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Chapter 268: Chapter 270 Other People’s Wives_1
The next day, just before dawn, Tan Zhenghong got out of bed; if he hurried, he could finish harvesting a mu of rice in a single day.
Qiao Duo’er, hearing the noise, also got up to dress, though her eyes were still closed.
"Wife, don’t get up, it’s still early," Tan Zhenghong said with a smile.
Qiao Duo’er pouted her lips: "No, I’m going with you."
She had never experienced it and found it novel, insisting on going along to see for herself.
Because Qiao Duo’er was so adamant, Tan Zhenghong could only let her have her way; they ate a few pieces of osmanthus cake and, with a kettle of water, went to the fields.
They weren’t the only ones up early; many hardworking peasant families were already toiling in the fields. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Aside from the cooler weather in the morning, they all wanted to take advantage of the good weather to quickly bring the crops home.
Otherwise, if it got late and it rained, it would delay time and the large humidity could cause the grain to fall to the ground, and some might even sprout, reducing the harvest.
Thus, the life of peasant families wasn’t easy; they had to guard against natural disasters, and human calamities, with no insurance for their lives or property.
In the field, Tan Zhenghong and Qiao Duo’er cut rice side by side.
Harvesting rice was not difficult for the original body, and naturally, Qiao Duo’er could do it too, but she was much slower than Tan Zhenghong.
Tan Zhenghong had to help her from time to time to ensure their progress was somewhat similar.
After working for half an hour, Qiao Duo’er was tired, and the novelty had worn off, so she simply sat down on the straw.
Tan Zhenghong, however, seemed full of energy, not slowing down at all.
By now it was daylight, and Qiao Duo’er saw the other families’ daughters-in-law.
She couldn’t help feeling inferior; why were the other daughters-in-law so adept at working?
Some of them were even faster than the men.
"Tan Zhenghong, do you really wish you’d married a more capable wife?"
Qiao Duo’er asked tentatively, thinking that a capable wife would have finished harvesting and threshing by now, and brought everything home to dry.
But with her, they could only cut and bind today, leaving the threshing for tomorrow.
Tan Zhenghong said seriously, "What nonsense are you talking about? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t want another no matter how capable they were."
"Besides, Wife is more capable than them; you’ll earn a lot of money, even more than me."
Tan Zhenghong stood up to rest, and even gave Qiao Duo’er a thumbs up as he did so.
Qiao Duo’er’s wounded little heart instantly recovered.
She might not be as capable as others, but her husband was, and she couldn’t help feeling proud comparing herself to them.
She felt quite lucky; she had her wilderness survival skills, and Tan Zhenghong was still making money even lying in a sickbed; their life was not too bad.
After a rest, Qiao Duo’er saw that the rice Tan Zhenghong had cut was neatly stacked behind him, so she volunteered to bind the rice.
Following behind Tan Zhenghong, the two of them could chat, making it less boring.
"Look at that couple, they are doing fine, I told you there was nothing to that rumor about Tan Zhongzhong."
"Look at how showy she is, who knows what goes on behind closed doors? In any case, I know Tan Zhongzhong has been lying at home for a long time."
"I also heard that he’s no longer able to," one said.
"It’s not that he’s permanently unable, it’s just temporary, and he’ll recover eventually."
"Who believes such nonsense? Don’t they say to the dying, don’t worry, you’ll get better soon?"
Even though they were far away, the women lowered their voices to gossip.
After idly gossiping for a while, they returned to cutting rice, for the rice was important; it was the sustenance and tax payment for the second half of the year.
