Chapter 16: Those Things about Autumn Harvest

The main reason that the main family proposed the division of property this time was because Shen Bao'er had caught the eye of the second son of the County Magistrate. The young magistrate wanted to propose marriage. Shen Bao'er was worried that if she married the magistrate's second son, her relatives from the countryside would constantly come asking for favors. Furthermore, having a bunch of rural relatives felt shameful, and she feared it would make her feel inferior in front of the ladies and mistresses of the official class. She was afraid of being labeled a country bumpkin. Thus, she instigated Mrs. Lan to initiate the division. Of course, Mrs. Lan and Shen Chengzong also wanted to separate. The family of four had a discussion over a whole night before coming to this decision.

They originally planned to perform well during the autumn harvest in order to convince everyone to separate. Little did they know, things would go so smoothly and they would split up before the harvest. Because of this, Mrs. Lan invited her elder brother to help manage their shop for a while. If she had known, she wouldn't have needed him. Now that they had separated, Mrs. Lan wanted to return to the town. Her family didn't receive any farmland during the division, so she was unwilling to do the backbreaking work of farming. She didn't want to get herself dirty and sweaty.

Shen Bao'er had the same thoughts and brought it up before Mrs. Lan: "Dad, now that everyone's divided their property, how about we return to town tomorrow? If I have to do a month of farm work, my skin will darken, not to mention my hands will get too rough. Then, the young master might dislike me."

Mrs. Yang jumped in and agreed, "Yes, Master, we can't let my elder brother look after our shop for too long. Besides, Wen'er and Bao'er have never done heavy labor, how could they realistically help with farming? What if it exhausts Wen'er, then how can he study? If Bao'er marries into the county magistrate's family and someone finds out she's worked in the fields, where would she put her face?"

Even now, the ladies and young mistresses in the town often look down on them, saying they come from a peasant background. If they found out they had actually worked in the fields, wouldn't they be even more scorned!

"But we agreed to return for the autumn harvest together. If we go back so soon, my dad definitely won't agree." Shen Chengguang hesitated. He himself hadn't worked in the fields for years, and he was used to living in the town, not the village.

"How about we send a letter to my elder brother, asking him to send someone to tell us that he's suddenly busy and can't help manage the shop?" Seeing that Shen Chengguang didn't refuse outright, Mrs. Lan knew there was hope.

Upon hearing these words, Shen Chengguang immediately agreed: "Ok, it's a good idea. I'm sure my dad will agree if we leave in a couple of days."

Meanwhile, the couple in the second branch were also still awake.

Mrs. Li took out her secret stash, totaling 40 taels of silver. Before the division, they had 30 taels, and they received an additional 10 in the division. They counted the money and were so happy they couldn't help but sing, "If only we didn't have to give the ten taels to Housekeeper Hu..."

"Now we have 40 taels in hand. We keep five for our own use, you take the remaining 35 to the south with your brother. By the end of the year, we can make over 100 taels to celebrate the New Year." Hearing this, Mrs. Li excitedly pounded her fists lightly on Shen Chengzong.

"Master, I am so happy. Once Housekeeper Hu takes Xiao'er away, we'll have an additional 30 taels. You'll have 60 taels to take to the south."

Soon afterward, they too could lead a life of not having to lift a finger for food and clothing.

"By the way, Housekeeper Hu sent a message this afternoon, asking me to take a trip to town. But we're beginning the autumn harvest tomorrow. Will dad let me go to town?" Mrs. Li suddenly thought of this and brought it up.

Shen Chengzu thought about it. This matter could bring in 30 taels of silver, so it couldn't be delayed: "I heard mom telling Jingwen to go to town early to buy meat. Just say you're going. Dad might give you extra meat to bring. Then, take the opportunity to find Housekeeper Hu."

The next day, everyone in Shen family woke up before dawn, around four o-clock. After breakfast, everyone equipped themselves with farming tools and prepared to go out.

Meanwhile, Shen Chengyao had already taken Mrs. Liu back to her parents' house and returned. It was a round trip by bullock cart. According to Xiao'er's knowledge, even a round trip by bullock cart took an hour and a half. How early must they have got up! They hardly slept last night.

Walking through the fields, the air was full of a faint aroma of rice and a unique scent of soil. Even though the sky was not fully light yet, some families were already busy working in the fields. When they saw each other, they greeted each other with a smile. Seeing others had started before him, Master Shen quickened his pace.

