As soon as we went down the mountain and out of the village, we heard the sound of tractors, and then a tractor from the next village set off pulling a load of rice. As the tractor drove past, Fang Zheng could even smell the fragrance of rice inside. On this day, almost every household was busy with the autumn harvest, and there were not many people in the whole village. The gatekeepers relied on a few native dogs.
Ever since Mengmeng was abducted, people in the village didn't dare to be careless and would take their children with them even during the autumn harvest.
"Master, where have everyone gone?" Honghai'er asked curiously.
"We've all gone to harvest rice. The task for everyone today is to help harvest rice. Whoever does more will get extra food tonight!" Fang Zheng said with a smile.
The villagers were kind to Yizhi Temple, and in return, Fang Zheng always wanted to do something for them. What's more, his disciples really need to have more contact with people outside and understand what's going on outside. The most important thing is that these guys are so tired of hanging out in the mountains every day, making trouble when they have nothing to do, so they might as well leave them down and find some work.
Sure enough, when they heard that there was food, everyone became very motivated.
"Master, we are not the kind of people who eat well! Just tell me how to do it, my paws are already thirsty!" The squirrel waved his little hands and shouted energetically.
Fang Zheng gave him a violent shudder and kicked him on the butt. Then he looked at the others with anxious expressions and said with a smile, "Don't worry, there will be plenty of work for you after we leave the village."
After leaving the village, both sides of the village road are already golden. The golden rice fields extend to the end of the horizon, separated by windbreaks. Even so, looking up, the sky and the earth are connected, the sky is blue, the ground is golden, and the golden sunshine is shining on the earth. The rice fields are reflected into a golden ocean, and the gold shines! In the autumn wind, rice waves come one after another, like blue waves on the sea. Some birds secretly fly down to eat the rice ears, just like seagulls entering the sea to steal fish...
Asked about the fragrance of rice, Fang Zheng couldn't help but praise: "It's another great harvest, it's really good..."
"Master, I didn't expect the rice to be so beautiful when it's ripe." The red boy is not tall, just a head taller than the wheat. He can't see far even if he puts his feet on it. He has no choice but to keep jumping. Yizhi Village is located just at the junction of mountains and plains. Beyond Yizhi Mountain is the Tongtian Mountains, with undulating mountains stretching for thousands of miles. On the other side of Yizhi Mountain is an endless plain, which is just suitable for growing crops such as corn and rice. This was also the only source of income for Yizhi Village in the past.
Fang Zheng smiled and said: "It's beautiful when it's not ripe, but you don't know how to appreciate it. Just wait, the real beauty is not beautiful now...it's only beautiful in the evening."
When Fangzheng said this, the red boy, squirrel, lone wolf, and monkey were all curious. In the evening? more beautiful? Why? Several little guys began to silently look forward to arriving early in the evening.
"Let's go! Go in and have a look!" Hong Hai'er waved his hand and was about to lead his senior brothers into the rice fields to play.
Fang Zheng grabbed the red boy who was running around and scolded him: "Don't run around. You will trample on other people's crops. As a teacher, you can't afford the compensation."
Although he had money, Fang Zheng never thought about spending money frivolously. Although Fang Zheng likes money, he is not greedy, as long as it is enough to live on. As for more money, there is still a big gap to expand the temple, so save it...
While walking on the road with the disciples, I could see the villagers of Yizhi Village in the distance, standing in the fields wearing the same old shabby clothes, patrolling back and forth, not knowing what they were doing.
"Excuse me, mage, is there anyone harvesting rice in the village?" At this moment, a voice with a northwest accent sounded.
Fang Zheng looked back and saw only five men and women with two children. Both men and women were carrying thick quilts, sickles and other tools. Even the children were helping to carry many things. These people had dark, rough skin, weathered faces, and eyes full of exhaustion and longing, as if they were looking forward to a positive answer from Fang Zheng.
Among the few people, only two children had bright eyes. They seemed to be full of curiosity about the world in their ignorance, and they were a little afraid of strangers. Especially when they looked at lone wolves and monkeys, they looked like they were looking at monsters. There is novelty, but more of it is fear. The two little guys hid behind their parents and secretly looked at Fang Zheng and others.
Seeing the appearance of these people, they were obviously poor people who had been exposed to wind and sun all year round. Fang Zheng clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, several donors, are you Mai Ke?"
Mai Ke, this profession has always existed in the Northeast, but in the Northeast, it is not called Mai Ke. The name is different in different places. There is generally no unified name in Yizhi Village. They are just called "helpers" and "recruiters". , "rice cutter" and so on. The name Mai Ke came from the south. This name sounded much nicer than the previous title, so everyone recognized it. Firstly, it was a good name, and secondly, it showed respect for others.
Maike first originated in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region. In order to make a living, every year during the wheat harvest season, a large number of migrant workers would go out with sickles to help others harvest wheat, earn a certain amount of money, and improve their lives. This kind of behavior is called chasing the wheat field, and the people who rush to the wheat field are called Mai Ke.
'Maike' and 'Swordsman' come from the same lineage. The latter does not harvest wheat, but is a Guanzhong warrior who looks after other people's homes and courtyards, just like a bodyguard.
However, in the Northeast, there are naturally no Mikes from the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region. After all, they are too far apart. Generally, the Mai Ke who come to Yizhi Village to help harvest rice are villagers from nearby villages, and everyone is familiar with them. Everyone knows who is quick at work and who likes to be lazy. No one wants the lazy ones, but everyone grabs the quick ones. This is the market situation.
However, the few people in front of me were very unfamiliar, and they were obviously not from the nearby villages. Moreover, the accent is not the heavy accent of Northeast China, but has a bit of the flavor of northern Shaanxi. Could it be that Mike from over there came here? But... is it possible? Yizhi Village is so remote...
Although there were countless questions in his mind, they only flashed through Fang Zheng's mind.
The leading man had a very honest face. When Fang Zheng asked, he immediately nodded and said, "Yes, we are coming from Shaanxi. Master, do you know if there is someone nearby to help cut rice?"
Fangzheng looked at the rice that was growing all around, and it was already covered with cold dew. If we didn't harvest it for a while, it would be difficult to deal with the frost. Fang Zheng nodded and said: "The poor monk knows where there are people who need help, but people in the village usually have fixed helpers."
"Ah... that's it..." After hearing this, the man's eyes flashed with sadness.
(End of chapter)