In the blink of an eye, it was already mid-September, and the autumn harvest had begun.
Normally, the brigade primary school should have started classes in September. But this was the countryside, and the harvest season was about to begin. Everyone, whether adults or children, had to participate in the farm work.
When harvesting wheat and transporting it, some grains would always fall to the ground. That was when the children became useful. They carried small baskets into the fields to pick up the leftover wheat ears, and they would earn work points based on the amount they collected. After one harvest season, they could earn at least a dozen work points.
To rural people, those work points were far more important than attending a few extra days of school. That was why rural schools usually started classes in October.
Early in the morning, at the threshing ground, Father Su stood on the platform and, as usual, gave a speech before the harvest began. Raising his voice, he shouted:
“Villagers, the autumn harvest is about to begin! Everyone, regardless of age or gender, must work in the fields. We need to bring in the crops as quickly as possible and pay close attention to the weather changes. This concerns whether we can hand in the grain quota and whether we’ll have enough food for the second half of the year. After the harvest is over, we’ll slaughter a pig for everyone!”
The villagers below chatted among themselves and barely listened. After all, Father Su gave the same speech every harvest season, and everyone practically knew it by heart already. Only when they heard about slaughtering a pig did the villagers enthusiastically clap and shout back, “Good!”
Father Su wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave one final shout:
“Autumn harvest begins now!”
The villagers immediately scattered to get their tools and start working.
Father Su looked around and walked over to the educated youths. Only the four newly arrived youths were still there.
“You’re all new here and this is your first harvest season,” he said. “You probably don’t know how to use sickles yet, so don’t cut wheat for now. The two male youths can bundle and carry the harvested wheat, while the two female youths can pick corn. Those jobs are easier to learn.”
Song Weiguo and the others nodded to show they understood. After thanking Father Su, they left to work.
Watching them leave, Father Su secretly nodded in approval. The four new educated youths were all honest and obedient, unlike the youths from the neighboring brigade who refused to work in the fields.
Father Su muttered to himself, “If you come to the countryside and don’t work in the fields, then what are you here for? We can’t possibly work to support you. The villagers were already unhappy about sharing grain with them, and now they still don’t want to work? What kind of logic is that?”
While thinking this, Father Su also grabbed his tools and headed to the fields. During the harvest season, even the brigade leader had to work.
At this moment, Su Wan was holding a long wooden pole and standing under the shade of a tree beside the threshing ground, chatting casually with Su Yan. Even though it was already September, the weather was still very hot. Su Wan didn’t want to get tanned, so she wrapped herself up tightly, which only made her feel even hotter.
When they saw ox carts full of wheat arriving, Su Wan and Su Yan walked over and spread the unloaded wheat evenly under the sun so every wheat ear could dry properly. After spreading it out, they still couldn’t leave. They had to turn the wheat from time to time and chase away sparrows so they wouldn’t eat it.
Honestly, guarding the wheat was much easier than other farm work. Normally, capable young people like Su Wan and Su Yan wouldn’t have gotten such an easy task.
But Father Su couldn’t bear to let his daughter work in the fields. Besides, Su Wan was already a teacher now, so no one had any objections. As for Su Yan, she was about to get married. Second Aunt Su doted on her daughter and wanted her to rest and take care of herself before the wedding, so she wouldn’t let her work in the fields. Since they were relatives, Father Su naturally agreed and let Su Yan guard the wheat too.
Meanwhile, things were not easy for Liu Rongrong.
In Father Su’s eyes, picking corn was already considered a light task. It didn’t require any tools and was easy to learn. But for Liu Rongrong, who had never done farm work before, it was anything but easy.
Standing in the cornfield, even though she was wrapped up tightly, the messy corn leaves still scratched against her skin painfully. Picking corn also required strength. Even with gloves on, her hands still hurt terribly from the friction.
Never before had Liu Rongrong regretted so deeply why she had transmigrated into this novel. Even with the promise of a wonderful future hanging ahead of her, she still couldn’t endure it anymore at this moment.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Liu Rongrong felt itchy all over her body from head to toe.
Just thinking about how the harvest would continue for another half month made her vision darken. No, she truly couldn’t hold on anymore.
It was almost noon. Su Wan checked the time and said to Su Yan, “Su Yan, I’m going home first to cook.”
Su Yan replied from the side, “Alright, go ahead. I’ll watch things here.”
Su Yan’s family had her sister-in-law cooking at home, but in the Su family, only Su Wan could go back to prepare the meal.
After returning home, Su Wan first took out the mung beans she had soaked the night before and started cooking mung bean soup. The weather was so hot that she wanted to help her parents cool off.
The autumn harvest was exhausting, so every household ate a little better during this period. The Su family was no exception.
Su Wan skillfully placed a bamboo steaming rack into the pot and put the white flour buns she had made yesterday on top to steam, while mung bean soup cooked underneath. Then she went to the vegetable garden and picked some cucumbers and string beans. She planned to make stir-fried string beans with meat and a cold cucumber salad.
Both dishes were simple and quick. Soon, Su Wan had finished cooking. She packed the dishes and buns into three lunch boxes and filled a thermos with mung bean soup.
Afraid her parents would be hungry; she decided to deliver the food first and eat later at the threshing ground herself.
Carrying the basket, Su Wan walked down the road, where groups of people were also bringing meals to the fields. During harvest season, people usually ate in the fields to avoid wasting time.
By the time Su Wan arrived, Father Su had just found Mother Su.
Seeing Su Wan come over, Mother Su took the basket and asked, “Su Wan, have you eaten yet?”
Su Wan smiled. “I brought food for you first. I’ll eat later at the threshing ground. Su Yan is still guarding the wheat there.”
Father Su nodded and took a huge bite of his bun. “Alright, you should hurry back and eat too. Just leave the lunch boxes here.”
Just as Su Wan stood up to leave, someone suddenly shouted:
“Oh no! Someone collapsed from heatstroke!”
Hearing that someone had fainted, Father Su immediately put down his lunch box and ran over. Su Wan and Mother Su followed behind him.
They saw a crowd gathered together. Father Su shouted loudly:
“Move aside! Move aside! Don’t crowd around. Who fainted?”
The villagers quickly made way for him. When Su Wan got closer, she saw that the person lying there was Liu Rongrong.
Su Wan crouched beside her and saw that her face was flushed red and covered in sweat.
She quickly said to the villagers, “Don’t crowd around her. Hurry and carry her into the shade.”
Mother Su and several older women carried Liu Rongrong to the shade and laid her flat on the ground. Since the others avoided coming too close out of propriety, Su Wan loosened Liu Rongrong’s collar, gave her water, and fanned her. Only after Liu Rongrong’s complexion gradually improved did Mother Su finally relax. Seeing that things were fine, the older women left.