Perhaps to generate more interest I should post the first few translated chapters.

    This is the first translated chapter. chapter 1 it was translated by Casualtranslator on NovelsGround
    Reclaiming the land

    An ordinary day, on a vast space of land where skies were clear and the sun shining brilliantly.

    Suddenly, a ring-like object appeared in the sky out of nowhere, as though it has suddenly crossover from another dimension, and with great speed, shot towards the mountain peak, while carrying an eerie “wu wu” sound.

    Following normal physics, when an object descends from the sky, it would be accompanied by a trail of copious gas followed by a deafening sound, as though it is announcing its arrival to everyone in the world.

    However, in this particular case, the object only emitted some inaudible sound, before burying itself deeply into the mountains, where it was no longer noticeable. In such a short period of time, it did not capture the attention of any living being, even the birds that were nearby had no time to react. These frightened birds circled the sky for a few short whiles, before leaving the incident out of its mind. Without anyone knowing, this land had gained another mysterious object.

    After countless of years, the wastelands became cultivated and large oceans receded into seas. The human population expanded, and the aforementioned mountain weathered into a knoll. In fact, many previously isolated areas had worn down into land which was suitable for human population. What kind of story would this mysterious ring bring? Zhang Xiaohua had a face as though he felt blessed by the gods, because right now, his eyes were firmly set upon the farmland before him as though it was a succulent piece of five-spice meat.

    Instead of calling it a farmland, it would be more appropriate to call this land as wasteland in the hills, because it was situated in the middle of a knoll where the gradient of the slope in this small area was not too steep. However, this piece of land was the result of the precious efforts by Zhang Xiaohua’s father over the past two months.

    Even though land was abundant in this area, not much of it could be used to cultivate crops. Hence, everyone is always thinking of finding good land that can be used to produce grains. Most people from the village would choose to find land closer to the river, but perhaps because Zhang Xiaohua’s family was too poor to appease the elders, they had no choice but to choose a piece of land that is so far away.

    The village that Zhang Xiaohua lived in was named Guo. Its total area consists of approximately 4 li* of even ground which was sandwiched between the mountains. The mountains were not tall; it would be more accurate to call them hillocks. A large river flowed across the village, and on the river was a small bridge that connected the roads. There were approximately forty-plus households in the Guo village, with half of them surnamed Guo and actually belonging to a small family clan situated at the center of the village.

    *TN: li- 500 meters

    The village people were mostly simple yet realistic people, so most of the important village matters were decided by the Guo elders. Even though everyone was a member of the village, when it came to petty matters that require arbitration, the Guo elders would mostly side with those who were surnamed Guo. The best locations in the village had also been taken by the Guo households.

    Nevertheless, village life was simple and peaceful, there was never a matter that could not be resolved so everyone was contented with the way things were.

    Zhang Xiaohua’s mother Guo Sufei was a member of the Guo clan, despite only receiving partial support and having long passed its “glory” days. By the time it reached his mother’s generation, apart from Guo Sufei, there was no male descendant. Thus, to appease and take care of his grandfather, Guo San, Zhang Xiaohua’s father, Zhang Cai, married into the Guo family.

    The saying goes that a farming family depends on labor. However, Guo San had no sons, and due to a series of unfortunate events, he could not fulfill his intention to adopt a boy from his relatives, and thus, the family’s financial situation has fallen into dire straits. Fortunately, Zhang Cai did not disappoint him as a son-in-law. After entering the Guo household, he became an invaluable addition who not only worked in the fields, but also improved the standing of the family to above where it previously was.

    A year later, Guo Sufei became pregnant, and Guo San gained a grandson, who was named Zhang Xiaolong. Seeing his grandson, Guo San felt relieved for the future of the family, but just as things were progressing in the right direction, a year later, Guo San became sick from overwork in his hard life, and never recovered since then…..

