Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Riding a pig?

Xiao Yu strode out to the backyard and indeed saw chubby Danzi, happily riding on a pig, quickly heading their way.

Dong Erniu, pale with fright, yelled, "Danzi! Stop! Stop!"

Minghe and Yu Tongtong, oblivious to any danger, clapped their hands joyfully, "Danzi is awesome! So impressive!"

Xiao Yu was too shocked to speak.

"Uncle Minghe! Danzi is riding a pig over here!" Jin Dabao said.

"Run!" Tian Liu urged.

Before the three could react, the pig stopped right in front of them.

Danzi, with his chubby little face lifted high, bright eyes shining, exclaimed, "Uncle, I'm riding a pig!"

"Get down quickly, get down!" Pigs are unpredictable, and a sudden headshake or wag of the tail could easily knock Danzi off, with dreadful consequences. Xiao Yu finally snapped out of his shock and quickly lifted the little one off the pig.

"Uncle, it's okay, Er Piggy is really well-behaved! When I sat on it, it just started running, the wind was whooshing, so cool!" The three children had named the four pigs Big Piggy, Er Piggy, San Piggy, and Si Piggy, and they could tell them apart clearly.

"Is Er Piggy really well-behaved?" Jin Dabao asked curiously.

Danzi nodded vigorously, "Very well-behaved!"

Jin Dabao, initially scared of the pig charging, became curious after hearing Danzi's words. He declared, "I want to ride the pig too," and immediately approached Er Piggy, trying to climb onto its back.

"Dabao, don't ride!" Xiao Yu quickly put down Danzi, but before he could reach Jin Dabao, Er Piggy suddenly snorted and twisted its rotund body.

Jin Dabao fell to the ground with a thud. He was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud crying.

Frightened, Er Piggy dashed on all fours back to the pigsty, hiding inside.

"Dabao, Dabao," Xiao Yu quickly went to pick up Jin Dabao and checked him over.

"It didn't throw Danzi, but it threw me," Jin Dabao accused, pointing at Er Piggy's retreating figure.

After ensuring that Jin Dabao was not injured, Xiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief and soothed, "Don't cry, it's okay now."

Jin Dabao continued to cry.

Minghe ran over, "Dabao, you wanted to ride the pig, and now you're crying because you fell? How can you?"

"If it were me, I wouldn't cry," Yu Tongtong declared.

"I wouldn't cry either," added Tian Liu.

Danzi said, "Me too! I'm very strong!"

Realizing that all his friends were brave and not crying, Jin Dabao thought that if he continued to cry, he wouldn't be handsome. Wiping away his tears with his chubby hand, he declared, "I won't cry either! I am strong too!"

"Dabao is really brave!" Xiao Yu praised.

Jin Dabao smiled through his teary eyes.

"Come on, let's wash your face," Xiao Yu stood up.

"But I still want to ride the pig," Jin Dabao pointed towards the pigsty.

"Then you might fall again!" Tian Liu warned.

"How come the egg didn't break?!" Jin Dabao pointed at the egg and asked.

The egg replied, "My brother, Tongtong, and I feed the big pig, second pig, third pig, and fourth pig every day. I said to the second pig, 'Can I ride you for a bit?' and it agreed, so I rode it."

"The second pig said 'okay'?" Jin Dabao asked.

The egg replied, "It did."

"You're lying, pigs can't talk."

"They can!" The egg, with his chubby hand pressed against his nose to mimic a pig's snout, said, "When the second pig snorted, it meant 'yes'."

Jin Dabao believed him and said, "I'll go ask the second pig too!"

"You can't!" Yutongtong stepped forward, stretching out her little arms to block Jin Dabao.

Minghe said, "You've never fed them, they won't talk to you."

Tianliu also said, "You have to feed them first!"

Jin Dabao blinked twice and said, "Then I'll feed them in a bit."

"Okay, but you can't ride the pigs!" Xiaoyu said.

"Uncle, what if, what if the pig lets me ride it?" The egg asked.

