Concubine's three acres of pastoral garden

Chapter 11 Good Rice Fields

One sentence made Xianglai's mother and second aunt almost cry. They used to think that Tianlai was ignorant, but now it seems that this child has not had enough to eat for a long time after listening to others.

Although it is said that the family is separated, Xianglai Niang and the second aunt are embarrassed to be strangers to the uncle's house. After the meal, the second aunt goes to the cowshed to untie the cows, and then continues to help Dachang herd the cows. Shen Wanjin hurried out when she saw this , came to the cowshed and said to the second aunt: "His second aunt, you should stop herding the cows and let Dachang go."

The second aunt said: "It's okay, I'm idle even if I'm idle, I won't be tired after feeding a cow."

Shen Wanjin said: "I know there are a lot of you, and I don't have the same knowledge as them. I don't have any other intentions in not letting you herd the cattle. I just want the cattle to tie up Dachang so that he won't have to go to Hengyuan Farm to work again."

Second Yiniang saw that Shen Wanjin's separation was not due to separation, so she stopped being stubborn and went back to her own house.

Shen Wanjin stood in the courtyard and shouted to the middle room: "Dachang, hurry up and herd the cattle."

Shen Dachang planned to go to the farm under Wu Zhaodi's instigation, but upon hearing Shen Wanjin's greeting, he said, "Father, let Guifang go!"

Shen Wanjin said: "She is a girl, and she runs into the wild all day, don't worry? Besides, there is no need to feed the pigs and sheep!"

Dachang had no choice but to put down his sickle and went to herd cattle resentfully.

Shen Wanjin assigned people to do all the work at home, Xianglai's family became idle, and the four of them sat in the house discussing their future livelihood.

When it was almost noon, Niang Xiufen from Qianjie came.

Mrs. Xiufen is hardworking and honest, and she gets along well with Mrs. Xianglai and her second aunt. Earlier, when Shen Da and Mr. Shen were in harmony, she visited Xianglai's house. Later, when Xianglai's father died, Mrs. Zhang and Wu Zhaodi scolded her all day long. Lie Lie, if you send Xiang Lai Niang and Second Aunt Niang around, she won't be able to come.

Early this morning when she heard that the Shen family had split up, she knew that the Xianglai family would not get much, so she caught a brood of chicks that had just hatched from her old hen.

Seeing her coming straight to the door of her house, Xiang Lai Niang quickly got up to pick her up, looked at the basket of chirping chicks she was carrying and asked, "Her aunt, what are you doing?"

Xiu Fenniang said: "My old hen will stop laying eggs after the chicks hatch. I thought that your family has no chickens, so I will give the chicks to you to raise. Wake the thing up and lay eggs."

Xiang Lai Niang's heart warmed up, she knew that what she said about the hen not laying eggs was an excuse, and this chick also came from eggs, and it was much better than a few eggs when it was raised up.

She hastily said, "Her aunt, what a shame!"

Xiufenniang said: "Why are you being polite to me..." She handed the basket to Xianglai and said, "Xianglai, go find a place to catch the chicks, it's hot, don't get bored."

Xianglai stepped forward to take the basket, went to the kitchen to block the stove door, temporarily caught all the chickens on the kitchen floor, then grabbed millet from the rice bucket and fed them to the chickens, and then returned to the kitchen with an empty basket. in the room.

Xiu Fenniang looked at the slender Xiang Lai and said: "Look at Xiang Lai, the longer it grows, the more juicy it is. There is no girl in these ten miles and eight villages as good-looking as her."

Xianglai said: "What's the use of looking good? Like me, I'm so skinny that a gust of wind can blow it away, and I can't do any heavy work."

Xiu Fenniang laughed and said, "Such a pretty girl, who would marry her and be willing to let her work!"

Xiang Lai Niang said: "They all belong to the farmer's family, and the daughter-in-law is not just watching, how can I do if I don't work..."

Xianglai was impatient to hear that they had nothing to do and grinded their teeth, so she asked Tianlai to go to the yard to build a chicken shed.

Xiufenniang sat for half the morning before leaving, passing by Xianglai and boasting: "Look at Xianglai girl, she is getting more and more capable, she can do such jobs."

Xianglai still didn't say a word. In fact, it didn't feel good to be praised so bluntly.

The second aunt looked at Xiu Fenniang's back and said casually: "Xiu Fen's mother used to take Xiang Lai every bite when she was a child, do you want our Xiang Lai to be her daughter-in-law?"

Brother Xiufen is four years older than Xianglai. His name is Shunzi. He looks like a black stake. He lives on the same street. Although Xianglai has not been here for long, he has seen him several times.

Hearing Second Aunt's words, she immediately shuddered, thinking that it shouldn't be like this?Kanniang chatted with her very speculatively, didn't she really promise herself to him secretly, didn't she? !Although he was not considered an appearance association, nor was he the kind of person who hates the poor and loves the rich, but this Shunzi still couldn't accept it.

She was worrying unnecessarily here, but she heard Xianglai Niang say: "Sister, what are you talking about, even if Xiufenniang wants to marry our Xianglai, Shunzi may not agree, she has an idea!"

As she spoke, her eyes inadvertently turned to Westinghouse.

Xianglai didn't know what she meant by that glance, but it seemed that her mother had no intention of marrying herself to that Shunzi, so she felt relieved.

Xianglai Niang and Second Aunt worked together with Xianglai and Tianlai. After a while, they tied up a half-foot-wide chicken shed, and took the chicks out of the kitchen and put them in.

After it was done, the family made lunch again.

Having nothing to do after dinner, Xiang Lai came to look at the barren fields behind the house.

The terrain of Xitun along the Jiangjiang River is uneven, and the closer to the west of the village, the lower it is. There is a small stream half a mile away from the west of the village. The water flows in the riverbed in drought years, and it will overflow when it is flooded. As long as there is a little more rain, the fields in the west of the village will be ruined. .

Xianglai looked at the three acres of wasteland and sighed. It seems that Grandpa Xianglai was trying to save trouble when he opened the land. He just found a piece of flat land to plant some rations, and he didn't even think about saving a few acres of good land for future generations.

In this kind of field, it would be good if you grow millet and sorghum to get back the seeds. If you grow corn, you might be able to barely leave some... But, it would be great if you grow rice. It should be easy to divert water to the fields with one end flowing into the river.

I just don't know if anyone grows rice here, anyway, I haven't heard of anyone these days.

Thinking of this, she turned around and went home, found Xianglai Niang and asked, "Mother, is there anyone growing rice here?"

"Rice?" Xiang Lai Niang asked in surprise, "How does Xiang'er know this? Rice is such a rare thing that only rich people can afford it. People in our village probably haven't seen it before."

Xianglai was stunned for a moment, and said: "Uh... Mom told me and I remembered it! I only asked today when I remembered it."

Xianglai Niang asked suspiciously: "Oh? Did I tell you..."

Xianglai asked with sloppy eyes, "Mother, why is rice so expensive?"

Xiang Lai Niang said: "Our Northern Liao's climate is cold and we can't grow rice. In the past few years, the King of Northern Liao has stopped paying tribute to the Southern Kingdom. The Southern Kingdom forbids commercial exchanges with the Northern Liao, and even a grain of grain is not allowed to go here. Trafficking, so that even the rice eaten by the Beiliao Palace was smuggled from the south by bold traders regardless of their lives, how can you say it is not expensive?"

(End of this chapter)