Having placed the money pouch back onto her clothing, An Jing embraced Xiao Changyi and buried her face in the nape of his neck, asking, "Husband, how much does it cost to buy an ox?"
Xiao Changyi tightened his hold on An Jing once more before answering, "Four to five taels."
Four to five taels...
An Jing fell silent. The money they had was far from enough; she needed to think of a way to earn more.
Seeing that An Jing was silent, Xiao Changyi also remained quiet, leaving her to ponder her thoughts.
Of course, he knew what those thoughts were.
And he knew her determination.
So, he let her ponder.
The next day, Xiao Changyi and An Jing continued plowing the field. They had already plowed half an acre the day before, and with another day’s work, they would finish plowing the whole acre. An Jing followed behind, steadying the plow, truly wishing time could move faster to spare her some agony.
Watching her man toil like a beast in the fields, she felt really distressed.
When the sun set and the field was done, the first thing An Jing did was to peel back Xiao Changyi’s clothes to check the wound on his shoulder.
The injury had worsened, as expected, and An Jingxin ached for him, but she quickly attended to the wound, applying the crushed medicinal herbs.
The salve was made from herbs she had gathered in the mountains, with properties to stop bleeding and promote wound healing, the same she had applied the night before. She was truly grateful for the survival training the military had put her through; otherwise, she wouldn’t have recognized these herbs at all.
But she knew only a handful of herbs, perhaps just over a dozen.
After treating Xiao Changyi’s wound, An Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as he had put his clothes back on, An Jing wrapped her arms around Xiao Changyi’s waist, exclaiming with a delighted air, "We’ve finally finished plowing!" He wouldn’t have to work like an ox anymore.
"Hmm," acknowledging the deeper meaning in her words, Xiao Changyi responded softly and embraced her in return. It felt really good to be cared for by the person who delighted his heart.
Looking over the fully tilled acre, Xiao Changyi asked, "What do you want to plant on this plot?"
After some thought, An Jing answered, "Let’s plant peanuts, potatoes, and sweet potatoes – some of each. These three are easier to grow and yield more. As for the rest, let’s forget about them, since we don’t have enough land to plant them."
"Hmm," Xiao Changyi had no objections.
In the following days, An Jing and Xiao Changyi busied themselves planting peanuts, potatoes, and sweet potatoes on the acre of mountain land.
When the acre was fully planted, the people of Jiuping Village were immensely envious.
That acre was not rented; it belonged to An Jing and Xiao Changyi.
"They are really capable; in just half a month, they cleared an acre of land and got it all planted. If it was our family, we might not have accomplished that in a month, and we have so many more hands," someone standing at the foot of the mountain said with intense envy, looking up at the conspicuously tilled plot on the slope.
The only land cleared on the mountain belonged to An Jing and Xiao Changyi; it was indeed very conspicuous.
With envy came jealousy, and some sour comments followed, "They should look at who these people are! An Jing was one of the best workers in the village. It makes sense, infertile as she is, of course, she needs to be strong – that’s how the heavens show fairness. And that Xiao Changyi is even more impressive. More than a dozen men from our village couldn’t match him, his strength must be top-notch, which naturally means they clear the land quickly and plant fast as well."
As long as the people of Jiuping Village didn’t come looking for trouble with An Jing and Xiao Changyi again, they couldn’t care less about what was said behind their backs.