My 1995 Small Farm.

Those who know, know what the weather was like in 1998.

After dealing with the large fish in the reservoir, they ignored the growing crowd of onlookers.

Chen Ling had seen this kind of excitement many times before and didn't care.

Let the calves roam freely.

He went directly to Wang Laishun.

"Fifth Uncle, what are your plans regarding the wheat?"

"wheat?"

At this time, Wang Laishun was still happy about the increasing auspicious signs in Chenwangzhuang.

He was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then slapped his forehead.

"Oh dear! Look at my brain, I was so focused on the project that I forgot about this!"

"That's right, the wheat is all ripe and ready to be harvested!"

He gazed at the golden wheat fields in the distance, his brow furrowing: "But the dike repair project is in full swing right now. If we send everyone back to harvest the wheat, the project will be delayed..."

"A few days' delay in construction is better than the wheat rotting in the field."

Chen Ling pointed to the wheat field and the clouds in the sky: "Fifth Uncle, look at the sky."

The solar terms in the mountains are a step behind those in the plains, but the wheat ears in the fields have already shed their last trace of greenness and are turning a bright golden yellow under the increasingly scorching sun.

Looking around, the fields surrounding Chenwangzhuang resemble a huge velvet carpet with gold trim.

When the wind blows, the wheat fields ripple and rustle, creating the most moving symphony before the harvest.

However, there was a subtle sense of anxiety in this piece of music.

Chen Ling and Wang Laishun squinted at the horizon.

Several cotton-like clouds were slowly piling up from the southeast, their edges edged with bright white gold by the sunlight, looking fluffy and harmless.

But considering the situation this year, Chen Ling dared not be careless.

The weather in the mountains is naturally unpredictable.

The sky may be clear and blue in the morning, but by noon it may be overcast with dark clouds.

During the wheat harvest season, the most feared thing is this sudden rain.

If fully ripe wheat grains get rained on, they are very likely to sprout and mold on the ears, and a year's hard work may be wasted.

The older generation calls this "snatching food from the dragon's mouth," meaning it's like fighting against God for food, and there's no time to waste.

Chen Ling pointed to the sky and explained the unusual cloud formations and his concerns.

Wang Laishun, a native farmer, also figured out the trick after Chen Ling's explanation.

He squinted and stared for a long time, his expression turning serious: "It really is... these clouds are moving in an eerie way, signifying wealth and prosperity, you mean?"

"What I mean is that the project doesn't have to stop completely, but it can be adjusted."

Chen Ling had a clear idea: "Divide the workers into three shifts, and have them take turns going home to harvest wheat. One shift will harvest wheat while the other two shifts continue construction. This way, we can ensure the progress of the project without delaying the farming season."

He paused, then added, "Our village has its own agricultural machinery, so we can harvest quickly. The key is the people from other villages... the villagers from Taoshugou, Jinmen Village, and Majia'ao. They come here to work, but their wheat is waiting to be harvested at home. We need to let them go back and harvest first."

Wang Laishun nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense! You've thought of everything, Fugui! I'll make the arrangements right away!"

He was about to leave when Chen Ling stopped him again: "Fifth Uncle, wait, there's something else. Have Xian Ge's little sheep check out that harvester in our village. Oil it if it needs oiling, and adjust it if it needs adjusting."

In addition, we've spoken with the other villages; if they need help, our harvesters can come and assist, and we'll just charge them for fuel costs per acre.

"This……"

Wang Laishun hesitated: "Professor Zhao donated the harvester to our village. Is it appropriate to lend it to another village?"

Chen Ling smiled: "Fifth Uncle, Professor Zhao donated the agricultural machinery to help us improve production efficiency and reduce the burden on our fellow villagers."

Now we can use it ourselves, and other villages can use it too, which is a good thing.

Besides, charging a little for fuel is just to ensure the machine lasts a long time; Professor Zhao would only be happy to know that.

Wang Laishun thought about it and agreed, grinning, "Alright! We'll do it your way! I'll go and inform them right away!"

The news quickly spread throughout the construction site.

The workers were thrilled to hear that they could take turns going home to harvest wheat.

The villagers, especially those from neighboring villages, were extremely grateful.

These days, crops are the lifeblood of farmers, and the wheat harvest is a crucial time to "snatch food from the dragon's mouth," which cannot be delayed.

"Wealth, honor, benevolence, and righteousness!"

"I'm really worried about not having enough manpower for my five acres of wheat!"

"Now I can finally relax!"

Chen Ling waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet: "Fellow villagers, Uncle Wu will arrange the order in which we take turns going home."

Those who are going back should hurry up and come back to relieve the shift as soon as they finish collecting the goods.

Also, the weather might change, so please pay close attention while harvesting the wheat. If anything looks wrong, hurry up and harvest it!

