Chapter 54: Starting to Farm

“Thread for sale!”

Beside a little roadside stall, an old woman with a hunched back and black cloth clothes sat by a small wooden cart. She watched the passing crowd and called out, “Thread for sale! Thread dyed at home, cheap and good!”

Xiao Cong was drawn over at once. He tugged Da Mao and Er Mao along, gazing longingly at the threads of every color hanging from the little wooden cart.

He was timid and did not dare ask Hua Qi outright. The words circled around in his belly once before he stared at Yun Shan in Hua Qi’s arms and said, “I’m planning to embroider more patterns onto Yun Shan’s clothes. We’re still, still missing some thread.”

“Then buy it,” Hua Qi said at once. “Buy whatever thread you’re missing. You have to make Yun Shan’s clothes beautiful.”

“Mm.” Xiao Cong happily pressed his lips together, let go of Da Mao and Er Mao’s hands, and ran over to the little wooden cart in a few steps. He looked over the threads several times before finally choosing two kinds, red and gold. Red thread embroidered on red cloth would make the talisman patterns harder to spot. Gold thread could be used to bind the edges.

After Xiao Cong chose the thread, Xi Jue was just about to pay when he suddenly glanced sharply toward the alley on the left.

The madwoman they had seen when they first entered town had a smile of success on her face as she crept toward a little girl who was squatting on the ground with her back to her.

“Go away!” Xi Jue barked fiercely toward the alley.

The old woman selling thread trembled in fright and looked at Xi Jue fearfully.

The little girl was scared into standing up and ran into the courtyard.

The madwoman’s figure paused. The look she gave Xi Jue seemed steeped in poison. A moment later, she revealed a strange smile, turned, and disappeared into the alley.

Qiu Sheng naturally saw that smile too. His scalp instantly tingled. A mad person should only know how to grin foolishly.

Hua Qi’s brows drew together for a moment, then quickly loosened. That woman was very strange. But in the end, she was still a mortal. She could not do anything to them at all.

“Are you still buying thread or not?” the old woman asked shakily, holding on to the little wooden cart.

Xi Jue placed the money in his hand on the wooden cart. Tuo Tuo hugged the red cloth and attentively took the thread. He said to Xiao Cong, “I’ll help you carry it.” He grabbed a handful of red thread and grinned so widely his teeth showed, looking exactly like a child in a New Year painting hugging a big carp.

With red cloth and red thread, Tuo Tuo felt that right now, he was the happiest ginseng spirit in the world.

When they had come, the cart had been packed full. After selling the tables and chairs, they finally had room for people to sit.

Wan Niang first helped her mother-in-law onto the cart, then sat down crookedly on the edge of the ox cart. She patted the empty spot beside her and said, “Xiu Niang, hurry over.”

Xiu Niang pushed Hua Qi and said, “Hurry up and sit.”

Two women were already sitting on the cart, so Hua Qi avoided suspicion. “You go sit. I’m not tired. I’ll walk back to the village with them.”

“You carried the child all this time without resting, and you can still walk back? Your body is in good shape. You could even give Xi Jue a few more plump little boys,” Xiu Niang teased.

Xi Jue did not dare respond to that. He expressionlessly looked at the road ahead.

Hua Qi merely smiled, then lowered his head to look at Yun Shan. At some point, the little human cub had fallen asleep. His little mouth was slightly open, one small hand resting on his belly while the other was curled into a little fist and placed against his chest.

The more Hua Qi looked, the prettier Yun Shan seemed. His closed eyes were pretty, his little nose was pretty, his little mouth was pretty, and even his pink little fist was pretty. There were five adorable little dimples on his fair small hand, and the sight made Hua Qi want to take a bite. How could there be such a good-looking little human cub?

Qiu Sheng poked Xi Jue’s arm and smiled ambiguously.

“What are you making that strange face for?” Xi Jue was baffled.

Qiu Sheng said with a grin, “Why are you embarrassed? If you get embarrassed like that, how is Huaniang supposed to have children with you?”

How could Hua Qi possibly have children for him? Xi Jue stopped talking and ignored Qiu Sheng. How could he tell Qiu Sheng that Hua Qi was a male snake?

