Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 2: Not Good at Speaking

Old Man Li was so tired that his back was broken, and he was in so much pain that he couldn't get up.

After working with sickles for two minutes, Aunt Li and Li Bing were also exhausted and covered in sweat.

The exhausting work of the past three days has not only failed to make the family accustomed to and immune to this kind of fatigue, but has actually made it even more unbearable.

Each time I bend over and forcefully cut wheat, I have to stand up and rest for a few minutes.

Aunt Li stood up and looked at the vast fields of wheat in front of her. This should have been a good thing, a bumper harvest, but all the other families in the neighborhood had already harvested seven or eight mu of wheat, while her family had only harvested less than four mu.

Even if it doesn't rain for the next ten days or so, my own family members are too tired to work.

Looking at Uncle Li lying in the field waiting to die, and thinking of her good-for-nothing son, Aunt Li said with a worried expression, "That wretched girl of yours, even at a time like this, she still doesn't know how to work. We'll just sell her to pay off the debt!"

For the sake of her son and her own future, Aunt Li had to sell one or two of her daughters, otherwise she would not be able to survive.

Upon hearing this, Li Bing, who was working hard, remained silent and continued working.

My back ached terribly, sweat poured down my face, and tears welled up in my eyes.

"Mom! Bingbing!"

Not long after, Aunt Li and Li Bing heard Li Hong's voice.

Li Hong carefully lifted her skirt, avoiding the remaining wheat stubble on the ground, and quickly walked to the front.

It wasn't that I was afraid of getting hurt, but that I was afraid of tearing my only piece of clothing.

"Mother! Let's go to the west to help with the wheat harvest!"

Aunt Li, who was already planning to sell Li Hong, was furious and yelled, "You ungrateful brat! You don't do any work in your own fields, but instead you're helping someone else? After the wheat harvest, I'll use you to pay off my debts!"

Li Hong had expected this, but when she actually heard her mother say that, she still couldn't help but want to cry.

"I don't need you to sell me! I'll sell myself!"

Aunt Li angrily raised her sickle, "Shameless wretch! I'll stab you to death with this sickle! Get back to work!"

Li Hong wanted to explain her plan, "I just..."

"Get to work!" Aunt Li shouted angrily. "You two are the only daughters left in the family. If you don't work, I might as well die!! My life is so miserable!"

Aunt Li sat down on the ground and started crying and shouting. She had the strength to cry, but not the strength to work.

Li Hong wanted to talk to Aunt Li about Beiji Wu several times. She suggested that if the three of them helped Beiji Wu bundle and pack up the wheat, he would have time to help her harvest the wheat.

But with Aunt Li throwing a tantrum and wailing, Li Hong really couldn't explain the situation clearly and had to get to work.

Parents to enrich people.

If her parents insisted on selling her, Li Hong knew very well that she had no say in her own life.

After finding a glimmer of hope but being tied to her parents and unable to reach that hope that could save everyone, Li Hong became somewhat despondent.

They worked for three or four hours straight, with the family of four taking turns using sickles to cut the wheat. They only had a short break when they were bundling it.

On the other side, Bei Jiwu, who had just finished harvesting 15 mu of wheat, was bundling it up by himself in the field.

He was quick at harvesting wheat and could also do tasks like sorting and packing wheat, but after waiting for two hours without seeing Li Hong, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

While I was continuing to work, I saw Old Zhang's family next door harvesting wheat.

"Old Zhang."

Arctic Martial shouted something to Old Zhang.

Old Zhang is also a villager from a nearby village, but his house is only a little over 100 meters away from Beijiwu's, and they don't usually see each other.

Old Zhang looked up at Beijiwu and then at the many fallen wheat stalks in Beijiwu's field.

"What are you doing?"

Old Zhang's family was also looking over here; there were Old Zhang's four sons, two daughters, and one daughter-in-law.

Married men and women usually farm on their own and don't work with their families.

