Peasant woman's day

Chapter 18

Mrs. Gu raised her head and smiled, and quickly tied up the seedlings in her hands: "I can't compare with you. The family is strong and labor-intensive, and this year they hired so many people. I really don't have to worry about it myself. The boss lives in the house again. The town is really blessed."

After hearing this, Furong looked up, but she saw a middle-aged woman who was not dressed like ordinary peasant women standing on the ridge of the field, with a look of color on her face: "It's nothing, it's just that the boss is in the shopkeeper's house." In the eyes, he was promoted to be a gentleman in charge. He can only recognize a few words."

This is what Hong Guoguo is showing off.Mrs. Gu didn't answer.The second sister-in-law Gu raised her head and wiped her sweat: "Aunt Zhong, why did you go to the field in person today? I heard earlier that you went to the town to have a good time, didn't you?"

Aunt Zhong's complexion turned ugly in an instant, and she turned around and said to him: "The sun is about to rise, I'll go over and watch them farm first. Sister-in-law, I have some fresh fragrant rice brought back from the town." , It’s good for the skin on your body. If you get hurt, just come to me, and you won’t leave any scars.” As she said, Aunt Zhong twisted her waist and walked away.

Fragrant soap, isn't it just soap?When did the scented soap have these effects, and if it was a medicated soap, it might still have some effect.medicated soap?Fu Rong looked at Gu Qingchen subconsciously: There are many beauty prescriptions in ancient books, I don't know if they can be put into practice.Even if it is made, sales are still a problem.At least go to the town, I'm afraid, only rich people will buy these things.While Fu Rong was thinking in her heart, her hands were still moving.

Pulling seedlings is a relatively simple way of life.Seeing that Furong was also involved, Gu Laopai stopped himself and called Gu Laoer and Gu Laoniang to plant rice seedlings to save time.The sun was gradually rising, and it was early spring. When I started to work, my body was already sweating finely, and my clothes were sticking to my body, which was very uncomfortable.

Gu Ersao and Gu Qingchen were both fast, and after a while, Old Gu called them over to help transplant the rice seedlings.Fu Rong mechanically repeated the action of pulling out and binding the seedlings, and occasionally looked up at the several people who were planting the seedlings, and everyone kept bending and retreating.Papa Gu was the fastest, and he inserted several lines.She turned her head to look at Gu Qingchen again, he lowered his head, he didn't wear the square scarf that was usually tied around his head, he was wearing coarse clothes, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead from time to time.This is farm work. These weak seedlings are what the farmers who face the loess and their backs to the sky look forward to for a year.She looked up at the sky again, and secretly made up her mind: she must let herself live a good life.

After soaking in the water for a long time, the legs are still sticky and uncomfortable.At noon, Furong finished pulling out the seedlings.Papa Gu greeted everyone to rest for a while.Today I brought some cornmeal pancakes and steamed buns, which Fu Rong steamed yesterday.When the second sister-in-law took it, she smiled: "The third brother and sister are so willing, these steamed buns are all made of white flour."

Father Gu gave her a sideways glance: "Just eat what you have. If you are full, then don't eat. Where is there white noodles at home, the third daughter-in-law didn't buy it with her own money this time."

The second sister-in-law Gu didn't make a sound, she lowered her head and ate the steamed buns.Fu Rong sat close to her, so she heard her muttering: "I know how to sell such a good person, who knows if the two of you have subsidized her." Fu Rong sneered in her heart. Sour psychology.Furong raised her eyes and saw the lush trees on the mountain. She smiled and said, "There are wild fruits on the mountain over there. It would be good to pick some to make preserves sometime."

"There are some mountain grapes on the other side of the mountain, but they are astringent, incomparable to those in the town. The others are made of mulberry and elm trees, and there are also some in the village." Gu Qingchen was obviously hungry and panicked, took a big mouthful of steamed buns, and said vaguely replied.

"Mulberry tree?" Fu Rong was fascinated, and stopped breaking the steamed buns, "Is there no one around here who raises silkworms?"

The second sister-in-law Gu was happy now: "Raising silkworms? How can there be so many people? The old man Wang at the head of the village did raise silkworms. He raised dozens of acres of land at home and even wiped out the house. Who would dare to raise silkworms?" Raising? The silk is thin, easy to break, and difficult to spin, and the clothes it makes are easy to break. Who has the spare time to do that delicate work.” She said, squinting at Furong, “The third sibling is a member of our family. Come out, naturally you don’t know these things.”

Fu Rong didn't care about the irony in her words, but fell into thinking: China has a tradition of raising silkworms since ancient times.After I wore it, I had only seen clothes made of silk fabrics in Fan's Mansion, but I had never seen them in the cloth shop here.The mulberry silk clothes do not need to be pulled, but they are famous for their lightness, coolness and brilliance.For such a large area of ​​mulberry trees, it would be too wasteful to let them wither like this.If not, try it.