A trace of gold had dyed the wheat in the fields. Qiu Sheng said, “The crops are growing well this year. In another month, the rice can be harvested.”

The demons collectively followed Qiu Sheng’s gaze and looked into the fields. So these were rice plants! One of the five grains.

“Are we going to plant this in our fields too?” Dou Ming was very interested.

Wang Da Shan laughed. “Your family’s land hasn’t even been opened up yet. There’s no way you’ll make it in time to plant rice. After opening wasteland, you have to fertilize the land first and plant wheat. Only after the wheat is harvested can you plant rice.”

Wan Niang took note of this. This family’s way of doing things really did not seem like ordinary refugees. Not only did they spend money without pain, they did not even know when to plant wheat or rice. They were clearly not a farming family. She had to properly ask Xiu Niang what this family’s background really was.

The entrance to Dongwang Village was a stone bridge. It was called a stone bridge, but one could not see where it looked like a bridge. It looked no different from the road. Beneath the bridge flowed a small river about one zhang wide, and on both sides of the bridge were two square bridge stones.

The shadows cast by the poplar trees on either side firmly covered the little path into the village.

In summer, the elderly men and women of the village loved sitting on the bridge stones to enjoy the cool shade, gathering together to chat about gossip.

The bridge was very lively right now. Young, strong men were squatting beside the bridge stones. Half-grown children were soaking in the little river, laughing and playing. The women leaned against the trees and stared toward the village entrance.

“They’re here, they’re here,” someone shouted.

The squatting men stood up.

A short, skinny old man with a pipe between his lips rose from the bridge stone and walked to the village entrance.

Xi Jue recognized at a glance that the old man was the village head Qiu Sheng had brought him to when they delivered meat before.

The village head took two hard pulls from his pipe, squatted down, and knocked the pipe bowl against the ground, dumping out the black, oily ash inside.

“Third Uncle.” Qiu Sheng jumped down from the ox cart, not understanding the situation. Third Uncle was clearly waiting specifically for them.

The village head greeted him politely, “Qiu Sheng, went to town, did you?”

“We happened to have nothing to do this afternoon, so I took them to town to buy mooncakes.” With one sweep of his eyes, Qiu Sheng spotted Xia Sheng in the crowd and asked curiously, “Third Uncle, did something happen in the village?”

“What else? That wild beast.” The village head sighed in vexation. “Luckily, yesterday only a few chickens were lost, and no one was hurt.”

“We’re just afraid that wild beast will come again tonight. Us old fellows discussed it and decided to find a few young, strong lads to keep watch at night.”

The village head’s gaze passed over Qiu Sheng and landed on Xi Jue and Dou Ming. Everyone in the village knew these two were first-rate hunters. With the two of them, along with Liu Dali, everyone would be safer at night.

Qiu Sheng understood what the village head meant. If Xi Jue and Dou Ming could do their part for the village, they would be able to fit into the village more easily later on.

So Qiu Sheng turned around and discussed it with Xi Jue. “Keeping watch only has benefits for you, no downsides. Help the village with something, and slowly you’ll get familiar with everyone.” He lowered his voice and quickly added, “If you really run into a wild beast you can’t handle, just run.”

Xi Jue and Hua Qi exchanged a glance, then nodded to Qiu Sheng.

Qiu Sheng raised a smiling face to the village head. “Third Uncle, Xi Jue’s family is shy. They just told me they’re very willing to help the village.”

“Good, good, good. Then it’s settled.” With these two here, the village head was no longer worried about anything.

Xia Sheng hurriedly said, “Keep watch near my house.”

“Why would they keep watch at your house?” The village head put his hands behind his back, turned around, and waved his pipe at Xia Sheng. “All your chickens have already been eaten. The wild beast won’t go to your house even if it goes anywhere.”

The crowd burst into laughter. Xia Sheng’s face went pale. He glanced at Qiu Sheng, wanting Xi Jue to take extra care of his family, but then he thought about it. Just yesterday, they had hurt the other family’s child, and Qin Niang had even gone over to make trouble. He truly had no face to ask for this.

After passing the village entrance and five households, Xiu Niang finally asked Xi Jue worriedly, “You often go into the mountains to hunt. Are there many wild beasts on our mountain?”

