This year’s wheat harvest was good. The two acres of dry land had yielded more than five bags of grain.

Lin Yu was very happy. This was the first batch of grain for his family, and there were still three acres of paddy field yet to be harvested. When the rice from the paddy field was harvested, he estimated that this year’s grain would come to around ten bags or so!

The wheat had only just been harvested for a couple of days, and the rice in the paddy fields was also ready to be harvested. Three acres were not much. After it was harvested and threshed, it would take two days.

Before Wei Qingshan even went to find someone to help, Shunzi came over and asked when their family would harvest the rice so he could come and help. Wei Qingshan had always been good to his family, so Shunzi wanted to come lend a hand.

His family only had two acres of dry land, which were already harvested, so there was not much work left. In a couple of days, they would just plant the second crop.

Wei Qingshan agreed, “I was just about to find two short-term laborers to help. You and Lian-ger both come over, thirty copper coins a day.”

Shunzi waved his hands repeatedly, “Brother Qingshan, how could I take your copper coins? I’ll just come lend a hand.”

Lin Yu spoke up, “We were going to hire short-term workers anyway. All the heavy work at home is being done by Qingshan alone. Brother Shunzi, if you don’t want the copper coins, then we’ll just hire someone else.”

Only then did Shunzi stop refusing and agree to go to the field the next day to harvest the rice.

The next morning, after breakfast, the four of them drove the mule cart to the field. Shunzi and Lian-ger had already been cutting for a while. With three laborers plus Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu, three acres of field could be cut quickly.

Shunzi and Lian-ger worked very efficiently and did not slack off at all. In just a morning’s time, the cutting was done.

Lin Yu and Zhao Yueniang went back with two others to make food. At noon, they made steamed wheat cakes, stir-fried shredded meat, and a bowl of eggs. Wrapping the fillings in the wheat cakes to eat was very refreshing.

After the three of them finished eating at home, they carried baskets to the field to deliver food. In the afternoon, the rice still had to be threshed. This was hard labor, so Shi Xiaoliu and Zhao Yueniang, who could not help much, rested.

Shunzi and Lian-ger had not expected there to be meat and eggs. The food was really good. Lian-ger felt a little embarrassed and dared not take much meat while eating. Lin Yu simply rolled up a cake and handed it to him, “Lian-ger, eat.”

Lian-ger accepted it awkwardly, “This food is made too well.”

“If you don’t eat well, how can you have the strength to work?” Lian-ger knew Lin Yu was pregnant and was very envious. His own family had few people, and he did not know when they could have a child.

The rice did not need to be taken home to thresh. They just had to lay a layer of straw mats in the field, then place a large funnel-shaped threshing barrel on top. Three people would hold the rice and strike it into the barrel, and the grains would fall out.

It took them the entire afternoon to thresh all three acres of rice. After bagging it and taking it home to dry, Lin Yu counted how many bags there were. His eyes were shining bright — there were a full nine bags. That was already quite a lot. This year had favorable weather, and it was a bumper harvest.

Shunzi helped carry the bags onto the mule cart and together brought them to the courtyard. Lin Yu gave sixty copper coins as payment. It had been a whole day of heavy labor.

Lin Yu agreed to come back the day after tomorrow to help plant crops. Five acres of land would take at least two days, and there was no way Wei Qingshan could manage it all alone.

Lin Yu had originally thought they could get it all done in a few days, but now it would take nearly ten days. But he was not in a hurry — it was all physical labor anyway.

For the second crop, the paddy field was still planted with rice. One acre of the two acres of dry land was planted with cotton, half an acre with corn, and half an acre with peanuts.

After the crops were planted, they were finally done with all the work. Lin Yu felt sorry for the people who had helped, so after planting the crops, he specially cooked chicken. The east room in the house was piled with over ten bags of grain, which made Lin Yu very happy. For today’s meal, he had specially instructed to use the freshly harvested new rice.

The four of them sat around the table eating, everyone with a smile on their faces. Now that the grain was harvested, when it was time to cook, every household was filled with the fragrance of rice and wheat. When meeting each other, greetings had turned into asking how many bags of grain each family had harvested this year.

