Juhua felt a sense of foreboding when she heard this. Sure enough, her father continued, "When the time comes, Juhua, Shitou's mother, and Shitou's grandmother will stay home and cook. The rest of us will all go to the fields—even your mother and Huai Zi's mother. We'll get all the spring planting done in one go, and the rest will be easy."
Qingmu saw the look on his sister's face and asked worriedly, "Cooking for that many people... Juhua might not be able to handle it."
Zheng Changhe quickly reassured Juhua, "It's not that many people. If you count, our three families all together are only twelve people. That's much fewer than when we were clearing the land. Besides, Shitou's mother and grandmother can help you. I hear Shitou's grandmother is a good cook."
