Chapter 79 – Delight
After the meal was over and Li Hua had washed the pots and bowls and tied everything up, he saw Li Mo sharpening a coulter in the courtyard as he was walking to the eastern hut. He stepped forward and asked, “Oldest brother, why aren’t you taking a nap?”
“Oldest brother isn’t tired.” Li Mo tested the sharpness of the coulter with his fingers as he said, “Once the farmland is plowed one more time this afternoon, it’ll be ready for us to plant some seeds after a few days. I want to grow some sweet potato and corn first. Fourth brother, what do you think?”
Sweet potato and corn were two vegetables that were relatively easier to grow. Moreover, these two plants didn’t require too much from the soil. It was a thoughtful plan. “It’s enough for oldest brother to decide. You know more about these things than me.”
“Alright then, go inside and rest for a bit. Studying every day is tiring too.” Li Mo slightly smiled. He sprinkled more water on the coulter and continued grinding it against the sharpening stone.
Li Hua felt a bit embarrassed by these words. If studying was considered tiring, then what about the daily manual labor that his brothers did? “Oldest brother, let me help you with sharpening the coulter.”
“No need. They only need a few strokes against the sharpening stone.” As Li Mo said this, he used his finger to test the sharpness of the coulter again. After swiping it against the sharpening stone a few more times, he put the coulter down.
Li Hua crouched down by his side. As he watched his oldest brother’s callused hands, he suddenly felt upset. “Oldest brother…”
Li Mo waited for him to finish speaking, but after not hearing anything for a while, he doubtfully asked, “Hmm?”
Li Hua suddenly smiled in delight. “We have a wife now.”
Li Mo’s hands paused, and a silly smile appeared on his face. Right, his younger brothers had all grown up, and they finally had a wife too. It wouldn’t be long before there would be children in their family. Their fathers and mother no longer had to worry about them in the afterlife.
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Li Yan and Li Shu didn’t have the habit of taking naps. Although they had returned to the eastern hut, it was only to figure out what to do about the door and the wall. Shortly after, they came out of the hut. Their family had only recently purchased two plots of farmland, and they had the same thoughts as their oldest brother. They wanted to clean up the fields and grow some food. If they could have a good harvest, then they wouldn’t need to worry about food at the end of the year.
After Li Mo packed up the tools, the three brothers headed out to work on the fields again.
Li Man was still hiding in her hut. It was only after she heard the sounds of movement from outside and knew that the brothers had gone out again to work that she gingerly opened her door and came out. When she entered the kitchen, she saw that the other bowls and chopsticks had already been washed. She scooped out some water to wash her own bowl.
After she finished washing up and fed the piglets and chicks, she thought of her new clothes. She had to wash them before she could wear them. And so, she took a wooden basin and went to the hand pump water well.
Actually, when Li Hua heard the sound of Li Man’s door opening, he walked to the window and secretly watched her. Seeing that her expression looked normal, he stopped worrying. He slightly smiled as he watched her expend a great deal of effort to pump out water. It was obvious that she had never done this type of manual labor. Her posture when pumping out water wasn’t correct. Although she was able to get some water to come out, it took her a strenuous amount of effort.
He finally couldn’t stop himself from going out to help her. He gently pushed Li Man to the side and said, “Let me do it.” His movements were skillful, and it only took him a few moments to get the water gurgling out and filling the wooden basin.
Li Man smiled as she said, “Thank you.” Just as she was about to put the clothes into the basin to wash, she thought of the undergarment halter top and clutched the clothes her chest instead. She said to him, “You can go back. I can do the rest myself.”
“En,” Li Hua agreed and returned to his room.
Li Man waited until he left before hurriedly washing her new clothes. Once she finished washing, she hung them up on the bamboo poles. The sunshine was pretty good today. It would probably only take half an afternoon for the clothes to dry.
It would be fine to leave other clothes hanging outside. It was only the undergarments… She should take them down before the men came back.