Chapter 31: The Autumn Harvest

Over there, Song Jingzhi went to work in place of Tang Xiaoxiao. Many villagers greeted him with smiles. After all, Song Jingzhi was the only military officer from his generation in Yuhucun.

After breakfast, Tang Xiaoxiao rode her bicycle to the city. As usual, she went to the black market first and sold some goods before taking some meat and riding back home.

During the busy farming season, people who couldn’t work at home or women would go back early to cook and deliver the food to the fields. Everyone would eat in the fields, rest for a while, and then go back to work.

Tang Xiaoxiao took some meat and bones from her space, along with a few apples. When she returned to the Song family, it was already past ten o’clock. She immediately started cooking.

She started stewing braised bone marrow in one pot and steaming rice in another. Because they were working hard and consuming a lot of energy, she steamed pure white rice without adding sweet potatoes.

She also prepared a dish of chili-fried pork and a dish of spicy potato shreds, both of which were very appetizing.

She then cut the apples into pieces and put them in a lunchbox. Working in the fields was tiring, so they needed to eat well.

After finishing these, she soaked some green beans, planning to make green bean soup later.

She packed all the food into a basket. The braised bone marrow was in a large basin, and she added four pairs of chopsticks.

She also filled a kettle with water, took a straw hat, and headed to the fields.

By this time, many families had already gathered to eat.

Song Jingzhi’s family worked in one place. She found a shady spot, put down the food, and then went to the edge of the field to call them.

Song Jingzhi and the others were already working far from the edge of the field.

“Ahem.” Tang Xiaoxiao cleared her throat. “Uncle, Auntie, it’s time to eat.”

Unfortunately, her voice was too soft, and they were facing away from her, so they didn’t hear her.

“Oh, Xiaoxiao, your voice is like a kitten’s. They won’t hear you.” Bu Yulan also came over with a bamboo basket to deliver food.

She was pregnant now, so she helped cook at home during the autumn harvest.

“My voice is this loud.” She tried again.

“I don’t know how you argued with Chen Fengya. Let me do it.” Bu Yulan cleared her throat.

“Second Uncle, Second Auntie, Jingzhi, Xiaoxiao brought you food.”

As soon as Bu Yulan’s voice came out, it almost scared Tang Xiaoxiao’s soul out of her body. Sure enough, the three people harvesting rice turned around at the same time.

“Okay, I’m going.” Bu Yulan raised an eyebrow and walked away with her basket.

Tang Xiaoxiao nodded woodenly. They say that Hunan girls are spicy girls. She seemed to have witnessed it.

When the three Song family members saw her coming, they put down their tools, took their water bottles, and hurried over.

Song Jingzhi walked up to her and said with a smile, “You’ve worked hard, little girl.”

Seeing him covered in sweat, she took out the handkerchief from her pocket and wiped it for him.

“You’ve worked hard too. I made your favorite braised bone marrow.”

Song’s father and Song’s mother saw their interaction and smiled with satisfaction. They were happy that the young couple had a good relationship.

The four of them came to the tree and sat down to eat together.

“Whose family is eating meat?”

As soon as the lid was opened, the aroma wafted out, and people nearby smelled it.

“Oh, it’s the Wei family. Did your daughter-in-law make this?”

The Cao family, who had a good relationship with the Song family, were sitting under the shade of a nearby tree.

“Yes, our Xiaoxiao saw that we were working hard and said she wanted to give us some nourishment. She went to the city to buy meat early this morning.” Song’s father said with a smile.

In this era, even if people envied others for eating meat, they wouldn’t go over and ask for some.

“We have so many meat tickets thanks to Jingzhi’s savings from the army and our son-in-law’s mail.”

Song’s father casually mentioned it, to avoid others thinking that Tang Xiaoxiao had been to the black market because they ate meat so often.

“Should we take some bones to Uncle’s house?” Tang Xiaoxiao asked Song’s mother softly.

She and Song Jingzhi were going to the army, and Song’s father and Song’s mother would need their family’s help.

“Go ahead. There are so many. Just give one bone to each person in their family who is in the fields. Let Jingzhi take them. It’s so hot, don’t let the sun bake you.” Song’s mother took the lid and put a few bones in it, asking Song Jingzhi to take them over.

Song Jingzhi was quick on his feet and returned soon.

“Xiaoxiao, go home and take a nap. Don’t come back in the afternoon if it’s hot.” The village would send people to deliver water. Song’s mother didn’t want her daughter-in-law to run back and forth in the sun.

“Oh.” Tang Xiaoxiao just responded.

After eating, the men gathered together to smoke, and the women gathered together to chat. They would go back to work soon.

Song Jingzhi took the packed basket, left the water bottle she brought, and took the empty water bottle they brought this morning to send her back.

“Are you tired?” They both spoke at the same time.

“What do I have to be tired about? I just bought some meat and cooked a meal. It’s you guys who are tired.”

“It’s still hard work.” His wife shouldn’t spend her life washing clothes and cooking for him. She should be pampered.

The sun in Hunan in October was the most poisonous. Even with a straw hat, her little face was flushed red.

He pulled her into the room and used well water to wet a towel to cool her down.

“Go to work quickly. I’m fine.” She reached out to take the towel from his hand.

“I’m almost done. We should be back soon in the afternoon to help Dad and Mom.”

Song Jingzhi took her hand away, refusing to be denied. “Rest on my bed this afternoon. Remember to close the door. I’ll knock when I come back.”

“Then I won’t sleep on your bed.” She mumbled. It wasn’t appropriate to sleep in the man’s bed before marriage.

Although they had this custom, she couldn’t do it.

“Then sleep on the bed in the inner room. Mom changed the sheets and blankets.” He was worried that Tang Xiaoxiao would change the bedding if she took a nap here.

“Okay.”

Song Jingzhi took away the towel. Her cheeks were much better.

“I’m going to work.” He looked at her reluctantly.

“Okay.” She responded, but she lowered her head and held his hand.

“Hehe.” Seeing her reluctant expression, Song Jingzhi was in a particularly good mood.

“I really have to go.” The people in the fields must be working by now.

“Okay.” She let go of his hand.

Song Jingzhi leaned down and kissed her cheek before leaving.

After he left, Tang Xiaoxiao went to the kitchen to prepare green bean soup.

She planned to send some to the village head’s family, so she boiled a large pot.

After the green bean soup was cooked, she didn’t send it over immediately. Instead, she planned to put it in the well water to cool down before sending it over.

While the green bean soup was cooling, she took some ribs from her space, blanched them, and prepared them for dinner.

Later, she found that it was too slow in the well water, so she remembered that she had a refrigerator in her space. She put the green bean soup in the refrigerator.

She took two thermoses from her space. After the green bean soup had completely cooled, she sent it over.

Carrying two thermoses and a dozen bowls, Tang Xiaoxiao walked towards the fields.

When she arrived, Song Wei was delivering water to everyone, and he happened to be at Song Jingzhi’s side.

“Song Jingzhi.” She called out.

“Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you not to come?” He hurried over to her, taking the things from her hands.