Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 323 The Calm Lake (63)

The man stared at the alley and muttered to himself, "Am I really seeing things? How could it be you after twenty years?"

After saying this, she let go of the driver's hand and slowly walked towards the alley entrance.

The coachman jogged up to catch up and cautiously asked, "Sir, where are you going? This carriage shouldn't stay here for too long; we have some things to take care of."

The man walked a few steps and then stopped, looking at the empty alley. He sighed, "Well, as people get older, their eyesight gets worse. I'll come back in a few days."

Life returned to its usual tranquility. Shen Siheng still came over every few days to freeload a meal. Each time, he would chatter and argue with Zhang Xuyang non-stop.

Despite his usual fierce demeanor towards Zhang Xuyang, he's always the first to rush to the front lines when something really happens.

Shen Siheng was punished by the teacher to copy books again, and he was sitting there with a miserable expression.

Despite complaining, Zhang Xuyang still brought him the tea.

"You have nothing better to do than show off? That kid thinks he can bully me. He's just jealous because my grades are better than his and the teacher praised me a few times. Why are you arguing with him?"

Shen Siheng, who had already been punished by the teacher to copy the text a hundred times, was now being nagged by Zhang Xuyang. He was so angry that he slammed his pen on the table with a "bang".

"Who am I doing this for? That kid's family business goes against my father's, and I've disliked him for a long time. I've been fighting with him for years. Do you think you can mess with him just because his family has some money? His family is even related to the teacher. If you really anger him, he can kick you out directly. Let's see how you'll pass the imperial examination then. You're ungrateful for my kindness."

After saying that, she hummed twice and ignored him.

Zhang Yueniang quickly offered some words of advice: "Brother, you're doing this for your own good by arguing with him. We've only been here a short time, and our foundation isn't stable yet. What if you provoke those people and they retaliate against you later?"

Meng Jiu shook his head helplessly, already used to this kind of scene: "You two shouldn't argue over this. It's just a punishment of copying a hundred times, what's the big deal? Xu Yang and I will go back and help you copy it thirty times each, okay?"

Shen Siheng nodded in satisfaction: "At least you guys have some conscience."

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she said, "It's been quite a while since I've seen Qi Yu. How about I share twenty more portions with Qi Yu? We'll share the good times and the bad, right?"

"You think Qi Yu is like you, doing nothing all day long? You even have to help Aunt Qi with some housework. You can leave the twenty repetitions to me."

"My lady, the day after tomorrow is Lesser Fullness of Grain." Meng Jiuhe helped collect the ashes.

Xu Chaoyan nodded: "Yes, what's wrong?"

"On the day of Xiaoman, the Master will take us to the outskirts to watch the sacrifice to the God of Chariots. Why don't you take a day off that day?"

Xu Chaoyan stopped what she was doing and looked at him with a puzzled expression: "The day of Xiaoman is for worshipping the God of Chariots."

Meng Jiuhe nodded and explained, "The main purpose of worshipping the God of Chariots on Xiaoman Day is to pray for abundant water resources and a bountiful harvest."

Xu Chaoyan nodded. She had never known this before; she was indeed ignorant.

Xu Chaoyan had already briefly told Meng Jiuhe about her desire to go to the prefectural city.

But this journey won't be easy; there are still various things to arrange.

Over the past six months, he has encountered all sorts of unpleasant things in the county. These things have also affected his marital relationship, and he strongly agrees with leaving.

"What I'm trying to say is that on the day of Xiaoman, why don't you stay home and rest? There probably won't be many people on the streets that day. You can also tidy up the house a bit, and after this minor exam, we'll sell the shop. Let's try to get a chance before the entrance exam for the prefectural school. Xuyang and I will go and try it out first."

Xu Chaoyan nodded: "Okay, I understand. You guys go and help Shen Siheng finish the homework that he was punished to copy a hundred times. My sister and I will be back in a little while."

After Meng Jiuhe left, Xu Chaoyan quickly went to ask Yue Niang about it.

"Sister, what does this ritual to worship the God of Chariots mean?"

"Didn't you participate when you were a child?" Zhang Yueniang asked with some surprise.

Xu Chaoyan shook her head: "No."

"That's true. Your family is well-off and you don't have to work in the fields, so you probably wouldn't know these things."

"Legend has it that during the Lesser Fullness of Grain solar term, the God of the Waterwheel secretly helps people turn the waterwheel to ensure that the farmland has enough water for irrigation. To thank the God of the Waterwheel for his help, and at the same time to pray for favorable weather and abundant water, people will worship him on that day."