"Then come and tell your uncle first. I'll talk to the pig to ensure your safety before you ride, okay?" Xiaoyu said.

The children, failing to detect Xiaoyu's refusal, all nodded in agreement.

Worried the children might forget, Xiaoyu gave an example, "There was a child in Baxiang Lane who also wanted to ride a pig. He got stepped on, broke a bone, and it took a hundred days to recover."

"A hundred days of pain!" The children were frightened.

"Right, so don't just ride pigs or get too close to them. If they get angry, they can charge at people," Xiaoyu warned.

"Yes, the third pig is like a little chili pepper, quite fierce. We should be careful," Yutongtong said.

"Tongtong is right," Xiaoyu patted Yutongtong's head.

The egg said, "If the pig doesn't snort in agreement, we won't get close!"

"Exactly!" Xiaoyu nodded in agreement.

"Can I still feed them pig grass?" Minghe asked.

"You can, but don't get too close," Xiaoyu advised.

The children agreed and then joyfully went to gather pig grass.

Xiaoyu, noticing Dong Erniu nearby, said, "Erniu, it's okay, they won't recklessly ride the pigs anymore."

Dong Erniu's pale face relaxed a bit.

Xiaoyu continued, "If there's any problem, let me know right away."

Dong Erniu nodded.

The pig-riding incident passed like this, but the children still engaged in other behaviors like hugging and kissing the pigs. Each time, Xiaoyu had to reiterate the dangers. Gradually, the children learned their lesson and stopped engaging in risky behaviors, but they remained kind to the pigs.

When Hong Sanniang came to see the pigs, she marveled at their glossy, plump appearance and praised Xiaoyu for his pig-rearing skills.

"It's mainly Erniu and the children who did the rearing. The swill, pig grass, corn cobs, and everything else were prepared by Dong Erniu and the children. Xiaoyu really didn't have to worry much."

"They've been raised so well!" Hong Sanniang, holding her grandson, exclaimed in admiration and then suddenly let out a surprised "Huh."

Xiaoyu heard this and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I feel like there's something off about two of the pigs," Hong Sanniang said.

Xiaoyu felt alarmed: "What's wrong?"

"You should call a veterinarian to have a look."

"Little did we know, it was quite a shock upon inspection."

"Both sows are actually pregnant."

Hong Sanniang laughed heartily, "I knew something was different about those two pigs. They got pregnant so quickly. Xiaoyu, you all are really impressive."

Xiaoyu, Dong Erniu, and the children were all baffled.

Hong Sanniang asked, "You didn't know?"

Xiaoyu and the others shook their heads together.

Hong Sanniang continued, "You don't even know when they mated?"

"Dong Erniu usually looks after them. He even lives in a small house next to the pigsty, so he knows everything about the pigs. But recently, he and Niu Daniao went to visit relatives for a couple of days and left the pigs in the care of Xiaoyu and the children. So, did the pigs mate during that time?"

She looked at Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu admitted he hadn't stayed next to the pigsty like Dong Erniu, "They must have become pregnant when we were unaware."

"You're really fortunate," Hong Sanniang was happy for Xiaoyu but didn't forget to remind them, "Better get ready, in just over two months, you might have twenty or thirty piglets."

"That many?!" Minghe and the others were astounded.

"Yes, although some pigs only have two or three, maybe four, I believe with your luck, you could have around ten! Better start preparing," Hong Sanniang advised.

Xiaoyu promptly replied, "Thank you, Sanniang, for choosing such fine pigs for us."

"It's your good fortune that's made everything go so smoothly," Hong Sanniang said cheerfully.

Soon, everyone in Shuiqing Alley knew that Xiaohezi Restaurant raised pigs. Unknowingly, the pigs fattened up, mated, and even got pregnant without any hassle. Many neighbors, drawn by the fame, came over to take a look.

Lu Ming, bringing along Pei Yanli, exclaimed, "Your pigs are really big!"

"We raised them!" Minghe said proudly, holding one.