    Illness to a poor family was like natural disaster that was impossible to recover from. To cure his father-in-law, Zhang Cai sold all the valuables in the house, but alas, he could not rescue Guo San’s life which was like a candle flickering in the wind. Thus, when Zhang Xiaolong was two years old, Guo San finally passed away. The only thing Zhang Cai could look forward to was the birth of his second child. On his deathbed, Guo San decided to the name the unborn child. If the child was a boy, he would be called Zhang Xiaohu, and if the child was a girl, she will be called Zhang Xiaohua. After Guo San passed away, Zhang Cai’s mother-in-law also declined in health from her sorrow, and only after Zhang Xiaohu’s birth did her spirits improved slightly which halted the series of misfortunes the household was facing.

    A farmer’s lifeblood was the land he farms on. Compared to Old Guo’s times when there was not enough manpower, the small plot of land currently owned by the household could no longer sustain its increasing household size. Out of desperation, Zhang Cai took his sons and wife to the village elder, who eventually gave face to the deceased Guo San and granted the pitiable household a small plot of land near the river.

    Zhang Xiaohua was born when his eldest brother was seven. That was when the family already had two and a half man’s worth of manpower, and the difficulties of the past were easing up. Speaking of Zhang Xiaohua’s birth, it was a noteworthy occasion because on that day, a two month drought finally had let up and ended with a heavy downpour on that very night he was born. The rain became so heavy that the bridge was no longer passable, which was truly a frightening sight for the people who lived in the mountains. And when Guo Sufei was giving birth to Zhang Xiaohua, she saw flower petals enveloped the sky. Thus, Zhang Cai was full of anticipation towards Zhang Xiaohua, to the extent that he invited a learned man in the village to pick a name for his son. Names such as Zhang Wu, Zhang Ning, Zhang Xueyou, etc were thrown around, and after much consideration, Guo Sufei thought of the falling petals and was reminded of her deceased father, thus deciding on such a feminine name for her son.

    TL: Xiaohua means little flower.

    Xiaohua is currently twelve years old, and since the children in a farmer’s household mature early, Xiaohua had already begun to join his father and two elder brothers in helping to toil the land. It was not that Zhang Cai did not consider sending his children to school to read and write, but the village was a small village with not many literate villagers, and thus they could not support a village school. The neighboring village belonged to a rather large clan, and the school fees that it required from the Guo village children were high. In the case of Xiaolong and Xiaohu, there was no need for any consideration because the family’s situation was truly unable to support their education expenses. In Xiaohua’s case, he did go to school for a few days, but according to the advice of his teacher, Xiaohua’s potential in the literary path was limited, and that he would not be able to recognize more than a few words even if he were to put in all his efforts, much less become someone noteworthy. Zhang Cai weighed the options, took another glance at Xiaohua’s pleading eyes and thick eyebrows, and finally decided to give up the pipedream of having an scholar in the household. Thus, he brought Xiaohua back to the village to farm. Rather, it was Xiaohua’s mother who remembered the day when Xiaohua was born, and would time to time invite the literate people in the village to impart a little something to her son. Even though Xiaohua enjoyed following his brothers’ footsteps in farming, but under the forced supervision of his mother, he was finally able to recognize some words and become the most learned in his household.

    Today was the first day Xiaohua would farm by himself. His father had earlier told him that this plot of land would belong to him, and it can be considered to be his future livelihood. Even though the land did not seem ideal for crop cultivation, Xiaohua remembered a scholar in the village who once said, “With a goal, one can begin. With a beginning, the road to success is halfway complete!” With success, the day when he reaches his goal will not be too far, and Xiaohua’s goal was to eat a succulent slice of five-spiced meat every day.

