Chapter 142
Yin Zheng carried the prey and Jiaojiao down from the foggy mountain, deliberately avoiding the hunters on the mountain and the villagers at the foot of the mountain along the way.
We harvested quite a lot today, and the villagers will inevitably be jealous when they see it, and they might say something in private.
The hunters would not think anything of it at first, but when their hunting goes badly, they would inevitably think that if he had not hunted so hard, they would not have failed to kill prey. If this goes on for a long time, they might even join forces with other hunters to target him.
This was the experience Yin Zheng had figured out on his own before.
Otherwise, with his ability, it would be impossible for him to stay in the mountains for three days just to hunt a roe deer.
Fortunately, there were few hunters at this time of year, and the villagers were busy fertilizing the land in preparation for the upcoming sowing. Yin Zheng and Jiaojiao's home was at the foot of the Wushan Mountain, so they didn't meet many people along the way.
After returning home, Yin Zheng scooped water to wash his and Jiaojiao's hands, then started to slaughter and skin one of the rabbits. There was no seasoning in the house, so Yin Zheng simply fried it to extract the oil and then simmered it.
Knowing that they would have meat tonight, Jiaojiao followed her father like a little follower. When the rabbit was being stewed, she climbed onto her father's legs and tiptoed to look at the stove, her greedy look showing to the fullest.
Yin Zheng looked down at Jiaojiao, bent down, picked him up and weighed him, and found that he was much heavier than at the beginning. A hint of joy spread in the depths of his heart.
"You've gained weight." He poked Jiaojiao's face, which had gained a lot of weight, with joy hidden in his heavy eyes.
Jiaojiao, whose eyes had been fixed on the pot, heard her father talking and thought that he wanted to eat meat, so she pointed at the pot and shook her head, saying, "Meat, it's not ready yet, I won't eat it."
As he said this, he lowered his head, took out a piece of candy from his pocket and stuffed it into his father's mouth: "Eat the candy, and then you can eat the meat."
Yin Zheng, who suddenly had a piece of candy stuffed into his mouth, said: "...You want to eat meat, right?"
Hearing this, Jiaojiao, with her cheeks puffed up, said incoherently with a piece of candy in her mouth: "No, it's not cooked yet, I don't want to eat it!" Then she stuffed another piece of candy into Yin Zheng's mouth.
Yin Zheng's cheeks were slightly puffed up with two pieces of candy in his mouth. He looked at Jiaojiao, who was obviously confused by the desire for meat, and carried him out of the kitchen with a little helplessness. He picked out the fattest rabbit in the yard and carried it to the village chief's house.
Of course, he did not forget to limp and pretend to be lame.
Old Wang was quite surprised that Yin Zheng brought a rabbit. She took one look at the fat rabbit and wanted it very much. However, thinking that Yin Zheng had just separated from the family and the family was short of everything, she gritted her teeth and refused reluctantly, asking him to take it back to nourish Jiaojiao.
Jiaojiao, who was in her father's arms, waved her hands and said in a tender voice, "We have some at home. Don't mention it. Hello, Auntie, Hello, Grandma. Give it to Grandma and Auntie."
Jiaojiao knows who treats him well, and when he has good things, he would of course want to share them with his aunt who treats him well.
Jiaojiao's babyish voice made Chen and Old Wang smile happily, and they kept moaning at Jiaojiao with admiration.
Yin Zheng has always been a taciturn person. He didn't want to argue with Old Wang and the others, so he put the rabbit down and turned away.
How could Old Wang and Chen let him leave like that? They quickly grabbed him and repeatedly said, "I'll take it, I'll take it." Seeing Yin Zheng stop, they quickly took a jar of pickles from the cellar and went to the vegetable garden to pick a basket of fresh vegetables. Then they turned around and took six eggs and the steamed buns left over from the morning to fill Yin Zheng's basket before letting him go.
Watching Yin Zheng limping away with Jiaojiao in his arms, Old Wang sighed for no reason, and all the resentment in her heart about Chen asking Changqing to send over a lot of steamed buns in the morning disappeared completely.
These days, every household was poor in terms of food and clothing. Although their family was a little better off now, Old Wang had been afraid of starvation during the famine before, so she was too tight-lipped about food.
