Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 59 - 58: The Whole Family Pitching In (Third Update)

Chapter 59: Chapter 58: The Whole Family Pitching In (Third Update)
Around four-thirty in the morning, Qin Yao and Liu Ji got up.
After a night’s sleep, Liu Ji’s arms, which felt fine yesterday, were now sore and swollen, and his legs were heavy. He drew a sharp breath as he descended the steps, feeling the delightful ache.
This is what happens to someone unaccustomed to exercise when they suddenly engage in strenuous work. Qin Yao nodded understandingly, then handed him a sickle, "Let’s go."
The two had a simple bite to fill their stomachs, then packed their lunch and water before heading out.
Qin Yao carried a carrying pole and ropes and wore a sun hat borrowed from He. It not only shielded her from the sun, but the cloth connected from the brim to her chest also kept mosquitoes at bay, revealing only her eyes.
She wore light shoes and socks, with her pant legs tucked into her socks and secured tightly with bands. Having learned from experience, she was well-prepared this time.
Leaving the village, they walked for nearly an hour before reaching their destination.
This area merged with the neighboring village’s forests, alongside several plots of cultivated wasteland, all belonging to the neighboring village.
When they arrived, people from the other village had already been busy in the fields for a while.
Since they were unfamiliar with each other, there was no need for greetings. They got down to work, each minding their own task.
Seeing the state of the field, Qin Yao understood why the wheat Liu Ji brought back yesterday was mixed with weeds.
Because the field was overgrown with grass as far as the eye could see!
This unattended land surprisingly still produced wheat grains, which was unexpected.
Despite the small size of mosquito legs, they’re still meat. Harvesting from these two acres should yield about a hundred pounds.
Liu Ji had already harvested one acre yesterday. With Qin Yao handling bundling and transport today, he went straight to reaping the other acre of wheat.
Every time Qin Yao bundled a load, she would use the carrying pole to carry it back first.
Walking alone, she moved more quickly, making a round trip in two and a half hours. After two trips, Liu Ji had finished reaping the wheat and was sitting under a shady tree, munching on the food they brought in the morning.
Qin Yao also put down her carrying pole, sat down to eat, and rested for a while.
After eating, under Qin Yao’s forceful persuasion, Liu Ji, who initially wanted to lie down, was forced to get up and help bundle the wheat.
Qin Yao said, "Move quicker, the sooner we’re done, the sooner we can go home and rest, it’s good for everyone. Otherwise, don’t blame me for smacking you here!"
Liu Ji was too tired to speak, simply nodding and clearly quickening his previously sluggish movements.
At dusk, the last two loads were bundled up, each carrying one back home, finally wrapping up the two acres of wheat.
All day long, the four Da Lang siblings stayed home practicing writing and didn’t go out to play.
After lunch, they sorted out the wheat their parents brought back, removed the weeds, threshed out the wheat grains with wooden mallets, and spread them out in the yard to dry.
The four kids even seemed more skilled at these chores than Qin Yao and Liu Ji, the two adults.
Sanlang and Si Niang, who had tender faces nurtured over the winter, were left rosy by the pricks of wheat awns and weeds.
But there was no complaint from them as they followed their elder brothers, picking out weeds bit by bit. When their small hands couldn’t hold any more, they took them outside to discard by the firewood shed, where they could still be used to start a fire.
At dusk, with half of the sun still hanging on the mountaintop, Qin Yao and Liu Ji returned home carrying the remaining wheat.
Just as they set down their loads, they saw Sanlang and Si Niang helping their siblings gather the dried wheat so the morning dew wouldn’t wet it, which would waste a day’s worth of drying.
The amount of wheat left after picking out the weeds wasn’t much, with both baskets not even completely filled.
Qin Yao scooped a basin of cool water to wash her face and hands, feeling a pang seeing the four children’s rosy cheeks.
"Come here, all of you, wipe your faces." Qin Yao called them to put the baskets down, telling them she would bring them inside later.