"understand!"

The construction site immediately sprang into action.

Wang Laishun gathered the leaders from each village together and quickly arranged a shift schedule.

The villagers from Taoshugou and Jinmen Village were the first to return home, followed by the second group from Majia'ao and Niuduzhai, and the last group from Chenwangzhuang Village itself.

Because the village has agricultural machinery, the harvest is quick.

After making the arrangements, Chen Ling headed towards the village.

When passing the largest wheat field at the east end of the village, Chen Lie deliberately squatted down, picked up a few ears of wheat, rubbed them in his palm, and blew away the bran.

The wheat grains are plump and firm, with a beautiful amber color. When you bite into them, they are crunchy and the cross-section is uniformly waxy.

"It's about 95% cooked."

He estimated, "After two more sunny days, we can start harvesting."

But judging from the sky, two sunny days seem unlikely.

A considerable number of people had already gathered under the shade of the trees near the old stage.

Some were from school construction sites, and some were from villages.

The school workers were squatting on the ground with a few old men, scratching at something with tree branches, clearly having also heard about the wheat harvesting arrangements.

They are discussing the harvest.

When they saw Chen Ling coming over, everyone looked up and greeted him.

"Fugui, look at the sky..."

Chen Dazhi pointed to the southeast with a worried expression: "The old folks say, 'When the clouds go east, all is lost; when the clouds go west, wear a straw raincoat; when the clouds go south, the boat floats on the water; when the clouds go north, the wheat dries.'"

These clouds are coming from the southeast; it looks like there's going to be a lot of rain.

An old man with gray hair puffed on his pipe: "I think it's risky too. There have been a lot of strange things happening this year. I've never seen so many birds before. Even if our village has a lot of auspicious signs, we can't be careless."

"Yes, Fugui is right. We should harvest the wheat first, then work on the river embankment. We can take turns harvesting, since our village has combine harvesters."

"Let's wait for Li Xian's little scooter. Let him come and check it out. He runs a freight station and knows how to fix cars."

Actually, it didn't take long before the little sheep arrived.

Go directly to the courtyard of the village's brigade.

They lifted the tarpaulin covering the harvester and began their inspection. In this mountain village in the early 1990s, this thing was a rare sight.

In the entire Changle Township, only Chenwangzhuang has such a machine.

The machine wasn't very big, but it had a sophisticated structure, with a header in the front, a threshing device in the back, and a grain silo.

Painted bright red, it stands out prominently in the sunlight.

"Boming, how's the machine?" Chen Ling walked over and asked.

The little lamb, its hands covered in oil, crawled out from under the machine with a smile: "Uncle Fugui is here! The machine is working great! I just changed the oil and checked the blades, everything's fine! Just waiting to get to work!"

"Okay, get out of bed as soon as you can. I'll go prepare some watermelon and water for you..."

Chen Ling returned to the farm and told Wang Susu about the arrangements.

Wang Susu is helping Kang Kang and Lele try on their newly made little jackets.

It was made of soft, fine cotton fabric, and the cuffs were embroidered with tiny tiger heads. The two little ones didn't want to take it off once they put it on.

They pointed at each other and laughed.

Upon seeing Chen Ling, he called him "Dad" and tugged at his sleeve to show off.

Chen Ling picked them up and kissed them both.

He continued talking to Wang Susu.

"This arrangement is good..."

After listening, Wang Susu nodded and said, "Wheat harvest is a very important event. We are all farmers and cannot afford to delay it. Our family is not in a hurry. It's okay if it's half a day late."

Actually, it wasn't just Chen Ling's family.

Other villagers' homes also began to get busy.

It's not even noon yet.

Smoke was already billowing from the chimneys of every household's kitchen early in the morning, and the air was filled with the aroma of pancakes and boiled eggs.

The men inspected the sickles, whetstones, and straw ropes, while the women prepared the food and water to be delivered to the fields at noon.

The children ran around excitedly, knowing they didn't have to go to school today and would be going to the fields to "help out."

Cooking has started at the reservoir dam and the school construction site.

At Chen Ling's house, Wang Susu and Gao Xiulan prepared a large pot of mung bean soup, let it cool, and put it into a ceramic jar. They also baked dozens of scallion pancakes and boiled over a hundred eggs.

Rui Rui and Xiao Ming were sent to deliver a message to Liu Ni'er and the others, informing the children to gather at the threshing ground and follow instructions.

By this time, a large crowd had gathered at the threshing ground at the east end of the village.

Wang Laishun stood on a stone roller, holding a tin megaphone, giving his final pep talk: "...Listen up! Those whose wheat is ripe and who are able to work, stand on the east side!"
Those who can wait a day or two for the wheat, and those with help at home, stand on the west side!
The harvesters should be used by the people on the east side first!