However, Old Wang actually still couldn't bear to see Yin Zheng suffer, otherwise she wouldn't have sent out those steamed buns from Chen under her nose.
Jiaojiao followed her father home and slept in his arms for half an hour.
After waking up, he propped up his little face and squatted beside to watch his father make stools and tables. After a while, he got a small stool of his own.
Jiaojiao, who was standing around the small stool, clapped her hands curiously, sat on it on tiptoe, moved her butt, and shook her short legs. She was so happy that she leaned her little body on her father's arm and watched her father make the stool.
Yin Zheng glanced at him sideways, then looked away and continued with the work in his hands, but his movements were a little smaller.
At the hour of You, the rabbit that had been simmering on a low fire on the stove had become soft. Yin Zheng picked up a piece, blew it to cool it down, and showed it to Jiaojiao who was standing on tiptoe to look at it.
Jiaojiao took it and took a bite. Her eyes lit up immediately. She hummed "Hmm! Hmm!" twice while holding the meat in her mouth. She held the meat with amazement in her eyes and insisted that her father have a taste too.
Yin Zheng squatted down in compromise, took the meat from his hand, chewed it twice and swallowed it.
Jiaojiao blinked, looked at her empty hands, lowered her head to smell the meat on her hands, then squeezed forward into her father's arms with her eyes bent.
Yin Zheng grabbed his hand and wiped the oil off his hands, then carried him and took the dishes out to eat.
The village chief's family was also enjoying a rabbit feast. Mrs. Wang hadn't planned to eat the entire rabbit in one sitting. She had planned to smear it with salt and hang it in a well-ventilated area on the beams of the house, eating a little bit every day to last for a long time. But when the village chief, Li Gensheng, came back and saw it, he told her to cook the whole thing for her son and daughter-in-law.
Old Wang glanced at the thinner Zhao and Chen, thought about it and nodded in agreement. The family still had no grandchildren, so if she gave her daughters-in-law some nourishment, maybe she would have a grandson.
Chen was a quick and efficient person. Seeing that her mother-in-law agreed, she quickly chopped the rabbit into small pieces. Zhao was very considerate and added firewood to the stove, while the second daughter-in-law Feng started heating oil in a pot.
These days, it is difficult for every household to eat meat. Even the village chief's family would only kill a chicken and cut a few pounds of pork when his daughter and son-in-law came home, except during the New Year and other festivals.
That's why the villagers felt that Yin Dazhu and his wife were very ungrateful for eating pheasant and rabbit meat from time to time because of Yin Zheng, but still complained about Yin Zheng.
After a while, the braised rabbit was served on the table. Because the rabbit was so fat, it filled up a large pot. Li Changchun was surprised by the sight: "This rabbit is really fat!"
Feng: "That's not true. It's rare to see a rabbit this fat."
With delicious food in front of him, Li Gensheng did not delay. After he started eating, others followed suit.
A group of people were enjoying their meal when Chen suddenly turned her head and vomited several times. Everyone in the room was startled. Li Da frowned worriedly, "What's going on?"
"I don't know either." Chen shook her head. "While I was eating, my stomach suddenly started churning violently."
Hearing this, Old Wang's eyes lit up and she looked at Chen's belly: "Are you pregnant?"
Chen was stunned. She carefully touched her belly and spoke incoherently for a moment: "I, I don't know. Is it really, really possible?"
Li Da was suddenly panicked and overjoyed, not knowing what to do. He subconsciously reached out to touch Chen's belly, but before he could touch her, Old Wang slapped him away: "What are you touching for?"
As she said this, she looked at Chen: "Have you come yet?"
"It's been delayed for seven or eight days and hasn't come yet." Chen said a little helplessly.
Old Wang slapped Li Gensheng's thigh with joy, making him grin. "Then it must be there. Let's go to the town tomorrow to take a look."
After this incident, Chen couldn't eat peacefully. She kept glancing into the house, thinking that she would go back to pay her respects to the Goddess of Fertility after dinner.
This must be conceived!
After resting for a while after dinner, Yin Zheng took Jiaojiao for a walk outside the yard to help digest the food.
At night, the sound of insects chirping can be heard from the mountains and the breeze makes the treetops sway, making it very pleasant to walk among them.
