Chapter 130: Visiting During the Busy Farming Season
Then came the busy farming season. Thankfully, Bai Ruozhu, having recovered from her postpartum period, could now help with house chores. Otherwise, Bai’s second household would be overwhelmed. But things weren’t much better now.
Three of the Bai Family’s able-bodied workers were now working the fields. Many people praised Er Lang for rolling up his sleeves and pant legs to work, recognizing him as a diligent young man. In contrast, Bai Yibo refused to work in the fields, spending his days in a dapper outfit, thereby making their distinction clear.
Lin Ping’er had also gone to work in the fields. She had always been capable, and in the past, she alone could replicate the work of a single laborer. However, as she was now older, she could only be counted as half a laborer.
Bai Ruozhu would stay at home cooking and making green bean soup, then carry the baby and a basket of food to the fields. Everybody in the family was busy all the time. All households in the Mountain Village had a similar routine, the busier a family was, the better their harvest was expected to be, filling them with joy.
Of course, there were also families that were not happy, such as those with no or little land, those who had poor harvests, and those who couldn’t keep up with the workload in the fields.
Families of peasants were diligent. Although the autumn harvest was busy, few were overwhelmed by farm work, unless their families owned large tracts of land. But even those households would have hired helpers early on, planning ahead for the required manpower. But families like the Bai Old Mansion, were few and far between.
"Boss, go tell your brother to prioritize harvesting our land. Your father and I aren’t in good health anymore, he should dutifully play his role as a son," said the elderly lady of the Bai Family after a day of working in the fields without accomplishing much, frequently complaining about her waist pain.
Upon hearing the elderly lady, Bai Yibo did not react, instead looking towards the old master and asking, "Father, what do you say?" He drew out his words, clearly showing his respect for his father’s opinion. Likewise, the old master seemed to eat up such respect.
The old master remained silent, seemingly not wanting to compromise his dignity by approaching the second household.
"Aren’t you the head of this family? Aren’t you going to say something?" The elderly lady stomped her foot anxiously. She didn’t want to be this exhausted, and even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t be able to finish all the work in the fields in time for the harvest, which would affect the crop yield.
The old master remained silent, pacing around the room with a scholar-like demeanor, holding a book scroll in his hands.
"We might as well hire two helpers," the old master finally sighed.
The old lady, who was usually very frugal, instantly objected, "Hiring helpers costs money, doesn’t it? And it’s not easy to hire them this time of year. Even if we find some, they are outrageously expensive. Do you have too much money to burn?"
The old master shot her an angry glare, apparently displeased with her tone. The old lady was fearful of the old master, quickly falling silent and urging Bai Yibo to speak up with her eyes.
Bai Yibo pondered before replying, "Father, Mother does have a point. All the good helpers have long been reserved by other households. Even if we do find someone now, they will not only overcharge us but will also likely not be reliable. I think we should ask my younger brother for help. It’s his duty as the younger generation to help his parents with the harvest. Surely, he doesn’t intend to neglect his duties just because his son became a top scholar?"
The old lady brightened up, nodding enthusiastically at her eldest son. After all, he was a scholar, or to be more precise, a scholar now, and his words were both pleasing and reasonable.
The room fell silent once again, the old master not saying a word for a long while. Finally, he nodded slightly and said in an exhausted tone, "I suppose that’s the only way. Boss, go and talk to your younger brother later. Speak nicely."
Being genuinely tired after working the fields, life was evidently too hard on him. He had never done much farming work as a child and now, at his old age, how much could he possibly do? No, ’how much’ wasn’t applicable, it was more about his inability to adapt.
Similarly, Bai Yibo was no good at it either, but he had just become a scholar, and it was painful to think of making him work the fields, as if it were beneath him. As for Bai’s third young master, getting half a labor’s worth of work from him was an achievement in itself. Fourth son, Xiaosi, was too young to be of any help.
Despite his old age, he held on to an aspiration to work more. However, his body couldn’t keep up, his methods were outdated, and he didn’t accomplish much over the course of the day. Instead, he ended up being the butt of the jokes from villagers working in the neighboring fields.
Meanwhile, the family in the second branch was enjoying hand-torn pancakes and medicinal soup, prepared by Bai Ruozhu. Everyone was in good spirits as the harvest had been promising, and the family’s food for the year was secure.
Just as their meal finished, they heard a knock on their door. Everyone’s expression changed when they heard Bai Yibo’s voice from outside.
"See, I knew they would come sooner or later, they’re not even late this year. They really don’t want to work an extra day, do they?" Lin Ping’er angrily threw down the rag in her hand, not wanting to clean the table anymore.
Bai Zepei picked up the rag and continued cleaning. Though he had become a top scholar, he still helped out with household chores, never caring about the rule that men should steer clear of the kitchen. He was always ready to lend a helping hand when needed.
However, as he was busy with farm work during the day and had to find time to study at night, Baizepei had a long road ahead. Passing the scholar examination was just the beginning, he couldn’t afford to slack off on his studies now. Seeing him still doing house chores, Lin Ping’er, worried about him, snatched the rag from him and continued cleaning the table.
No one in the family wanted to answer the door, but Bai Yibo’s voice echoed outside loudly enough for the neighbors to hear. Not responding was not an option, and finally, Bai Yihong slowly opened the main gate.
"Younger brother, why did you take so long to open the door? Don’t tell me you’re not welcoming your elder brother?" Bai Yibo sounded discontent when he saw his late-arriving younger brother.
Bai Yihong, being honest and simple, didn’t know how to respond. Lin Ping’er followed him and said loudly, "Your uncle here wishes for our entire family to die. How could we possibly welcome him?"
Lin Ping’er was straightforward with her words. As soon as she finished speaking, restrained laughter sounded from the neighboring courtyard, the onlookers not able to contain their amusement.
Bai Yibo’s face turned red up to his neck. His actions when he was drunk that day were the most embarrassing moment of his life. He wished no one remembered it, but Lin Ping’er had brought it up without any hesitation. He was both embarrassed and enraged, wishing his younger brother would divorce this woman.
"My sister-in-law’s words are harsh. Those were just ramblings of a drunk man, there’s no need to hold a grudge like this?" Bai Yibo stared at Lin Ping’er with a murderous look.
Bai Yihong shifted his stance, shielding his wife, exhibiting an obvious protective stance.
"Elder brother, if you’re broad-minded, then don’t make such drunk comments in the future," Bai Yihong coldly responded.
Bai Ruozhu had also walked over to the door along with her brothers and had heard her father’s words. She almost couldn’t help but cheer aloud, amused by her father’s improved retort and his usage of sarcasm to counter his enemy.