Chapter 133: Autumn Harvest Began
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
If it was in the modern world, she would have just laughed at Jiang Gu’s attempts of pairing her up. But times now were different. If word got out, she couldn’t imagine how many people would laugh at her wild fantasies.
She and Shen Mo came from completely different worlds; they were not compatible at all. It wasn’t her underestimating herself but the societal norms of their time. Furthermore, she wasn’t one to assume things. She could tell whether Shen Mo had feelings for her or not. It was better to distance herself rather than annoy Shen Mo with the constant questions about his feelings towards her.
Afterwards, Shen Mo tried to find Jiang Xia a few times but she was never there. He realized that she was avoiding him. However, there was still much he wanted to learn from Jiang Xia and he wouldn’t let her slip away so easily.
So, one afternoon, Shen Mo cornered Jiang Xia after she finished teaching the children. He admitted that he wasn’t trying to bother her but rather had questions to ask.
Jiang Xia looked at Mo Shen suspiciously.” What do you want to ask? You can ask now.”
Shen Mo was speechless for a moment. He really didn’t know what to ask Jiang Xia.
After studying Shen Mo a bit, Jiang Xia sighed, “If you can’t think of it now, just tell me when you do.”
Over the days, Jiang Xia came to understand what Shen Mo wanted to know, and didn’t mind sharing more with him.
Seeing her easy-going nature, Shen Mo couldn’t help but ask, “You’re not avoiding me anymore?”
Jiang Xia replied helplessly, “You’ve come to block me. What is there for me to avoid?”
After the discussion, the two of them didn’t mention what Jiang Gu said again. However, because of this commotion, their relationship became a little close and subtle.
After sending off a group of children, Jiang Xia took the fan from Shen Mo’s hand and began to fan herself.
“Will you have dinner at my place tonight?” Jiang Xia asked.
“Yes, Auntie Lan’s cooking is delicious.”
Shen Mo answered happily, but in front of the village chief, he said that Jiang Xia asked him to stay for dinner, and he couldn’t refuse to have dinner at Jiang Xia’s house. Every time she heard this, Jiang Xia would just roll her eyes at Shen Mo.
The easygoing days flew by quickly. The long-awaited day of autumn harvest finally arrived. The whole village, including the children capable of work, collectively participated in the wheat harvest.
This year was different from the rest as Shen Mo’s group joined the effort. Their tasks included cutting wheat, bundling it up, loading and unloading the carts, stacking the wheat, and managing the stall. There was a lot to do, and if they worked efficiently, it would be finished in about eight or nine days.
The sun wasn’t as hot in the morning, hence, the women were the ones mainly harvesting the wheat. As it turned hot after 11 o’clock, the women would retreat home to rest, do house chores, and prepare lunch, while the men took their place in the wheat field.
Tents would be set up near the wheat field for occasional rests. Some adults would relax under the tent or in the cool shade of the wheat stacks, and children would play nearby. There would be cold tea or water available for those who were thirsty. Even during water scarcity, it was important to keep the workers hydrated to prevent heatstroke.
Thanks to the Jiang family, every household had a generous stock of wild vegetables this year. Mixing them with some salt, sugar, and a few radishes yielded a refreshingly crisp salad.
Zhou Lan’s cooking skills were especially good. Many single young men would bring their vegetables to Jiang Xia’s house, asking Zhou Lan to help them make vegetable dumplings. Naturally, they would reciprocate by helping Jiang Chuan with his work, which made his life much easier.
Jiang Xia handed a few strawberries from her basket to Shen Mo, who stared at the bright red fruit in his hand in daze.
“Where did you get these from?” Shen Mo asked.
“From the mountains,” Jiang Xia replied briefly, not giving any more details. She plucked a leaf and popped a strawberry into her mouth, the sweetness blooming on her tongue.
Shen Mo looked skeptical, but he knew that if Jiang Xia didn’t want to disclose something, he wouldn’t be able to press it out of her. He let the matter rest and put a strawberry into his mouth, his eyes immediately widened. These strawberries tasted even better than the ones he had eaten in the Jing City.
Seeing Shen Mo disregard his image while enjoying the strawberries, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Why are your eyes so wide open? Is it really that surprising?” Jiang Xia teased.
Caught by Jiang Xia’s comment, Shen Mo finally snapped back to reality and quickly regained his composure.
“It’s really delicious. If sold in Jing City’s market, it would be quite expensive,” Shen Mo said honestly.
Jiang Xia chuckled lightly. She knew that these strawberries would be valuable wherever they were sold, but she didn’t dare to put them out there..
