The baby was still asleep, so no one needed to tend to it. At most, Wei Lanxiang would occasionally peek into the room to make sure the child hadn’t rolled off the bed.
Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yan scrubbed the snails and crabs. Sitting on a small stool, Wei Lanxiang glanced at the sun finally breaking through the clouds and sighed in relief. “We’ll be harvesting the autumn beans soon. We need plenty of sun, but yesterday’s rain was worrying. Let’s hope the next few days stay clear.”
Shen Xuanqing, sharpening sickles and knives in the yard, also looked up. “The sky’s brightening. It probably won’t rain again.”
No one could predict the weather, but Wei Lanxiang nodded, choosing to hope for the best.
____
Harvest Season.
Crops ripened quickly. Within days, Shen Yaoqing announced the beans were ready, and the whole family set out to pull the beanstalks.
They had planted ten mu of autumn beans, more than anyone else, so they hired temporary laborers again.
[1 mu equal to 666.67 square meters]
With the heat of summer gone, daily wages had dropped back to the usual twenty copper coins. To finish quickly, Shen Yaoqing not only brought Lin Jinhu and Lin Jinlong but also hired He Zhi and Chen Dongdong.
Cartload after cartload of beans were hauled to the new house. Ji Qiuyue, busy with the baby, could only help in the kitchen during the child’s naps. Cooking duties fell to Lu Gu, Shen Yan, and Wei Lanxiang, who had to shuttle between the fields and the stove.
Thanks to the extra hands, all ten mu of beans and three mu of peanuts were harvested in four days. The beans were spread out to dry in the courtyard, but there was still threshing and winnowing to do.
The peanuts were a new crop this year. Boiled in saltwater, the tender young peanuts made for a savory and refreshingly crunchy snack. As Wei Lanxiang put it, “Anything cooked with salt is good. It’s all precious.”
After turning the beanstalks to dry, Lu Gu and Shen Yan rested in the main hall.
“Brother Gu Zi,” Shen Yan said, pulling out a bowl of salted peanuts from a basket, already shelled and ready to eat.
They made a fine snack. Lu Gu chewed a few, thinking he should pack some for Shen Xuanqing’s next hunting trip. Dry rations alone were too plain.
“Once the beans are dry, let’s pick some out and have Mother fry them for us,” Shen Yan said, pouring tea for them both. “They’re hard to bite, but the more you chew, the tastier they get.”
Lu Gu nodded. “But it depends when your Second Brother plans to go hunting. It might be soon.”
Fox hunting was seasonal. Once the cold set in, or worse the snow, the mountains would be impassable. Shen Xuanqing had mentioned last night that it was time to prepare.
Shen Yan pouted. “Fine. I’ll save some beans for you two to eat when you’re back.”
Her worries were few, mostly food-related. Lu Gu smiled and thought to himself, good thing Mother isn’t here, or she’d scold her for being greedy again.
With so many animals to feed, they didn’t rest long before heading back out to cut grass.
The autumn sun was milder than summer’s scorching heat. But as Lu Gu bent to slash the grass, his sickle slipped, slicing a cut across his left thumb. Blood welled up immediately.
Gritting his teeth, he set the sickle down and clamped his right hand over the wound, scanning the grass for daji or xiaoji, herbs that could staunch bleeding.
Shen Yan noticed and hurried over. “Brother Gu Zi, what’s wrong?”
“I nicked my finger.” Spotting daji, he asked, “Can you dig some up for me?”
She rushed to help, abandoning her tools. They hurried home to bandage the wound properly.
Guaizi, who had been playing by the river, saw them leave and trotted after them. But halfway, he spotted their abandoned sickle and basket. After circling them uncertainly, they had Guaizi sitting guard beside them.
Once his thumb was wrapped, Lu Gu flexed his hand. The injury didn’t hinder him much, he could still work, though he’d need to avoid water for a few days.
Shen Yan washed the blood from his right hand. “You should rest,” she said.
“It’s fine. It’s just grass-cutting.” He shrugged. The thick bandage was enough protection.
Shen Yan, still young and obedient, didn’t argue when he insisted on returning to work.
Outside, they found Guaizi dutifully watching their tools. Lu Gu ruffled his fur. “Good boy. Knew to guard our things.”
Guaizi wagged his tail, leaning into the pets.
Soon, Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yaoqing arrived to help with the grass-cutting. Winter fodder was crucial, dry grass wasn’t as filling as fresh, and starving livestock in winter was unthinkable.
But Shen Xuanqing’s expression darkened when he saw Lu Gu’s bandaged thumb. “What happened?”
“Just a cut.” Lu Gu brushed it off. To country folks like them, minor injuries were routine.
Shen Xuanqing wasn’t satisfied. Taking the sickle, he said, “Then rest. I’ll tell Mother, no cooking or heavy work for you these days. Just chop feed at home.”
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