Li Tieshuan and Li Tiezhu, two elderly men, were busy in the paddy fields with the Li Family’s able-bodied laborers.
Li Tieshuan looked up to see the master of the house approaching along the field ridge, accompanied by two young gentlemen of similar age.
The weeds on the ridge had been cleared away right down to the roots. This was done to prevent water from leaking out of the paddies; before every rice-planting season, the ridges were inspected and repaired. Once repaired, the inner sides of the ridges had to be smoothed over with thin mud to further prevent seepage. The bare, hardened ridges were somewhat slippery in places where the field water had washed over them.
Chapter 52