The first fields to be harvested today belonged to Master Shen. After his have been harvested, Shen Chengzong's fields would be next. The harvest went in order from the eldest to youngest.

Arriving in the field, the old master told everyone to spread out. Each person was responsible for a specific area. Shen Chengyao was next to Master Shen. Both moved swiftly and smoothly. With a swish and a grab of his left hand, he caught six or seven rice plants, and immediately cut them down with a sickle in his right hand, successfully harvesting a large bunch of rice.

Xiao'er watched in awe and decided to give it a try. However, her hands were too small, and she could only manage two plants at most. But she was quick to learn and efficient in her work. Even though she could only cut two plants at a time, she was quite fast.

Jingrui, sitting next to Xiao'er, couldn't help but praise, "Xiao'er is cutting the paddy even faster this year, your brother can't keep up."

Seeing this, Jinghao also picked up a plant in his small hands, and began to cut more vigorously.

Mr. Shen was very pleased to hear this; the children from the third branch were raised well, each one more diligent than the other in their work. Unlike others, each trying to outdo the other in their laziness.

In reality, neither Xiao'er nor Jinghao needed to come to the harvest, but the children from the third branch would voluntarily ask to help out starting from the age of five. Once, when Jingrui said he wanted to help, Mr. Shen initially dismissed it as him just wanting to play, but later realized he was genuinely serious about following Shen Chengyao, cutting each plant earnestly, resting only when the adults rested. He never complained about being tired or found the work difficult.

As the sun rose, Xiao'er glanced around. Both her fourth uncle and aunt were cutting at a fast pace, the second family was okay, only half behind, but the main family and Mrs. Shen, including Shen Yuzhu, were even slower than Xiao'er and the two kids, which was really speechless.

Mr. Shen also noticed this and shouted angrily: "Whoever doesn't finish cutting today will not be allowed to go home for lunch. Only after you've cut everything can you go back."

Hearing this, a few people noticeably increased their speed. The main family groaned internally, hoping that Mrs. Lan's brother would soon send over the message he was supposed to bring.

It was around 10 a.m. when Mrs. Li finally came to the fields. Seeing her look of joy, Xiao'er knew her plan must have been a success. She smirked internally.

Seeing that Mrs. Li arrived so late, Mr. Shen frowned, but ultimately said nothing.

As the sun became increasingly harsh, around midday, old Mr. Shen finally announced a rest. Xiao'er quickly ran over to the place at the edge of the field where water was kept, and craftily switched out the two jugs of water with two jugs she had prepared the night before. She gave one to Mr. Shen. Considering his old age and hard work, he must have been exhausted: "Grandfather, drink some water first."

She then offered the other jug to Shen Chengyao: "Father, you drink too."

Mr. Shen was pleased by his granddaughter's filial piety: "Xiao'er is really thoughtful." Yet again, he thought about how well the children from the third branch were raised compared to the main and second branches, who were drinking their own water without any regards to the others.

Shen Chengyao wanted the children to drink first, but they refused. In their hesitation, Mr. Shen had already finished drinking and then passed the water to Jingrui. "Third son, you should drink now. The children are showing respect, not wanting to drink first. Drink up quickly and let them drink too, as is proper."

Shen Chengyao agreed and quickly took to drink. He held his head high, the jug a few centimeters away from his mouth, and poured the water to drink. After a few gulps, he passed it to Xiao'er, who insisted Jinghao drink first. When Jinghao refused, Xiao'er threatened, "Drink it quickly, or I won't talk to you anymore."

Jinghao finally conceded to Xiao'er's dominance.

The two jugs of water were quickly finished off by everyone.

Mr. Shen felt much better and was perplexed. The water seemed much better than usual, somewhat sweet to the taste: "Xiao'er, why does this water taste so sweet?"

Shen Chengyao, Jingrui, and Jinghao didn't notice, as they had already been drinking this at home for a few days. When Xiao'er heard, she said, "Really? It doesn't seem any different to me. Maybe Grandfather is just really thirsty."

Mrs. Shen also thought it was due to Mr. Shen's thirst: "It tastes the same to me, I filled these jugs with water boiled from the same pot this morning. Why can't I taste the sweetness?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Shen assumed it must be because of his strenuous work in the morning, making him excessively thirsty.