Chapter 75

Chapter 75

The sun-drying ground was a large, flat stone platform—nearly every village had one. It served little purpose on ordinary days, but during harvest season, even brothers would brawl until blood flowed over a single spot.

When Zhao Xiaobao arrived, the Wu family—whose home at the village entrance had been burned down—was already locked in a heated argument with Zhou Chunya’s mother over a particular spot. According to last year’s rotation system, it should have been the Zhou family’s turn this year. But the Wu family refused to yield, insisting that ownership this year went to whoever claimed a spot first on the sun-drying ground. “Frankly speaking,” they argued, “it wasn’t even your turn—the Zhao Youcai family, who ranked ahead of you in the rotation, died out completely, so the turn passed down to you.”

“But so many people died this year—how could things possibly stay the same?” countered Zhou Chunya’s mother, her face flushed and neck veins bulging as she glared at Old Lady Wu, seated on the ground. That wretched old woman had actually spread a mat on *her* family’s designated spot in the middle of the night and slept there all night—just to occupy it—leaving her stunned to find it taken when she arrived at dawn.

Right now, the fire in her stove was still burning, yet she had to waste time arguing with this woman. If her mother-in-law found out she hadn’t secured the spot, who knew what scene she’d make later? “You can argue until the sky falls—but today, you *will* move!”

Her resolve hardened. She simply plopped down beside Old Lady Wu—and then, to drive the point home, lay flat on the ground.

A few years earlier, a violent fight had erupted between two families over a sun-drying spot. One man was beaten so badly his head bled; he developed a fever that night and nearly died. His family immediately summoned their clansmen, who smashed the rival family’s house and shoved the other family’s elderly matriarch to the ground. An old woman like her couldn’t withstand such a fall—her tailbone snapped on impact. Too poor to afford a doctor, she lay bedridden for half a month—and never recovered.

The two families became sworn enemies. The then-village chief, still alive at the time, saw the situation spiraling out of control. He finally convened the entire village to discuss a solution: aside from the few prime spots on the sun-drying ground, all remaining secondary spots would rotate annually among the village’s thirty-odd households—your family this year, mine next. This relatively fair allocation satisfied the vast majority.

Of course, the best few spots were excluded from rotation. The very best remained with the village chief’s family. The rest depended entirely on individual clout. For instance, several Village Elders—respected patriarchs of their respective clans, like Zhao Shanao—even though the old Zhao family had many strong sons, no one dared challenge an elder for his spot; only outsiders ever did.

Other families followed suit, so the sun-drying spots belonging to Village Elders’ families remained fixed year after year. The truly contested hotspots were the second-tier areas fiercely fought over by capable families.

Exactly like the spot currently disputed by the Wu and Zhou families. It sat adjacent to the Village Elders’ secondary spots. The stone platform wasn’t perfectly level—it had uneven dips and bumps. This spot, however, was decently central. Any further out was just bare earth. Even if grain could be sun-dried there, yellow mud would cling to it, making both drying and turning inconvenient—and later, removing the mud and gravel would be a huge hassle.

For their own interests, quarrels and fights became commonplace. And because the village chief and elders benefited from the system, their words carried the least weight on the sun-drying ground. If they dared speak up or take sides, they’d be cursed as all talk and instantly offend people. So while someone might mediate ordinary disputes, during harvest season, no one dared intervene as a peacemaker.

The women’s quarrel drew a crowd. Many villagers sweeping dust with bamboo brooms paused to watch. Zhao Xiaobao even spotted her Third Sister-in-law, sweeping the very center—the flattest area, nearly free of pits.

She scampered over and hugged Sun Shi’s legs: “Third Sister-in-law, why are you here? Dad told me to come grab a spot. Have you already gotten one?”

Sun Shi instantly understood her young sister-in-law had been misled by their father. Their family didn’t need to fight for a spot this year—the village had reserved one for them early on. Still, she played along: “Yes—Mother worried we’d arrive late and miss the best spot, so she sent me early with the tools. We’ll stay here for two days, eating and sleeping right here.” She pointed to the mat and stool inside their shelter.