    November marked the beginning of winter; the sun was still in the sky lending warmth to an otherwise cold weather. The winds blew from the hills, bringing a foreboding sense of winter, but Xiaohua’s attention was placed elsewhere. Carrying his hoe, he began to work continuously on this small plot of land. Firstly, he dug up a drain around the semi-oval boundary, and then began to clear up the small pebbles and rocks inside it. Next, he proceeded to remove the weeds, before turning the soil to loosen it so it could be used to cultivate crops. Farm work is naturally time-intensive, and when Xiaohua was done with the above mentioned tasks, it was already afternoon. Xiaohua stopped his work, wiped the sweat on his forehead, and walked towards where he came from where he retrieved a vat of water his mother prepared, talking continuous gulps to quench his thirst. Then, he stretched his body until he was comfortable. Even though he had previous farming experiences, because he was the smallest, his father and brothers would only leave the simpler tasks to him. Now, Xiaohua was more aware of the difficulties of farming, but when thinking of his grandmother and mother, and his family, he felt as though his efforts were worthwhile.

    Xiaohua had previously learnt to read characters from the young students in the village. Instead of concentrating in his studies, Xiaohua would often listen about these scholars and their dreams for the future, which could lead him to dream about his own alternate fantasy. However, he was now faced with reality, and as he lowered his head to face the ground, he broke free from his daydream which was a small respite to his hard day of work. Just at that moment, his stomach rumbled in hunger. In the past, he would always have lunch at home with his mother, but this morning, his mother said that she would go over to bring his lunch. Looking at the time, she should be arriving soon.

    Indeed, not long after, a sound came from downslope “Xiaohua…..come help mother”. To reach the plot of land, one had to follow a small winding slippery route up. The first time he came over to look at the land, he had already slipped and fell.

    Zhang Xiaohua quickly replied, “Mom, wait a moment. I will be down in a flash, do not come up by yourself.” When Xiaohua reached the base of the hill, he saw his mother carrying a bamboo basket waiting by the roadside. Xiaohua took the basket, supported his mother while bringing her to climb upslope to sit on a rock, before opening the basket to look at the contents. In the basket, there was a bowl of five-spiced meat, as well as several pieces of plain buns. After sensibly asking after his mother, he began to tuck in.

    Seeing Xiaohua devour the food, Guo Sufei felt slightly heartbroken and said, “Eat slowly, do not choke on and have some water.”

    “Mom, why did you make five-spiced meat today?” Xiaohua asked.

    “Today is your first day of farm work. Your father has already informed me yesterday to prepare this for you as congratulations.“ Xiaohua’s mother looked lovingly at her youngest son, “It has been hard on you. Although you are only twelve, when other children your age would be studying in the hall, you are here alone toiling the land”

    “Mom, didn’t you say that eldest brother started farm work at the age of ten? I am already fortunate enough. Furthermore, second brother has to share the land with eldest brother, while I already own a piece of land solely from myself, I cannot even begin to feel happy” Seeing his mother beginning to nag, he continued, “Grandmother, has she had the meat yet?”

    “Your grandmother is already eighty-plus, how could she eat these things. I have already made some plain congee for her.” Xiaohua’s mother said, “Only after eating so much did you remember to care for your grandmother. To think that she was only thinking of you the whole morning…..”

    Xiaohua rubbed his head in embarrassment; he had indeed forgotten to consider the feelings of his grandmother.

    Speaking of Xiaohua’s grandmother, a grimace formed over Guo Sufei’s face. As the days passed by, her children grew up, and her mother’s body had grown weaker considerably. Even though hitting eighty was rare among farm-folks, who would not wish to live slightly longer? Recently, Xiaohua’s grandmother has turned blind, and despite her and her husband’s persuasion, she refused to see a doctor, complaining that her loss of vision was a natural part of aging, and that money could be better spent elsewhere.

    Seeing Xiaohua finish his meal and water, Guo Sufei said, “Xiaohua, end your work earlier today so that your grandmother can see you sooner. I will still need to visit your father and brothers.”

    Xiaohua was surprised, and replied, “Mom, I have already eaten all that five-spiced meat, what will father and brother eat?”

    “It is okay, there are still other dishes. Remember to end your work earlier, and try not catch a cold” Guo Sufei lovingly caressed Xiaohua’s head, as though he was still a tender child.

