After several days of grueling labor, Lin He's family finally completed the wheat harvest. After setting aside the portion owed to the landlord, they were left with just over three hundred jin of wheat. Once milled, this yielded about two to three hundred jin of flour, which Er Niu, fearful of dampness, carefully stored high up in the loft.

This amount of flour, two to three hundred jin, barely filled three large burlap sacks, and they weren't even completely full. This was the yield for an entire year. Lin He knew that in past years, only a small portion of the fine white flour remained for their own consumption; the rest was traded for coarser grains, eaten sparingly each day to make it last longer.

Lin He mused that they really needed to earn more money and buy back more land. No wonder everyone said being a landlord was good—how could it not be good when one possessed thousands of mu of fertile fields? The income from that alone in a year must be substantial.

Er Niu, however, was delighted. He announced that now that this season’s harvest was done, he had already spoken with Landlord Xia when paying the rent yesterday: they would not be renting land next year. They possessed eight mu of their own fields. Based on this year’s yield, they could expect three hundred jin of wheat per mu annually, totaling two thousand four hundred jin. He wondered what sort of warehouse would be large enough to store all that, and it would all be fine, white grain. Furthermore, if the farming method Lin He suggested proved effective and increased their yield, they could make a significant sum just from cultivating their own land next year.

Huang Shi was equally excited, adding that she had also planted sesame and peanuts in their sandy fields, which would fetch a decent price when sold, or at least provide food for them to eat at home. Since Er'er often experimented with recipes and sometimes needed to buy various grains, having these staples on hand meant they could prepare dishes anytime.

Lin He found her father amusing. Even two thousand four hundred jin of wheat, yielding nearly two thousand jin of flour, would only translate to about thirty taels of silver. Why the grand celebration? It was just thirty taels. A single delivery run into town for her would net more than that. Her parents had never been so exuberant.

Although the outcome was ultimately profit, Er Niu and Huang Shi’s perception was vastly different. Firstly, farming held a more respectable status than engaging in commerce at this time. Secondly, having spent their entire lives tilling land and paying rent, they were accustomed to handing over the majority of their annual grain to others. After this harvest, all their grain could finally stay within the household—a source of unprecedented joy. There was also their underlying skepticism about Lin He’s strange concoctions, fearing that her earnings might disappear one day, leading them to believe that good days depended on farming. The mindsets of people at this time were incredibly difficult to shift.

Lin He felt she understood their perspective. It was akin to when, in her previous life, she earned about three thousand a month. If her boss suddenly praised her work and offered a ten percent raise, she would be thrilled, even though ten percent was only three hundred yuan. That three hundred felt more gratifying than the original three thousand. It was the same principle, she thought—not about the money itself, but the shift in state of mind.

The family could finally relax. Da Bao would return to town in a couple of days. Huang Shi asked Lin He to prepare some food for him to take along, suggesting preserved steamed pork, which keeps well, could be eaten with steamed buns for dinner.

Er Niu and Huang Shi discussed that since they had more people this year and fewer fields, the work finished quickly. Should they go help at Huang Shi’s parents’ place for a few days? Huang Shi considered it, then replied, "No need. My family has plenty of hands, and not too many fields; they are likely almost done. Your mother’s family didn't plant much wheat this year either. Why don't we go help Third Sister-in-law for a few days? She is doing everything by herself; I wonder how long it will take her."

Er Niu nodded, agreeing. Indeed, Zhou Shi was managing alone. Her family had only a few mu of wheat, and it must be slow going. If they helped for a few days, she could finish faster, which was crucial in case of a sudden change in weather.

Zhou Shi’s household desperately needed help. Working alone, she toiled from dawn till dusk in the fields, yet after several days, she hadn't even finished cutting one mu. She also had to transport the cut wheat to the threshing ground, return home midday to cook, and get back early in the evening to watch the two children alone. The time available for fieldwork was minimal, so the cutting wasn't even complete.

Little Shan was sensible at home, looking after his little sister every day, but at only five years old, there wasn't much else he could manage besides keeping his sister occupied. Although her in-laws had offered to take the children if she became overwhelmed, Zhou Shi felt her mother-in-law was merely saying it out of politeness; otherwise, she would have offered help when she knew how busy the harvest was.

So, Zhou Shi let Little Shan and Little Yun stay home alone, unwilling to ask her mother-in-law for assistance, preferring to bear the extra burden herself.

The next day, after breakfast, as Huang Shi and Er Niu were preparing to leave to help Zhou Shi, Old Man Qin also offered to go along. Huang Shi discouraged him, explaining that Da Bao was home these days, and Lin He might need the ox cart for cooking. She asked Old Man Qin to stay, just in case the cart was required, someone would need to drive it.

Old Man Qin conceded that having just the two of them helping Zhou Shi would certainly speed things up. Huang Shi and Er Niu also instructed Lin He to prepare lunch for Zhou Shi's entire family, and for Da Bao to take it to the field when he delivered the children at noon.

Lin He suddenly remembered that Little Shan and Little Yun would be home alone these two days. In the chaotic rush of their own harvest, she had forgotten. Now that their own house was quiet, she decided to bring the two children over to her courtyard. With so many children already around, two more wouldn't matter, and Little Shan and Little Yun certainly wouldn't have a meal settled for them otherwise. She called Chen'er, and they went to fetch Little Shan and Little Yun to bring them along.

When Lin He arrived at Zhou Shi’s courtyard, she saw Little Shan and Little Yun playing. Upon seeing them enter, the children immediately stood up and called out "Sister." It was well past breakfast time, suggesting Zhou Shi was so engrossed in the harvest that she had forgotten the hour, leaving the children hungry.

Lin He quickly addressed them: "Little Shan, take your sister to our place. Your big sister will make you breakfast. It's this late; your mother must be too busy to remember the time."

Little Shan shook his head. "Then Mother won't have breakfast. If Mother comes back and we aren't here, she will search everywhere."

Lin He smiled warmly. "Silly child, I'll make breakfast for your mother too. Big Brother Da Bao can take it to her in the fields later and tell her you are at our house. Your mother certainly won't look for you then."

Only then did Little Shan nod, quickly closing their own front door. As they left, he made sure to lock the courtyard gate as well before following Lin He and Chen'er toward Lin He's home.