It was harvested manually, with each group working together in the old production team system, helping each other out!
Anyone who tries to cheat or only cares about their own family will be punished by not paying their family's wages at the end of the year!
Fish from the reservoir, fruit from the mountains—anything involving the collective—no one gets a share of the profits…

The crowd burst into laughter, but quickly separated into two distinct groups.

Chen Ling didn't move forward. He stood under the old locust tree by the threshing ground with Li Lianjie and his assistant.

Li Lianjie was dressed in light sportswear today, leaning on a bamboo cane that Chen Ling had whittled for him, and looked to be in good spirits.

"Mr. Chen, this organizational efficiency is comparable to that of the military." Li Lianjie looked at the well-organized crowd and exclaimed in admiration.

"The weather's been a bit strange this year, the clouds are coming in weird ways, and if things get out of control, the losses will be huge," Chen Ling said, glancing off the field.

"Put-put-put..." The roar of a diesel engine grew louder as it approached.

Then, a little sheep drove up in a majestic manner, pulling up the red "Iron Ox" harvester.

The machine was well-maintained; the paint gleamed in the sunlight, and the harvesting platform at the back resembled a giant, open metal mouth.

Several teenagers excitedly ran after them.

"Boming! Over here!"

From the crowd on the east side, a young man waved his straw hat and shouted; that was Wang Jujie from the west end of the village.

Wang Laifu's eldest son, after his father died, only he and his brother and their old mother were left, and the dozen or so acres of wheat were the most urgent thing to grow.

The little lamb nodded and drove the harvester with a "rumble" towards Wang Jujie's wheat field.

The massive machine drove into the golden sea of ​​wheat. The harvesting platform lowered, and the sharp blades spun rapidly, neatly cutting, winding, and threshing rows of wheat stalks...

Golden wheat grains poured like a waterfall from the side outlet into the tractor bucket that followed closely behind, while the wheat stalks were crushed and evenly scattered across the field.

The efficiency is astonishingly high.

A wide passage has been visibly carved out of more than ten acres of wheat fields.

"Oh my God……"

Li Lianjie's assistant, holding a camera, stared in disbelief: "This...this short time is equivalent to dozens of people working a whole day, isn't it?"

"Pretty much." Chen Ling smiled: "Machines do the heavy work and the fast work, but for the corners and the ups and downs, we still have to rely on people."

Moreover, not everyone can afford this big vehicle; fuel costs and maintenance are expenses.

"Haven't you ever seen this kind of machine before?"

"No, I'm in Hong Kong Island, in a rural area, but a small fishing village."

Meanwhile, manual harvesting has also begun.

"Let's start the harvest!"

Someone shouted.

Hundreds of gleaming sickles were swung down in unison, making a crisp, clean "swish, swish, swish" sound.

The men bent down, grabbed a handful of wheat with their left hands, and with a swift stroke of their right sickles, lifted a heavy ear of wheat off the ground.

The movements were practiced and fluid, and soon a neat stack of wheat bundles lay flat behind them.

Women and the elderly followed behind, gathering the cut wheat and binding it into sturdy bundles using twisted straw.

The older children carried baskets and carefully picked up the fallen ears of wheat, bringing them back to the granary.

On the threshing ground, those whose harvesters hadn't yet arrived were already using flails to thresh some early-ripening wheat that had been harvested earlier, or busy cleaning the ground and preparing for drying.

Sweat quickly soaked people's clothes, but everyone's face was filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest and the drive to fight against nature.

Shouts, laughter, the roar of machines, the clatter of flails...

They intertwine to form a vibrant and energetic symphony of harvest.

Li Lianjie was completely engrossed in watching it.

He asked his assistant to take photos from different angles, while he slowly walked to the edge of the field and watched an old man bundling wheat.

The old man's fingers were thick, dark, and covered with calluses, but his movements were extremely nimble. With a few twists and turns, a sturdy wheat stalk stood upright in the field.

"Grandpa, your skills are truly superb," ​​Li Lianjie said sincerely.

The old man looked up, saw that it was Chen Ling's guest, and smiled honestly: "I've been doing this job all my life. You city folks have never seen anything like this before?"

"I've never seen such a vibrant scene before," Li Lianjie exclaimed. "This is all food, this is hope."

"Yes, that's what farmers are hoping for."

The old man wiped his sweat and pointed to the clouds that were beginning to gather on the horizon: "I'm just hoping that God will be kind to us and let us safely store this grain that's already in our mouths."

As if to confirm the old man's words, the southeast wind gradually picked up, making the wheat waves ripple more violently and bringing noticeable moisture.

Chen Ling's worries were not unfounded; it really was going to rain. (End of Chapter)