With two roosters in tow, Jiang Zhi didn't ask anyone to take her home. She led the old mule home alone, carrying two baskets.
She hasn't been back to the mountain for almost a month.
The mountain road is still the same mountain road, but after more than a year of repeated repairs, it is now several times easier to travel than before.
Moreover, the old mule has been going up and down this road every day for almost a year. He is so familiar with this road that he doesn't need anyone to take care of him. He just wanders around and knows how to get home.
Jiang Zhi didn't see Pei Qi halfway there. It wasn't until they were almost at Lao Yun Cliff that she saw a dark figure rushing down the steep hillside.
Peiqi, who is almost two years old, has grown up. During the day, she eats sweet potato starch and other foods with people, and at night she has a warm grass nest to sleep in. She has long since grown plump and strong, and her size is far superior to that of the thin, pointed-snout wild boars in the wild.
So on the hillside, wild boars that were just over 200 pounds last winter but now weigh over 300 pounds roam freely as if walking on flat ground.
Peggy's steps were light and agile, her massive body seemingly unrestricted by the terrain.
It leaped and bounded quickly to Jiang Zhi's side, instantly transforming into a giant whining monster, desperately nudging her with its wet nose, almost causing Jiang Zhi to lose her balance.
She steadied herself by holding onto the cliff beside her and patted Peiqi's back to comfort her, "It's alright, it's alright. I know it's because I haven't been back for a while that you haven't been able to pick me up. It's not your fault, it's not your fault!"
According to Qiaoyun and Errui, Peiqi would always pick people up halfway back to the mountain, but after a few times, she would become listless and lose her spirit. In the end, she wouldn't even come over anymore, and would just take a quick look from afar before turning back to the forest.
Even as it was being slapped repeatedly, the wild boar still squealed in a thin voice, looking very aggrieved... until a soft, sticky pastry was stuffed into its mouth, which stopped its "crying".
At the foot of Laoyun Cliff, Errui and Qiaoyun were unloading baskets from the back of the old mule that had just arrived home.
Er Rui said, "Old Mule is already home, why hasn't Uncle Li arrived yet?"
Qiaoyun busied herself taking things out of the basket, saying, "I just saw Peiqi coming down the mountain. It must be Mother coming back. If it were Uncle Li, Peiqi wouldn't have moved an inch!"
Errui thought about it and agreed: "Peggy has quite a temper now. If it really were Uncle Li, it would have come back long ago!"
Qiaoyun saw the two roosters and exclaimed with delight, "Great! Mother said she was looking for chickens, and she actually found them!"
Sister Chunfeng can finally relax; she's been keeping herself incredibly busy all day with the chickens and pigs!
The only rooster on the mountain was kept in a separate enclosure with the first few hens, and every day they had to keep out other chickens.
These past few days, both sows have been in heat, circling around and not eating. Peiqi has been keeping watch over them every day without leaving their side, and Chunfeng is also afraid to leave their side. However, the calves have grown up and are ready to be bred in the next few days.
Upon hearing that his mother had returned, Errui hurried down the mountain: "Then I'll go greet her. Mother hasn't been back for quite a while and didn't know that the mosquito coils we made could be delivered."
The two men were talking, and neither paid any attention to the old mule that had taken the cargo basket off its back.
The old mule walked familiarly down the path into the nearby woods, which led to the thatched hut that Xiaoman had specially built for it.
There is always some soft hay and bean cakes inside, which are the old mule's favorites.
Every day when I come up the mountain, I can also have a meal of beans.
Grandpa Xiaoman was sitting in the yard whittling a stick when he saw the old mule trotting back and dangling in front of him before heading to the mule shed. He immediately laughed and said, "This old fellow, he even knows to come over and say hello before going up the mountain. Grandma Xiaoman, bring out some more wheat bran."
The old mule was taken care of by Grandpa Xiaoman on the mountain. He not only shaved and groomed it, but also fed it its favorite hay. The two elderly men had a very good understanding of each other.
Grandma Xiaoman brought out half a basket of wheat bran, and Grandpa Xiaoman dropped what he was doing, took the basket, and went to the mule shed.
