C18 Wheat Harvesting!

"What's the matter?"

Ergou chuckled.

"Nothing, get some rest!"

...

Once back home, Xia Churan coaxed Little Milk Bun to sleep before calling Tang Jin over.

"What do we do if they just keep staying there?" she asked.

Tang Jin gave a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry! If they want to drag their feet, let them. We're not in a rush. We're harvesting wheat these days, and I bet he'll come back for that!"

Xia Churan chose not to say much more at that point.

For two consecutive days, Wang Caifeng made daily trips to Tang Jin's place to collect money for medical expenses.

Tang Jin didn't seem to mind the inconvenience, accompanying Wang Caifeng each time to make the payments.

Somehow, Tang Jin's money appeared to be limitless. He would hand out three or four bills daily without batting an eye.

On the third day, Tang Fugui entered the ward with a stern look on his face.

"Today's the day we harvest the wheat. The town's saying we might get heavy rain soon, so we need to get a move on and bring in the wheat!"

Wang Caifeng was naturally lazy, skilled at nagging her husband but quick to avoid any real work. The mere mention of fieldwork made her keep her distance.

Yongzi had adopted Wang Caifeng's lazy habits, doing as little as possible whenever he could get away with it.

After Tang Fugui spoke, he looked at Yongzi and Wang Caifeng, who remained silent, and he sighed deeply.

"Look, if you want to give Tang Jin a hard time, that's your business. But the wheat needs harvesting now. If you keep this up, you're not just tormenting Tang Jin—you're tormenting me and my old bones!"

Yongzi glanced over at Tang Fugui.

"Dad, don't worry about it. I've seen the weather, and it's clear skies. Forget the weather forecast; they never get it right!"

Angered, Tang Fugui coughed violently, realizing he couldn't sway the two of them and stormed out.

"Just keep it up, you two. You'll get what's coming to you soon enough!"

While everyone was bustling with activity,

Tang Jin was inside the house, tinkering with something unknown.

Xia Churan donned a straw hat and grabbed a sickle.

"We should head to the fields; the wheat's ready for harvest. The weather station in town is predicting rain in a few days!"

Meanwhile, Tang Jin was busy working on a small cart.

Over the past few days, he had constructed another cart using the same method as before.

However, this new cart had a unique design, featuring three windmill-shaped sickles at the front, which Tang Jin had specially commissioned a blacksmith to craft.

The bottom of the cart boasted a single wheel, and the rear was equipped with a handle.

Concerned about safety, Tang Jin had fitted a metal casing over the sickles.

Upon witnessing this, Xia Churan couldn't help but find Tang Jin's behavior somewhat odd.

"You've been fussing over this thing for days. What's it for?"

Tang Jin replied with a smile.

"You'll see its purpose soon enough. It's just a shame there's no engine; otherwise, it could operate automatically!"

"An engine? Like the ones in cars?"

Tang Jin nodded, "Exactly. You really do have a broad knowledge base, having been to college. Yes, it's like the engine in a car!"

"So, what is this contraption?"

"A harvester!"

"For wheat?"

Again, Tang Jin nodded.

The two of them, Tang Jin and Xia Churan, each pushed a cart and the harvester, making their way back to their home.

The locals watched the peculiar devices at Tang Jin's house with curiosity and confusion.

Sanzi approached Tang Jin and Xia Churan with enthusiasm.

"Jin, what's this contraption?"

Before Tang Jin could respond, Xia Churan chimed in.

"It's a harvester!"

"What does it harvest? What's it used for?"

"It's for harvesting wheat!"

Sanzi shook his head, "I'm still not clear on it, but I'll come by later to see it in action!"

Tang Jin nodded in agreement.

"Sure thing!"

Tang Jin's house had a total of three acres of wheat to its name.

Given Tang Jin's previous lazy habits, it was Xia Churan who had actually planted all three acres.

When Tang Jin and Xia Churan reached the wheat field, they saw someone had already started cutting a row of wheat on Tang Fugui's land.

Surveying the wheat field, Tang Fugui was the only one in sight.

"That Yongzi is truly despicable! Just like his lazy mother!" Xia Churan agreed with a nod.

"Poor Uncle Fugui, left to harvest five acres of wheat all by himself!"

"People who evoke pity often have their flaws. Let's not dwell on that now; it's time to harvest the wheat!"

Tang Jin maneuvered the harvester forward, watching as the wheat stalks were neatly cut down. The machine's design was somewhat hasty, leaving some wheat behind. Tang Jin came up with a solution: he would push the harvester, while Xia Churan followed, cutting the missed stalks.

In just half a day, they managed to harvest all three acres. Meanwhile, Tang Fugui had struggled to cut just one and a half acres by himself.

Upon seeing Tang Jin's harvester and how effortlessly it laid the wheat flat, Tang Fugui was astounded. "What is this device? How come I've never seen it before?"

As evening approached, the day's harvest concluded. Sanzi arrived and was dumbfounded by the sight of the neatly harvested wheat. "Did the two of you finish these three acres in just half a day?"

Tang Jin loaded the wheat onto a small cart, stacking it high and securing it with rope, enough to carry half an acre's yield. Sanzi watched, looking at Tang Jin as if he were a mythical creature.

"Jin, are you saying you can get all this wheat back home today?" Tang Jin replied with a smile, "Yes, indeed! We'll have it all back home by today!"

Word of their feat spread as Sanzi shared the story. Skeptical at first, people eventually came to see for themselves. Tang Jin's fields were indeed bare, not a stalk left standing. Tang Jin's harvester quickly became the village's prized possession.

When Ergou heard about this remarkable machine, he made his way to Tang Jin's house.

"Jin, I heard you've built a harvester!"

Tang Jin smiled. "If you need it, I can bring it over tomorrow and show you how to operate it!"