Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 83

In the end, Madam Zhang wasn’t able to stir up any results, and in the blink of an eye, the busy farming season arrived. The other families in the village had already started heading out to harvest wheat. 

In previous years, most of the Yus’ farm work was done by the First and Second branches, but this year, Madam Zhang was angry because the old patriarch refused to let the family funds pay for Yu Zhizhou to attend the county school. So she claimed that both she and her husband were ill and couldn’t go to the fields.

Yu Ruhai was annoyed, but there was nothing he could do. He could only arrange for the Second and Third branches to begin harvesting the wheat.

The couple from the Third branch weren’t cut out for labor. They hadn’t even cut two bundles of wheat before they started complaining about sore backs and aching legs, and went to rest under a big tree by the edge of the field.

Madam Song wiped the sweat from her face with a cloth. She didn’t dare criticize Madam Zhao and her husband, so she simply bent over and silently continued working hard.

Yu Fuling had been doing farm work since she was little and was very capable at harvesting wheat. Her movements were quick and practiced. Yu Jiao, on the other hand, had never cut wheat before. Holding a sickle and imitating Madam Song’s technique, she gathered a handful of wheat and attempted to cut it.

The sickle that seemed sharp in Madam Song’s hands felt dull in Yu Jiao’s. By the time Yu Fuling had harvested a large patch, Yu Jiao had barely cut a small bundle.

Lying lazily on the field ridge, Yu Hanshan took a swig from a water bottle and handed it to Madam Zhao. She took a big drink and then shouted toward the field, “Meng Yujiao! What are you dawdling for? Trying to slack off? Hurry up and cut faster, or don’t expect any dinner tonight!”

Yu Jiao glanced back at her, then quietly turned and continued cutting. She could handle surgical scalpels, there was no way a sickle could defeat her.

Seeing that Yu Jiao had fallen far behind, Yu Fuling came over to her side. As she continued cutting quickly, she demonstrated, “You have to use the sickle like this, pull it back with the grain in one motion.”

Yu Jiao followed her instructions, and it really did become much easier.

Yu Fuling asked curiously, “Have you never harvested wheat at home before?”

Yu Jiao shook her head. “My family didn’t own any land. When Father was alive, he rented two mu of farmland, but he did all the work himself.”

Back when Meng Qingyun was alive, he had doted on Yu Jiao immensely. He rarely let her do household chores, let alone farm work, she’d never touched a grain stalk in her life. After his death, Liu Sanniang couldn’t afford the rent for the fields, so they were returned long ago.

Yu Fuling sighed to herself. No wonder Meng Yujiao’s hands were so soft and delicate, without a single callus. She must have lived a life of comfort as a proper young lady.

Madam Zhao and Yu Hanshan rested for a long time before finally returning to the field. They worked half-heartedly for a short while, then declared it was time for lunch and headed straight home.

Madam Song went to the edge of the field to grab the water bottle, only to find there was barely a mouthful left. She moistened her dry lips and handed the bottle to Yu Jiao. “Here, Meng girl, have a sip of water.”

Yu Jiao shook her head. Although she wasn’t a clean freak, both Madam Zhao and Yu Hanshan had drunk directly from the bottle’s mouth earlier, which made her feel a bit grossed out.

Seeing how sweaty Yu Jiao was, and noticing that Yu Fuling’s back was also soaked through, both girls’ faces flushed from the sun, Madam Song felt a bit of heartache and said gently, “Why don’t you two head home and rest for a bit? Come back after lunch with your third uncle and aunt.”

Yu Fuling replied, “Mom, I’m not tired. I’ll stay and help a bit more.”

“Go on home. Help your third aunt prepare lunch. When you come back this afternoon, bring two bottles of water,” Madam Song said with a smile, encouraging them to leave.

Thinking of how Madam Zhao rarely cooked, and how her eldest aunt-in-law was claiming to be sick, Yu Fuling had no choice but to head home with Yu Jiao.

After the two girls left, Madam Song looked out over the vast field of wheat and sighed. With no able-bodied men in the family to help, she had to carry the burden herself. Not daring to take a break, she picked up her sickle, bent over, and continued working.