The Four Seasons of Farm Life (Farming)

[A Pure Slice-of-Life Farming Story About Family Matters]

Although Jiang Li remembers her past life, she feels no different from the other women of this era. As a child, she was cherished by her parents. When she came of age, she would be betrothed and married, then support her husband, raise children, and serve her in-laws... Wait, she doesn't have in-laws. Her fiancé is just as alone in the world as she is.

Hmm... perhaps her fiancé isn't as alone as she is. Her family consists of no one but her, while he has an older sister, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. Thinking about it that way, Jiang Li doesn't feel so alone anymore. Once they're married, they'll all be one family!

Since they'll be one family, Jiang Li scratched her chin and grinned.

At last, she wouldn't have to pay someone to do the hard work of cleaning the pigsty. She could leave little errands and messages to her four-year-old brother-in-law.

Her eight-year-old sister-in-law was sweet and thoughtful, so she'd reward her with steamed egg custard tomorrow morning. As for the second younger brother-in-law, well... he's quick-witted. The Dragon Boat Festival is coming up, so she could make mung bean cakes for him to sell at the market...

What? Her sister-in-law is being mistreated by her husband's family? Hmph, they really think her family has no one to stand up for her. Get a divorce! My family can afford to support you!

In the little farmhouse, a big watchdog lay sprawled like a pancake, flicking its tail now and then as a tabby cat rested on its head and dozed. Under the lush grape trellis, a child crouched beside a little stone mill, round eyes full of curiosity.

"Big Sister-in-law, have you eaten sweet tofu pudding before?"

"Yes. I'll make you some sweet one tomorrow morning." Jiang Li ground the beans as she thought: she'd not only eaten sweet tofu pudding, she'd also eaten mooncakes filled with dumplings!

P.S. This is a pure farming story about the everyday family life of an ordinary farming household, centered on the little family formed by the male and female leads. They work the fields and run small side businesses during the farming off-season.

The leads come from ordinary backgrounds and have no hidden identities. They won't become rich through business, move to the prefectural capital, or rise to power and status. They live in the village throughout.

A rural life of changing seasons and passing years, with all the trivial squabbles, lively chaos, family matters, and daily concerns over food, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

My upcoming ensemble story set among ordinary city folk, "Qing Ping Le: Wuyi Alley," is open for follows. Please check it out.

The flagstones were damp, reflecting white walls and black eaves. There weren't many passersby, but there was no shortage of noise: the clatter of a spatula from one house, a child's cries from another, mixed with a few low curses. At first glance, it was the most ordinary alley imaginable.

On closer inspection, it really was an ordinary alley.

Xie Siyun skipped along, holding a little oiled-paper umbrella. After pestering her mother for three months, she had finally gotten a pair of water-resistant shoes, and today they were coming in handy. Her sharp eyes spotted a puddle up ahead, and she ran straight toward it...

"Young miss, be careful, or you'll dirty your dress and your mother will scold you," a man carrying a shoulder pole called out with a laugh.

Xie Siyun ignored him and hopped around in the puddle even more happily. "My dad's home today." With her dad on her side, her mother couldn't do anything to her!

Everyone lived in Wuyi Alley and knew one another well. They knew how much Xie San doted on his daughter, so they just smiled and let it go.

After splashing through a puddle, her hem slightly damp, Xie Siyun wandered home. Looking up, she saw the dim alley divide the gray sky into a narrow "canal" and couldn't help thinking of the old saying: "The swallows from the halls of the Wang and Xie families now fly into the homes of ordinary folk."

Once home to the great Wang and Xie clans, Wuyi Alley was now just a memory. These days, its residents included the spoiled sons of rich families who married famous courtesans, burly blacksmiths, butchers, and laborers. And Xie Siyun herself had gone from being a high school's dean of student affairs to a little girl hated by dogs and cats alike.

Sigh. From the fearsome old hag in her students' eyes to the "little schemer" in her neighbors' eyes, Xie Siyun was deeply depressed. Other people transmigrate and immediately show off their wisdom, becoming child prodigies. Why had she become a "little schemer"? Sigh, living among such ignorant people gave her no chance to put her abundant talents to use. How lonely, like snow...

"Boss, Boss, why did your mom let you come out to play today?"

To hell with being lonely as snow. She had a whole gang of little followers!

Xie Siyun spun her oiled-paper umbrella, flashed her little teeth, puffed out her chest, and said proudly, "My dad's home."

A story about ordinary city folk, told through an ensemble cast, following the growth of young men and women by the Qinhuai River.

Theme: A family rooted in farming and learning will endure; poetry and books will be passed down through the generations.