    Zhang Xiaohua supported his mother down the knoll, and as he looked at his mother’s back, he felt shame in his heart. How could he have eaten all the five-spiced meat by himself?

      Chapter 3
      Digging a well

      Even though the mountains were cold in the afternoon, Zhang Xiaohua enthusiasm was only growing hotter. Nevertheless, the progress he made was still less compared to the morning’s worth of work. There were a lot of rocks on the wasteland, many of them were buried deep in the ground and were not easy to pry. By the time the sun set and twilight arrived, Zhang Xiaohua has only shifted away a few larger rocks, even hurting his hand in the process, especially at his purlicue, which hurt even more whenever it came into contact with the cold wind.

      He was still a child after all.

      Raising his head to look at the plot of wasteland that he had worked on for the entire day, despite feeling reluctant, Zhang Xiaohua knew it was time to return home. He then picked up his hoe and water container and started to head towards home. The sky has turned dark, and if he had chosen to stay, his father and brothers would come over to look for him, and his grandmother would worry.

      There was some distance between the plot of wasteland and his home. Otherwise, his mother would not have needed to bring over his lunch. As he walked along the hilly path, despite being tired, Zhang Xiaohua mood was exceptionally good. His father had already forewarned him that reclaiming the land would require much significant time, and today was only going to be the beginning. Later on, he would still need to loosen the rockbed into soil, plant the seedlings, water the growing crops… Watering the crops! The land was so high in altitude, and was so far from the river, how could he water his crops if there was no water source nearby? Why had he not thought of this earlier? When this problem came into his mind, Zhang Xiaohua could not help but increase his pace.

      When he entered the village boundaries, the sky had already turned pitch-black, but there were still many youths playing around. Seeing Xiaohua carry his hoe, a few of the more familiar youth could not help but inquire about his work, thus, Xiaohua had no choice but to answer each and every question. It seems that reclaiming land in the knolls was a significant event in a village which faced scarcity in grains. However, Xiaohua appeared absent-minded, which the other youths attributed to tiredness, and they did not continue to pester him, letting Xiaohua return home.

      Zhang Xiaohua’s house was in the southern part of the village, and according to fengshui, it was not a very good place. Nevertheless, the area was quite large, and after Zhang Cai’s blood and sweat, he built a small courtyard. The fence around the courtyard was not high, and was made of inexpensive yellow mud, so outsiders would look over the barrier easily. From afar, Zhang Xiaohua could see his grandmother holding on to her walking stick while waiting at the gate entrance. Due to her poor vision, his grandmother could not leave the house as and when she likes, and the reason for her waiting at the fence door was to welcome her youngest grandson. Hearing the sound of footsteps that gradually grew louder, a smile grew on her face as she asked, “Xiaohua, you finally returned. Was today tiring?” Zhang Xiaohua hastened his pace to complete the last few steps, put down the hoe and water container, and supported his grandmother’s arm as he replied, “Not tired at all, Grandmother. It is not as if I have never done farmwork before anyway.” Grandmother held Xiaohua’s hands in relief. “Our Xiaohua has grown into an adult, grandmother is a muddlehead has forgotten.” His grandmother just so happened to brush against his purlicue, which caused Xiaohua to suck his breath involuntarily. Despite not making any noise, his grandmother was astute enough to tell, and said loudly, “Xiaocai, come and look at your son.” Zhang Xiaohua’s father actually returned not much earlier, and was currently at the courtyard washing up. Hearing his mother-in-law, he walked over and looked carefully.

      “It is no big deal, mother. Xiaohua was so hardworking that his hands cracked from overwork. It will be fine in a few days.”

      “Should we go to the Old Chen in the village for some ointment?”

      As she was asking, Guo Sufei walked out from the house carrying some stuff, and said, “There is no need, mother. Didn’t we get some for Xiaohu to use recently? There is still a bit left from then. When Xiaohua sleeps tonight, I shall apply some on him, and it would be better the very next day. The weather has turned cold, and the wind has picked up. I will bring the rice over soon. Xiaohua, help me support your grandmother home.”