Zhao Xiaobao followed her gaze: mat, pillow, bamboo rake, stool, palm-leaf fan… She’d also spent the night guarding the sun-drying ground last year’s harvest, but she’d been too young then—forgetful—and couldn’t recall details clearly. Now, remembering, it was just a fire burning all night, her curled up fast asleep in her mother’s arms, arms and legs bitten raw by mosquitoes, the whole ground smelling of mugwort.

Country nights weren’t like those in the prefectural city, with bustling night markets. Once darkness fell, doors shut tight and everyone slept. The experience of the whole village sleeping together, chatting idly under the stars by the fire until drowsy, felt utterly novel. In Zhao Xiaobao’s memory, the sun-drying ground meant she could still play with Chunya after dark—and she was genuinely looking forward to it.

The shelters on the sun-drying ground had been newly built this year, each corresponding to the spot a family had secured. Naturally, the Zhao family’s stood at the very center—next to Li Dahe’s and Chen Daniu’s families—all familiar faces.

Over there, the quarrel raged on. Sun Shi laid out the mat with her little sister-in-law, then secretly pulled out a clean handkerchief, had the girl sneak some water onto it, wiped the mat twice, tossed the pillow and fan onto it, and casually placed the chair—easy to move wherever she felt like chatting.

“Xiaobao, Third Sister-in-law still needs to wash clothes by the river. You stay here and guard our things. When Huaihua and Xiaohua come, you can play with them—but don’t run around.” Sun Shi instructed carefully. “Mother will come later. If anything happens, go home and call us. If people are quarreling or fighting, don’t get close—watch from a distance.”

Zhao Xiaobao nodded obediently: “Xiaobao won’t go close. Xiaobao will stay in the shelter and wait for Huaihua and the others.”

“Good girl.” Sun Shi couldn’t linger to watch Chunya’s mother and Old Lady Wu pulling each other’s hair. After her instructions, she hurried away—there was still a pile of work waiting at home.

Zhao Xiaobao kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the mat, and—while no one was looking—secretly popped a raspberry into her mouth. For some reason, watching commotion always made her crave food. If she didn’t eat, her mouth itched uncomfortably and her whole body grew restless.

More and more people arrived at the sun-drying ground—and more quarrels flared. Mainly because so many had died this year—even the village chief was gone. Families that had survived both the earthquake and the refugee invasion naturally no longer wished to abide by any sun-drying rotation rules. Like Old Lady Wu, they’d arrived in the dead of night to seize spots. If any family objected, they’d simply fight. After all, their men were still alive—facing families who’d lost their pillars, they felt no fear at all.

In just a short while, Zhao Xiaobao had watched several such commotions. She didn’t draw near—just watched, sitting, lying down, cross-legged, on her side, propped on one arm with her chin resting on her hand and one knee bent, lying on her stomach with her chin cupped in her hands…

When Wang Shi arrived slowly, carrying a bamboo water container and leading Xiao Heizi, this was the scene she saw. This way of watching commotion—thank goodness her father was Old Man Zhao; otherwise, she’d certainly attract hatred.

“Mother!” Seeing her, Zhao Xiaobao quickly sat up, arms outstretched. Xiao Heizi charged into her embrace.

Xiao Heizi licked her palm with his tongue. Sweet.

“Woof!”

“Don’t woof—Xiaobao didn’t eat anything.” Zhao Xiaobao looked at her mother with a guilty expression.

“Did you sneak fruit again?” Wang Shi’s face fell as she handed her the bamboo container and a softened willow twig. Zhao Xiaobao mumbled, reluctantly taking them, chewing the twig end and beginning to scrub her teeth.

“When you have time, ask your father to go to town and buy you a box of green salt and a toothbrush. From now on, brush your teeth as soon as you wake up—and again before bed. And absolutely no sneaking food at night, or your teeth will rot and the pain will be terrible.” Wang Shi spoke with unusual seriousness. She’d previously worried her daughter would be frightened sleeping alone. Her father had gone to her room several times in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep—only to open the door and find her lying on the bed, one leg crossed over the other, snacking. Fruit was one thing—but once he’d caught her gnawing on a candied hawthorn stick…

That was serious.

Wang Shi hadn’t slept that night, lecturing her until she promised never to sneak snacks before bed again.

The real issue wasn’t the eating itself—but her teeth couldn’t handle it. Wang Shi’s own teeth were poor; she knew the agony of a toothache that made half your head throb—so unbearable you’d wish you could die on the spot.

