Chapter 120
As dawn broke and the ground and shadows of people became visible, villagers began heading to the fields one after another. Rising early and greedily staying out late was the norm, and taking advantage of the cooler hours before the sun rose made the work a bit easier.
[起早贪黑 (qǐ zǎo tān hēi): lit. Rise early and greedily stay out late (in the dark; fig. Work from dawn to dusk; work long, hard hours]
The second branch of the Shen family was no exception. Though they lived at the far end of the village, they didn’t leave later than others. When they passed by the Lin family’s house, they called out to Lin Jinhu and Lin Jinlong. By the time they reached the He family’s gate, He Zhi was already waiting there with Chen Dongdong.
Lu Gu was wearing the same clothes from the previous day. The wheat awns pricked his arms slightly, and he bent his head to pull them out.
With the whole family working in the fields, there was no time to wash dirty clothes. Wearing the same outfit for a couple more days wasn’t a big deal, as it saved other clothes from getting dirty.
Seeing Chen Dongdong follow along, Shen Yaoqing was a bit puzzled. Before he could ask, He Zhi spoke up first.
“Da Qing, Dongdong is also coming to help. You don’t have to pay him as much as the others. Ten or eight copper coins would be fine, or even five coins if that’s too much.”
He Zhi was usually a man of few words, and his eyes were filled with unease as he spoke. He knew that a frail shuang'er couldn’t match the strength of a man, and few people would hire a shuang'er when they could spend a bit more to hire a man.
His words made even him feel awkward, and a fleeting, ingratiating smile appeared on his dark face.
His family only had two mu of land, enough to keep their chests from sticking to their backs, but they were still very poor. After the busy farming season, he relied on doing odd jobs for villagers to earn a little money. Last night, Chen Dongdong had said he wanted to go too, hoping to earn a few copper coins. If it weren’t for that, He Zhi wouldn’t have mustered the courage to bring it up with Shen Yaoqing today.
[前胸贴后背 (qián xiōng tiē hòu bèi): lit. Chest sticks to the back; fig. Extremely hungry; starving]
Chen Dongdong, who was usually timid, now didn’t dare to breathe too loudly. He clutched his sickle tightly and followed closely beside He Zhi, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Shen Yaoqing, clinging to a fragile hope that he wouldn’t be turned away.
Lu Gu, walking a few steps ahead, heard this and glanced back at the nervous Chen Dongdong. He thought to himself that Dongdong was hardworking and kind, and he wouldn’t slack off in the fields. But he couldn’t make the decision, so he gently tugged at the corner of Shen Xuanqing’s sleeve.
Shen Xuanqing turned his head and saw his husband’s pleading eyes. He couldn’t help but smile, but before he could speak, Shen Yaoqing replied.
“Alright, an extra pair of hands is always helpful.” Shen Yaoqing nodded. In front of Lin Jinhu and Lin Jinlong, he didn’t mention the wages.
Even so, He Zhi and Chen Dongdong were immensely grateful. Having dealt with the Shen family for so many years, they weren’t worried about Shen Yaoqing not paying them.
With that, there were now nine people heading to the fields to cut wheat.
Not only were He Zhi and Chen Dongdong honest, but Lin Jinhu and Lin Jinlong were also reliable. Since the wages were paid daily, honest and hardworking people wouldn’t slack off or delay on purpose.
Under the scorching sun, sweat poured down their faces. These were all seasoned laborers, and their sickles swung swiftly and accurately. With five strong men working hard, along with four slightly weaker women and shuang'ers, they managed to cut, bundle, and carry out all the wheat in a day and a half. By the afternoon, the last cart of wheat was hauled into the new house.
The open space in the new house was large enough, and they had leveled it before the harvest. There was no need to compete with the villagers for the threshing ground, and threshing the wheat in their own yard would be more convenient.
Since the work finished early today, everyone was starving. When they returned to the old house, Ji Qiuyue had already prepared the meal.
There were several wooden basins in the yard for washing hands and faces. The water, left under the sun for most of the day, was still warm. Lu Gu rolled up his sleeves, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it on his face, washing his arms as well.
Cold water was refreshing, but too cold wasn't good. The sun-warmed water felt good after washing and drying off.
After Lu Gu finished washing, Shen Xuanqing didn’t mind and, too lazy to change the water, washed his hands and face in the same basin.
Yesterday’s lunch had been eaten in the fields, but today they could sit down to eat at home. Since there were more men, Ji Qiuyue had steamed two baskets of mixed-grain buns, worried they might not have enough. There were two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, both served in large soup bowls, a generous portion of stir-fried garlic shoots and a bowl of stewed duck.
Being able to eat oily, hearty meals during farm work was a luxury. Lin Jinhu and Lin Jinlong, who had worked for the Shen family several times before, were used to such good food. Chen Dongdong, who rarely ate meat throughout the year, came from a family that could barely afford to use oil in their cooking. These past two days, the meals had included either duck or rabbit meat. He was both eager and restrained, wanting to eat more but not daring to.
With five men and five women and shuang'ers, ten people couldn’t fit around one table, and squeezing together would have been too hot. Moreover, with several men present, it wouldn’t have been proper to crowd together, so they split into two tables.
Lu Gu took a bite of steamed bun with bulging cheek, when he saw that Chen Dongdong looking at the duck meat and swallowing his saliva, but only picking up garlic sprouts with chopsticks, he quickly added two pieces of duck meat to Chen Dongdong’s bowl.
The bun was a bit dry, making it hard to speak. After swallowing with some effort, Lu Gu whispered to Chen Dongdong, who was looking at him, “Eat up.”
Seeing this, Ji Qiuyue smiled and said, “Go ahead, eat. After finishing the meat, we’ll share the duck soup. It’s too hot today, so it’s better to finish it all rather than let it spoil by tomorrow.”
Only then did Chen Dongdong feel more at ease.
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