Chapter 085

Chapter 085

Sun Xinghai went into town and brought back two pieces of news: the autumn tax would still be forty percent, and the government had set the date for collecting the autumn tax as the fifth day of the tenth month.

The summer harvest only involved wheat, which could be completed in about ten days. The autumn harvest included corn, peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes, and other crops. Sweet potatoes were harvested in September, while corn and peanuts required shelling and drying. This process took about a month. To simplify matters, the government set the unified collection date for October.

After hearing the news, the villagers dispersed with mixed feelings.

At the Xiao family's place, before they got too busy, Xiao Zhen went to town to buy some gifts and accompanied Tong Sui back to Taohuagou.

Tong Gui's two acres of land were divided between corn and peanuts. With such a small plot, the losses were minimal. Besides, Tong Gui could always hunt in the mountains to earn money for food; hunter families didn't rely solely on their fields.

The Zhou family owned land near the city, which was usually managed by tenant farmers. Zhou Yuanbai and Zhou Xian had already returned to the city to stay, not opening their clinic but waiting to collect the harvest before bringing it back.

Tong Gui said, "When the time comes, I'll go along to prevent any theft during transportation."

Tong Youyu asked his son-in-law, "Do you have enough manpower to manage your large plot?"

Xiao Zhen replied, "Grandfather said he would hire villagers to help. Regardless of what we harvest, we aim to bring it home the same day. We'll give a few pounds of grain to those who help."

At this critical juncture, grain was more valuable than copper coins to the villagers.

Tong Youyu nodded. "That's good. Once the goods are inside the courtyard, there's no need to worry about thieves. The rest can be done slowly by our own family."

In Lingshui Village, everyone was mobilized to guard against thieves day and night. After lunch, Tong Sui and her husband returned from Taohuagou.

The day before Mid-Autumn Festival, the Xiao family had a piece of good news: the two sons of Aunt Xiao, who had gone south to purchase spices in February, finally returned. Knowing that their grandfather was worried about them, the brothers changed their clothes, and the family of four came to Lingshui Village.

Uncle Xiao's surname was Qiao. His two sons were Qiao Changshun, the elder brother, and Qiao Changan, the younger brother. They were around the same age as Xiao Yan and Xiao Ye. They called Xiao Zhen "Second Brother" and addressed the others by their names.

The Qiao brothers learned martial arts from their grandfather and fought on the battlefield for six years. Their robust figures and military demeanor, combined with their blood ties, made them look like part of the Xiao family.

Tong Sui stood next to Liu Chu, curiously observing these two cousins. Suddenly, Xiao Zhen beckoned her over.

Tong Sui walked over.

Xiao Zhen gestured for the two cousins to call her Second Sister-in-Law, quite seriously.

Qiao Changshun and Qiao Changan, influenced by their business-minded father, both loved to smile. They called her Second Sister-in-Law in unison.

Tong Sui blushed and smiled, then retreated to stand next to Liu Chu.

With so many people around, they gathered in the backyard to talk.

Xiao Mu asked his grandsons, "Why did you take so long?"

Qiao Changshun glanced at his brother and sighed. "Our journey south to Dongling went smoothly at first. But after buying everything, we were reported to the local authorities as spies from Dazhou. We had to hide and eventually joined a southern merchant caravan as bodyguards. Having taken their money, we had to escort them to Xiliang. Only after completing the job did we get proper travel documents to return."

Xiao Yan laughed. "Well, you've traveled all over the country now."

Qiao Changan responded, "Don't make light of it. We lost money and almost lost our lives. I've decided to stick to farming at home. These days, no business is worth the risk."

Mrs. He added, "Yes, this year we had a wave of refugees. Everyone is poor, and no one has extra money to buy spices."

Xiao Shouyi said, "No one expected things to turn out this way. At the beginning of the year, everyone thought life would improve."

Xiao Mu asked the women to prepare lunch, leaving only the men to discuss further. He then inquired about the grandsons' experiences in Dongling and Xiliang.

Qiao Changshun said, "Although the people there also suffered from war, the new government executed many corrupt officials and distributed land to ordinary people. They only collected half a dou per mu for the summer tax, which actually brings in more revenue than our heavy taxes here. They gain both respect and wealth."

Qiao Changan added, "Honestly, if it weren't for our family here, I'd want to stay there."

Qiao Changshun teased, "I bet you're thinking of that girl from the teahouse, the one who keeps sneaking glances at you."

Qiao Changan chuckled.

Xiao Yan said, "If you really like her, marry her. Your looks aren't bad."

Qiao Changan replied, "Now, people in the north are fleeing to the south. No one would be foolish enough to move from a paradise to a den of wolves."

Xiao Yan said, "It's a shame we're in the north of Dazhou. If we were closer, we might move there."

Xiao Mu warned, "These are just private thoughts. Be careful what you say outside."

The young men all became serious, assuring their grandfather that they would be cautious.

—

In late August, the Xiao family waited until the villagers with smaller plots had harvested their corn before hiring twenty strong men to work their fields.

