mijobooks Chapter 11: A Bountiful Harvest
Chapter 11: A Bountiful Harvest
Xu Chunsheng had no idea that You Xiaoxia would make things difficult for him because he wanted to break up. All he saw was Xiaowei petting the donkey before taking off running towards the village, shouting as he ran, "Someone's harvesting Ophiopogon japonicus! Anyone who wants to sell, hurry up and bring it to my house..."
Xu Chunsheng refused Xiaowei's mother's suggestion, but he borrowed a "high stool" from her house and led the donkey to the crossroads to "set up a stall".
After ten or twenty minutes, people from nearby households began bringing their Ophiopogon japonicus to check on the situation.
You ask why the villagers were willing to believe a little child?
Naturally, Xiao Wei has always been "someone else's child" since he was a child. Besides, he just wanted to take a look at the situation. Even if it wasn't true, it wouldn't take much effort.
"Xiaowei is more sensible. My son is older and only knows how to play all day. He can't concentrate on his studies."
"Is An seven or eight years old? He's very sensible. I think if his mother can afford to send him to school, he'll probably do very well."
Upon hearing this, Xu Chunsheng realized that Xiaowei was already seven or eight years old, but he looked small and was even shorter than Xu Yaomei.
This made Xu Chunsheng feel a little uneasy, perhaps out of pity for the little guy, or perhaps out of shame.
Through these neighbors, Xu Chunsheng pieced together Xiao Wei's family situation: his father passed away five years ago, leaving his wife with an elderly father and a child who was less than two years old. The first two years were okay, as his father could help take care of the child. However, in the last two years, his father suffered a stroke and became paralyzed. Now, his mother not only has to take care of the child but also look after her father-in-law, making life very difficult.
And so, people came one after another to sell Ophiopogon japonicus, and Xu Chunsheng's feet got a little rest. He collected another five or six catties of Ophiopogon japonicus here and there. Some people also brought other medicinal herbs, which Xu Chunsheng bought as well if they were of good quality.
Seeing that it was almost time, Xu Chunsheng returned the tall stool to Xiaowei's family and said earnestly to Xiaowei's mother, "Auntie, why don't you plant some Ophiopogon japonicus this year? I'll buy it next year at the market price. I'll buy as much as you have."
Xu Chunsheng wanted to help this family. "If you want to plant, dig more ditches these next couple of days and leave a row for planting corn."
"Boss, let's not even talk about planting them. The seedlings are expensive; I can't afford them."
"If I can't get any seedlings, I'll go to the market on the 27th to buy some. Wait for me at the farmers' market near the station entrance. I'll lend you the seedlings, and you can pay me back for them next year after you sell them."
At that time, the town had not yet been planned as a whole. The grain station was next to the farmers' market, and the bus station was next to the farmers' market. Because the farmers' market had two entrances, everyone would say "the entrance of the grain station" and "the entrance of the bus station" to make it easier to distinguish them.
Xiao Wei's mother was a little stunned, not understanding why Xu Chunsheng would say these things to her and be willing to lend her seedlings on credit.
Although tending to the liriope muscari field doesn't require much effort, planting sweet potatoes and peanuts can at least fill their stomachs. Xiaowei's mother is worried that if she plants them, what if the person doesn't want to harvest them?
Xu Chunsheng didn't interrupt her thoughts. He turned to Xiaowei earnestly and said, "Xiaowei, trust your brother, you must plant it!"
After saying goodbye, Xu Chunsheng led the donkey toward his own brigade.
"Xiaowei, do you think we can believe him?"
"I think it's believable; the boss even gave me fifty cents for my work!"
"What? Fifty cents? Where is it? Go return it to them right now."
Xiaowei's mother was a little anxious, but when she chased after him out of the house, she could no longer see Xu Chunsheng.
"Keep this money safe. The agreed-upon two cents is two cents. You'll have to pay the extra later, understand?"
"Yes!" Xiao Wei nodded emphatically.
……
"Sister, I'm back."
Around five o'clock, Xu Chunsheng finally stepped onto his own courtyard.
Xu Chunsheng unloaded the bags from the donkey, counting seven or eight of them, and then led the donkey to the persimmon tree to tie it up.
"What did you receive, so much of it?"
The older sister, who had just come out of the pigsty, was surprised to see several bulging bags on the ground. She had gone to dozens of households in the village and only managed to collect seven or eight pounds, not even enough to fill one bag. Her brother's collection was simply too exaggerated.
