Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 111

“Xiao Shitou, where’s your brother?”

After finishing school, Pei Che heads straight back to his residence. The first thing he does is loudly call out for Jiang Miao, but no one responds. He searches all around the courtyard but doesn’t see any sign of Jiang Miao. However, he finds the two kids in the study room, both working on their homework.

Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu have been attending classes here for ten days now and are gradually getting used to the teaching methods. In addition to the old scholar Tan at the elementary academy, there is also a young tutor. On regular days, old scholar Tan teaches them from the books, while the younger tutor instructs them in martial arts. Recently, whenever they come home, they rush to finish their homework. Afterward, they go out into the courtyard, imitating the martial arts moves the young tutor teaches them, sometimes even picking up small wooden sticks to use as swords.

Hearing Pei Che’s question, Xiao Shitou looks up and says, “Brother said he has something to do and went out. He told us to study hard at home.”

“Did he say what it was?” Pei Che frowns. This has been happening for two or three days now. On the first day, he doesn’t think much of it, but now he takes it seriously.

“Brother Miao… didn’t say,” Pei Mu responds, seemingly a bit upset. He probably wants to follow along but can’t because he has homework to do.

“Never mind. Just focus on your homework,” Pei Che says as he leaves the study room, gently closing the door behind him.

He considers going out to look for Jiang Miao, but the back mountain is vast, and there’s no clear place to search, so he gives up. He sits down somewhere in the courtyard, takes out a book from his bag, and starts reading. However, he barely manages to read two lines before looking up at the courtyard gate, which makes it difficult for him to concentrate on reading.

About half an hour later, he hears voices from outside. In addition to Jiang Miao’s voice, there are some female voices as well. Though he can’t make out their exact conversation, the joy in their tone is unmistakable.

Pei Che immediately becomes alert. He puts down his book and quietly moves to the door, trying to eavesdrop on what they’re saying. But the thick courtyard gate, coupled with the overlapping and indistinct chatter, prevents him from catching anything clearly, leaving him anxious and frustrated.

He perks up his ears, carefully trying to listen to their conversation, but doesn’t notice a set of light footsteps approaching. When the door is pushed open, it’s too late for him to retreat, so he quickly extends his hand, pretending as if he’s about to open the door and step out.

“You’re back?” Jiang Miao’s face is still full of smiles.

“I came back half an hour ago. By the way, where did you go? The two kids are saying they’re hungry,” Pei Che uses the children as an excuse while still glancing outside, trying to spot the people who were just chatting with Jiang Miao.

Jiang Miao doesn’t notice his gaze and, after hearing what he says, replies with some confusion, “But when I brought them back, I gave each of them a steamed bun. How could they be hungry already?”

By now, those people have already walked along the path and are hidden behind the courtyard wall at the bend. All Pei Che can see are the hems of their skirts, without catching a clear view of the rest. He withdraws his gaze and casually makes up an excuse: “They probably used up a lot of energy during martial arts class. It’s normal to get hungry faster. But you… you’ve seemed quite busy lately. There have been several times when I come back, and you aren’t here.”

Pei Che’s tone sounds casual, but his eyes are fixed on Jiang Miao, eager to get an answer from him.

Jiang Miao walks in and says, “It’s nothing really. I’ve just been helping some of the women plant vegetables. I noticed there’s a large empty plot of land behind here, and since there’s not much to do anyway, I figured growing some vegetables to eat would be convenient.”

“Growing vegetables to eat?” This is something Pei Che could never have imagined. “Why bother growing vegetables? If the ones they bring up aren’t to your taste, we can have someone buy and deliver fresh ones daily, and I’ll cover all the expenses.”

Pei Che doesn’t want Jiang Miao to toil away every day under the sun, thinking farming is an incredibly labor-intensive task.

Jiang Miao explains, “It’s not about saving money. I’ve got nothing to do all day anyway, so doing a bit of work is just to pass the time. Plus, we can get some fresh vegetables to eat. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?”

He has no intention of relying on farming for a living, but tending to a couple of small vegetable plots and growing some of his favorite vegetables is something he finds quite enjoyable.

…

That day, after hearing from Aunt Luo that they can order vegetables from the main canteen, Jiang Miao goes to pay for the service. But after eating the delivered food for a few days, he notices that while the meat dishes often change, the seasonal vegetables are always the same three or four types, rotating repeatedly.