Yutongtong said, "I've been cutting pig grass!"

"And I've been carrying water," the egg added. "I've given them so much to drink."

Pei Yanli asked, "Where's your uncle?"

"He's in the kitchen making snacks," Minghe pointed towards the back yard.

"They're really tasty. Uncle Kong, Uncle Lu, would you like some?" Pei Yanli and Lu Ming often visited Xiaohezi Snack Shop and Xiaohezi Restaurant for meals and chats with Xiaoyu, becoming friends. Thus, the egg also came to regard them as real uncles.

"Sure," Lu Ming imitated the egg's tone playfully.

The two men left the pig farm and sat down on the second floor of the restaurant.

Soon after, Xiaoyu came upstairs with the snacks.

Lu Ming said, "Xiaoyu, your four pigs are indeed very plump."

Xiaoyu, most happy about the pregnant pigs lately, said, "Yes, it's all thanks to Dong Erniu and the kids. I didn't help much."

"Please, have a seat," Pei Yanli softly said, pouring a cup of tea for Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu slowly sat down and offered the snacks, "Try the peach pastries."

After tasting, Pei Yanli and his companion nodded, "Tastes good."

Lu Ming couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

"It's just a peach pastry, any average cook can make it," Xiaoyu said modestly.

"But an average cook doesn't run a breakfast shop, a restaurant, farm, and raise pigs. You've done so much, and you've provided jobs for dozens of common people. The county magistrate should really commend you," Lu Ming remarked.

"I don't deserve such praise. Initially, I just wanted to support myself and my nephew, but then things changed. I wanted to become stronger to protect myself and those I care about. In the process, I inadvertently provided livelihoods for some common people, which makes me very happy," Xiaoyu replied with a playful smile. "I'll continue to work hard to provide for more people."

Lu Ming, usually casual and talkative but with a heart for the people, felt inspired by Xiaoyu's words and started a lively conversation.

Xiaoyu responded with ease.

"You're right, the people are the foundation of the nation!" Lu Ming exclaimed, banging the table. "We should pay more attention to the people!"

Xiaoyu smiled and nodded, but when he felt an intense gaze, he turned and locked eyes with Pei Yanli's dark, narrow ones, sensing an unspoken affection in them, making his heart skip a beat.

Just then, the sound of children's voices from downstairs brought him back to reality. His heartbeat still racing, he quickly made an excuse, "The kids are running wild outside again, I should check on them," and hurried downstairs.

Pei Yanli's lips curved slightly, picking up the teacup on the table and sipping gently. Though it was bitter tea, he tasted a hint of sweetness, his gaze casually drifting towards the window.

Lu Ming also looked out the window.

Minghe, Danzi, Yu Tongtong, and the other children were pretending to sword fight with tree branches on the street.

Xiao Yu stepped in, "Who allowed you to play with branches? What if you poke someone? What if someone gets hurt?"

The children quickly dropped the branches and started blaming each other.

Lu Ming chuckled, covering his mouth.

Xiao Yu asked, "Didn't you say you were going to play with a ball? Where is it?"

"The ball is broken!" Danzi replied.

"Bring it to me, let me have a look," Xiao Yu said.

Minghe handed a rattan ball to Xiao Yu, "Uncle, look, it's broken."

"It can be fixed." Xiao Yu squatted by the roadside to mend the rattan ball.

The children gathered around to watch.

"Yanli, look, Minghe looks so much like Xiao Yu!" Lu Ming remarked.

"A nephew often resembles his uncle," Pei Yanli's gaze remained fixed on Xiao Yu's face.

"But Danzi doesn't look like Xiao Yu at all," Lu Ming observed Danzi closely.

"Danzi probably takes after his father," Pei Yanli didn't look at Danzi.

"Oh my goodness!" Lu Ming suddenly exclaimed.

Pei Yanli frowned and looked at Lu Ming, "Why are you making such a fuss?"

Lu Ming said, "I just saw a glimpse of your childhood in the egg!"