"I've collected some herbs, do you have any more pig feed? I'll bring some over to feed the donkeys."
As he answered, Xu Chunsheng scooped a few ladles of water into the sink.
Every household has a small water trough built in their courtyard, which is very convenient for rough washing. Clothes and mud off sweet potatoes are washed in this small water trough.
"I'll go get him, you can rest."
The eldest sister turned to the thatched hut to fetch pig feed, then smiled and said to Xu Chunsheng, "Little sister is going to do something big today. When she comes back, you have to pay her wages."
"What big thing is it?" Xu Chunsheng couldn't help but be curious after hearing his older sister say that.
The older sister raised her voice, which came from inside the hut: "She told us not to tell you, saying she wanted to give you a surprise, and that she'd tell you herself when she got back."
Xu Chunsheng became even more curious. He took off his shoes, scooped up a ladle of water meant for the donkey, and rinsed his feet. The cool sensation spread from the back of his feet to his whole body. Xu Chunsheng took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, feeling much more relaxed.
Xu Chunsheng walked barefoot to the edge of the courtyard, carrying his shoes, and shook the dirt and grime that had gotten inside his shoes onto the outside of the wall.
A gust of wind blew by, and not only did the ash rush towards Xu Chunsheng, but an indescribable smell also entered his nostrils. Xu Chunsheng quickly turned his head away, held his breath, and tightly clenched his lips, fearing that he would be attacked by biological weapons again.
Xu Chunsheng calmed himself down and, while carrying the bags into the main room, said, "Alright, I'm really curious what surprise you have for me."
As he spoke, Xu Chunsheng could still feel the breath lingering in his chest. He put the bag down and quickly drank some tea to suppress the discomfort.
Xu Chunsheng brought a small basin of corn to the donkey before returning to the main room to collect his spoils.
Opening the nylon bag revealed a series of plastic bags, mostly hazy, semi-transparent ones, interspersed with some red ones that looked somewhat festive. They made a sloshing sound when poured out. These bags were very thin and would tear easily if not handled carefully, unlike the later plastic bags which were highly transparent and not as sturdy.
Xu Chunsheng opened each plastic bag and roughly selected some. Although he would check them when he received them, he would sometimes miss some. There would be one or two not-so-good ones in each bag, and Xu Chunsheng picked them all out and put them aside.
The older sister then came to help sort through the produce: "I collected a little over eight jin (2 catties) in the village today, and I've cleaned it all and put it in the inner room."
Xujia Village is the most populous team in the brigade, with about twenty more households than the other teams. Because Xujia Village is closest to the town, it has more people. Even so, it only harvested one or two more kilograms than other villages.
"More than other teams. I visited five teams today, and I was lucky enough to find a family with more than ten kilograms of meat."
Xu Chunsheng kept muttering to his sister, "You know what, it's kind of a coincidence. That uncle used to work with my uncle. Because of that, I only paid him half the money, otherwise I wouldn't have had the money to go to other brigades to collect Ophiopogon japonicus for the next two days."
"I'm going to the village chief's house to return the donkey later. I won't borrow any more. I was hoping to collect some other better medicinal herbs, but I only collected some grass and leaves, which take up space. When I go to other brigades, I only get Ophiopogon japonicus."
The two siblings quickly sorted and organized the medicinal herbs while chatting and laughing. Xu Chunsheng didn't even waste the leftover dregs; he collected them and fed them to the donkeys in the yard.
"Sis, I'm going to return the donkey."
Seeing that the donkey had almost finished eating, Xu Chunsheng told his sister and led the donkey away.
At times like these, livestock borrowed for work are usually returned on the same day. This way, the owner won't be delayed in using the livestock later, and there's no need to feed them extra feed. When the pig feed is plentiful, it's fine; a little corn is enough to feed them. But in winter, if the family hasn't stored any feed, then they'll have to feed them grain.
Not long after Xu Chunsheng left, Xu Yaomei returned home with a long string of radish heads, all covered in dust and dirt, still arguing incessantly.
"Don't argue, quickly wash it clean and put it together with the ones from this morning. We'll see who made the most money in a bit."
Xu Yaomei shouted loudly, which finally quieted down the group of kids. However, none of them seemed to be willing to give in to the others, and they were just waiting for the adults' judgment.