The first night in Gouzi Brigade, the Fu family slept deeply.
They woke in the morning to birdsong, livestock calls, and Tuanzi’s butt-wiggling dance.
With pots, bowls, ladles, and basins all available, the Fu family simply cooked some food for breakfast. After eating, they were ready to head to work.
Fourth Brother Fu instructed the little ones at home: “Yuhao, Yuhe, Yuyi, you three take good care of Grandpa, Grandma, your little sister, and Xiaoshen at home, understand?”
Yuhao was Third Master Fu’s child, eleven years old. Yuhe was Old Second Fu’s child, ten years old. Yuyi was also from the third branch, six years old.
These three brothers were too young to go work in the fields.
The elderly couple, due to their age, also didn’t have to go.
Pang Fu was too young, and Qingqing Yin’s mental state wasn’t good, so they didn’t have to go either.
But the others had no choice.
Ma Sanye had already informed them yesterday, so early this morning, they all had to go to the fields.
The three little ones felt their task was significant and nodded solemnly in assurance.
“Fourth Uncle, don’t worry, we’ll take good care of Grandpa, Grandma, our little sister, and Xiaoshen.” As the eldest left behind, Fu Yuhao took on this heavy responsibility.
Fourth Brother Fu patted their heads and headed to the fields with the other Fu family members.
Before going to the fields, they had to gather at the drying ground to collect farming tools.
When they arrived at the drying ground, the Fu family realized there were quite a few people in this remote mountain area—densely packed, estimated to be over a thousand.
The appearance of the Fu family piqued the curiosity of others, who glanced at them intentionally or unintentionally.
Ma Sanye cleared his throat: “Alright, alright, quiet down, everyone. Listen to me as I assign today’s tasks.”
The crowd quieted down, and Ma Sanye began assigning tasks one by one.
It was the first time the Fu family learned that rural work could be so varied. With so many people assigned tasks, time was still tight.
Ma Sanye, taking into account that they were unfamiliar with farm work and their physical stamina couldn’t keep up, assigned them the relatively easier task of harvesting sweet potatoes.
This task indeed seemed easier, as those assigned alongside them were mostly older or younger individuals.
“Once everyone knows their tasks, go collect your farming tools. Ma Shi’er, take the Fu family uncles and aunts to get their tools, head to the fields, and teach them how to do the work.”
Ma Shi’er, Aunt Hao’s youngest grandson, twelve years old, was built like a young bull—tall and sturdy, estimated to be 175 cm tall and 70 kg, strong enough to be used as an adult.
“Understood, Third Master.”
His voice was also booming, echoing loudly with a single shout.
Having received the order, he approached the Fu family, his eyes sparkling. Mainly, his grandmother’s vivid description of the events on the train had stirred the little adult’s blood, making him lament not being able to participate firsthand. Naturally, he developed a layer of admiration for the Fu family, especially Old Second Fu.
“Uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters, hello! I’m Ma Shi’er, you can just call me Shi’er. Harvesting sweet potatoes is very simple, don’t worry. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me—I know everything.”
Fourth Brother Fu couldn’t help but chuckle at his energetic demeanor: “Then we’ll trouble you, little comrade.”
Ma Shi’er grinned widely, laughing heartily: “No trouble at all. Let’s go. The sweet potatoes are planted in the orange grove, using intercropping.
The grove isn’t too sunny, but there are too many branches and thorns. Be careful not to get scratched—those thorns hurt like hell if they catch you.”
Third Master Fu laughed: “You even practice intercropping here?”
Ma Shi’er instantly swelled with pride: “Of course, experts from above came specially to teach us. We’ve planted them really well, getting several hundred catties more per mu. The land saved can be used for other crops, and we can also tidy up the citrus groves at the same time, saving a lot of time.
You probably don’t know, but our oranges here are big and sweet. In another month or two, they’ll be ready to eat. This year’s oranges are especially good. You can all try some when the time comes.”
Ma Shi’er was energetic, lively, and talkative. He chattered nonstop along the way, and from his words, the Fu Family learned a lot about the village.
The entire Gouzi Brigade consists of three small teams, which are essentially three villages.
Outsiders call them teams, but the locals usually refer to them as villages: Shangou Village, Zhonggou Village, and Xia Gou Cun.
Zhonggou Village is mostly populated by the Ma surname, while Shangou Village and Xia Gou Cun have mixed surnames. The village they were currently in was Zhonggou Village.
The three villages are built along the river—the same river whose flowing water they heard at night.
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the only way in or out is that narrow path.
