The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 237: The Lu Family’s Main Branch

“Sure, why not?”

Shen Jin agreed without a second thought.

His family didn’t have many chickens—only nine. Raising chickens wasn’t just about giving them some grass; they also needed to forage for seeds. They couldn’t afford to give them grain, so they provided seeds and vegetable leaves, and even had to catch insects as extra food. Without some financial backing, it was hard to keep many chickens. The nine they had were already a lot of work for the three brothers.

“Don’t agree so quickly. My family has quite a few chickens and will likely get more in the future. If you want to benefit from this, you need to gradually increase the number of chickens you have. That way, it’s worthwhile.”

Shen Jin considered this seriously and asked Sang Luo, “Is it particularly time-consuming and labor-intensive?”

Sang Luo shook her head. “Not too difficult, just a bit unpleasant.”

She didn’t like to imagine the process herself. This was one of the reasons she had never used this method in all her years in the mountains; she was actually a bit squeamish about it.

But now that they were seriously considering raising livestock, even if it started small, it was necessary. Since the young ones were short on resources, she decided to involve them. She would provide the expertise, and Shen Jin and his brothers would provide the labor.

Shen Jin, hearing it wasn’t too time-consuming, said, “Then it’s no problem. Insects aren’t that gross.”

He was used to handling insects himself.

As for the need to increase the number of chickens to make it worthwhile, wasn’t that exactly what his sister-in-law was helping him with?

Shen Jin wasn’t foolish; he knew his sister-in-law was looking out for him.

“Just tell me what to do, and I’ll make sure it’s done.”

—

Pig manure and dried leaves were used to raise earthworms, which produced high-quality fertilizer. Earthworm manure, when processed, became excellent chicken feed.

Sang Luo explained the key points to Shen Jin in detail.

Shen Jin listened intently, his eyes lighting up. He asked questions about anything he didn’t understand and, after clearing up all the doubts, patted his chest and said, “This isn’t hard at all. Really, Sister-in-law, even Little Tie can handle this. You can count on us.”

What’s to be afraid of with earthworms? They’re a great resource.

Shen Jin thought about the mountain land they had and planned to gradually open up and plant some vegetables. With the method his sister-in-law taught him, he could save eggs laid by the chickens and hatch them later.

He could already imagine having dozens of chickens at home. After a few months, he could even sell a basket of eggs at the market every couple of days. He was so excited he could barely contain himself.

“Sister-in-law, are there any other insects that can be raised?”

“There are, but I don’t want to,” Sang Luo replied straightforwardly.

Don’t ask; they were much more unpleasant than earthworms.

Shen Jin chuckled, then handed the IOU he had written to Sang Luo. “Sister-in-law, this is for the money used to buy the cow, pig, geese, and seeds today. I’ve written an IOU. Please keep it, and I’ll pay you back when I have the money.”

Sang Luo took the IOU, noting that the paper and ink were from Wang Yunzheng. Though the handwriting wasn’t remarkable, the IOU was well-written and free of errors. It was clear that Shen Jin had taken his education seriously, thanks to the lessons from Shopkeeper Xu and years of reading and writing in the mountains.

“Alright.” She folded and put away the note.

—

Five pigs, two geese, and some belongings were settled. Shen Lie went up the mountain to review the plan with Zhao Dalang and Zhao Silang, deciding which areas needed clearing for planting trees. Afterward, he returned home with Shen An, who had been working on the land for half the morning, and asked Sang Luo what fruit trees she wanted besides the mountain grapes. They delivered Sang Luo’s handwritten bamboo slips to Xu’s family and then went into the mountains with Shen Jin.

Though they couldn’t go far at noon, Sang Luo wanted various items. She needed common mountain fruits such as gold cherry, mountain grapes, chestnuts, red dates, sour dates, hawthorn, banana, mulberry, pear, and persimmon. She wasn’t picky, so even with just half a day, they managed to find quite a few.

Accompanying them were Chen Dashan, Chen Ershan, and Xu Wenqing, who, hearing that the Shen family was planting fruit trees on the mountain, had decided to join them.

Chen Dashan had just learned his wife was pregnant and was thrilled. Returning home, he didn’t rest but handed over the money from the government and decided to take a three-day break, bringing his younger brother, Ershan, to help Shen Lie with the fruit trees.

Shen Ning came home later, carrying the largest basket and a sickle. “Sister-in-law, I’m going with Xiaoya, Qiao’er, Xiaotie, Ah Xu, and Zhou Wu to cut pig feed.”

The children in the village were excited with the addition of pigs and geese, having previously only cared for sheep, chickens, and rabbits. The kids, hearty and eager, were thrilled about the new livestock and didn’t mind the extra work.

In the lively bustle, by the twelfth day of the first lunar month, on the morning of the thirteenth, as Sang Luo was leaving her room, Shen Lie called out to her, “Be careful, it’s slippery.”