In the cornfield, one group used hoes to cut down the corn stalks at the roots, while another group bundled the stalks and stripped off the ears, piling them up. Xiao Mu led the mule cart, working with Xiao Shouyi to load the harvested ears onto the cart and transport them home.

Mianmian and Qi Yao also came to help. Their task was to check the stripped stalks for any missed ears. Mianmian worked diligently, while Qi Yao, being young and playful, often got distracted by jumping grasshoppers.

In the Xiao family's backyard, Tong Sui and the other women were not idle. As the harvested corn arrived, they sat nearby peeling the husks and stacking the bare cobs.

Xiao Yuchan didn't slack off either. Lin Ningfang wore the headscarf Liu Chu had given her and sat on a stool next to Tong Sui, peeling each ear carefully.

As a former noblewoman, she had never eaten such coarse corn or even corn porridge. She used to eat fine rice porridge and white flour bread. But in the past year, Lin Ningfang experienced the loss of her family and had to adapt to eating coarse grains at the Xiao household. From initially finding it hard to swallow, she now felt content and grateful seeing these corn cobs.

A single ear of corn could save a starving person's life, making it hard not to appreciate it.

By evening, the Xiao family had transported back the harvest from sixty acres of corn. Even with only sixty to seventy percent yield due to wind damage, the piles of corn filled almost all the open space in the backyard except for the vegetable plots.

Qi Yao happily played among the corn piles, causing the adults to laugh.

The next day, except for the men who had to go out to inspect the peanut and sweet potato fields, everyone in the family sat in the backyard on small stools, enthusiastically shelling corn. The men sat on one side, and the women on the other.

Some idle village women came over to watch and asked if the Xiao family needed help.

Hiring help would mean sharing some of the harvest, so with so many hands at home, the old man declined all offers.

After four or five days of continuous shelling, they finally finished. Xiao Zhen and the others took turns carrying the ears of corn up to the roof to dry. The women raked the corn husks to the side of the woodshed to dry, which would later serve as firewood.

After resting for a few days, the men continued to work in the peanut field, harvesting peanuts.

This time, the black mule was put to use again, pulling the plow back and forth along the rows of peanuts. Once the soil was loosened, the men pulled the peanut plants and shook them vigorously to remove the mud from the shells.

As usual, the Xiao family hired strong laborers to bring the thirty acres of peanuts back to the backyard within a day, spreading them out to dry under the autumn sun. Then, the whole family set up wooden poles, grabbed the peanut plants, and beat them against the base to detach the peanuts. Once detached, the peanuts were also taken to the roof to dry.

While the Xiao family was busy beating peanuts, other village women were already heading to the fields with baskets and small hoes to collect peanuts. Especially in the Xiao family's fields, there were people everywhere.

Families with smaller plots of land did not allow outsiders to collect peanuts; they could clean up everything themselves. But the Xiao family, with more land and fewer people, couldn't keep an eye on everything. Even before the Xiao family could pick up the peanuts that fell on the ground, the women and children had already rushed in.

Could they scold them?

Calling over Lady He could drive them away, but the problem was that the Xiao family was a large household in the village. With so much land, people already envied them. If they didn't let the villagers have any benefit during this time of food shortage, it could turn the villagers against them, erasing the good reputation they had built up over the years.

So, the old man simply ignored it. When he saw Sun Xinghai, who was similarly troubled, the two could only share a wry smile.

Busy as always, after the Chongyang Festival, they began harvesting sweet potatoes.

The laborers cleaned the sweet potatoes right in the field, so when they brought them home, the women had little else to do. They only needed to place the cut sweet potatoes on the windowsill under the eaves to dry for two days, then wash and steam them.

That day, the Xiao family did not cook any other dishes, just some soup. Everyone ate heartily, alternating bites of sweet potato with sips of soup. The leftover sweet potatoes were sliced into strips and placed on large trays to dry on the roof, providing sustenance through the winter.

---

In the evening, Tong Sui followed Xiao Zhen up to the roof of the east wing, where they spread oilcloth to cover the corn and peanuts, protecting them from sudden rain at night.

In the West Court and the central courtyard, Xiao Yan, Xiao She, and Xiao Shouyi with their spouses were doing the same.

After covering everything and weighing down the edges with stones, Tong Sui did not rush to go down. She sat beside him, looking at the other families in Lingshui Village.

Xiao Zhen sat down next to her.

Tong Sui whispered, "If we only harvested half a dou per mu of land, everyone should have a good year this year."

Xiao Zhen hummed in agreement and reached for her hand.

With all the shelling and beating of peanuts, both their palms had developed calluses. Tong Sui's were especially noticeable—her skin was soft everywhere else, but her calluses were hard like the pads of a small animal's paws.

He enjoyed playing with them, but Tong Sui withdrew her hand and looked at him. "Once the government collects the autumn taxes, will Fourth Younger Brother take action?"

Xiao Zhen took her hand again, looking into her dark, clear eyes. "Yes, are you afraid?"

Tong Sui wasn't afraid because, at this point, fear was useless.

"Do I still need to go?"

"It's uncertain, but be ready at all times."

There would definitely be chaos, but how it would unfold and where it would start first, even Xiao Zhen did not know.