Xianyun Yihe

Chapter 4 04 Paddy Fields

Bypassing the pond, the road in the village has just been repaired, and the horse-drawn carriage passed by, and the people in the carriage did not feel the bumps.

The continuous rice fields in front of me seem to be boundless. When the water is full for planting rice seedlings, every household except the elderly and children who cannot help, the rest of the people are working.

There are more than [-] acres of fertile land, and the soil is fertile, which is just used for rice cultivation.

In addition to these, each tenant will allocate a small piece of land to plant seasonal melons and vegetables, which can not only subsidize the family's food, but also get fresh ones.There is plenty of water in the south, the rice grows well, and the vegetables are fresh and juicy, which makes people feel happy when they look at it.

It has been almost ten years since Xianyun came here. Although he is a foreigner, he can bring some local dialects when talking with tenants, which is very cordial.Those who are not familiar with him thought that he was a scholar with a full stomach, and when he went to the field to see how the newly planted seedlings were growing, they realized that what they saw before was just an illusion.Xianyun often claims to be the descendant of merchants, besides farmland, he also runs shops and restaurants, with a pair of slender hands like white onions holding a hoe and abacus.

In spring, the business is full of greenery. Walking on the ridge of the field, Xianyun talks about the new year with the old tenants in the village. "There should be a good harvest this year. Watch carefully and don't let the fields be ruined." After listening to the instructions, the old tenant nodded with a smile, and the wrinkles on his face bloomed like camellia.

The white crane followed closely behind Xianyun, occasionally being attracted by a fish in the field, jumped and ran down, picked up a small piece of fish and swallowed it, screaming so beautifully.

A few years ago, there were two or three more children in the village. Now it's the time to play around, chasing the white crane greedily, but they dare not touch it for fear of damaging this precious thing.After all, the master regards it as a treasure, and feeds it with good fish and vegetables. Everyone in the village knows that last night, his parents specially told them.Bai He was bold, tilting his head to look for a while, he seemed to like these clear-eyed children very much, walked over one by one, and slapped each of his legs lightly with his wings.

The children laughed out loud with joy, knowing that Bai He was playing with them, they all ran and jumped up, hiding and making noise.The sound startled Xian Yun who was walking in front, and when he looked back, he found that it was Bai He playing with a group of children, and he couldn't help saying with emotion: "What a nonsense." The old tenant could hear the smile in his words, and knew that it wasn't an accusation , then chuckled: "They're all children, they're young, and they're the best at playing together."

No, a cub that hasn't grown bright red hair on its forehead should have the same temperament as a child from an ordinary family.

Along the way, the women in the village couldn't help leaning on the door to peek at Xianyun's tall figure and elegant plain clothes, like the handsome gentleman mentioned in the opera, with a romantic look in his eyebrows and eyes.Oh, I really can't tell whether my heart is sour or sweet, whether it is joy or resentment.Fifteen or sixteen is very beautiful, and 27 or [-] is also attractive, not to mention Xianyun's long and narrow eyes, looking over casually, does not know how many women's emotions are aroused.

However, he only glanced at it, then looked away.

The beauty of a woman is beautiful, and it can't compare to the scenery in spring, and it can't compare to the white cranes in the field.

"The past few days have been cloudy and rainy, and it happened to plant seedlings."

The old tenant came to the edge of the field he was tending. The weeds in the field had been cleared away, and rows of seedlings were planted, full of vitality.They are all industrious people, they can't see good fields and good seeds being ruined, and they have never slack off.Xianyun naturally knew these thoughts, so he also rolled up his sleeves, stretched out his hand and gently unfolded the leaf tail, it was really juicy, tender and lovely, and was well taken care of. "That's right, it seems that the harvest in your family's field is the best this year." Xianyun straightened his waist, and if there were no major disasters, this statement must be accurate.

"It's all the master's blessing, the weather is good." The old tenant smiled and showed his missing teeth.

Xianyun smiled and replied: "Only those who are diligent are blessed."

"That's right, that's right!"

Bai He didn't bother to pay attention to the people who forgot about the sky after chatting, stared at Kong, burrowed into the field, nimbly avoided the rice seedlings, and caught a fat loach.In addition to fish and shrimp, loach is also good, and snails are full of flavor, but according to Bai He's temperament and ability, he may not be able to get it by himself in the end.It came up with two feet of mud, stepped on all the way, and when it came to Xianyun's side, it just swallowed the mud.All he could think about was the snails that were difficult to deal with, so he rubbed the back of Xianyun's hand, motioning for him to get some delicious things for him.