It had rained overnight, and though it had stopped, the ground was still wet. That explained Shen Lie’s concern.

He had already been working on the mountain early in the morning. The batch of saplings he had brought back the previous evening hadn’t been fully planted before dark. He and Shen An, along with Shen Jin, had been working hard to get them in the ground first thing in the morning.

Shen Lie looked at the sky and said, “It seems we’ve entered the rainy season. For the next couple of days, I, Xiao An, Uncle Zhao, and Uncle Zhao Silang need to focus on plowing and weeding the fields after the rain. We might not be able to go up the mountain. We planted over thirty grapevines and over ninety cuttings. Is that enough?”

“More than a hundred?” Sang Luo was a bit surprised, then nodded. “That’s enough. What about the gold cherry?”

“We dug up over forty gold cherries and planted them around the chicken coop’s fence. I had originally planned to cut some branches and plant more, but I remember it takes two or three years for them to bear fruit from cuttings. Uncle Zhao and Uncle Zhao Silang said there are some on nearby hills, so I thought it’d be good to have the boys dig some up and bring them back. I’ll give them some money later to cover it.”

Sang Luo smiled. “That’s perfect. I wanted to plant a ring of trees around the sheep and chicken pens.”

Shen Lie was curious. “Is there a special use for these?”

When he was young, Shen Lie often picked them in the mountains. They were sweet at first but turned a bit astringent and itchy in the throat after eating. Later, he learned it was because the hairs inside weren’t cleaned properly.

“It’s useful. They’re medicinal herbs. We might see if the apothecary will buy them. If not, we can make gold cherry paste ourselves. It’s sweet and tastes good.”

The fruit also had another nickname: the sugar jar.

—

With the spring rain falling all night, the people in Daxing Village, or rather outside the city of Shezhou, became busy.

On this day, Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang returned to Daxing Village, carrying large and small bundles. Behind them were two teenagers of similar height, followed by a few others. The Xu and Zhou families’ fields were closest to the village entrance. Seeing the group, it was easy to recognize Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang, and behind them were…

Mrs. Xu was momentarily stunned, then realized, “Are those Shuangzhu and Tiezhu?”

Indeed, Shuangzhu and Tiezhu were there. The girl who had grown slim was Daniu, and the taller boy was Huzi, followed by Shitou. At the very back, at a considerable distance, was Lu Dalang, looking unkempt and a bit aged.

The Zhou family seemed to recognize them as well. Zhou Cunzheng had sent his fifth son to inform the Lu family’s fields.

When Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu heard the news, they rushed out. Seeing their family was all there, their eyes filled with tears. Mrs. Lu looked at her two grandsons, who had grown much taller than her, with her mouth open. She called out to Shuangzhu and Tiezhu.

They had grown up and changed a bit, so she hesitated to recognize them at first.

Shuangzhu and Tiezhu set down their loads and knelt to bow to their grandparents, calling out “Grandpa” and “Grandma.”

Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu nodded with joy, “It’s good you’re back safely! It’s good you’re back safely!”

Daniu led her two younger brothers in bowing to their grandparents, and when it came to Lu Dalang, he stood there, surveying Daxing Village before his gaze finally settled on his parents. He opened his mouth but didn’t speak.

Mrs. Lu glanced at him, nodded, and then called her grandchildren, “Let’s move the things inside first.”

Although the Lu family’s main house hadn’t been settled or divided yet, Mrs. Xu had already selected the land for their branch. The house had a few rooms, which the old couple had cleaned before the New Year and dusted again a few days ago, eagerly awaiting their return.

Lu Erlang, feeling anxious, asked, “Mother, has Liuniang given birth?”

Since entering the village, Lu Erlang had been walking briskly, with only Lu Sanlang and Shuangzhu and Tiezhu able to keep up with him.

He was worried about his wife, who was about to give birth, and eager to learn the news.

Mrs. Lu hadn’t forgotten. She smiled and said, “She gave birth on the evening of the second day of the Lunar New Year, a daughter. Both mother and daughter are safe. You should go home quickly, but you’re too dirty. Don’t go into your own room just yet. Talk to Liuniang through the window outside first, wash yourself, and change your clothes before going in to see your wife and child.”

Lu Erlang was overjoyed, repeatedly affirming, while Lu Sanlang was equally delighted. “Has the niece been named yet?”

Mrs. Lu beamed with joy. “We’re waiting for your second brother to come back and name her.”

Shuangzhu and his siblings were pleased to hear that their second aunt had given them a cousin. They all extended their congratulations to their second uncle.

Lu Dalang, who had shown little emotion except when he first saw Daxing Village, now looked up with more animated eyes upon hearing that the second branch had a daughter.

Under his scruffy face, no one noticed the slight twitching of his cheek, a sign of having been silent for too long, causing his facial muscles to twitch awkwardly when he finally showed some expression.

A daughter was born?

It had been three years since their family was sent away, two years and one month to be exact. How many children had the second brother and sister-in-law had by now?