Grandpa Ji sat down at a table, wiped his sweat with the tattered cloth around his neck, picked up the bowl on the table, slurped up a mouthful of vegetable soup, swallowed it without chewing, and said, "Ling'er, I see you've bought grain for the family again?"

Ji Yongling hung his straw hat on a branch of an apple tree, sat down, and said, "Yes, I bought some. Money is for spending, right? There are many people in my family, so buying more grain will put my mind at ease."

Old Master Ji wanted to tell his family to be frugal and eat enough to last until the summer harvest, and not to spend money recklessly, but thinking of Ji Mantun and his son, he was afraid of causing misunderstandings among his second son and the others, so he could only swallow his words.

Yang hurriedly invited Ji Mantun and his son to eat.

Soon, a series of slurping, smacking, and gurgling sounds filled the courtyard.

After finishing their meal, Ji Mantun and his two sons continued sorting the medicinal herbs they had collected that day. Old Master Ji and Madam Yang went to the cart to check what grains they had bought.

Just as Ji Yongling had predicted, Yang kept muttering, "This kid just doesn't know how to manage money. What kind of family do we have? Buying so much grain is enough to fill our stomachs, isn't it?"

Ji Yongling walked over and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, those two cartloads of medicinal herbs sold for a total of more than ten taels of silver. After deducting the cost of purchasing the herbs, we can make about five taels in profit, but that doesn't include the wages paid to everyone."

Upon hearing this, Yang's face crinkled with joy, and Old Master Ji rubbed his hands together happily, repeatedly saying, "Good, good, good." Yang completely forgot that she had just been complaining about Ji Yongling spending money to buy grain.

Grandpa Ji picked up a bag of grain from the cart with each hand, weighed it in his hands, and smiled even more happily. He didn't ask how much the grain cost, because he thought that his family had harvested half a cave dwelling's worth of medicinal herbs today, which would be able to exchange for money.

Old farmers, having grain in hand brings them peace of mind, especially for an old man like him who has experienced banditry and natural disasters. Having grain in hand is much more reassuring than having money. However, it's really hard for farming families to earn money, so even if they have money, they are reluctant to buy grain.

As darkness fell, Ji Mantun and his son returned home.

The moon was already high in the sky. Old Master Ji had been squatting at the gate of the courtyard for quite a while, but Ji Manchuan and his brother still hadn't returned. So he lit a torch and went to the big locust tree at the village entrance, where he waited until the two brothers returned together.

In the courtyard, apart from Jia Ronghua who was in confinement after childbirth and did not come out, everyone else sat around under the apple tree waiting for Ji Manchuan and his companion. They were relieved to see that the two had arrived home safely.

As Ji Manchuan unloaded the potatoes and medicinal herbs from the truck, he said, "My eldest sister and brother-in-law insisted on loading this half-basket of potatoes. I said no, but my eldest sister forced it onto the truck."

Madam Yang asked with concern, "Are your eldest and second sisters alright?"

Ji Manqing swept the mule cart, jumped down, and said, "Second sister is still the same as before, eldest sister is alright, but eldest sister's husband is not so good."

Yang asked anxiously, "How about the bumper harvest?"

Ji Manchuan sighed and said, "I got caught in the rain a while ago, and I've had a fever and cough ever since. I've been having trouble breathing. I've been making some medicine at home, but it hasn't helped. I've also lost a lot of weight."

Yang clenched her hands together, squeezing them tightly, and said, "What are we going to do? We can't let it get any worse. Why don't you come to the county to see a doctor? These two are so stubborn, they definitely don't want to spend the money."

In fact, if it were Yang, she would also be reluctant to spend money. "Minor illnesses can be endured, and major illnesses can be left to fate" is the consistent principle of the elderly in the village.

Seeing the worried look in Yang's eyes, Ji Manchuan comforted her, "Mother, don't worry too much. Tomorrow I'll go to Doctor Xu to get a prescription for my brother-in-law, and I'll send him some medicine the day after tomorrow."

Madam Yang nodded hurriedly and said, "I'll give you the money."