“Everyone, try this year’s new rice.” Lin Yu’s eyes were shining bright.

Everyone held their bowls, eating. The new rice tasted especially fragrant, and everyone had a big appetite. Even Lin Yu ate an extra half bowl of rice.

They had originally planned to rest for two days before going back, but just then, a wealthy family in Dayangshu Village invited Wei Qingshan to go slaughter a pig. Because it had been a good harvest this year, the Yang clan in Dayangshu Village had invited an opera troupe to make it lively. They decided to stay and watch the opera before leaving.

The next morning, Wei Qingshan drove the mule cart early to Dayangshu Village to slaughter the pig. When he returned, he brought back a pig liver. “The opera starts tonight. We’ll go watch it tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Lin Yu nodded. Being able to watch an opera naturally made him happy. It had been several years since they had come across one.

When Wei Qingshan went to slaughter the pig today, he saw that many people had already gone. Even though the opera would only start in the afternoon, many people from other villages had already arrived. Everyone loved to watch such lively events. Now that they had harvested the grain and had food to eat, they also had the energy to join the excitement.

Because they were going to watch the opera tomorrow, after dinner, everyone went to bed early. Lin Yu heard that many people from their village had gone to watch the night opera today, but he did not go. It was pitch-dark, and if they got crowded, it would not be good.

Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu had never seen a live opera before, so the two of them were so excited they barely slept all night. The next morning, they got up early to make breakfast. Both Shi Xiaoliu and Zhao Yueniang put on newly made clothes, and Lin Yu carefully tidied himself up and even polished the silver bracelet on his wrist.

The four of them brought some snacks like sunflower seeds and roasted peanuts to pass the time so they could eat while watching the opera.

On the way, they met many men, women, and children carrying baskets and stools, all heading to Dayangshu Village. Everyone had smiles on their faces and wore clothes they usually only wore during the New Year.

Lin Yu was also very happy. “There must be a lot of people.”

Wei Qingshan smiled. “It’s fine. We’ll sit on the mule cart to watch. No one can block our view.”

When they arrived, all the seats in the front were already packed with people. Lin Yu even heard someone say that some families hadn’t gone home since yesterday just to get a good spot.

The place where the opera was being performed was very lively, packed with people as far as the eye could see. Not far away, a market had also opened, with all kinds of food stalls and trinkets for sale.

Wei Qingshan finally managed to find a place to park the mule cart, and the four of them sat on it, eating and watching at the same time.

Shi Xiaoliu even stood up, craning her neck forward. “What are they performing now?”

“You don’t even know? It’s Lock Chunlin!” someone in the crowd replied.

Shi Xiaoliu refused to be outdone. “How was I supposed to know? I just got here!”

The stage was full of the sound of gongs and drums, very lively. They were performing a wedding scene. Lin Yu leaned forward slightly, watching so intently that he even forgot to eat the sunflower seeds in his hand. Wei Qingshan saw him like this, and the corner of his lips curved up. His little husband looked truly adorable like this.

Not just Lin Yu, even Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu were completely absorbed in watching. Wei Qingshan saw that it was getting late, so he went to buy some food. There were many people at the market too. He bought four portions of refreshing cold rice noodles and also got four meat buns.

Seeing a small stall selling children’s toys, Wei Qingshan picked one out as well.

When he was done buying, he carried the food back. The three were still absorbed in watching the opera. When the gong finally sounded for the end of the scene, Lin Yu was still dazed.

Wei Qingshan handed him the food. “Time to eat.”

The stall owner had directly wrapped the rice noodles in lotus leaves, saving Wei Qingshan from having to return bowls. He snapped off a branch from a poplar tree to use as chopsticks and opened a portion for Lin Yu.

“When did you buy this?”

“I just went to buy it. You were so absorbed that even if your husband got lost, you wouldn’t have noticed,” Wei Qingshan teased softly.

Lin Yu blushed a little. “No way.”

The four of them used the mule cart as a table and began eating. Lin Yu really enjoyed the cool and refreshing rice noodles.

Shi Xiaoliu started talking about the opera they had just seen. “That Prime Minister’s young lady married so poorly. Out of all the people she could marry, she had to marry a poor scholar. It made me so mad. And that poor scholar already had a wife and children — isn’t that just lying to her?”

