Fu Xin Ci sat in the shade of a tree, idly watching Yu Er beside her and then glancing at Fang Shi tidying up in the kitchen. She truly didn't know what to do.
She couldn't lie down and sleep here. Being told to sit still felt worse than being killed.
"Sigh." She didn't know how many times she had sighed.
"Sister, I want to go play over there," Yu Er, also restless, mumbled softly to his sister.
"Yu Er, Sister also wants to play, but Mother won't allow it. Neither of us can move."
Yu Er remembered how sadly Mother had cried earlier, and he dared not move anymore.
Seeing the children's little faces contorted in distress, Meng Qing Ping discussed with his son, "I bought some vegetable seeds today. My son and I have nothing else to do, so let's prepare the land. We'll clear a patch, and then plant it. That way, we'll have some vegetables to eat in winter."
"Father, you are right. Wait for me, I'll go get the shovel and hoe."
"Mm," Meng Qing Ping replied softly, then squatted down a few zhang in front of the makeshift shelter and began pulling weeds. He planned for him and his son to start preparing the land from today. If they delayed any further, it would be too late. He had heard people say that snow came early in this region.
"Grandfather, I'll help you pull weeds," Fu Xin Ci said, running over to help when she saw her grandfather pulling weeds.
"Grandfather, Yu Er will also help you pull weeds." Yu Er wouldn't miss an opportunity to avoid just sitting around.
Seeing the two children run over with smiles, Meng Qing Ping didn't speak but smiled and agreed.
Fang Shi heard the noise and looked over. Seeing the two children helping her father-in-law with work, she didn't stop them.
When Fu Yu came out carrying the shovel and hoe, he saw his father squatting in the grassy area with the two children, pulling weeds and chatting happily.
"Father, here's the hoe for you."
"I'll go get the baskets," Fu Xin Ci quickly ran back and returned with two baskets.
She handed one basket to Yu Er, telling him to pick out the grass roots, while she herself picked up stones.
Seeing that the children had clearly divided their tasks, Meng Qing Ping smiled and told them, "Pile the stones by the roadside, and let the grass roots dry. We can burn them to ash and use it as fertilizer."
"Alright," the two children agreed cheerfully and then, with their little bottoms sticking up, began picking grass roots and stones.
Qi He was also kept by his father's side. Qi Yuan Shan was truly afraid that another eagle might suddenly appear and snatch the child. What then!
An eagle might not be able to carry away his son's weight, but its claws were sharp. It would break his heart if his son were injured.
Today, Qi Yuan Shan came over and discussed with Li Shi and the others the matter he had previously discussed with Meng Qing Ping. "Uncle Meng and I have already discussed it. We will build three small courtyards for you behind Uncle Meng's makeshift shelter."
"I must make one thing clear: the land west of the small river belongs to Uncle Meng. Now that Uncle Meng is allowing you to build courtyards, it is his benevolence. I hope you will all know your place and not cause any trouble in the future. I will not be lenient."
"We will certainly know our place, please be assured, Commander Qi."
Qi Ba Zong and his second brother agreed. Meng Qing Huai was overjoyed and dared not ask for more. With a face full of smiles, he accepted.
Xu Shi: "My husband has truly changed into a different person." (Xu Shi now also followed local customs and referred to Meng Qing Huai as 'husband.' Meng Qing Huai felt this appellation was quite pleasant.)
"Then, you three families should discuss among yourselves who will have their house built first. After all, building a proper house is different from building a makeshift shelter. First of all, the thickness of the walls is different. A proper house must be able to withstand winter. If the walls are too thin, it won't do."
After Meng Qing Huai and Li Shi discussed it, they decided to build Meng Qing Huai's house first. It would be the first to be built, as he was the head of the household and had three sons.
A family like his was, in any case, better off than the other two families.
Once they decided, they informed Qi Yuan Shan, who then ordered the soldiers from the garrison to start working.
Building houses, we are professionals.
Qi He was kept by his father and not allowed to go anywhere. He wanted to squat and play with mud but was afraid that Sister Fu would see him and treat him like a child.
As he was contemplating, he saw Grandpa Meng and Uncle Fu preparing the land and immediately became energetic.
He stood up, said to his father, "Father, I'm going to help Grandpa Meng," and ran over.
Qi Yuan Shan was very happy for his son to go to Uncle Meng's place. Seeing his son say he was going to help, he naturally had no objections.
Li Shi and Liu Shi saw Meng Qing Ping and his son preparing the land and discussed it among themselves. They also prepared to go to their own allocated plots to work.
However, they had never done farm work before. Faced with the shovel and hoe, they didn't even know which end to hold.
It was Wang Da Bao who couldn't stand it anymore. He helped them carry the shovel and hoe across the river and demonstrated again for them, only then did they realize that the hoe was for digging.
Wang Da Bao was also speechless. How could they survive in the future if they didn't even know how to do such simple farm work?
He had no choice but to demonstrate a few more times, looking at a group of delicate young girls who looked at a loss. If it weren't for the distinction between men and women, he would have taught them hand in hand. Yet, several girls still couldn't lift the hoe.
Seeing the girls on the verge of tears from frustration, Wang Da Bao surrendered. "Please don't cry. After we finish our work, I'll help you with it."
He had no other choice. He looked at the few young girls trying their best to lift the hoe. But he was truly afraid they would injure themselves.
Alas, since he had started to help, he might as well finish it. This kind of heavy work, he would do it.
After Wang Da Bao finished speaking, he put down the hoe and went back to help build the houses.
Li Shi and Liu Shi were left looking at each other, unsure of what to do next.
"Grandmother, Mother, what should we do?" Meng Yu Lian was the oldest among the girls. As the eldest sister, she had always taken care of her younger brothers and sisters.
Just now, she had also been diligently trying to learn how to use the farming tools, not afraid of the sweat dripping down her cheeks.
However, her strength was truly limited. Even with all her might, she couldn't swing the thing called a hoe.
She dared not let her grandmother and mother see her palms. If her feeling was correct, she had at least three blisters on her palms, a piercing pain.
"Yes, Old Madam, what should we do?" Liu Shi had felt a pang of sadness watching her eldest daughter try to wield the hoe. Then, when she saw the Mei Shi aunt and niece sitting there as if nothing had happened, she felt like beating someone.
Li Shi was also full of anger towards Mei Shi, but now, for the sake of her family's livelihood and her granddaughters' future, she had no time to bother with Mei Shi.
Meng Yu Tang had been standing by the side without speaking. Seeing that his female cousins and half-sisters were all helpless against the heavy hoe, he began to formulate his own plan.
Although he was only ten years old, he was much stronger than his sisters.
"Grandmother, why don't you let me try?"