A Young Woman's Heart

"What a fat rabbit!" Yang Yankai exclaimed in surprise. "It must taste delicious."

"Yang Yankai, what are you thinking? This is a pet."

"Haha, I was just kidding, but black rabbits are really rare."

Have you ever caught a rabbit?

“Yes,” Yang Yan nodded, vividly describing how he catches rabbits. “These little creatures are very fast. We used to have hunting rifles and dogs to catch them, but now that life is more prosperous, we don’t waste a whole day catching just one or two rabbits anymore. We usually set a trap. There are several kinds of traps: digging holes, setting snares, and using rings. They’re easiest to catch in winter. We put some grains outside the rabbit hole to lure it, and then have a few dogs guard it. As soon as the rabbit comes out, the dogs pounce on it like 'whoosh'…”

"That sounds quite interesting," Mo Zhuyou asked with interest. "How about the rabbit meat? Is it tasty?"

"The best-tasting rabbits are farmed. Real wild rabbit meat is actually not very tasty. It's tough when roasted and gets stuck in your teeth. It's only good to eat when there's no other meat. We usually make soup with wild rabbit. It's really delicious. We just put some dried mushroom pieces, some yam and potatoes in it, add a small piece of lard, and finally sprinkle some chopped green onions on top. You can eat two big bowls of rice with that!"

"The way it's cooked seems quite simple."

“Yes, but wild game tastes best when cooked simply.” Yang Yan clicked his tongue and switched the hoe to the other shoulder. “Ah, come to my house next time. I’ll cook you some real country delicacies when we get there.”

"You can cook?"

"I know a little," Yang Yankai said modestly. In this respect, he seemed to be somewhat similar to Mr. Xue.

The four of them left the courtyard and walked a short distance inside, chatting and laughing. It wasn't far, only about two hundred meters, and they arrived at their destination in just a few steps.

"This is it, Yang Yankai, Xiaoxue, take a look, should we plant it on that hillside or down here?"

“There’s more sunlight on the other side of the hill, and this hillside is quite flat—” Yang Yankai threw the hoe up, and then quickly climbed up the hillside. He stomped his feet on the ground, squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, and smelled it.

Does it taste like anything?

"Haha, it smells like fertile soil. Hmm, this must be where some small animals put their droppings." Yang Yankai's eyes suddenly lit up as he pointed to the side of the hillside next to the mountain. "There are some dried-up droppings over there... Let me see, they should be fox droppings."

"There aren't any large animals, right? Or wolves or something..."

“No, there aren’t any. Hmm—there aren’t any wild boars either. It seems they don’t like this place.” Yang Yankai walked around the area. “This hillside is quite nice, but it can’t be fully cultivated. Only half of it can be cultivated to prevent soil erosion and landslides.”

"Huh? Is it that dangerous?"

"Generally speaking, it's fine, but it's always good to be prepared. Or you could stay at the foot of the mountain, a little further away from the mountainside, but there are more obstructions there. Can we cut down those trees? If not, it might be inconvenient for farming because there won't be enough sunlight."

“If we want to farm on the hillside, we’ll have to build a road uphill.” Mr. Xue patted the seemingly solid soil with his shovel.

"Okay, let's clear the weeds today, and then build a slope. It would be best to also fence it off. This way, we can keep out large animals and prevent them from falling down. It's about three or four meters from here to the bottom."

Standing on the high ground, Yang Yankai looked down and estimated that it was actually about the height of two stories.

Don't be fooled by how easily Yang Yan drove up there.

It was quite a struggle for Mo Zhuyou and Mo Xiaoxiao to climb up.

Although there are some relatively flat footholds, it is not easy to gain a firm foothold.

When they came up, their hands and shoes were covered in mud.

"It would be best to make two more scarecrows. With such a small plot of land, two are enough, one in the middle and one on the other side..."

"I don't know how to make a scarecrow."

"Just one is enough, uh, but I probably can't finish it today."

“I’ll do it, I know how to do it.” Mr. Xue smiled and winked. “Then you guys work up here, and I’ll build a ramp down here to make it easier to walk.”

"Thank you for your hard work, Xiaoxue." Mo Xiao smiled and handed him a plastic water bottle filled with cooled boiled water. "Here's some water for you. There's more on top if you need more."

"it is good."

……

(three)

“Although using a sickle to remove weeds is fast, it can’t cut the weeds off at the root, and they will easily grow back. So it’s best to pull them out.” Yang Yankai said, squatting down and grabbing the roots of the weeds with both hands, pulling them up sharply. “For small plots of farmland, you can pull them out by hand. For large plots of farmland, we usually use machines or hire oxen to plow the land after weeding.”

"Let me try—uh—uh—mmm—" Mo Zhuyou gripped the roots of the weed tightly with both hands, her little face turning red, before she finally pulled it out and fell to the ground with a thud, losing her balance.

"This is so hard..."

“Well, you could use a hoe to turn the soil, but I think that would be more tiring for you…” Yang Yan leaned against the hoe, “Why don’t you give it a try?”

"No, no, I can't lift that thing at all..."

