Sky Curtain: My Happy Daily Life Exposed by Xiao Sizi

Chapter 62 Farming in the Fields

The little tadpole lay on a flat, large rock, its little head almost touching the bucket filled with tadpoles.

The little black dots in the bucket clump together and then disperse, their slender tails swaying gently in the water, like a group of dancing commas.

"Hey, little tadpole, wag your tail!" Little Sizi stretched out her little finger and carefully touched the surface of the water. Several tadpoles immediately swam away nimbly, eliciting another string of silvery laughter from her.

Lu Chen squatted down beside her, smiling as he watched her curious expression: "Yes, they're swimming."

Lu Ping and Lu Ning also came over and placed their canned food jars next to the small bucket.

Three little heads huddled together, observing these amazing little creatures.

"Little sister, look, this is the biggest one!" Lu Ning pointed to a slightly larger tadpole in her bottle.

"Hmm! A big tadpole!" Little Si nodded seriously, then looked into the bucket. "It's cute, let's play together!"

Lu Chen pointed to the water plants not far away: "There are many more over there; they like to hide under the grass."

Little Sizi looked in the direction her brother was pointing. The clear stream flowed gently, and sunlight shone through the water, casting shimmering spots of light on the stones at the bottom.

She suddenly remembered something, tilted her little face up, and looked at me with her big eyes full of seriousness: "Brother, baby tadpole, are you looking for your mother?"

Like a rhinoceros looking for its mother?

Lu Chen's heart softened instantly.

He gently stroked the little tadpole's soft hair and said softly, "Tadpoles' mothers are little frogs. When they grow up, their tails will disappear, and they will grow four legs, so they can jump onto the shore and find their mothers. Just like you now, you have your maternal grandparents, uncles, aunts, and brothers with you. Everyone loves you."

Xiao Sizi seemed to understand, but she did understand the word "love".

She smiled sweetly and nodded vigorously: "Yes! The rhinoceros has so much love! Baby tadpoles, grow up quickly and find your mother!"

She stopped trying to touch the tadpoles and simply lay quietly on the rock, watching them swim freely in the water, humming a tuneless nursery rhyme softly as if cheering them on.

Looking at his younger sister's innocent and contented expression, and then at the tranquil and beautiful scenery by the stream, Lu Chen felt a warmth fill his heart.

Under the vast sky, the people of all dynasties watched with rapt attention.

As Qin Shi Huang gazed at the crystal-clear stream and the freely swimming tadpoles, and reflecting on the hardships endured by the laborers building the Great Wall, he murmured, "Children of later generations will frolic in this clear stream, watching the tadpoles play, carefree and without worry—when will my people ever have such leisure and tranquility?"

Liu Che's gaze was piercing: "A child watches tadpoles, his elder brother beside him, their joy is boundless—this is the scene of a prosperous age! I shall strive to govern diligently so that even the children of my Han Dynasty can enjoy this family bliss!"

Looking at the carefree smile on Little Sizi's face, and then at the flat, wide dam that resembled a giant dragon, Zhu Yuanzhang scratched his head and said, "Goodness! Life in later generations is truly like that of immortals! Even little kids playing with tadpoles are so comfortable! When will my Great Ming Dynasty be able to build a dam like this, so that the children have a place to play?"

Empress Ma smiled and said, "Chongba, don't be impatient. Let's take it one step at a time. Making sure the people are well-fed and clothed is the first step."

This play and frolicking is a blessing of a peaceful and prosperous era.

Looking at the scene of Lu Chen gently instructing Xiao Sizi in the sky, and thinking of his own children in the palace, Li Shimin couldn't help but sigh: "The children are innocent and pure, the brothers are loving and respectful. This scene surpasses all the palace inhabitants. Guanyinbi, I am very pleased. Sizi must be extremely happy in the afterlife."

Empress Zhangsun nestled against him, her eyes filled with a smile: "Your Majesty is right. Just look at Sizi's smile; you can tell she was cherished like a precious jewel in the Lu family. The rural joys and neighborly affections of later generations are precisely the prosperous scene we have been hoping for."

On the sky.

A gentle breeze blew by, bringing the fresh scent of the fields and the moist aroma of the water plants. The little tadpole watched the tadpoles for a while, then looked up at the shimmering river and lush green farmland in the distance, its face full of wonder and joy.

"Brother," she tugged at Lu Chen's sleeve, "Little Tadpole, you've finished watching. Are you coming home, my little one?"

Lu Chen smiled and picked her up: "Okay, let's go home! We'll release these tadpoles back into the stream so they can continue to grow and find their mother, okay?"

