After lunch, warm sunlight spilled across the land. Si Jiuyue was just about to rise and reach for her hoe to continue tilling the fields.
As she hoisted the tool, Old Madam Si rushed out from the house, her face etched with anxiety. She grabbed Si Jiuyue’s hand, her eyes brimming with heartache. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she trembled and said, "My dear child, you are not allowed to go. Look at your hands—they’ve already calloused, and there are several blisters on them. Digging is such exhausting, bitter work; that is work for men. You are a young lady; you cannot suffer like this."
Si Jiuyue listened to her grandmother, but she didn’t mind. She smiled and explained, "Grandmother, you know that our life now is not the same as it was before. How can we survive without working? Look, even you have started raising rabbits, just like Great Aunt. Me doing a little work is no problem at all. Besides, we must clear this land as quickly as possible to plant the sweet potato seedlings. By winter, we might harvest six or seven thousand pounds of sweet potatoes."
Chapter 272