Inspired by Li Hong, Bei Jiwu offered, "Have your son and daughter help me bundle the wheat here, and I'll help you harvest it. I still have twelve mu of land left to bundle. I'll help you harvest three mu of wheat, and you can have your son and daughter help me bundle ten mu of wheat."

Old Zhang looked at the large patch of fallen wheat next to Beijiwu. He had initially thought it had been blown down by the wind, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it had actually been harvested!
"Why didn't you collect it after you finished harvesting? The wheat will sprout if you do."

Beijiwu said directly, "Just tell me if you're going to switch or not. If not, I'll do it myself."

Beijiwu ignored him and continued to bury himself in bundling wheat.

For Arctic warriors with good physical fitness, cutting wheat and bundling wheat are the same job, and they can do both.

For people with poor physical condition, bundling wheat is more than twice as efficient as harvesting wheat, and one person can bundle wheat from three or four acres a day.

Old Zhang thought for a few seconds and quickly said, "Okay! You help me cut the wheat first!"

"Alright! Let your son and daughter help me with the work." Beijiwu walked to the side, picked up a sickle, and went over to cooperate.

Old Zhang looked at Beijiwu, who carried his own sickle, and tilted his head to give instructions to his fifteen or sixteen-year-old son and daughter.

"Fourth brother, go help him bundle the wheat."

A boy in his early teens stood up from the ground and walked towards the Arctic Martial Arts Center.

Beijiwu said directly, "Send more people, and don't try anything funny."

Old Zhang looked at the kid with great displeasure.

"You're being really mean. Who's been playing tricks on you?"

Beijiwu said, "I'll help you harvest half an acre of wheat first. Your son can start from where I bundled and put the wheat. If he can't manage an acre of wheat, I won't continue."

"Okay!" Old Zhang agreed to this reasonable request.

The two parties quickly agreed on the general area and then started working together.

Half an hour later, Beijiwu walked back to his wheat field.

"Old Zhang, your son hasn't even finished half an acre of land, let alone two! I asked you to send your daughter over too, but you refused. Fine, I'll do the work myself, and you can do the work yourself." Bei Jiwu angrily returned to his home and said to the boy who was dawdling over the work as if he was playing, "You don't need to do any work. Go back and help your father harvest the wheat."

Zhang Xiaosi stood up and looked towards his own house.

Old Zhang glanced at the empty plot of land that Beijiwu had finished harvesting and exclaimed in surprise, "How can you work so fast?"

Beijiwu ignored him and continued with his own work.

Old Zhang's daughter, Zhang Xiulan, said, "Dad, he works very fast. He never straightens his back while working in the fields!"

Old Zhang finally acknowledged Beijiwu's work ability; this kid was a real workhorse!
"Second son of the Arctic family, if you help me finish the work on these few acres of land, I'll marry my daughter to you!"

Beijiwu kept his head down and continued working. "You do your work. I'll take care of my own things first! Nobody knows when it'll rain!"

Old Zhang looked up at the gloomy sky, and without further ado, he quickly got to work.

The weather cleared up in the evening, and the sun came out.

After a long day, a group of people began to go home to rest, while some even slept on the edge of the field to guard the wheat.

Arctic Wu is that kind of person, preventing rural people from stealing their wheat.

This kind of unethical thing isn't always done by old women; sometimes even children, with a strong sense of family responsibility, will take someone else's wheat to their own home.

The Zhang family is the same. They didn't stay in the fields a couple of days ago because they hadn't harvested much wheat, but today they're moving in here with one of their sons.

Beijiwu wasn't that tired. While others were going home around six or seven in the evening, Beijiwu had already finished cultivating ten of his fifteen acres of land.

He works incredibly fast; one person is equivalent to six or seven male laborers.

Just as Beijiwu was about to finish the rest of his work in one go, he sensed someone approaching him.

Beijiwu looked up and around, and saw two girls walking behind him.

One was seventeen or eighteen, and the other was fourteen or fifteen. Both girls had smooth, oval faces with delicate and distinct features. Their faces could be both gentle and sharp, carrying a touch of mature heroism. They were the kind of girls who were aloof when quiet but approachable and friendly when they smiled.

