12dz Chapter 56 Borrowing a Cow
Chapter 56 Borrowing a Cow
Sixteen mu of crops.
For these lazy bums, going to work in the fields would be their death sentence.
What others could finish in seven or eight days, they worked for half a month and only managed to finish about 70-80% of it before they could barely consider it done.
The seven or eight adults in the Shen family were all complaining of backaches and pains, and they were all exhausted!
Because the work was slow, not only did some rice fall into the fields, but a lot of it was also stolen from various places.
Shen Xiaotang listened to Qi Ya's story on the ridge of the field, and couldn't help but burst into laughter while covering her mouth.
"Hahaha……"
Unexpectedly, her words came true; someone actually went to steal the crops belonging to her grandfather and stepmother.
It seems that Grandpa and Step-Grandma will definitely learn a lesson this time.
Hmph, let's see if they dare to be lazy again, and if they dare to rely on her parents!
Qi Ya is Lin Tiechu's seventh daughter, with only one younger brother.
The older sisters all had names, but when it came to her, her parents were either too lazy to come up with a name or they didn't want her to be a boy, so they just gave her the name Qi Ya (Seven Girl).
Qi Ya was a year older than her, but she was thin and small, and her height and weight were about the same as hers.
"Xiao Tang, you absolutely mustn't tell anyone that I told you about your grandparents' family. If Dad finds out that I was the one who babbled, he'll definitely beat me to death."
Shen Xiaotang patted her chest and assured her, "I know, Qiya, don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
The two of them carried small bamboo baskets and spent half a day picking up rice ears in the field. Now that the sun was scorching, they headed home together.
Before she even entered the house, she could hear Lin Tiechu calling her from a distance.
"You brat, you've been out all day and only now you know to come home? There's a huge pile of laundry waiting for you to wash, so get your ass back here right now..."
Qi Ya's face turned pale with fright, and she trembled slightly. She immediately replied, "Yes, Dad, I'll be right back!"
She said, "Xiao Tang, I have to go back now," and then ran home quickly with her little basket on her back.
You could hear Lin Tiechu's scolding from a great distance.
Shen Xiaotang felt sorry for Qi Ya, but could only shake her head helplessly.
The extent to which this feudal society favored sons over daughters was truly unimaginable!
Every family in the village wants to have a son. Some are lucky enough to have several in a row, while others have nothing but daughters. Some families with so many daughters that they can't even give them away. Some heartless people just quietly get rid of them.
Many women have lost their lives trying to give birth to sons!
She strongly suspected that in this era of scarce medical resources, her first wife had severely damaged her health when she was the father, which was why she was bedridden and died young.
The idea of valuing sons over daughters to carry on the family line is truly harmful!
Fortunately, her grandfather and stepmother were biased and did not expect her to give birth to a son to carry on the Shen family line, so her mother was not under pressure to have a son.
She was also extremely lucky to have been reborn into a family with honest and kind parents.
Although their stepmother had been beating, scolding, and making sarcastic remarks to them for several years before the family split up, their parents never beat or scolded the two sisters.
In this cannibalistic feudal society, to have such parents is even luckier than passing the imperial examination with flying colors!
In novels, the female protagonists who transmigrate or are reborn all have extraordinary identities. With a little thought and a clever plan, they can turn the tide and live a prosperous life.
But what else could she do besides helping her parents work hard to live a better life?
She really...can't do anything about other people's affairs!
Shen Xiaotang sighed and went home. There was a large stack of rice piled up outside the courtyard gate. She went inside and put down the bamboo basket.
The father and mother each carried a thick wooden stick and vigorously pounded the rice, leaving rice grains scattered all over the ground.
Xiaoyu squatted by the edge of the small vegetable garden, picking up the rice grains that had flown into the soil.
Hearing footsteps, she immediately looked up and called out "Sister!" in a sweet voice that put everyone in a good mood.
"Sister, you're finally... back! I... I've been wanting to come find you. Next time... could you take me with you?"
Xiaoyu's stuttering problem hasn't gotten better, but it's a little better than before; she no longer has to stutter for ages when she says a sentence.
“You’re still young. Going to the fields is exhausting, and you won’t be able to pick much. It was only because Qiya asked me to go that I went.”
Liu wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve and said breathlessly, "Tang'er is back. Quickly wipe your face and sit down to rest."
My eldest daughter is only six years old, but she's always eager to cook or help with chores. She's so sensible that it breaks my heart.
Shen Qingchuan felt a little guilty and said to his daughter, "Tang'er, we harvested four mu of grain, which is enough to eat. Although it is dry land, thanks to your idea of building a rice harvester, the field was filled with water, and the grain is plump and we can harvest a lot. You don't need to go to the field to pick up rice ears anymore."
"Yes, your father and I will harvest the rice, and then we can eat the new grain. You are still young and growing, so don't overwork yourself."
"Okay, I understand. Parents, you should rest a bit before you continue."
The couple smiled and said, "Okay, we'll do as Tang'er says."
Compared to the twenty mu they used to work on in previous years, these four mu were a much easier task for them.
Shen Qingchuan was originally going to Liangtian to help, but for some reason, his father sent him back.
If Dad won't let me help, then forget it!
The whole family consists of seven or eight adults, all of them able-bodied and capable; they should have been able to rely on themselves long ago!
……
A few days later, a light rain suddenly fell at night. After the sky cleared, everyone finished harvesting and storing the grain, and then busied themselves with tilling the fields.
The Shen family didn't raise cattle; in the past, they would spend two hundred coins to borrow cattle from the family of the grandfather's cousin.
This year they will have to pay for oxen to plow the fields themselves.
Shen Qingchuan took forty coins to his uncle's house and brought back an ox, but his expression was rather unpleasant.
Seeing her husband's unpleasant expression, Liu immediately guessed what was going on.
"Did your uncle say something to you again?"
"Hmm," Shen Qingchuan nodded woodenly, sighing inwardly.
Shen Xiaotang carried a basin of husked rice into the yard and heard her parents' conversation, which puzzled her.
"Didn't we give him money? Why is the old man still criticizing you? What did he say to you?"
Shen Qingchuan forced a smile, his lips twitching slightly.
"They didn't say anything, just that they thought we were poor and looked down on us. It was nothing more than some sarcastic remarks."
Actually, what my uncle said went beyond that. His words were blunt and harsh. He not only looked down on them for being poor, but also for being a coward. He said the eldest son didn't act like an eldest son, wasn't valued by his father, hadn't inherited any family property, and hadn't even had a son yet.
However, he didn't want to make things difficult for his wife about having a son, since his mother had always been in poor health after giving birth to him and passed away early.
He didn't want his wife to go through life-threatening situations again and again just to have a son.
Even if we have a child, it depends on my wife's wishes; we should let nature take its course!
Shen Xiaotang understood. Her father must have not told her the whole story. Her uncle's family had three sons and three daughters. All the sons and their wives were capable, and their family was much better off than theirs.
They look down on their parents not only because they are weak and cowardly, but also because their parents didn't have a son!
“Dad, don’t take Uncle’s words to heart. Once we’ve saved enough money, we’ll move to the town as a family and never listen to these gossips again.”
"Alright, Tang'er is right, Father doesn't take it to heart." Shen Qingchuan smiled, finally showing a smile.
……
"Let's go, let's plow the fields and plant turmeric!"
A family of four, leading an ox and carrying farm tools, headed out towards the dry fields.