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After eagerly waiting for the harvest season, the villagers of Zhoujiatun gathered at the village entrance before dawn, just like when they first started cultivating rice.
Village Uncle, with a dark red face full of joy, shouted, "Let's go!"
The adults and children set off along the winding mountain path toward the rice fields. Yezhi, carrying a large cloth bag, mingled among the little kids. One Egg pushed a wooden cart, where Black Treasure lay with its belly exposed. Er Zhu led the group, energetically shouting slogans as a crowd of kids waved their hands and marched forward. Yezhi watched the joyful scene and playfully followed the kids' lead.
"Comrade Yezhi, how old are you?" Xiao Cheng, the teacher of the kids, joined them and teased Yezhi about her childish behavior.
Yezhi put on a serious face and retorted, "That's just childlike fun! Besides, what does my age have to do with you?" Xiao Cheng shook his head; he couldn't understand how her expression could change so quickly. He decided to walk alongside Village Uncle to discuss plans for when they reached the rice fields.
As dawn broke, the sun rose like a salted egg yolk from the east. From a distance, the vast rice fields appeared golden under the sunlight, shimmering like gold. The fields were covered in golden grain heads that bowed shyly under their own weight.
"Here they come!" One Gun Brother ran to the horse rack to report to everyone on guard.
Village Uncle rushed forward, exclaiming, "Haha! We're here!" The long line reassembled as Xiao Cheng helped Village Uncle assign tasks to everyone.
Yezhi led a group of kids to set up two large iron pots; today she was once again the leader of the cooking team, with all the kids as her little helpers.
"Everyone cheer me on! Let's work hard! Those who do well will be rewarded by the village!" After assigning tasks to the villagers, Village Uncle made sure to further motivate the already enthusiastic crowd.
With a whoosh, over a hundred strong laborers and dozens of skilled farmers flooded into the fields. Although no one had harvested rice before, once Xiao Cheng explained the key points, everyone understood quickly; it was quite similar to cutting wheat. They spread out across the field, squatting low with one hand wielding a sickle and the other gathering cut rice stalks.
In an instant, the vast rice fields were filled with the sound of rustling. Everyone was diligently sweating, feeling an immense sense of joy and fulfillment in their hearts.
The arrival of the villagers startled the frogs hiding in the rice fields. With no place to rest, the frogs scattered everywhere. Yezhi, along with the Kids, was about to head to the Wetland mountain valley for foraging and hunting to add some dishes for lunch! The frogs came right to them!
Thinking of the delicious frog meat, Yezhi was the first to pounce on a robust frog. The Kids were also skilled at catching frogs. Yezhi grabbed the captured frog, greedily staring at its strong, long legs. She remembered how her father once brought back a sack full of frogs from the countryside; they tasted so good... According to her neighbor's sister, they smelled so delicious that her whole family was drooling. All the cats and dogs in the area lingered around her house for a long time, waiting for those small, tasty frog bones. In her hometown's culinary repertoire, frogs held a unique position, but in recent years, due to pollution, bullfrogs and other types had gradually replaced them on the dining table.
"What are you doing?" Xiao Cheng's shout interrupted Yezhi's reverie. The thought of spicy and fragrant frog hotpot and home-style stir-fried frog with loofah instantly vanished from her mind.
"Teacher Xiao, why are you yelling?"
Xiao Cheng ignored Yezhi and seriously addressed the Kids: "Students, do you know what another name for frogs is? They are called 'guardians of the rice fields.' Frogs play a significant role in helping rice grow strong; we will rely on them when we plant rice next year. Let’s release the frogs in the cage!"
Upon hearing this from Xiao Cheng, the Kids all looked as if they had done something wrong, drooping their ears and shrugging their shoulders. Er Zhu released all the frogs back into nature. Yezhi understood that frogs were beneficial creatures. "Comrade Yezi, I must first criticize you. As teachers, we should guide our children correctly..." Although she knew it was wrong to eat frogs, it didn't rise to a moral standard in Yezhi's mind; this was related to regional culture.
