Chapter 16 Buying Piglets

At the military hospital, Ji Hefeng's right hand was wrapped up like a rice dumpling.

"You're having a really bad year; you haven't had a good time in the last few months," Zhao Jian'an said, looking Ji Hefeng up and down with amusement.

Ji Hefeng glanced at him sideways, but didn't say anything.

"You cracked a major cross-provincial human trafficking case this time, single-handedly taking on more than a dozen traffickers. You've returned with a commendable achievement, and they've all shut their mouths." Zhao Jian'an patted Ji Hefeng on the shoulder and sighed, "Brother, you're really brave!"

"Ji Hefeng, wait a minute!"

A woman in a white coat chased after him as he ran out of the hospital.

Upon seeing the person who arrived, Ji Hefeng froze. "What are you doing here?"

"Why can't I be here?" the woman retorted, a sly smile on her face.

Ji Hefeng's expression quickly returned to normal. "I was just surprised."

After saying that, Ji Hefeng continued walking forward.

"Stop!" The woman blocked Ji Hefeng's way.

"Monijia, stop fooling around." Ji Hefeng's face darkened.

"Ji Hefeng, is this how you treat your childhood friends?" Monika stared intently at Ji Hefeng with her watery eyes, stubborn and aggrieved.

Ji Hefeng turned his face away, "Monijia, you shouldn't have come here."

Monika was both angry and furious. "Don't you have any conscience? You know perfectly well who I came here for."

“I don’t want to know. My old friends are all avoiding me. You should learn from them to avoid getting involved.” Ji Hefeng’s tone was icy cold, devoid of any warmth.

Monika looked hurt, but her eyes remained defiant. "Didn't you cut ties with your family? Will you still be affected?"

"meeting."

"But you were doing well in the army, how come—"

“Monika, things aren’t as simple as you think. Besides, this is my business, and it has nothing to do with you.”

"Ji Hefeng, you clearly know that I like—"

"I am married."

“............”

When did you get married?

Who did you marry?

Zhao Jian'an and Mo Nijia spoke at the same time.

Ji Hefeng looked up at the blue sky. "A little over a month ago, her name was Molly."

When Molly returned carrying a cow, Moan was completely stunned and speechless for several minutes. Molly ignored him, carried the cow into the house, and left him in a daze.

The cowhide was very thick, and Molly was covered in sweat when she cut the whole hide off.

She didn't have time to rest before busying herself with gutting the cow and removing its internal organs. After that, she had to cut the beef into chunks, marinate it, and save it for slicing, seasoning, and drying into jerky the next day.

"Second sister, let's have beef offal hot pot tomorrow."

"Sure."

"Call your older sister to come along."

"Okay, go and call them."

"Should we call him brother-in-law? I heard from the people in the village that he treats my sister very well."

"Don't call him. You've been in Xiaonan Village for so many days, has he come to see you?"

".......No."

When Mo He learned that his sister had hunted a cow, he was just as shocked as Mo An. How could human strength be compared to that of a cow?

However, she couldn't get any information out of her. Every time she asked, her sister would pretend to be stupid, which made her heart ache with anger.

"Big sister, why don't you come here for dinner every day from now on? We have plenty of meat," Mo An said with a grin.

“Even if you have plenty of meat, you can’t do without grain. Next spring, why don’t you go to the fields with everyone and earn some work points? As for Xiao An, his household registration can’t be transferred for the time being, so he can only help with some housework at home.”

Mo He realized that her younger sister was quite strong, which gave her the idea of ​​having her earn work points.

Mo An pursed her lips. "I will try my best to take good care of the family."

Molly: "Next spring I plan to use half of the vegetable garden to grow grains. The vegetables are growing so well now that we can't even eat them all, so I can plant less next year."

Mo He: "The vegetables in your garden are indeed growing exceptionally well. Did your brother-in-law bring back any fertilizer?"

Mo An: "Just water it and cover it with some dead leaves."

Mohe: "Really? They won't even spray the sewage?"

Molly froze and fell silent.

Mo An shook his head. "No. I'll try it tomorrow."

Mohe: "Do you want to raise a few chickens?"

Molly's eyes lit up. "Sister, do you have a way to get chicks?"

Mo He nodded, "I heard that a batch of poultry and livestock will be arriving from the commune in a few days. Let's go buy them together."

