Free Web NovelChapter 39: Chapter 39
Chapter 39
The biting cold gradually faded away. Now, the dry branches started to fall off, and some of the sturdier trees began to sprout light green leaves. It was so beautiful, as if it was a sign of a new beginning.
Mu Heng’s house was bustling too. The other day, Yueqian pretended to go to town with Aunt Liao and others to buy seeds. But the truth was she brought out superior seeds from her own department store dimension. Thus, the germination rate was unlike those bought from town by others.
Yueqian knew that if there were no insects eating them or other mishaps, these top-quality department store seeds would all sprout, and they offered better quality due to genetic modifications.
Today, Mu Heng left early in the morning to prepare the soil for planting. The government land was mostly wasteland, but as a landowner, he had the right to choose the land first. Mu Heng chose land near his house, which allowed him to come home to eat in the morning, midday and in the evening, and because it was near the village, quite a lot of people walked through it, hence, it didn’t have tall, overgrown, head-height weeds like other lands.
Starting now was quite advantageous since the snow had just melted, and most of the grass was in the phase of dying. However, the downside was that the dying grass would leave seeds or roots behind, which could sprout alongside the vegetables they planted if nothing was done.
Yueqian, of course, wouldn’t let that happen. She had a special ground control chemical that, although a bit expensive, was not a harmful chemical. At least, it would become ineffective in 7 days, and the vegetables would be safe for consumption.
In her previous life, the trend in the global market was to consume chemical-free vegetables. Hence, there was a wide selection of fertilizers, seeds, and gardening equipment available in department stores.
Mu Heng, seeing Yueqian recommend a strange chemical, wasn’t surprised about what those items were. He didn’t even ask where they came from. When Yueqian recommended something good, it must be good, and Mu Heng used it without hesitation.
His decision ensured that the 107 mu of his land were the only ones not overrun with weeds. While others struggled with weeds all day, Mu Heng only waited to water, plough sometimes, fertilize the soil sometimes, and then harvest. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
“Yueqian, Mu Heng,” Aunt Liao greeted as she passed their house.
She rented several mu a bit further away, but it was still not too far and not as hard to reach as for others, which had to navigate hills. Their land had to occasionally pass by Mu Heng’s house.
Well... actually, it’s not necessary to say it had to pass by, because Mu Heng’s house had a clearing in front and back, his parents had bought them, making the house set back from the road. But Aunt Liao, thinking she might as well stop by since she was passing through, liked to come by for a chat every morning.
“Good morning, Aunt Liao. Are you off to the field already?” Yueqian greeted her.
Seeing Aunt Liao accompanied by almost 10 people, including children, Yueqian smiled and greeted them.
Her warm and friendly demeanor made many men blush with shyness, which caused Mu Heng, who was putting on his shoes to go to his own field, to frown slightly in displeasure.
“Yes, now that the snow has melted, we thought we’d go clear some grass. I heard from others that A’Hing has already cleared several mu, haven’t you? What will you be planting this year? If we plant the same things, you can ask for our help and speed up the harvest," Aunt Liao suggested to Mu Heng.
They often gathered from several villages to help each other with the farms, as the planting season had its specific timing. Sometimes, if they don’t harvest their crops promptly, they might spoil, or their price could drop.
Thus, working together in the field could speed up the process.
"No worries, Aunt Liao. We’re planning to plant a variety of vegetables that can be harvested every two, three, and four months, so it’s not all at once. We’ll collect and sell them gradually," Mu Heng quickly declined her offer.
While cooperation is beneficial, the harvest schedule they have is complex, involving tasks nearly every month. Thus, others who might engage in other jobs or go hunting after finishing farm work could lose that opportunity to earn.
Mu Heng thought it was better to work at his own pace, not hurriedly, allowing him to manage alone. He didn’t want to bother others, as making minor issues into big problems later could happen.
"Oh, really? But what are you planning to plant that requires such varied harvesting times?" Aunt Liao asked, having never seen someone growing that many kinds of crops that are different.
It’s challenging to manage and can lead to complications. Wouldn’t it be better to finish it all at once and have free time for foraging?
However, Yueqian had already advised Mu Heng on this matter.
Going into the forest to hunt like he used to was good, but it relied entirely on luck. Moreover, what if he encountered dangerous animals? Wouldn’t that pose significant risks?