However, Xiao Cheng's reprimands were more relentless than a monk's teachings. Unable to endure any longer, Yezhi had no choice but to lower her head to Xiao Cheng. "Teacher Xiao, I shouldn't have caught frogs; I was wrong!" After saying this, Yezhi immediately took the Kids to go hunt rabbits in the mountain valley and forage for wild vegetables and mushrooms. Meanwhile, Aunt Li, Aunt Zhou, and several other Aunts were busy kneading cornmeal to make cakes.
The rice harvested by everyone was bundled by One Gun Brother leading about ten Young Men who transported it to a temporary pressing area. Black Treasure was part of the transport team, happily carrying bundles of rice back and forth between the field and the site.
With Xiao Fang's help, Yezhi managed to hunt six rabbits in the mountain valley and even encountered a foolish Muntjac by chance. One Egg excitedly led the way with the Muntjac tied up tightly.
As they walked, Yezhi thought about how to prepare lunch. She ultimately decided on something simple: stew both the rabbit and Muntjac together for soup and mix in some wild vegetables—one meat dish and one vegetable dish paired with Corn Cake—nutritious and delicious.
Two hours later, aromas of corn, meat, mushrooms, and wild vegetables mingled in the air and wafted away with the wind. The busy villagers caught whiffs of these delightful scents and instinctively glanced towards where the large iron pot was located, swinging their sickles with renewed vigor. At that moment, Duck Commander Aunt Ren Er also returned with a flock of Mahuang Ducks after releasing them by the small river in Wetland.
Aunt Li was banging on a basin and shouting loudly, "Dinner time! Dinner time!"
Everyone straightened up, stretched their backs and legs, strolled back along the field ridge, washed their hands, wiped their faces, and sat down to eat. Yezhi was serving dishes while sweetly reminding everyone, "Uncles and aunts have worked hard, brothers and sisters have been through a lot, eat more so you have strength."
After a busy morning, everyone was hungry. With so many people eating together, there was meat soup and wild vegetables. Everyone rushed for seconds, and the last spoonful of mixed wild vegetables was fiercely contested. The kids were especially noisy, joining in the fun; the more lively it got, the happier they were.
Black Treasure had a pile of wild fruits picked by the kids in front of it. Yezhi and Er Niu were sitting close together. Yezhi took a sip of the radish muntjac soup; the sweetness of the radish mixed with the rich flavor of the meat made the broth very delicious. After that, Yezhi tasted the mixed mushroom rabbit soup from Er Niu's bowl, which smelled fragrant and had a rich taste. In the end, like everyone else, Yezhi ate until full. Yezhi then shared some Asian pears picked from the mountains with everyone. Some were smoking while others were eating pears, resting and chatting.
After two quarters of an hour, everyone got back to work in the afternoon. Er Niu and the young men rolled up their pants and carried baskets to pick up wheat ears along the way. Yezhi took One Egg, Dogzi, and seven big kids to a ditch nearby to try catching some farmed fish. The crucian carp had been growing in the fields for several months; usually, Village Uncle and others often threw in grass roots. After draining the rice fields, all the fish gathered in the ditch, making it easy to catch them.
One Egg perked up and dipped a large flower basket into the water. After a few scoops, he suddenly pulled the basket out of the water. A number of plump white crucian carp appeared in the basket. Yezhi looked delighted and snatched the basket from Dogzi's hands, tossed it back into the water, and suddenly pulled it up again. Sure enough, six or seven lively fish appeared in the basket; one even jumped back into the water.
Village Uncle was attracted by Yezhi's crisp laughter while fishing. Seeing the fresh and plump crucian carp in Yezhi's and Er Zhu's buckets made him smile broadly. "Yezhi, raising fish in these rice fields is great! Next year we must buy some fish fry to do this properly."
Yezhi gazed at the dark ripples and shadows of fish in the water, feeling quite pleased inside. With Village Uncle having such determination, how far could good days for Zhoujiatun be?
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