Just as he was lost in thought, Ji Qiuyue arrived with Zhao’er on her back. Not seeing Lu Gu in the front yard, she noticed the oil-paper packet on the chair - candied haitang fruits. She popped one into her mouth and, upon entering, found Lu Gu trimming chives.
"Craving chives?" she asked with a smile.
Lu Gu snapped out of his thoughts. Turning, he saw Zhao’er’s little face peeking over Ji Qiuyue’s shoulder and smiled. "Yan Yan said she wanted chive-and-egg dumplings tonight, so I’m prepping the vegetables while it’s still early."
"Dumplings sound good," Ji Qiuyue said. "Let’s make extra for tomorrow morning, we can reheat them for breakfast. Much better than dry buns."
Lu Gu nodded. "I cut plenty, it’ll be enough."
Seeing the generous amount of chives in the basket, Ji Qiuyue agreed. Rolling up her sleeves, she said, "I’ll go knead the dough first."
The two divided the work smoothly, both accustomed to labor. By the time Shen Yan returned from the fields, they were indeed eating dumplings.
During the busy farming season, even feeding the dogs could be neglected - sometimes, even people missed meals. With so many animals at home, it was good Lu Gu was there. Before leaving for the mountains, Shen Xuanqing had specifically reminded the family not to let him transplant seedlings, the work was too strenuous. So he stayed home to tend the livestock, feed the dogs, and cook.
Zhao’er sometimes slept in a little later in the mornings. Waking such a small child could lead to endless crying. Last night, thinking that the new house was closer to the paddy fields - making meals and rest more convenient without crossing the entire village, even Shen Yaoqing and Ji Qiuyue had stayed there with the child, locking the old house’s gate.
Early in the morning, Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yaoqing didn’t have time to feed the animals. After a quick breakfast, they hurried to the fields with Shen Yan, leaving Lu Gu and Ji Qiuyue to manage things at home.
Zhao’er had woken up crying because the adults weren’t around. The backyard was large and far away, Ji Qiuyue had been chopping grass for the chickens and ducks and hadn’t heard him at first. It was only when Dabai and the pups started barking that she noticed and rushed over.
With her gone, Lu Gu who had just finished watering the cows and sheep squatted to chop the chicken grass. The pig feed was still boiling in the pot, but since Ji Qiuyue had gone to the front, she would tend the fire.
After soothing Zhao’er and feeding him, Ji Qiuyue carried the pig feed to the back while holding the baby.
By the time they finished, a good while had passed. When things weren’t busy, Shen Yaoqing shoveled manure daily. But during these hectic days, priorities shifted - manure could wait until after the fieldwork. Lu Gu, now pregnant, retched at the smell in the rabbit hutches, so Ji Qiuyue took over to feed them instead.
With Zhao’er no longer crying and content after feeding, he only needed to be carried. Spring plowing was important, and Ji Qiuyue was anxious about the fieldwork. Locking the gate and leaving the three dogs to guard the house, she and Lu Gu went to check on the paddy fields. It was still early, Shen Yaoqing had taken an earthenware jug of water when he left, and it probably wasn’t empty yet, so they didn’t bring more.
Along the way, every family was busy in their paddies. Men, women, and shuang’ers had to take off their shoes and roll up their pants to wade in. The life of farmers was like that, when fieldwork demanded it, no one cared whether girls or shuang’ers were married. With mud clinging to legs and feet, only lecherous idlers would stare.
The paddies were muddy, so they didn’t enter. Ji Qiuyue stood at the edge and called, "Mom, is there still enough water?"
Wei Lanxiang straightened up and shouted back, "Plenty! No need to bring more yet. It’s slippery here, you two go back."
With a full eight mu of paddy fields, Lin Jinhu and his brother, as well as He Zhi’s family, had to tend their own land first before coming to help. Standing there, Ji Qiuyue thought it over. Since she was here anyway, and Zhao’er was familiar with Lu Gu, she turned to him and said, "Guzi, why don’t you take Zhao’er back? He’s full and won’t fuss much. Just bring water later."
Shen Yan was only thirteen, she couldn’t work as hard as an adult. Lu Gu agreed. These two days were crucial, fieldwork took priority. He carried Zhao’er back to boil water.
A large earthen pot sat on the clay stove, kept warm with kindling. Even in hot weather, drinking unboiled water wasn’t good for people.
Lu Gu reached back with his right hand to steady Zhao’er’s legs before carefully bending to add a stick of firewood to the stove. As he straightened, a chubby little hand pressed against his neck, tiny fingers wiggling mischievously.
Zhao’er’s nails were short, but they still pinched a little. Thankfully, he soon switched to grabbing Lu Gu’s collar, amusing himself quietly. He was a well-behaved child, at least he didn’t cry or fuss when separated from his mother.
Lu Gu patted him gently with the hand supporting his back. With things less hectic now, he dug up a spring vegetable from the garden. Hard work made people hungry, chopping the vegetables early meant they could cook soon. The steamed buns were ready, and warming them up would keep them soft. They’d brought the cooking ladle yesterday, once they said they were hungry, a quick stir-fry would be ready in no time.
With a baby on his back, Lu Gu moved more carefully - squatting or standing, he took care not to jostle Zhao’er.
After chopping the spring vegetables, he sliced a piece of pork. Stir-fried together, these would make a hearty dish. During busy farming seasons, meat kept people strong and satisfied. As he pondered what else to cook, he suddenly remembered Ji Qiuyue’s reminder and quickly unwrapped Zhao’er to hold him over the ground to pee. The baby squirmed and whined, refusing to go, but after some coaxing and soft whistles, he finally relieved himself. Otherwise, if he wet his clothes, they’d both have to change.
With no time to gather toon shoots or wild vegetables from the mountains these past two days, Lu Gu cut a handful of chives from the garden after securing Zhao’er on his back again. Stir-fried chives with steamed buns made a tasty meal too.
The whole family was busy, with some working in the fields and others handling tasks inside the house. Though the first day of spring plowing was exhausting, no one minded. Only by transplanting seedlings now could they harvest rice in autumn.
The next afternoon, as Lu Gu prepared dinner with Zhao’er on his back, he suddenly heard Dabai bark, followed by several more barks outside. His heart leapt - Shen Xuanqing was back.
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