Chapter 174: Chapter 97: Reclaiming Wasteland

Juhua was secretly pleased when she heard what Qingmu said. ’Having someone like Mr. Zhou in Qingnan Village is a true blessing, isn’t it?’

This year, Mr. Zhou stopped having Juhua’s family deliver his meals and started eating at the village head’s house instead. It was mainly because their homes were quite far apart. Besides, the Zheng family wasn’t so poor anymore, and Qingmu no longer needed to save on the tuition fee, so Mr. Zhou didn’t want to trouble them.

Mrs. Yang thought about how she wasn’t selling pig offal anymore, meaning their family’s meals wouldn’t be as good as before. Worried she might be slighting Mr. Zhou, she readily agreed to the new arrangement. However, she still often sent some tasty treats his way. She wasn’t the only one; the entire village of Qingnan did the same. Whenever anyone had something delicious, they would send a portion to the teacher. As a result, the old teacher lived a very comfortable life in Qingnan Village and felt that the country folk were truly simple and sincere.

The Zheng father and son had originally thought they wouldn’t be able to hire anyone, but to their surprise, everyone they asked was willing to come. On one hand, they wanted to show their gratitude to the Zheng family and lend a hand. On the other, they could also earn some pocket money.

During the first month of the lunar year, people were idle at home anyway. Helping the Zheng family clear the wasteland, everyone could gather to chat and liven things up. The work wasn’t far, just at their doorstep. It didn’t feel like hard labor to them; rather, it was more like getting together for a lively gathering.

So, everyone said there was no need to wait until after the fifteenth of the month. The weather had been good for the past few days, so why not start now? Spring had already begun, and after the fifteenth, everyone would be busy with their own affairs.

Qingmu was overjoyed. With the schoolhouse not yet in session, he could still help his family for a few more days. Zheng Changhe also figured that since the weather was still cold, turning over the soil would likely freeze a whole host of bugs nestled within it. And wasn’t that a good thing?

After the father and son discussed it, on the twelfth day of the first lunar month, they invited a dozen or so people. They carried hoes, shovels, rakes, and other tools, along with baskets on shoulder poles. Li Gengdi and Old Cheng also brought their oxen. The group of them set to work with great gusto on the patch of wasteland at the foot of Little Qing Mountain.

Li Gengdi and Old Cheng drove the oxen to plow the land. The rest of the people split into several groups. Some cleared the rockier areas, picking up stones and carrying them away. Others took sickles to the thorns and shrubs, dragging them to the edge of the field to serve as a natural fence for the plot. Still others followed behind the oxen, using rakes to break up any stubborn, hard-packed earth the plow couldn’t turn. As the plowed area expanded, a group was assigned to clear the debris from the turned soil, things like rocks and grassroots.

The villagers shed their thick, padded winter jackets, revealing the patched old clothes they wore underneath. They laughed and chatted loudly as they worked.

Zhao San saw Qingmu and Zhang Huai shoveling broken stones into a basket and laughed as he dug. “You two have been studying for half a year, but you haven’t lost your touch with manual labor. You’re still as quick as ever!”

Without looking up, Zhang Huai replied, “You still have to eat even if you study. Are we supposed to just stop working? Food doesn’t grow from books.”

Big Mouth Zhao laughed. “If you become a Scholar, you won’t have to farm anymore! Huai Zi, you should put in some extra effort. Who knows, you might really pass the exam. When that happens, it’ll bring honor to all of us. After all, we’d be from the same village as a Scholar, right?”

Zhang Huai looked up at the simple-minded man. He wanted to say something, but it didn’t feel right, so he just said, “I don’t have that kind of talent!”

Li Changxing said with envy, “Even if you don’t become a Scholar, just being literate is a good thing. My family needs the extra hand, or else I’d go study for a few days myself.”

Li Gengdi raised his voice and laughed. “That’s for sure. If you have the chance to study, you really should. There’s an old saying: ’Three generations without study will raise a litter of pigs.’ Someone who’s educated is just different! Look at Huai Zi and Qingmu. They’ve both matured a lot since last year.”

Hearing this, Huang Dagunzi stopped his rake and asked in astonishment, “If you put it that way… my family hasn’t had anyone study for many generations. Does that mean we’ve all turned into pigs?”

A wave of laughter instantly swept across the field.

After he finished chuckling, Zhao San consoled Huang Dagunzi, “Isn’t your Xiao Si in school now? Once he’s literate, he can come home and teach you, can’t he? In the future, he can even teach his own sons. My Shi Tou teaches me two new characters every day. Don’t laugh, but whenever I see those squiggly characters, my head starts spinning and my heart flutters. That boy is so strict! He won’t let me off the hook until I’ve learned them. The father is no match for the son! It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even dare to scold him lately.”

Everyone roared with laughter again.

Li Changxing stifled a laugh and said, “Third Uncle, is that all you’ve got? No matter how capable Shi Tou gets, he’s still your son, isn’t he?”

Zhao San said with a hint of lingering fear, “I used to think so, too. But now when that boy talks, he speaks in these fancy phrases, always going on about ’The Master says this’ and ’The Master says that.’ I’m just left dumbfounded. I don’t understand it, but I’m too embarrassed to ask him. How am I supposed to scold him like that?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep