Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 20 Which is more important?
Seeing that the Second Young Master had just returned and ran out again, Ah Shuo crossed his arms and questioned Ah Hui: "How did you know that the eldest lady went there by ox cart? You didn't secretly follow the eldest lady, did you?"

Ah Hui said nothing, pointed at his eyes and then at his ears.

Ah Shuo was confused: "Tsk, you have a big mouth but you can't just say it!"

But he soon understood what Ah Hui meant.

Ah Shuo was doing odd jobs at the time. Madam Ji found him and asked, "Where's my brother? Didn't you say he's back?"

Ah Shuo lowered his head and replied, "The Second Young Master just left in his carriage for Lude County."

Shentu Ji frowned and snorted, "It's Lude County again. Why are all these people running to the countryside? Do we need the landlord to come in person to collect the rent?"

Ah Shuo didn't dare to answer.

When he didn't see anyone, Shentu Ji was furious and complained to the maid holding the food box beside him: "This widowed bride doesn't stay at home properly, but shows up everywhere. I think she is a slut! She doesn't even take a carriage when she goes out, but insists on taking the tenant farmer's ox cart. If outsiders see her, they will think we are mistreating her. She has brought shame to the Shentu family!"

"Yes, she's still in mourning, and she's already thinking about the land." The maid Yuzhu echoed, "The Second Young Master is very proud, so he won't let her embarrass herself again."

"That bitch is always making trouble. I have to trouble my brother to go and pick her up personally." Shentu Ji touched the food box. "What a pity that I made these pastries myself. I was thinking of asking my brother to take them to Master Chi for me... Tsk, it's all in vain now. I'll just feed them to the pigs."

Ah Shuo was sweeping the floor with his ears perked up, vaguely realizing that during the days when the eldest lady was away, there seemed to be a lot of people in the mansion gossiping about her, and he didn't know where the rumors came from.

Alas, I’m afraid the life after the lady comes back will not be easy.
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At the same time, Tan Huaike, wearing a farmer's coarse cloth clothes, was fermenting manure by the field.

She mixed the remaining stalks of millet and sorghum after harvesting, human and animal feces and urine, weeds turned up from the soil, and sludge from the ditches in different proportions, piled some here and some there, and built up mountains of fertilizer that had been fermenting for several days.

At first, the stench was so intense and hot that even the tenant farmers passing by were unable to open their eyes and felt nauseous. Pei'er had originally been working with her, but after she fainted from the fumes, Tan Huaike told her to go back to the house and rest, and just help Mrs. Zhong with the housework.

Tan Huaike went to look after the fertilizer piles himself from time to time. If he couldn't stand it anymore, he would plug his nose with rags and cover his eyes with gauze. Even so, he was often tormented to the point of tears and vomited out several meals.

After that, the smell gradually became less and the heat was not so strong. Today, it is time to apply fertilizer.

When Shentu Zhuo arrived at Hongsha Village, he would never have recognized that the village woman wearing a bamboo hat in the field was Tan Huaike if Madam Zhong had not pointed her out to him from afar.

He didn't care about anything else at that moment and strode to the edge of the field to find her.

Tan Huaike scooped up a ladle of fertilizer with a long-handled ladle, but before he could spread it out, his arm was suddenly grabbed!
She was startled: "Shen Tu Zhuo? What are you doing!"

Shen Tuzhuo pulled her: "Come with me, I have something to tell you!"

"Wait, I'm spreading fertilizer." Tan Huaike tried to break away from him. "Let's talk later if you have anything to say. If you interrupt now, I won't be able to remember the order!"

"It's very important, please follow me first!" Shen Tu Zhuo's mind was confused and his temper was rising.

"Then wait until I finish spreading this little patch and make a mark..."

"Drop that dung scoop!"

"Hey, hey, stop pulling, I can't stand still! Don't pull me, Shen Tu Zhuo, let go!"

"Tan Huai...ah!" On the narrow ridge of the field, the two lost their balance at the same time. In order to avoid the swinging long-handled dung scoop, Shen Tu Zhuo slipped and fell into the fertilizer pile at the edge of the field.

"Uncle, you... pfft..." Tan Huaike managed to steady himself, and when he turned around and saw Shen Tu Zhuo dripping wet, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Hahahaha, I told you not to drag me down, now you're in trouble, hahaha!"

"Tan Huaike!" Shen Tu Zhuo was furious. "Can't you tell which is more important, my brother or this pile of manure?"

"Do you want to listen to what you're saying?" Tan Huaike laughed so hard that his stomach hurt, but he quickly realized what he had said and said seriously, "You, brother? What did you find out?"

"You want me to say that?!" Shentu Zhuo pretended to hit her with a dung ball.

"Don't smash it, don't smash it, I still need it!" Tan Huaike begged for mercy and quickly pulled him up with a long-handled ladle. "Don't worry, well, go back and take a shower and change clothes first..."

Shentu Zhuo felt dizzy from the fumes he had smoked, and walked away with feces stains everywhere.
-
In the Shentu family's house, Uncle Zhong and Mrs. Zhong quickly prepared hot water.

Pei'er was sweeping the west wing and courtyard, and was startled when she saw him: "Second Young Master, how did you become like this?" Shen Tuzhuo said unhappily: "Ask your eldest wife!"

After taking off the dirty clothes covered with fertilizer, Shentu Zhuo couldn't bear it any longer. He jumped into the bucket and wiped his body vigorously with a towel. It was sticky and smelly. He was really fed up!

I can't keep this dress anymore! Throw it away!
However, after this incident, his anxiety subsided and his mind became clearer.

Now that things have come to this, there is no use getting anxious.

Even if he found these clues, he couldn't verify anything immediately, so he still had to take a long-term view...

Uncle Zhong knocked on the door and brought him clothes.

He had come in such a hurry that he hadn't had time to bring a change of clothes from home. Uncle Zhong, unaware of this, had brought him dirty clothes from the carriage he had worn on his business trip to Dunhuang. Although he disliked them, he put them on for the time being.

When Shentu Zhuo returned to the ridge of the field, Tan Huaike was still spreading fertilizer.

This time he didn't disturb her, but watched from the side.

Tan Huaike knew he was coming, but he didn't stop.

Shentu Zhuo saw her continue to spread the fertilizer piles in different areas of the fields, and she drew a picture to record what fertilizer was used in each small area of ​​the field.

She was very methodical and patient in her work, which amazed the tenant farmers.

When Shentu Zhuo heard their discussion, he said that he had never seen such a hands-on master who dared to think and act. There were some tasks that even experienced farmers like them could not do.

He saw a child circling around Tan Huaike and heard Tan Huaike calling him Xiao Jizi.

Little Jizi asked curiously, "Madam, why do you ferment so much manure and divide the fields into so many small plots?"

Tan Huaike replied, "Because I don't know which fertilizer is best, I'm going to try them all out on this plot of land. I'm going to grow chives on this plot, and I'm going to use a different fertilizer on each plot. When the chives grow best, I'll use that fertilizer on that plot going forward."

"Then why don't you fertilize this area?"

"You always have to leave a piece without any fertilizer for comparison."

"Madam, you are so smart. My father and mother have never thought of doing this."

"It's not that they haven't thought about it, but they're afraid of being criticized by the owner, so they don't dare to do it." Tan Huaike said, "These compost piles are what your grandparents taught me how to make."

"Wow, my grandparents are so awesome!" Little Jizi admired sincerely.

"Next year when you plant millet and sorghum, you can try using fertilizers like this. If the harvest is good, we can all have enough to eat. If the harvest is poor, I can lower the rent for you. How about that?"

"Okay, okay, ma'am, please teach me. This is so fun!"

By the time the manure pile was spread, it was already dusk.

Only then did Shentu Zhuo realize that he had been wandering on the ridge of the field for so long and had helped to spread several piles of fertilizer.

This was something he had never looked down upon and had never done, but he did not find it boring at all. Instead, he felt his worries settle like ashes, and he felt calmer.

Tan Huaike's hair and cheeks were dyed a light red by the setting sun, burning into Shentu Zhuo's eyes.

It turned out that she was so lively, completely different from the widowed bride trapped in the mansion.

He waited for her to come towards him.

"Can we talk now?"

"Let's go eat first." Tan Huaike said with a smile, "Aren't you hungry?"
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　Next chapter: A small apology.

　　Thanks to all the monthly votes and recommendations, and wish you all a happy new year (-人-)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)