He Shi observed Da Jiang’s resolute tone and knew he was serious. She remained outwardly silent, muttering inwardly, If you won’t go, I will go myself. Once I’m working there, the money will naturally follow. He Shi believed Er Niu’s family members were always reasonable, and she was determined to secure this job; it was a whole tael of silver a month! The thought of glittering silver consumed He Shi’s mind, eclipsing all other concerns.

However, with Da Jiang present, she dared not act immediately, fearing he might erupt in one of his fits, as he had before. He Shi knew her own husband; normally, he would endure any scolding she gave him, but he held his parents and brothers in the highest regard. Last time, it was over these very matters that he had threatened divorce. She couldn’t go now. Once Da Jiang was out of the house for a day, she was certainly going.

Song Yue Mei watched her mother-in-law from the side, sensing that her mother-in-law had already made up her mind. Though she hadn't been married long, she understood her mother-in-law somewhat. A whole tael of silver a month—her mother-in-law would never let such an opportunity slip away. Song Yue Mei rather looked forward to the ensuing drama, happy to see her mother-in-law march over to cause a scene at her second uncle’s house.

Lin He’s family remained unaware of He Shi’s intentions. The family spent their days embroidering while the children tumbled and played, and soon, the time for the wheat harvest arrived.

The evening before the harvest began, Da Bao returned from town. Seeing the whole family assembled, Er Niu spoke up, “I asked the village elders; they say the weather is good these few days, no rain expected. We start reaping tomorrow, striving to finish harvesting all the wheat in these few days, then drying and threshing it. Otherwise, if it rains, we won't gather much grain. Wife, I originally said you wouldn't need to work in the fields this year, but with the labor shortage, there’s no choice.”

Huang Shi nodded, casting an indulgent glance at Er Niu, thinking, Who among the women doesn't work the fields during harvest? Why even mention it? Honestly.

Lin He understood this situation; it was just like harvesting rice in her previous life—seizing good weather to thresh and dry the grain before storing it. Rain would mean a significant loss, and if the grain wasn't dried properly, it would mold, making it hard to sell even if they managed to bring some in.

Er Niu continued, “There aren't many mills in the village, so we must work quickly before everyone else finishes. We also need to thresh fast and grind it into flour. With this weather, many families will surely be harvesting. There are only a few mills in the village, and at this time, they demand a deposit just to use them. I’ve already paid the deposit.”

“He’er, you stay home with Chen’er to cook. Xiao Jun will go to the threshing ground to keep watch. The four of us will go into the fields to cut the wheat, then bring it to the threshing ground to dry. Xiao Jun waits there for us to deliver the wheat and spread it out. Starting early in the morning and finishing late at night, we should be able to finish cutting these three mu of wheat in about two days. Then we’ll thresh the kernels together. By then, many families will still be busy harvesting, and we can take it to the mill to be ground into flour.”

Er Niu concluded, “This schedule is tight, but we have no choice. If we encounter an autumn rain, this entire year’s effort will be wasted. We must finish these next few days; it will be hard work for everyone.”

He then turned to Lin He, “He’er, I’ll take Da Bao to town early tomorrow morning to buy the vegetables we need for the next few days. Tell me what to buy; you must prepare three good meals a day. Keep the food hearty; everyone will be working hard.”

Lin He nodded. The weather was quite hot; buying too much meat would risk spoilage. Relying only on vegetables and fruits wouldn't suffice. After some thought, she instructed Er Niu to buy some pig's head meat, offal, one chicken and one duck each, plus some regular meat, ribs, and trotters. They had plenty of vegetables at home, and she listed some seasonal seasonings. She told Da Bao to write it all down so they could buy it tomorrow.

Lin He calculated that these meats should last a few days; with proper handling upon return, they shouldn't spoil. They had vegetables stored in the root cellar, and they had grown some themselves this year, so they likely wouldn't need to buy those. That should be enough.

Before dawn the next day, everyone in the household except Lin He and the younger ones were up. Er Niu saw it was still early and took Da Bao to the fields to start harvesting wheat. They would go to town to buy vegetables after the sun rose, taking the ox cart with them to the field edge.

Seeing everyone else up, Lin He also got out of bed. Preparing breakfast for the entire family would be challenging relying only on herself and Chen’er; Chen’er could only manage the fire, so she had to do everything herself. Moreover, Father said they shouldn't just have congee in the morning; they needed dishes to give them strength for the morning work.

Lin Chen hadn't opened his eyes yet. Seeing his sister getting up, he mumbled, “Sister, do you have to get up so early to cook?”

Lin He smiled and replied, “Not yet, I woke up and couldn’t sleep again. You sleep a bit longer, I’ll call you later.”

Chen’er was sensible, saying he was awake now, and got up. Realizing his sister would be too busy cooking alone, he helped. When Lin He went out to the courtyard, the rest of the family had already left. Only Xiao Jun remained, saying he would wait until after breakfast before going to guard the threshing ground.

Lin He decided that flatbread would be best for the morning staple; making steamed buns or dumplings would likely take too long. Flatbreads were simpler. For the side dishes, they could use some pickled vegetables—they had some radishes and cabbage left in the cellar—and some cured meat. She would stew the radishes and cabbage with the cured meat, and serve some of their homemade spicy pickled cabbage. That should suffice for the morning.

She would decide what to cook for lunch after Er Niu returned with the purchases. Lin He took out the cabbage, and she and Lin Chen busied themselves washing and chopping vegetables. Xiao Jun helped tend the fire beside them. After much effort, the stew was finally ready.

Lin He saw it was nearly time and asked Xiao Jun to go to the fields to call the others back for a meal. Meanwhile, she and Chen’er started making flatbreads. The dough had already been mixed, so making the flatbreads wouldn't take long. They should be ready when the others returned.

Xiao Jun went to the fields to call Father Qin and Huang Shi. Er Niu and Da Bao had returned with the ox cart, having bought a large load of vegetables as Lin He had instructed. Since they couldn't go to town for the next few days, Lin He set the unloaded vegetables aside, planning to process them later that morning.

Lin He told Er Niu and Da Bao to rest a bit, saying the meal would be ready soon and that Xiao Jun had already been sent to call the others. Lin He and Chen’er finished making the flatbreads in the kitchen. Before long, they were done. Seeing that Father Qin and Huang Shi had not yet returned, Er Niu and Da Bao ate first; they needed to rush back to harvest the wheat, and they couldn't waste this time.

Just as the two were about done eating, Father Qin and Huang Shi came back. They also ate quickly, mentioning they had already harvested some wheat in the early morning, instructing Er Niu to take it to the threshing ground to dry. Xiao Jun had also finished eating and had gone to wait at the threshing ground.