Chapter 58: Bountiful Harvest

This heavy snow fell suddenly, but it was just right.

The large radishes and cabbages in the Tan family’s garden hadn’t been harvested in the past few days. Now that the snow had fallen, it was the perfect time to pick them; they would taste even sweeter.

Old Tan couldn’t resist. He pulled up a big radish, wiped off the snow and dirt with his hand, and used a sickle to peel off the skin. He took a bite, and the crisp sound echoed. Old Tan sighed, “Yiliang, this radish is so sweet! Not spicy at all!”

Tan Yiliang, hearing this, quickly pulled up a radish to taste. After chewing a couple of times, he grinned widely. “Father, this is really sweet! It’s the first time I’ve eaten such delicious radishes.”

Old Tan finished the radish in a few bites, chewing as he spoke, “Let’s harvest some more radishes and for your mother to pickle.”

“Yes, Father.” Tan Yiliang quickly finished the radish in his hand, bent down, and continued pulling up the remaining ones.

Since the last time, when the poor soil unexpectedly yielded a great crop of bitter melons and cucumbers, Tan Yiliang and Old Tan had become particularly attentive to this patch of land.

Although the radish and cabbage seeds they bought weren’t the best, they took great care in their gardening. They weeded when it was time, fertilized when it was necessary, and came to the garden at dawn, only returning when the sun set.

They never missed a day, whether it was windy or rainy.

As a result, the radishes in the field grew stronger and stronger.

The two father and son were overjoyed as they filled two large baskets with big radishes.

Old Tan picked up the baskets, stood up, and said, “Yiliang, I’ll take these radishes back first. You stay here and wait.”

“Yes, Father.” Tan Yiliang nodded and agreed. Then he went to the cabbage patch, cleared off the snow, and set aside the ten or so large cabbages that had been chopped down.

After Old Tan carried the radishes back, it wasn’t long before he returned to the garden.

His cheeks, hands, and ears were all red from the cold.

Tan Yiliang saw this and said, “Father, why don’t you rest here for a while? I’ll take the rest of the radishes back for you?”

Old Tan shook his head. “The road’s slippery in this snow; I’ll go myself.”

Before he could finish, Tan Yiliang quickly slung the remaining basket of radishes over his back and said, “Father, go ahead and chop a few more cabbages. I’ll take the radishes back first.”

Without waiting for Old Tan to reply, he quickened his pace and left.

“Yiliang! Yiliang! Yiliang!” Old Tan shouted several times in vain. Seeing that his son had already gone quite a distance, he raised his voice one last time, “Yiliang, be careful on the road!”

“Got it, Father!” Tan Yiliang called back loudly, quickening his pace. Though the ground was still slippery as he walked, he managed to keep his balance.

Luckily, the wind and snow had stopped by now.

He remained cautious and soon arrived home.

As he stepped inside, a wave of warmth hit him, and his whole body relaxed.

Tan Yiliang took the basket off his back and smiled. “Mother, I brought back some more big radishes.”

Wan Chunmei, who was cleaning the radishes Old Tan had brought earlier, turned around as she washed them. “Good job, Yiliang. Go have some hot water first, and then you can go back to the field.”

Tan Yiliang wiped his hands and smiled. “No need, Mother. I want to hurry back so Father doesn’t freeze in the field.”

Wan Chunmei looked up and said, “Alright, but be careful. The snow makes the road slippery. Just a little while ago, Chen Shian from the neighbor’s house fell into the icy pond. We don’t know how long he was in there, but when they pulled him out, he was all purple. They’ve already taken him to Dr. Li; we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Tan Yiliang didn’t like Chen Shian and didn’t give it much thought. He simply nodded and said, “Alright, Mother, I’ll be careful.”

After that, he opened the door and prepared to leave again.

Not long after he left, Tan Erqian came back, bringing Tan Sanyuan with him.

Wan Chunmei quickly put down the large radish in her hand and asked, “Sanyuan, why are you back?”