101 Crops and Grain
Su Binglan listened to the villagers and looked up at the sky. She did not notice it had not rained for several months.
The production of grain and crops were low in that era, and everyone relied on the weather to make a living. The people could produce more crops and grain whenever the weather was favorable.
The villagers would become more tired than usual whenever it was a drought season, and their crops would also dry up and die. They would rely on autumn to harvest grain for a year’s living.
It was not easy for the villagers to work from the start of spring until autumn. They would have to wait to harvest their grain. One could tell how essential grain was to the people of that era.
Su Binglan’s neighbor, Aunt Yang, also sighed. Su Binglan looked at the fields next to her. She saw how weak the crops were, and the ground was so dry that it began to reveal cracks.
The villagers were diligent and often went to a distant river to fetch water for their crops. However, their efforts were futile because it was a drought season, causing the water they poured onto the soil to dry instantly.
“How will we survive if it doesn’t rain?”
“Yeah, our crops are going to dry up and wilt. All our year’s work will be in vain.”
“We won’t have food next year if we can’t harvest our crops.”
“We might even starve to death.”
“We should go to town and work so we can buy food.”
“It’s not that simple. In the past, some went to work in town but could only earn a few copper coins, even though they worked hard.”
“Also, if they went to work for other families, the workers wouldn’t be able to go home. They might even die of exhaustion. Didn’t Su Wenzhe from the Su family end up like that?”
Everyone sighed as they complained. The villagers looked listless as they held their hoes and wooden buckets.
Su Binglan was in deep thought as she looked at the surrounding villagers.
Aunt Yang was returning from the fields when she saw Su Binglan. Then Aunt Yang asked, “Did you go and help at the fields, Binglan?”
She saw Su Binglan holding onto a basket and thought she had gone to the fields to help.
Su Binglan said smilingly, “I went to the back of the mountain to have a look.”
“Oh, no. Why did you go there again? It’s treacherous there. Wild animals are roaming around there, so please be careful,” Aunt Yang advised.
The villagers dared not go to the back of the mountain because of the wolves and wild animals. Instead, they worked at the foot of the mountain.
The villagers used to go to the back of the mountain in the past. However, some got attacked by wild animals, so they stopped going there.
There were also too many dangers in the back of the mountain, and if a villager accidentally fell while walking, they would not be able to return, nor would anyone find them.
Aunt Yang’s expression changed when Su Binglan mentioned the back of the mountain because Su Binglan almost died when she went there in the past.
Su Binglan replied, “Thank you, Aunt Yang. I will be careful.”
“I know you’re a good child, Binglan. I noticed you’ve been going to town to open a stall and sell things, but you should also watch your health.”
Aunt Yang was a warm-hearted person, and as Su Binglan’s neighbor, she often helped Su Binglan. Aunty Yang would also send food to Su Binglan whenever she had some.
Nonetheless, Su Binglan remembered Aunt Yang’s kindness.
“Why are the fields so dry, Aunt Yang?”
Aunt Yang sighed and said, “We would do fine if the weather were better. Still, we can’t help that there’s a drought.”
When Aunt Yang left, Shen Qiuhua and the others, following behind Su Binglan, asked, “Binglan, what are you doing?”
Previously, Su Binglan walked hastily on the way home from the back of the mountain. She said she would cook when she got home. However, when the others came out to check on her, they only saw her standing around.
They saw Su Binglan staring at the sky as she said, “Mother, will the villagers feel better when it rains?”
Shen Qiuhua replied, “Not only that, the rain will lift their spirits too.”
Liu Yinyin nodded and echoed, “Our family could hire people to look after our crops for us, but the villagers have to fetch water from a distant place every day to water their land constantly. However, the river is almost dried up.”