The Farm Girl’s Charismatic Fortune
Chapter 210 - 206: Harvest Snatch

Chapter 210: Chapter 206: Harvest Snatch

Ruo Xuan exclaimed that it was going to rain, scaring the three people who were still thinking of washing their faces and applying sunscreen—they immediately lost the mood.

Apply what sunscreen?

Harvesting the rice is what’s important!

Granny Lei: "Second daughter-in-law, hurry and notify the village chief and the other villagers, we are starting the emergency harvest of the rice today."

"Fourth daughter-in-law, come with me to find people to help harvest the rice."

"Xuanbao, go up the mountain and give a heads-up to Grandmother Xuanyuan!"

"Okay!"

And so, the women of the Ruo Family sprang into action!

In less than a quarter of an hour, the villagers had grabbed their sickles and were running towards the yellow-green rice paddies.

The Ruo Family had a lot of fields, and all the fields conferred by the Imperial Court were later planted with rice. Fortunately, they had always hired people to take care of it. The workers for harvesting the rice had been arranged beforehand by Ruo Shui, who had told them to prepare for the harvest in the next few days. Although it was sudden, everyone was ready, as the rice was already eight or nine-tenths mature. Waiting another two days would certainly be better, but it was also fine to harvest now.

After all, spring and summer were the seasons with the most rain, and naturally, one had to take advantage of the good weather to bring in the rice.

Thus the people hired by the Ruo Family also quickly arrived in full force. Although it was sudden, there was no chaos.

Ruo Xuan notified the Old Mistress Xuanyuan, and she immediately had the old Shopkeeper go to the city to inform County Magistrate Zhang.

An hour later, the entire county had begun harvesting their third-season rice.

As the rice in the fields of the Ruo Family was growing the best, County Magistrate Zhang had officials oversee the official fields, while he himself rushed to Xishui Village as fast as he could.

The brothers of Ruo Shui, upon receiving the news, all dropped their work in the bookstore and hurried back to participate in the emergency harvest.

Upon learning of the situation, Master Han also brought a few students to help. However, knowing that he was not very skilled, and his students even less so, in order not to hinder everyone else’s work, he chose a patch yet untouched by anyone else and led the students to harvest there.

Although slow, there were no mistakes made; after all, such simple work could be understood at a glance and was not prone to errors—it was just a matter of speed.

Of course, there was also the risk of accidentally cutting oneself with the sickle.

The Old Mistress Xuanyuan also went down to the fields to help the Ruo Family with the harvesting.

Despite her age, with a sweep of her long arm, she would grasp several stalks of rice at once, and with a swing of her sickle, a large bundle of rice was cut down!

Her speed was not a bit slower than the grown men who had been farming all their lives.

Capable of wielding a spear to bravely slay enemies, expanding the territory, and protecting the country, as well as using a sickle to raise children and provide for the family, she embodied the saying.

The villagers who came to help were astonished: "The Old Mistress is so adept at cutting the rice!"

In village vernacular, harvesting rice was called "cutting he (the rice)."

"Isn’t that so? She can grab even more in one go than I can."

Old Mistress Xuanyuan, pleased to hear this, said, "When I was Xuanbao’s age, I had already started working in the fields cutting he! Back then, our family was poor, and by the age of five, I could cut three stalks at once."

Listening to this, the villagers praised one after another, "It’s hard to tell. We thought the Old Mistress was born into a rich and noble family."

"The Old Mistress carries an air of nobility; we had no idea she had experienced such hard times as a child."

"Right, the Old Mistress looks like someone born into a wealthy household, not like someone who has suffered hardships."

...

"Hardships, indeed. I’ve even eaten tree roots before, and have lain in the snow and ice. This wealth and nobility were earned by toiling for most of my life, exchanging it with my very life! I’ve nearly died several times!" The Old Mistress Xuanyuan said this while laughing and chatting with the villagers.

"Haha, the Old Mistress must be joking! You don’t look it at all!"

"What I’m saying is all true. When I was young, there was warfare everywhere, and there were no good days."

