Chapter 218 A New Piglet Arrives at Home
The gift He Xiao prepared for their meeting was a long wooden sword.
He made this while he was recuperating in bed, out of boredom, intending to give it to his soon-to-be disciple, who was his first disciple.
But now that there's another disciple, it's not appropriate to give him a gift now. I'll wait until he makes another sword in the next couple of days and then give them all at once.
He Xiao was helped to sit at the dining table by his two disciples. The meal was plentiful, and they even prepared red date and millet porridge for him.
The family's sons ate together, but no alcohol was prepared because He Xiao was injured and couldn't drink.
Cheng Wanwan and the two girls were eating at a small table next door.
Suddenly, she heard a shout coming from outside the yard: "Selling piglets! Fat piglets for four hundred coins each!"
Wu Huiniang's eyes lit up: "Mother, let's buy two piglets to raise."
We used to be too poor to raise pigs, but now we're much better off. We raise all sorts of livestock in our backyard, except for piglets.
Cheng Wanwan had the same idea. She put down her chopsticks and said, "Let's go out and take a look."
Cao Yingying had never seen what piglets looked like before, and she followed them out out of curiosity. The three women walked out of the courtyard through the side gate and immediately saw an oxcart parked at the main intersection of the village. People from other villages had come specifically to sell piglets. There were six piglets tied to the oxcart, squealing incessantly.
Autumn and early spring are the best times to raise piglets, and many people in the village come to see the piglets.
"Look at my piglets, they're all so fat and strong!" The pig seller patted a piglet's rump. "Four hundred coins a pig is really a good deal. If you raise them at home for a year, they'll grow to three hundred catties, and next year you can sell them for at least three taels of silver. It's a sure-fire way to make money!"
Aunt Wang really wanted to buy one, but she was too busy at home to take care of it, so she could only sigh with regret.
Granny Zhang squeezed through the crowd, pulled out some loose silver from her sleeve, and threw it onto the oxcart: "Here's eight qian of silver. Quickly pick out two fatter piglets for me!"
The village head's wife asked in surprise, "Da Gang's wife, when did you save up so much money?"
"With so many people in our family, how could we possibly save a penny? It's all thanks to my niece's success!" Granny Zhang said proudly. "Ever since Xiuhong married into the Zheng family, my family's life has become more and more prosperous. Of course, Xiuhong will not forget the kindness of her aunt. The other day, she had someone bring back two taels of silver to give to me as a token of respect, which is just right for buying piglets."
"Oh my, that's really something! Your niece will be an official's wife from now on."
"Tell your Xiuhong to help me find a city man to marry my daughter."
"Please also help me find a husband for my daughter. A woman needs to marry a good man to have a good life."
"Getting married is like being reborn, so you have to be careful, or you'll suffer for the rest of your life!"
The villagers surrounded Granny Zhang, chatting about this and that, and Granny Zhang thoroughly enjoyed the attention.
Just then, Cheng Wanwan walked over.
She looked closely at the four remaining pigs on the oxcart; they were all plump and healthy, full of energy, and squealing incessantly.
She counted out some money from her fanny pack and handed it over: "I'll take all four of these little piglets."
"See that? A woman can live a good life without relying on a man or her son." The village head's wife snorted. "Da Shan's family has the best life in our village. Have you ever seen her rely on a man? Zhang Po's thinking is unacceptable. None of you should follow her example, or you'll bring shame to our Dahe Village!"
Granny Zhang twitched her lips and said, "Xiuhong isn't from Dahe Village, how could she bring shame to Dahe Village?"
Xiuhong is now a big shot in their Lijia Gou. Everyone who mentions Xiuhong will praise her for her abilities and say that you should never ask Xiuhong for help in the future!
Granny Zhang snorted, then turned and walked away, leading her two piglets.
Cheng Wanwan didn't care about such trivial matters at all. She asked the man selling pigs to take the piglets off the cart. She led two pigs, while Wu Huiniang and Cao Yingying each led one. The three of them walked home with the piglets.
For some reason, the piglet in Cao Yingying's hand and the one Wu Huiniang was leading suddenly started fighting, their heads touching and squealing incessantly.
Cao Yingying was terrified: "Little pig, little pig, stop hitting me, come here right now!"
She pulled hard on the rope, but as a young lady from a wealthy family, she couldn't possibly pull the strong little piglet away, and it broke free just like that.
One pig broke free and ran away, and the pig in Wu Huiniang's arms also tried to break free. Wu Huiniang bent down to pick up the piglet.
"Hui Niang, stop!" Cheng Wanwan was terrified. "You're pregnant, don't use your strength recklessly, let go right now!"
Wu Huiniang didn't dare to joke about the baby in her belly. As soon as she let go, the two pigs scurried away.
The village head's wife slapped her thigh: "Hey, what are you all standing around watching? Hurry up and help catch the pigs! Don't let these little rascals run up the mountain!"
Cheng Wanwan stuffed the two pigs in her hands into Cao Yingying's hands and joined the piglet herding team.
The men in the village all work for Cheng Wanwan's family, and they know how to be grateful and help each other. As soon as they heard that her two piglets had run away, they immediately dropped what they were doing and came to help.
One or two hundred people from the whole village mobilized at the same time. The two piglets had nowhere to retreat, and in the end, Wang Yongcheng tied them up with hemp rope and carried one in each hand.
Master Yu stood at the school gate and was completely dumbfounded when he saw this scene.
This village is incredibly united. They lost two pigs, and in a very short time, a hundred or two hundred people set out to catch them.
During his most destitute period, he traveled to many villages, but he had never seen such united and enthusiastic villagers.
He immediately sat down, spread out the paper, and quickly began to paint. He used a brush and applied black ink, but after finishing the painting, it appeared exceptionally vivid. Through the paper, one could almost see a lively scene of catching pigs. He emphasized the two piglets, making the paper appear somewhat lively. However, after finishing the painting, he felt that some parts were out of place.
He stared at the drawing for a long time before realizing that the one who didn't fit in was Zhao Chengshi, the mountain woman.
She was among a group of villagers, yet she stood out from the crowd. Though only her silhouette was outlined, one could still discern a woman's elegance and nobility within it.
This Zhao Chengshi is no ordinary person.
Cheng Wanwan returned with four piglets, and the boys who were eating at home rushed to greet her.
Zhao Dashan rolled up his sleeves: "I'll go build the pigsty!"
The younger brothers rushed over to help.
Shen Zheng squatted down and teased the piglet: "I didn't expect the piglet to be so cute."
Zhao Sidan blinked and asked, "Brother Zheng, has your family never raised pigs?"
“You silly boy, the county government office is a place for hearing cases, how can you raise pigs there?” Shen Zheng paused for a moment and said, “My grandmother likes to grow vegetables, at most she’ll grow some leeks and cabbages that we usually eat in the yard. Speaking of which, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen my grandmother…”
Zhao Sidan said, "We have a carriage now. If you miss your grandma, go back to see her tomorrow. Anyway, the county government isn't far away..."
The two boys squatted down next to the pig and chatted casually.
He Xiao, who was sitting in the room, turned his head and looked over.
This child named Shen Zheng lives in the county government office. Could he be the son of the county government official? But how could the son of the county magistrate live in a farmer's house?
Even if the county magistrate is not the best, he is still a seventh-rank official in the imperial court. It is really unreasonable for him to leave his son in the village.
His gaze fell on Cheng Wanwan. Yes, it must be because of this woman. She had an elegant demeanor and an air of nobility. She was clearly not from an ordinary village family... A person who could earn the respect of the county magistrate must be no ordinary person.
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