Chapter 226

Chapter 226

For whom does the spring breeze blow? Suddenly, butterflies fill the fragrant grass.

Wildflowers bloomed everywhere, vibrant and charming. The smallest among them were the speedwell flowers, no bigger than a child's fingernail. Yet when they bloomed in vast patches, their pink and blue hues intertwined, painting the ground with petals.

A gentle breeze blew, causing the flowers on branches and the ground to sway and tremble. Petals of various colors—yellow, red, and purple—were lifted by the wind, swirling and falling, covering the ground with spring blossoms.

Butterflies and bees danced and fluttered among the flowers, buzzing as they landed on the flower hearts.

"Co-coo-coo..."

Gu Lanshi stepped through a carpet of petals, herding the chickens into the wild fields. The chickens, both big and small, scattered quickly across the grass like fish entering water.

Some were mature and steady, pecking at the grass and digging into the ground upon release. Older hens chased after grasshoppers that leaped out from the underbrush, stretching their necks to catch them, ensuring they wouldn't escape once caught, becoming food for their bellies.

Seeing some chickens run too far, Gu Lanshi glanced over, clapped his hands, and cooed to call them back.

Dahēi, Huīhuī, and Huīzǎi had already dashed out, sprinting to intercept the distant hens, barking to herd them back.

The hens, startled by the dogs, flapped their wings and fled quickly. If they strayed off course, Huīhuī would bark from the other side to redirect them.

The three dogs each occupied a corner, forming a large semicircle, guiding the hens back toward home.

Seeing the hens being herded back, Gu Lanshi called out, and the dogs stopped barking at the hens, standing tall with wagging tails, patrolling nearby, clearly enjoying this task.

Gu Lanshi then returned to release sixteen ducks, six of which were older ducks, and ten were young ducks raised recently. He let them eat grass outside, planning to take them to the river later if Pei Yan came back and they went to gather wild vegetables in the afternoon.

With so many chickens and ducks, it was more efficient to let them find their own insects rather than bending down to pick them up. The open fields were perfect for them to roam around.

With the dogs watching over, Gu Lanshi felt reassured and turned to head home.

The field outside the house was often traversed by people, so there were few snakes or rats. If any long worms lurked in the grass, the dogs would have alerted him. As long as Dahēi showed no signs of distress, there was generally no danger to the chickens.

Under the calabash trellis, he rolled up his sleeves and turned the well pulley, lowering the bucket and then winding it back up, pouring the water into a wooden bucket.

The water jar was nearly empty. Pei Yan had gone up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots and collect mushrooms. Liu Dagé and Zhou Dalang were working in the fields, leaving him alone at home with Xīngxīng asleep, giving him time to do chores.

In the western chicken coop, the old hens clucked. He continued carrying the wooden bucket through the courtyard gate, heading to the kitchen to pour the water.

The old hens, now three to four years old, had been reduced in number due to eating and selling some. Yesterday, he had let them and the chicks out; today, it was the turn of the new hens and chicks, otherwise, mixing them would make it hard to distinguish between them.

After the spring, he let several plump old hens sit on eggs to hatch chicks. Otherwise, incubating too many would be challenging due to lack of experience and supervision, resulting in about forty surviving chicks.

Raising chicks was difficult; they couldn't tolerate extreme temperatures. Fortunately, luck was on their side, and many survived. However, out of forty-five chicks, nineteen were roosters, so Pei Yan bought thirty hens to balance the numbers.

During the cold rainy days, a few more died, leaving fifty-one hens and all the roosters alive.

The roosters were noticeably larger and more aggressive in feeding, making them stronger, which wasn't surprising.

Carrying several buckets of water back and forth, he heard the baby crying. Gu Lanshi emerged from the kitchen, set down the bucket, and hurried to the east room.

Xīngxīng had woken up, and upon lifting the small blanket, Gu Lanshi knew why he was crying: his pants and part of the mattress were wet. Thankfully, the mattress was a small one specifically for him, placed on one side of the bed, allowing him to sleep separately. Otherwise, cleaning a wet large mattress would be laborious.

Gu Lanshi removed Xīngxīng's wet clothes, using the dry parts to wipe his legs and bottom.

Feeling comfortable and free from constraints, Xīngxīng's tears still lingered on his face, but he started kicking and waving his arms, laughing again.

The chubby little boy was delighted. Gu Lanshi couldn't resist pinching his plump legs and arms, imagining him as a chubby baby in a New Year painting holding a big carp.

He found a clean outfit for Xīngxīng and dressed him, not immediately picking him up but instead gave him a rattle to hold.

Gu Lanshi took a needle, heated it over the fire in the mud stove, and then pierced a milk fruit.

Seeing the milk fruit, Xīngxīng released the rattle, which fell from his hand. His strength was still weak, unable to lift the rattle, only holding it horizontally.

"Woo-woo-woo..."

Xīngxīng turned over and opened his mouth towards Gu Lanshi.

Gu Lanshi smiled, seeing the milk fruit dripping juice, sat on the edge of the bed, picked up Xīngxīng, and offered the milk fruit. Xīngxīng immediately latched on.

He sucked vigorously, making loud swallowing sounds, clearly hungry and afraid the milk fruit would be taken away, tightly gripping it with his small hands.

"Lanshi?" Pei Yan placed the bamboo basket and basket with spring bamboo shoots and mushrooms under the kitchen eaves, along with a bunch of ferns.

"I'm inside," Gu Lanshi called out loudly.