Jiaojiao pulled on her father's trouser legs and walked with her short legs. The tall Yin Zheng had no choice but to take small steps.
As they were walking, Jiaojiao suddenly squatted down, picked up a leaf with a strange shape, and handed it to her father on tiptoe: "Here, Dad."
Yin Zheng squatted down, took the leaf and looked at it carefully.
Jiaojiao put her hands behind her back and said, "It looks good. Give it to daddy."
Yin Zheng looked up at him. His dark eyes shone brightly in the moonlight as if they were filled with broken stars, which made people feel soft-hearted.
"Yeah, it looks good." He responded in a low voice, then picked up Jiaojiao and turned to walk back.
The night passed quickly and dawn broke in the blink of an eye. Yin Zheng woke up and looked down at Jiaojiao, who was small and soft in his arms. His heart softened for a moment.
Jiaojiao suddenly smacked her lips twice while she was sleeping, as if she had eaten something delicious in her dream. Yin Zheng couldn't help but find it funny, so he decided to get up and make something to eat for Jiaojiao who was smacking her lips in her dream.
He didn't wake up Jiaojiao. He came out of the house, scooped some water, washed up, and started preparing breakfast.
There was some rabbit meat left over from last night, so Yin Zheng heated it up after cooking the porridge.
The meal was just ready. When he walked into the room to call Jiaojiao, he saw that Jiaojiao had woken up at the smell and was now sitting on the bed in a daze.
When she saw her father, Jiaojiao jumped up from the bed and reached out for a hug.
Yin Zheng picked him up, put clothes and shoes on him, and took him out to wash.
Jiaojiao stood in front of the wooden basin, soaked her own small face handkerchief, wrung it out half dry with great effort, and then covered her face with the handkerchief and rubbed it up and down.
When Yin Zheng brought out the porridge and vegetables, he saw that he had rubbed his little nose until it was red, and was brushing it with a willow twig while showing his small teeth.
Yin Zheng put down the porridge, walked forward and carefully looked at Jiaojiao's red nose and forehead, and was relieved to see that the skin was not broken.
He had delicate skin. The handkerchief he used was chosen by Yin Zheng after he had spent a long time choosing it in the cloth shop and asking the clerk. Such a small piece cost him two hundred coins.
After dinner, Yin Zheng put the four remaining rabbits from yesterday into the backpack. The rabbits were still alive and kept kicking their legs when they were lifted up and put into the backpack.
After putting the rabbit away, Yin Zheng placed the smaller roe deer on the backpack and secured it with a rope. He then carried the remaining one on his shoulder, squatted down, picked up Jiaojiao, who was already carrying the small backpack, and walked out.
Today he was going to the town to sell his game. In order to avoid the villagers, Yin Zheng got up an hour earlier than usual. When he went out, it was just dawn and the chickens in the village had not yet started crowing. He looked around and could not see a single person.
Today we woke up much earlier than usual. After having a full meal, Jiaojiao lay in her father's arms, looking at the surrounding trees and streams with her big, bright eyes. As she looked, she fell asleep on her father's shoulder.
Yin Zheng, who was striding along, glanced sideways at him and saw that his chubby little face had a cute curve because he was lying on his side, his black hair was scattered messily on his forehead, and his little fleshy hand, which could barely hold one of his fingers, was tightly grasping his clothes.
His dark eyes moved, and he unconsciously tightened his arms, hiding Jiaojiao in his arms, like a vicious dragon carefully digging at his treasure.
At this time, at the entrance of the village, Chen and Li Dayi had already sat on Li Tiezhu's ox cart. The couple was both excited and nervous.
Last night, Chen prayed to the Goddess of Fertility for most of the night, and this morning she prayed again for a long time, hoping that she would really get pregnant this time.
"Hey, Changqing boy, why are you and your wife going to the town so early in the morning?" Aunt Chen, who was on the ox cart, saw the two of them and asked curiously for no reason.
Chen glanced at the eggs in the basket and said with a smile, "Didn't my great aunt in town fall ill a while ago? She's had no appetite for a while, so I thought of sending some of our own eggs over to her so she can at least have something to eat. I'll also ask Changqing to see if there's anything he can do to help. Old people always have some heavy work to do around the house. By the way, what are you looking for in town, Second Aunt?"