She also calculated the potential earnings for him, showing that if he was willing to be busy with vegetable plots, he would have something to sell every month, and could earn up to the specific number. Comparing this to last year when he grew cassava for eating and then went hunting.
Last year was good because he caught a deer, but could he catch it again this year? No one could answer.
After careful consideration, Mu Heng finally agreed. Yueqian’s idea was tangible; she even drew the taels out on paper for him, making it easy to visualize.
Unbeknownst to Mu Heng, by adopting Yueqian’s advice and changing his income method, he was inadvertently avoiding a potential disaster.
Who could have known that within a month, news of bandits amassing in the mountains, preying on local hunters, would escalate? Even the authorities would have to bring an army to intervene. This caused fear among people. Even the governor had to come with his troops to suppress the bandits.
But for now, the incident had not yet happened, and people were living peacefully. They would be safe during this growing season, but soon after they finish sowing and in the wait for harvesting, during that time of waiting when they went hunting, the danger would occur.
"Just the common crops," Mu Heng replied without giving much detail. Some things are better left unsaid.
"Vegetables? Hmm... will that be enough for eating?" Uncle Liang asked, puzzled.
"True, if you’re worried about not having help, you can call uncle and me to assist. Don’t be shy. Yueqian saved my life and then went on to save uncle’s life too. We owe her a debt as big as life itself," Aunt Liao chimed in.
She believed that Mu Heng did not want to plant cassava all at once because he was afraid of not being able to manage it alone.
"Aunt Liao, no need to worry. I’ve done some calculations. This year, with the share of the land rent, we should be able to get through another year," Yueqian interjected.
When they considered the rent, which was 20 parts of their produce, others began to understand that even if Mu Heng did nothing, they could still survive. If people rented 100 mu of his land, he would receive as much produce as someone cultivating 20 mu. That’s more than the 7 mu he originally owned. If there were 1000 mu, he would get the produce equivalent to 200 mu cultivated.
Given that there are thousands of mu in the village, and although this is the first year and everyone knows the yield might not be great, they would still have a substantial amount of produce. So much so that if stored for four people to eat, it would not run out and could be exchanged for many taels.
Seeing that others were free from hardship and only they had to work hard to maximize their yield, Aunt Liao and Uncle Liang couldn’t help but laugh.
"Well then... we’ll be going. If you need help, just call us. Don’t hesitate."
Even though they knew Mu Heng and his family wouldn’t struggle, Uncle Liang still made the offer. Mu Heng and Yueqian appreciated their kindness but never actually called for any help.
After Aunt Liao’s family left, new guests appeared. It was Mu’s family who had already started working on their old plots. Given their many male members—Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, Grandfather Mu, and Xiao Feng, Xiao Fu, and Xiao Fong—they wouldn’t need much time to finish their work.
The women could also help, at least with weeding.
Unlike Mu Heng, who wouldn’t let his wife toil in the fields. Even though Yueqian wanted to go out, Mu Heng insisted that it was his job, and he wouldn’t let his wife touch his work.
Just as his wife had said earlier about leaving tasks like transcription to her.
When he firmly said so, Yueqian told him that she would spend her time at home cooking for him and perhaps copying books to sell. That way, Mu Heng could relax more.
Mu Heng didn’t let the children work hard either. He told his younger siblings to focus on learning how to write with Yueqian, encouraging them to earn money for the household by selling their transcription books. The children agreed, since they could only do a little work in the fields previously, even when combined two of them, it was not even half as effective as their eldest brother.
Thus, they stayed at home, cooking and cleaning. It was great that they had sister-in-law this year, giving them something useful to do at home.
"Xiao Heng, are you heading out to the fields now?" Grandfather Mu asked.
His face radiating kindness, a stark contrast to the past.
"Yes. And what brings you to my home?" Mu Heng’s demeanor was stern and distant.
This caused the uncles and aunts to frown disapprovingly, though it was just Eldest Uncle and Ji Chuang’s family. Second Uncle and Yi Fan’s family had changed; they no longer seemed inclined to take advantage of Mu Heng after their children had learned to read.
"Take it easy, Xiao Heng. They’re not here to cause trouble, just asking when you’ll start preparing the fields so we can come and help," Grandfather Mu said, holding no grudges.