Being naturally frugal, Jiang Miao feels that spending extra money to order vegetables isn’t worth it—he figures the delivery fee is likely more expensive than the vegetables themselves. That’s when he gets the idea to grow his own vegetables.

Initially, his plan is to collect some broken clay pots, place them in the courtyard, fill them with soil, and grow things like scallions, garlic, and small leafy greens. That way, he can pull them up whenever he wants to eat, ensuring they’re fresh and saving money. Back at his old place, he grows lots of vegetables on his little balcony. While others’ balconies are filled with flowers and plants, his is covered with scallions, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

After searching around, Jiang Miao doesn’t find any broken clay pots, but he does come across a patch of land overgrown with weeds. The wild grass is thick and flourishing, a clear sign that the soil beneath is fertile. Jiang Miao feels heartbroken—leaving such good land uncultivated is a real waste! Unfortunately, the land isn’t his.

As he walks back, full of regret, he runs into Aunt Luo, who is carrying some things. Seeing the expression on Jiang Miao’s face, she thinks to offer some comforting words. When she finds out what is bothering him, she can’t help but laugh.

“This land belongs to the Imperial Academy, but no one has ever farmed it. If you want to grow something here, feel free to use it,” Aunt Luo says.

Jiang Miao hesitates. “What if, after I plant something, someone comes to cause trouble or reclaims the land?” He doesn’t want to waste his efforts for nothing.

Aunt Luo laughs, “Don’t worry, I guarantee that no one will bother you, nor will anyone take the land back.”

Hearing her speak with such confidence, Jiang Miao becomes even more curious about who Aunt Luo really is—she must be the wife of some official from the Imperial Academy, judging by how authoritative she sounds. Since she reassures him so firmly, Jiang Miao decides not to hold back any longer.

That very day, he squats down and slowly starts pulling out the weeds. As he works, he also separates some of the edible wild vegetables mixed in with the weeds and sets them aside to take home later. After a while, Aunt Luo brings a few other similarly dressed women over; they have all heard that Jiang Miao is planting vegetables and come to see what’s happening.

“Brother Jiang, what’s this pile here?” one of them asks, pointing at the wild vegetables he has set aside.

Jiang Miao looks up and replies, “This is sowthistle, and that’s purslane. They’re wild vegetables. They make a great appetizing salad. If you don’t mind, feel free to take some home later.”

Aunt Luo says, “That’s great! We’ve been worried about our families not having an appetite during the summer. Brother Jiang, we won’t take your vegetables for free. In return, we’ll help you pull the weeds, and you can teach us how to prepare them.” Clearly the leader, Aunt Luo’s words prompt the others to jump right into pulling the weeds without hesitation.

Jiang Miao tries to stop them, but they don’t listen. In just one afternoon, all the weeds on the large patch of land are cleared. Luckily, the soil is soft, so pulling the weeds isn’t too difficult; otherwise, their hands would have blistered.

Jiang Miao divides up the wild vegetables among them and patiently explains how to prepare them to make them refreshing and not bitter. After trying it out, the women realize that the wild vegetables indeed taste much better.

The next day, when Jiang Miao borrows farming tools to start tilling the land, he finds that the women have returned. Living on the back mountain with not much else to do, they have grown quite interested in Jiang Miao’s vegetable planting and aren’t about to miss out on the excitement.

As Jiang Miao digs the soil, he answers the questions the women are asking. Seeing how interested they are in the whole process, he asks if they want to grow vegetables together. Some of the women are tempted, so Jiang Miao immediately divides the large plot into several sections with his hoe, assigning each of them a plot of land. After all, the land is too big for him to farm alone, and if everyone plants something, no one will come after only his crops later on.

Everyone takes turns borrowing Jiang Miao’s farming tools to cultivate the land, but since they aren’t used to farm work, most of the digging is done by Jiang Miao.

Once the soil is ready, they have someone bring in some vegetable seedlings and seeds to plant. In the evening, they make sure to water the garden so the plants won’t wilt under the sun after all their efforts.

…

After hearing this, Pei Che isn’t sure how to persuade him otherwise, so he simply says, “From now on, I’ll come back earlier and help you tend to the vegetable garden.” He still believes that farming is hard and exhausting work.

Jiang Miao bursts out laughing, amused by the mental image he has created. He can’t imagine Pei Che farming—the man is such a neat freak that simply standing near the garden would likely be his limit.

Pei Che doesn’t understand what Jiang Miao is laughing at. He assumes Jiang Miao is happy about the offer of help, so he smiles along with him.