Male Lead's Canon Fodder Wife-Chapter 1242: Exposed

Thirty minutes later, Zhang Ermu finally parked his bullock cart in a small open area.

This spot was right behind the wheat field, spacious enough for them to place their tools and process the wheat. The path leading here was secluded but wide enough to make the transportation process easier.

As An Xuyuan surveyed the area, he asked, "Brother Zhang, how did you find this place?"

"I discovered that wheat field earlier and planned to harvest it. So, I scouted the surrounding area and found this spot. From the wheat field to here, it’s only a ten-minute walk. It will save us time," Zhang Ermu explained.

Hearing this, An Xuyuan realized that the people he had assumed to be simple and honest were actually more resourceful than he had expected.

While smart people could be harder to deal with, working with them was much better—at least he wouldn’t have to waste time explaining simple things.

After laying a woven palm-leaf mat on the ground, Zhang Ermu unloaded the tools and set up the threshing rack on top of the mat.

Though the threshing rack was designed like a table with a drawer to collect wheat kernels, some still tended to fall to the ground during the process.

It would be a waste to leave them there, but cleaning them up later would be troublesome. By using the mat, they could simply sweep the kernels into a sack afterward.

Once he finished unloading, Zhang Ermu turned to his sister and said, "Yulan, your task is to thresh the wheat. The vice team leader and I will handle the harvesting."

"Okay," Zhang Yulan agreed readily.

Compared to harvesting, threshing was much easier. Plus, her brother had set up the threshing rack under a large tree, shielding her from the harsh sun. She doesn’t have to worry about getting sunburned or suffering from heat stroke.

Listening to their conversation, An Xuyuan had no objections. While he believed in treating men and women equally, that didn’t mean forcing women to take on the same workload as men would sit well with him.

After all, women’s physical strength and endurance were generally lower than men’s. It would be unreasonable to expect them to do the exact same labor.

Taking his tools and shoulder pole, he then pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and handed them to Zhang Yulan while saying, "Wear these while you work."

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Looking at the thick gloves, Zhang Yulan hesitated and asked, "What about you?"

An Xuyuan smiled at her words and replied, "Don’t worry about me. I’m a man. I have thick skin, so I won’t get hurt."

Before she could respond, he gently took her hand and helped her put on the gloves before heading toward the wheat field.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Yulan smiled and followed after him.

While her brother and An Xuyuan harvested the wheat, she used dried vines to tie the stalks into bundles. Once she had gathered more than ten bundles, she began threshing.

At the same time, Dong Li and Chen Jianmin were in the mountains, not far from the wheat field.

At the moment, the two of them were building a small pen for the boarlets after they filled up the basins used as a feeder and water bowl.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Chen Jianmin said, "Ah Li, your mother’s pig feed is really something. Look at these boarlets—they have only been eating it for a day, but they have already grown so much. Do you think we could start a pig farm if we let this pair reproduce?"

Dong Li glanced at his friend and replied, "It’s possible, but boar meat sells for less than pork. Not to mention the long time needed to raise them, you would also have to find a hidden place to build a larger pen."

"Then, you would need to hire someone to guard the farm, or someone might steal the boars. The startup cost isn’t low, and the risk is high. Are you sure you want to go through with it?" he asked.

Hearing this, Chen Jianmin’s excitement dies down. While making money was good, he couldn’t risk his and his family’s safety. It was better to earn slowly but securely.

Seeing his friend’s hesitation, Dong Li knew he had given up on the idea. He understood his friend’s eagerness to make money, but he couldn’t let him step onto that path.

From watching his second uncle, he knew running a pig farm wasn’t easy. Eventually, one would have to deal with black market traders, and those people weren’t easy to handle. One wrong step, and the mistake could cost them their lives.

After a moment of silence, he changed the subject and said, "By the way, after we finish building this pen, I’m heading to the mountain river to catch some fish. Want to join me?"

"Sure, I have got nothing to do at home," Chen Jianmin nodded.

The two of them worked in silence, finishing the small pig pen in about an hour. Looking at the simple yet sturdy structure, complete with a roof, they smiled in satisfaction and tidied up their tools.

With their bamboo baskets on their backs and fish baskets on their hands, they walked toward the river. Along the way, they gathered any medicinal herbs or mushrooms they came across. The herbs would be sold to Doctor Xie or given to Lu Jueyu to be made into wound ointment.

After walking for forty minutes, Dong Li suddenly gestured for his friend to stop. He pointed to the right and whispered, "Someone’s there."

Chen Jianmin narrowed his eyes and stepped closer. When he saw the figures in the distance, he was surprised. In a low voice, he asked, "Since when was there a wheat field here?"

Dong Li crouched beside him and pointed at a man, "Isn’t that the vice team leader?"

Chen Jianmin took a closer look, nodded, and asked, "Ah Li, do you think the brigade will claim the mountain when they find this wheat field?"