The Sweet Little Fulang

Chapter 121

Cutting wheat is no easy task, and threshing it is just as challenging. Every day, my face turns ashen, and the sweat only makes it dirtier and itchier, making me feel uncomfortable.

Using an old cow to pull the stone mill with a rope, Shen Xuanqing led the cow while Shen Yaoqing and Lu Gu used long forks to turn over the wheat until all the grains were completely separated.

After turning it over, Lu Gu straightened his back to rest. Although he was only turning it, his back hurt just as much as when he was cutting the wheat.

To shield his hair from the fly ash and cover his mouth and nose, he wrapped a cloth towel around his head and used a cloth to cover his mouth and nose.

With the beautiful, rain-free weather, it was the perfect time for threshing wheat. Despite the heat, nobody wished for rain, as wet wheat would lead to a poor harvest for half a year.

Both Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yaoqing slept in the field at night, keeping watch over the wheat during the day and night, even bringing their meals with them. Thankfully, they didn't have to sleep on the ground; they had a room to stay in.

"It's been a good year," Wei Lanxiang said, wiping sweat from her face as she leaned on a wooden fork. "I remember one year when I was a girl, it rained while we were harvesting wheat, and we had a poor harvest that year."

"We'll be fine this year," Shen Yaoqing added.

As they spoke, Shen Xuanqing continued to work the old cow, rolling the stone mill back and forth, raising dust once again.

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After several days of crushing and threshing, everyone was exhausted, but the work wasn't over yet. Instead of taking the milled wheat home, they spread it out in their own yard to dry. After removing the straw, the wheat was left to dry.

The 13 acres of land produced more grain than ever before. Wei Lanxiang's favorite activity was going to the new house, squatting in the wheat, and inspecting the hot wheat kernels. She would let them run through her fingers, feeling their warmth and inspecting their quality.

During the day, they spread out and pushed the wheat piles apart, while at night, they rolled them up and stored them under the main room to protect them from rain.

If they didn't put the wheat away at night, it could easily sprout in the rain and become hot, causing it to spoil. This required diligent work every day to ensure that only properly dried grains were stored.

Once completely dried, there were only two days left before Shen Yuping's wedding. Since it was new grain, some people came from the countryside to buy it, offering high prices. Grain prices fluctuated quickly, so Shen Xuanqing took the lead in selling enough for the family's needs, while the rest was stored.

Since they also had rice, they didn't need to keep all the wheat.

When the grains were stored, the shady low house was filled with new wheat, including several large sacks on the mud platform and seven tall urns on the ground. The urns were filled with wheat and sealed to ensure long-term storage.

Despite the expense of buying the urns and the modest profit from this year's harvest, nobody felt that it was a loss. Grain was the foundation of survival.

"Our place can be considered a granary," Shen Yaoqing said proudly, patting one of the cold urns.

Shen Xuanqing simply nodded, his eyes bright with hope. He had always heard about the wealthy families with full granaries, and now he felt a sense of pride knowing that his family was also securing its future with ample food reserves.

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On the auspicious day of the wedding, the village was alive with the sound of gongs and drums as they carried the sedan chair to Chenjiagou to welcome the bride. People from all three branches of the Shen family were busy with preparations, enjoying the festivities.

Wei Lanxiang brought Lu Gu to help out. When Zhou Xiangjun's relatives arrived, Lu Gu helped serve them noodles, as that was all he needed to do. Firewood was scarce, so he gathered wheat straw to smoke the hams.

Amidst the lively atmosphere, Lu Gu couldn't help but feel excited, especially as he watched the children playing and laughing outside.

As the welcoming party approached, Lu Gu eagerly joined the crowd to catch the copper coins. Despite only getting one penny, he was overjoyed until a mischievous child snatched it away.

With a smile, Lu Gu let the child keep the penny, unperturbed by the loss.

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The wedding banquet was a lively affair, with Shen Shunwang and Zhou Xiangjun sparing no expense to ensure everyone had a good time. Lu Gu enjoyed the meal, especially the spicy fried rabbit meat, which reminded him of meals shared with Shen Xuanqing.

After the meal, Lu Gu helped serve Ji Qiuyue, bringing her a bowl of meat and vegetables with a steaming bun on top.

As the festivities continued, Lu Gu couldn't help but feel grateful for the abundance of food and the joyous atmosphere. Eventually, the excitement of the day wore off, and Lu Gu, along with Shen Yan, retired for a well-deserved rest.