Clearly, the ease with which Xiao Changyi had gravely injured those twelve men had the folks of Jiuping Village terribly frightened.
And without the people of Jiuping Village constantly looking for trouble, An Jing and Xiao Changyi’s simple life became all the more comfortable.
That day, An Jing and Xiao Changyi finally cleared an acre of mountain land, but the ground, full of holes from uprooted grass and dug-up tree roots, was too hard to plant anything. It had to be tilled before anything could be sown.
After breakfast, Xiao Changyi shouldered the plow and, leading An Jing, arrived at the mountain acre, planning to till the land.
Without an ox, Xiao Changyi had to strap on the harness and pull the plow from the front, while An Jing steadied it from behind to keep it from tipping over.
As An Jing supported the plow from behind, watching Xiao Changyi struggle forward as if he himself were an ox pulling the plow, she felt very uncomfortable.
But considering that others without an ox had to rely on pulling the plow themselves, she held back any comments and tried her best not to look at Xiao Changyi’s back.
The soil was very hard. Initially, she tried pulling the plow from the front but couldn’t move it an inch, let alone turn the soil. If her considerable strength couldn’t move it, that explained why others were reluctant to clear this wasteland.
It was indeed too time-consuming, too laborious, and too difficult!
Xiao Changyi walked slowly at the front of the harness, and An Jing, following behind with the plow, walked just as slowly. However, Xiao Changyi was exerting a lot of effort while An Jing hardly broke a sweat.
When she saw Xiao Changyi drenched in sweat, An Jing finally spoke up, "Husband, let’s take a break."
"Hmm, okay," Xiao Changyi said as he stopped, removed the harness, and poured a bowl of water from the clay jar.
He brought the bowl to her lips.
An Jing didn’t mention that she wasn’t thirsty at all. As usual, she took a symbolic sip before shaking her head and saying, "You drink."
Only then did Xiao Changyi drain the remaining water in the bowl in one gulp. He walked over to the jar again, poured another bowl of water, and drank it with gusto. After finishing this bowl, Xiao Changyi put down the bowl and sat next to An Jing.
An Jing had already seated herself beside the plow. As soon as Xiao Changyi settled next to her, she naturally wrapped his arm around her and leaned on his body. After a moment, she looked up and asked, "Are you tired?"
Xiao Changyi shook his head.
"Liar," An Jing chided with a smile, raising her sleeve to wipe the sweat from Xiao Changyi’s forehead.
Once An Jing had wiped his forehead clean, Xiao Changyi leaned down and affectionately rubbed his own forehead against hers.
Tickled by the gesture, An Jing giggled, "If there were people around, you definitely wouldn’t do this."
Xiao Changyi actually nodded in agreement, "Hmm."
"Rub again," An Jing requested with a smile.
Xiao Changyi immediately bent his head down again, rubbing his forehead against An Jing’s, filling her heart with warmth and sweetness.
It was a repayment for her sacrifice for the country in her past life, to live again, and in this life, she was blessed to have met him, a man who loved her with all his heart and soul.
Most importantly, they were in love, deeply in love.
After only a short break, Xiao Changyi got up to pull the plow again, and An Jing continued to support it from behind.
The soil was turned over bit by bit.
By the end of the morning, only a third of the acre had been tilled.
During the busy farming season, in order to save time and work, farmers generally didn’t go home for lunch but ate in the fields instead. Some were brought meals by family members when it was time, while others brought their lunch with them when they left for farm work in the morning.