Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

The sun hangs high in the sky, and the morning dew has evaporated.

Chen Mian, panting heavily, wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, finally finishing clearing the land.

Then they dug a hole under a tree by the dirt road and buried the bad peaches and weeds from the bag inside. This is a traditional method to prevent the larvae from growing.

That shower only lasted half a day. The rain may have been heavy for a short time, but the amount of rainfall was much less than that of a continuous drizzle. So all that was needed was to clear the blockages and divert the water.

Chen Mian dragged the iron shovel around the ditch, clearing away weeds and picking up broken pesticide bottles.

People often mix pesticides in the fields and habitually toss the bottles aside.

Chen Mian used to scoff and mutter a few words whenever he saw pesticide bottles by the roadside, but when it came to his own business, he threw them away more readily and casually than anyone else.

We need to clear out the blockages along the way, and make sure to build a deep shovel at the connection between the cotton fields and the ditch so that the water doesn't accumulate there.

With everything settled, it's time to move on to the next piece of land.

……

Chen Mian used to have a watch, but she didn't know where it was, so she could only tell the time by how harsh the sun was.

There weren't many plots left in Dongwa, and we finished them in half a day in the afternoon.

The bad peaches in the West and North depressions have already been dealt with, and we just need to dredge the drainage ditches along the way. The workload isn't heavy. The South depression has more work, but fortunately, there isn't much work to be done in the drainage ditches there.

Her undershirt was soaked through. Chen Mian went back to the field, put on her coat, and prepared to go home.

Just then, a "click-click-click" pumping sound rang in my ears, followed by a warm and familiar greeting.

"Second Cotton Mill".

This nickname is usually only used by family members and close friends, so Chen Mian knew without turning around that it was her childhood friend Cheng Haichao.

A moment later, a dirty, old four-wheeled tractor pulled up by the roadside. The driver was a middle-aged, burly man, while a fat man with a center-parted hairstyle grabbed the front of the tractor in the back and shouted, "Why are you alone?"

Chen Mian didn't even glance at her childhood friend "Cheng Haichao," but instead called out to the middle-aged man, "Uncle."

This is Cheng Haichao's father, Cheng Aiguo, who is a sworn brother of his father.

In his past life, his own troubles implicated the Cheng family, but the two families did not become estranged because of it. On the contrary, Cheng Aiguo did his best to help him, and Cheng Haichao was also his sworn brother.

However, Cheng Haichao is a bit eccentric these days, acting on a whim. A few days ago, he insisted on making me a sworn brother, and even made me cut my finger and drink blood wine, claiming it was to follow ancient customs and appear solemn.

Chen Mian didn't know where the ancient etiquette came from. She didn't care about swearing brotherhood or kowtowing, but she absolutely couldn't accept self-harm. So she turned around and ran away. She hadn't gone to see Cheng Haichao recently, and she had even less time after being reborn.

He remembered that Cheng Haichao's family had been quite busy lately, but it was a wise move not to follow the trend and plant melons, which saved them a lot of trouble.

"My dad and the others went to harvest watermelons, so I came here to clear the ditch myself."

When Qinggou was mentioned, Cheng Aiguo became very talkative, praising his elder brother for his benevolence and doing a great thing for the village. Cheng Haichao couldn't even get a chance to interject.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Cheng Aiguo, having other matters to attend to, started his small four-wheeled vehicle.

At this moment, Cheng Haichao raised his hand and shouted excitedly, "Er Mian, I'll come find you after I'm done with this busy period. I have good news."

Chen Mian rubbed his temples: "This is too good to be true. We just swore brotherhood, and now we're getting beaten up together. Isn't that embarrassing enough?"

……

On her way home, Chen Mian encountered many villagers who were quite enthusiastic, which made her feel a little uncomfortable for a moment.

These days, there is indeed a sense of purity and human touch. If someone has a big problem, the villagers will lend a hand. Money doesn't matter; a meal is all that matters.

But to be honest, they're quite snobbish. Everyone knows perfectly well who's rich and who's struggling. They can change their tune faster than any traditional Chinese art form.

Chen Mian adjusted her mindset and arrived at her doorstep. She was taken aback when she saw a red Happiness 250 motorcycle parked in the yard. It looked like her brother-in-law's motorcycle, which he had bought for more than two thousand yuan.

"sister!"

Chen Mian pushed the cart into the yard and shouted into the house.

Chen Jiahua was busy wiping the stove inside the house. Upon hearing the shout, she quickly rubbed her hands together, dried them, and walked towards the door. Her short hair and oval face shone brightly in the sunlight.

"Mom is absolutely right. She came back right on time for dinner. Go wash up and wait for Dad and the others to come back so we can have stew together."

Just then, Mom joked from inside the house, "Your dad and Da Liang were worried he'd be late coming home from the fields today. I told them you were worrying unnecessarily. We served him the food, and he came in as soon as he smelled it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiahua and Liu Xiaocui, who were inside the house, burst out laughing.

Liu Xiaocui smiled and said, "This shows that Er Mian is not someone who will suffer, and he will definitely be successful in the future."

"I love what you said, sister-in-law. You're absolutely right." Chen Mian walked to the washbasin stand by the door with a smile. Her older sister had already filled the enamel basin with warm water.

"You guys, if you praise him a couple more times, you'll become like rockets soaring to the sky."

Chen Mian rubbed her face vigorously, stiffened her neck, and said into the house, "Mom, you can start preparing to enjoy life now, so that when I become a big boss, you won't be unable to adapt to the climate of the capital or get used to the old Beijing douzhi (fermented mung bean juice)."

Tang Xiuyun grabbed a rag and wiped the corners and edges, glancing sideways at the exceptionally tidy west room with a smile. She then took two steps towards the door, saw her son bending over to wash his face, and couldn't help but laugh:

"Hey Mr. Chen, could you please clean up your doghouse every day? Your older sister comes home and goes straight to folding your blankets without even taking a break."

A smile never disappears; it simply moves from one person's face to many people's faces.

Chen Mian felt a little embarrassed; she had forgotten to tidy up the house early in the morning.

Having lived two lives, I still haven't noticed this bad habit.

……

Just after midnight, my dad, older brother, and brother-in-law came back.

The whole family was enjoying themselves, eating bread and meat. They wouldn't trade this life for an emperor.

During this time, the older sister and her husband talked about the bottle of Lao Baigan liquor. They said that the old man in the family was very happy and told everyone that it was a gift from his granddaughter-in-law's family, costing several tens of yuan.

Chen Hongguo and Tang Xiuyun were all smiles, not at all bothered by the few dozen yuan; as long as their eldest daughter had face in her husband's family, that was enough.

The conversation naturally turned to mandarin fish, which was the couple's main reason for visiting. The farmer took this matter seriously, as the meat was bought at the request of the eldest sister's mother-in-law.

My brother-in-law was even thinking of giving Chen Mian some money out of his own pocket, and he planned to get two fish and send them over as soon as possible.

Zhuang Changhe's reputation spread far and wide. After Chen Hongguo and his wife learned the whole story, they solemnly instructed Chen Mian to study how to catch fish, saying that the work in the fields wouldn't be a problem in a day or two.

Seeing that everyone was unusually serious, Chen Mian put down her chopsticks and reassured them, "Don't worry, I've already found someone to handle this. The work in the fields will be finished in the next couple of days. Once that's done, I'll go find some mandarin fish and deliver it within this week."

Seeing Chen Mian's confidence, Zhuang Chengzhu felt relieved. His uncle had gone on a long trip, so there was no rush.