The four children ran over with smiles, and Qin Yao first washed their hands, then filled another basin of clean water for them to wipe their faces.
Sanlang and Si Niang giggled with joy, their big eyes looking at Qin Yao as they softly called her, "Mother."
Qin Yao looked at Sanlang in surprise; the little guy was also following his sister in calling her Mother.
Her heart softened, and she gave each of their cute little faces a big smooch.
Sanlang’s little face turned even redder, shyly hiding behind his sister, showing only his bright, sparkling eyes.
Si Niang dumbly touched the spot where she was kissed, grinning foolishly with a "hee-hee" laugh.
Already clingy, she now held onto Qin Yao’s hem like a piece of sticky candy, wanting to be her leg’s little ornament wherever she went.
Da Lang and Second Lang exchanged a glance and laughed secretly.
As for Liu Ji, he went straight into the kitchen after entering the door, grabbed some sugar, made himself a bowl of sweet and sour sugar water, drank more than half the bowl in one gulp, then sat down in front of the stove, ready to sleep at any moment.
Qin Yao couldn’t help herself and gave him a solid punch!
After being with Qin Yao for so long, Liu Ji had already mastered the art of dodging, leaning his head to avoid the fist aiming for his face as the punch came sweeping in.
But his shoulder took a solid hit, and he fell over, crying out in pain as he hit the ground.
"Aren’t you going to start cooking?" Qin Yao urged impatiently.
Perhaps the farm work had worn her out too much; seeing Liu Ji idling around made her even more irritated.
However, Liu Ji took the opportunity to lie on the ground, groaning, but refusing to get up.
In the end, it was Da Lang and Second Lang who were afraid their father would be beaten to death by their stepmother, so they voluntarily took on the task.
Liu Ji was deeply moved, "Da Lang, Second Lang, having you two is my greatest blessing as a father!"
The meals over the winter had been good, and nine-year-old Da Lang had grown quite a bit, able to stand in front of the stove without needing a stool.
Da Lang asked Second Lang to help with the fire, and the two young boys started cooking in earnest.
"Mother, are you tired?" Si Niang asked with concern.
With a gentle smile, Qin Yao assured her she wasn’t tired, then walked over, grabbed Liu Ji, and threw him into the main room, having no energy left to deal with him.
Because she was also exhausted today, lacking the strength for a battle of wits with the layabout.
With someone else cooking, Qin Yao sat down contentedly on a chair to rest, with Sanlang and Si Niang squatting on either side, offering to massage Mother’s legs.
Their little hands didn’t have much strength, but the tapping felt so warm in her heart. Qin Yao closed her eyes and sighed:
"Another beautiful day!"
As for Liu Ji, lying on the ground uncared for, he mused: The word "envy," I’m too tired to say it anymore!
Da Lang and Second Lang cooked wild vegetable porridge, perfectly seasoned, and Qin Yao drank five big bowls.
With a full stomach, her energy returned.
The tableware was left for the four children to clean up while Qin Yao grabbed Liu Ji, bringing him out to the yard to separate the leftover wheat from the weeds, preparing them for drying tomorrow.
Having taken a solid punch, Liu Ji was more obedient, enduring the pain as the two of them lit lanterns, working tirelessly in the yard until the moon reached its zenith. Only then did they finish clearing away all the weeds, knocking out the wheat grains before returning to their room to sleep.
After a day’s farm work, they fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillow, with improved sleep quality.
The next two days were sunny, allowing all the wheat to be laid out on old mats for drying. Qin Yao and Liu Ji took turns, each spending half a day flipping the wheat to ensure even drying.
Compared to the previous task of reaping, this work could completely be described as relaxing.
With the wheat dried, only the final procedure remained—hulling.
The good news was the wheat, less than two hundred pounds, perfectly filling two baskets.
The bad news was the millstone for hulling was operated manually.