Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 126 - 65: Gleaning Ears of Grain_1

Chapter 126: Chapter 65: Gleaning Ears of Grain_1
Second watch, Fatty Zhang here, asking for subscriptions, pink hearts, recommendations, and all kinds of tickets.
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"Can we start collecting them today?" Lian Manman put down the work in her hands and asked Xiao Qi.
Xiao Qi nodded, "I just heard that the head of the village has given the word. They said we can start collecting, and Er Ya has already gone."
"Then we should go too," Lian Manman hurriedly said, "Xiao Qi, could you run to the threshing ground and get sister and brother to come back? We’ll go together."
"Alright," Xiao Qi responded and ran off.
The activity of gathering after the harvest, which was unique to the countryside, was rather straightforward. It entailed that after the owners of the fields had harvested their crops, others were permitted to enter the fields to collect any remaining crops, such as ears of grain or sorghum spikes, with the main focus being on collecting ears of grain.
The timing of this activity was also important; one could only go into the fields to gather after the land had been tidied up by the owners. For instance, if someone started harvesting grains right behind the owners, even the most generous farmer would unceremoniously chase them out of the field. That would not be called gathering after the harvest, but blatant robbery.
By unwritten agreement, the right to gather after the harvest was reserved for the children. Of all the seasons, besides the New Year festival, autumn was the happiest time for the children, even though it was also their busiest and most exhausting season.
In a short while, Lian Zhizhi and Wu Lang had returned with Xiao Qi. Lian Manman told Lady Zhang, took out the wicker baskets they had prepared earlier, each taking one in hand, and set off towards the fields.
The area they were heading to for collecting grain ears was quite far. It was located farther south of Nanshan, even beyond the fields they often visited to dig for wild vegetables, separated by a small ridge. There spread a vast expanse of farmland, purportedly belonging to a wealthy Shen family living in Prefecture City. It was said that the Shen family owned numerous plots like these. This year, a large patch of grain had been sown in these fields, which had just been tidied up today, and the people from the farmstead announced that those wishing to gather could now enter and collect the grain ears.
By the time Lian Manman and the others arrived, many other children were already in the fields. They were all carrying baskets, stooping over to search the ground. Lian Manman noted that the field stretched over at least three to four acres, with the grains already harvested, leaving stubble about two inches tall. At the end of the field were bundles of straw not yet carted away, and some stray straws scattered about the ground.
Millet porridge was very nutritious, and this year the Lian family hadn’t planted any grain. Lian Manman planned to collect as many grain ears as possible so that there would be millet porridge to drink in the mornings.
Once in the fields, the children quickly found a spot, spaced themselves out in a line, and began to slowly search from one end of the field to the other. Lian Manman, with a basket in one hand and a stick in the other, scanned the ground rapidly. She also used the stick to push aside scattered straw and weeds in search of grain ears. Soon, she found a plump golden grain ear hidden among a few straws and wild vegetables and quickly stooped down to add it to her basket.
The feeling of unexpected finds was wonderful. Finding a grain ear lifted Lian Manman’s spirits instantly. Given that the field had already been tended to by its owner, some ears were only half left, or partially gone, and many grains had fallen off, but Lian Manman still treasured and collected them as if they were gems. She understood the principle that little by little adds up to a lot.
Time flew by quickly during labor, and the sun had now climbed to its zenith. The autumn sun could sting after prolonged exposure, but fortunately, Lian Manman wore a straw hat and was wrapped up tightly, so although she was sweating, she wasn’t at risk of sunburn. They had made their way from one end of the field to the other, and Lian Manman’s basket was now more than half full of grain ears. In front of them, separated by a stream, lay a village with a large farmyard at the village head, the homestead of the landowner.
Perhaps because the villagers mostly tenanted the land of this farmyard, and the owner’s surname was Shen, the village was named Xiao Shen Tun. Lian Manman knew that farther south, there was another village called Da Shen Tun.
On looking back again, they were now quite distant from Thirty Mile Camp, which, to Lian Manman, had shrunk to a cluster of tiny black dots.
"Let’s rest for a bit," Lian Manman called the other children to her side.
Just then, two people leading a horse began to approach slowly from the direction of the stream.
Lian Manman glanced at them but paid no mind as she, Lian Zhizhi, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi sat down at the edge of the field. She took a cloth bundle from her basket, unfolded it to reveal four pancake rolls. Made that morning, the pancakes were smeared with a layer of meat sauce and wrapped with green onion, dried tofu shreds, and pickled long beans, prepared specifically for a midday snack.