Chapter 4: Fields and Mountains

“Hey, that’s the right way to think. We aren’t eating their food, so why be afraid of them? If you’re unhappy, just throw hands. Knocking one down is one, knocking two down is a bonus.”

See, they are cut from the same cloth; the old lady was truly imposing.

“Right, Grandma is always right.”

Lunch was very simple. Perhaps it was her mood, but the old lady felt these dishes tasted much better than the ones she cooked herself.

Even the chive soup tasted sweet.

After the meal, Mei Xue took the initiative to wash the dishes, telling Grandma to go take a nap.

The old lady didn’t stand on ceremony with her granddaughter-in-law; she went back to her room and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Mei Xue finished the dishes, gave the pigs some water, and fed the chickens some vegetable leaves. She glanced at Grandma in the room and, seeing her sleeping soundly, returned to her own room.

She entered the space again and took out the money to count it once more. Not bad, over five hundred yuan. In this year of '85, Mei Xue didn’t know if this was enough to get by, but she knew it was definitely enough to buy rice and oil.

Her world also had an '85, but that was too far away for her—thousands of years in the past—so how could she know the details so clearly?

However, regarding safety, she knew it was as peaceful as it could get.

After drinking some more water from the space, Mei Xue felt refreshed from head to toe. She exited the space and fell asleep on the bed.

In the afternoon, around two o'clock—or so Mei Xue guessed, as she had no tool to check the time and deduced it from the sun tilting slightly to the west.

“Grandma, why are you up so early? The sun is still strong; why not rest a bit longer before heading to the fields?” Mei Xue scrambled off the bed.

“No more sleeping. We have to turn the soil this afternoon and plant some seeds, or we’ll run out of food before the next harvest.”

The old lady was a diligent one.

“Oh, I’ll listen to whatever Grandma says.” They went out, each drank some water, and then grabbed their tools and headed out the door.

“Xiao Xue, if you feel unwell, just say so. Don’t push yourself, you hear?” The old lady was used to this work and knew how taxing it could be; she was afraid Xiao Xue would be stubborn and suffer in silence.

“I won’t, Grandma, don’t worry. I helped out a lot with the farm work back home. Don’t let my thin frame fool you, I’m actually very strong.” Mei Xue promised again.

There was no helping it; the original owner’s body was truly weak. If not for the spring water in the space, she wouldn’t dare to do this.

Of course, it wasn’t a big deal. If she felt tired or sleepy, she’d just drink the space water; the space water gave her energy.

Walking along the country path, Mei Xue once again admired the scenery of the fields.

It was truly refreshing and unpretentious.

“Grandma, is our field far from home?” Their house was in the village, and there were farmlands around the village, but the area was surrounded by mountains. There were many households in the village, and the surrounding fields weren't enough to feed everyone.

The old lady pointed ahead: “Not far, just up ahead. Our family’s fields are pretty good; they’re all together, one above the other, and right next to this little creek, so getting water is very convenient.”

As they walked, the old lady introduced her family’s fields to her granddaughter-in-law.

“Look, this mountain is also our vegetable plot, though it was originally cleared by me and Junqi. This mountain belongs to the grandfather of the family in the fourth group down below.”

That’s right, here, not only were the fields private, but the mountains were too. After the land reform, the fields had long since been divided among the farmers themselves.

The farmland here couldn't compare to the south, but fortunately, there were mountains. The annual yield from the mountains was small, but it was better than nothing.

“Oh, so we have a mountain too? Then Grandma, where is our mountain?” Because the original owner and her family weren't locals, they didn't have anything in their own village.

They had only leased some land from the village.

It wasn't much, just enough for the family to eat. Usually, the original owner’s father would go to town to do odd jobs to earn living expenses.

“Our mountain is a bit far. Anze and I have two mountains. His parents passed away early, so he didn't inherit any land.” Speaking of this, the old lady’s expression was calm; it was impossible to tell if she was sad.

Mei Xue realized she might have said the wrong thing, but seeing that Grandma didn't seem bothered, she didn't press the issue.

“Two mountains is quite a lot! Grandma, let’s go, take me to see our fields and mountains.” Mei Xue immediately called out happily.

“Alright, Grandma will take you. But since you two are married, I’ll go to the village head in a few days to help you transfer your household registration. Then you’ll have fields and mountains too, though not many.”

Seeing Xiao Xue so happy, the old lady laughed as well.

“Ah? I get some too?” Mei Xue was excited.

Seeing Xiao Xue’s silly look, the old lady laughed heartily: “Haha, of course you do. You’re a member of my He Family Village now, so of course you do.”

If they weren't married, that would be one thing, but they had already gotten their certificate.

“This is great, this is great! Grandma, why don’t we go find the village head tonight?” Having her own fields and mountains, Mei Xue was thrilled.

You couldn't blame her for being excited; in her world, let alone fields and mountains, even a small vegetable patch was a luxury for the nobility.

“No rush, no rush. There are still three days until the market day. We’ll go tell the village head the day before the market; he can take your registration to get it processed then. The village head doesn't go to town unless it’s market day.”

“Alright then.” Mei Xue felt a tinge of disappointment.

Seeing her lively nature, the old lady shook her head helplessly; she really didn't know what to say about her.

However, this personality was good. Anze was just too silent; you couldn't get a word out of him even if you beat him with a stick. Xiao Xue was much better.

After walking for about ten minutes, they saw a large expanse of rice paddies. Whether by the creek or halfway up the mountain, it was all rice paddies, and it was clear they had all been cleared by hand.

“Look, past that little creek, the four plots of land above are all ours.” The old lady pointed to the fields at the very top.

Looking at the path, it was at least another ten minutes to get up there, and Mei Xue felt a pang of sympathy for Grandma.

“Grandma, that’s so far. You must be exhausted walking back and forth every day. Once I learn how, let me do these things. You can just stay home, cook, and wash clothes.”

Mei Xue truly felt for the old lady.

The old lady was amused by Mei Xue: “You’re throwing my words back at me, trying to tease me.” The old lady gave Xiao Xue a playful slap on the back.

Regardless of why she said it, she felt good hearing it. Anze had said the same thing when he was a child, and later, he had done exactly that.

But a grown man couldn't just rely on the fields to make a living at home; otherwise, no good woman would ever look at him.

So, after he turned eighteen, the old lady had ‘kicked’ him out of the house to let him make his own way.

After a few years, he had made a name for himself and was able to marry a wife.

Mei Xue was stunned by the slap. “Grandma, you’re really strong.”

The grandmother and granddaughter-in-law walked toward their fields, laughing.

Remember to bookmark and vote!

Thank you!

(End of chapter)