"You can also use a small hoe to dig around the perimeter before pulling it out."

"This is the only way. Damn it, how come these weeds, which look so fragile, have such strong roots?"

"These are spring weeds, at their most resilient time of year." Yang Yan laughed, patting his pocket, then his facial muscles suddenly tightened. "Uh... do you mind if I smoke?"

"Huh? You smoke?"

"I only smoke when I'm working..."

"Doesn't your family care?"

"Uh, my dad gave me my first cigarette."

Mo Xiao smiled and blinked: "How could that be?"

"Farmers aren't that particular, and besides, cigarettes do have a bit of a stimulating effect... haha."

"It's okay, go ahead and smoke. It's so spacious, the smell will dissipate quickly."

"Okay, thank you." He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled a crumpled cigarette case from his pocket. The case had the words "Da Qianmen" written on it. He then lightly struck a match and deftly lit the cigarette.

"Yang Yankai, can I have one?" Mr. Xue below stood on tiptoe.

"Xiaoxue smokes too?"

"will not."

"Then what do you need cigarettes for..." Mo Zhuyou said with amusement.

"Just for fun."

"Want to try it? Be careful, it's addictive." Yang Yankai took another cigarette out of the pack.

"It's okay, I smoke white cigarettes."

"It's a waste of cigarettes, so you shouldn't smoke them..." So he put the cigarette back in his hand.

"Alas, what a pity." Mr. Xue sighed, but did not insist any further. A smile returned to his face, and he began to work diligently.

"Pfft, Xiaoxue really is..."

"Youyou, let's get to work."

"Alright—!"

……

Chapter 170 Weeding, Land Preparation, and Turning Soil

(One)

For days when farm work is required, the lack of sunshine might be a good thing.

At least the sun won't tan your back a shade darker than the rest of your body, and you won't be sweating buckets just by standing there.

"Heave-ho, heave-ho pulling radishes..." Although it was pulling weeds, the method was so similar that Mo Zhuyou couldn't help but sing this song.

After mastering the technique, pulling became slightly easier, but it wasn't much better.

Fortunately, there was Yang Yankai. His dark skin was proof of his skill. He wielded a hoe taller than the Mozhu Youren like a broom, and in no time, he had cleared the weed-infested land.

"Didn't you say you'd only open half the trees? You've cleared away the weeds over there too, haven't you?"

"That's for sure, otherwise weeds would easily grow into the field. Hmm, the other half can be used to build a small wooden house, or to make something simpler, a box, covered with a thatched roof, which can keep out the wind and rain. You can store seeds, farm tools, fertilizers and the like there."

"That's great, that way we won't have to carry such heavy things around." Mo Zhuyou raised both hands in agreement.

"Alright, hey..." Yang Yankai wiped the sweat from his face onto the ground and used a hoe to gather the weeds around him. "Now pile these weeds together and set them on fire."

"Won't it burn other things?"

"Hmm? No way." Yang Yan said, turning around and placing his hands on his knees. He looked down at Mr. Xue, who was digging the slope, and shouted, "Xiao Xue—can I use this shovel?"

"Okay." Mr. Xue gripped the shovel and threw it up, where Yang Yan caught it deftly.

"It seems that the girls at school chasing after the boys to beat them up are really letting them have their way..." Mo Zhuyou sighed.

"No, it's just that I'm stronger when doing farm work."

"What about Xiaoxue?" Mo Zhuyou pointed at Mr. Xue.

The latter blinked, playfully rolled up his sleeves, revealing his well-defined muscles, which were not noticeable under his clothes but were definitely there.

"Huh, I never would have guessed it normally..."

"I know a little bit about Sanda and Judo," Mr. Xue said with a modest smile. "So, what do you need a shovel for?"

"Dig a hole," Yang Yankai said briefly.

……

(two)

Although everyone was supposed to work together, Yang Yankai was actually doing a lot of the work.

He was very skilled with the shovel, and in a few strokes he dug a small hole, then shoveled it a few more times to make it a little deeper.

"Hmm... that should be enough. Next, everyone throw the weeds you pulled out into the pit." Every time he spoke, he would take the lead.

Mo Xiaoxiao quickly nodded and got to work with her younger sister.

Mr. Xue watched with great interest, leisurely drank a few sips of cool boiled water, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Mo Zhuyou glanced at him sideways, confirming that this guy wasn't always smiling because he was managing his expression, but rather that his mood was genuinely like that most of the time.

Otherwise, it would definitely be written all over their face.

"Okay, that's good enough." Yang Yan squatted down, scratched the weeds, looked around, found a few dry pine cones to use as kindling, and gathered some large leaves, simply assembling them into the shape of a conical hat, which he placed over the small pit. "Leave some gaps, otherwise the fire will go out. This cover is to prevent the ashes from flying around and igniting other things. Next, light the pine cones and throw them in."

"Great major, Yang Yankai. Are you planning to study agriculture in the future?"

"Haha, I do have such a plan. In my village, many young people no longer farm. I think I can learn some better agricultural knowledge and then go back home to contract everyone's land for centralized farming."

"What to plant? Wheat, rice, or something like that?"