CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 69: BUSY FARMING SEASON

A bucket of water poured into the trough, and Big Water Buffalo just raised its eyelids for a glance before continuing to lie on the haystack and sleep.

Although the water is good, it’s been drinking it for a month or two, and it’s not as rare as when it first arrived.

Beside the buffalo, there’s a pile of half-eaten cornstalks, already trampled into the cow dung.

After finishing the busy days, all the cow dung and trampled cornstalks will be cleaned out, piled into a big pit behind the cattle pen, where the cow dung, cow urine, and cornstalks will all decompose inside.

When it’s time to plant crops later, these will be excellent manure.

Jiang Hu patted Big Water Buffalo’s neck, and it didn’t shy away from him.

After making sure Big Water Buffalo was full and satisfied, Jiang Hu then contentedly went inside to rest.

Raising a Big Water Buffalo, not to mention it’s not made to plow fields or haul grains, even if not made to transport and deliver vegetables, Jiang Hu is more than willing, isn’t he?

Not to mention, just the amount of cow dung already piled up is enough for the next season’s planting, sufficient for one or two acres.

Cows eat a variety of things like cornstalks, sorghum stalks, sweet potato vines, cogon grass, and such.

At home, these things would eventually only be used for cooking, leaving just a handful of ash.

But if used to feed cows, they can become very good fertilizer.

What is the most important thing for farmers? It’s not about making work easier, but having enough manure!

Previously, people used to argue and fight over a bucket of manure water, and when they heard his family bought a piglet, they were happier than his own family.

Yet now they only remember using Big Water Buffalo to haul corn, completely forgetting about the cow dung.

Jiang Hu grumbled a couple of words to himself, grabbed a straw mat at random, and lay down under the eaves.

Under the eaves, there was a breeze; it was cool, and suitable to look after the corn in the yard.

Since it was busy farming season, even if it was supposed to be a nap, one couldn’t sleep however they wanted; after a small half-hour, the couple got up together.

Jiang Hu went to the yard to turn over the corn, and the wife boiled a pot of water, steeped a few chrysanthemums in it, and then woke the children.

Each of them carried two baskets and a straw mat, the wife carried the teapot and teacups, while Jiang Hu carried two children, the eldest carried his own small basket, and even the second girl held a sickle.

The second girl was still too short to pick corn, but she could cut the cornstalks, and even though she was a bit slow, at least she could ease her parents’ burden, right?

The wife spread the straw mat under the straw shed, Jiang Hu placed the little one and the iron egg on the mat; it was still hot, and while the shed could block the sun, it couldn’t relieve the heat.

But neither the little one nor the older kids complained about the heat or exhaustion.

"Little one, you play here with your brother. Dad and Mom are going to work. If anything happens, call us loudly, okay?"

The wife placed the water pot a bit further away, in case the two kids got curious and touched it, getting scalded.

The little one grabbed Iron Egg, who was about to crawl off the mat, nodded at her mother: "Okay, don’t worry, Mom."

They couldn’t work, but the only way they could help was by letting their parents rest assured while taking care of them and work without worry.

Indeed, hearing the little one’s reply, the wife was genuinely relieved.

This little one was sensible early; by three or four months old, she could understand adult words, and by five or six months, she could speak on her own, and now at seven or eight months, she could walk by herself.

Though they still didn’t dare leave them alone at home, as long as there was someone by the work field and they would shout when they saw someone, there was no worry at all.

The wife gave the same instructions to Iron Egg, but he kept calling her mommy without understanding a word of what she said.

The wife shook her head helplessly, but still patted the two little ones’ heads and went to work.

They planted over three acres of corn, and after two days of harvesting, there was less than an acre’s worth left; if they worked faster, they would finish today.

They had four big baskets in total; the wife picked while Jiang Hu carried them home, and by the time he returned, the wife had picked another one or two baskets, ready on the roadside.

The eldest also helped carry, although he was small, he picked and carried himself, and after three or four trips, Jiang Hu would have one less basket to carry.

Sometimes when the eldest couldn’t carry anymore, he went to gather all the cornstalks the second girl cut down into one place, as these were firewood to be taken home when the corn was all harvested.

Among the six of them, the most carefree must be Iron Egg, eating, drinking, sleeping, without a worry in the world.

Even Little One had to watch over Iron Egg; when he misbehaved and tried to crawl far away, she would push him back and feed him a couple of small, melt-in-mouth buns to calm him down.

The resources in Little One’s space, aside from herself, benefited Iron Egg the most.

He drank milk powder, had Spiritual Spring water, and even the baby snacks were all for him, more than what Little One ate.

Luckily, Iron Egg was still young, like those small buns, about the size of a finger, milky and aromatic, melted with saliva, so delicious.

But oh, could she dare bring them out? She didn’t dare, but secretly served them to little Iron Egg; after all, he wouldn’t tell anyone even if he ate.

However, it was just these few months; once Iron Egg grew older, he probably wouldn’t have this treatment anymore.

The family kept busy until dusk before finally bringing all the corn home.

Rushing home, the wife got the rice and water ready and had the eldest light a fire to cook rice while she quickly gathered the corn drying in the yard under the eaves.

The second girl was still young, so they couldn’t trust her with fire; she helped her mother gather corn, while Jiang Hu, before it got dark, went to cut a basket of pigweed.

When buying piglets, they also bought dozens of pounds of sweet potatoes, transplanted using sweet potato vines, and though only buying dozens of pounds of sweet seeds, the transplanted vines were planted over an acre.

Now it was the prime time for sweet potato vines; cutting one basket could feed the pigs for two days, and the rest would keep growing.

The little one and Iron Egg hadn’t mentioned being hungry, and the wife and Jiang Hu were used to it, knowing they’d prepare food for the little one and Iron Egg when they ate.

In fact, the little one fed herself and Iron Egg milk powder in the afternoon to avoid disturbing her parents’ harvesting efforts!

After all, it was busy farming; after the wife and the second girl brought the corn under the eaves, the wife went to cook, and the eldest and second girl had to feed the rabbits and count the chickens and ducks; while Jiang Hu, after cutting pigweed, still had to feed the pigs and cows, etc.

When everyone finally got to catch a breath, the moon had already risen above the willow treetops.

Sweaty from the afternoon, Jiang Hu took the eldest with Iron Egg to the river to bathe, while the wife helped the second girl and the little one bathe at home.

This was probably the most leisurely moment of the day.

Unfortunately, after resting up and tucking the kids into bed, the couple still had to sort some vegetables.

Even during the busy farming season, as long as there were vegetables in the ground, they had to be sold, and this Big Water Buffalo was not just for show; now that the road to town was familiar, Jiang Hu could even rest on the oxcart!