The pregnancy was still uncertain, and she didn't plan to tell Aunt Chen that she and Changqing were going to the town to see a doctor, lest they end up with nothing and be laughed at by outsiders.
Over the years, she had heard people gossiping about her behind her back, saying that she was a rooster that didn't lay eggs, and that the three brothers Changqing were useless and that their wives couldn't have children.
In the past, when they heard this, they could only swallow their anger. But this time, if she really got pregnant, and anyone else gossiped about her, she would tear their mouths apart.
Chen looked at her belly and thought to herself that she had to fight for her chance this time.
"Oh, didn't the third boy from my second brother's family ask for a girl? I'm going to the town to see if there's anything to buy." Aunt Chen said with a happy face, but she didn't take Chen's words seriously.
Changqing's great aunt fell ill two months ago. Why did he send eggs now if he didn't send them then? Besides, the great aunt didn't have any sons or grandsons. Did she really need Changqing to help her with the housework?
She saw Chen looking at her belly just now, and guessed in her heart that the couple had gone to the town to see if they were pregnant.
If she were to say so, Chen would stop working so hard and stop wasting her time on her health.
If she was the only daughter-in-law in the village chief's family who couldn't get pregnant, then it must be her problem. But didn't the second daughter-in-law Feng also get pregnant? That meant it wasn't her problem, but the problem of the village chief's three sons!
This man is useless. No matter how hard the woman tries or how much medicine she drinks, it will be in vain. Why bother suffering like that?
Don’t be fooled by the village chief’s seemingly prosperous family, because they might be ridiculed behind the scenes for not having a grandson.
That is why, when Li Changyuan, the third son of the village chief, was looking for a girl, no girl in his village or the two nearby villages was willing to marry him. In the end, he had to pay a lot of money to the matchmaker, and the matchmaker worked very hard to find a wife for Li Changyuan from Pingyang Village, two villages away.
So, what’s the use of having more land and wealth? In the end, no one knows who will benefit from it!
Aunt Chen was feeling contemptuous in her heart, but she was chatting animatedly with Chen.
He waited until three quarters past noon, and seeing that no one came, Li Tiezhu let out a cry and drove the ox cart on the road.
The town is as bustling as ever, with people coming and going, street vendors, and porters rushing to work, making the town much more lively than the village.
Jiaojiao, who was lying in her father's arms, had woken up at this time. Her tender little white hands were resting on her father's arms, and her pair of dark, bright eyes looked at the people coming and going on the street with ignorance and curiosity.
Yin Zheng carried Jiaojiao and walked towards the wine shop and restaurant.
He was a tall man, unusual for a man in the town. He was dressed in a coarse linen shirt and a pair of straw sandals. When he walked, one could vaguely see the explosive muscles on his shoulders and arms. His sleeves, which were carrying the roe deer, slipped down, revealing many old scars on his wheat-colored arms. There was even a scar on his left cheek that ran hideously from his brow to his jaw. Although his expression was silent, he gave people a sense of ferocity that was not to be messed with.
Pedestrians on the street subconsciously avoided him, and only looked back with lingering fear after Yin Zheng passed by them.
As soon as he saw it, he met the innocent and curious eyes of the child in the man's arms. The passerby was stunned. Looking at the fair and tender child who made people soften their hearts at the sight of him, he suddenly felt that the man who walked with a limp was not as cruel and fierce as he looked.
It is already one and a half months into spring. Although there are not many hunters going up the mountain to hunt, there are still quite a few, so the prey is not in such high demand as at the beginning of spring.
The first restaurant only asked for two fat rabbits from Yin Zheng, and the second restaurant asked for even less, only one rabbit. Fortunately, the owner of the next restaurant wanted to eat some game, so he asked for a roe deer.
After accepting the silver handed over by the steward, Yin Zheng continued to go to other taverns and restaurants. Finally, he took some time to sell the other roe deer and rabbit.
Next, Yin Zheng was a little hesitant. He originally wanted to sell the ginseng he picked yesterday, but then he thought that ginseng was a rare thing and he might be able to use it in the future if he kept it.
As he thought about this, he glanced at Jiaojiao who was chewing a candy man in his arms.
Seeing her father looking at her, Jiaojiao thought he wanted to eat the candy man, so she took it from her mouth and handed it to him: "Daddy, eat it——"
Yin Zheng took the candy man handed over by the vendor and said, "No, I have it."
