Chapter 7 Spring Ploughing_2

"Brother Zixuan, when will farmers no longer have to struggle so much?" Jinghan mused aloud.

"Farmers will always be the hardest workers, no matter what," Zixuan couldn't properly answer Jinghan's question. "To eat, one must farm. Farming requires the diligent labor of farmers; it's inevitable."

Sowing seeds and pressing soil were exhausting tasks, especially when one foot was in the furrow and the other on the ridge, which was tiring for the legs. After working for a while, Jinghan's legs ached, so she stopped to rest. Seeing her stop, Lin Zixuan also quickly halted and fetched some water for her to drink. Jinghan had been following Zixuan around like a shadow since she was little, and he was especially good to her, always thinking of her when he had something tasty. Zixuan's care for Jinghan was no less than that of Wenhan.

"Brother Zixuan, thank you. I was really thirsty," said Jinghan as she took the bowl and drank all the water, finally quenching her thirst.

Lin Zixuan smiled warmly. "Come visit my house when you're free. Xiaomei is at home, and she talks about you every day. She says you haven't been to see her lately, and she finds it boring to be by herself."

Jinghan thought for a moment; she did recall the sweet-looking little girl, Xiaomei. "Let's wait until this busy period is over. I'll go see her when I'm free—I've been feeling unwell these past few days." She had been in this time and place for a while now, and it was time for her to find some friends. Her elder sister was too quiet, spending her days sewing.

After chatting for a while, they resumed their work. At noon, Zhixin let the Lin father and son go home for a meal, but they both declined. Zhixin led his own family back home, and seeing that the pot was cold and only the old master was on the bed, asked, "Dad, where's mom? Why hasn't she cooked the meal? And where is everyone else?"

"That's impossible, your sister was unwell again today, so your mom took her to the town to see a doctor. Before leaving, she asked your second brother's wife to cook, didn't she? Let me check." The old master got down to the ground and went to check; sure enough, there was no cooking being done. "This woman, where did she run off to? And the kids, Wencheng and Wenchang aren't home either." The old master, who had been sick for a few days due to something concerning his second son, wasn't in the best of spirits. He had just dozed off for a bit and had no idea where the family of his second son had gone.

"Never mind, I'd better hurry up and cook," said Mrs. Xue quickly, ushering Jingya and her sister to start the fire and cook. They had almost run out of vegetables at home and had to make do with pickles. "Wenhan, don't go farming this afternoon. Take your younger siblings to Nanshan to gather some wild vegetables," Mrs. Xue spoke while cooking. "It's no use being without vegetables all the time, and we're nearly done with the farming. Your father and I can handle the remaining bits of land."

Wenhan nodded, not saying a word. Seeing that the house was running low on firewood, he hurried out to fetch a load back in. Jingya helped her mother with boiling porridge, while Mrs. Xue slapped pancakes, with Jingxian washing pickles. After busying themselves for a while, they finally had the meal ready. Hastily serving the food, the family didn't care if it was too hot, quickly finishing their meal before Zhixin and his spouse went back to work.

Wenhan carried a basket, Jingya and Jinghan slung smaller baskets over their arms, and Wenxuan followed behind empty-handed. The group headed south. Crossing a small stream and walking a bit more took them to Nanshan, where the mountain was plentiful with wild vegetables. In this season, the big-leaf celery and mountain millet were at their peak. Entering the forest, it didn't take long before they spotted plenty of big-leaf celery — most people were busy farming and had little time to gather wild edibles. They squatted down and started collecting quickly. "Elder sister, there's more over here. Come on," Jinghan cried out to Jingya.

"There's no need. I have plenty here too," Jingya replied, with her own share. Everyone's hands moved swiftly, and before long, they had gathered a considerable amount. Wenhan peeled some bark off trees to tie the celery into bunches, making them easier to carry and less messy.

Jinghan's head was down as she picked vegetables, but a clump of grass caught her attention. "Sis, there are three clovers here." Clover, with its slender stems sprouting tripartite leaves in a whorl, tasted both sour and sweet — a favorite among children.

Wenxuan sprinted over upon hearing about the clover, watching longingly at the few stalks in Jinghan's hand. She quickly gave them to him; in this era, children had no snacks, so this was considered a treat. Wenxuan took the clovers and ate them, his expression one of pure enjoyment. Seeing him like this, Jinghan felt a pang of sorrow. "We'll see if there's more later. If so, I'll give you more, brother."

"Thanks, Second Sister!" Wenxuan beamed with happiness.

"Come autumn, I will take you to get lots of tasty things," Jinghan promised as she stroked Wenxuan's hair.

They resumed picking vegetables, and Jingya too found several clovers, which she gave to Wenxuan, making him extremely happy. Holding the clovers, he found it hard to eat them all at once, nibbling on them slowly to make the pleasure last.

"Wenxuan, go ahead and eat them. There should be plenty of these around. Wait for me; I swear I'll earn a lot of money so you can eat many things you've never had before. I guarantee it," Jinghan declared, resolute in her heart to find a way to make money, not wanting to continue living such a harsh life.

Wenhan laughed nearby, "Little brother, did you hear that? Your second sister said she's going to find you nice things to eat. Jinghan, it's good that you're thinking like this. Keep it up; we need to live a better life, not like this anymore."