Although she has this idea, Furong doesn't have the time to do it right now.These ten acres of paddy fields have not yet been planted with seedlings.Papa Gu understood that Fu Rong was a novice and was not used to the work in the field, so he deliberately took her to a field with deep water, and asked her to transplant the seedlings right on the seedlings.It is easy for novices to insert the seedlings crookedly, especially if they are too close to the pit they stepped on.Sitting on the yangma also saves her some effort.After Mr. Gu talked about the technique and demonstrated it, he let Furong do it.He watched Fu Rong planted a few plants, told her to plant the seedlings a little deeper, and went to work on his own.

On the first day, only three or four acres were planted, which is pretty fast.Seeing that the sun was setting towards the west, Father Gu looked up, and asked Old Lady Gu to take Gu's second sister-in-law Furong back to prepare dinner first, and they would do some more work.Fu Rong only felt pain in her waist and legs, but she still gritted her teeth.

For dinner, I fried pork belly with sharp peppers, and Mrs. Gu asked Furong to bake some pancakes.It's been a busy day, and I still have a little greasy stomach.They didn't come back until the sky was completely dark. After washing their hands, they didn't have time to talk. Everyone held their bowls and ate big mouthfuls.Yuanyuan hadn't seen Fu Rong and Gu Qingchen for a whole day, and now his eyes were smiling, seeing that everyone was eating so deliciously, he also ate big mouthfuls.Fearing that he would be like the previous son, Fu Rong only let him eat half a pancake, not the rice.

"Daughter-in-law, do you want to raise silkworms?" Furong returned to her room after taking the medicinal bath that Gu Qingchen prepared for her to relieve fatigue. Gu Qingchen, who had already bathed and was brushing Yuanyuan's hair, said to Furong.

As soon as she saw Fu Rong sitting up, Yuan Yuan rolled into her arms without even wiping her head.

Fu Rong smiled, nodded and said, "I always feel that the tree is a pity. Is there really no one around here who raises silkworms?"

Gu Qingchen got up and put the towel on, turned his head and said: "I heard from my grandma that there used to be some. At that time, the tender mulberry leaves on the mountain were almost all pinched, and there were many silkworms that were not eaten If there is no silk, it will be a big loss. Later, some people planted cotton, and the number of silkworm farmers gradually decreased. Later, after the incident of Uncle Wang, no one in this village fiddled with that thing anymore."

Only then did Fu Rong understand the whole story. If she wanted to raise silkworms in this place, she would probably be regarded as a sign of prodigal wealth.Furong thought of the price of a silk quilt in modern times, and still felt that this was a worthwhile business.She was silent, seriously thinking about the feasibility of this matter.

Seeing that Furong was always ignoring him, Yuanyuan kept grabbing Furong's arm, and she fell asleep first, with her little head bit by bit.Fu Rong also yawned, put him on the side of the bed, and lay down besides her coat.As usual, Gu Qingchen embraced her from behind.Just when Furong was about to fall asleep in a daze, Gu Qingchen whispered in her ear: "My classmate who was studying in the past also had silkworms at home. If you really have this idea, I'll be busy tomorrow, and I'll visit them. "

After hearing this, Furong wanted to answer something, but couldn't stand the onset of drowsiness.With her head tilted, she leaned against Gu Qingchen and fell asleep.A smile appeared on Gu Qingchen's lips, and he also closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The days of transplanting rice seedlings are tiring and boring.The backache and backache from the previous day just relieved a little, and the way to survive the next day came again.After standing in the water for so long, the skin on her feet became wrinkled, not to mention the nasty leeches, which always tended to her legs.The Gu family has been busy with these ten acres of land for several days.

It's finally the last day.Furong bent down with difficulty.The seedling fields with a lot of water have already been planted, and the seedling fields with less water here can't use rice horses. Fu Rong feels that her waist is about to break after the past few days.

"Gu Erniang!" Aunt Huang's voice came from afar.Fu Rong wiped the sweat off her brow, raised her head, and Mrs. Huang hurried over.

All those working in the fields stopped.Seeing that it was Mrs. Huang, Mrs. Gu smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Huang, come here today, but what's the matter? Is the child at home causing trouble for you, sister-in-law?"

Aunt Huang smiled: "Look at what you said, which one of our two families is with the other. It's not my business. It's your house, and there are guests."

After hearing this, Mrs. Gu was stunned: "There is a guest, who is it?" Who would visit relatives during the busy farming season.Could it be Tinger?
"Just now, a carriage entered the village and stopped in front of your house. The coachman kept calling for your door. I just went out to answer. It was a girl, an old friend of the third daughter-in-law, who came to look for her Yes." Aunt Huang laughed.

Fu Rong was taken aback for a moment, old friend, who would come here?She was still thinking, but Mrs. Gu had already turned her head: "Third daughter-in-law, since you are an old acquaintance, you should go back first. Prepare some good food and wine, and don't neglect the guests. Besides, today is the day when the seedling gate is closed. You watch and get ready."

(End of this chapter)