"Another legend says that the God of the Waterwheel is a white dragon who controls the water source. Therefore, a ceremony to worship the God of the Waterwheel is held on the day of Xiaoman (Grain Buds). People place offerings such as fish, meat, incense, and candles on the base of the waterwheel. A cup of plain water is specially prepared and poured into the fields during the worship to express respect and gratitude to the God of the Waterwheel, and also to symbolize the hope that the God of the Waterwheel will bring a continuous source of water so that the crops can grow strong." (From Baidu and Doubao)

Xu Chaoyan nodded, looking very interested: "Why don't we go and join in the fun that day? I've never seen anything like it before."

Zhang Yueniang chuckled: "I knew you were asking me all this for no reason! Turns out you were thinking of having fun. After the ceremony, there's a farming custom called 'water snatching'."

Xu Chaoyan became more and more interested as she listened: "It just so happens that the students from the county school will be going to the outskirts that day, so let's go and join in the fun. Maybe it's another business opportunity. We can make some chilled glutinous rice balls. And we can also cook a pot of drinks. I guess besides the county school, Mingyue Academy will also be going. This is also a chance to make money, isn't it?"

Zhang Yueniang looked at her with a look of sudden realization: "How come I didn't think of that? You're so smart."

"By the way, sister, what does this water-grabbing thing mean? It sounds quite interesting."

I happened to overhear Meng Jiu and her conversation, so I explained it to her.

"This is an agricultural custom related to the worship of the waterwheel god, usually organized by an elder leader who gathers all households for the ceremony. At dawn, everyone lights torches and first eats wheat cakes, wheat pancakes, and wheat dumplings at the waterwheel base. Then, the leader signals with drums and gongs, and everyone joins in with their percussion instruments. Afterward, they step onto the waterwheels that have been pre-loaded in the river, and dozens of them start pedaling together to divert river water into the fields. The purpose is to store water and alleviate any drought that may occur throughout the summer after the Lesser Fullness of Grain (Xiaoman)." (From Baidu)

"That means there will be many people along the riverbank in the suburbs on the day of Xiaoman."

Meng Jiuhe nodded: "Besides us, there's also Mingyue Academy. And the people from various villages. My wife, do you have other plans?"

Xu Chaoyan nodded: "It's very hot, and the journey is long. I'd like to prepare two buckets of beverages and chilled glutinous rice balls. I can sell them when I go, and also watch the sacrificial ceremony. It won't interfere with my business. I want to earn more money during this time, because my expenses will be higher when I go to the prefectural city."

Meng Jiuhe said with a worried look, "Wife, there were many people that day, so you need to be careful and pay attention to your safety. I couldn't take care of you that day."

Aunt Qi already knew that the two families were going to move out of the courtyard.

Although we didn't spend much time together, we were still a little sad to see them leave.

She was getting old and didn't want to go through all that trouble, so whenever it was late at night, there was always a faint light coming out of her son's room.

She was caught in a dilemma. She knew that although her son had accepted reality and was living an ordinary life, she still felt it was a waste for him to spend decades studying hard only to become an unknown schoolteacher.

It was all because of those heartless bastards that her son could no longer participate in the imperial examinations. Aunt Qi wiped away her tears with her sleeve and knocked on Qi Yu's door.

Qi Yu looked surprised: "Why is Mother here so late?"

Qi Yu helped her in and sit down.

“I saw that the light was still on in your room, so I thought I’d come and check on you. As I get older, I don’t need to sleep as much.”

Qi Yu hurriedly covered the books on the table: "It's nothing, Mother. I was just looking around. It's getting late. You should go back and rest too. I'll go to sleep now."

Aunt Qi saw her son's flustered attempts to cover up his actions.

“Yu’er, if I let you live an ordinary life with your mother like this, wouldn’t you feel it’s not worth it? If there were a way to reinstate your participation in the imperial examinations, would you be willing to continue living with them? Although you didn’t pass that time, I know you’ve been preparing for this day for so many years.”

Qi Yu was increasingly confused and puzzled: "Mother, what are you saying? This matter is already settled, there is no room for change. Being with you now is my greatest happiness. You have worked so hard all these years, so let me take good care of you in the future."

After hearing her son's words, Aunt Qi felt even more guilty. If she hadn't known her health was failing, he wouldn't have fallen victim to those people's schemes. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, until the sky began to lighten before she finally managed to doze off for a short while.