| TBBOTOF | 209
On the 13th day of the fourth lunar month, it was the day of Xiaoman (Grain Full). On this day, some of the farmers in the village had already applied liquid manure to their crops.
Although it wasn’t yet apparent how much grain they would harvest, some families had already fertilized their fields. The results of this method, however, weren't fully visible yet.
This method was something they learned from others. Normally, they used liquid manure to irrigate and fertilize the fields, which saved them a lot compared to using dry fertilizer directly.
When asked what it was, the farmers couldn’t really explain, only saying that it was something they learned from the landowner. They would mix it with water to irrigate the fields.
Whatever else could be said, the fact was that the crop yields had indeed increased.
Some villagers wanted to go to the estate to inquire further, but since Wei Dong didn’t usually spend much time in the village and wasn’t well acquainted with many of the villagers, they hesitated, and eventually, no one ended up asking.
Tang Xu didn’t know about this. His family had a lot of livestock, and they often bought soybean residue cakes to feed them. Half of the cakes were used to feed the animals.
If someone had actually come to ask him how he made his fertilizer, he would certainly have shared the information.
Unfortunately, no one came to ask, so he didn’t bring it up himself—after all, they weren’t familiar with each other.
As for the Tang family and the Wu family, he mentioned the fermented fertilizer before, but he wasn’t sure if they had made it.
Back to the story—recently, it had been raining frequently at night, but every morning, the skies would clear up. In the mountains, all sorts of wild vegetables could be picked again and again.
They were all tender shoots, and the taste was particularly delicious.
Tang Xu especially liked picking wild vegetables. The ones in the hills behind his own courtyard weren’t enough for him, so every morning, he would carry a bamboo basket and head up the mountain.
Because he had a lot to do at home, he only picked a few wild vegetables at the foot of the mountain and didn’t venture too far.
One early morning, just as dawn was breaking, Tang Xu got up. He glanced at the three children still sound asleep, quietly got out of bed, dressed, and after washing up, he grabbed a basket and planned to pick some more wild vegetables.
Yesterday, when he returned home, he had noticed a patch of fern plants along the way, standing straight and full of life. He wanted to pick all of them.
“Xu Ge’er, are you going again today?” Wang Cuicui heard the commotion and came out of the room.
She saw him wearing his makeshift harvesting outfit—with his sleeves rolled up and pant legs tied—and said with a hint of exasperation, “You’ve picked quite a bit these past few days. We don’t need to eat wild vegetables for every meal, and besides, the vegetables in the yard are already coming up. It’s not like we’re short on food. You could sleep in a little longer in the morning.”
Although she said this, she still walked over to untie the loosely tied sleeves and retied them securely.
Tang Xu stood there obediently listening to her scolding, a relaxed smile on his face. After she finished with the left sleeve, he offered his right hand to her, but Wang Cui Cui shot him a glare and quickly tied it up properly as well.
“Ah, if we pick too much, we can pickle some and sun-dry the rest. When you all go to town, you can take a jar with you. My dad loves pickled food. We have room in the ice house too.
I’ll blanch them and put them in a bunch, and when the time comes, we can use them for dumpling filling. Recently, it’s been raining at night, and the wild vegetables in the mountains are growing like crazy. If we don’t pick them soon, the roads will be blocked in a couple of days.”
“Go on, go on! What are we having for breakfast? I’ll go make it,” Wang Cuicui said, not very pleased as she gave him a light shove.
Tang Xu waved his hand as he walked outside. “Whatever is fine. Let’s just cook some porridge. A man needs something light in the morning.” He had gone back to his grandparents' family a few days ago and called out Tang Dahu..
It’s worth mentioning that Tang Xu had a serious confrontation with his uncle. He really let him have it, and he scolded Tang Dahu so thoroughly that he was left speechless, swearing to the heavens that he would never gamble again.
Who would dare to gamble again? If he did, wouldn’t the family just kick him out?
When Lou Pingping saw Tang Xu scolding him, she knew he had a knack for it. He just wouldn’t stop, words flying out like arrows, piercing straight into Tang Dahu.
He said, “Uncle, I know you’re busy working in the fields and need a place to relax, but you shouldn’t be gambling. That money is hard-earned; why not enjoy it yourself instead of giving it away to others? Even if it’s not for yourself, wouldn’t it be filial to buy some sweet dates or a brick of tea for Grandpa and Grandma?
“And what happens? Not only are you not being filial to your parents, but you also borrowed money from your elderly father. And you didn’t even spend that money on yourself; you gave it away to someone else. Uncle, you’re quite generous, aren’t you? So kind-hearted and so carefree!
“Your wife doesn’t know about this, but if she found out, how would you live? Did you buy candy for your grandchildren? Not only did you not buy them any candy, but you also took the coins that Grandpa was going to use to buy candy for them to gamble instead. Are you happy about that? Because I think you seem pretty happy.”
“Although we have some money in the family, it won’t last if you keep supporting others! If you have your eye on some pretty young girl, then you’ve got quite a taste, but you're raising a whole bunch of men!”
At this, Tang Dahu's face turned bright red, almost bursting with anger.
But Tang Xu wasn’t afraid at all; he lazily leaned against the edge of the kang, arms crossed, looking up at the middle-aged man, even managing a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.
“So you know how to feel ashamed, huh? You spend money for your own pleasure, but don’t you think about how the family would feel when they find out you lost money gambling? Your wife has been with you for so many years, working hard to raise your children and manage the household, yet you don’t care how tired or distressed she might be?”
