Chapter Fifteen Digging Wild Vegetables

  "It's not wrapped feet, it's not wrapped feet." Zhang and Lianzhi both laughed.

  Wulang smiled and pulled out Xiaoqi, Lianzhi took off her shoes and showed her feet to Lianman.

  Lian Zhi'er's feet were bare, wearing thin cloth socks, and wrapped with layers of gauze outside.

  "My mother is afraid that we always do rough work and our feet will become ugly. Wrapping them with gauze like this, they won't be as small as Hua Er's sisters', but it won't be too ugly either." Lian Zhier said, "It won't delay our work."

  "Oh, I see."

  Lian Man'er let out a sigh of relief. She remembered that in her past life, she had heard that during the Song Dynasty, women would bind their feet to make them look good, using this method. She didn't know why later on, foot binding evolved into that crippling method of wrapping feet.

  "Come, I'll bandage your foot." Zhang Shi had Lian Man'er sit on the kang, picked up the gauze and began to wrap it around her foot in circles. As she wrapped, she asked Lian Man'er if it was too tight or not. "I won't make it too tight for you, nor can I make it too loose, or it'll be useless."

  Mrs Zhang bowed her head and carefully bandaged her daughter's foot, filled with guilt in her heart.

  "Mother is sorry for you all." Zhang said in a low voice.

  "Mother, don't say that, big feet are fine." Lianzhi said, she had been helping Zhangshi with chores since she was very young and knew that Zhangshi felt guilty for not being able to bind her feet.

  In this era, the daughters of wealthy families were mostly bound-footed, and those from slightly better-off peasant families were also so. However, for poorer peasant families, girls had to work to help with household chores, so they needed to keep their natural feet intact. As a result, in many people's eyes, a pair of three-inch golden lotus represented social status. A girl with small feet was more likely to marry into a relatively wealthy family.

  Although there are also some families with better family conditions who don't care about this, after all, they are in the minority. It's really like what Man Er said, her virtuous tolerance has dragged down the children, making them not valued at home, and affecting their future lives. Zhang Shi let out a deep sigh, she had done justice to anyone in Lian's family, except for her own few children.

  "You are all big feet, and in the future you can only marry into an ordinary peasant family. You can't be like Hua'er and become a young mistress, living a life of luxury... Mother doesn't usually stop you from doing chores, you're all diligent with your hands and feet, and you're skilled at handling household tasks inside and out. In the future when you get to your husband's home, you'll be able to manage the household and live a more stable life." Zhang Shi couldn't help but speak her mind.

  Lian Zhi'er's face suddenly turned red.

  Zhang saw her eldest daughter was embarrassed and didn't say anything more.

  Lian Man'er tilted her head, thinking. It turned out that small feet meant being able to marry into a wealthy family and live a good life. In other words, if a woman was not born into a rich and noble family, she had to rely on small feet to win over men and rely on marriage to live a good life. So, did having big feet mean she couldn't live a good life? Without relying on marriage or men, couldn't she make her own money?

  "... earn money myself, buy land, be a landlord, and even the poor can have a good life." Lian Man'er said solemnly. Right, she wants to work hard and become a landlord herself.

  Zhang and Lian Zhi'er were both looking at Lian Man'r.

  "You don't believe me?" Lian Man'er raised her head, "Just wait and see, I will definitely become a landowner."

  "Alright, alright, our Mian'er will definitely become a landowner in the future." Zhang Shi smiled and personally put a straw hat on Lian Mian'er's head, instructing Lian Zhi'er and Wu Lang to take good care of Lian Mian'er and Xiao Qi before letting the children leave.

  Not far from the village, there are large tracts of fields. It's already August and the crops in the fields are about to mature, waiting to be harvested. The endless scenery of the fields makes people feel relaxed and happy. Lian Wan'er walked while chatting with Xiao Qi, asking about the situation at Lian's house and in the village. Lian Zhi'er and Lian Wu Lang also helped explain for Lian Wan'er.

