Dressed as a widow, raising cubs, farming and building infrastructure in Ming Dynasty

Chapter 5 Farming
Ma Ang squatted on the ground, looked at Old Man Li attentively, and frowned: "It's getting colder and colder. If we don't plant, we won't be able to catch up with the autumn planting this year."

Qin Liu had already finished washing the dishes and put them back into the room. She was obedient and immediately understood what Old Man Li was thinking.

She stood aside, waiting for Old Man Li to speak.

"Eldest nephew, how about you help me? Your sister-in-law can't do it alone now. We'll pay you for your work."

Ma Ang glanced at Qin Liu, thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, I have a mother, a younger brother and a younger sister, all of whom are capable.

I'll call them all and try to plant the land for you in the next few days. You can pay me the wages. How about that? "

Their Ma family only has two acres of thin land, and they have finished planting it long ago.Everyone in the family is idle, my mother and sister are weaving at home, and my brother is out chopping firewood or gathering wild vegetables.

If I can make some extra money, I can have enough food for the winter.

For their Ma family, this is a sure-profit deal.

Old Man Li pondered for a moment before his eyes lit up. He looked at Qin Liu and saw that she was smiling and seemed to be willing to pay. He patted his thigh and said, "Then we've settled."

Ma Ang did not hesitate, stood up and said, "I will go home and call my mother and the others over."

Qin Liu asked Old Man Li: "I haven't bought this wheat seed yet."

Old Man Li waved his hand: "Just wait until the Ma brothers come and let them help buy it.

Just be careful, be careful of their evil deeds.

Also, the rules here are that when you hire someone to work, you have to take care of a meal at noon.You remember to prepare it in advance, don’t make it thin, and don’t use white rice. "

Qin Liu nodded.I thought to myself: It is not easy for a poor person to live a life that requires careful attention and careful planning.

But who has it easy?From the emperor and nobles to the common people, they are all just trying to gain a good future in their own circles.

These words suddenly came out of his mind, startling Qin Liu.

She shook her head, the emperor and nobles had nothing to do with her, just be a decent commoner like yourself!

Qin Liu prepared money in advance, urinated for Erlang, and asked Dalang to take care of his younger brother and grandfather.

She herself quickly went to the town and bought a few kilograms of brown rice.

Old Man Li was right. She might not be able to afford to feed a bunch of people eating white rice now, so she had to be more prudent.

When Ma Ang led his family and brought farm tools over, Qin Liu had already stewed a large pot of brown rice and fried a large bowl of cabbage.

Qin Liu looked at Aunt Ma, who was in her 40s, Ma Yue, the second son of the Ma family, who was fifteen or sixteen years old, and Sister Feng, the girl of the Ma family who was fourteen or fifteen years old. He quickly greeted them to eat with a smile:

"Just as the meal is ready, let's have lunch first and then go to the field."

Ma Ang was a little embarrassed. He hadn't done any work for a long time. It didn't make sense to eat other people's food first.

Ma Ang touched his head and said, "Why don't my brother and I go to the fields to level them before we eat..."

Old Man Li felt very happy when he saw Ma Ang being honest and honest, and said, "Eldest nephew, I have to ask you to make a trip to help my eldest son's mother buy wheat seeds. She is a woman and can't even carry it."

Ma Ang breathed a sigh of relief and readily agreed: "Okay! Brother Yue, let's go together!"

Mountainous areas are usually far away, and it takes a long time to walk there and back. He was just being polite.

Qin Liu and the Ma brothers talked while walking: "There are five acres of land in total. I heard from the grain store owner that one acre of land requires thirty to 35 kilograms of seeds."

Ma Ang nodded and quickly gave a suggestion: "It's best to buy an acre of seeds first and bring them directly there later. Firstly, it won't be too conspicuous, and secondly, it won't save you from moving back and forth before the planting is finished. Thirdly, recently, the grain has been harvested every day One price, maybe it will be cheaper tomorrow.”

When he arrived at the corner of the grain store, Qin Liu took out a dime of silver and handed it to Ma Ang: "Brother Ma, please come forward."

Ma Ang did not accept the money, but instead asked Ma Yue to borrow a steelyard from the house of Boss Zhao, who sold groceries on the street.