Among those mountains, there are many other villages. Although they don’t interact frequently, there is still considerable contact, and intermarriage between them is common.
The land of the Gouzi Brigade is either on the mountains or at the foot of the slopes. The Fu Family, unaccustomed to climbing up and down, were panting after just a few steps. However, with Ma Shi’er’s constant chatter as company, the journey wasn’t too unbearable.
It took about half an hour to reach the fields. From a distance, they saw a vast expanse of citrus trees at varying heights, laden with clusters of oranges, still greenish-yellow and needing a bit more time to ripen.
Beneath the trees were rows of sweet potatoes, their vines tinged with yellow.
Their task for the day was to cut down the sweet potato vines from this area—covering twenty to thirty mu—and transport them back to store as winter feed for pigs, cattle, and sheep.
Ma Shi’er said, “This is the place. Uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters, you’ll start with these two plots. Use sickles to cut the vines close to the soil, leaving a bit of stubble so it’s easier to spot when digging up the sweet potatoes later.
Be careful not to cut your hands or feet while cutting. When you have a bundle about this big, tie it up with the vines and pile them together. We’ll carry them down the mountain later.”
Though young, Ma Shi’er was skilled at farm work. He demonstrated the entire process from start to finish for the Fu Family, doing an excellent job.
The Fu Family thought it looked quite simple and said they understood, but only after starting did they realize the difficulty.
The first challenge was their backs—bending over for less than ten minutes felt like they were about to break.
…
At the dilapidated shed at the end of the village.
A group of little kids gathered around Pang Fu, staring.
“Why are you so fat?”
[What do these brats know? This is called good fortune.]
Pang Fu blinked her big eyes and looked over.
“Why are you so dark?”
[Have you looked in a mirror? Do you even know how dark you are?]
Pang Fu blinked her big eyes again and looked back.
“They say you’re a little bad fz.”
[You’re the bad ones. So young and already gossiping like adults.]
Pang Fu lifted her chin and looked ahead.
“What’s that you’re holding?”
[It’s a baby bottle, you little country bumpkin.]
Pang Fu picked up Fanfan and took a few sips.
“Do you want to come herd sheep with us?”
[Herd what sheep? No way, they stink.]
Baba was like a critic, firing back at every comment. Pang Fu, with her little ears perked up, could hardly keep up.
Her eyes fell on the bleating black goats, and she grinned, showing her little teeth. “Sheep.”
The little kids said, “Yeah, sheep. Do you want to come?”
“Yes.”
Baba was exasperated. [Little master, they insulted you and you still want to go?]
Pang Fu said, “Not insult Baby.”
“Not scolding you, let’s go.” The little ones waved their small, grimy hands, herding over thirty black goats out of the pen and heading toward the mountains.
There were six of these kids, all around seven or eight years old. Their daily task was to tend this flock of goats, earning one Work Point each. Additionally, each was responsible for cutting a basketful of grass, which could earn them another Work Point.
The brigade also raised a few cows, but the cows were busy at the moment and had been led away early in the morning.
Pang Fu toddled along on her short legs, trailing behind the group, with Qingqing Yin following closely behind Pang Fu. A flock of goats and a crowd of people made quite a procession.
Fu Yuhe, who was helping his grandparents tidy up the shed, grew anxious: “Little sister, Xiaoshen, where are you going? You can’t just wander off.”
Neither the adult nor the child paid him any mind. Fu Yuhe sighed: “Yuhe, go follow your little sister and Xiaoshen. Don’t let them get lost.”
Ten-year-old Fu Yuhe hurried out: “Got it.”
Old Master Fu and Grandma Fu watched their grandson’s arrangements with a smile but said nothing. Although their daughter-in-law sometimes wasn’t quite clear-headed, she was perfectly capable of protecting Fufu. Following a group of children to herd goats wouldn’t be a problem, so they weren’t worried.
They also had no objections to their grandson’s arrangements. At such a young age, the little one already knew how to delegate tasks—a sign of a thoughtful mind.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Grandma Hao said there’s thatch by the river. I want to go cut some. Once it dries, we can make straw mats.”
Old Master Fu patted his grandson’s little head: “Such a thoughtful little fellow. Grandpa will go with you. We’ll need to borrow a sickle too. Let your grandma and Little Six stay home to watch over our things.”
They had quite a lot of belongings, and with no door to secure them, they couldn’t all leave at once.
Little Six, Fu Yuyi, patted his small chest and declared: “I’ll take good care of Grandma.”
Grandma Fu laughed heartily: “Well then, with Little Six here, I won’t be afraid at all.”