Chapter 106: The Mu Family’s Land (1)
Editor: Atlas Studios
After Mu Yangling chopped two large piles of firewood and tied them up, some people arrived in the forest one after another. Everyone was here to chop firewood.
When they saw that Mu Yangling had already chopped so much, they took a few more glances and dispersed. Everyone was new and did not know each other.
Mu Yangling stuck two sticks in and lifted it, then waved at Xiuhong and said, “Let’s go back.”
Xiuhong quickly tied the small bunch of firewood she had picked up with a straw rope and carried it on her back. Seeing that she was having a hard time carrying it, Mu Yangling simply picked it up from her back and carried it herself. “Let’s go quickly. Great-aunt must be waiting for us.”
Xiuhong had to jog to barely catch up to Mu Yangling.
The few strong men who were cutting trees in the mountains smacked their lips when they saw this. “That pile of firewood must be more than 100 catties. How impressive. I wonder which family’s son it is.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Yangling’s back stiffened slightly. Xiuhong had already turned around angrily and shouted, “This is my (female) cousin. My uncle is a section commander.”
The tree-cutters shrunk their necks and did not dare to say anything else.
Mu Yangling turned around and said with a smile, “Uncles, you can go in a little deeper. I’ve already finished cutting those outside.” Then, she said, “It’s best to just cut some branches off instead of chopping down the entire tree. Otherwise, the officers will be angry.”
Seeing that she was kind, the uncle who was chopping down the tree mustered his courage and asked, “Do the officers care about these things?”
“Of course.” Mu Yangling frightened them. “My father said that the trees in the mountains are meant to protect the camp. If we cut them down, we’ll be the ones to suffer in the future. Therefore, the officers have long told my father that we can chop firewood, but only the branches. We’re not allowed to cut down the entire tree.”
The people who were chopping down the trees stopped when they heard this. They hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, “Thank you, young lady. We won’t cut down the entire tree, just some branches.” Since her father was appointed a section commander right away, perhaps he had some connections and was well-informed.
The tree-cutters walked a little further in and no longer cut down entire trees. Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief when she saw this. There were many people in the 5th Division. If they all went up the mountain to cut down the trees, who knew how many forests would be ruined? She was still hoping to rely on the mountains in the future.
When Mu Yangling and Xiuhong returned home, Great-aunt had already made pancakes. She stuffed two pancakes into Mu Yangling’s hands and said, “We’ll leave now. Xiuhong, stay at home and take care of your little cousins. Watch them carefully. Don’t let them run out to play lest they get bitten by wolves.”
“Sigh, Grandma, don’t worry. I’ll definitely take good care of them.”
Madam Ma-Liu took a scythe and sighed at Mu Yangling. “It’s a pity that we don’t have a hoe. Go to Nearhill Village and see if you can find some farming tools. Although those damn Hu people set fire to the houses, the farming tools might not be damaged. Go and look for them. With the farming tools, we can start work early.”
With Mu Yangling’s speed, she could make a round trip in a day. She agreed.
The Mu family’s fields were mainly in the east—30 acres of military field and 80 acres of freehold field connected together. At a glance, a large area belonged to the Mu family. The remaining 70 acres of military field were in the south. Although they were not connected, they were not far from each other.
Madam Ma-Liu said, “From the distribution of the land, we can tell that Little General is taking care of us. Otherwise, we’ll probably have to waste a lot of time traveling between the fields like the other families. In the future, you have to be more polite to Little General. Don’t quarrel with him for no reason.”
“When have I ever quarreled with him?” Mu Yangling retorted. “I’ve always been amiable to him.”
“Then why did you scare him away yesterday?”
Mu Yangling snorted and didn’t say anything.
When Madam Ma-Liu reached the edge of the field, she squatted on the ground and dug down. Reaching out, she rubbed the mud in the ground. After walking for a while, she said, “This land is not good. It looks like a raw field that hasn’t been planted for a few years.” Madam Ma-Liu walked along the edge of the field. The further in she walked, the colder her heart became. Having been planting land for her entire life, she was extremely familiar with the land. It would take a lot of manpower and fertilizer to have a good harvest in such a land, something their family doesn’t have right now.
Seeing that Madam Ma-Liu’s expression was getting darker and darker, Mu Yangling couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She kicked the ground under her feet, unable to tell if it was good or bad that there were weeds growing above.
At this moment, many families were checking out their land. Some even sent their entire families out. Other than those who represented their family to enlist as a soldier, everyone else was squatting in the field to look. The Mu family’s fields were the most deserted.
Madam Ma-Liu happened to walk to a junction when an old man glanced at his wife. The old woman shouted in her direction, “Older Sister, is this your family’s land?”
Madam Ma-Liu smiled and replied loudly, “Yes, it’s ours. This large area and the 80 acres on that side are all ours.”
“Aye, that’s good. Since they’re connected, it’s easy to get to the fields. This is my family’s land. It’s also 40 acres. Please take care of us in the future.” The old woman paused and said, “My husband’s surname is Hu, and my maiden family’s surname is Fang.”
“Sister Fang, my maiden family’s surname is Liu. Just call me Big Sister Liu.” Madam Ma-Liu smiled bitterly. “It’s indeed convenient since the fields are connected. But I’ve been walking for almost 35 minutes, and saw that they’re all the lowest-grade lands converted from forests. I’m panicking.”
Madam Hu-Fang walked up and reached out to dig the mud. She rubbed it in her palm and the mud quickly dispersed. Bit by bit, it fell to the ground. Madam Hu-Fang said with a sigh, “It’s terrible, indeed. My family’s land is a little better than yours—at least there’s still some moisture. From the looks of it, it’s been farmed for seven to eight years. It’s considered medium-grade. Sister, don’t be anxious. Let’s go deeper. The fields inside might be more fertile.”
Madam Ma-Liu forced a smile. “I think so too. The 110 acres can’t possibly all be low-grade, right?”
However, Mu Yangling had an ominous feeling in her heart. Qi Haoran, that muddle-headed fool, was as undiscerning as her. He wouldn’t have accidentally allocated her such a lousy piece of land thinking it’s good-quality land, right?
Madam Hu-Fang glanced at Mu Yangling and smiled. “Sister, this is your granddaughter, right? She’s so beautiful. Why are only the two of you here today for something so major? Where’s your son?”
“This isn’t my granddaughter. She’s my grandniece. My son died a long time ago and I’m now living with my nephew. Oh, he’s the section commander in this area and was called to the camp early in the morning. My nephew’s wife is taking care of the children at home, so I brought my grandniece over to take a look.”
Madam Hu-Fang’s eyes lit up and she replied even more enthusiastically, “So it’s Section Commander Mu’s land. It must be fate that our two families’ land is so close to each other. It doesn’t matter if you have few family members. I have three sons. I’ll get them to help you later.”
“No need, no need. Even though your family has many members, you’ve got a lot of land, too. How can I trouble you when you can’t even handle your own work?” Madam Ma-Liu went forward and stood beside Madam Hu-Fang as if she had completely forgotten the purpose of her visit.
Seeing that she couldn’t interrupt, Mu Yangling could only take a stick and walk around. From time to time, she would poke the stick into the ground. She seemed to understand now.
The soil was a little yellow, and it took a lot of strength to insert the stick into it. The soil that was pulled out was hard and loose, such that it scattered with a light kick. This kind of soil didn’t seem good. Mu Yangling remembered these characteristics in her heart.