Xu Gensheng was good at picking dogs. The three puppies he brought all had broad backs, thick legs, big mouths, droopy little ears, calm eyes, and very composed expressions.
Nini and Xiaocaixia each held a dog tightly, refusing to let go, calling out, "Doggy! Doggy!"
The dog is fluffy and feels more comfortable to touch than Peppa Pig.
It's because Peppa's fur is prickly and she's too big to hold; compared to a soft, fluffy little puppy, she's like heaven and earth.
So, Peiqi, who was still on the mountain flirting with the "pig beauties" in the pen, was completely unaware that she was about to be abandoned!
Seeing that the children liked them, Jiang Zhi took out her money and bought three puppies from Xu Gensheng.
People in the countryside all keep dogs, and Xujia Village used to keep them too.
During times of war, those dogs might have been taken away by their owners and become food along the way, or they might have stayed behind to wait for their owners to return home.
Anyway, there have been refugees gathering here for half a year, and all the cats and dogs have disappeared. We haven't seen a single hair of them since.
Since the establishment of Xujia Village a year ago, every family has been so busy that they have to feed themselves, and there is no food for dogs.
In the beginning, people were so poor that they didn't have to worry about theft. When they had food, the first animals they raised were pigs and chickens, which could provide meat and eggs. At night, people and livestock lived together.
Xu Gensheng was happy to accept the money. Farmers usually adopt dogs from each other and rarely spend money to buy them at the market.
If you have to spend money to buy it, it must be because you've found a good owner, and the dog is a truly exceptional dog.
Actually, the dog owner wanted to sell the whole litter of puppies for a total of fifty coins, but Xu Gensheng kept chasing them around all day, without even taking a sip of water or stopping.
The owner saw that the man hadn't left even after a whole day had passed, and if he didn't agree soon, he would have to pay for another meal. In the end, he had no choice but to sell and give away the puppies, and only after the man bought them for a total of fifteen coins did the matter settle.
The publicity surrounding this day left a deep impression on the villagers of Xujia Village, who were known for buying large quantities of Vitex negundo leaves, camphor leaves, eucalyptus leaves, elm bark, and Quercus acutissima.
Xu Gensheng spent a day on this, saved a lot of money, and also got some free advertising.
He sent three dogs to the pharmacy, and he still managed to keep two for himself, so it wasn't really cheating Aunt Jiang.
So Qingquan Bay adopted two dogs, named Xiong Da and Xiong Er, while the prettiest and most lively Xiong Xiao Mei went back to the mountain with the two girls.
Qiaoyun and Errui were making mosquito coils on the mountain, and Qingquan Bay recruited Wuyang into the workshop.
Every morning, Xiaoman would practice her martial arts at the pharmacy before going for a run on the official road.
After Tian Tao came from home, the two of them went back to the pharmacy together to make preparations.
When Xu Genqing and his group arrived, the pharmacy began its day of brewing and grinding medicine.
The fire at the pharmacy would burn for half a month at a time, and Jiang Zhi never left for a single day.
Finally, when several large baskets were piled up in the inventory, filled with neatly arranged medicine containers, the pharmacy also gave everyone a two-day holiday so that everyone could go back to do farm work.
Li Laoshi volunteered to guard the medicine shop, as it offered food, lodging, and entertainment, and was convenient for traveling to the town and villages. He liked it very much.
Xiaoman didn't leave either. Anyway, there was plenty of work to do on the mountain, so one more person wouldn't make a difference, and one less person wouldn't make a difference either. He could stay and guard the mill to grind medicine, and he also had to go to the village to attend classes in the evening.
Although the children are now with Jiang Zhi, their mindset is subtly changing, and they are no longer ordinary farmers.
But Xia Xiucai had to teach new characters and classical Chinese texts every day, which was more in line with the cultural customs of the time, something Jiang Zhi couldn't explain.
Xiaoman has come to love the lively and fun life in the village.
Jiang Zhi didn't force her.
Xiaoman is currently a time for learning, and the pharmacy also needs someone to keep watch at night.
Before going up the mountain, Jiang Zhi went to Xu Genyou's house to pick out two roosters to take with her.