“If it’s going to be like this, you might as well be like my father and leave. Then you’d have your freedom, and you could spend your money however you like. Let your wife bring Grandpa and Grandma to stay with me, while you’re left with the house. When you end up selling the house and land to pay off your debts, we’ll be enjoying life, while you’ll be shivering in the cold outside. Does that sound good to you?”
His wife was sitting nearby, feeling increasingly uncomfortable just listening to this exchange.
As for Tang Dahu, he didn’t speak for a long while.
“Uncle,” Tang Xu finally put on his shoes and softly asked, “Do you want to end up all alone?”
That question was like the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Tang Dahu’s eyes instantly turned red, and he knelt down on the ground, swearing to his wife that he would cut off his hand if he ever gambled again!
Tang Xu flashed a bright smile at his wife. See? It worked!
What Lou Pingping was thinking at that moment was unclear, but later, after Tang Xu left, he didn’t hear what they talked about in the house.
Regardless, when he left, Lou Pingping firmly held Tang Dahu's hand for a long while before finally letting go, saying not a word.
Meanwhile, Tang Xu was walking up the mountain with a bamboo basket on his back. As he turned onto the mountain path, he unexpectedly spotted Wei Zhonghong.
At this time, Wei Zhonghong was busy making braised duck. Since Wu Hong was out with a trading caravan, she was doing it all by herself, cooking around ten ducks each day, braising and letting them cool.
“Auntie!” Tang Xu called out to her, holding a sickle in his hand.
Hearing the noise, Wei Zhonghong looked up. Upon seeing Tang Xu in the distance, a delighted smile immediately appeared on her face.
She hurriedly walked a few steps toward him. “Why are you out so early?” Then noticing the bamboo basket on his back and the sickle in his hand, she smiled even wider. “Are you going up the mountain to pick wild vegetables too?”
“Yes, the wild vegetables are great these days. I want to take advantage of the tender shoots and pick some more; the family enjoys eating them,” Tang Xu said as he walked alongside her toward the foot of the mountain. “I saw a patch of ferns yesterday; let’s go pick those first.”
Wei Zhonghong quickly nodded, “Ferns are great. If we blanch them, they taste crisp and fresh.”
“Just add some minced garlic and chili oil—so refreshing,” Tang Xu said, then he swallowed as if he could already taste them.
He turned his head to look at Wei Zhonghong walking beside him and observed that she seemed a bit thinner than the last time they met. With a slight frown, he said, “Auntie, you shouldn’t work so hard every day. Take care of your health; you look like you’ve lost some weight.”
“I haven’t had much of an appetite lately; I don’t really want to eat,” Wei Zhonghong didn’t hide it from him and started to express her thoughts. “Ever since I had that fallout with them, I’ve actually had a bit of peace for a while. But now that the farming season is upon us, I see my boys working in the fields and coming home without even a few bites of meat. That really gets on my nerves.”
After all, they are her own sons. Despite her disappointment in many aspects, seeing them working hard and not eating well, looking so thin, how could a mother not be concerned?
Tang Xu raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on? Are they trying to play the pity card with you?”
“Isn’t that the case? They can’t even feed the kids properly and are always trying to coax them into coming over to me for eggs and meat,” Wei Zhonghong sighed heavily.
The truth is, it wasn’t really about anything specific; she just felt frustrated and weighed down, which made her not want to eat.
Tang Xu didn’t have any good solutions either. Every family has its own difficulties, and he really didn’t want to meddle in the complicated mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dynamics.
He offered a piece of advice: “Auntie, you really need to take care of yourself. If you get sick from all this stress, you’ll just end up feeling worse.”
Wei Zhonghong nodded; she understood that.
“I heard you sent Xiao Xi and Ah Yang to the village school. How’s that going?”
Not wanting to dwell on troubling topics any longer, Wei Zhonghong shifted the conversation. “Aren’t they supposed to be preparing for some sort of children’s exam? When is that?”
Tang Xu replied, “It should be soon. I really haven’t asked when exactly, but I heard the county exam requires going to the town or county. They mentioned that the village school’s teacher would take them along, and there would be a fee involved.”
He thought this arrangement made sense. Having a teacher familiar with the process leading the way was definitely better than going blind with just family members.
Plus, the fee wasn’t too much—three hundred wen per child. If several children from the same family went, even three hundred wen might not be enough, especially since the exam lasts for three days.
Tang Xu didn’t know exactly how it worked, but he told Wei Zhonghong to let him know what they needed in advance so he could prepare.
“That’s convenient! If it weren’t for Xiao Xi studying, we wouldn’t know any of this. I heard the exam venue is quite strict!”
Tang Xu nodded. He didn’t really understand these matters either; even though he’d seen something about the imperial examinations in historical dramas, he only knew it involved inspections and lasted several days—beyond that, he was clueless.
As they talked, he raised his hand and pointed, “Auntie, you stay here, and I’ll go over there. Let’s coordinate our picking.”
With that, their conversation came to an end, and they started to gather wild vegetables.
Meanwhile, Wei Dong, looking weary and dusty, pushed open the door to the backyard, leading his mule cart into the yard.
Hearing the sound of the iron gate closing, Tang Yang ran over to take a look and spotted his brother-in-law who had been away for a long time, shouted in delight, “Brother-in-law, you’re back!”
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