Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 79 - 45: Rushing to Harvest_1

In the middle of the night, seeking subscriptions and pink hearts.

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"What’s the matter?" Lady Zhou asked.

"Manman, is your mother looking for you?" Lady Gu didn’t immediately answer but turned to Lian Manman instead.

Lian Manman knew Lady Gu wanted to send her away, but she deliberately refused to comply with Lady Gu’s wishes.

"Mother is looking for me? Not sure what for, I’ll go after I finish rolling these tobacco leaves for grandfather. Otherwise, he’ll have nothing to smoke when he goes to the fields tomorrow." Lian Manman said, lowering her head and focusing on the tobacco leaves in her hands.

Lady Gu had no choice but to sit askew on the edge of the kang bed.

"Mother, I want to make a trip to the county tomorrow," Lady Gu said to Lady Zhou.

Lady Zhou lifted her eyelids slightly, "You just got back a few days ago, why do you want to go again? Your father said not to go out, just stay at home."

"Mother, I have something to do in the county town, I, I am going to have a tooth fitted," Lady Gu said somewhat sheepishly.

Lady Zhou uttered an "Oh."

Lian Manman sneaked a glance at Lady Gu’s face. Last time, Lady Zhang beat Lady Gu and knocked out one of her teeth. At this time, there were already artisans who could fit teeth, and there was even a shop that provided such services in Qingyang Town.

"To have a tooth fitted? That’s going to cost quite a bit of money. Eldest daughter-in-law, not to criticize you, but your children are quite grown up and it’s not an inconvenience for them, so why waste the money? With the family’s expenses increasing, can you earn a penny or two back?" These words, though spoken by Lady Zhou, were still relatively gentle and polite.

"Mother, that’s the thing. The dental shop in the county town, their young lad studied with Old Master before. They had promised that if we go to have our teeth fitted, they wouldn’t charge us a cent," Lady Gu hastily explained.

"Not charge money?..." Lady Zhou seemed a bit swayed.

"Mother, it’s not just for me. In a few days, Huahua will be going out, and I, as her mother, will inevitably have to meet and socialize with relatives. It would be embarrassing for Old Master and look bad for the Lian Family if people saw that I was missing a tooth," Lady Gu said with a smile.

Since it wouldn’t cost her, and it was for the face of the Lian Family, Lady Zhou was persuaded.

"Alright, then you can go," Lady Zhou said.

"Mother, I’ll take Huahua and Duoduo with me. Last time in the county town, the two of them took a liking to two pieces of fabric, saying they wanted to make new cotton-padded jackets for you and Xiuxiu, but unfortunately, someone else bought them. Huahua said she would find identical ones and buy two pieces for you and Xiuxiu," Lady Gu continued, "Huahua has also finished making the shoes for her aunt and has embroidered kerchiefs and purses for Jin Suo and Yin Suo, which we can bring with us. The little sisters, they will all be in the county in the future, so this is a good opportunity to get closer."

Jin Suo and Yin Suo were Lady Zhou’s eldest daughter Lian Lanlan’s children.

As Lian Manman rolled the tobacco leaves, she thought to herself that Lady Gu was truly crafty, hitting Lady Zhou right where it counted, and had managed to bribe all of Lady Zhou’s favorites.

"Go then, go. Make it a quick trip." Lady Zhou agreed.

After leaving the Upper Room, Lian Manman went to tell Lady Zhang about Lady Zhou’s plans to go to the county town to have a tooth fitted.

"The town also has dental services. Why go so far away?" Lady Zhang asked, then thought for a moment, "Your aunt must think the ones in town aren’t good enough."

"That’s one reason. Also," Lian Manman said with a smile, "I think she’s planning to run away."

"What do you mean ’run away’?" Lady Zhang was startled.

"I mean she can’t stand the village anymore and is looking for an excuse to live in the city," said Lian Manman, "Mother, mark my words, they’ll stay in the county for at least ten days to half a month, even that would be considered short."

