EBE Chapter 424: Harvesting Wheat
Chapter 424: Harvesting Wheat
Li was both angry and amused. "Yes, if you had done it when you were old and gray, the grass on your mother's grave would have grown over and over again."
The success of the first step gave Zhou Guo great confidence. She believed that as long as she was willing to work hard, she would be able to do it, and there was no need to rush for the next steps.
She also has to take care of her few acres of land.
The seedlings gradually sprouted ears. Before heading, she took the time to apply fertilizer. This time she applied enough fertilizer, and together with the last time, it was still within a reasonable range.
After heading, the process of flowering and pollination begins. This process is particularly important. In order to manage this time well, she diverted her energy from the backyard.
When it was hot, in order to control the temperature, she opened both the water inlet and the drainage outlet, staggered the two water outlets, one in and one out, to ensure that the water depth in the field was not less than one and a half inches and not more than two and a half inches, so as to control the water temperature from being too high.
I have to run to the fields countless times every day.
The wheat in the field is gradually maturing, slowly heading and filling with grain, turning from green to yellow. Every field is golden. Standing in the fields, you can feel the joy of the upcoming harvest, the joy of harvest.
No one was in the mood to pay attention to Zhou Guo's fertilizer pile and her two acres of paddy field. They were nervously watching the weather and the wheat, fearing that there would be a few continuous rains during the harvest days and the harvest would be ruined.
Every family offered sacrifices to gods in their house, praying to various Bodhisattvas for blessings of good weather.
The Zhou family had already sharpened their sickles and cleaned the yard, so with such a spacious yard they didn't have to compete with others in the threshing floor.
The stone roller for threshing the wheat is also ready, and all we have to do is wait for the wheat to ripen.
It was the hottest time of the year in late July. The cicadas were chirping incessantly and the scorching sun was burning the earth. If people worked in the fields for a while, the sweat would stream down their faces, not to mention harvesting wheat under the scorching sun.
But the villagers seemed blind to the upcoming hardships; the joy of the harvest overshadowed everything.
Finally, after much anticipation, the day of harvest arrived. God was kind enough not to play tricks on us and not a single drop of rain fell.
On this day, before daybreak, the whole family got up, including Xu and the youngest son Li Lai. Although the two of them could not do any work, there was no one to watch them at home, so they simply went to the fields.
For breakfast, we had fried glutinous rice cakes. These were the last few glutinous rice cakes we had, and we saved them for the wheat harvest. They are very filling and they are fried in oil. They are fragrant and sticky. Sprinkled with salt, they are much more delicious than roasted ones.
Zhou Guo ate four in one breath, put on his hat, carried a water bottle, took a sickle, drove two carts, led a horse and went to the fields.
Before he even went out, he ran into Qian from next door and Wang Changsheng, who were dressed like their brother and sister. When they met, they both smiled.
Li said, "The wheat is growing well this year. Even after paying the tax, there will still be a lot left. We can have a good year."
Qian smiled and said, "Yes, I originally thought that we were the first, but I didn't expect that you were earlier than us."
Looking at the Zhou family's whole family, he said with some envy: "More people is better. Your fields can be harvested in two or three days at most. Unlike our family, it may take five or six days."
Li looked around at her family and said, "Don't just look at the time when they are working, you also have to look at the time when they are eating. Speaking of this time, I envy you. The food these children in our family eat can feed the two little ones in your family for ten days. Do you still envy me at this time?"
Zhou Guo said, "Mom, although we eat more, spend more fabrics, and spend more on the house, think about the future. When we are all grown up, if each of us earns you one guan of money a year, that would be a lot of money. You don't even have to work, and you can earn that much money. You can be considered a wealthy old lady."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh at this.
Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You guys are still earning one guan of money a year. Where does the money come from? When you grow up, won't you marry a wife and have children? I'll be your wife and collect money from you every day. Ask your brothers and sisters if their wives agree. I'm afraid they will hate me to death."
In fact, nowadays, for brothers and sisters who do not separate, the family’s money is naturally managed by their parents, who are the masters of the family.
But the Zhou family is special. Both of the older generations are gone, and the remaining family has lost two older brothers. Zhou Dacang should have been the head of the family, but he has joined the army now, and it is unclear where his future wife will be.
If he became a high-ranking official and married a daughter of a wealthy family, it would be impossible for that daughter to come to their village, and naturally she could not be their home.
After all, the Li family is still the one in charge.
Zhou Gu and his friends said, "Aunt, we are not dividing the family. If you don't take our money, do you want to separate us and make us live a hard life?"
Zhou Guo smiled and said, "We'll let you live a hard life. Then we'll build you two thatched huts, give you a bag of food, and two acres of land, and let you live on your own. Don't let your life be too easy without anyone to look after you. Maybe in two years you'll be able to start your own business. Don't you think so, brothers?"
Zhou Mi smiled and said, "You're still talking about us. Have you forgotten that you're still a girl? You'll have to be married off even if you're not separated. If you marry into a bad family, wouldn't it be even more miserable to have to eat coarse food?"
"I won't..."
A group of people went to the fields talking and laughing.
Going forward, I saw many villagers on the road, one family after another. It was still dark, and the sky was full of twinkling stars.
This road was as lively as it was during the day. Some people were excited and shouted into the night, and the sound could be heard from far away.
Everyone greeted each other, then went their separate ways when they reached the fields.
Work for a while before it gets light and hot. When it really is noon, you can take a longer break.
Zhou Guo walked to the field and pinched the wheat. The grains were big and full. It was a pity that there were not many grains on an ear. If there were more, the harvest would be increased.
When the wheat was still green, it was good as a snack. At that time, I would go to the fields every few days to cut a few ears of wheat, take them home and roast them. The fragrance of the wheat is still fresh in my memory.
Suddenly, a series of horn calls were heard in the distance, and then horns were sounded from all directions. Everyone had started.
Holding a straw in one hand and a sickle in the other, she solemnly cut the first handful of wheat she had ever seen in this world.
The whole family worked on a piece of land, and they worked hard to cut the wheat. Except for Zhou Guo and Zhou Su, they were all experts in cutting wheat, and they finished cutting a piece of wheat in a short time.
It is worth mentioning that Xu had never been brought to the fields before. But once she arrived at the fields, she was no longer stupid, dazed or crazy. She watched from the side for a while, as if she was dissatisfied with Zhou Guo's slow cutting. She stepped forward to grab the sickle, bent down and started to work skillfully, like a real pro.