PCJ – Chapter 126 Harvest

Zuan Shanbao, the mountain dog, was more sensitive to ghosts than ordinary dogs. Just after returning, it smelled the special scent of Jin Hu and the others. It found the smell highly unpleasant.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Zuan Shanbao’s fur stood on end as it barked fiercely at Jin Hu and the others.

“What’s wrong with the dog today? Why is it barking so much?” Zhang Youping said in surprise.

Liu Qiaoye frowned, her previously relaxed mind now tense again.

“Your dog is good, but its hearing is too sharp. The slightest noise makes it bark incessantly,” Zhang Manyin commented, annoyed by the dog’s frequent barking whenever he visited his second son’s home.

Zhang Jiaohua patted Zuan Shanbao’s head. “Shanbao, stop barking.”

After being comforted by Zhang Jiaohua, Zuan Shanbao finally quieted down but still kept a wary eye on the five ghosts hiding in Zhang Jiaohua’s room.

Jin Hu and the others were terrified by Zuan Shanbao’s barking. The children trembled at the sound of the dog, having all had experiences of being chased by dogs in the countryside. They watched Zuan Shanbao in fear but still wanted to stay close to Zhang Jiaohua, as all their thoughts revolved around him.

The door to Zhang Jiaohua’s room moved slightly without any wind, a movement that did not escape Liu Qiaoye’s notice. She decided not to mention it, planning to ask Zhang Jiaohua privately after the meal. Fortunately, Zhang Manyin and the others were focused on this year’s harvest.

“The yield from your paddy field looks good this year. You could get seven or eight dan of grain, no problem. At one hundred and thirty-one catties per dan, that’s over a thousand catties. More than a thousand catties per acre! What variety did you plant?” Zhang Manyin’s mind was filled with the golden ears of rice in the fields, pleased with the abundant harvest.

“This year, all the late rice was planted with the new Weiyou 88 variety. Dad, stop being so frugal. Go to the seed companies instead of buying cheap seeds from local seed farmers. Even though the seeds are cheaper, the yield is much lower. In the end, you lose more. The slight savings per catty aren’t worth the hundreds of catties in yield you miss out on,” Zhang Youping pointed out the common issue among the village elders. They always hesitated to buy seeds from official companies, preferring cheaper seeds from local farmers. This wasn’t just about saving face but also about not resisting temptation. The cheaper seeds often had lower germination rates, requiring more seeds per acre and ultimately costing more, with lower yields compared to the new varieties from seed companies.

“That makes sense.” Zhang Manyin now deeply regretted his decision, fearing that his fields would yield two or three times less than his second son’s fields. Indeed, being penny-wise and pound-foolish had cost him dearly.

“Youping, call your dad when you buy seeds next time,” Ma Donghua scolded her husband.

“Call him for what? After the New Year, Youping is going to Guangdong. Why would he need to buy seeds? Should we let Jiaohua handle the farming?” Zhang Manyin said grumpily, his bad mood making him gruff.

Zhang Jiaohua retorted, “I can do it. Our fields won’t be leased to others. I want to farm them myself.”

“Can you farm? Who’s going to help you plant and spray the fields? Don’t think I’m going to help you. Your grandma and I are too old to handle such heavy work. Besides, if we help you, won’t your uncle and aunt expect us to farm their fields too?” Zhang Manyin was already in a foul mood and Zhang Jiaohua’s words only made him angrier.

“Why are you yelling at a child? If he doesn’t want to farm, he doesn’t have to. Can’t you speak nicely?” Ma Donghua tried to calm things down, worried that her son and daughter-in-law would be upset. Normally, the old man slightly favored the eldest grandson, Yuanbao, which had already caused some resentment in the second daughter-in-law. This latest outburst could make things worse.

Zhang Youping, not particularly sensitive, didn’t mind his parents’ attitude, “Yeah, kid, Grandpa is right. Farming isn’t easy. Can you carry a hundred-plus catty load? After the New Year, you should live with your grandparents. You don’t need to do anything. Just study hard and learn as much as you can.”

“No, I’m staying at home. I have hands and feet, and I can take care of myself.” Zhang Jiaohua pouted, grabbed a pile of food, and ran back to his room.

“Look how spoiled the kid is,” Zhang Manyin said, dissatisfied with his grandson’s attitude.