This morning, she hadn’t paid attention—and the girl had dashed off with her basket, hadn’t brushed her teeth, hadn’t even washed her face.

Mother and daughter sat on the mat. Wang Shi took out a handkerchief, shielded it from view, had her daughter secretly sprinkle a little water on it, wrung it out, then gently held her little face and wiped it twice.

“Been to the fields?” Wang Shi asked softly.

Zhao Xiaobao nodded emphatically. Spotting Old Lady Zhou hurrying over from not far away, she patted her mother’s arm with her small hand—not wanting her face wiped anymore. She craned her neck, struggling excitedly, eager to watch the commotion: “Mother, Chunya’s grandma is here! Oh my—Chunya’s grandma came straight from cutting rice in the fields!”

“Who on earth did you inherit this love of watching commotions from? Neither your father nor I enjoy getting involved.” Wang Shi gave her a light smack on the bottom. In the end, all the fighting and arguing came to nothing—no one gained anything.

“From Xiao Wu! From Xi’er!”

“…A little aunt imitating her nephews—how can you even say that!” Wang Shi was both angry and amused.

The sun had just risen—not hot yet. Though the old man had told her to stay home, being diligent by nature, she simply couldn’t sit still. She couldn’t help but instruct her daughter: “Mother is going to the fields to check on your father. You stay right here—don’t go anywhere. Let Xiao Heizi stay with you. If anything happens, send Xiao Heizi to call us—understand?” Seeing her little head propped up, eyes unblinking and fixed on the commotion, Wang Shi reached out and gently pinched her ear.

In that short time, Old Lady Zhou and Old Lady Wu had already begun fighting. Men from both families, having heard the news, rushed over—and after two ill-chosen words, tempers exploded. A physical brawl seemed imminent.

Zhao Xiaobao also spotted Feng Shi and Huaihua. Feng Shi carried a mat and pillow; Huaihua held a stool and shouldered a bamboo rake. Dagouzi and the others weren’t there. Earlier, passing the Li family’s field en route to the sun-drying ground, she’d seen Dagouzi and them cutting rice, too.

Those guarding the grain were all girls. Girls had less stamina than boys. Except for families like the Zhous—who heavily favored sons over daughters—it was usually boys working the fields and girls guarding the grain, with women helping in the fields after finishing housework.

The two families’ shelters stood side by side. The two sisters-in-law barely had time to chat—they were both busy today. Knowing Feng Shi also had to return to the fields, Wang Shi said: “You and Huaihua stay properly in the shelter. Don’t go watch the commotion. Don’t get involved in other people’s business. Keep your distance—understand?”

The two little girls nodded hurriedly.

Once the adults left, Zhao Xiaobao ran over to help Huaihua spread the mat. Just as it was laid out, the Wu and Zhou families fully erupted into violence. Old Lady Zhou and Old Lady Wu rolled on the ground, while men from both families exchanged punches. Onlookers were used to it—each focused solely on their own spot. No one stepped in to break it up. The entire sun-drying ground echoed with the two families’ shouting and cursing, dredging up old grievances: how you’d glanced at some man a few times in your youth, making eyes—clearly no good; how your long-dead father was a dirty man, consorting with a widow, even carrying firewood and plowing her land—who in the village didn’t know…

“Slut! Your whole family are sluts! Why didn’t the refugees kill your family—you filthy things! The ones who should be soaked in the manure pit are your whole family!” Old Lady Zhou sat atop Old Lady Wu, slapping her face repeatedly.

“Your man is the slut—the rotten-cocked thing—wanting to poke into anyone’s crotch!” Old Lady Wu, smaller than Old Lady Zhou and pinned beneath her, couldn’t翻身—but she wasn’t the type to lie there passively. She grabbed Old Lady Zhou’s hand and bit down hard, making her howl in pain—angry at being bitten, even angrier at the insult to her man.

“Your man is the rotten-cocked, rotten-asshole thing! Today messing with widows, tomorrow messing with widowers—messing with both men and women! Rotten in front, rotten in back, rotten above, rotten below! Two of a kind sleep in one bed—you’re just as rotten as your man—your whole family is rotten!” Old Lady Zhou slapped Old Lady Wu’s face twice more. “This spot is my family’s turn this year! I don’t care if you’ve lain here since midnight! I’m putting my words here today: even if you die right here, my family’s grain will be sun-dried on your corpse this year! Don’t believe me? Just wait and see!”