      Zhang Xiaohua carefully supported his grandmother back into the house, leaving the water scarcity problem right at the back of his head.

      After dinner, his parents were carefully weaving baskets under a small light, while the three siblings were at another side helping out. Zhang Cai then asked Zhang Xiaohua about his progress in the fields.

      “Working alone is indeed slow, after Xiaohu finish helping out Xiaolong with the field beside the river, I will ask him to go over to give a hand.”

      Zhang Xiaolong also said, “Do not rush, Xiaohua. Once we are done, father and I will go over to help as well, so the land should be done before winter.”

      Zhang Xiaohua replied, “Why would I worry? Didn’t father already say, reclaiming the land must be done carefully and slowly if need be. If done well, the crops that grow from the land will be healthier and hence yield a better harvest.” At this point, Xiaohua remembered the water source issue, and asked, “But father, how can I water the crops in the future?”

      Zhang Cai stopped what he was doing, and said, “To raise this up, have you thought of a solution yet?” Looking at his brothers with pleading eyes, Zhang Xiaohua asked, “Your lands are close to the river, so you can fetch water easily. The hill is so far and tall, surely you do not expect me to fetch water from the river as well?”

      Zhang Cai laughed, “Xiaohua, what is behind the hill?”

      Xiaohua pondered, “Isn’t there a pit behind?”

      “That is right, over there is the intersection of three knolls, and we should be able to build a well at that place.”

      “Seems like you have already planned ahead,” Guo Sufei smiled while praising her husband.

      “In that case, father, when do we start building the well?” Zhang Xiaohua asked with some impatience.

      “Once you finished evening out the land. Before winter arrives, we will take the opportunity when the ground is not frozen yet and invite some of our neighbors over to help, and then we will all build the well together.” After finishing his sentence, Zhang Cai continued to weave the basket in his hand. Hearing his father’s answer, Zhang Xiaohua’s mind finally calmed down, and the whole family continued on with the work in their hands. After a while, Zhang Xiaohua’s fatigue grew heavier and more noticeable, his eyes turned unfocused. Feeling heartbroken, Guo Sufei ordered him to bed, and Zhang Xiaohua agreed, walking woodenly towards the sleeping platform which the three brothers shared, threw himself onto the old and tattered quilt, before falling into a deep sleep, without noticing that his mother has personally applied some ointment onto his hands.

      Several days were spent busily like that.

      For the next few days, Zhang Xiaohua continued to be patient, and worked wholeheartedly on his land to make it smoother, without sparing a thought on the problem of the scarcity of water. On this evening, Zhang Xiaohua had finally cleared the rest of the weeds, patted the large rocks into finer soil, and was preparing to pack up and head home. Looking at the field of land that he had poured his effort into being almost ready for crop cultivation, and having only the step of loosening the soil left, Zhang Xiaohua finally lost his patience and turned around towards the back of the field where the would-be well was located.

      After he turned around, he noticed that there were a few wooden planks already in place at the pit. Zhang Xiaohua hurriedly ran over to take a clearer look. Indeed, there was already a round platform at the bottom of the pit, with some wooden boards affixed in a circle and six long wooden poles inserted into the bottom. Zhang was so happy that he almost jumped, and he trotted down the slope to take and even closer look. When he reached, Zhang Xiaohua could not keep his hands to himself and started feeling out the wooden fixtures, wondering in his heart how they could help to deepen the pit. Just as he was thinking about the problem, someone from above called out

      “Xiaohua, where are you?” Hearing his second brother Xiaohu’s voice, Xiaohua hurriedly replied, “I am here, come quick second brother, we are opening the well soon.”

      Zhang Xiaohu also slid down and pulled Zhang Xiaohua’s arm “Its okay, I already knew that. It was me and eldest brother who helped to transport the wooden boards over after morning. Eldest brother said that he wanted to give you a surprise, so we did not tell you in advance. Right now, our parents are waiting for you to get back, so let hurry home now.”

