Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 26 Cutting Off One’s Retreat
"Don’t worry, Uncle, I’ve got the seeds ready, just waiting to nurture the seedlings now, waiting to till the land, make some minor adjustments, and then we can transplant the rice. By late July, all we need to do is wait for a good harvest," Feng Xuxu assured Uncle Hui with a promise.
Feng Xuxu counted the days, in just over half a month it would be time to transplant. Taking advantage of the time before transplanting, she hurriedly leveled the land. Dry fields were different from paddy fields; it was necessary to divide the dry land into sections and build small rice paddy bunds around the sides to hold the water in and prevent it from flowing away.
The action-oriented Uncle Hui, after listening, grabbed his tools and, leading his family, along with Feng Xuxu and Feng Xi, headed to the fields.
"Uncle, just like I said, use soil to build up the edges of the entire field, a bit higher, roughly up until just below an adult’s kneecap and above the lower leg, then inside the large field, change the furrows into small bunds, divided into sections. It will be easier to manage," Feng Xuxu carefully explained to Uncle Hui as she guided him with her gestures.
Everyone joined hands and quickly built up one side of the field. At this moment, village folks returning home from their fields passed by Uncle Hui’s land and, seeing the row of soil mounds, curiously gathered around and bombarded with questions, "Little Hui, what are you doing, turning a good field into this?" Grandfather Qi, putting down his tools and standing at the edge of the field with his hands on his hips, asked.
"Hui brother, what are you up to, has your family’s life improved? Don’t you plan to farm anymore?" Feng Fu, who grew up with Uncle Hui, asked doubtfully.
"Yeah, Hui brother, why did you enclose it with soil? You should learn from us, what are you planning to do with this?" Uncle Hui’s other bare-bottomed kid, Feng Cong, asked, not believing that Hui brother intended to farm, convinced that Hui must have a reason for doing this.
Feng Xuxu, standing to the side, listened to the various questions from the villagers, but it was Feng Cong’s question that made her take a second look.
Uncle Hui, unsure of what to do, kept glancing at Feng Xuxu, uncertain whether to talk about the rice or not. Feng Cong, noticing Uncle Hui’s uneasy demeanor, followed his gaze only to lock eyes with Feng Xuxu. He felt completely exposed under her clear, assessing gaze, as if his secrets had been seen through. When he came back to his senses, he realized he was avoiding the gaze of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl. Why should he hide from her look? When he looked back, he found she had already moved on to something else. Shaking his head with a smile, he felt he was being a bit paranoid.
Encouraged by Feng Xuxu’s supportive glance, Uncle Hui blushed, fidgeting with the iron pickaxe in hand and stammered, "I plan to plant a different kind of rice this year, it has high yield and can be grown twice a year, that’s why we’re leveling the land, planning to plant at the end of the month," as soon as he finished, the onlookers didn’t just stand by and watch, but crowded around, bombarding with questions one after another.
"Little Hui, is this really true, how much can each mu produce, can you really grow two seasons a year?" Grandfather Qi, the eldest in the village, hurriedly asked.
Uncle Hui looked at Grandfather Qi, who was about his age but of a higher generation, "Grandfather Qi, I also don’t know if it’s true, but I plan to try this year, and later on, the village head will tell you."
"Hui brother, are you serious? If that’s the case, we won’t have to worry about not having food when the lean period comes this year," Feng Cong said with a big smile, symbolically patting his belly.
"Yeah, if that’s true, my kid could go to school this year," Feng Fu said, inspired.
Feng Xuxu felt a touch of sadness. Poor families couldn’t afford to send their children to school. They could only rely on farming, and if the heavens were kind, one could fill their stomach; if not, one meal a day was a luxury, let alone paying the grain tax on time. Looking at the villagers, Feng Xuxu knew this scene would happen, so she had informed the village head in advance. She was even more impressed with herself for having such foresight.
"Indeed, but since nobody has tried this before, I don’t know if anyone will be willing to give it a go. I’ve decided to take the plunge this year. If it works, we’ll have a prosperous year, and if it doesn’t, the worst-case scenario is my son and I go to town to work. One must risk something for the possibility of wealth," replied Uncle Hui with a simple smile.
Everyone was moved by Feng Hui’s words. They had been scraping by for many years without much change, just as Zhang Hui said, if successful, there would be silver, if not, just another half a year of hungry bellies. With the approach of autumn, they could still grow other crops, and a mood of eagerness to try began to stir.
"Hui brother, it’s almost noon, aren’t you going home for lunch? Even with work, you need to fill your belly before continuing. I don’t have much to do this afternoon, I’ll come over and help out," Feng Cong looked up at the sun and then back at Sister-in-law Hui and the children still piling soil with their iron pickaxes. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
Reminded by Feng Cong, the hardworking Zhang Hui realized the sun was at its zenith; he had been so caught up with planning the crops that he had forgotten his hunger. Scratching his head sheepishly, he called out to his wife, "Wife, children, let’s go home, it’s noon."