The two old women cursed vilely. The two old men’s faces grew uglier and uglier. With so many people watching—and these being decades-old matters—the younger generation’s daughters-in-law had no idea such things had happened. Gasps rose, and their eyes kept darting toward the men’s lower regions. Utterly humiliated, they immediately joined the fight.

They’d originally been cutting rice in the fields when word came that a fight had broken out over a spot on the sun-drying ground—so they’d hurried over. Hearing such words—who could bear it?

With both parents fighting, the sons and daughters-in-law of both families joined the fray. Even Da Tou and San Tou rolled on the ground, wrestling with the Wu family’s grandsons.

Zhao Xiaobao and Huaihua watched, dumbfounded. They didn’t understand much of the messy talk—just catching fragments, their ears filled with words like “dirty,” “messy,” “sleep.”

Besides the Wu and Zhou families fighting over the spot, several other families nearly came to blows, too. Yet no matter how chaotic the sun-drying ground became, the Village Elders stayed out of sight. Today, everyone was busy with their own few acres of land—and truly had no mood to manage others. Let them do as they pleased.

Mainly, they *couldn’t* manage it—and they weren’t blameless either.

This melee lasted a long time. It only stopped when Old Man Zhao arrived, carrying two full baskets of grain. Seeing his heavily laden baskets, everyone realized it was growing late—the Zhao family had already begun sunning grain, while they hadn’t even started cutting theirs.

"Uncle Da Gen, how come your family is so fast? The sun has just come out!"

"Let's go, let's go, we need to go cut the grain first."

"Anyway, I'll just say this: we stick to the rules. This year's spots are assigned by rotation. If anyone's not happy, go back and dry your grain on winnowing baskets. No one will fight you for those."

"Right!" someone immediately chimed in. "It makes no sense that we followed the rules last year, your family got a good spot, and now this year you don't want to follow them anymore. That's not how it works!"

"Old Wu and his wife, you need to have a bit of conscience. When your family built your house, the whole village pitched in to help. Don't be so unreasonable and stir up trouble. You're not in the right here!"

Old Man Zhao took one look and knew exactly what had happened. It happened every year. Even with rules, there were always those who didn't follow them, coming in the middle of the night to claim a spot. If they ran into someone easy to bully, like the Wu Dazhu brothers, they might actually get away with it.

But she had run into the Zhou family. Old lady Zhou was also a notorious troublemaker. She was the one who took advantage of others; no one could ever take advantage of her.

Pouring the two baskets of grain onto the center of the stone drying platform, Old Man Zhao took the bamboo rake his daughter carried over and spread the grain flat, picking out some rice stalks and tossing them aside. Seeing his daughter fidgeting nearby, he chuckled, unable to resist teasing her. "Zhao Xiaobao, I'm counting on you. Your dad has brought the grain over. From now on, you must guard it without leaving its side. Especially watch that no one steps on it, and definitely don't let anyone secretly scoop it away. And Xiao Heizi, keep an eye on him, don't let him pee on the grain."

"Xiaobao understands!" Zhao Xiaobao nodded solemnly, her eyes fixed on the rake in his hand.

Old Man Zhao was picking up rice stalks, so he casually handed the rake to her. Zhao Xiaobao gripped the rake, which was taller than her, and began turning the grain, doing a pretty good job, her little face full of seriousness.

Old Man Zhao placed the sorted rice stalks on the left, right, and lower sides, then said to her, "Xiaobao, this is the boundary your dad set. Keep an eye on it. Inside the rice stalks is our family's area. Outside is others'. Don't let others' grain get dumped on our side, and don't let our grain get onto theirs, or it'll become someone else's food."

"Xiaobao understands!" Zhao Xiaobao immediately tossed aside the bamboo rake and went to pick up the grains that had scattered into others' areas, one by one. Every single grain of rice was hard-earned by her dad and brothers. She absolutely couldn't let outsiders get an advantage. She had to watch carefully.

"Then Dad's going to the fields to work. You stay here and be good." Picking up the carrying pole from the ground, Old Man Zhao looked back every few steps. "Watch carefully, don't wander off. Your eldest sister-in-law will bring lunch at noon."