"Okay." Jiaojiao stuffed the candy man back into her mouth and ate it very seriously, bite by bite.
In the end, Yin Zheng carried Jiaojiao and walked towards Yichun Hall.
Arriving at Yichun Hall, she saw Dr. Zhou instructing a patient on how to take medicine. Jiaojiao, who had a good memory, raised her little paw to greet him: "Grandpa Zhou."
When Dr. Zhou heard the voice and turned around, he remembered Jiaojiao the first time he saw her.
After all, there were few children this fair and pretty in Hengyang Town. He stroked his beard and smiled, "Jiaojiao, what are you doing in the clinic? Are you feeling unwell?"
Jiaojiao shook her head: "No, I don't know. If Jiaojiao doesn't come, Dad will."
What I mean is that I am not feeling unwell, I just don’t know why I came here. It was Dad who wanted to come here, not Jiaojiao.
Hearing Jiaojiao's words, Dr. Zhou couldn't help but laugh and led them inside.
"Herbs?" Doctor Zhou was surprised and said, "We collect herbs here and have cooperation with local herbalists. But you may not know that picking and drying herbs requires careful techniques. If the techniques are not correct, the efficacy of the herbs will be greatly reduced. We will not collect those that do not meet the requirements."
He didn't think Yin Zheng knew how to pick and dry the herbs, so he said the ugly words upfront.
Yin Zheng took out the ginseng from Jiaojiao's small backpack and handed it to him: "Take a look."
Doctor Zhou was stunned. He didn't need to look closely; with his years of experience, he knew this was genuine ginseng. He took it, sniffed it, and examined it carefully before happily saying, "It's of good quality and good age. We'll take it. If you have anything similar, just send it to us."
In the end, this fifty-year-old ginseng was sold for fifty taels. In fact, the price of this ginseng is much more than that, but this is the highest price that Hengyang Town can offer. If you want a higher price, you have to go to the county town.
After coming out of Yichun Hall, Yin Zheng carried Jiaojiao to the pastry shop opposite and bought two bags of peach cakes, some cakes and two bags of malt sugar.
After buying the clothes, I went to the clothing store next door and bought a few sets of clothes for Jiaojiao. I couldn't stop buying and bought not only clothes, but also several pairs of shoes.
After leaving the clothing shop, I went to the grain shop.
Food prices have risen again.
Yin Zheng frowned slightly. The price had risen once in the previous level and it rose again today. Last year was a bumper year, so the price of grain should not have risen at all.
However, Hengyang Town is close to the border, and the price of grain here is affected not only by natural disasters but also by war. Thinking of the rumors of tax increases that he had heard some time ago, Yin Zheng guessed that a war was going to happen.
Thinking of this, Yin Zheng said to his waiter, "Give me three stone of rice, fifty catties of white flour, and fifty catties of black flour."
One stone of rice weighs 120 kilograms, plus flour weighs 460 kilograms, enough for him and Jiaojiao to eat for a long time.
The waiter looked surprised, and Yin Zheng looked at him calmly. The waiter scratched his head when he met his gaze and turned to fill his bowl with rice and flour.
One stone of rice costs one liang and one qian, but before it only cost nine qian, a full two qian increase.
White flour cost 13 wen per jin, and black flour cost 8 wen per jin, both of which increased by 2 wen compared to before. A trip to the grain shop cost a total of 4 liang, 3 qian and 50 wen.
Yin Zheng rented a cart from the grain store, and went to the grocery store to buy some pots and pans, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, salt and two rice jars. After putting the things he bought on the cart and tying it up, he put Jiaojiao on it and pushed the cart steadily out of the town.
Jiaojiao was very curious about sitting in the stroller, but she did as her father asked and sat still without moving.
But after a while, he looked back at his father, patted the stroller with his little hands, and said very seriously: "Daddy, sit down, Jiaojiao, get down and push it."
Yin Zheng glanced at his small arms and legs, and after a moment of silence, he said, "You can't push it."
Upon hearing this, Jiaojiao stretched out her little arms and compared them to her father. She blinked and nodded, saying, "Then when Jiaojiao grows up, push Daddy again."
Yin Zheng nodded: "Okay."
