Translator: Lonelytree
After breakfast, the group returned to the field to plant peanuts and soybeans. The three kids continued with peanut planting. Practice makes perfect. They tried to finish planting the remaining one Mu of land within an hour.
However, before they could finish, Mother Xiao led four men over. Ning Weiyi looked up and saw Gu Ziye and his gang had arrived.
“Yu ‘Er, they said they’re your friends, and they’re here to help with the planting of peanuts and soybeans.” Mother Xiao looked at the four men with suspicion.
Why?
The main reason was these four men were around Xiao Lingyu’s age, and they were handsome. Two were dressed in suits, and the other two were in casual clothes. Mother Xiao could tell that they were in better outfits than the villagers. Furthermore, they drove here. Mother Xiao saw their cars when they arrived at the Xiao Family home. Clearly, they were rich.
Yu ‘Er had been working at City Z, and she hadn’t been back for long. How did she manage to make so many new friends in such a short amount of time? Mother Xiao was worried that these men were here for Yu ‘Er, and they had ulterior motives.
On the way, Mother Xiao and the men ran into other villagers. The villagers’ strange gazes made Mother Xiao very uncomfortable. Life in the countryside was conservative. Even if Xiao Lingyu had left the village before, she was still a country girl in these people’s eyes.
Suddenly, so many men came to find Xiao Lingyu. Some villagers naturally thought that Xiao Lingyu was being indecent and she was dating all of these men. They were here to settle the score with her. The villagers criticized and even despised her. Therefore, Mother Xiao didn’t feel too good about it.
Initially, Mother Xiao thought about chasing the men away, but she thought better of it. She wouldn’t stand in her daughter’s way of making friends.
Xiao Lingyu grew up in the countryside, so she knew that the villagers had been talking when she saw her mother’s face. To dispel her mother’s concern, Xiao Lingyu said, “Mom, they are my friends. This is Gu Ziye, and his hotel has been purchasing our crops. This is Yuan Xuanhao, and he is the friend that gave me the big discount on the car. And finally, they are Zheng Haiyang and Qian Yifan!”
At that moment, Ning Weiyi and the boys came over. Ning Weiyi greeted, “Brother, Brother Zheng, Brother Gu, Brother Qian, what took you guys so long? We’re almost done planting peanuts.”
The other two greeted them as well.
When Mother Xiao saw how familiar Ning Weiyi was with the men, she felt slightly relieved. She smiled, “Weiyi, you know each other?”
Ning Weiyi nodded. “Yes. Auntie, this is my cousin. The three big brothers are friends of our family!” Ning Weiyi made a quick introduction. Then, he paused before adding, “Actually, Auntie, we only found out yesterday that Sis has surrounded herself with people that knew each other!” Ning Weiyi was reminded of something, “Auntie, do you know the house Sis has rented at the county town?”
“You mean Granny Song?” Mother Xiao said. Then, she looked at the group of men and asked, “Is Granny Song related to any of you?”
“Yes!” Ning Weiyi exclaimed, “Auntie, Grandma Song is Brother Zheng’s grandmother and our neighbor!”
“Huh?” Mother Xiao was surprised. She laughed, “Haha, what a coincidence!”
“It really is!” The others nodded.
After Mother Xiao clarified the relationship of the new arrivals, she told Xiao Lingyu and Xiao Lingye, “Look after our guests. I’ll head back home first!” Someone had to stay at home to cook. Mother Xiao was the best cook. Even Xiao Lingyu only had half of her mother’s cooking skills. Mother Xiao rushed home because she had to prepare extra since they had more guests!
After Mother Xiao left, Ning Weiyi and his friends surrounded Gu Ziye and his group. The later group shivered. “You little brat, why are you looking at us like that?” Yuan Xuanhao asked unhappily.
Ning Weiyi said, “Brother, are you here to play or help?” His tone was a little disdainful.
“What nonsense, of course, we’re here to help!” Yuan Xuanhao said loudly.
“In that case, why are you in suits?” Ning Weiyi chided. “And it’s a branded suit. Are you trying to show off?”
Only then did Zheng Haiyang and the three realize what was wrong. They looked at each other and noticed they were wearing their best suits. Even the casual clothes were from expensive brands. They were used to going out to their friends’ place in their best get-up. It was to give the host’s face. They forgot that things were different in the countryside!