"Okay."

As soon as Old Man Zhao left, the Wu family, after being both persuaded and scolded, finally couldn't withstand the pressure and had to give up their spot, moving to the very edge. This part of the stone platform was right next to the path. On sunny days, it was fine; at worst, drying grain on the lumpy earth just meant it got a bit dirty. But if it rained and they couldn't gather it in time, the grain wouldn't just get wet; it would also get covered in yellow mud, which was a real pain.

Old lady Wu, with her disheveled hair and several scratch marks on her face, especially when she saw Widow Lü's two sons slowly walking over to the spot right next to the Zhao family's, her sense of unfairness instantly peaked. She couldn't help but grumble, "Leaning against a big tree sure makes it easy to enjoy the shade. Even a widow can get a good spot. Everyone who got caught back then died, only she survived. Who believes her story about 'good luck'? If she really had good luck, she wouldn't have become a widow. Who knows how many times she's sold herself..."

"Da Luo Bo, Xiao Luo Bo, over here, over here." Zhao Xiaobao, hugging the rake, bounced and waved to the brothers, pointing to the area below their family's spot. "This spot is your family's. My dad marked the boundary with rice stalks. Above is ours, below is yours. Let's not cross over, okay?"

"Little Aunt, I won't cross it." Da Luo Bo ran over and pointed at the stalks, saying to Xiao Luo Bo, "Did you hear what Little Aunt said? Use these stalks as a guide. Don't rake Little Aunt's grain over."

Xiao Luo Bo, holding the bamboo rake, nodded obediently. "Brother, I see."

"Good." Da Luo Bo hadn't brought a mat, only a stool. He placed it randomly somewhere, gave Xiao Luo Bo a few instructions, then turned to Zhao Xiaobao. "Little Aunt, if you need to do anything, just call Xiao Luo Bo. He'll help you. I'm going to the fields to cut rice now. If Xiao Luo Bo accidentally rakes your grain over, just rake it back." When it came to food, everyone was afraid of losing out. If you accidentally scattered grain onto someone else's area, they would definitely rake even more back. With anyone else, Da Luo Bo definitely wouldn't say this, but Little Aunt was different. If she wanted to rake it back, she could.

Zhao Xiaobao waved her hand. "Da Luo Bo, you go ahead. Cut slowly. My mom said after our family finishes cutting, we'll go help yours."

Da Luo Bo pressed his lips together and didn't say anything, still thinking he should cut more himself. Grandpa Zhao and the others were tired too.

Passing by Old lady Wu, he glared fiercely at her and, before she could put her hands on her hips and start cursing, took off running.

"Does my Wu family have no one left?! Even the old and the young dare to shit on my head!!" Old lady Wu launched into another round of cursing. She couldn't do anything to the Zhou family, couldn't catch the already-gone Da Luo Bo, and even less could she do anything to Xiao Luo Bo, who was now sitting neatly in a row with Zhao Xiaobao. Looking down at the uneven ground full of gravel and yellow mud, she became even angrier.

She had come to sleep here in the middle of the night!!

But no matter how angry she was, she had to go cut rice. By the time she finished sweeping the area and was ready to head to the fields, Zhao Ertian was already arriving with the second load of grain.

Zhao Xiaobao quickly got up to greet him, picking up the bamboo rake from the ground. "Second Brother, I'll spread the grain!"

"You're not strong enough to spread it." Zhao Ertian set down the carrying pole, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, then gripped the edges of the baskets with his big hands, lifting and pouring. The full baskets of grain, along with stalks and leaves, all spilled onto the ground.

Zhao Xiaobao gripped the bamboo rake and tried to rake the grain piled into a small hill, but she really couldn't spread it flat. She never forced herself. If she couldn't do it, she gave up immediately, turning to get the bamboo water container. It had originally been empty, but when she handed it over, Zhao Ertian knew from the weight it was full. The water from the Divine Land stream tasted even sweeter than mountain spring water. He tilted his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times as he drank it all.

"Second Brother, hehe, Xiaobao forgot to give Dad water earlier." Zhao Xiaobao pinched her fingers, a bit embarrassed. She had been too busy watching the commotion earlier and had forgotten about her dad.