Zhao Yueniang joined in. “Men like that deserve a good beating.”

Lin Yu was also listening from the side. That poor scholar was truly hateful. For the sake of wealth and glory, he abandoned his wife and children. After eating half of the rice noodles, Lin Yu could not eat anymore. It was simply too much. Wei Qingshan finished it in just a few bites and then handed him a meat bun. Lin Yu only ate half and gave the rest to Wei Qingshan.

After eating, Lin Yu felt a little sleepy, but he still wanted to watch the opera in the afternoon. He perked up a bit when He Dongdong saw him and called out to him. Since He Dongdong had a child with him, he could not come over, so he called out to Lin Yu from across the crowd. Lin Yu waved to him.

In the afternoon, while watching, Lin Yu felt drowsy. Next to him, Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu were still watching with great interest, so Wei Qingshan untied the mule cart and took Lin Yu home first, telling Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu to find He Dongdong and Shi Tou and come back together after the opera ended.

Lin Yu sat on the mule cart, leaning on Wei Qingshan’s shoulder, yawning. “I haven’t finished watching yet.”

“When Yueniang and Xiaoliu come back, they’ll tell you about it.”

Wei Qingshan took something out of his pocket and handed it to Lin Yu. Lin Yu smiled. “A rattle-drum? When did you buy it?”

“When I went to buy the food at noon.”

Lin Yu turned it twice in his hands, and the rattle-drum made a thumping sound. His drowsiness made him feel soft and relaxed. “Did you buy it for me or for the little one?”

Wei Qingshan chuckled. “For you. You can play with it first, then give it to him later.”

Lin Yu rubbed his face against Wei Qingshan’s shoulder. “I don’t believe you. I’ve never seen you buy anything for me before.”

Wei Qingshan’s heart softened completely. “Then just keep it and don’t give it to him.”

While they were talking, Lin Yu slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep. Wei Qingshan slowly drove the mule cart, not in any hurry.

Lin Yu slept all the way home. When they arrived, he was no longer sleepy, and Lin Yu felt a bit regretful. Why did his sleepiness disappear right when they got home? If he hadn’t gotten sleepy, he could have watched a bit more of the opera.

When it was time to make dinner, Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu still had not come back, so Wei Qingshan simply stir-fried some dishes. His cooking skills were not as good as the three of them, but it was still edible.

It was already dark when Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu came back. Lin Yu asked, “Why are you back so early?”

“The two of us came back together with the others. Yun-ger was fussing to go home, and Dong-ger and the others left early too.”

At their age, they loved to play. After dinner, they told Lin Yu about the operas they had watched that afternoon.

After watching the opera, everyone packed up their things the next day and prepared to go back to the town. Wei Qingshan drove the mule cart around the nearby villages to collect pigs, and Lin Yu thought that since they were heading back, they might as well gather some dried goods to bring back too. They were running low on things like mushrooms and bamboo shoots, so it was a good time to stock up.

Lin Yu told Shi Xiaoliu to call around the village and see if anyone wanted to sell dried goods. Though it was Shi Xiaoliu’s first time in the village, he was bold and quick-witted, so he grabbed a wooden stick and a wooden basin and ran into the village shouting.

Shi Xiaoliu knocked on the wooden basin as he walked, shouting, “Buying dried goods! Buying dried goods! Bamboo shoots, black fungus, mushrooms — we’re buying them all~”

After making a round through the village, Shi Xiaoliu came back. Earlier this spring, most families had nearly run out of food, so everyone went up the mountains to gather wild vegetables, and indeed, quite a few families had extra dried goods.

Every household had these things. Aside from wood ear mushrooms, which could still be sold in the town, things like dried bamboo shoots and dried bracken — every family had some. They couldn’t even sell them if they wanted to.

Lin Yu and Wei Qingshan had already bought bracken from the village once before. After finding out it could be sold for money, many people went up the mountains again to gather more, dried it, and stored it away, waiting to see if Lin Yu and his group would still buy. If they did, they could earn a few more copper coins.

Lian-ger, who was at home mending clothes, heard the shouting. “Shunzi, is Yu-ger here to buy dried goods?”