"Let her go, we won’t bother about her," Lady Zhang said. "They don’t do any work at home anyway."

The next day, after the Lian Family had had their breakfast, they went down to the fields. Lady Gu was ready on her side too, having called for a horse carriage, with her three daughters prepared to go into the city. When Lian Manman walked out the door, she glanced back and saw Lian Huahua pulling Lian Xiuxiu aside for a talk, hiding by the squash trellis in the front yard.

The squash trellis was right next to the pigsty; Lian Huahua usually gave it a wide berth, but today, for some reason, she was so absorbed in conversation that she didn’t even notice the stench from the pigpen.

When everyone reached the fields below Nanshan, it was peanuts they were to harvest that day.

Peanuts were the most valuable crop in the region. In terms from Lian Manman’s former life, they should be regarded as a cash crop. Peanuts were more difficult to manage than sorghum; the farmers, reluctant to consume what they grew themselves, would reserve them for sale instead. For many families, the money for cooking oil, salt, meat, vegetables, and even clothing for the New Year had to come from this.

Old Master Lian was a man who strictly adhered to the rules. For instance, once in the fields, no one, adult or child, was allowed to leave without his permission. Growing peanuts wasn’t like sorghum, millet, or beans; peanuts were edible, and they were delicious. Before going to the field, Old Master Lian had specifically instructed that no one should eat them stealthily.

Even so, there were those who still ate in secret. As Old Master Lian worked in the front, Si Lang thought he wasn’t visible and sneakily ate a few peanuts, only to be caught red-handed by Old Master Lian. Without any mercy, Old Master Lian scolded Si Lang fiercely, and Lian Shouyi and Lady He also got an earful.

Lian Manman secretly stuck out her tongue; she had actually... planned on snacking on a few herself. But witnessing Si Lang’s example, she immediately abandoned the idea.

By now, the peanut plants had turned somewhat yellow.

Old Master Lian led his three sons, as well as Erlang and Sanlang, to the front to uproot peanuts. To uproot meant to grasp the peanut plants and pull them out of the soil, complete with the peanuts. This obviously required strength and skill; the more proficient the farmer, the cleaner the uprooting, the fewer peanuts left in the soil.

Yet even the most proficient could not get all the peanuts out; many would remain buried in the dirt.

This called for a second process.

Lady Zhang, Lady Zhao, Lady He, Si Lang, and Wu Lang followed the men who pulled up peanuts. Each had an iron hoe in hand, aiming for the rooted clods of soil to unearth the remaining peanuts. Lian Manman, Lian Zhizhi, Lian Yeye, and Liulang carried baskets, trailing close behind to collect the peanuts into the baskets while trying to clean off as much dirt as possible from them.

By the time work was over, the loose peanuts were packed into burlap sacks, and the entire peanut plants, along with the peanuts, were tied into bundles to be transported back home by cart. They were all taken to the rooftop to dry in the sun.

As noon approached, the Lian Family didn’t take their usual midday break, except for Lady Zhang who went back home alone.

There was a reason for this.

Last night, several of the village’s expert farmers gathered, including Old Master Lian, and discussed concerns that a heavy rain might be imminent. If the rainfall turned out to be heavy, it could potentially spoil the unharvested crops and affect the yield, while the muddy roads after the rain might hinder the harvest. Therefore, everyone agreed to bring all the crops home as soon as possible.

Thus, everyone started to rush their harvest, doing away with the midday break. Lady Zhang went home to cook, planning to bring the prepared meal back for everyone.

"Why isn’t mother back yet?"

Some time had elapsed since Lady Zhang left, and Lian Manman noticed that meals had already been delivered to the nearby fields.

"Manman, Lian Manman," Chun Ni and Chun Yan, the two sisters, ran breathlessly up to the Lian Family’s field, shouting to Lian Manman, "Lian Manman, you must hurry home. Your mother, your mother is in a bad way." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

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Title: "Rebirth: A Full Blossom in the Bright Moon" (main text and extras complete)

Author: Ruoyan

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