It snowed heavily for three days, forming a thick layer of snow. It was impossible to walk outside the yard. Zhou swept the snow in the yard every day, so there was little snow on the ground.
On the fourth day, the sky finally cleared up, the snow began to melt, and the ground in the backyard became increasingly muddy. The two of them sat in the main room, warming themselves by the fire.
"It's the 4th now, and we can go out on the land. We should hire someone to slaughter the pigs. Butchers are very busy at the end of the year. They have to go to several houses a day to slaughter several pigs. Some people kill them themselves, and the pigs scream loudly, which is scary to watch. It's safer to hire someone. I don't know how your father and his family are doing."
"I'm going to Deer Village now that the road is passable. The sooner I can finalize the cotton seed issue, the better. I'll also buy some bedding. I need a lot of seeds, but I don't know if they'll sell them."
"I'm afraid this land won't be finished before the New Year. When the time comes, tell them which piece you need urgently and they'll finish the one they need first, so there won't be any delays."
These days, the mother and son make straw sandals whenever they have free time. Chunxiao also learned how to make them from her mother. There are about 30 pairs of sandals of different sizes piled up against the wall of the house, which they can wear outside when going out.
The air was exceptionally cold on days when the snow melted, and if they didn't sit by the fire, they would feel chilled. Except for the morning charcoal burning, they would spend the rest of the time around the stove chatting, warming themselves, and occasionally doing some needlework. When it was almost time to cook lunch, Yan Dashan came over.
"The snow outside has just started to melt, and the road is very slippery. How did you get here?" Zhou looked at his feet. "Look, your shoes and trouser legs are wet. Come over and dry them quickly."
"It's okay, I'll just pass the message on and bake it when I get back. If I bake it now, it'll get wet again later."
"What's so urgent that you have to come here today? You can't tell me in two days. So hurry up and tell me. Then go back quickly, otherwise your feet will be frozen."
Chunxiao brought a stool but Yan Dashan refused to sit. "Dad said that the weather is clear now and the snow has melted, so the charcoal should be easy to sell. Tomorrow the three of us are going to sell charcoal, so he asked me to come over and tell him something."
Chunxi frowned. "The snow on this road hasn't melted yet. It's very slippery. Why don't we wait a couple of days to avoid falling?"
"It's okay. We'll just be careful. There's a lot of work to do later. We have to slaughter pigs, till the land, and you have to go to Deer Farm and other places. Time is really tight, so your sister-in-law and the others won't go. It'll be just the three of us. Dad said there's a big shortage of charcoal on snowy days, so maybe we can sell it faster. Let's wear more clothes tomorrow so we won't be cold."
"Then go ahead, but be careful and walk slowly."
"Okay, that's it. I'll go back then."
Before leaving, Zhou told Dashan about Chunxiao's plan to make a table barrel, and asked him to go back and find Uncle Yan Wu and ask him to do it when he was free. Dashan agreed.
The next day, just as the sky was getting light, there was a noise outside. Chunxiao knew that it was the Yan family, father and son, who had arrived. The charcoal had already been packed in three baskets. She and Zhou got up and put on their clothes.
"What are you doing up? It's so cold. We just grabbed our things and left."
"It's so dark out here, and there's ice on the ground. I don't know how much the snow has melted. You have to be careful when you walk. There are mountains and rivers everywhere. Please keep an eye on your father."
Yan Bingfa said with a bitter face, "I'm not even 50 yet, and you're making me look like I'm in my seventies or eighties. Okay, stop worrying about it, I know what I'm doing. Go to bed quickly, it's still a while before dawn."
After seeing off the father and his two sons, the mother and daughter went back to bed and slept for a while before getting up at daybreak. "Mom, I don't want to burn charcoal today. My hands are very cold." Chunxiao acted coquettishly.
"Then don't burn it. It will never end if you burn it every day. There are still plenty in the straw hut."
"I'm joking," Chunxiao laughed. "The snow hasn't melted yet, and Dad and the others are out. How can I stay home and not work properly? I still need to burn the charcoal." Once I started, I couldn't stop, which was frustrating. Fortunately, it was only winter. She used a wooden hairpin to pull her hair together, braiding the loose part into a large braid.
"Are you still planning on going to town to do business as you said you would?"
"Forget about planning. We're going to plant cotton now, and there are so many things to prepare. By the time we plant, we won't have much time. We can only take care of one thing."
"Why don't you go out and do business? Why don't you catch a piglet and raise it."
"Forget about the pigs, but I could raise a few more chickens. My place is so big and has a fence, it would be a waste not to raise chickens." The chicken manure can also fertilize the land. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a good idea. "Mom, you've reminded me now. Let's raise chickens, maybe a hundred. Then I'll have Dad build me a chicken coop by the fence in this yard."
"One hundred? Is that too many?" The families in the village who raise many chickens only raise about twenty or thirty, but now they raise 100 at once!
"I don't have much experience raising chickens, otherwise I would raise more. Look at my large space, chicken manure can be very useful. I can plant vegetables in the spring, provide some food during normal times, and help me eliminate insects in the future. It's perfect."
Zhou looked around and felt Chunxiao's words made perfect sense. "Okay, then, let's raise a hundred chickens. You don't have experience, but I do. I'll help you look after them. It's best to raise more hens. When they grow up, you can collect a lot of eggs." As she spoke, she felt as if a hundred chickens were surrounding her, and her mood suddenly brightened. "In a few days, I'll place an order with a few hatcheries in the village and have them deliver the required quantity."
"The chicken coop needs to be built bigger so they can't come out in the early stages. Otherwise, they'll peck my cotton to death as soon as it sprouts."
"I'm afraid this will have to be done in the spring after the whole process is completed."
"No rush, just leave the plan there." After the two of them finished talking about the chicken, Chunxiao started to burn charcoal again.
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