Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 127 - 126: A Busy Ghost Festival
It took three and a half days for Qin Yao’s family to harvest all ten acres of land.
The speed wasn’t the fastest, but not slow either.
However, compared to her efficiency in harvesting, Qin Yao wasn’t as impressive as when she was chopping heads.
The harvested grain was carried back home in loads, filling both the front and back yards, to be sun-dried when the weather was sunny.
With the last load of grain brought inside, Liu Ji plopped down on the sun-scorched stone ground, "Finally, we’re done with the work!"
With those words, it felt as if he had no strength left, his spirit in a state of emptiness leaving his body.
Qin Yao was better off, striding into the main room, gulping down half a jug of water.
The Da Lang brothers and sisters arrived home later, walking slowly, their little faces reddened like Guan Yu from the scorching sun.
Qin Yao looked down at her hands, noticing that the skin exposed outside the clothes had darkened by three shades.
Three days of sunlight had reversed half a year of her skincare.
Liu Ji, on the other hand, hadn’t tanned much, lying sprawled out next to the grain pile, hair disheveled and clothes unkempt, looking like a carefree rogue.
"Rest for two quarters of an hour, then go call over the people from Liu Dafu’s family to take the grain away," Qin Yao instructed, then slumped onto a chair and zoned out.
Da Lang and the other siblings naturally imitated, putting the farming tools they brought back in place, taking off their shoes, and sitting barefoot under the eaves to rest.
Seeing a bird swooping down to eat the grain in the yard, Si Niang exclaimed "Hey!" stood up, and rushed over to chase the bird away, "You’re not allowed to eat our grain!"
Liu Ji grinned, finding it amusing to see his daughter arguing with a bird.
Unfortunately, two quarters of an hour passed quickly, and he patted his butt and got up to call Liu Dafu over to collect the grain.
The first acre yielded five hundred pounds of grain, much to everyone’s delight.
But the yield from the subsequent acres couldn’t surpass this number, and the fields where the banks collapsed in June lost quite a bit, yielding only about four hundred sixty to seventy pounds.
From the ten acres, a total of four thousand eight hundred ninety-five pounds were harvested, averaging four hundred eighty-nine pounds per acre.
Compared to previous years, there’s about fifty more pounds per acre, adding up to nearly five hundred more pounds over ten acres.
Liu Dafu’s family took forty percent, totaling one thousand nine hundred fifty-eight pounds.
The remaining two thousand nine hundred thirty-seven pounds, after deducting one-fifteenth for grain tax, leaves two thousand seven hundred forty-one pounds, which is Qin Yao’s family’s total yield this year.
This much grain, based on last year’s prices, could sell for roughly sixteen taels and four maces of silver.
But currently, with Qin Yao consuming meals for four people, these over two thousand seven hundred pounds are barely enough for the family and are not intended for sale.
Of course, this barely enough refers to having plain white rice at every meal.
For other villagers, being able to have thin porridge throughout the year and not starve would be considered very good.
If they had this yield per acre, they would also sell a large portion to exchange for silver coins for daily essentials like firewood, rice, oil, and salt.
The Liu Gong brothers pulled their family’s cart and cattle cart, following Liu Ji to his home to load the grain.
Along the way, they repeatedly expressed envy for the yield of Liu Ji’s family and said they wanted to buy his seeds, planning to plant them next year.
Liu Ji earnestly said, "I’m the one envious of you, with so much fertile land, you get so much yield just sitting there each year."
The Liu Gong brothers: "..."
"Eh? Why aren’t you guys saying anything?"
Liu Ji looked at the three of them bewildered, and if one were to ignore the fleeting mischievousness in his eyes, he’d look utterly innocent.
Hearing movement outside the door, Qin Yao came out, seeing Liu Ji bringing people over, inviting them inside.
"The yard isn’t big enough to dry so much grain, so we’ll trouble you to take it back first," Qin Yao explained politely.
The Liu Gong brothers finally snapped out of the awkward atmosphere, one handled the receipt with her, and the remaining two, along with Liu Ji, loaded the grain to take back.
They brought baskets, with one cart carrying eight baskets, over a thousand nine hundred pounds of grain could be completed in two trips, very swiftly.
With forty percent of the grain gone, the space left in the front and back yards was just enough for drying.
Qin Yao glanced at the sky, noting at least two more sunny days to completely dry the grain at home.
Tomorrow is the Zhongyuan Festival, marking Liu Ji’s last day of holiday.
Qin Yao intended to make good use of this sturdy labor force.
She left the task of watching over the grain drying to the Da Lang siblings, picked up a sickle, and dragged the wailing Liu Ji towards the village entrance.
The overgrown wasteland by the watermill site was a sea of grass at a glance.
Hearing Qin Yao tell him to mow it, Liu Ji suddenly felt darkness before his eyes, "Dear, I think I’ve got heatstroke!"
His body began swaying, as if about to faint any moment.
Qin Yao turned and rested a sickle against his neck, "Are you mowing or not?"
Liu Ji inhaled sharply, blinking twice sincerely, "I’ll mow."
The sickle was then lowered from his neck.
Qin Yao pointed to an area with fewer vines, she plunged headfirst into the wasteland, chopping away with a rhythmic "clang clang," and the grass around her visibly fell, revealing the earth’s color.
All day, while others celebrated the Zhongyuan Festival, celebrating the harvest, and using the best rice of the year to offer to the ancestors, inviting them to taste with joy.
Meanwhile, in Qin Yao’s family, the three hundred square meters of wasteland was cleaned up thoroughly, with no thought of ancestor worship.
At dusk, the couple returned home from work, seeing the altars and incense candles set in every household yard, finally recalling the occasion. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
But as they exchanged glances, neither showed any trace of reverence for the ancestral spirits in each other’s eyes.
"Do we have incense?" Qin Yao asked.
Liu Ji scratched his head, "I think we burned it all during the New Year."
"What about candles?"
Liu Ji let out a hiss, "Apparently used them up when staying up late copying books."
Qin Yao pondered, "How about cooking two bowls of meat to offer then?"
Liu Ji rolled his eyes, "Dear, you forgot we finished all our meat a few days ago?"
It’s too late to buy now, as the pork shop is already closed!
Qin Yao was about to suggest skipping the festival this year.
Suddenly Liu Ji halted in his tracks.
Qin Yao looked up, noticing they were right at the doorstep of the Liu Family’s old house.
Liu Ji pointed inside at the altar, "After all, they’re all the same ancestors, let’s take some of the newly harvested grain from home and offer together."
Qin Yao raised an eyebrow, made sense!
Hence, the couple slowly walked back home, putting down the sickles, washing their hands and faces, taking the remaining half packet of snacks and a bowl of newly harvested grain, locked the door, and brought their four children to the Liu Family’s old house in proper order.
"Father, we’re here to pay respects to the ancestors!"
Liu Ji, holding snacks in one hand and grain in the other, announced his presence before arriving, startling He in the kitchen, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Turning around, she saw the six members of the third family appearing in the yard, with new grain meant for ancestor offering in their hands, thinking this was bad news.
Indeed, the third directly said to her, "Sister-in-law, cook more rice, we’re eating here tonight, the whole family gathering for some lively times."
He sighed deeply, what could she say when faced with this unruly guy, and went with a scoop to wash the rice!