"It's fine. Your second sister-in-law took a basin of brown sugar water to the fields. There's water to drink." Zhao Ertian picked up the bamboo rake from the ground, spread out the grain, and also turned over the earlier batch. Having his little sister guard the drying field was really just to give her something to do. He didn't actually expect her to turn the grain. The family was busy these two days; even Xiao Wu and the others had no time to play. The village children were the same. It was better to give her an easy task to keep her from wandering around the fields bored out of her mind.

After turning the grain, he didn't have time to rest. Shouldering the empty baskets, he headed back to the fields.

After the sun rose higher, the girls who had finished chores at home also came to the drying field with their mats. Xiaohua and Xiǎocǎo were among them. With more children, the place became even livelier. Familiar faces gathered in small groups of two or three. The older ones would go turn the grain every now and then. The younger ones, like Zhao Xiaobao—her family's grain was all turned by Xiaohua and Xiao Luo Bo. She just lay on the mat, giggling foolishly.

By noon, Zhu Shi, who had been cooking at home, first took food to the fields, then came to the drying field to bring food to Zhao Xiaobao.

For families like Xiaohua's, which had no extra labor, it was Donkey who, after finishing cutting rice, came to the drying field to rest. Then Xiaohua went home to cook, first taking the food to her parents in the fields, then bringing it to the drying field.

Xiao Luo Bo could only watch others eat, obediently waiting for his mother and brother to finish cutting the morning's rice. His mother would go home to cook and then bring it to him.

This was when the advantage of having a large family became clear. Someone like Xiao Luo Bo didn't even dare go far to pee. If he needed to go, he'd just find a big tree where he could both see the drying field and hide from people, undo his pants, finish quickly, and run back. He had no sisters to take turns cooking, not even anyone to take shifts.

The girls had all run home to cook, so the ones guarding the grain became the boys. Zhao Xiaobao didn't want to play with her nephews. She held her bowl and ate obediently. She also didn't want to show favoritism. Seeing Xiao Luo Bo sitting on his stool, hungry and picking at his toes, she wanted to share her food with him. But then Da Gouzi, Donkey, and the others were watching. Ah, being a little aunt was really hard.

In the end, she "dug out" two coarse grain buns from the small basket her eldest sister-in-law had brought, broke them into pieces, and shared them with her nephews to tide them over.

"Eat, eat. Who told me I'm the little aunt?" She sighed, gripping her chopsticks and shoveling rice into her mouth. She hadn't done much work today, but she was so hungry. The rice tasted better than usual too.

Not far away, San Tou watched the buns in their hands, swallowing hard. He couldn't help but yell, "Da Gouzi, aren't you ashamed? Someone gives you something and you just take it. You're not even her real nephew. Zhao Xiaobao's real nephews are Zhao Xiaowu and them. My mom said eating other people's food will make your mouth rot. Your mouth is going to rot!"

"None of your damn business!" Da Gouzi was quite impressive in the village now. His grandpa, dad, and uncle had killed refugees. He used to play with Da Tou and San Tou, but not anymore. Now he was Zhao Xiaowu's good brother, and he was enemies with the Da Tou brothers. "I'm not eating yours."

"My family's buns won't be given to you either!" San Tou roared.

"I wouldn't eat them even if you gave them to me!" Da Gouzi yelled back just as loudly. "What do you two deserve to eat buns for? You don't even work. Boys are supposed to go to the fields to cut rice. Girls guard the grain. You two are lazy, making Chunyá and Chun Miao go cut rice in the fields. The buns and dry rice should be saved for them to eat. You only deserve to drink cold water!"

Before San Tou could curse back, he interrupted him with loud noises and continued, "You're lazy kids now, you'll be lazy men when you grow up. Lazy men can't get wives, can't have sons. Later you'll be old bachelors. Old bachelors have no descendants to break the burial pot, no descendants to offer incense after death. Even as ghosts, you'll be starving ghosts, homeless wandering spirits. Lazy as people, miserable as ghosts. Hahahaha, Da Tou, San Tou, you're so pathetic..."

Da Tou and San Tou were about to explode with anger. They charged over to hit him. "You're the one who won't get a wife! You're the one who'll be a wandering ghost! I'll beat you to death!"

"Come on, come on! You think I'm afraid of you? You two softies who bully your sisters, I want to hit you too!"