Pei Yan's shoes were muddy, and his pant legs were dirty with soil and grass. He scraped the mud off his shoes with a twig, then fetched a cloth from the main room to brush off his clothes in the courtyard.

"The dogs are outside?" Gu Lanshi straightened up on the bed, looking out the half-open window.

Pei Yan continued brushing, responding, "Yes, the chickens and ducks are also there, not running around."

Gu Lanshi felt relieved. After Xīngxīng finished the milk fruit, he gently pulled it out of the child's mouth.

Pei Yan washed his hands and arms, came in, and took Xīngxīng, who touched his face and giggled.

"Shall we go gather wild vegetables after lunch?" Gu Lanshi carried the basin of dirty clothes.

Pei Yan puffed his cheeks to amuse his son, causing Xīngxīng to laugh continuously.

He smiled and said to Gu Lanshi, "Yes, let's pick some water celery by the river for dinner, steamed with flour."

"Good idea, remember to bring the ducks for a swim." Gu Lanshi finished his instructions and went out to wash the clothes, taking advantage of the strong sun to dry them quickly.

Frequently caring for the child, Pei Yan and Xīngxīng were not strangers. Laughter could be heard from the courtyard.

The sun climbed higher without notice. The dogs watched over the chickens throughout, and halfway through, Gu Lanshi brought out a basin of water for them to drink and broke two coarse bread rolls for them to share.

After the dog finished drinking, several hens gathered around to drink water. Gu Lanshi then added half a bucket of water and proceeded to bring an egg basket lined with straw. He searched through the grass and collected about seven or eight eggs.

Hens tend to lay more eggs in the afternoon. After a thorough search, even Huihui followed him around, sniffing and digging everywhere, confirming that every nook and cranny had been checked. The dog didn't find any eggs either, so it seemed there were none left. With that, he carried the basket back home.

Just as lunch was nearly ready, Liu Dagé and Zhou Daliang returned from the fields. They helped by first herding the chickens and ducks back. There were only sixteen ducks, and they needed to separate the hens from the chicks, which took some effort.

The two fattened pigs they kept were sold at the end of the first month. At that time, the price of live pigs in Ning Shui Town had dropped to eleven coins, while in the city, it remained at thirteen coins, just as it was during winter. Since there wasn't a good opportunity for a price hike, selling them early or late made no difference.

Only one old sow remained at home to be cared for. She had been bred last autumn and was due to give birth to piglets next month. Every day, she ate and drank in her pen, her belly now quite large.

Lunch was simple: a bowl of wolfberry sprout and sliced meat soup for each person, a dish of stir-fried bamboo shoots, and a fresh mushroom stir-fry with vegetables. All were very refreshing.

Two salted duck eggs were cut in half, enough for four people. Many coarse steamed buns were heated up, ensuring everyone had enough to eat.

*

At the beginning of the Shen hour, Gu Lanshi was cutting shoe uppers inside when he heard movement on the bed. He put down his work and walked over, smiling as he picked up Stars, who had just woken up from his nap.

Feeling that the diaper was dry, he carried Stars outside to urinate, to avoid wetting the bed again.

Stars was always dazed right after waking up. Seeing the dog run over, he didn't giggle but instead yawned slightly. A stream of urine arced through the air and quickly formed a puddle on the ground.

Gu Lanshi had just stood up when he heard someone calling for Yan Ge outside. Dog appeared at the fence gate soon after.

Family members often visited, and after getting familiar, the dog rarely barked anymore.

He carried Stars forward to greet them. Gu Lanyu saw her nephew, plump and fair, and immediately took him over, asking, "Is my brother Yan not here?"

The weight disappeared from Gu Lanshi's arms as he smiled, "He went to gather water celery and let the ducks out."

Gu Lanyu didn't delay and said directly, "Second Brother-in-law came earlier, saying their village has a bull for sale, a four-year-old male. He wanted to know if anyone in the family is interested. If so, we should go to Tang Village quickly. Father asked me to ask Yan."

A four-year-old male bull is in its prime, perfect for plowing fields for many years. No wonder it was urgent.

Gu Lanshi hurriedly said, "He's by the river; you can go find him. I can't run fast with Stars."

"Alright." Gu Lanyu handed Stars back to him and set off immediately.

It was easy to find someone along the river. Pei Yan received the news and quickly herded the ducks back. Tang Ruiwen had arrived with a mule cart, which could take him there conveniently.

Their donkey was often used for trips to town and the city, pulling carts and plows during busy farming seasons, grinding flour, and crushing grain. Despite its strength, the donkey worked tirelessly all year, and indeed, a water buffalo would be better suited for paddy fields.

They hadn't seriously discussed buying a bull before, only mentioning that having one would speed up fieldwork.

A bull is a great helper for farmers. Given this suitable opportunity, although it would cost money, it would definitely be worth it in the long run, especially as their land would likely increase.

When Pei Yan returned, Gu Lanshi had already prepared the money bag with thirty-five taels of silver, slightly higher than the market price for a working bull. Bulls of this age typically cost over twenty taels, almost like a family asset.

More is better than less, especially if it turns out to be a good bull, which could be brought home right away.

Pei Yan took the money, and Tang Ruiwen was waiting at the Gu residence. Seeing him approach, Tang Ruiwen got up to lead the mule cart. Dog and Gu Tieshan followed to help inspect the bull. For a transaction of twenty taels, they couldn't be too careful.

Miao Qiulian also joined them in the cart, planning to visit her daughter and grandson and watch the excitement.