The Lucky Farmgirl

Eldest Uncle Qian looked up and told Qian Dalang to prepare something to eat for Zhou Dalang and his brothers, but Zhou Dalang quickly said, "Dad, we’ve just eaten and are not hungry yet."

Zhou ErLang nodded repeatedly and laughed, "Eldest Uncle, how about we go to sleep now? I reckon we’ll have to get up at the fourth watch."

Eldest Uncle Qian thought about it and agreed, hurrying to clear a room for them to sleep in.

The Qian Family’s housing was a lot more cramped than Old Zhou’s, so Eldest Sister-in-law Qian and Second Aunt-in-law Qian took the kids to one room to sleep with them, while the four cousins squeezed in together elsewhere.

Fortunately, it was summertime. They closed the doors and windows, slapped away the mosquitoes, and could sleep directly on the floor.

After sleeping for less than three hours, Eldest Uncle Qian, who hadn’t really closed his eyes, got up in the dark and woke the four of them, then headed by the moonlight to Second Uncle Qian’s house not far away.

Eldest Aunt also woke up Third and his wife. The men carried out the wheat, and the women went to the kitchen to make noodles to fill their stomachs.

Everyone moved quietly, careful not to make any loud noises.

The light came on at Second Uncle Qian’s house nearby, dimmed again after a while, and then it was Third Uncle Qian’s turn.

After being busy for a good half-hour and before the fifth watch, they gathered to eat a bowl of noodles before picking up the wheat stored in the courtyard.

Each person carried a load, with wheat wrapped in two sacks on the outside, tightly bound with hemp rope, enabling them to carry two bags per load.