The children who followed all the way laughed and laughed: "Eat fish, eat fish!"

But Xianyun understood Bai He's meaning, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and said to the old tenant: "It's almost noon, you can get some food as you like, but Ah He wants to eat snails, so find someone to fish a basket, good tonight Make a plate and let it taste." Saying that, he handed the money bag to the other party.

The old tenant hastily refused, not daring to accept it, but he kept saying: "They are all wild things, so they are not worth the money!" He didn't accept them, and turned around to call out to the children who didn't need to work, let them Fish for snails.Xianyun couldn't persuade him, so he had no choice but to put away the money bag.

Walking through the field, I saw the old tenant's house, which was not big, but it was clean.There are a few chickens strolling around in front of the door, hoes are randomly placed in the small yard, and there is a pile of chopped firewood. "My boss likes to work, and even the firewood has to be neatly arranged." The old tenant smiled brightly while talking. He always likes to boast about his children, especially his promising eldest son.

The wife of the old tenant also came up to welcome her, and she was courteous: "On the stove, there is broth and cooked rice, and there are freshly picked wild vegetables. Dalang also caught fish and steamed three or four fish, all of which were lightly salted according to the master's taste." .” She was wearing a somewhat old dress and a wooden hairpin on her head. When she spoke, she lowered her head unconsciously, looking gentle and demure.

Every time he came back to inspect the farming situation, Xianyun always stayed in the village to eat, and today happened to be the old tenant's turn.When the old tenant's wife heard the news, she prepared meals early and took her two daughters who were weaving at home to clean the house.And the woman Agui fancy is the eldest daughter of this family, named Aqing.As for the youngest daughter... it was Ah Liang, who had been pestering Xianyun endlessly, blushing at this moment, hiding behind the door and looking out secretly.

Ah Qing knew what was going on with her sister, and also understood that the master treated a farmer's daughter like a flower or a leaf, so she persuaded her many times, and also proposed her marriage to the old tenant.Ah Liang doesn't like Ah Ping at the entrance of the village, so he refuses to agree, and only asks for the last chance today, if the master is willing to accept her into the house, then it will be fine; if he refuses, she will give up.

The old tenant felt ashamed and sighed, hoping that his youngest daughter would rest her mind and not offend the master.

After waiting for a long time, the children rushed into the yard, and a basket full of snails was placed in a wooden basin. With enough coarse salt, it took about half a day for the snails to spit out the sand.The white crane seemed to understand that it was a delicacy left for him, and he raised his head and looked into the back kitchen while shouting.Xianyun hurriedly carried it back to the house, because a table of simple meals had already been set, and it couldn't be left to cool down.The old tenant wanted to open a pot of wine, but his wife stopped him, saying that he would fry the snails for dinner in the evening.

The eldest son of the family didn't come back until evening, and the two daughters went up to greet him and sat down at the table.Farmers have never had any rules, nor are they too polite.Xianyun deliberately turned his face away, chatting with the old tenant, avoiding the affectionate gaze.His hands were not idle, he picked up shredded meat and stuffed it into the white crane's mouth.

Ah Liang's eyes turned red all of a sudden, but he just lowered his head, not daring to show it.The old tenant's wife had known this would happen, so she gave Ah Qing a look without saying anything.Ah Qing loves her sister dearly, but the play says it well, if you are ruthless, why bother to pester her.She quietly raised her foot to touch Ah Liang's embroidered shoes, and when she saw the other party looking up, she persuaded in a low voice: "Master should pair up with the lady of the official family, how can Xiao Xiao, a peasant woman, think of it!"

The white crane uttered a series of chirps at the right time.

Ah Liang responded in a low voice, hid his delusion, and finally held back the tears that were about to come out.When everyone was full, she and Ah Qing cleaned up the dishes without showing any sad expressions.In the wooden basin in the back kitchen, all the snails are bubbling, and the water needs to be changed again.Bai He's head suddenly came in from the door, trying to secretly peck one out of the basin, but she gently raised her hand to block it: "Don't worry, don't worry."