CHAPTER 163: CHAPTER 163: SOMEONE DELIVERED SOMETHING

"Jiang Brother, is Young Master Liu alright?"

Liu Yang and Jiang Hu were carrying rice back, and as they tilted the bamboo basket, the grains spilled out.

Liu Yang’s mother was at home taking care of her grandson, and also had to sun-dry the rice and chase away the birds.

Once they poured out the rice, they quickly spread it out with a bamboo rake. The rice they had brought back earlier was already somewhat dry on the outside.

"He was fine by the morning. I asked Qixi to get some medicine just in case. The child is pitiful, not having been able to eat properly before, so he’s not very healthy. It won’t be easy to make up for it quickly."

The sun wasn’t very intense over the past few days, and it even got cloudy sometimes. Even Liu Qiang joined in, sitting in a large sifter by the field, playing inside it.

But among all the children, only Liu Ze ended up with a bit of heat stroke when he returned yesterday afternoon.

Liu Yang nodded in agreement, "The children from wealthy families aren’t easy either; they’re too delicate. Look at the kids from our village, running around all summer, and hardly any of them get heatstroke."

They caught their breath, drank a bowl of water, and then picked up their baskets to continue working in the fields.

Jiang Hu listened to this and shook his head in disagreement.

"You can’t say that. Xiao Ze is just not in good health, throwing up whatever he eats. Lucky that his family has money; if he were in a regular family, he might not have survived."

Just like in his own family, when Tiedan was born so small, even others in the village, let alone himself, thought he might not make it.

Fortunately, heaven favored them, and Tiedan not only survived but thrived, becoming healthy and chubby.

Not just Jiang Hu’s second wife, but even others in the village thought Tiedan was a miracle, especially the midwife, Granny Liu, who helped deliver him.

Perhaps because of this, Jiang Hu’s second wife paid more attention and care to Liu Ze.

Liu Yang thought about it and agreed, indeed, it’s a good thing Liu Ze’s family has money.

When they returned, they happened to meet the second wife who was going to check on Liu Ze, and after confirming he was okay, they continued their work with peace of mind.

Even though there were only a few kids at home, Jiang Hu’s second wife wasn’t worried at all.

By noon, Liu Yang’s mother had prepared a meal at home. Initially, she wanted Jiang Hu’s second wife to bring the kids over to eat with them, but Jiang Hu declined.

Besides, when Liu Yang and the others helped the Jiang family with work before, they always went back home to eat. Also, with Liu Ze in their family, Jiang Hu wasn’t at ease taking him out to eat.

"Jiang Brother and Sister-in-law, you should rest more after eating. It looks like the weather will stay sunny for a while, no need to rush."

"Alright, you guys go back first."

The Liu family had more paddy fields than the Jiang family, by two more acres, so they were quite busy.

On their way back, Jiang Hu saw Qixi swinging his arms, clearly exhausted.

"Qixi, take the afternoon off at home. You haven’t done this kind of work before, and it’s been hard these past few days."

In the morning, Qixi delivered vegetables, led the cow out, and then joined their work. It was his first time doing this kind of work, and after these few tiring days, it was obvious that he was worn out.

Qixi wanted to refuse but couldn’t bear to.

"Then I’ll stay home this afternoon and prepare the vegetables to be sent to the town tomorrow. It will allow Brother Jiang and Sister-in-law to rest more in the evening."

Qixi had been staying with the Jiang family, living as if he were at home, doing what needed to be done without hesitation.

"Thank you for your hard work."

No matter the reason Qixi stayed with the Jiang family, he never slackened, always finding work to do.

Therefore, Jiang Hu never treated Qixi as an outsider. The food and supplies at home, including the thick clothes Second Aunt made for the fall, were all made for Qixi too.

Even though there were just a few kids at home, by the time Jiang Hu and the others came back, the meal was already on the table, and the only thing missing was meat; everything else was just as good.

"Mom, Dad, Uncle Qixi, you’re back!"

Little Xue came out from behind the pigsty, using her sleeve to wipe her face. She had been feeding the pigs, and some of the slop had splashed onto her face.

Following closely, Liu Ze walked out from behind her and greeted everyone.

Jiang Hu nodded. Little Xue wasn’t very strong and was a bit short, so feeding the pigs was hard for her. Once Liu Ze recovered a bit, he would help out.

"How’s your health, Xiao Ze? Do you still feel uncomfortable?"

Fearing being given medicine, Liu Ze quickly shook his head, "Uncle Jiang, I’m fine now. I don’t feel uncomfortable at all."

He indeed showed no signs of illness, his face having regained its healthy complexion.

"That’s good then. It’s not early, let’s eat. It’s been hard for you all these days."

The house was clean and tidy, and the rice was sun-dried in the yard, looking as if it had been turned over many times, and the straw inside had been cleared out and piled up neatly on the side.

Xiaomi came from the kitchen munching on a cucumber, just in time to hear her father’s words, her face lighting up with a smile.

"Second Sister worked hard; Tiedan and I didn’t. Dad, can we keep more polished rice at home? I’d love to eat polished rice."

Xiaomi sweetly said something "indulgent," which, if said in other households, might have brought about a stern face from the adults.

Polished rice is expensive, after all; selling it could support a whole family’s expenses for more than half a year.

However, Jiang Hu nodded with a smile, "Of course. We’ve had a great harvest this year; we should definitely keep more polished rice at home."

Besides, with two extra people in the family, there’s not much sorghum or corn left, so they need to keep more polished rice.

Xiaomi immediately jumped up with joy, "Great! Dad, you’re the best!"

Jiang Hu shook his head helplessly, "Silly child."

With so many at home, how could he not keep more grain?

Previously, when Master Xie sold the sorghum and corn, everyone agreed so readily and without complaint, wasn’t it also because they were about to harvest rice?

As they say, when there’s grain in the warehouse, one doesn’t worry.

For farmers, grain is life. Having enough grain at home provides confidence, the confidence for a family to continue living!

Even now that Jiang Hu wasn’t short of money, he wouldn’t give up this confidence.

Moreover, once the new house is built, Liu Ze’s grandfather is very likely to come and live with them.

If Uncle Liu comes, he might bring one or two servants to take care of him, which would mean two or three more mouths to feed.

Wouldn’t he prepare in advance?

Jiang Hu was even contemplating not selling any rice this year, unless necessary, keeping everything aside from the grain tax.

After all, who knows if Master Xie might take a liking to the corn, sorghum, or other grains again next year.

For this, Jiang Hu felt a deep sense of unease.

"Jiang Hu, you’re finally back."

Liu Zhi came over, holding a large sea bowl, eating as he walked.

"Brother Liu?"

Jiang Hu was a bit surprised; Liu Zhi rarely looked for them during meals.

"This morning, when they were delivering bricks and tiles from town, they brought something with them. Since there are only a few kids at your house, I figured I’d wait until you came back to give it to you."

As he spoke, he arrived, holding the bowl in one hand and pulling an envelope from his pocket with the other.