CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: WASH UP AND STILL USABLE

Fishing, catching loaches and eels, these are the favorites of the kids when planting seedlings and harvesting rice.

Chun Ning learned how to handle the straw bundles from Luo Xiaogang, and Luo Xiaogang simply took Chun Ning fishing.

"Let Sister Chun Ning cook what we catch and eat it," Luo Xiaogang said loudly, "Sister Chun Nuan’s fish is the best."

"You little brat, your mother cooks for you and you still complain. If she knows, she’ll spank you again."

Uncle Luo raised the bundle of grain high, forcefully beating it over the threshing bucket, causing the grains to fall into the bucket. Then he flipped it over and beat it again. When there were no more grains on the stalks, he tossed them aside.

Chun Ning witnessed how real threshing is done.

He also tried to beat the stalks on the bucket, but only a few grains fell. It seemed like the grains were against him, simply refusing to fall.

"If you want to thresh, you’ll need a few more years of eating white rice," Uncle Luo laughed as he took the bundle from Chun Ning, "this is a laborious job."

Threshing is a laborious task, and so is carrying the grain.

Chun Ning felt helpless: he was too thin and too short, and without strength, there was no way to thresh.

If he couldn’t do the heavy work, he’d do the lighter tasks.

So he ran more joyously in the field, and he was quite experienced, usually ending up stepping into the mud when stepping on the stumps.

After a half day’s work like this, he became proficient.

Of course, he didn’t mention the other things: his legs felt burning pain, and several times he stepped on hard things, finding out they were field snails.

Uncle Luo told him to throw them onto the field ridge and reminded him to be careful as some shells could cut his feet.

By noon, when they wrapped up work, Chun An and Luo Xiaogang had caught eight crucian carps.

Luo Xiaogang split them with him, four each.

However, Uncle Luo told his son not to take any, to give all to Chun An.

"Sister-in-law Chun An just had a baby and is in confinement, drinking crucian carp soup can help nourish her body."

Chun Ning and Chun An were deeply grateful.

Chun An carried the fish home wrapped in his clothes, and Mrs. Huang was so shocked she couldn’t speak: Was this still her eldest son? He looked like a mud doll.

"You..." Mrs. Huang wanted to spank him.

There was no choice, ever since coming to Shu City, Mrs. Huang felt like she lost the calmness of her thirty years, constantly wanting to lose her temper.

"No problem, no problem," Mrs. Xu laughed, "Quickly, Chun An, put the fish in the wooden basin, scoop some water to keep them alive, or they’ll dry out. Hurry, go wash by the creek, Chun Ning, take him to wash, wash well so they’re presentable."

"Alright, Chun An, let’s go, wash by the creek with brother."

After washing the mud off their legs, both of them noticed the white calves were covered with red spots, with several places still bleeding.

"Brother Ning, why are we hurt?"

"Sister said it before, the stalks are very sharp."

Chun Ning had already felt some pain, but he had been enduring it, now looking at his leg, it was unbearable to see.

He felt that all the injuries he’d suffered in twelve years weren’t as many as today.

"Second brother, does it hurt?"

Chun An felt heartache seeing Chun Ning’s leg was more injured than his own.

"It doesn’t hurt, don’t tell the family," Chun Ning said calmly as he put down his pant leg, "You shouldn’t go to the field this afternoon."

"It’s okay, I’ve arranged with Xiaogang, he’ll teach me to catch loaches and yellow eels," Chun An’s eyes sparkled with excitement, "Luo Xiaogang said nothing is better than fire-roasted yellow eels, it’s especially fragrant, I’ll catch one this afternoon and roast it for grandmother."

Truly a filial child.

When the brothers got home, Mrs. Xu was amused and annoyed.

"Chun Ning, really? We told you to wash the mud off, and all you did was wash the mud off your body? Your face and hair are all muddy too, didn’t you think to clean up?"

"We forgot," Chun Ning replied sheepishly, "We’ll wash now."

"No need, wash at home, I’ve heated water for you, with hot water you can wash away the chaff, and then your body won’t itch."

"Sister, how did you know? My body is itching a lot, I keep wanting to scratch, are there bugs?"

"It’s the chaff, the chaff on the grains. You’re not used to it, that’s why you can’t handle it. Go take a bath," Chun Nuan said, handing him a sealed bamboo tube, "Remember to apply this medicine."

"What?"

"Medicine for the bloodstains and wounds on your legs, I specially made it."

"Sister, how did you know..."

Alright, our sister seems to know everything.

"Sister, don’t tell grandmother and mother, don’t let them worry."

"I know."

Like her, Chun Ning was also silently bearing all hardships and striving to move forward.

This brother, who often ran to the pharmacy to play with her in his childhood and cried when she kicked him out, had truly grown up, much to her relief!

Threshing was brutal practice for Chun Ning, but for Chun An, it was filled with fun.

The next day, Chun Ning went on threshing as usual, while Luo Xiaogang called Chun An over to the field his family had harvested the previous day.

"You like catching loaches, right? Watch this."

"What..."

Before Chun An could finish, he saw Luo Xiaogang lifting the straw where Uncle Luo had tossed it, revealing several loaches of various sizes wriggling beneath.

"Can we catch them?"

Sister said crucian carps were caught at Luo Xiaogang’s house, and needed his consent.

The loaches were the same, they belonged to Luo Xiaogang’s family.

"Of course you can, hurry and catch them," after looking around, "Can I come to your house to eat? Without my parents knowing?"

"Sure, of course, my sister cooks really well."

"Indeed, Sister Chun Nuan is beautiful, kind-hearted, and a great cook, I wish I had a sister like that,"

After saying this, Luo Xiaogang thought of his own sisters, who were fierce, scolding, tattling; truly, sisters are not the same, no comparison!

After helping with the threshing for two consecutive days, Chun Ning felt his limbs growing heavier, and his back was so sore he couldn’t straighten it.

However, he understood that he was the Xiao family’s labor force, with no right to stop.

Moreover, the third day was threshing for his own family’s grains.

Not only Uncle Luo, but also Aunt Luo, their wives, and daughters came to help.

According to custom, they needed to provide meals.

Yet Aunt Luo had already told Chun Nuan so to save the trouble, that they’d make their own meals.

Chun Nuan, unable to repay such kindness, could only fry the fish and have Chun Ning deliver a bowl to them.

"Oh, you are too kind."

Uncle Luo thought, what’s with the loaches, but after taking a bite, he couldn’t stop praising.

"What, you don’t like my cooking anymore?"

"No, it’s just that her skills are truly varied, and San Yatou from our house should learn from her."

Luo San Yatou... Isn’t Sister Chun Nuan setting me up?

How could I possibly have the skill to make delicious dishes?