Courtyard House: After disbanding the Elderly Care Gang, I went to the countryside to cultivate immo

All the crops, stalks and ears, were brought back to the village, marking the completion of the first half of the autumn harvest battle in Heisonggou Village.

Next, we need to thresh all the harvested sorghum and soybeans before the weather changes, and then dry all the grains thoroughly before storing them in the warehouse.

How could Hu Guangming dare to slack off?

The weather can change in an instant, especially in autumn.

With the recent clear autumn skies and bright but not scorching sun, it's the perfect time to dry grains.

He stood at the edge of the threshing floor, hands on his hips, his voice still hoarse, but his commands were firm:

"Don't just sit there! Take advantage of this nice sun and spread out everything that can be dried in the sun until it's thoroughly warmed!"

"Turn the rice paddies over again! It's very damp underneath!"

"Spread the bean stalks out thinly to dry in the sun! They can't be threshed if they're not completely dry!"

"Untie the grains, spread them out with the ears facing upwards! Let them see the wind!"

"Don't cover up the piles of sorghum ears; spread them out to dry!"

With the order given, the threshing ground, which had been quiet for just two days, was transformed back into a huge, busy drying yard.

Women and the elderly became the main force. They used wooden paddles and bamboo rakes to spread out the previously piled rice grains again, rake out even furrows, and let the sunlight and autumn wind penetrate without any blind spots.

The golden rice stalks shimmered with a moist luster under the sunlight, emitting a rich, sun-kissed aroma.

The bean stalk stacks were carefully cleared away, and the bean stalks with dried bean pods were thinly spread on the cleared ground.

The sorghum stalks were untied, and the golden ears of grain were shaken out and spread out to dry. The bright red sorghum ears were also pulled apart to dry. For a moment, the threshing ground was a patchwork of golden yellow, withered brown, and deep red, like a huge palette full of the joy of harvest.

The air was thick with the unique scent of newly harvested grain, a blend of sunshine, dust, and plant fragrance, permeating the entire village. It was a comforting smell, the scent of sweat finally bearing fruit.

Meanwhile, in front of and behind the houses, on wooden frames, and under the eaves, the strings and braids of golden corn are changing day by day in the autumn wind.

The once plump and moist corn cobs gradually lost some moisture in the autumn wind. The husks became brittle, and the kernels became firmer, their color changing from bright to a deep golden yellow. Squeezing them, you could feel their firmness and elasticity. It was time.

"The corn is almost dried! Time to shred it!" Hu Guangming gave the order again.

Shaping corn is a delicate and physically demanding task that requires the entire village to participate.

On a fine day, a large, flat area was cleared out in the center of the threshing ground, and clean reed mats or old canvases were laid out on it.

Almost everyone in the village, young and old, who could sit still and put in the effort, came out.

Everyone has their own unique skills.

Surrounding the huge pile of corn that had been transported to the threshing ground, some people grabbed two ears of corn and rubbed them together. Soon, the golden corn kernels fell off with a "whoosh," revealing the brown corn cobs inside.

There are also iron-handed masters who directly rub the corn kernels with their bare hands. The calluses on their hands don't hurt at all. When they rub their hands, it's like sandpaper, and the corn kernels fall off with a snap.

The most eye-catching items were the scrap rubber shoe soles that some people had somehow found. The rubber soles were sturdy and wear-resistant, and they even had rubber cleats underneath, making them an excellent tool for shredding corn.

However, the most common method is to use a "corn awl" made of a short, thick hardwood stick with one end sharpened. The sharpened end is aimed at the base of a row of corn kernels on the corn cob, and with a push, "whoosh," the entire row of corn kernels is neatly peeled off. It is fast and effortless, but if you are not skilled, you may easily prick your hand.

Lin Shengli, Li Kuiyong, and other educated youths naturally joined in out of curiosity to learn the technique of "manual threshing".

Making corn looks simple, but there's actually a trick to it.

The farm work a while ago tested their physical strength, but now husking corn is actually testing their patience.

Watching others' actions, Lin Shengli and his team tried to imitate them by rubbing two corncobs together, but they found that this was too difficult for people who were not familiar with the task.

"Use this! It'll save you the trouble!" An old woman handed Lin Shengli an old rubber shoe sole.

Lin Shengli took it and, following his example, placed the corncob on the rough rubber surface of the shoe sole and rubbed it back and forth with his hand. Sure enough, the friction increased significantly, the threshing efficiency improved considerably, and it was much gentler on his hands.