It was still very early when Yin Zheng and Jiaojiao returned. This time was very special. People who were going to the town had arrived early, and people who had come to the town did not come back so quickly, so they did not meet anyone along the way.
When they returned to the village, everyone was busy working in the fields. Their home was at the foot of the foggy mountain where few people lived, so almost no one noticed that they had bought so much food. Even if someone saw it from afar, they would just think it was some worthless pots and pans.
After returning home and putting away the rice and flour, Yin Zheng carried Jiaojiao and walked towards the village chief's house.
The price of food in town has gone up, and he plans to talk to the village chief to give him a heads up.
After hearing what Yin Zheng said, the village chief's brows showed a bit of sadness. He took two puffs of his pipe and asked Yin Zheng to go back first. He would tell the villagers about this matter.
The price of food has increased, but this actually has little impact on the people in the village.
Every year, after paying taxes, villagers would set aside enough grain to feed their families through the following year. Only if there was any leftover grain would they carry it to the town to sell. Since it was only February or March, the grain left over from last year, mixed with some bran, would be enough to last until this year's crops grew. Therefore, the rising grain prices in town had little impact on the villagers.
However, the factors behind the rise in food prices will have a huge impact on the villagers.
Hengyang Town is only two county governments away from the border. It is neither far nor close. If a real war breaks out, it is impossible for it not to be affected.
I just hope that the increase in food prices is not due to the impending war.
When the village chief frowned with worry, Chen and Li Da came back from the town.
There was something wrong with both of their faces. The doctor said that the pregnancy was too young and he couldn't diagnose it, so he asked them to come back for a check-up in half a month.
Aunt Chen, who had bought some red cloth, snacks, and preserved fruits, got on the oxcart and saw their faces. She knew they hadn't had a baby yet. She had originally planned to sit next to them, but then, thinking about her nephew getting married, she paused and sat on the other side.
She pressed the red cloth in the basket, hoping that she would not bring any bad luck back with her, so that her niece-in-law would not be able to get pregnant.
Aunt Chen was always talkative. After she returned home, she couldn't help but tell her good friends about this matter. Within a few days, the news that Mr. and Mrs. Li went to the town to see a doctor spread throughout the village.
The villagers laughed at the couple behind their backs for not giving up. They said their husband was useless and it was useless to see a doctor many times. Old Wang was so angry that she stood on the edge of the field and cursed loudly.
It rained in the morning, and Yin Zheng wrapped medicine on his left foot again. The smell of the medicine was a bit pungent and could be smelled from a long distance away.
Jiaojiao curiously circled around her father and stretched out her legs to indicate that she wanted to be wrapped too.
Yin Zheng tickled his chubby little feet, and he fell on the bed, giggling and saying, "No more wrapping, no more wrapping."
After playing with Jiaojiao for a while, Yin Zheng took him into his arms and went out.
When the villagers saw his wrapped feet and the strong smell of medicine, they asked him what was wrong.
Yin Zheng's explanation was that he met an alchemist in town a few days ago. After seeing him, the alchemist said that his foot could be cured. He didn't believe it at the time, but the alchemist said that they were destined to meet, so he gave him the medicine for free. He thought that since he didn't have to spend any money, he might as well give it a try.
Jiaojiao, who didn't quite understand what her father said, just lay obediently in her father's arms, looking at the uncles and aunts in front of her with her bright big eyes.
The villagers didn't show anything on their faces when they heard this, but they were secretly shaking their heads. They thought Yin Zheng was just like what someone said, "try everything you can to save a dying horse." He felt that there was no hope, so he was unwilling to try every possible remedy. He was a pitiful person. I wonder how he would support himself and the child he picked up.
"Isn't this easy to do? The child is very handsome. There is no other good-looking child in the whole town. If Yin Zheng sells him, he might get five taels of silver. With these five taels, he can survive, right?" said the village ruffian Wulan.
"Bah." Feng, who was passing by, heard him and spat, "Do you think everyone is as shameless and black-hearted as you?"
"Tsk!" Li Ergou snorted disdainfully, swaggering away with his hands waving.
When he came back drunk that night, someone kicked him far away. Not only did he break two ribs, but he also broke his leg.
Two chapters combined into one, the other chapter is still owed~
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