"That’s true. Back then, we lived in constant fear, without proper shelter or enough food, and many people died. We almost thought we wouldn’t survive," an older villager said, deeply moved.

"Those days were truly harsh, both miserable and tough. Thankfully, we are now living in an era of peace."

Taking advantage of the moment, the village chief encouraged the villagers, "This shows that humans have limitless potential, as long as we work hard and strive, wealth and glory are not just dreams! Look, from this year on, we’ll probably have more grain than we can eat in our homes!"

"Haha, that’s right! The village chief is correct!"

"The village chief’s words are as precious as gold, from now on, we will all be well-fed and clothed!"

"Well-fed and clothed!"

"Eat well and keep warm!"

"Granaries full of grain!"

"Barns brimming with grain!"

"Abundant harvests year after year!"

...

Villagers took turns, spontaneously uttering different auspicious phrases.

Watching the heavy ears of rice and the golden fields, their hearts filled with warmth, their eyes brimming with tears.

Besides those hired by the Ruo Family, many villagers came to help without asking for silver.

Because what they were harvesting this time was not just rice, but hope, the warmth and sustenance for endless generations to come.

Seeing the tears in everyone’s eyes and hearing their most fundamental hopes for survival, the Elder Madam Xuanyuan wiped her own tears with the back of her hand.

Elder Madam Xuanyuan never thought she would live to see Xuanyuan Country prosper or its people well-fed and clothed. She just hoped to see the remnants of the former dynasty wiped out and peace throughout the land within her lifetime, then she would die with no regrets.

Yet seeing the shimmer in everyone’s eyes and the rice ears before her, such heavy rice ears that she had not seen in her decades of life, indicating at least double the usual yield.

A hundred years later, when she faces the late emperor, she might be able to speak proudly, "Xuanyuan Country may not yet be at its most prosperous but rest assured, the people will never worry about food again!"

She absolutely vowed to make Shengping Prefecture the granary of Xuanyuan Country!

Master Han, too, was deeply shaken by the villagers’ humblest of hopes.

The wishes he commonly heard were about promising futures, smooth official careers, continuous promotions, effortless success, wealth, health, happiness, or achieving Top Scholar, becoming an Imperial Scholar, wishing for smooth sailing, and the like.

But in reality, what the common folk truly wished for wasn’t much — just to eat their fill and stay warm.

Suddenly, Master Han felt that his decades of life spent in deep academic pursuit, nurturing countless talents, with students filling the offices of the Imperial Court, which he thought contributed to the nation and the people, seemed insignificant compared to a grain of rice.

Laughable, lamentable and pitiable!

Master Han was more determined than ever to write a detailed agricultural handbook!

The joy and sorrow of human beings do not always resonate with each other; Ruo Xuan, still so young, hardly related to the adults’ bittersweet memories.

She and Xuanyuan Que took to the fields to help as well, delighting in the activity and finding it fun and fulfilling.

Ruo Xuan’s small stature barely topped the rice plants; actually, the rice was even taller than she was!

The tiny figure scuttled into the field and immediately, the rice leaves scratched her little face.

She didn’t mind and enthusiastically grabbed a sickle to harvest the rice, then cut her finger on her very first try!

Ruo Xuan held out her bleeding finger in front of Xuanyuan Que: "Brother Xuanyuan, suck it to stop the bleeding."

Xuanyuan Que frowned slightly and, glancing around, took her finger and applied a spell to stop the bleeding and heal the wound.

"There, be careful."

"Okay!" Ruo Xuan cheerfully withdrew her hand and went on to wield the sickle, slicing through the rice again.

Xuanyuan Que, seeing another red streak on her cheek from the rice plants, frowned and diverted a thread of his attention to envelope her in a protective bubble of spiritual power.

Invisible to others, only the Demon Lord’s Little White Dog, driven by its mating instincts, uncontrollably chasing a female dog through the fields, could perceive a spherical, translucent barrier enveloping Ruo Xuan.

It couldn’t help but roll its eyes, then continued pursuing the most attractive female dog in the village!

It didn’t understand why it felt compelled to chase, only that it really wanted to!

Not chasing felt intolerable!