Gu Ziye and Yuan Xuanhao wore suits, while Zheng Haiyang and Qian Yifan wore casual clothes.
“So, what are we to do now?” Yang Baolin came over to ask. He grinned wickedly, “Are you going to go back and change? The suits cost at least several thousand. Will you farm in them?”
Once Liu Chunjiao and the other women heard the suits cost several thousand, they couldn’t help but pause. It was terrifying!
They could work their whole life, and they wouldn’t be able to afford the men’s suits.
However, they were also wondering in their heart. ‘Who are these people, and how did they become Yu ‘Er’s friends?’
Liu Chunjiao had the same worry as Mother Xiao. ‘These men are clearly rich. Why would they come farming as a favor to Yu ‘Er? Perhaps they have another goal? Are theye helping out to make a good impression on Yu ‘Er? But their appearance will definitely get people talking. This will not be good for Yu ‘Er’s reputation.’ Liu Chunjiao wanted to ask for more details, but she couldn’t do that when the guests were still there.
Ning Weiyi and his friends teased until Yuan Xuanhao and Gu Ziye removed their coats. They found a clean place to put them.
Ning Weiyi grinned. “Brother, you can remove the coat, but can you remove the suits and pants?”
Yuan Xuanhao rolled his eyes and scolded him, “Shut up!” They would work in their suits. It was not like they couldn’t afford another set. What was the big deal?
Zheng Haiyang walked up to Xiao Lingyu and asked, “Lingyu, what can we do for You?”
“Huh?” Xiao Lingyu looked at the sharply-dressed men, and she said, “We need help planting soybeans!” Ning Weiyi and his friends had almost finished planting the three Mu of peanuts.
Xiao Lingyu put down the hoe and brought Gu Ziye and his friends to another gardening shed.
Father Xiao and Xiao Mingyang were digging holes with shovels. When they saw Xiao Lingyu bringing over the four men, they were confused. Father Xiao asked, “Yu ‘Er, who are these men?”
Xiao Lingyu introduced, “Dad, they are my friends from the county town, Gu Ziye, Zheng Haiyang, Yuan Xuanhao, and Qian Yifan. They told me that they wanted to experience the rural life, so they’re here today to help us grow peanuts and soybeans!”
“Hello, Uncle!” The four of them greeted politely.
Father Xiao nodded and smiled. “Nice to meet you. Yu ‘Er, what is your plan?”
Xiao Lingyu said, “Little brother and his friends are growing peanuts, so I asked them to come help with planting soybeans!” Xiao Lingyu looked around and commented, “Dad, you and fourth uncle have dug so many holes. So they only need to sow the seeds!”
Growing soybeans was different from growing peanuts. Peanuts were grown in rows, while soybeans were seeded more randomly over a large piece of land. There was no trench or ditch. During harvest time, peanuts would be picked in rows while the soybeans would be cut with machines or sickles.
Xiao Lingyu turned to the men. “Do you see the small holes? You only need to put the soybean seeds in the holes. Each hole should have three to five seeds. After you’re done, my dad and fourth uncle will cover up the hole with the fertilizers.”
Then, she handed them a gourd each. The gourd was filled with soybeans seeds.
Just like Ning Weiyi and his friends, the four men were clumsy at the beginning. They counted the seeds carefully before dropping them into the pits.
Due to the holes, the ground was uneven. Gu Ziye accidentally fell onto one. He didn’t fall, but the beans in the gourd fell out.
Eventually, they got the hang of it, and they moved much faster. However, they soon felt sore all over their bodies.
Father Xiao looked at them and said with a smile, “Kids, you should take a rest!” Father Xiao pointed at the two benches. “Why don’t you go and sit there for a while?” The benches were placed there for people to rest. The four wanted to keep on working, but their bodies were already crying for mercy. So they decided to take a rest.
They sat on the benches, and they felt like their bodies were about to break.
Zheng Haiyang’s face was red as he said, “The country life is not easy.”
Gu Ziye chuckled, “Naturally. People in the countryside work hard but earn little. Therefore, many parents here hope for their children to study hard so that they can find a better life.”
They grew up in the county town, and they came from a rich family. They hadn’t suffered much in their lives. They had gone to experience rural life when they were in primary school, but it was merely to pull weeds or pick branches. Plus, most of the trip would be filled with playtime.
After a short rest, the four returned to work.. They were embarrassed because the others were still hard at work.