Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Who Will Do This Job?
Translator: 549690339
Qiao Xiaomai got down from the ox cart and took off her carry basket, which weighed dozens of pounds. Struggling, she spoke to Tong Sanlang, “Brother Tong San, thank you for today. You may head back now. The three of us will take our time walking home.”
It’s best to avoid any affiliation with Tong Sanlang in front of the villagers.
Tong Sanlang gave a nod, drove off his ox cart and departed. Qiao Xiaomai hoisted the basket on her back and said, “It’s sold, we’ll discuss when we get home.”
These words were enough to bring joy to both Qiao Changshun and Qiao Dami. They couldn’t delve into details in public and only waited until they arrived home. Before Xiaomai could even lower her basket, Dami could barely contain himself and asked, “Sister, did we really sell it?!”
“Xiaomai, you must be famished; I’ve made some food. Let’s eat first.” Qiao Changshun went into the kitchen to light the oil lamp.
“Right. Indeed, Sister. You should eat first. Father has made porridge and vegetable dough balls,” Qiao Dami also said.
“Here, have some cakes.” Qiao Xiaomai ruffled his little head and opened the basket. She took out a green bean cake wrapped in parchment paper.
Qiao Changshun’s vegetable dough balls were made of rough flour mixed with wild vegetables, then steamed on top of a sieve. They had a bitter taste and were hard to swallow. But he had made them for his children to nourish them.
The cakes were a much better option.
Qiao Dami let out an excited sound at the sight of the green bean cakes under the faint kitchen light. He pinched a piece off and offered it to Qiao Xiaomai. “Here, sister.”
“Give it to father.” Qiao Xiaomai nodded her head towards the kitchen.
Qiao Dami nodded and ran off into the kitchen with the cake.
Qiao Xiaomai followed suit with her piece of green bean cake.
Qiao Changshun was just about to ladle some sweet potato millet porridge into a bowl when he saw the cakes. Out of habit he said, “Why did you buy cakes? You should eat them.”
He had always been thrifty, but if something had been bought, he wouldn’t make a fuss.
Although he wouldn’t eat, he left everything for the two children.
Qiao Xiaomai knew of his nature and said, “Father, I sold the medicinal recipe for fifty taels. You won’t have to save so much as before. In the future, we will be able to afford white flour and rice.”
Qiao Xiaomai.
Qiao Dami.
The names symbolized the desire for a better life that Qiao Changshun and Zhuang Luhe held.
With the presence of Qiao Xiaomai, who had traveled through time, this aspiration had now turned into a reality in minutes.
However, upon hearing the words “fifty taels,” Qiao Changshun froze with his scooping ladle.
It was as if Qiao Xiaomai hadn’t noticed his surprise and continued, “We can buy back the farmland that was sold and use the remaining money as capital to start a small business.”
Farmland.
The word seemed to bring Qiao Changshun back to his senses. He quickly ladled the porridge into the bowls on the small wooden table, along with a few steamed vegetable dough balls, before sitting down. “Are we buying back all the farmland we sold?”
Under the “Daqi Law”, women were not entitled to farmland while each grown man was entitled to one hundred acres of land. However, Bailu Town had a large population and limited farmland, thus each person was actually allocated only thirty acres.
Previously, to treat Qiao Changshun’s leg injury, all their land had been sold.
“Buy so much? Who’s going to farm it?” Qiao Xiaomai put the green bean cake she was eating on the table and sat down with Qiao Dami.
One acre is approximately 600 square meters. If all the fields were bought back, it would be a lot of hard work.
Sowing, fertilizing, weeding, watering, and harvesting. Every single task required hard work. Unlike in the future, there were no convenient farming tools; everything had to be done manually.
Who could handle such laborious tasks single-handedly, with this large a piece of land? Especially since Qiao Changshun was disabled, she herself had no experience in farming, and Qiao Dami was just seven years old.
Who would do the work?