"Brother Wu, have some water, I'll help you with the work."

Li Hong and her younger sister came over with water jugs. Even though they were exhausted today, they still seized the last opportunity to apologize and make amends.

Beijiwu said embarrassedly, "I've almost finished all the work here."

Li Hong then chimed in, "Then I'll help you with the laundry and cooking. This is my sister, Li Bing. Bingbing, quickly call him Brother Wu."

"Brother!" Li Bing looked at Bei Jiwu warmly and said with a smile, "Or I can call you brother-in-law."

Beijiwu had been alone for a year. His father had passed away long ago, his brother and sister-in-law didn't care about him, and he had nothing to say to the old women and children in the village.

Seeing the two beautiful sisters' passionate advances towards him, Beijiwu tried to calm himself down, lowered his head and continued working, refusing to look at the two beauties.

Seeing that Beijiwu continued working without saying a word, Li Hong walked over.

Li Bing also saw the fifteen mu of wheat that Beijiwu had harvested, as well as more than ten mu of wheat that were being bundled up one after another, and believed her sister's words.

"Brother Wu," Li Hong placed the steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and water jug ​​she had brought from home next to Bei Jiwu, "have some water."

Li Bing followed and stood on the other side of the bundled wheat straw in the Arctic Martial Arts School. He squatted down and picked up the dry, weed-like straw to wrap around the bundles for later use.

"Brother-in-law, I'll do the work, you take a rest."

Li Bing squatted on the ground, working hard, and together with his sister, they tried to win over this young man.

Beijiwu hurriedly said, "I can do it myself, you guys go home and rest."

Li Hong smiled and said, "Then I'll come to your house and cook for you. Your house is in the west of the village, not far from here, right?"

Beijiwu awkwardly said, "It's not appropriate for a young lady like you to come to my house to cook."

"What's inappropriate about that? We're all family," Li Hong said with a smile. "Where do you live?"

Beiji Wu was unwilling to talk and wanted to go back to work, but then he found Li Bing bundling wheat next to him.

Li Bing sensed Bei Jiwu's gaze, smiled brightly and generously, and said, "Brother-in-law."

Arctic Martial couldn't take it anymore. "Fine, just tell me what you want. How much money do you owe?"

Li Bing's expression turned sorrowful. "My mother plans to sell my sister to pay off debts, and she might sell me too. Our family owes the government ten taels of silver, and we have to pay back thirteen taels this year."

Arctic Martial is rich, but he doesn't want to reveal it; it's money from a family division.

One tael of silver was roughly the price of grain produced from one mu of land, which was also equivalent to one thousand copper coins.

Ten taels of silver equals ten acres of land.

一头成年耕牛5~10两，健壮的耕牛8~10，老弱3~5
One cow is equivalent to the price of ten acres of land. Locals have fewer people and more land, so land prices are lower.

That's equivalent to the food rations for a family of five for 1-2 years.

In the local area, a daughter can be sold for about five taels of silver. Last year, the crop failure in the fields led some people to receive two to five taels of silver as betrothal gifts in advance.

"Forget it, I don't want to buy a wife."

Arctic Martial Arts still refused.

Li Hong couldn't help but cry, though she didn't make a sound, tears kept falling.

Li Bing looked at Bei Jiwu with a pained expression, and shamelessly said, "If you help our family harvest ten acres of wheat, then one of my sisters and I will marry you. Is that alright?"

Beijiwu calculated that helping someone harvest wheat would earn ten coins per mu, and ten mu would earn one hundred coins, which is 0.1 liang.

Trading 0.1 taels for a wife is definitely not a bad deal.

"Okay! I'll help you with your chores after I finish my own at home tomorrow!"

The two sisters looked at Beijiwu with delight, finally persuading the boy to help with the work.

Li Bing smiled at the honest and simple-minded Beiji Wu, "So, do you want the older sister or the younger sister?"

Beiji Wu walked away embarrassedly to the side to do his work, saying, "We'll talk about it after I finish this."

(End of this chapter)