“There were wolves before, but later, the wolves left. I haven’t seen any other big things.” Xi Jue answered honestly. In the entire Yunling Mountain Range, the three fiercest beasts were all in this village. No big creature lacking eyes would dare invade their territory.

“The wolves left?” Xiu Niang was surprised. “Could it be that after you two killed two wolves, the wolf pack was scared into running away?”

Dou Ming confirmed it with a trace of pride. “Yes.” The wolf pack was nothing more than timid wild animals afraid of death. He was the overlord of the mountains, aside from Hua Qi, Xi Jue, and also Hong Shan.

“You two really are amazing.” Wan Niang had heard about Xi Jue and Dou Ming killing wolves. Liu Dali, the hunter in the village, had been saved from the wolves’ mouths by Dou Ming.

Dou Ming straightened his back even more.

“If you say that, then I’m not worried anymore.” Xiu Niang smiled. “Tonight, I’ll make some extra pancakes. You can bring them when you keep watch at night.”

Dou Ming immediately climbed up the pole offered to him and ordered a dish. “Fry some eggs with peppers. That tastes good stuffed in pancakes.”

“Fine. The eight eggs I gathered this morning, I’ll fry them all for your pancakes.” Xiu Niang was very generous. Wasn’t it just eight eggs? The child was putting in effort, so he ought to eat a little better. It was not as if they could not afford it!

Dou Ming happily said something nice. “Xiu Niang, I love eating the eggs you fry.”

Hua Qi rolled his eyes. The little tiger said it as if he had ever eaten eggs fried by anyone else.

“If you want to eat them, I’ll fry them for you.” Having been praised, Xiu Niang was happy too. Dou Ming, this child, was truly getting better and better at talking.

The ox cart stopped outside Qiu Sheng’s courtyard.

Tuo Tuo and Xiao Cong dragged their newly bought little hoes and charged straight to the back.

Hua Qi, Xi Jue, and Dou Ming, the three demons, followed with faint excitement.

They were finally going to start farming! This was the most important goal they had for coming down the mountain.

Qiu Sheng simply led the ox cart along behind them. It was a good chance to have his father-in-law and eldest brother-in-law help Xi Jue’s family see which piece of land was good. He had followed his master to learn carpentry from the age of twelve, and later became a carpenter. His farming skills, however, were only average.

His father-in-law was different. He had farmed for more than thirty years and was an old hand. Besides, his family’s fields had always been tended well. In the village, they ranked among the better ones.

Tuo Tuo and Xiao Cong had already taken their little hoes and started digging out the small stones in the wasteland.

Tuo Tuo stuck out his rear, sending two white butt cheeks right in front of Da Mao and Er Mao.

“Ew.” Da Mao said, “Tuo Tuo, you have to cover your butt. Showing your butt is shameful.”

“What’s shameful about it?” With one forceful stroke, Tuo Tuo dug out a fist-sized stone and said confidently, “I’m not ashamed at all.”

After walking in a wide circle around the wasteland behind the house Xi Jue’s family had built, Xiu Niang’s father asked, “How many mu of land are you planning to open?”

Xi Jue replied, “From behind the house all the way to the foot of the mountain. Open all of it.”

“What?!” Wang Da Shan’s eyes widened. This family could not be dreaming, could they?

“Don’t joke around. From here to the foot of the mountain, there must be more than two hundred mu. With just the few people in your family, opening two hundred mu of wasteland would take more than ten years. Even if you finished opening the wasteland, you still wouldn’t be able to farm it all.” Wan Niang thought to herself, how exactly had this family lived before? Why did they feel as if they were floating in the clouds and mist?

“Xi Jue, you definitely can’t finish opening two hundred mu. You and Dou Ming are strong. If you can open three mu this year, that would already be incredible.” The way Qiu Sheng looked at Xi Jue carried a strange note. Xiu Niang said Huaniang was definitely a young lady from a wealthy household, but to him, Xi Jue also seemed like a young master from a wealthy household.

Xi Jue frowned and looked toward distant Yunling Mountain, half-hidden and half-visible within the mist. He had never opened wasteland before. He had only felt that this distance was not far. Now, after hearing Qiu Sheng and the others’ words, he felt they were not without reason, so he did not argue. Cautiously, he said, “We’ll try it first.”

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