Of course, they didn't get to fight. Many adults had come to deliver lunch and pulled them apart.

The noon sun was scorching. The men cutting rice had gone back to rest. The women and children stayed at the drying field, napping on their mats if they were tired. Even hiding in the shelters, the sun still made their eyes ache, and they sweated profusely. The wind from the palm-leaf fans was hot too.

There were also many mosquitoes, buzzing and flying everywhere. Zhu Shi lit mugwort near their family's shelter, but it didn't help much. Zhao Xiaobao had just managed to fall asleep when she was bitten awake by mosquitoes.

"Eldest Sister-in-law, my leg itches, my arm itches, my face itches too." Zhao Xiaobao, sporting a bright red mosquito bite, was so uncomfortable her voice was on the verge of tears.

Mountain mosquitoes were potent. One bite would swell into a large lump that wouldn't go down for days. Zhu Shi cupped her little face. It was noon, the time for drowsiness. Snoring echoed through the shelter. Seeing no one was paying attention, she had her little sister-in-law take out the green ointment and coaxed gently, "Eldest Sister-in-law will apply medicine for you. Be good. It won't itch after the medicine."

Zhao Xiaobao handed the bottle to her eldest sister-in-law, scratching her arm one moment, her thigh the next, so uncomfortable that tears gathered on her eyelashes. She didn't cry out loud, just felt miserable.

Zhu Shi removed the stopper, scooped out a large dollop, first applied it to her face, then to her arms and legs one by one, not even sparing her heels. "Tomorrow, I'll have your eldest brother go to the Ping'an Clinic in Qinghe Town to buy a few more bottles of this green herbal medicine. It really doesn't last. Can't even get through one summer." In the whole family, only the little sister was the most attractive to mosquitoes. Was it because a child's skin was tender or her blood too sweet? They really didn't bite anyone else, only her.

Especially in the Divine Land. Zhu Shi couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried. How could there be mosquitoes in the Divine Land? Could it be that this annoying creature really favored Xiaobao so much that even the Divine Land couldn't avoid them?

Really, she couldn't figure it out, couldn't figure it out.

After applying the ointment, she handed the palm-leaf fan to her little sister-in-law, got up to turn the grain once more. Away from the shelter, the sun beat down fiercely, hot waves hitting her face.

Just one round of turning, and she came back drenched in sweat. She didn't dare imagine how hard it was for those cutting rice in the fields.

She sighed, looking at Xiao Luo Bo dozing on his stool not far away. Da Luo Bo hadn't come to relieve his brother guarding the grain, and Widow Lü wasn't there either. It went without saying that the mother and son hadn't rested at noon either, still working in the fields under the blazing sun.

She couldn't help but say, "Xiao Luo Bo, come over to Auntie here."

Little Turnip was feeling a bit dizzy from the sun. Hearing this, he slowly got up and walked over. Auntie Zhu handed him a bamboo tube and touched his cheek—it was burning hot. "Silly boy, why are you sitting right in the sun? Move your chair back into the shade."

Little Turnip slowly took the bamboo tube. He stole a glance at his young aunt and saw her smiling at him. He licked his dry lips before finally drinking the water inside.

He had originally intended to take just one sip, but it tasted so good—sweet and ice-cold—that he couldn't help but gulp it all down.

"Drink up, Auntie has more." Seeing him clutching the empty bamboo tube, looking somewhat at a loss, Auntie Zhu felt a pang of pity. "Later, tell your mother to bring a bamboo mat. You can sit on it during the day, but can you really sit like this at night? If you're going to sleep here tonight, you can't go sleeping on the bare ground."

"Mother is tired," Little Turnip sniffled. He was always sniffling—with a runny nose in winter and a sweaty one in summer and fall—so his face was never clean all year round. "Brother is tired too."

"You're tired just sitting here. Why should a little kid like you have to tough it out?" Auntie Zhu took out a handkerchief and wiped his nose, not minding the dirt at all. "If you're sleepy, take a nap. Auntie will keep an eye on the grain for you, okay? Do you trust Auntie?"

Little Turnip nodded, then shook his head, then nodded again.

