Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 85

Chapter 85

Ye Xi called out, “Little He, are you and your siblings here to help?”

Little He, still thin and small, but with bright, dark eyes, looked at Ye Xi and nodded. “Pretty Uncle, you gave us goat milk several times, and my mother said we don’t have anything to give you in return, so she asked us to come and help.”

Ye Xi was surprised by the children’s politeness and gratitude. He smiled. “I just gave you the leftover goat milk, you don’t have to repay me, go home.”

Big Brother He shook his head, his bare feet on the soil as he helped dig. “Pretty Uncle, we should help you after eating your food, don’t worry, we can do this work.”

Ye Xi smiled and didn’t try to persuade them anymore. “Alright, then help Uncle collect the potatoes and sweet potatoes.”

The three children nodded happily and started working diligently, and the harvesting went much faster.

They finished harvesting the two acres of land by evening. Lin Jiangshan and Ye Shan transported the harvest back home with the ox cart, filling the newly dug cellar.

Before leaving, Ye Xi gave the He children a large basket of potatoes and sweet potatoes, with a piece of meat hidden at the bottom, he felt sorry for them.

“Little ones, take this home and eat.”

The three He children looked at each other, none of them willing to accept it.

“Pretty Uncle, we can’t take your things after helping you, our mother will scold us.”

Ye Xi smiled. “Workers should be paid, you three helped me a lot today, I couldn’t have finished without you. If you don’t accept this, I won’t let you come and help next time, this is what you earned, tell your mother, and I’ll hire you again in the future.”

Hearing this, Big Brother He finally accepted the basket, the three children overjoyed, this was enough food for a long time!

After the children left, Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan discussed the matter that night.

“Life is difficult for the He family, a mother raising three children alone, no income, barely enough to eat. I want to help them, we’ll be parents soon ourselves, it’s good to accumulate good karma.”

Lin Jiangshan nodded. “The He children are proud, they won’t accept charity. If we give them food, they might be offended. How about hiring them to help with the chores? The cow needs to be taken out to graze, the rabbits, chickens, and ducks need to be fed, we can give them these tasks, pay them a monthly wage, and also give them some grain, at least they’ll have enough to eat.”

Ye Xi said happily, “That’s a good idea!”

The next day, Ye Xi went to the He family’s house. Mother He was washing clothes in the courtyard for wealthy families in the next village, the pay low, one wen for two garments, barely earning ten wen a day even if she worked from dawn till dusk, just enough for a catty of rice, and she also had to buy medicine and worked tirelessly every day, her face pale and haggard, her fingers deformed from being constantly immersed in water.

Seeing Ye Xi, she quickly got up and brought a stool for him. Their family was poor, not even a proper teacup, everyone had their own bowl, and if it broke, they wouldn’t have anything to eat from.

Ye Xi smiled. “No need to trouble yourself, Aunt He, I came to discuss something with you.”

Mother He was confused. “My children helped you harvest the other day, and you kindly gave them a basket of potatoes and sweet potatoes, thank you, Xi-ge’er.”

Ye Xi smiled. “Auntie, don’t mention it, your children are obedient and hardworking, they helped me, and I couldn’t just let them leave empty-handed. I came today to ask if your three children can help us herd the cow and cut grass, it’s just the two of us, and my husband is busy with farm work every day, he doesn’t have the time.”

Ye Xi paused, glancing at his belly. “I’m pregnant now and can’t overwork myself, so I want to hire some help. Your children are capable and sensible, they can do these chores, and I trust them to be diligent, they’re perfect for this.”

Mother He said immediately, “You’ve been so kind to them, it’s only right for them to help you, Xi-ge’er. I’ll ask them to come and help you tomorrow, there’s no need for discussion.”

Ye Xi said, “I’ll pay them, of course, we can’t let them work for free. I won’t offer much, fifty wen per month and a small basket of grain, how about that?”

Mother He quickly waved her hands. “That’s too much, we can’t accept such high wages. People in the village think they’re too young, they won’t even hire them for errands, and you’re offering us money for these chores.”

Ye Xi held her hand. “Auntie, you have to think about your children, they’re still growing, they need to eat their fill. They’re not working for free, they have to take good care of our cow, chickens, and ducks, and I won’t increase the wages even if we have more livestock in the future.”

Tears welled up in Mother He’s eyes. “Xi-ge’er, I’ll remember your kindness, they will definitely work hard for you.”

Ye Xi smiled. “Auntie, life isn’t easy for poor families, but we’ll get through it.”