The rooster on the mountain was brought up there before. It hatched several flocks of chickens. When the chicks grew up, they had to be separated into several groups. If they continued to raise them, it would be morally depraved.
Rabbits do not exhibit inbreeding deformities, but chickens do require replacement with other breeds.
Several chickens in the village also came from the mountains, but now only Xu Genyou's family has chickens of other breeds.
There are chickens that Xu Genbao brings back from playing the cotton-picking game outside, and Xu Genyou also breeds chickens and hatches them to sell to other people in the village. Now, the melodious crowing of chickens that can be heard in the village are all descendants of the two families' roosters.
While Liu was chopping chicken feed at home, she heard that Jiang Zhi wanted to buy chickens and immediately said, "Er Rui's mother, since you asked Li Laoshi to tell me last time, I picked out two big roosters to keep especially for you, so you can borrow them anytime."
Farmers raise hens to lay eggs, so raising roosters is pointless; it's a waste of grain.
Only those who want to incubate eggs raise roosters, so people have a way to solve this problem: either "borrow" a rooster to raise at home for a few months, or exchange eggs to incubate at home.
Jiang Zhi originally wanted to buy two roosters to take up the mountain, but Liu said she was willing to lend them, so that both families would have breeding chickens.
As Liu invited Jiang Zhi into the house to sit down, she shouted, "Qiangzi, quickly tie up those two roosters for your Grandma Jiang."
Xu Qiang was learning to make straw sandals when he mumbled an agreement and went to catch chickens.
Looking at this honest-looking child, Jiang Zhi suddenly remembered that Li Laoshi had said Xu Qiang hadn't attended the class.
She was a little curious. It had been mentioned before that Xia Xiucai didn't charge tuition for teaching children to read; he only asked the villagers to help with farming.
Xu Genyou is currently managing Jiang Zhi's land with Tian Gui and also helping Xia Xiucai's family with chores. How could he not let his child go to school?
So he said to Liu, "Sister-in-law, why isn't your Qiangzi learning to read? Only Heizi and Chunxi are learning."
Hei Zi and Chun Xi are Xu Genyou's second son and youngest daughter. Both children need to study, so it makes no sense that Xu Qiang, at twelve years old, is still illiterate.
Liu said nonchalantly, "The family sent him to learn, but he didn't like crowds and noise. He only stayed for two days and then refused to go, saying he'd rather stay home and weave a few more baskets."
"I heard that the Tian family girl is learning to identify herbs from you. I told her parents that Qiangzi is too introverted and needs to learn a skill."
It doesn't matter whether he learns to read now or not; we plan to wait until he's a bit older, then he can go out with his uncle to learn how to fluff cotton.
Liu spoke with a smile on her face, saying that Xu Genbao and Wang Xiaoju had left after the New Year and had only returned once since then, bringing back a few chickens and an ounce of silver, all of which she asked Liu to help raise and store.
Liu, the mother, was increasingly satisfied with her youngest son and his wife, and now she was considering having Xu Qiang learn the cotton-fluffing craft as well.
With a biological uncle to teach him, he doesn't even need to become an apprentice.
The most fulfilling marriage is one where the husband marries a wife who stays home to take care of the children and do housework, while he goes out to earn money.
Jiang Zhi had no way to refute it and could only smile and agree.
People in this era think this way: a small butterfly can only influence those around them, and cannot change everyone's destiny.
With Xia Xiucai around, at least Heizi, Chunxi, Xiaoquan Xiaoxi, and Shihouzi have already benefited.
Soon, Xu Qiang caught two roosters, one black and glossy, the other bright red, both healthy chickens with shiny plumage.
This child is very reliable. He not only tied straw ropes to the chicken's feet, but also tied the chicken's wings to ensure that it wouldn't run away from the basket.
Looking at the simple-minded Xu Qiang, Jiang Zhi couldn't help but say, "Qiangzi, you should go learn to read with Hei Zichunxi. If your uncle opens a cotton ginning shop in the future, you'll have a better chance to keep accounts!"
Xu Qiang shook his head: "I don't like learning to read, and I don't want to fluff cotton. I'll just farm from now on!"
Jiang Zhi sighed inwardly, but also felt relieved. Those lands still needed people to cultivate them, and being able to use new technologies for farming was progress.
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