Little Si nodded vigorously: "Yes! Put it back! We can play with it again when it turns into a little frog!"

Lu Chen carefully poured the tadpoles from the bucket back into the stream. As soon as the little black dots entered the water, they scattered happily and merged into the clear stream.

Little Sizi perched on her brother's shoulder, watching the direction the tadpoles disappeared in, and waved her little hand: "Goodbye, baby tadpoles! Grow up quickly!"

"Come on! Sizi, let's go wading in the water in the summer, it'll be so much fun! By then, the tadpoles will have turned into big frogs!"

"Hmm~~ Wading through the water!" Little Sizi stomped his feet.

Lu Chen, carrying the little ox, and Lu Ping and Lu Ning, holding empty food jars, walked onto the dam chatting and laughing.

On my way home, I passed by farmland.

A rumbling sound came from the roadside.

Little Si perked up its ears and asked the older boy, "Brother, what's this?"

"That's big machines farming," Lu Ping said.

"It sounds like thunder!" Little Sizi exclaimed as he saw the enormous rotary tiller in the field.

"Little Sizi, don't be afraid. That machine is just a bit loud, but it's incredibly strong! It's as powerful as several hundred cows! It's super fast at planting crops!" Lu Chen said with a smile from the front.

"Yes! It's Iron Bull!" The little guy nodded.

"Rumble—Rumble—"

The enormous sound grew clearer and clearer, making the ground beneath their feet seem to tremble slightly.

Little Sizi, curious yet a little nervous, grabbed Lu Ping's hand, her big eyes looking toward the vast farmland where the sound was coming from.

In the field, a huge red object was slowly moving.

It has huge, rotating metal discs (rotary tillers), like a giant steel monster, powerfully turning over the black soil.

The soil was lifted high and then fell evenly, instantly making the originally compacted land soft and flat.

"Damn it!" Little Sizi's eyes widened, his voice tinged with surprise and barely perceptible fear. "This huge iron ox is so big! So loud! Is it thundering?"

Lu Chen explained with a smile, "It's not thunder, it's a rhinoceros. Machines make noise when they work. They are great helpers in farming, just like the hoes and plows we used to use, but much more powerful! They are very strong and can turn over the whole field in one go, quickly and effortlessly."

Lu Ping chimed in, "Yes, look where it went, the soil became loose and soft, so the seeds planted there can germinate and grow well!"

Lu Ning pointed at the machine: "It doesn't need oxen to pull it, it runs by itself, and it even drags a rake behind it, leveling the ground in no time!"

Little Sizi seemed to understand, but as she watched the "big iron ox" pass by, the hard ground became soft and flat as if by magic. Her little mouth was slightly open, full of surprise.

Although the rumbling sound was loud, it seemed less frightening after the brothers' explanations, and instead carried a sense of magical power.

Under the sky, the emperors' gazes were once again drawn to this "iron ox".

Liu Che stared at the incredibly efficient rotary tiller, his eyes gleaming: "This thing can actually replace the strength of oxen and horses to turn the soil and level the land. Its speed and power far surpass those of a hundred men! If our Han Dynasty had such a powerful tool, why would we worry about the poor performance of border military farms? To expand our territory, food and provisions must come first. This thing should be a national treasure!"

He had already begun to plan how to replicate or find similar tools.

Zhu Yuanzhang was even more envious and couldn't help but slap his thigh: "Good heavens! This iron ox of later generations is a hundred times better than the old yellow ox I used to pull! The way it turns the soil is so good, it can do in one day what we did in half a month! The soil is turned so deep and evenly, the crops will definitely grow well!"

"When will my Ming Dynasty be able to use this precious machine?" He looked at the machine easily completing the heavy farming work, his envy evident in his words.

Li Shimin, however, was more concerned with the efficiency and the benefits it brought to people's livelihoods: "With the advent of this machine, countless manpower has been saved. Farmers can catch their breath, children can play, and field labor is no longer as arduous as that of oxen and horses. The sophistication of agricultural tools in later generations is truly the foundation of a prosperous era. With such a powerful tool, why worry about empty granaries?"

Little Sizi perched on his brother's shoulder, watching the "big iron ox" continue its roaring journey across the fields.

Her little brain was still working on this big iron ox, which was planting crops for the land.

"Brother!" she shouted, "Big Iron Ox, help the land grow rice!"

"Yes, it helps us grow rice to eat. Sizi is really smart." Lu Chen smiled with satisfaction.

After sending Lu Ping and Lu Ning home, Lu Chen also took Si Zi home.

My parents are discussing the celebration.

Third Grandmother, Second Grandmother, and Eldest Aunt also came along.