"Watch this!" A teenager next to him proudly showed off his "corn cone".

"This method is quick, but you have to be careful not to poke your hand," the child's mother reminded him with a smile.

A symphony of "swish," "splash," and "crack" suddenly filled the threshing ground.

The corn kernels, like golden raindrops, kept jumping off the cob, making a pleasant rustling sound.

"This year's corn is really good quality, every kernel is plump!"

"Of course! Look at how I knead these, they're all perfectly firm!"

While working tirelessly, everyone chatted, comparing the quality of their corn and marveling at this year's harvest.

The children also joined in, and although they rubbed slowly, they worked diligently, their little faces full of focus.

The smooth corncobs that were rubbed off were thrown aside and piled up into another small mountain—these were excellent materials for starting a fire in winter.

This "corn-husking competition" lasted for several days.

During the day, as long as the weather is good, the threshing ground is a bustling scene of activity.

Over the course of several days, the golden corn kernels piled up like mountains, gleaming in the sunlight. They were even more visually stunning than the corn cobs that had been piled up before. They were the purest and most substantial essence of the grain, stripped of all the excess.

Just as the small mountain of corn kernels was growing taller and taller, the soybean threshing was also in full swing on the other side of the threshing floor.

The bean stalks, which had been drying in the sun for several days, were completely dry.

The pods become extremely fragile and can burst open with the slightest touch.

Threshing soybeans is usually done using a flail—an ancient and effective farming tool.

A long wooden pole with a row of short wooden strips (called "yokes" or "hammers") connected at one end by a leather rope or iron ring.

Several experienced veterans, each holding a flail, stood in two rows facing each other, with a thick layer of dried bean stalks spread between them.

They rhythmically swung their flails, sending the short wooden strips arcing through the air, before slamming them heavily onto the bean stalks.

"Hey—!" "Ha—!"

Accompanied by rhythmic shouts, the flails fell one after another, "Crack! Bang!" The bean pods burst open under the heavy blows, and the golden beans shot out like tiny bullets, landing in the bean stalks below.

The educated youth were filled with curiosity about this ancient tool and ran over to try it out themselves.

But if you don't have experience, this thing is really difficult to use. You'll either get hand pain from the vibrations or you won't be able to control the yoke properly and end up hitting something else.

Seeing that these young people couldn't do this, Hu Guangming came over and sent them to husk corn again.

After pounding for a while, use a wooden fork to pick up and shake off the bean stalks, then flip them over and pound them again.

Repeat this process several times until most of the beans have been knocked out. Then, use a wooden stick to toss the mixture of beans, pod fragments, and short bean stalks high into the air, using the wind to blow away the light pod shells and stalk fragments, leaving the heavy, round beans to fall back to the ground.

This process is called "winnowing," which requires a high level of skill in controlling the wind and the angle of the winnowing paddle. It is usually done by the most experienced farmers.

"Uncle Laoshuan, the wind is coming! Quick, spread it!"

Hu Laoshuan spotted a slightly stronger autumn wind, threw a handful of mixture into the air, the golden beans arced down and rustled, while the broken shells and straw were blown aside by the wind.

After a few scoops, a small pile of relatively clean soybeans accumulated on the ground, looking golden and tempting in the sunlight.

Soybeans that have been winnowed cannot be stored directly; they need to be spread out again to dry and remove the last bit of moisture.

The rice had already been thoroughly dried and was packed into burlap sacks, which were then stacked bulging in the dry, well-ventilated part of the warehouse.

The sorghum was also threshed using a similar method to a flail, and the reddish-brown sorghum grains were piled up to the side.

The grains were repeatedly rolled over with a stone roller on a flat surface, eventually yielding a large pile of bright red grains.

When the last batch of corn kernels were rubbed and dried, the last batch of soybeans were winnowed and dried until they were crisp and clean, and the last sorghum and grains were also properly stored, the autumn harvest in Heisonggou Village was truly and perfectly concluded.

The threshing ground was more crowded and abundant than ever before.

Different colors and varieties of grains are neatly arranged and piled up like small golden mountains: golden rice, golden corn, golden soybeans, golden sorghum, and bright red millet... Under the pure autumn sun, they radiate a simple yet dazzling light, and the air is filled with a complex and incredibly satisfying aroma of grains.

However, before people could bask in the joy of the harvest for long, new tasks soon followed.

The commune's messenger rode his bicycle and delivered the official document, stamped with a red seal, to the brigade headquarters.

The township government has officially issued the annual grain quota that Heisonggou Village needs to hand over this year.