“Yes, that’s Xiaoliu’s voice.”

“I’ll go and sell the dried goods I brought back from my mother’s house.” Lian-ger put down the clothes in his hands. He originally thought he would have to wait a few more days, and did not expect to sell them so soon.

Lian-ger quickly carried a basket on his back and headed toward Lin Yu’s house. When he arrived, some people were already there selling. Most of what they brought were bamboo shoots, since those were easy to collect. Among the dried goods Lian-ger brought from his mother’s house, there were quite a lot of wood ears, which sold for a higher price.

Shi Xiaoliu and Zhao Yueniang busied themselves weighing and sorting, while Lin Yu counted copper coins for the sellers. Usually, they brought enough to earn twenty to thirty copper coins.

“Wood ear mushrooms and the other types of mushrooms, we’ll still be buying in the future. Everyone can collect some when you have time,” Lin Yu said. He told them now so that later, when the shop ran out of stock, it wouldn’t be too hard to buy again.

Hearing that Lin Yu would still be buying in the future, everyone was very happy and said they would go gather some more from the mountains. It was still early in the season, but when the weather warmed and the rain became more frequent, plenty of wood ear mushrooms and the other types of mushrooms would grow in the mountains.

Lian-ger put down his basket: half a basket of bamboo shoots, a bag of wood ears, and a bag of dried bracken. He had brought the most wood ear mushrooms of anyone. Shi Xiaoliu came over to weigh them. “So many wood ears!”

Lian-ger smiled. “Yu-ger, are you leaving today?”

Lin Yu nodded. “Mm. There’s not much work left in the fields now, so it’s time to head back to town. Lian-ger, come visit our shop when you come to town.”

“Sure.”

Lian-ger sold his goods for forty copper coins. He wrapped them in a piece of rag and left, planning to send them to his mother’s family in a few days. Forty copper coins were no small amount — that alone could buy quite a lot of tofu.

A little from this family, a little from that family — by noon, they had collected five or six baskets of dried goods, but most were bamboo shoots. Lin Yu didn’t take all of them. He left some at home to come back and fetch later.

After lunch, Shunzi came over and helped move the dried goods and two bags of grain onto the mule cart. Wei Qingshan had finished collecting pigs today as well, and the mule cart was packed full.

There was too much on the cart and too many people to sit, so they only left a spot in front for Lin Yu to sit, and the others followed behind on foot.

Since there were many of them, they talked and laughed along the way and didn’t feel the road was long. Shi Xiaoliu skipped and jumped along the way, occasionally plucking wildflowers from the roadside to stick in his hair. At this age, he loved looking pretty, and before he realized it, he had stuck flowers all over his head, making Zhao Yueniang laugh nonstop.

Lin Yu saw it and also let out a small laugh. Shi Xiaoliu, still showing off, ran up to Lin Yu with flowers all over his head and handed him the largest pink rhododendron in his hand. “Lin Ama, you wear one too. This flower looks so pretty.”

Lin Yu accepted it and played with it in his hand. When he looked back, he saw that Zhao Yueniang also had a small orange-yellow flower pinned to her hair. It looked quite nice.

After giving the flower, Shi Xiaoliu ran back to chat with Zhao Yueniang again. Lin Yu felt embarrassed to wear the flower. He was no thirteen or fourteen-year-old ger — wearing flowers on his head was embarrassing. Wei Qingshan, who was driving the mule cart beside him, took it casually from his hand and stuck it beside Lin Yu’s half-tied hair bun. Wei Qingshan smiled and said softly, “Looks very good.”

Lin Yu felt shy from his actions, his fair face turning slightly red. Wei Qingshan stared at him, entranced. He was not some scholar who knew how to recite poetry — he just thought his little husband looked especially good, as lovely as the peach blossoms blooming on tree branches in March.

Seeing Wei Qingshan still staring at him, Lin Yu shot him a secret glare, his face carrying a faint trace of anger. “Stop fooling around, Yueniang and the others are right behind us.”

Wei Qingshan coughed softly, hiding the smile at the corner of his lips. This was no glare — it was clearly a soft and coy little act directed at him.