Chapter 7

The next morning, Chen Shi looked radiant, unusually gentle. When Zhu Ping'an came out, he saw Chen Shi straightening his father's collar. As soon as she saw her two sons come out of the inner room, she quickly stopped and her face turned a bit red with embarrassment.

After all, it wasn't the 21st century, an era where one could show affection without any reservations. Zhu Ping'an sighed inwardly.

Rise with the sun and rest with the sunset. It was nearing the autumn harvest, and the crops were in the grain-filling stage. Before Grandpa's family arrived, they needed to finish watering the fields, or else they wouldn't be able to work for several days once the relatives came. After eating, Grandpa led Father, Uncle Three, and Big Brother to the fields to start the busy irrigation work.

Uncle One was studying for the exams and never participated in farm work.

As for Uncle Four, well, Uncle Four, um, Uncle Four had a stiff neck from sleeping last night...

To be honest, since Zhu Ping'an came to this era, this was already the third time Uncle Four had fallen ill, and each time it was when he was supposed to do farm work... The first time was a cold from sleeping, the second time was a bump on the head from getting up at night (seriously, are you a pig?), and this time it was a stiff neck from sleeping. These excuses were too ridiculous, clearly to avoid work, but Grandmother believed them.

Grandmother was indeed biased.

While the men were working, the women weren't idle either. Grandmother led Mother and her sisters-in-law in sewing pouches, making handkerchiefs, weaving cloth, and so on, always keeping busy.

Zhu Ping'an watched idly as Zhu Pingjun rode a stick as a horse, and Zhu Yuer chased chickens with joy. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see the aura above others' heads anymore. Perhaps seeing others' aura required certain conditions. Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry and could explore it slowly. He thought about sneaking out to ponder life and look for ways to make money. If only he could go into the mountains, he would definitely find something valuable, as the mountains were a treasure trove.

Before Zhu Ping'an could sneak out, Grandmother had something to ask him to do, sending him to buy five coins' worth of thread for sewing.

Zhu Ping'an didn't want to do this errand; it was too simple and uninteresting. Moreover, Grandmother was very meticulous; if he bought even half a coin less, she would notice immediately. There was no profit in it, and if he bought poorly, he would be scolded.

Zhu Ping'an didn't want to go, neither did Zhu Pingjun, and Little Yuer was too young to go.

So, Zhu Ping'an earnestly told Zhu Pingjun, "You go, you have a horse, and you can ride it fast."

Zhu Pingjun happily took the money, patted his bottom, and galloped away, shouting "Gee up!"

What a difference in intelligence.

Zhu Ping'an watched Zhu Pingjun disappear at the door, feeling a sense of loneliness, a loneliness that couldn't be shown.

Taking advantage of Mother and the others being busy inside, he sneaked out and wandered aimlessly around the village, planning to go to the neighboring village, Shanghe Village, to see what their private school looked like.

Before he had taken a few steps, he saw Er Niu, who often played with him, being beaten by his mother. She hit him and scolded, "Say, will you dare to take your sister's food again!"

"Will you dare to take your sister's food again!"

She hit him once, asked once, hit him again, asked again.

The six-year-old rascal Er Niu cried out in pain, his nose running, and swore, "I promise I will never take my sister's food again. If I do, I'll be a dog's son."

Dog's son? Zhu Ping'an almost choked, you really have guts.

Sure enough.

Then he saw Er Niu being lifted up by his mother, who took off her shoe and beat him again.

Shanghe Village was by the river, downstream, hence the name. The village upstream was called Shanghe Village. The two villages shared the same river, a small, unknown stream formed by mountain streams, clear and visible to the bottom, known as Qingxi.

Zhu Ping'an didn't walk far before he saw the river, with a small boat in it where someone was fishing. By the river, several women were washing clothes, using the river stones to beat the clothes rhythmically.

Getting closer to the riverbank, he could see small fish and shrimp playing in the water, a sight he couldn't see in the modern world.

On the other side of the river was the vast mountain behind the village, lush and green, with the sounds of birds and animals, a place rich in resources.

Shanghe Village was surrounded by fields, with mountains behind and water in front, a picturesque and fertile land. It shouldn't be poor.

Zhu Ping'an walked along the riverbank, lost in thought, and soon found himself at the edge of the fields. The Zhu family was busy watering the fields by the river.

"Xiao Zhi, why did you come here? Is everything okay at home?"

Father, Zhu Shouyi, saw Zhu Ping'an and walked over, bare-chested and with mud on his legs, holding a spade.

Zhu Ping'an realized he had come to the family's field. Seeing his worried father, he lifted his chubby face, "Father, everything is fine at home. I came to help."

Father relaxed, looked at Zhu Ping'an's small arms and legs, and smiled, "What can you do? Go and watch those fish over there, and your mother will make you a soup when you get back."

Grandfather and the others also came over. Big Brother, Zhu Pingchuan, handed Zhu Ping'an a yellow watermelon, "Brother, wash it and eat it. There are many more by the river."

Grandfather was pleased with Zhu Ping'an's interest in farm work, hoping he would be a good farmer in the future. In Grandfather's eyes, land was the foundation, and even high-ranking officials needed land to feel secure.

Well, he couldn't wander around anymore.

Not far away, the family was watering the fields. Zhu Ping'an lay on the grass, watching a few palm-sized grass carp in a newly dug small pond, idly munching on the watermelon.

It was crisp, fragrant, and sweet, leaving a lasting taste. He wondered if these watermelons, about the size of a fist with black stripes, could fetch a good price in town.

Thanks to the convenience of the river, the family had already watered half of their fields by the end of the day. They would finish the rest in half a day tomorrow.

That night, they indeed had fish soup, which made Zhu Ping'an, who rarely ate meat, eat until his little belly was round.

After dinner, Grandfather waved his hand and instructed, "Second, you and Pingchuan don't need to water the fields tomorrow. Go into the mountains and see if you can hunt some game. When your Uncle One's family comes, we can add some meat dishes."

Father was the most versatile in the family, so the task of hunting in the mountains fell to him.