"Who was that Monika just now? She's really beautiful!"

Many girls in the old performing arts troupe had inquired about Ji Hefeng. Those girls were already quite beautiful, but today's girl was no less beautiful than those female soldiers in the performing arts troupe.

"You're really lucky with the ladies," Zhao Jian'an said with envy.

"Don't talk nonsense," Ji Hefeng scolded Zhao Jian'an.

Zhao Jian'an pretended to slap his mouth, "These are extraordinary times, we can't joke around like this. But we can't mention Monica, and what about Molly? You didn't actually marry Molly, did you?"

"Yes, we're married. I'll submit our marriage application when she turns eighteen."

On the day he went to the commune to buy chicks, Mohe knocked on Molly's door early in the morning.

Molly yawned as she got up and opened the door. "So early?"

"Go early, the healthy chicks haven't been picked yet. Go wash up, I brought some roasted sweet potatoes, we can eat them on the way. Oh, and bring a basket with you later."

"Big sister, you're here."

Mo An rubbed his eyes as he came out of the room, wearing the military overcoat that Ji Hefeng had mailed back. Molly had cut off a section of the sleeves and hem of the overcoat, so it didn't drag on the ground when Mo An wore it, but it was just loose and let in the wind.

Mo An's little face was rosy from just waking up. She had gained some weight recently, making her a bit rounder and even more adorable. Mo He couldn't help but pinch Mo An's cheek, her voice tinged with emotion, "Second sister has taken very good care of you."

“I also feel much better now,” Mo An said with a grin. “Big sister, wait a moment, I’ll go brush my teeth and wash my face now, and we’ll go to the commune together.”

Mohe was a little worried, "The commune is a bit far. We'll walk there. Can you walk that far?"

"I think it should be okay." Mo An himself wasn't very confident.

“Xiao An isn’t going; she’s staying to watch the house.” Molly pointed to the dried meat. “There’s so much meat at home; I’m worried about leaving it unattended.”

Mo An, who was initially disappointed at not being able to go to the commune, immediately forgot his disappointment upon hearing that he had a 'more important' task. He nodded emphatically, "I will take good care of the house."

There were quite a few people going to the commune. Molly thought they were early enough, but when they arrived at the commune, she found that many other people had already arrived.

"Mohe, come here."

Someone waved to Mohe. Molly looked over and saw several somewhat familiar faces. She had seen them when she went to fetch water and wash clothes, but they had never spoken before.

"Good morning, aunties," Mo He greeted them with a smile.

"Not too early, not too early either, we just arrived."

"The one next to you is your younger sister. She's not as small as people say. She's about the same height as you now."

"Wait, that's not right. When I first met Mo He's sister, she wasn't this tall. She must have grown taller and isn't as dark-skinned now."

"She's become much fairer. Looking at her now, your sister's face is really pretty."

Molly has grown five or six centimeters in the past two months, but recently she's been experiencing leg cramps and pain at night, waking up drenched in sweat. She predicts she can grow a few more centimeters, but breaking the 1.7-meter mark seems unlikely.

Not only is she growing taller, but her left arm is also growing. It used to be shorter than her right arm, but now it's almost the same length. If you cover her hands with her sleeve, she looks almost like a normal person.

More and more people gathered at the commune gate, and Molly and Mohe were squeezed into a corner, making it difficult to even turn around.

"Take good care of your money, don't let anyone steal it," Mo He whispered in Molly's ear.

Molly blinked, then turned Mo He's face to the right. "Which one are you referring to, sister?"

Two meters away from them, a man was using a knife to cut open an old woman's old cotton-padded coat. The pocket of the coat was on the inside, and a stack of small bills tied with rubber bands fell out of the coat along with the black cotton.

"Stop thief!"

Mohe shouted and pointed at the thief.

For a moment, the noisy scene fell silent, followed by even louder discussions and exclamations.

Where is the thief?

"Quickly check if you still have your money."

"My money is gone!"

"It was him, he stole my money."

"Watch out, he has a knife!"

Some people lunged at the thief, while others scattered and fled. Mohe was almost pushed to the ground, but luckily Molly grabbed her.

Before long, the thief was subdued by the crowd, and the stolen money, totaling more than sixty yuan, was found in his pocket. This was all money that everyone had worked hard to earn, and it was almost stolen. You can imagine the anger of the crowd. The thief was almost beaten to death on the spot, but luckily the commune cadre arrived in time and took him away.