  Soon, Lian'er learned that the village where she lived was called Sanshilipu. This place is close to the northern border of Ming, and since the opening of the country, it has been a place for soldiers to garrison and cultivate land. In order to strengthen the border defense, the court also sent some exiled prisoners here, and later, many refugees from various places in the south came here one after another, and this originally desolate place gradually had vitality.

  A hundred years after the founding of the country, Ming again pushed the border northward. The wars on the periphery subsided, and soldiers returned to their fields, with many simply staying behind. The original garrison farms gradually became ordinary villages. Occasionally, from place names, one can still see the characteristics of the original garrison's military preparedness.

  Sanshili Yingzi is named after its distance from Jinyang County, a major border town thirty miles away.

  "Let's go further away, the vegetables nearby are probably all dug up." Lianzhi walked ahead with her head down.

  Walking along the small paths in the fields, there were also three or five big and small children carrying baskets, they were also out to dig wild vegetables.

  "Dig here then. Yesterday when I came, there were several pieces of shepherd's purse here." Lian Zhier said as he walked to a high cornfield.

  "Man Er, wait for us at the entrance of the field, we're going to dig up some vegetables." said Wu Lang.

  Lian Man'er shook her head, she wasn't so fragile.

  "Come on, Man Ni, follow me. If you feel tired or uncomfortable, just let me know." said Lian Zhi.

  Lian Man'er nodded, carrying a basket woven from willow branches in one hand and a small hoe in the other, following Lian Zhi'er into the cornfield. Country children were agile and knew not to damage the crops, after digging around, they indeed found several ridges of land filled with large patches of shepherd's purse and many other wild vegetables.

  "Let's dig here." Lian Zhier said, squatting down.

  Lian Man'er also squatted down, imitating Lian Zhi'er's movements, and dug the wild vegetables into the basket one by one. There were many wild vegetables here, but Lian Zhi'er only picked the curly mustard greens, dandelion greens, and amaranth.

  "Our pigs and chickens love to eat these." Lian Zhi'er said while digging vegetables, "If we can't dig enough, wild vegetables will do."

  Chrysanthemum coronarium is also known as bitter chrysanthemum, Glebionis coronaria or crown daisy. It is also called Japanese daisy, Korean daisy and garland chrysanthemum.

  Lian Yuer's hands and feet moved quickly, afraid that Lian Man would be tired, and from time to time put the wild vegetables dug up into Lian Man's basket. In a short while, the two of them had dug up two full baskets of wild vegetables. Wu Lang and Xiao Qi also dug up two baskets, and several children came out of the cornfield and sat under a big tree at the edge of the field.

  Wulang handed the basket over to Lianzhi and took Xiaogui back into the hole.

  "What's up?" Lian Wan'er greeted.

  "Don't mind them, they're just being wild." Lian Zhi told Lian Man.

  Lian Man'er fell silent. The village children, born and raised on this land, were as carefree as if they were in their own homes amidst the fields. They came out to dig wild vegetables and also took the opportunity to play and have fun.

  "Man Er, sister will make a flower crown for you." Lian Zhi Er said, running to the grassland beside to pick wildflowers.

  Lian Zhi'er picked a big bunch of yellow, red, blue and white wildflowers back, held them in her hand, twisted to the left and turned to the right, and after a while, she really wove a beautiful flower crown, just about to put it on Lian Man'er's head.

  The two sisters laughed and played together, because Lian Man'er still had injuries on her head, so in the end it was Lian Zhier who wore the flower crown.

  "Xiu'er's auntie's pom-poms are really beautiful, Man'er don't you think?" Lianzhier said.

  Lian Man'er took a glance at Lian Zhi'er and nodded.

  "Sister, you will have even more beautiful pom-poms to wear in the future."

  Lian Zhi'er smiled and said, "I don't ask for any flowers to wear, as long as..."

  "Second sister, for you. What is this?" Lian Wulang and Xiao Qi emerged from the high cornfield, both covered in sweat.

  This is a book of rustic and nostalgic literature, containing the memories of several generations, as well as a weak and yearning for rural life. It seems like another book to be devoured, sighing, and it's highly likely that there will be a second update tonight.