Chapter 081

Chapter 081

The heavy rain poured all day, and the wind howled continuously until it finally subsided by midnight.

The next day, Xiao Mu rode his donkey out early. When he returned, his clothes were speckled with damp patches from the dew, and his shoes and trousers were caked with mud.

Tong Sui was sitting in front of the hearth, tending to the fire. Seeing her grandfather come through the back door, she asked with concern, "Grandfather, how is our corn?"

Xiao Mu sighed, "A lot of it has fallen over. We'll go fix it after breakfast."

Those words extinguished any lingering hope in Tong Sui's heart.

After breakfast, He Shi and Lin Ningfang stayed behind to watch the house and the children, while Tong Sui, Liu Chu, Xiao Yuchan, and A Fu followed the men to the fields.

The rain had been heavy yesterday, but now the sun was blazing. Looking around, few of the corn stalks in the fields remained upright, and villagers from various households had gathered. Some stalks that had fallen slightly could be left alone as they would straighten themselves; others that had fallen more severely needed to be manually propped up and surrounded with a layer of soil at the base.

As for the stalks that had snapped, they could only be dug out, as leaving them in the field would cause further decay and affect the surrounding plants.

The Xiao family had many acres of corn, so even the women had to contribute their efforts to salvage as much as possible.

Tong Sui and Xiao Yuchan worked together, with Xiao Yuchan responsible for propping up the corn stalks and Tong Sui adding soil at the base.

At this point, the corn had already sprouted tender ears, and the leaves were long, wide, and sharp. A careless brush against the face could leave a red mark.

Both sisters-in-law had wrapped their faces and necks with headscarves.

"You take over, I need a break." Digging and adding soil strained the back, so when Tong Sui couldn't hold on any longer, she handed the shovel to Xiao Yuchan and switched roles.

Despite her laziness, Xiao Yuchan knew when to step in and took the shovel without complaint.

She had grown up with soft skin in the Xiao household, but she still had strength. Working seriously, she didn't lag far behind Liu Chu.

Xiao Yan walked out carrying a bundle of broken stalks, seeing his sister digging with the shovel. He laughed, "Work hard, I'll add some meat to your dinner tonight."

In the face of such natural disasters, crying was useless; one could only find joy amidst hardship.

Xiao Yuchan shot him a glare, "Even if you have meat, you wouldn't give it to me. If you truly cared about me, you'd call your wife over to help."

Xiao Yan replied, "She'd just get in the way, you know that."

Xiao Yuchan huffed. Once Third Brother walked away, she glanced at Tong Sui and whispered, "Second Sister-in-Law, aren't you a bit uncomfortable knowing that Third Sister-in-Law is so idle?"

Tong Sui responded, "We're out here, and she's helping Second Aunt with cooking and chores at home. She isn't idle."

Xiao Yuchan pulled at a nearby corn leaf that had scratched her. "Cooking can't compare to this work. I'd rather cook for a hundred days than spend one day in the cornfield."

Tong Sui uncapped her water pouch and took a sip, not bothering to argue further.

By afternoon, some villagers who had finished their own fields came to help the Xiao family. Xiao Zhen sent Tong Sui and the other three women back home to prepare extra food for the evening meal.

Back at the Xiao household, Lin Ningfang had just finished washing the dishes and rested for a bit. Hearing Xiao Yuchan explain the situation in the fields to He Shi, she tidied herself and went to the eastern courtyard.

Tong Sui and Liu Chu were scooping water to wash their arms and faces.

Both sisters-in-law were fair-skinned beauties. After working in the cornfield all day, their faces were sunburnt and red, with fine red marks on their foreheads, behind their ears, and wrists.

Lin Ningfang, having seen the corn stalks in the back fields, guessed that these marks were from the corn leaves and felt deeply distressed. "Do you need any ointment?"

Tong Sui smiled, "No need, it will heal in a couple of days. At least we wore scarves. If this scares you, imagine how you'll react when you see Grandfather and the others."

As dusk approached, the men of the Xiao family returned, and the villagers who had helped went back to their own homes without staying for dinner.

Grandfather and Xiao Shouyi led the way, followed by Xiao Zhen and his brothers.

The five men looked like small mountains, their usually rugged faces now covered in dirt, making them appear even more fierce.

Lin Ningfang stole a glance but quickly looked away.

Tong Sui had already seen Xiao Zhen's dirty face in the fields. Knowing they were all working hard for the family's sustenance, she felt nothing but compassion for these men.

That night, after Xiao Zhen washed up, Tong Sui brought out the facial cream that hadn't been used much since summer and handed it to him. "Apply some, it will help."

Xiao Zhen looked at her sunburnt but tender face and asked, "Did you use it too?"

Tong Sui nodded.

Xiao Zhen leaned closer, almost touching her face with his nose, and sniffed.

Tong Sui felt her cheeks heat up and moved away. "It's scentless."

Xiao Zhen lay down on the bed, closing his eyes. "I'm tired. Help me apply it."

Tong Sui understood that farm work was far more exhausting than hunting in the mountains, especially when it lasted all day without a break.

Standing beside the bed, she used her fingertips to apply the creamy lotion to his face.

At twenty-six, a warrior, farmer, and hunter was still young, with smooth and firm skin, though sun-tanned to a wheat color, unlike the refined complexion of scholars.

But a face like this gave a sense of security. Jade might be beautiful but was impractical and fragile.

"Done?"

"Yes, our corn stretches across a large area. The ones that fell in the middle mostly don't need support, but the severely damaged ones are around the edges. We still need to fertilize the fields."

