Chapter 160: Tilling the Land (Part 2)
enly become a prominent figure at the center of attention. However, I remain unfazed by fame and fortune, with the demeanor of a true general...""Let's cut to the chase, what else did you do""I challe...After dinner, Xu Huaiyi took Wei Liang out, conveniently picking up Gu Xiaoyu along the way. He said he ate too much sour fish and needed to do some chores to aid digestion.
She didn't go to visit Gu Huai, but she was teaching Wei Ci how to sprout beans. Even in cold weather, this could be a dish. After closing the door, she picked out plump grains of wheat, soaked them in water diluted by her daughter, and after finishing, started annotating those martial arts texts. Some things she didn't understand, she even had to look them up in a dictionary, more diligently than when she was taking notes in school.
For that unlucky fellow to pass the civil service exam and get a job, she really went all out.
Xu Huaiyi, who was mowing the grass in the field, couldn't help but sneeze. He touched his ear. Who was muttering about him behind him Couldn't it be his daughter-in-law thinking of him
Twenty mu of land, connected together, overgrown with weeds, is still quite impressive. I wanted to clear it up, but I knew a few people wouldn't be enough. So, Village Head Xu called in a few more to help.
Everyone listened to Xu Huaiyi's command and surrounded the twenty-mu field, cutting a perimeter ditch. Then they set fire to it, which was both labor-saving and safe, avoiding damage to nearby land. Most importantly, there was no need to worry about the fire getting out of control and burning the trees.
Xu, the village head, nodded in approval. “This is a good idea,” he said. "Let's do it this way next year."
Xu Maoyuan saw this and was even more moved. "Why wait until next year Let's pack up and go right now. Even if we can't plant in the fall, it's good to clear the land and tend to it first. Anyway, everyone is idle anyway."
Hearing this, Village Chief Xu also agreed, "You're right. If you have time, you could even clear some more land and plant beans next year. You could harvest a few more bags."
The two of them discussed back and forth, their enthusiasm growing with each word.
When the isolation zone was finally set up, Xu Huaiyi took Gu Xiaoyu's hand and they lit a fire together. The grass had long since dried out at this point, and without even a gust of wind, the flames quickly spread, advancing in patches. Wherever the blaze passed, plants and trees were reduced to ashes.
Twenty acres of land were burning, the scene was quite impressive.
Gu Xiaoyu watched intently.
Xu Huaiyi asked, "Seeing this fire, what did you think of"
Gu Xiaoyu still thought he was testing her on some truth about life, couldn't help but frown and ponder.
Xu Huaiyi then said, “Need I say more Of course it’s the line ‘Wildfire can’t be quenched, spring wind blows again.’ Hey, you lack knowledge! You don’t even know this poem”
Gu Xiaoyu, “…”
He knew this poem, but he didn't know that the problem was so superficial.
Xu Huaiyi grinned triumphantly.
Gu Xiaoyu's face was expressionless.
The two of them were on completely different wavelengths, each with their own joys and sorrows.
Once the fire has burned out, the ground will be blackened and covered with ash from the plants. It is the most direct fertilizer, just waiting to be tilled and sown.
With donkeys around, it's not much of a labor-intensive task. The only thing is to find someone to borrow a plow from. Xu Village Head knows this best since he's familiar with whose family has a plow and whose has oxen.
With Xu Zhuang's arrangement, Xu Huaiyi had much less to do. He told Gu Xiaoyu, "Go back and tell your mother to make a few more dishes tonight. We need to treat these people who are helping us."
Gu Xiaoyu agreed, patted the dirt off her body and went home to report.
Xu Huaiyi didn't expect that even Village Chief Hu would come to help. He wouldn't be able to do it himself at his age, but he had his grandson Hu Yingjie drive the oxen and plow the land.
Hu Yingjie had a blank expression, but he worked diligently and efficiently, clearly an experienced farmer.
Xu Huaiyi hurried forward to express his gratitude.
"The village head waved his hand, speaking very politely, 'We all live in the same village. Helping each other out as neighbors is what we should do, there's no need to mention it..."
Then, the topic shifted. "Compared to what you guys have done, what we're doing is nothing,"
This brought the conversation back to what happened last night.
Xu Huaiyi didn't pretend to be deaf and dumb, haha laughed and said, "You are too polite, we haven't done anything. We just invited a few monks to the village to chant scriptures. It's just to put our hearts at ease. After all, we live in other people's houses, and the money spent is not much. We have taken advantage of it. It is also right to superimpose."
The village head gave no hint of his true feelings. Even though he had some doubts, he couldn't be sure. He followed the other person's lead and said, "There's nothing to take advantage of. Those houses in the village were vacant anyway. You came just in time. It was fate that brought us together, meant to be like family. If we had to say there was any benefit, it's that we benefited from your presence. For years, outsiders avoided our village. They hated seeing it and would go out of their way to avoid it, thinking it was unlucky...
He paused for a moment, letting out a long sigh. "Ai, it's all just fate. Who would want those things to happen We were unlucky enough to get caught up in them. Outsiders don't even offer sympathy or pity, they just add insult to injury by kicking us while we're down. What grudge do they have against us Why are they trying to drive us to extinction"
Xu Huaiyi cleared his throat. "Not that bad."
"The village head shook his head. 'That's something you haven't experienced,' he said. 'Five years ago, it was...well, never mind. It's all in the past anyway. Thanks to you guys, who would have thought that the Buddha would appear last night With such a divine sign descending, I wonder who would dare say our village is cursed anymore!'
Xu Huaiyi chuckled, "It will definitely get better and better."
"Now that old man can finally rest in peace," said Hu Village Chief.
Xu Huaiyi didn't want to discuss this topic any further, and was afraid that Mayor Hu would say something deeper, so he changed the subject and asked, "Do you know where I can buy fruit saplings"
"Fruit saplings Any kind of fruit tree will do, right"
"Peaches, apricots, jujubes, and pears will all do."
Hu Village Chief nodded. "These we have, and there are plum trees in the mountains too. They're very beautiful when they bloom. Old man has grapes at home. If you want to plant some, ask Yingjie to cut a few branches for you to stick in later."
"That's great, then you won't have to worry about anything. I'll leave the fruit trees to you. When it's done, just tell me the price and I promise not to let you work for nothing."
"That stuff isn't worth much, it's just a bit of work. If you feel bad about it, then when the time comes, whoever helps do the work, you can take care of their meals."
Xu Huaiyi didn't refuse any further and readily agreed.
In the evening, Xu Huaiyi invited all the people who had helped him work in the fields that afternoon to his house for a meal. There were two tables set up in the main hall, which was quite spacious.
After receiving Gu Xiaoyu's message, Gu Huanxi immediately started cooking with Wei Ci in the kitchen. They estimated the number of people coming and prepared over ten dishes. Fortunately, Wei Liang had bought a basketful of vegetables that morning, otherwise there wouldn't have been enough to entertain everyone tonight.
Stewed pig trotters with yellow beans, there was a large pot on each table. There were also braised pork ribs, braised pork belly with steamed dry greens, stir-fried cured meat, and other vegetarian dishes. However, under Gu Huanxi's skillful hands, the taste was not bad either. There were two types of cabbage alone: pickled cabbage and cold mixed cabbage hearts. Everyone praised it and even licked their faces to inquire about the recipe.
Xu Huaiyi would also do it, and generously share it with others.
They ate for most of an hour, and both host and guest were delighted.ing about us anymore. The Qiao family not only arranged jobs for the Xu brothers but also found a renowned doctor from the city to treat your parents. Although he couldn't cure them, he left behind a...