Liu Huan didn't see the chicks for two or three days in a row.
The little red baby is very protective of its young, not letting anyone get close. When it eats, it only takes a couple of bites and doesn't move away, probably because there are still some that haven't hatched yet.
It wasn't until the third day that Xiao Hong took her cub out for a stroll. The little yellow furry thing ran around everywhere, making Liu Huan want to grab it and hold it in her arms.
The family hadn't even started working in the fields yet, but their faces were all smiles. Su's mother even grabbed a handful of the coarse rice she had eaten to reward Xiao Hong.
Liu Huan counted carefully and found there were only nine, but there were eleven eggs, meaning two of them were spoiled.
Once Xiaohong had gone a little further away, she quickly ran over and took the two eggs.
Xiao Shi leaned closer to her, squatted down, and stared intently. "Huanhuan, where are these two?"
Grass was also upset, looking at the two eggs with a heavy heart. "Yes, it's such a waste."
Liu Huan didn't know how to explain the issue of wear and tear to them.
She noticed a small chip in one of the eggs and carefully peeled it open along the chip.
Bloodstained feathers were visible inside.
Mother Su exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear, this one didn't come out."
Peeling it open, the chick was curled up in a ball. Its feathers were starting to fall out, and it looked like it had been dead for two days.
It was probably too weak to break free of the eggshell and suffocated.
Su's mother picked it up and examined it carefully, her face full of regret. "This one costs fifteen coins in town!"
What? Liu Huan was shocked. A chick hatched for one coin was being sold for fifteen coins?
It's incredibly profitable.
She hadn't felt much regret at first, but now she was starting to feel the pinch.
"How much is the larger one?"
Su's mother said, "The big ones can sell for twenty coins a pound, so one is about seventy or eighty coins."
Liu Huan saw the business opportunity. This mountain lacks everything except grass. If he could research how to raise earthworms, he would make a fortune.
Seeing that she could peel a chick out of an egg, Xiao Shi wanted to try it himself. He picked up another egg from the ground, but the egg was smooth and slippery, and he dropped it in front of Liu Huan.
It exploded with a bang, and most of the egg landed on her.
The stench was like that of a rat that had been dead for a long time and was rotting before it was discovered; it was so foul that it made people want to vomit.
Xiao Shi realized he had done something wrong and quickly apologized: "Huanhuan, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
The atmosphere froze instantly. Everyone wanted to laugh but dared not. Su's mother, suppressing her laughter, said, "It's my fault. I put an egg from home in to test it, but it really didn't work."
Liu Huan was hurt. She felt like she couldn't breathe from the stench and subconsciously looked at the stone, "Stone..."
Stone:"……"
Shi Tou sighed, took off her outer clothes, and found that there was some in her hair as well, so he had no choice but to boil water for her.
Liu Huan washed herself several times with wood ash, but still felt the smell on her body. She began to miss the shower gel from her previous life.
I was unhappy all morning, I didn't even feed the chicks, and I didn't enjoy my food.
Especially when Xiao Shi added, "Huanhuan, you still smell bad."
Hearing him say that, probably due to her own imagination, she felt that the smell on her body was getting stronger and stronger, and that it was even getting into her mouth.
Liu Huan glared at him, picked up her chopsticks, and started to cry, looking very aggrieved.
Even the most lively girl is still a girl. What girl would be happy to be told she smells bad?
When Su's mother saw her crying, she scolded Xiao Shi: "What nonsense are you talking about? It's all your fault for getting it on her."
Cao'er hugged her and comforted her, "Huanhuan doesn't smell bad. None of us smelled it. Xiao Shi is just talking nonsense. I'll cook you an egg later and not give it to him."
Liu Huan cried even harder; she hated eggs the most.
Seeing that he had caused trouble, Xiao Shi put down the bowl and went to her to beg for forgiveness: "Huanhuan, I'm sorry, I was just joking, please don't be angry."
Liu Huan was truly angry this time, and no one could appease her.
After finishing his meal, Shi Tou didn't go to the fields but went in another direction. Su's father saw this and told Da Shi to stay with him, reminding them both to be careful.
When I came back, I had a few soap pods in my hand. Although they weren't as fragrant as soap, they were still better than wood ash.
He fetched water, heated it, carried it into the house, personally washed her hair, and then used the remaining water to bathe her. Only then was Liu Huan happy.
She hugged his head affectionately and said, "Stone is still the best to me." It feels so good to be cared for, hehehe.
Stone gently pried open her fluffy head and picked up the comb. "Come on, let me comb your hair."
After all, she was the child he raised; how could he bear to see her sad and crying all the time?
Soapberry is truly a magical thing. Liu Huan felt that she smelled wonderful all day long, and she would tell everyone she met how fragrant she was: "Smell me, don't I smell wonderful?"
Xiao Shi took a deep sniff and exclaimed with delight, "Huanhuan, you smell better!"
She gave a proud snort, "It was Shi Tou who picked the soapberries for me."
Mother Su naturally knew this, and said very seriously, "This time he accidentally picked the rotten eggs, so he went to pick them. That soapberry tree is dangerous. Next time, please use wood ash, understand?"
Liu Huan knew, of course, and nodded obediently: "Mother, I know."
The two of them were happily circling around the chick when a woman's voice came from outside.
"Sister-in-law, are you home?"
The newcomer was wearing a cotton jacket and gold earrings. His skin was fairer than that of the villagers. He looked capable and shrewd, with a smiling face, and seemed to be a straightforward person.
The person who came was Su's mother's sister-in-law, the village chief's wife, and Shi Tou's aunt.
Mother Su put down the winnowing basket and went out to greet her: "Sister-in-law, what brings you here?"
Auntie looked at the chicks all over the yard in surprise: "Wow, you bought so many chicks, that's great!"
Cao'er and Liu Huan came out to greet her, and she offered a few perfunctory compliments before explaining her purpose.
"I'm going on behalf of my son, Ming'er."
“He studied in town for a few years, and now that he’s of marriageable age, he’s thinking of coming back to the village to open a school and teach the villagers to read. He heard that if they can read, they can earn this much money working outside.”
Aunt raised one hand.
Su's mother was shocked: "Fifty coins?"
Auntie proudly said, "Five hundred coins a month is easy money. I was just thinking that your two children are just the right age. Would you like to go? I'll reserve a spot for you."
Su's mother hesitated a bit, worried that the family might not be able to afford to send both children.
Her aunt noticed her concerns and said knowingly, "Don't rush to refuse. Talk to him when you come back for the New Year. He won't be back for a few more days."
As soon as her aunt left, Su's mother went into the house and took out the box containing money. Inside were the copper coins she had saved over the years, strung together with hemp rope, totaling exactly two taels of silver.
"This money is saved up for your older brother's wedding." Da Shi is twelve years old this year and will be getting married in a few years. This money is not enough, so Su's mother dares not spend it recklessly.
Liu Huan comforted her, "Mom, that was a way for us to make money before. Now that we've started raising chickens, we'll have money. In a few days, we'll buy some eggs for Xiao Huang to hatch. Once it's grown up, we can sell them for a lot of money."
She added, "Money can be earned slowly, but the older brothers can't wait. They'll be even less able to go to school when they get older."
This was also something Su's mother was considering. She always felt that Shi Tou was a person with his own opinions, and as long as he could read, the family would rely on him in the future.
"Let's discuss it when your father gets back."
Cao'er was very envious of Liu Huan's eloquent explanations. He was only three years old and knew so much. Suddenly, she felt a little inferior and her face showed disappointment.
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