Farmers' fertilizer came from the pigpen, chicken coop, and donkey shed—shoveling and spreading it was a laborious and smelly task.

Tong Sui then massaged his shoulders.

Xiao Zhen smiled.

In the East Wing of the West Court, Xiao Yan looked at himself in the mirror after taking a bath and, with a self-deprecating tone, said to Lin Ningfang, who was kneeling on the bed making it: "If I go out for a stroll at midnight like this, people would surely think they've seen a ghost."

Lin Ningfang glanced over but was startled by the red marks on his shoulders and back before she could see his face.

Xiao Yan, noticing this, deliberately walked closer and extended his arm, which was also covered in red marks, in front of her. "Did you realize how sharp corn leaves can be?"

Lin Ningfang nodded silently.

Xiao Yan laughed. "Even when I was a kid, I was greedy and went to the fields to break off some tender corn. I accidentally cut my hand and since then, I never wanted to go near the cornfields again. Speaking of which, I was considered a wealthy young master back then, so I didn't have to work in the fields. Who would have thought that my life would turn out worse and worse, unable to wear silk anymore, and getting better at farm work."

She was a fallen noble lady, and he was a descendant of a once-wealthy family; they were quite a match.

---

Xiao Zhen spent another day doing farm work at home. That night, he rode a donkey to Imprisoned Dragon Ridge under the cover of darkness.

The cliffs around Imprisoned Dragon Ridge had not been affected by the strong winds, but the heavy rain had caused water to accumulate in the valley.

Zhang Wengong said, "Fortunately, the bandits built their houses on high ground, so both people and livestock are safe. However, the crops have been flooded, and even though we’ve been working hard to drain the water these past two days, there will still be a decrease in yield."

Sun Dian added, "People used to live comfortably in the mountains without complaints, but this heavy rain has dampened their spirits. Some are starting to miss village life, and I had to scold them."

Xiao Ye chimed in, "Of course. On that rainy night, I was worried about the water flooding our house, let alone theirs."

After listening to everyone, Xiao Zhen said, "Gather everyone. I have something to say."

Sun Dian went out to bang the gong. All the able-bodied men from Lingshui Village gathered, including his grandfather Zhou Jingchun, whom Xiao Zhen invited to sit in the honored seat.

After a buzz of discussion, Xiao Zhen stood in the middle of the meeting hall and addressed the crowd: "There is only waterlogging in the mountains, but outside, the wind knocked down most of the corn. If we're lucky, we'll only lose half the harvest during autumn."

"Half? My uncle's family planted corn on four acres this year. If half is lost, they still need to pay forty percent as autumn tax. What will they eat then?"

"My elder brother and sister-in-law also planted corn, hoping for a good yield to fill their bellies... Damn heavens, why did you send such a storm!"

Even though they were now in the mountains, these able-bodied men were born and raised farmers. Hearing about the severe damage to the corn in the village, they were heartbroken, and some were eager to go out and see for themselves.

Xiao Zhen waited until the discussion died down before speaking again: "The storm and rain were natural disasters, and they have passed. Going back now won’t help anyone, and leaking information would only harm ourselves. Instead, the less the harvest, the more important it is for everyone to stay in the mountains, train well in martial arts and riding skills with Xiao Si, and then make a big move after the government collects the grain in autumn."

Zhou Jingchun’s eyebrows twitched.

Sun Dian excitedly asked, "Xiao Er, are you sure you want to rob the government's grain?"

Xiao Zhen replied, "Unless the government exempts this year's autumn tax and gives us a way to survive."

Zhang Wengong said, "That’s impossible. There hasn’t been an exemption like that in recent years."

Everyone present understood the government's ways and didn’t believe the government would exempt the autumn tax, especially since half of the corn was still growing well, along with peanuts and sweet potatoes. Those who planted only corn would just have to accept their fate.

Xiao Zhen calmed the crowd again and explained, "The government won’t exempt taxes. The people here will starve if they pay the autumn tax. To avoid starvation, they have two options: either fight the government or gather together to rob other villagers. This autumn, nearby counties will definitely become chaotic. To prevent our village from being robbed, we must prepare ourselves."

"Yes, Master Xiao is right! Why go down the mountain? Let’s focus on training!"

"I’m still not confident riding a donkey. I’ll keep practicing tomorrow!"

"My archery isn’t accurate enough. Master Si, please teach me more. When will I be as skilled as Second Lady?"

These young men, aged twenty to thirty, no longer found the training monotonous once they realized they would soon have a chance to show their skills. Instead, they felt time was too short and worried that they wouldn’t be fully trained when the time came to go down the mountain.

Xiao Ye smiled and said, "Alright, everyone, go to sleep. Get a good rest, and I’ll wake you up early tomorrow morning!"

The men dispersed.

Xiao Zhen personally escorted Zhou Jingchun back to his room.

Zhou Jingchun’s room wasn’t far, and they arrived quickly.

The room was dark, with a faint scent of medicine lingering in the air.

Xiao Zhen put down the lantern and took out a fire starter to light the lamp on the table, but Zhou Jingchun said, "Forget it. I’m going to sleep soon. You should go back early too."

Xiao Zhen teased, "I’m afraid you won’t be able to sleep. I thought I’d keep you company."

Zhou Jingchun humphed, "I dared to come to this mountain with you, and I’ve made all the necessary preparations. But what about Aman? Does she know?"

Xiao Zhen replied, "Let’s keep it from her for now. Depending on the situation outside, we might not actually have to do it. No need to scare her prematurely."

Zhou Jingchun agreed, "Yes, let them enjoy peace for a little longer."

Chaos is inevitable, but the nature of that chaos remains to be seen.