Chapter 77
In the early days of the seventh lunar month, Huo Shu found a fairly good construction team in the city to do business with. Though it cost a fair amount of silver, the efficiency was commendable.
After finalizing the construction team, they quickly provided the blueprints. Once confirmed to be correct, construction began immediately.
Money made things easier—the crew was diligent and responsible. Uncle Fan and the others could drop by from time to time to supervise, so Huo Shu and Ji Taoyu didn’t need to run into the city every day.
Time flew, and soon it was mid-month—the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. The Ji family’s rice had ripened, and preparations for the autumn harvest began.
As crops gradually matured in the seventh lunar month, the busy autumn harvest season officially arrived. Even the school in the city would close, allowing scholars to return home and help with the harvest.
Every day at the crack of dawn, the village was already bustling with the clamor of chickens and ducks as farmers hurried to the fields.
By mid-morning, the sun beat down so fiercely that it felt as if one’s skin might roast. Sweat dripped down, stinging like fire.
Even the hardiest farmers couldn’t endure such torment, so they worked during the cooler hours—early morning and late evening.
On the fifteenth, as soon as the sky brightened, Ji Taoyu didn’t laze in bed. Uncle Fan and the others had returned to help with the harvest, and early in the morning, Da Niu led the group to the fields.
With so many hands this time, they took the opportunity to harvest Yuan Huiru’s crops as well. The Zhao family only had a couple of acres left, and with extra help, it was an easy task.
Early in the morning, Yuan Huiru brought over a chicken and a duck she had raised herself, adding them to the meal as hearty dishes for the hardworking men.
In the kitchen, Ji Taoyu, Huang Manjing, and Yuan Huiru worked busily, preparing breakfast so everyone could work in the fields for a while before returning to eat.
Yuan Huiru stoked the fire and boiled a large pot of porridge, Huang Manjing kneaded dough to steam buns, and Ji Taoyu diced radishes to make pickled side dishes.
The three of them worked quickly but without chaos.
The tender green bean porridge was the first to finish cooking. It was scooped into a basin to cool, ready to eat when the time came.
Ji Taoyu sliced radishes and scallions for a cold salad, then took some pickled green beans from a jar, chopped them, and stir-fried them with hollow-stemmed water spinach for a dish.
By the time the men returned with the first load of rice, the steamed buns were ready.
“Da Niu, call everyone back to eat breakfast first.”
Ji Taoyu took a bowl of porridge and a bun in the kitchen, ate quickly, then hurried out to inspect this year’s harvested rice.
Part of the Ji family’s courtyard was paved with bricks, specifically for drying crops during the autumn harvest.
The freshly harvested rice was now piled on the bricks, forming several small golden mounds.
The bundled rice stalks had to be beaten vigorously in a half-barrel to thresh the grains. The freshly separated rice carried a distinct, fresh aroma, especially noticeable in the morning breeze.
The golden grains were mixed with bits of straw, damp as if moistened by the farmers’ sweat.
Ji Taoyu crouched by the rice pile, grabbing a handful of prickly grains. Even at random, nearly half were shriveled husks, and the plump ones were smaller than in previous years.
He had expected poor yields due to the relentless rains, but seeing it in person still brought a sigh of disappointment.
Huang Manjing came out with a rake, spreading the piled rice. “Everyone’s been complaining this year—it looks like we’ll have a gap when the old grain is spent and the new not yet ripe.”
“Better hurry and dry the rice before storing it. At least then it’ll be one less worry. I just hope the rains don’t ruin what little we have left.”
Yuan Huiru added, “Yours still looks better than what my few fields produced. My rice was truly pitiful.”
Ji Taoyu didn’t join the conversation. Seeing Huo Shu return with the others, he quickly fetched a bucket of hot water for everyone to wash their faces before eating.
“Time to eat.”
Huo Shu emerged from the house, his pant legs still rolled up from the watery fields.
He glanced at Ji Taoyu, who lingered outside instead of going in.
“I’ve already eaten.”
Huo Shu pressed, “How much?”
“A bowl of porridge and a bun.”
Huo Shu grunted in acknowledgment. “Eat more.”
Ji Taoyu refused. “I’m full.”
Huo Shu shoved half of his own bun into Ji Taoyu’s mouth. “There’s a lot of work today. Eat properly.”
Ji Taoyu chewed the bun, giving him a look that said so controlling.
Huo Shu coaxed, “I caught two big eels in the fields. I’ll find a few more later and stir-fry them for you.”
Ji Taoyu’s eyes lit up immediately. “Then I’ll go to the fields with you later!”
The Ji family owned forty mu of land, twenty of which were farmland.
Back when the Ji family divided their property, they had plenty of forests and fields. But with four sons, Ji Yangzong only received ten mu and a stretch of woodland.
When Huang Manjing married into the family, Huang Yinsheng bought five mu of fertile land as his daughter’s dowry.
The remaining twenty mu of land were gradually purchased and saved up over the years, with some also being rewards from the prefectural government for serving as village head.
Being the village head also counted as a minor official position, with a meager monthly stipend.
However, at the end of the year, the prefecture would give seasonal rewards. After all, it was a prosperous and wealthy prefecture, so their generosity naturally surpassed many other places.
Ji Yangzong took great care and effort in managing the village’s crops and fields every year, and he was always prompt in paying the harvest taxes after autumn. As a result, he received substantial rewards from the prefectural office annually.
After serving as village head for over a decade, the land he had been rewarded with amounted to more than ten mu.
The Ji family had few laborers, and Ji Yangzong, busy with his duties, was not one to work the fields himself. They mostly hired people for plowing and harvesting.
This year, with eight laborers and plenty of livestock, finishing the rice harvest in two days was no trouble at all.
Ji Taoyu had been busy at home for a while, stewing chicken, duck, and other meats in pots before finally stepping out.
By this time, the sun was already blazing.
He carried out a pot of chilled herbal soup to relieve the summer heat and took the opportunity to check on the rice harvesting.
Their family’s mules, donkeys, and oxen had all been brought out to the fields. Four people were cutting the rice stalks at the front, two were threshing the grains in the half-barrel, and the remaining two were responsible for loading the threshed rice into baskets strapped to the livestock to be transported back.
The whole process was orderly and efficient, and with such strong, capable laborers, the long stretch of field was visibly harvested at an astonishing speed.
Aside from their own family, many other households were also out in the open fields harvesting rice.
Most worked as entire families—the men threshed the grains, and those without livestock had to carry the harvest back themselves. The women and younger laborers, being less physically strong, cut the rice stalks or stayed home to dry the grains.
Seeing how lively the Ji family’s harvest was this year, everyone watched with envy, their eyes burning hotter than the sun.
If only they had livestock too, the work would be so much easier. But with their current yields, who knew how many years it would take to save up enough to buy even a single livestock?
The men who had helped the Ji family harvest in previous years felt a twinge of melancholy—now that the Ji family had their own laborers, they wouldn’t be paid to help anymore.
Thank you for the update!!!
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