“When their father passed away, I almost couldn’t manage, three children to feed, and I was sickly, spending half our earnings on medicine, no one to work the fields, no food, not even rice for porridge, the pot was always empty. I begged our relatives, the kind ones would give us a catty or two of rice, the heartless ones would just close their doors, I almost wanted to join their father in death!”

Ye Xi’s heart ached, and he comforted her, “Auntie, just hold on, when your children grow up, life will be better. They’re all filial and sensible, and when they’re older and can work, you won’t have to worry about anyone taking care of you.”

Mother He smiled, yes, she had two sons and a daughter, she would have someone to rely on in the future.

After leaving the He family’s house, Ye Xi went to the fields to see Lin Jiangshan irrigating the land and brought him a pot of tea.

The rice seedlings were lush and green, ready for transplanting.

“We’re the first ones in the village to irrigate our fields this year, our seedlings are growing faster than others’.”

Lin Jiangshan drank a bowl of tea. “It’s warmer this year, we might as well start early, have an early harvest, so I can prepare the land for the next crop, we’ll have a bigger harvest.”

No other man in the village was as diligent and hardworking as Lin Jiangshan, always planning ahead, never idle.

Ye Xi stayed with him for a while, and after he finished his tea and ate a few pancakes, Ye Xi took the empty pot and prepared to go back.

“I’m going to visit my sister-in-law later, she’s due any day now.”

He brought the baby clothes and tiger hat he made, the hat for winter and the clothes for summer.

Li Ran was delighted. “Your needlework is so good, I can’t embroider such delicate patterns. If it’s a girl, she’ll love the little fish.”

Ye Xi smiled. “I only had time to make one, I’ll make more later when I have time.”

Li Ran said, “You’re so good to him! Take some fish back with you.”

There were a few crucian carp, larger than a palm, in a basin under the eaves.

“The fish in Brother’s pond are already this big?”

Li Ran, sitting on the kang, replied, “Although they’re not as big as the autumn fish, they’re ready to eat now, smaller but tender. Your brother, knowing that you’re pregnant, caught a few yesterday for you to make soup.”

Ye Xi didn’t stand on ceremony with his brother. “I won’t be polite then, I’ll take them.”

Liu Xiufeng returned from the mill, saw Ye Xi, and said happily, “Now that the baby is stable, you still have to be careful, especially when going out.”

“I know, Mother.”

Liu Xiufeng put the bag of flour in the kitchen and called out, “Xi-ge’er, take some taro back with you, we have some left, it’s the soft and sweet kind, you always liked those glutinous foods.”

Ye Xi hadn’t experienced morning sickness like other pregnant women, just a decreased appetite, eating half a bowl of rice instead of a whole bowl, which worried Lin Jiangshan, who was afraid he would become malnourished. He had even gone to town a while ago, and after selling firewood, he bought a bag of sour date cakes, glutinous rice, and soft milk cheese for Ye Xi.

Ye Xi had been eating those recently, and his appetite had improved.

Liu Xiufeng, hearing this, said happily, “Your husband dotes on you, those are expensive, and he’s willing to buy them for you, he cares about you and the baby.”

When Ye Xi left, his basket contained a few crucian carp and a basket of taro.

Back home, the fawn and goat were guarding the chickens and ducks as they foraged, and the kitten had also come out, sleeping in the pile of corn under the eaves. Ye Xi had been feeding it goat milk, and it had grown plumper, perhaps because of the goat milk, it seemed to have become attached to the goat.

Ye Xi, enduring the fishy smell, cleaned the fish, removed the gills and internal organs to feed the pigs, and saved two for making braised crucian carp with patchouli tomorrow. He sat under the eaves and peeled the taro.

It was already dark, the distant mountain peaks disappearing into the night, and smoke rose from their small courtyard.

The goat, the fawn, and the kitten stayed in the kitchen with Ye Xi, watching him cook.

He stir-fried shredded ginger in hot oil, added the chopped taro, stir-fried it, then added water and simmered it in a clay pot. He scored the marinated crucian carp, pan-fried it until crispy, and added it to the pot with the taro, along with two fried eggs, which would make the soup richer and milkier, a few goji berries and red dates, then covered the pot and simmered it over low heat.

A muffled thunderclap startled him and the animals in the kitchen, and they looked outside, another thunderclap following.

It seemed it was going to rain.

A few raindrops fell, and Lin Jiangshan returned, just as the rain started to pour, the sound of rain hitting the trees and leaves filling the air.

Mist rose in the mountains, and the thunder rumbled.

Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan opened the clay pot, and enjoying the steaming hot fish soup, they ate the soft, sweet, and fragrant taro and the delicious fish soup. They were reluctant to discard the soup.

Ye Xi smiled. “Let’s make taro dumplings tomorrow and eat them with the leftover soup.”