Chapter 339: The Beauty of Childhood
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The rice in Great Maple Village was also ripe. The villagers stood under the layers of terraces and looked at the layers of golden rice fields on the mountain with tears of excitement. Uncle Gu shouted at everyone, “Fellow villagers, we have food to eat.”
Everyone laughed. “Haha! We have food to eat too.”
“Oh! There’s white rice to eat!” The children also jumped up happily.
Father Gu looked at the jumping children and wiped his tears. He smiled and patted Uncle Gu. He waved his hand and shouted at the villagers, “Everyone, hurry up and do it! Hurry up and take the rice home to dry while the weather is clear. Hurry up and return the rice that you owe to the owner of the rice house.”
“Alright! Let’s collect the rice!” Everyone climbed onto the terraces and got busy.
After all the rice was stored in the warehouse, Li Yu asked Zhou Jia to send a portion of the rice to the cellar of the government office to store it. She put a portion of the rice into the space for emergencies. The rest was stored in the cellar and warehouse of the manor.
After staying for a year, Li Yu asked Ruyi to start registering the farmers in the nearby villages and prepared to sell the remaining rice seeds to those families.
Li Yu entered the space and walked around. She saw the stored information displayed on it. There were more than 2,000 catties of rice and close to 9,000 catties of grains. There was also a hanging pot, some seasoning salt, oil, and medicinal herbs. After a few additions, there were already around 600 arrows, 10 crossbows, four bows, and more than 200 arrows. There was also the machete passed down in the Li family and a few thin-bladed daggers with sleeve arrows.
The meat and noodles had long been exhausted. The wild animals had long been gone because she had not gone up the mountain to hunt in the past few years. Li Yu planned to take advantage of the autumn wild animals to hunt some meat and store it.
In the evening, Zhou Jia returned to the manor. Li Yu looked at him and smiled. “Why are you back so early today?”
Zhou Jia walked forward and hugged Li Yu. He looked at her reluctantly. “Yu’er, I have to set off tomorrow morning to check on the taxation situation in some places. I won’t be back until the public announcement on the second and third day of September. I also want to look for Sir at the same time. I wonder where he and that Daoist priest went to travel?”
Li Yu originally wanted to tell him about hunting in the mountains, but when she heard that he was going out, she didn’t plan to tell him so that he wouldn’t worry.
Li Yu turned to look at Zhou Jia reluctantly and said gently, “Fortunately, Ji
Xiang is back. I’m more at ease with him following you.”
Hearing Li Yu mention Ji Xiang, Zhou Jia thought of Ji Xiang’s marriage. “How’s he and Gu Yu? Should we make the arrangement?”
“Ji Xiang has been gone for two months. When he came back, he was busy with the construction site. I’m not sure how they’re doing. Ask him later.” Speaking of Ji Xiang and Gu Yu, Li Yu smiled. She felt that the two of them were chronic children who were confused about their relationships.
Zhou Jia stood up. “Alright, where did Yang’er go? I haven’t seen him since I came back.”
“Him!” Li Yu smiled when she mentioned her lively son. “He went to the pond with Shuisheng and the others to look at the lotus flowers. A group of children said that they were going to see if there were any budding lotus flowers. Tomorrow morning, they’ll pick two and put them in a bottle for me.” Zhou Jia smiled. “Will the lotus roots planted by Ruyi bloom?”
“I heard that there were a few blooms in the past. There were more yesterday.
Do you want to take a look?”
“Alright.” Zhou Jia held Li Yu’s hand and nodded with a smile. The couple walked out of the courtyard hand in hand toward the pond.
Halfway there, the two of them saw a group of children holding a long bamboo pole. The bamboo pole was tied with a ring made of bamboo strips and was wrapped in spiderwebs. They raised the bamboo pole and chased after the dragonflies to play. Li Yu smiled when she saw this. She recalled that she had played this when she was young in her previous life. When Grandma saw this, she even told her that the dragonflies were raised by the Thunder God. The Thunder God had placed them in the mortal world to help mortals eat mosquitoes. She played the Thunder God Guild to beat people up. Later on, the more pesticides were used, the fewer dragonflies there were. She didn’t expect the children from a thousand years ago to play this game.
Zhou Jia looked at the child running crazily in front of him and couldn’t help but laugh when he recalled his childhood memories. “Yu’er, look, I played with them when I was young. At that time, Ji Xiang was short and couldn’t outrun us every time. He often tripped on the ground in a panic and cried.”
When he was young, he thought about growing up every day. When he grew up, he often recalled the beauty of his childhood. Li Yu pointed at the two people standing by the stream in front of her and smiled softly. “Xiao Xi, look. Aren’t Ji Xiang and Gu Yu standing in front?”
Zhou Jia smiled and nodded. “Yes! Looks like the two of them are getting closer!”
When Yangyang saw her parent, he stuffed his bamboo pole into Little Loach’s hand and ran over. “Father, you’re back? Mother, you’re out too?”
Seeing that he was sweating profusely from running, Li Yu took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his face. “Look, you’re sweating profusely. Are you tired?”
Zhou Jia also smiled and asked, “Didn’t you guys go to look at flowers? Why are you catching dragonflies again?”
Yangyang held Zhou Jia’s hand. “Father, we’ve seen the flowers. A few flowers will bloom tomorrow morning. Brother Seven Pounds and I agreed to pick them tomorrow morning. The bamboo poles are ready.”
Zhou Jia squatted down and looked at him. He said gently, “Alright, do you want to play with your friends for a while or go for a stroll with Father and Mother?”
Yangyang hesitated for a moment. He looked at his companions playing at the side and then at his parents. “I’ll walk around with Father and Mother.”
The family of three walked hand in hand through the field of the cornfield and listened to the rustling of the corn leaves in the wind. Yangyang looked at Li Yu’s stomach and compared it. She asked curiously, “Mother, Brother Seven Pounds said that Auntie Yu has a little sister hidden in her stomach. Why didn’t you hide one?”
When Zhou Jia heard this, he smiled and asked, “Does Yang’er want a little sister?”
Yangyang glanced at Li Yu. “I already have Brother Seven Pounds. I want an elder sister and a younger brother.” Yangyang looked at Li Yu worriedly. “Mother, can I fit two in your stomach?”
Li Yu looked at her son, who was looking at her worriedly and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Ha… Ha…” Zhou Jia laughed out loud and picked up Yangyang. “Aiyo! My silly son!”
Yangyang looked at Zhou Jia and retorted seriously, “Father, I’m not stupid. Mr. Lu and Mr. Liu both praised me for being smart. Grandmaster also praised me for being smart and having a good memory.”
Zhou Jia deliberately bumped into Li Yu. “Wife, look, our son is smart! He knows how to have an elder sister and a younger brother.”
Li Yu glanced at the foolishly smiling father and son and turned around to roll her eyes.
When Ji Xiang and Gu Yu heard Zhou Jia’s happy laughter, Ji Xiang reached out and secretly held Gu Yu’s hand. “Gu Yu, Master is back. I’ll go find Master and Madam and ask them to host our wedding.”
Ji Xiang looked at Gu Yu uneasily. Gu Yu smiled shyly and nodded. “Okay!”
Ji Xiang looked at Gu Yu and grabbed her hand to kiss it. His already extremely small eyes became thin slits as he smiled. “Gu Yu, you’re the best..”