He weighed the silver carefully and let Qin Liu see the crosshairs clearly before taking the silver and going to the grain store.

Qin Liu couldn't help but smile to himself, Ma Ang looked simple and honest, but he was a smart person who didn't suffer or take advantage of others.The Ma Ang brothers came back with the wheat seeds, weighed them on a scale, and returned the remaining money to Qin Liu.

"I bought a total of 35 kilograms of wheat seeds, and asked the boss to give me an extra kilogram. I found 75 coins, so you can order some."

Qin Liu nodded carefully in front of him and accepted the money.

Back at Li's house, the yard of Li's house has changed a lot and is much tidier.

Aunt Ma was instructing Sister Ma Feng to clean the yard and even mend the missing fence.

The mud around the well platform was actually tamped down by Aunt Li with a hammer.

When Dalang saw someone coming to his family, he happily followed Sister Feng as a follower.

During the meal, Qin Liu served everyone a large bowl of brown rice, which was a mixture of white rice and brown rice. There was a little more water, but it was the first time that she failed to control the amount of water when cooking such a meal.

Sister Ma Feng was young and was enjoying herself while eating. Her eyes were smiling like crescent moons: "It's been a long time since I've eaten such fragrant rice!"

Everyone is stunned.

Ma Ang lowered his head to eat, feeling uncomfortable in his heart.

It was because he was useless, offended the superior, and was left idle at home. Not only did he have an extra adult to eat at home, but he also couldn't find a suitable livelihood to solve the problem of food and clothing for the family.

The family only has two acres of thin land, which produces less than [-] kilograms of grain a year. It is impossible to feed a large family.

Qin Liu ate silently and swallowed with difficulty.

The ancient poems couldn't help but come to mind: "To persuade guests to comel hoof soup, frosty oranges are pressed against fragrant oranges. The wine and meat of the rich family smells bad, and there are frozen bones on the road. The prosperity and decline are so close, and the melancholy is difficult to describe again."

Others traveled back in time to ancient times, and they were all princes, generals, and ministers, and they had BMWs and fancy cars, but it was better for her to directly experience the life of a poor and lower-middle peasant!
However, she does like this kind of difficult life test.

After finishing the meal, Mrs. Ma quickly helped Qin Liu clean up the stove, and the group set off to the fields.

Aunt Ma sighed: "Your family suffered little damage from the Tatar war this time. The family next door to me even took away the cooking pots and the hoe they used to go to the fields."

Qin Liu was silent.

The reason why the Li family suffered little loss was that Da Lang fought with his life.

In order to survive on rations, production equipment, and a few sheep, the woman, who was a few years older than herself, fought with the fierce Tatar soldiers for the theory, and was finally beheaded in her own yard.

She took Liu Liu'er's identity, so it was hard to say this.

The poor have the courage to fight against the ferocious Mongolian soldiers for the dozens of kilograms of wheat seeds they depend on for survival. What kind of courage and spirit does this show?

The Li family's land is not close, about seven or eight miles away. There is a lot of weeds in the land, as well as a lot of rocks and tree roots.

The Ma brothers are good farmers. One of the two brothers pulled the plow in front and the other helped the plow in the back. They were busy until dark.

Aunt Ma and Sister Ma Feng were picking up rocks and throwing tree roots in the field.

"Don't waste these tree roots. Pick them up and dry them in the sun. They are good materials for burning the kang."

After the Ma brothers leveled a piece of land, Aunt Ma took Sister Ma Feng and Liu'er to scatter the seeds and cover them with soil.

Aunt Ma looked at Qin Liu, who was thin and delicate, and reminded her specifically: "You can't bury the seeds deep or shallow. If they are too deep, they won't be unearthed in the next year. If they are too shallow, they will be pecked by birds, and it will be all in vain."

Qin Liu accepted the instruction with an open mind and quickly got started.

By the time it got dark, more than three acres of land had been plowed and leveled. Thanks to the rain a few days ago, the ground was still moist, making it easy to plow.

Brother Ma Ang loaded up the farm tools and walked back to the town. Ma Ang said to Qin Liu: "According to this progress, we will be able to plant them all in two days. If it rains again in a few days, next year's harvest will be ready. "

(End of this chapter)