At this moment, in the courtyard, Nini and Xiaocaixia were chasing and playing with Xiong Xiaomei.
However, when she heard her mother calling out that Grandma had come home, Xiao Caixia quickly ran home.
Nini ran this way too, followed by Little Bear.
After another half month, the little yellow dog has gotten even fatter.
Its round belly made its four legs look even shorter, and it fell down the steps as soon as it ran down, tumbling several times.
As soon as Jiang Zhi returned home, she saw a string of little creatures running over to greet her, laughing and giggling.
Nini and Caixia had flowers all over their heads, and the little dog running at the very back was covered in flowers, even its wagging tail had a small flower wreath on it.
As she watched these little figures grow up, Jiang Zhi also developed feelings for them. She smiled, squatted down, and opened her arms.
"Grandma!" Little Caixia giggled and jumped into his arms.
Soon, the two little girls were eating the fragrant pastries, making the little yellow dog wag its tail like a fan.
Jiang Zhi handed the two roosters she had taken from the Liu family to Xiaoman's grandmother: "Auntie, these roosters were lent to us by Genyou's mother. She said she wouldn't sell them and that we should raise them for six months before returning them to her!"
Grandma Xiaoman took the chicken, casually touched its thighs and breasts, then weighed it and said, "Genyou's mother is kind-hearted; this chicken is quite meaty."
"Let's not lend it. We're short of roosters on the mountain anyway, so let's return two big hens to her."
Grandma Xiaoman is generous and kind-hearted. She has some money to spare right now, so she doesn't want to lend the chickens, lest she be accused of raising them carelessly when she returns them.
Although Liu was a kind person, her family did not want to take advantage of her.
Jiang Zhi didn't care about this and just listened to Xiao Man's arrangements. After instructing the chickens, she hurried to the field to check on the rice seedlings.
With Xiaoman and Chunfeng around, she hasn't managed the crops on the mountain since after the New Year. Even the seedling nursery for hybrid rice was managed by Xiaoman.
After two years of hybrid rice cultivation, the seedlings have now sprouted two leaves. With Chunfeng and the others taking good care of them, everything is developing in a positive direction.
This year, she plans to send the rice seedlings down the mountain and plant them in the fields to see how much the yield can increase.
Beside the rice seedlings in the terraced fields, Xu Dazhu was under the scorching sun, lying on the edge of the field pulling weeds and catching insects that were about to eat the seedlings.
These seeds were obtained by personally performing the "male removal" hybridization technique.
Remembering what Aunt Jiang said about how rice stalks would grow stronger and grains fuller, they cherished these seedlings like the apples of their eyes, checking them every day.
With careful management, the seedlings grew very well, and Jiang Zhi, who had been worried about them all along, was finally relieved.
After checking the rice seedlings and taking a walk around, Errui and Qiaoyun were already waiting for them at the old house on the cliff.
There are very important things here; if I don't look at them, I won't even feel like eating.
After moving down the cliff before the Lunar New Year, the old house was turned into a second workshop, specializing in making mosquito coils and mosquito repellent.
In the past two weeks, Chunfeng, Qiaoyun, and Errui have pressed out thousands of mosquito coils with pre-ground medicinal powder. The coils have been dried and are now piled up in bamboo baskets.
Jiang Zhi looked at these mosquito coils, which were not much thicker than incense sticks, and turned to ask Qiaoyun, "Have you gotten the essence I asked you to purify?"
Qiaoyun pointed to several jars in the corner of the room and said, "Here, there is mugwort oil, eucalyptus oil, and camphor oil!"
Jiang Zhi nodded: "Okay, this year, we'll spray the mosquito coils with the essence before packaging them, and we'll also raise the price!"
"Spraying on the essence, then raising the price?" Qiaoyun was a little confused. Last year, the two were sold separately, and the mosquito coil hadn't been sprayed with any essence.
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "The mosquito coils that have just been sprayed with various essences have a strong aroma, which people will like even more. The mosquito repellent effect is also good, so it's normal for the price to change a bit."
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