Ma Donghua kicked Zhang Manyin under the table. “Jiaohua is strong-willed. We need to talk to him slowly. He is actually very sensible.”

Liu Qiaoye knew that her son was different from other children, especially in the past few months, with significant changes that sometimes made her wonder if this was still her child. She also knew that changing his mind wouldn’t be easy. But after the New Year, both parents were going to Guangdong. If they couldn’t change his mind by then, what would they do? And now there was an even bigger issue. Liu Qiaoye glanced at Zhang Jiaohua’s closed door.

As soon as Zhang Jiaohua entered the room, Jin Hu and the others surrounded him.

“I’m not going to live with anyone else. I’m staying at home, and I can support myself. I don’t need anyone!” Zhang Jiaohua said, shoveling food into his mouth as if it were his enemy.

After breakfast and a short rest, the family went back to work in the fields.

“Jiaohua, are you coming to the fields with us or staying home to dry the grain?” Liu Qiaoye asked.

“I’m not staying home. I’ll have Shanbao guard the house to keep the chickens in line,” Zhang Jiaohua said, changing into shorts and a vest, ready for fieldwork.

Liu Qiaoye couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re going like that? No, you need to wear long sleeves, or the rice leaves will cut you up.”

Rice leaves have serrated edges that can cut the skin like knives, not very sharp, but enough to hurt Zhang Jiaohua’s tender skin.

Liu Qiaoye quickly found an old jacket for Zhang Jiaohua to wear.

Zhang Manyin, still annoyed with his grandson, said nothing, grabbed a sickle, and headed to the fields.

“Don’t mind your grandpa. That’s just his temperament,” Ma Donghua said, patting her grandson’s head.

Zhang Jiaohua went to the fields, with Jin Hu and the others following him.

Zhang Youping and Zhang Manyin carried the threshing machine, a sturdy and heavy piece of equipment made from rough wood, requiring two strong men to lift it. To lighten the load, the cover was removed, and Liu Qiaoye carried it with a pole and baskets. Ma Donghua carried two baskets of rice, and Zhang Jiaohua followed with a sickle in hand.

Jin Hu and the others followed Zhang Jiaohua, each holding a sickle, but their sickles seemed unusually bright. Zhang Jiaohua kept glancing back, looking like he was checking for someone, though there was no one behind him.

In late autumn, even on sunny days, the sun wasn’t too harsh, instead providing a gentle warmth. The sky was clear with a few wisps of white clouds, eagles soared overhead, and white egrets flew in formation.

The fields were filled with the hum of threshing machines as villagers worked hard. Operating a threshing machine was tough work. The long leaves of the rice stalks would get caught in the machine’s rollers, only to be shredded to pieces by the iron teeth. The rice grains were flung out by the rollers, mostly caught by the machine’s panels and collected in the bin.

Zhang Jiaohua’s job was to hand rice stalks to Zhang Youping and Zhang Manyin, who operated the threshing machine. After arguing with his grandpa at breakfast, Zhang Jiaohua refused to hand the rice stalks to him. Zhang Manyin found it amusing but didn’t mind too much since Zhang Jiaohua’s help was valuable.

Children loved to try operating the threshing machine during breaks. Usually, adults didn’t mind letting them experience the hard work. However, when Zhang Jiaohua took his turn, something strange happened.

Holding a bunch of rice stalks, Zhang Jiaohua climbed onto the machine and began to operate it with difficulty. Suddenly, he seemed to gain strength, effortlessly making the machine roar to life. The rice was threshed cleanly, and the straw was discarded neatly.

Zhang Youping and Zhang Manyin, smoking and resting, were stunned. How could a young child operate the machine so efficiently?

“Jiaohua, what’s going on?” Zhang Manyin’s voice trembled.

Zhang Youping stood up in amazement.

Liu Qiaoye’s heart sank, realizing that what she feared was happening.

Ma Donghua was scared. Her grandson was always causing worry.

Zhang Jiaohua, however, was having a great time. Jin Hu and the others crowded onto the machine, working together to operate it, making it spin like a whirlwind. Rice flowed into the machine, and straw flew out.

In no time, the bin was nearly full.

Zhang Manyin and Zhang Youping didn’t bother with the strangeness, focusing instead on collecting the rice and filling the baskets, which was the most important task at hand.