PCJ – Chapter 122 Do Not Miss the Farming Season

“If you don’t behave, you won’t even save your little butt.” Liu Qiaoye glared at Jiaohua.

“Mom, I’ll be scared alone at home. Let me go out and work with you and Dad. I promise I won’t run around.” Zhang Jiaohua clung to his mother’s clothes, unwilling to let go.

“Let’s just take him along. Otherwise, we won’t be able to focus on our work outside.” Zhang Youping thought for a moment and beckoned to Jiaohua.

Zhang Jiaohua ran over joyfully, and Zhang Youping hoisted him onto his shoulder. Zhang Jiaohua skillfully straddled his father’s shoulders and hugged his father’s head with both hands.

“Let’s go!” Zhang Youping grabbed his hoe with one hand and slung a load of winnowing baskets over his shoulder with the other.

Liu Qiaoye shook her head helplessly but was pleased at heart. As long as the family was together, what was there to worry about?

“Green leaves, thin stalks, little Jiaohua burrows in the earth.” Zhang Jiaohua sang a farm song happily, not caring if it was appropriate.

“Jiaohua, you’re singing the wrong song. We’re going to dig sweet potatoes today.” Zhang Youping deliberately shrugged his shoulders, startling Jiaohua. But Jiaohua, used to this trick, only grew more delighted.

Liu Qiaoye walked behind, also carrying a load of winnowing baskets, with a hoe sticking out from one of them. Watching her husband and Jiaohua enjoy themselves, she couldn’t help but smile.

There weren’t many people out in Meizi Village today. Zhang Dechun had already notified every household, advising villagers not to go out to work. He suggested waiting until the situation passed to tend to the fields. But with so much work piling up in the fields, people couldn’t afford to wait. Despite Zhang Dechun’s earnest advice, some still risked going out.

Zhang Jiuwang’s field was next to Zhang Jiaohua’s, and he was also digging sweet potatoes. Seeing Zhang Youping and his family, he called out, “Youping, why is your whole family out here? Zhang Dechun told everyone not to come out. There are wild animals in the village; it’s dangerous!”

“We’re not visiting relatives in Meizi’ao. If there were wild animals, we’d know, wouldn’t we? The sweet potatoes need harvesting. If a frost hits, they’ll rot in the ground,” Zhang Youping replied nonchalantly.

“Exactly. The rice is almost ripe. If we don’t dig up the sweet potatoes now and take them home, they’ll be ruined by the time we finish the late rice harvest. After the sweet potatoes, we need to plant the rapeseed.” Zhang Jiuwang dug with his hoe, and three large sweet potatoes emerged from the dark soil. He grabbed the short vine and pulled up a cluster of sweet potatoes, shaking off the soil to reveal their purple skins. They were clean and free of soil, but if it rained, the soil would turn to mud, making the sweet potatoes much harder to dig up.

A good farmer knows how to seize the right time for farming, ensuring that each crop is planted and harvested at the best times.

Zhang Youping had learned farming skills from a young age and was now an experienced farmer, skilled at managing farm tasks just as well as seasoned farmers like Zhang Jiuwang.

Children have a natural affinity for soil. From an early age, they treat soil as a gift from nature. Without the fancy toys city kids have, the scent of fresh earth in the vegetable garden excited Zhang Jiaohua, who couldn’t wait to get off his father’s shoulders.

“Dad, let me down! I want to help dig the sweet potatoes!”

Zhang Youping chuckled, threw his farm tools on the ground, and carefully lifted Jiaohua from his shoulders. To him, nothing was more precious than his child.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the opposite mountain, followed by rapid gunfire.

The explosion startled Zhang Jiaohua, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the dirt.

“Is that gunfire?” Zhang Jiuwang, who had been conscripted in his youth, recognized the sound despite having deserted in his first battle.

It was indeed gunfire. At that moment, heavily armed soldiers were surrounding Falling Star Pond. Their guns were aimed at the pond where a giant python was feasting on a water buffalo. On the commander’s order, mortar shells were fired into the pond, causing a series of explosions. But unexpectedly, the python, though heavily injured, was not killed and fiercely emerged from the pond.

The soldiers were stunned, and the commander quickly recovered from his shock, ordering, “Open fire! Quickly, open fire!”

The soldiers concentrated their fire on the python. Despite its mystical qualities and strong body, the bullets tore through its flesh, leaving holes.

“Roar!” The python charged at the soldiers, its terrifying presence causing some new recruits to think of fleeing.

“Don’t panic! Keep firing!” the commander shouted.

The gunfire intensified, but with the python so close, mortars were now useless.

The commander, initially confident in capturing the python, now faced a deadly threat.

Automatic rifles continued to fire, bullets piercing the python’s body. The pain caused it to thrash in the water, making its movements unpredictable. Though gravely wounded, its every move posed a fatal danger.

“Grenades! Throw grenades!” the commander ordered.

Grenades flew through the air, landing on the python.

Feeling the imminent danger, the python had no escape.

Boom… boom… boom…

Continuous explosions erupted on the python’s body.