As soon as the commune gates opened, everyone rushed in.

Molly protected Mohe and walked inside with the crowd.

The commune has prepared only chickens, ducks, and pigs. I heard that this is the first batch, and another batch will arrive in a few days.

“Now that it’s autumn, wild vegetables and pig feed are becoming scarce. It’s already difficult for everyone to raise two or three chickens, let alone pigs.” Mo He looked at the five piglets, her eyes filled with longing, but she also shook her head.

Molly was also envious, "Are piglets expensive?"

“In previous years, it cost twenty yuan per head, and once they were grown, half of the meat had to be given to the commune.”

"Given away for free?"

"No, we sell them to the commune. The commune pays us and also provides some meat coupons as a subsidy."

"What if it dies?"

"Then handle it yourself."

Molly brought 22.74 dollars today. If she buys a pig, she can buy one, and she'll still have more than 2 dollars left to buy chicks.

"Big sister, I'm planning to raise pigs."

"You're going to raise pigs?" Mo He was shocked. "The plants are almost withered this season. What are you going to use to feed the pigs you buy?"

"You've seen the vegetables in my garden, haven't you? They're growing exceptionally well." Perhaps because she, as a mutant, carried trace amounts of contaminant, it accelerated the growth of the vegetables, making them seem to have mutated and grow wildly. Fortunately, although these vegetables grew faster, they contained no contaminant and were safe to eat.

"She's quite pretty. But what about winter? Winter—"

"We plant radishes and cabbages in winter. I'll dry them when I get back, and the pigs won't lack food in winter." Molly is confident that she won't let the pigs go hungry.

Mo He thought about it carefully, "The vegetables in your garden do grow well, but don't you also raise a few rabbits? Rabbits reproduce quickly, and the more rabbits there are, the more food they will need."

Molly: "Rabbits can eat hay. Just stock up on more dry food before the New Year."

“That’s one way too.” Mo He gritted her teeth. “If you really want to raise them, I’ll help you stock up on hay and dried vegetables.”

Molly didn't refuse. "Then thank you in advance, big sister."

"Let's go choose the chicks first, and we can go see the piglets last."

Back in her parents' home, Mohe was in charge of raising chickens and feeding them insects. She was quite experienced in choosing chicks. She led Molly through the crowd and soon caught a few chicks. She bought four for herself and gave four to Mohe.

"According to the regulations, the Zhao family can raise three chicks, and you can raise two. However, not all chicks will survive. If you buy one or two more, the commune won't say anything. It's 50 cents each. I'll go pay."

"Eldest sister can pay her share, I'll pay mine."

"But aren't you going to buy a pig later?"

"There's still money left to buy the pig. Sister, you should keep your money. There will be many expenses later when you're pregnant and have children." The money in the sister's hand was the bride price given by the Zhao family, and she absolutely could not use it.

Mo He blushed at the mention of pregnancy and childbirth, and glared at Molly, saying, "Don't talk nonsense, you're just a kid."

There were hardly any people watching the piglets. When Molly and Mohe arrived, the officer in charge of watching the piglets was yawning boredly. He lazily lifted his eyelids to glance at Molly and Mohe, saying, "A piglet costs twenty yuan. You have to register at the front desk after you buy it."

“I’ve never raised pigs before, and I don’t know how to choose piglets. Why don’t we ask the aunties in the village?” Buying piglets is a big deal, and Mo He didn’t dare to make a decision easily.

“No need, just pick the biggest one.” Molly licked her lips, her eyes fixed on the largest piglet, which was glistening with oil and looked delicious roasted.

But no rush, it's more cost-effective to raise them until they're bigger before eating them.

“Little girl, you have a good eye. This pig has a good appetite and isn’t picky about food. It’s definitely the best of the five.” The officer picked up the pig and turned it over to show Molly its belly. “It’s already been castrated. You can take good care of it when you get back.”

Molly: "What does castration mean?"

The clerk said, "It means to castrate a pig."

Molly was still completely bewildered.

The clerk sighed, "Whose stupid child is this?"

Mo He's cheeks flushed, and she whispered something in Molly's ear.

After saying that, Mo He's face burned even hotter, while Molly remained calm and thoughtful. So, having her testicles removed had this advantage—