It was challenging for those genuinely working for their livelihood to enjoy the joy of farming, but Wei Luo and his sons were different.
With his two sons, the father aimed to teach the children the hardships of farming, yet they found it enjoyable. With the cooperation of father and sons, and the assistance of Yin Hui and Ning in sowing seeds, the entire morning was very fulfilling as they successfully plowed up two vegetable fields.
Finally, Wei Luo took his sons to fetch water by the stream. Holding a bucket in one hand, while his two sons held one end of the pole, they together carried a smaller bucket.
The stream was the running water brought in from the river in the north of the mansion. It went around Taoran Hall and supplied all the water features in the garden of the mansion.
After filling the buckets, the three of them returned together. Wei Luo walked behind, observing his two sons in front. Xiao Heng was tall, deliberately slanting his shoulders and lowering the position of his hands so that the bucket would slide to his side along the pole, reducing the burden on Xiao Xun. The two little brothers were very ambitious and filled the bucket to the brim, sprinkling it as they walked, leaving a wet patch on the ground. Xiao Xun was distressed, on the verge of tears, as he couldn’t bear to spill the water. Xiao Heng reassured him, “It doesn’t matter; let’s bring less next time.”
Xiao Xun looked back at his father, observing that the bucket his father carried in both hands was also very full, yet he hardly spilled any. This deepened his admiration for his father. The three of them returned to Taoran Hall.
Ning was playing alone in the yard. Wei Luo looked toward the middle of the main room, where the door was open, and Yin Hui was taking out all the meals from the food box, placing them on the dining table. The spring breeze passed through the hall, blowing her thin skirt like ripples on the water’s surface, creating a warm feeling of a young peasant woman preparing lunch and awaiting her husband and children’s return.
After putting the buckets away, Wei Luo served his sons into a gourd scoop and sprinkled water into the ditches.
Ning came over to play too.
Yin Hui saw her and ran over to grab her daughter. She washed her hands and face and put on a new skirt for her daughter. As playing in the water would definitely get it dirty.
“Father, hug!”
The more the mother chased, the faster Ning ran. Wei Luo was afraid that his daughter would step into the mud. So he rushed over with a few strides and picked up his daughter high.
Ning hugged her father’s neck and turned to look at her mother.
Yin Hui said, “It’s time to eat, no more playing.”
Ning pointed to the field and said, “Water!”
As her daughter loved to play, Yin Hui looked at Wei Luo. Just now, her mind was basically on her daughter, or she was just looking at the busy posture of her sons. It wasn’t until this time that she realized that Wei Luo’s face was flushed from the sun. He had been busy for half a day, and beads of sweat rolled from his forehead and slid down his face. Coupled with the coarse and short brown cloth on his body, he really looked like a burly farmer who had just finished his busy farming.
Yin Hui was inexplicably flustered when she met his burning gaze.
She looked at the bucket next to her, then glanced at her sons as a cover-up, and said to him, “The food has been served; let’s eat first.”
Wei Luo handed his daughter to her, saying, “We will finish soon. Go inside and wait.”
After speaking, he continued to water the plants. Ning didn’t want to leave, so Yin Hui hugged her and watched from the side of the field.
The two plots were quite large, and Wei Luo went to fetch water again before watering them all. The father and sons used the remaining water to wash their hands and faces.
When they came to the hall, Xiao Xun saw two plates of meat buns on the table at a glance.
Yin Hui glanced at Wei Luo, smiled, and said, “Jinling also opened a bun store, which tastes the same as the one in Pingcheng.”
The children couldn’t understand, but Wei Luo knew that the store in Jinling was also Feng Teng’s wife Liao Qiuniang’s, and all the cooks got advice from her.
Having said that, the taste of that meat bun was really good.
Because they wanted to experience the life of a farmer, lunch was relatively simple. The staple food was meat buns, cold tofu dish, a small stir-fry dish, and a delicious fish soup.
After eating enough, Wei Luo went to the river to fetch water again.
In the afternoon, they had to start planting fruit trees in the backyard, so the family continued to stay at Taoran Hall. Xiao Heng and Xiao Xun worked hard all morning, so they fell asleep not long after lying on the couch in the east room. Ning hummed and wanted to find her father, but just as Yin Hui carried her daughter out of the wooden door of Taoran Hall, the little girl had already fallen asleep on her shoulders. Not far away, Wei Luo came over with a bucket.
Yin Hui was waiting for him at the door and then asked, “Why are you carrying water?”
Wei Luo looked at her and said, “Wash yourself.”
Yin Hui was puzzled, “Aren’t you still busy in the afternoon?”
There was no plan for him to change his clothes there; all he wanted was to go back to the courtyard to wash after work in the afternoon. Wei Luo didn’t explain, and she followed him into the main room. He, walking in front, turned around and reminded her, “Keep Sister Ning at bay, and then come here.”
After speaking, he carried the bucket and went to the room in the west.