      The two brothers then jogged home.

      Dinner was already prepared at home on the dining table, and both father and eldest brother were seated around it. However, no one else was around, so Zhang Xiaohua asked “Father, where are the people who will be helping out with the well construction?” Zhang Cai laughed, “They have already gone back. We do not have much money, so I have only agreed to provide lunch for them, dinner would be self-provided. Furthermore, everyone has their own land to farm, and we can also save some money this way.” Zhang Xiaohua grunted in understanding, and went to help his mother with the rest of the dinner’s preparation.

      After the meal, Zhang Cai handed out tasks to all members of the family. The three Zhang brothers naturally have to help out with the well construction directly, while Xiaohua’s mother will be in charge of preparing and delivering the meals. Zhang Cai will be buying the required materials, as well as to find more manpower. In short, everyone in the family apart from Xiaohua’s grandmother had a part to play in the construction project. Naturally, grandmother will be looking after the house during this time, and feeding the chickens itself can be considered a chore.

      In the first morning hour, Zhang Xiaohua has already gotten out of bed and was rushing his other two brothers who were still sleeping on the shared platform to wake up. Zhang Xiaohua’s mother insisted that they grab a bite before leaving, saying that although their father has already left earlier, there was no point leaving earlier if there would be no one else at the well. Zhang Xiaohua had no choice but to eat his breakfast patiently before heading towards the knoll when the sun was high up in the sky.

      When they reached, there were already several people who were busy at work. Zhang Cai motioned them to come over and help dig up some of the larger rocks, and to move them aside. As such, everyone enthusiastically performed their duties.

      Just as the well construction continued over the next few days, Zhang Xiaohua realized that digging a well was not a very complex project. It was the simple matter of finding a spot and using the wooden structure to go down the hole dig deeper. The only difficulty lies in finding the right spot which would not cause any ground instability, and this was something that could only be learnt through experience. The wooden structure was also necessary, otherwise, as the hole gets deeper, how would they be able to transport the earth away, and how could the people digging at the bottom of the well come back up again. Fortunately, about the position of the well, Zhang Cai was quite lucky because the expert he consulted said that a water vein was likely to be located near the would-be farm. He added that if they were successful in digging up a functional well, then the water would be as sweet as the mountain springs, and using it to water the crops would even be too wasteful for it could be used for their own consumption instead. Hearing those words, Zhang Cai snorted because it was infeasible to carry the water all the way home just to cook rice.

      The days of well-digging just passed like that. Just that as the well grew deeper, the difficulty increased and the progress slowed down. This is due to several hard rocks in the deeper parts of the earth. Fortunately, there was no vast space of bedrock, otherwise, there would be no way to go around it and the well project would have to be discontinued. As more days past, perhaps Zhang Cai’s lucky streak has ended, because he finally met with a large obstacle.

      On this afternoon, Zhang Xiaohua was striking the earth heavily with his hoe, before realizing that he has struck onto something exceptionally hard, causing his hands to become numb. From his experience, Xiaohua automatically moved to another spot to try and dig up the rock, but “Dang~” it was obvious that he was still within the circumference of that hard rock. Zhang Xiaohua could not help but worry, and he went around to different spots to try his luck. However, without any exception, all spots that he struck his hoe onto were part of the same rock. Tugging on the rope around his waist, he signaled to the people above to pull him up, and with a downcast face informed his father on his recent discovery. Zhang Cai and the other workers also took turns to go down, and came up soon after without much words. Everyone started to discuss seriously, while taking turns to have their lunch, to debate on whether the rock they struck was bedrock or a large piece of rock.

      Soon after, everyone scattered leaving Zhang Xiaohua who was looking at the unfinished well, his heart filled with unease. If it was truly a layer of bedrock, then there would be no way to dig around it, meaning that the several days of hard effort would be for naught. Zhang Xiaohua asked Zhang Xiaolong to lower him down to the bottom of the well again, and this time, his heart was full of resolve.

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