CHAPTER 69: 69 AUTUMN HARVEST

Yang Xue and Yang Xiubo left carrying buckets, and Xu Chunjiao didn’t stand on ceremony. She joined in husking corn as well.

"Girl, my family’s corn and yours were planted on the same day. Why are the ears of your corn larger and also ripened sooner?" Xu Chunjiao asked while keeping her hands busy.

"Aunt, my corn seeds were bought from the county’s seed station, and I soaked them in water overnight."

"You can do that?"

"I figured that way they wouldn’t dry out, and they’d germinate more easily."

"Makes sense. Did you soak your wheat too?"

"Yes, and those seeds were also bought from the seed station."

"I’ll try it that way this year too."

"Me too. These corn ears are much bigger than mine."

"Aunt, when is your family harvesting corn?" Yuanyuan asked Xu Chunjiao.

"Your Uncle said we can do it the day after tomorrow."

"Aunt, how about your family?"

"My family needs at least four or five more days. Those folks worked just like dawdlers back then."

"I’ll help my aunt’s family harvest corn the day after tomorrow. Once they’re done, your family should be starting."

"Girl, thank you."

Su Yuanyuan just smiled; she was a lone girl and yet was the first in the village to plant wheat.

If she were doing it herself, it would probably take at least a week for both harvesting and planting, but now it could be done in three days.

Now she felt quite at ease.

Yang Minggang came by and asked Su Yuanyuan for the location of some wooden sticks. Then he started making simple corn baskets by the eaves.

The two boys also went to help, and in half an hour, it was done.

The three of them began loading the corn baskets. This method saves space and it’s easier to cover them when it rains, plus they dry faster. Since they’re suspended, all sides are ventilated.

"Girl, your corn is really 30% bigger, and there are no shriveled ones. That means the yield is 30% higher too."

Yang Minggang was truly envious. For farmers, they may not envy others’ wealth or family, but they certainly envy higher grain yields.

At noon, everyone went home. After having lunch and resting for a while, Su Yuanyuan continued husking corn in front of the pile. She would finish before nightfall. This way, she’d have completed a third of this year’s farm work.

By around four in the afternoon, the corn was already packed into baskets.

Su Yuanyuan spread out the husked corn husks in the yard. Once dried, they would be used as firewood.

The next day, she still got up early and divided the catch for both families. She didn’t keep the crayfish. She organized both the inside and outside of her home, waiting to help with the sorghum harvest in a few days.

She could harvest the soybeans too, but it had to be done in the early morning dew, otherwise, the pods would burst open and the soybeans would fall out.

She had planted an acre of soybeans and planned to cut some each morning—no need to rush.

Today, it was Yang Hongwen’s family harvesting corn, and Su Yuanyuan got up at four. She cut soybeans for two hours, tidied up her home for half an hour, and then took her sickle out to the field.

Their family was already at work, so Su Yuanyuan started harvesting corn right next to them.

Yang Hongwen’s family had fifteen acres of corn, and after three days of work, they finally cleared the field.

"Uncle, I’m helping my aunt’s family with their corn harvest tomorrow."

"Alright, if you get tired, take a day’s rest."

"It’s okay."

Su Yuanyuan didn’t go home but went straight to Hu Chunhua’s house.

"Girl, your Uncle said we’d harvest corn the day after tomorrow. We don’t have a lot, so two days should do it."

"Okay, I should finish the last half-acre of soybeans tomorrow."

"Girl, what time do you get up every day? Don’t tire yourself out," Hu Chunhua said tenderly, though she knew that this was the way to live life and make progress.

"I wake up at four in the morning, which isn’t too early. Aunt, I’m going back now."

"Okay."

Hu Chunhua went to Yang Hongwen’s house to help husk corn. By then, there were already five or six women helping out in the courtyard.

That’s how it is in the countryside. Even for families who don’t team up for work, they help each other out with corn husking when the corn is brought home.

Of course, it’s a mutual help.

"Chunhua, when is your family harvesting corn?"

"The day after tomorrow. Kangzi said the day after tomorrow."

"Your family has only six acres after dividing the property, so it goes quickly."

"Yes, once it’s done, we still have to plant wheat."

"Is everyone planting wheat?"

"Yes, what about your family?"

"We need a few more days. We were late planting by a couple of days, which means harvesting is ten days late too."

There’s nothing that can be done; not every household has livestock. When teaming up, this year one family goes first, next year another.

Everyone willing to work hard, this group of women kept husking corn until after midnight.

The next day, Su Yuanyuan still got up at four to cut soybeans and stopped after eight o’clock, leaving less than a fifth of an acre. She would finish early the next morning.

Today, the pigs were fed later; there’s no choice but to seize the morning when the dew is heavy.

By nine, after finishing all chores, she took the cart to the river to lift the catch.

After tidying up at home, she was busy until noon, finally getting a moment to rest.

After lunch she went to Yang Hongwen’s fields.

They only had one cow, and the speed wasn’t fast.

"Aunt, should I bring the sheep? But the furrows are not as deep as the cow’s, and they’re denser."

Before Xu Chunjiao could say anything, Yang Xiubo spoke up.

"Girl, lend us your sheep for two days. Rest assured, I won’t overwork them and I’ll make sure they’re well-fed."

Su Yuanyuan nodded and went home to get the trough and harness.

Yang Xiubo guided the trough while Su Yuanyuan followed planting seeds.

This way it felt much faster. They worked until it was dark, then went home.

Su Yuanyuan cared for the sheep, giving it watered-down Spiritual Spring Water to ensure it wouldn’t be overworked.

The next day, Yang Xiubo came to fetch the sheep, and Su Yuanyuan went to Hu Chunhua’s house to help.

Now that the soybeans, her biggest worry, were all harvested, they could just be left to sun-dry in the courtyard. After helping both families, she’d thresh them.

On the third day, Hu Chunhua’s family also started planting wheat. They used a small donkey. Since they had little land, they didn’t borrow the sheep.

After helping plant wheat for two more days, they could finally take a break for two days. What remained was undeveloped land, so there was no rush, and her family could work it slowly.

Yang Xiubo brought Su Yuanyuan a larger roller, just right for pressing the soybeans.

Su Yuanyuan was quite worn out these days, so the next morning after feeding the livestock, she went to lie down for a rest. She didn’t start threshing soybeans until the afternoon, using the excuse that they’d sun-dry better by then.

The other two families were also tidying up their own reserved land. Both had planted soybeans too, but theirs were sown more than ten days after hers and were not yet ripe.