The autumn harvest wasn't completely over. Corn needed to be laid out to dry, other coarse grains had to be processed, and the stalks in the fields had to be hauled back.
After the stalks were cut, the remaining corn roots—the stubble—also had to be dug up and brought home. Once dried and with the dirt knocked off, they could be used to heat the kang beds in winter.
In short, absolutely nothing went to waste.
These past few days, An Ning hadn't had much work, but An Guoqing was swamped.
A tractor rumbled through the village day in and day out, from the east end to the west and back again.
Even the children weren't idle.
They dug up bean roots from the fields to use as fuel for the school stove in winter. They also scoured the fields for any fallen corn, peanuts, or sweet potatoes.
Finding a single dropped piece of food was as exciting as finding money.
