Chapter 59: CH 59

It was noon, and Mrs. Liang discussed with Mo Ling about what to make for lunch. Mo Ling said, “It doesn’t really matter. Make it with Yan’er, then bring it over to eat!”

Mrs. Liang asked Mo Yan to go back with her. They made porridge, white flour flatbread, boiled salted duck eggs, fried eggs, and put the cucumbers they pickled yesterday into a small clay pot. Apart from the lack of meat, this was a pretty good meal for a peasant family.

When it was ready, Mr. Liang put the porridge in a clay pot and carried it over, while Mo Yan carried a basket with the flatbread, eggs, and cutlery.

When they arrived at the fields, Mrs Liang invited everyone to come over to eat, Mo Feng was the first to run over, and Zhong Cheng and Dagan also came.

The fields were full of people who were harvesting their crops. On the opposite side of the road was the Cao family’s land, where millet was planted. Two helpers were hired to help cut the millet. Daqiang was driving the carriage to the threshing field, and when he passed the Mo family and saw how busy they were, he went to chat with them.

“What meals did you make for your family’s helpers? White flour flatbread with fried eggs, salted duck eggs, and pickled cucumbers? This meal is better than the Cao’s.”

“Then you should also come help our family.” Mrs. Liang teased him.

Daqiang looked at Mo Ling, “Sure!”

Mo Ling crunched on a pickled cucumber, “You’ve already formed a long-term contract with the Cao family, so what nonsense are you talking about!”

Everyone laughed at him, and Daqiang waved the whip in his hand carelessly, leaving.

After eating, Zhong Cheng said, “We’ve harvested quite a few sorghum ears, so let’s take a trip back! Aunt, where should I put them?”

Mrs. Liang said, “Just put them in the courtyard! I don’t need to go to the threshing field, it’s more convenient to just thresh it at home.”

They packed up, and Zhong Cheng started packing the sorghum ears on his carriage. Mo Ling complained, “You’re moving too much, the sorghum will all fall off.”

Zhong Cheng responded, “Alright, alright, I’ll slow down. If I let the ground have any of the sorghum, your mum will be mad at me.”

Mo Ling picked up a sorghum ear and threw it at him, “Stop speaking so much!” [1]

Zhong Cheng raised his hand to block, and the sorghum ear was knocked to the ground, the sorghum grains were scattered. Zhong Cheng smiled and went to pick it up, still nagging, “See, now your mum will be mad at me.” After that, he picked up a clod of dirt and handed it to Mo Ling, “Throw this instead.”

Mo Ling took the dirt clod and aimed it at Zhong Cheng, frightening him and making him duck. She threw it next to his feet and went back to the fields to work.

Dagan looked up at them, then bent down to cut sorghum again. Mo Yan picked up a small mud ball and threw it at Mo Ling mischievously. Just as she threw it on Mo Ling’s leg, she straightened up and glared at her, “Do you want to die!”

Mo Yan stuck out her tongue and hurried to grab the sickle, Zhong Cheng turned to her and gave her a look, signalling, She’s not easy to mess with.

When it was dark, the Mo family’s fields were harvested, only the sharp remnants of the sorghum stalks were left, like a huge trap.

There was a large pile of sorghum ears in the Mo family’s courtyard, and there were also a lot of mung bean pods.

Dagan had gone home after finishing. Zhong Cheng’s house was far away, so they couldn’t let him go on an empty stomach. Mrs. Liang was busy preparing dinner.

She had just lit the fire when Lu Junming came in with a food box, “Auntie, I know you’ve been busy today, so you don’t have the energy to cook. I ordered some dishes from a restaurant, and some bacon and braised pork.”

Mrs. Liang said, “I didn’t do my domestic work for your family today. I should have my wages deducted. How can I still accept this?”

“It’s just a little bit of food, it’s nothing. Thank you for taking care of us!”

Mrs. Liang knew that since he had brought it, he couldn’t push it away, so he said, “I’ll make some snacks for you after the autumn.”

Lu Junming wasn’t courteous, “Well, I’ll hold you to that.”

Seeing that there were outsiders, Lu Junming didn’t stay to eat with them, saying that they had dinner back home and went back.

When Mrs. Liang opened the food box, the first layer was filled with bacon and braised pork, and the next two layers were also filled with delicious dishes. She cut a piece of bacon and braised pork each and put them on a plate, “Yan’er, send it to Dagan. He worked hard for an entire day and didn’t eat before going back home.”

Mo Yan picked up the plate and went to the opposite door. Mrs. Zhang was also cooking, and Dagang was washing his hands and face in the yard. She heard Mrs. Zhang complaining in the kitchen, “You worked all day in vain and came back without even receiving a meal from them. The other person could eat a good meal, but you couldn’t!”

Dagan saw Mo Yan, who lifted the plate in his hand, “Dagan, my mum asked me to bring you some braised pork. She said that you’ve worked hard all day.”

Hearing her speak, Mrs. Zhang hurried out of the kitchen and said in a very enthusiastic tone, “Yan’er, you’re here.”

Mo Yan handed over the plate, “This is the braised pork that my mother asked me to send you, Dagan, thank you for your help.”

Mrs. Zhang took the plate and asked, “Why did you come here, where’s your sister?”

“My sister has to help my mother make flatbread. Brother Cheng’s house is far away. My mother, and she said she couldn’t let him go home with an empty stomach.”

Calling him “Brother Cheng” implied he was family. Mrs. Zhang’s face darkened, Dagan turned around and went back inside, and Mo Yan said goodbye and went home.

Zhong Cheng was the only new addition, but the Mo family’s dinner table was more lively. There was meat, vegetables and white flatbread on the table. Mo Yan brought the sauce bowl over, and also took a small bowl of washed green onions.

Zhong Cheng hurriedly took it and said, “Chicken, duck, and fish aren’t as fragrant as the sauce you make, Mrs. Liang!”

Mo Ling, who was tending the fire, said “boot-licker”, but Mo Yan echoed Zhong Cheng, “You’re right, even the meat shopkeeper in the market said it was delicious, when you go back, we can give you a jar.”

Mo Ling scolded her again, “It’s not yours to give away.”

“Then how about we give him wages!” Mo Yan chastised her back.

Zhong Cheng hurriedly said, “The sauce can’t be bought, I don’t need the wages.”

Mrs. Liang found a small clay pot and filled a jar of sauce for Zhong Cheng, “It’s not anything expensive, go back and let your parents try it. If you think it’s good, we’ll give you another jar for some extra duck eggs.”

Zhong Cheng was busy thanking her when she asked him, “I heard that there’s a water mill in your village that can process flour?”

“Yes, we’ll process a kilogram of wheat for a dollar.”

“We still have dozens of kilograms of wheat at home. Can you take it back home to process it, so the children won’t have to turn the millstone anymore?”

“Sure, it’s a deal then.”

The freshly baked flatbread was extremely fragrant. Then, they added bacon, sauce, and two green onions. Taking a bite made the day’s exhaustion feel like it was worth it.

“This meal is making me want to be a long-term worker for your family too!”

Post-edit notes: Imagine if he actually becomes a long-term worker for the Mo family.

[1] Does Mo Ling hate him, or is she just a tsundere?