Auntie Zhu watched as he moved his stool but still kept nodding off, struggling to keep his eyes open. That final nod was probably him trusting her? She couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

During the midday and early afternoon hours, Old Man Zhao, his sons, and grandsons all rested at home. Once the sun lost its bite, they would head back to the fields to cut rice. Only because their family had many hands could they afford to rest like this. Most other households just took a short nap after lunch before continuing to work.

When Old Man Zhao carried the first load of grain over in the afternoon, he saw the threshing ground piled high with grain. Each family's plot was marked off with makeshift barriers—bamboo rakes, wooden sticks, stones—creating a chaotic yet clearly divided patchwork of horizontal and vertical lines at a glance.

Their spot was flat, but it wasn't particularly spacious. After all, the whole village needed to dry their grain. They could only dry the first day's harvest on the ground, then carry it back and spread it out on winnowing baskets to continue drying. So not only did the threshing ground need someone to watch over it, but their home couldn't be left unattended either.

They didn't rest again in the afternoon, only pausing briefly for the evening meal before working straight through until dark.

In the fields, torches illuminated the starry sky, accompanied by a chorus of frogs and insects.

The bundled rice straw stacks resembled people stretching out their arms, faint and indistinct in the darkness. The autumn heat made it possible to sleep anywhere. Many people simply wrapped themselves in their clothes and lay down right on the ridges between the fields to sleep.

Some women, feeling sorry for their men, took advantage of the torchlight and the cooler evening to cut rice stalks one after another. The dull yet pleasant sound of sickles scraping against stubble intertwined with the snores, creating a scene of warmth and toil.

Old Man Zhao also slept on a field ridge. When the evening breeze blew, it felt cool and refreshing—nothing could be more comfortable.

The five boys, having worked all day, were now sprawled out on the rice straw, fast asleep. Zhao Ertian went to sleep at the threshing ground, and Zhao Sandi went home to sleep. All three places needed someone to keep watch.

The threshing ground was also flickering with torchlight and filled with snores. Clearly, many people were worried about their grain, and the men had come here to guard it.

Originally, Zhao Sandi was supposed to keep watch tonight, and Zhao Xiaobao was to go home to sleep. But she wasn't willing. Huaihua, Xiaohua, and the others were all there. A bunch of kids together was so much fun, and she just couldn't bear to be parted from them. In the end, she stayed to sleep at the threshing ground.

On one bamboo mat, Zhao Xiaobao occupied more than half, while Zhao Sandi was practically sleeping on the ground. But he was quite happy about it. Surrounded by pitch darkness, his little sister kept stuffing pancakes and rice balls into his hands, and he dug in with relish.

"Third Brother, Xiaobao wants to come sleep at the threshing ground again tomorrow night," Zhao Xiaobao said, stuffing a handful of raspberries into Zhao Sandi's hand.

Zhao Sandi chuckled. "Your third brother also liked guarding the grain when he was little. It's easy work. You can run around and play crazily with Quan Zi, Yong Zi, and the others, and at night you can even sleep on the same mat. The camaraderie is really good." Children all love this kind of excitement. Except for these two days, if they gathered to play on ordinary days, the adults would scold them for not doing proper work. Only during these two days could they play with a clear conscience.

Besides your own brothers, there's no chance to sleep on the same mat with outsiders. Even if two families are on the best of terms, they might only share a meal during festivals—staying overnight is absolutely out of the question. Since home is just a few steps away, only someone itching for trouble would dare suggest staying over. Zhao Sandi understood his little sister's fondness for the threshing ground very well. Being able to stay with close girlfriends, not having to separate even after dark, and playing however they liked without getting scolded by adults—such opportunities were rare.

"Third Brother, work slowly tomorrow so Xiaobao can stay one more night," Zhao Sandi couldn't resist teasing. With six and a half *mu* of land, three strong laborers, two and a half semi-strong laborers, and three small laborers—to exaggerate a bit—if their eldest brother hadn't been injured and all the men in the family went to the fields, working from dawn till dusk, they could finish cutting it all in one day.

The men in their family could eat a lot, but they could also work incredibly hard.

Of course, saying he'd work slowly tomorrow was just to tease his little sister. Their family could finish tomorrow, but the grain could dry a bit longer. They also needed to go help Big Turnip's family cut their rice, so they would indeed need to guard for another night tomorrow.

"Sleep now. Third Brother will work slowly tomorrow to get Xiaobao one more night here."

"Mhm, mhm."