The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 313 - 302: Working

Chapter 313: Chapter 302: Working

When Manbao returned to the Zhou family home with a string tethering eight or nine sparrows, supper was almost ready.

Ms. He naturally took the sparrows from her hand without thinking, then remembered to ask, "Didn’t dad say not to touch the wheat?"

Manbao replied, "This isn’t our wheat; it’s from Bai Erlang’s home."

Ms. He nodded, unconcerned.

Old Zhou returned and asked one more question, "Is Old Master Bai aware of it?"

Manbao thought of Bai Erlang having someone carry a big bundle of wheat from his house, so she hesitated before nodding, "He should know."

Old Zhou was then at ease. Unlike their family, the Bai family had plenty of grain. Even though they were not spared by the disaster, their harvest was incomparable to the Zhou’s.

Old Zhou took a piece of bird meat and said, "Hurry up and harvest all the beans from the field. The Bai family is in need of help. Work for three more days, Third, then you take Four to Old Master Bai’s home to get work. Eldest will stay to thresh the wheat and beans, and Two will continue to sell vegetables in town."

The brothers replied in acknowledgment.

Originally, Old Zhou had not planned for his sons to work as day laborers at Old Master Bai’s this year since the addition of Zhou Silang’s field meant they would not have much time to spare.

However, hard-hit by the calamity, there wasn’t enough work for them, and since the tasks at home were nearly finished, they naturally had to take up short-term labor.

In fact, many people shared Old Zhou’s sentiments. When Zhou Sanlang finally took Zhou Si to the Bai family home for work, he found an unusually large number of people looking for jobs there.

But they had an advantage,

Zhou Sanlang was a competent worker whose name was recorded with the Bai family’s manager, and being from the same village, the manager immediately accepted him when he saw Zhou Sanlang, though the wages were slightly lower than previous years by two wen.

There was no helping it—after a great disaster, even during the busy farming season, labor was very cheap.

If Old Master Bai hadn’t been so cautious, only willing to employ past acquaintances, he could’ve attracted a crowd in the county town, even offering just three meals a day.

The Bai family’s manager didn’t hesitate to accept Zhou Sanlang, but he had some reservations about Zhou Si. In the end, however, he still accepted him, frowning slightly.

This manager lived in Qili Village with Old Master Bai and oversaw the fields of both Qili and Dali villages. Naturally, he was aware that the Young Master from his home was on very good terms with the young lady from the Zhou family and that they had been playing together every day lately.

Well, it was better to respect the Buddha’s face than the monk’s.

Reluctantly accepting Zhou Si, the manager still cautioned Zhou Sanlang, "Zhou San, you’d better keep an eye on your younger brother."

Zhou Sanlang quickly bowed and assured him, while Zhou Si promised cheerily that he would work diligently.

With a wave of his hand, the manager sent someone to bring them a couple of sickles and then left.

Zhou Si sighed while holding the sickle, "My poor back."

Zhou Sanlang watched him.

Zhou Si quickly said, "Don’t worry, Third Brother, I definitely won’t slack off. Don’t go tattling to dad."

Zhou Sanlang then shifted his gaze, "Let’s go. To the fields."

The Bai family’s wheat hadn’t been completely harvested yet.

As for the other lands of Old Master Bai’s family, some had manors with servants tilling them, or the lands were leased to tenant farmers with manors overseeing them.

Only the fields around Qili Village and Dali Village were paid more attention by Old Master Bai due to their proximity, and so in addition to about twenty long-term workers and a dozen servants, he preferred to employ nearby villagers for short-term work.

Also, because of this, Old Master Bai was able to quickly integrate into the local villagers of Qili Village within the first two years after moving there.

Not only in Qili Village, but he also held considerable prestige in Dali Village.

After all, during the busy farming seasons, people could earn money through him, and during the offseason, they could still rely on him for income, right?

The rural folks were simple and grateful to any employer who provided for their livelihood.

That’s why the seeding and harvesting on his land always lagged a bit behind others’.

Old Master Bai wasn’t fond of growing beans. Compared to beans, he preferred the taste of wheat that could be ground into flour, so most of his dry land was planted with wheat.

They started from the farthest fields and worked toward the village. At that point, there was still a large area to be harvested before they could begin with the beans.

Zhou Si actually preferred harvesting beans.

He yawned and resigned himself to follow Third Brother’s lead in the wheat fields, resting for only one hour at noon.

Although the three meals provided by the Bai family were decent, the workload under the blistering sun was still torturous for Zhou Si.

And when he was in pain, he couldn’t help trying to slack off—after all, it wasn’t his family’s land.

Zhou Si’s movements grew slower and slower, and then, upon hearing a rustling behind him, his body stiffened involuntarily, and he quickly began reaping with effort. After a while, as the noise behind him ceased, he couldn’t help but look back.

He saw a very familiar little brat instructing a servant to pile up the wheat they had cut, bind it, and carry it away.

Zhou Si couldn’t help but ask, "Is the Young Master also helping to harvest wheat?"

Would Old Master Bai really have his cherished youngest son toil in the fields?

Bai Erlang turned and took a while to recognize the tanned figure as Manbao’s brother Four, then grinned, "No, I’m going to catch sparrows with Bai Shanzhou and Zhou Man; we need wheat as bait."

Not only Zhou Si fell silent but also Zhou Sanlang who couldn’t help but look back. Seeing the servant lifting the bundle of wheat, he couldn’t help saying, "Isn’t that a bit too much?"

"Not at all, the more we scatter, the more birds will fly down," Bai Erlang confidently said. "We’ve been hunting boldly lately, and it’s getting harder to catch sparrows by the village entrance, so we have to come here."

Zhou Si found it hard to understand, "Is the Young Master’s household short on meat too?"

"Not at all, why do you ask?"

"If you’re not short of meat, then why go through the trouble of catching sparrows?"

"Because it’s fun!" Bai Erlang had eaten birds for several days, and even with different flavors, he had grown tired of them.

And he kept shouldering wheat to the fields day after day only because catching sparrows was enjoyable.

By now, he had gathered quite a few playmates to join in this game.

Indeed, Bai Erlang had attracted many playmates to the point where even without Manbao and Bai Shanbao’s presence, they could still handle it well.

Naturally, Manbao, keen on meat, showed up every day but with her book in tow.

Bai Shanbao thought that birds fried or barbecued as snacks weren’t bad either, so he too would show up with his book.

Since there was only one set of fishing nets, they couldn’t grab the jobs of pulling the ropes anymore, and of course, tasks like digging pits to set sticks were even further out of their reach.

So, they sat under a tree reading books, occasionally directing the others on how to position things correctly.

Of course, as soon as Bai Erlang arrived, he would forcefully take command, allowing no one else a chance.

Manbao and Bai Shanbao had grown tired of the game and were indifferent; they let him lead. Because of this, they both received the same number of birds as Bai Eryi each day, ostensibly as offerings for the elders.

Yeah, offerings to the elders.

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