Chapter 182: Driving the Ox Cart Back to the Village and Being Watched
When the four brothers returned to the shop, they saw that all the women of the Wan family had gotten up.
Old Mrs. Wan was old and had a shallow sleep. After being awakened by the shout of Old Man Wan, she did not see Old Man Wan and his companions, but heard several brothers in the yard running out in panic. She thought something had happened and hurriedly put on her clothes.
Mrs. Wan Er and Mrs. Wan San were also awakened by the noise of Mrs. Wan getting up, so they got up as well.
Mrs. Liu was watching little Fubao playing in the yard, while Wanquan and several older children were drinking porridge in the kitchen.
It was only after Old Lady Wan asked Mrs. Liu that she found out what had happened that had caused Old Fourth Wan to be so noisy in the morning.
"Mom, are you up? We can open our shop today, but we haven't bought the meat or anything else yet. Should we go buy some groceries now?"
When Wan Lao Si saw Wan Lao Tai, he immediately stepped forward and asked her questions attentively.
"Old Four, are you guys going to watch the fun?"
Wan Lao Si glanced at Liu and thought, has his daughter-in-law not told his mother yet?
"Mom, yes, didn't my wife tell you?"
"I told you that the Qingniu Gang has been destroyed. I think there won't be any danger for us here anymore. I'm going back today. I'll leave this shop to you and your third brother and his wife. We still have a lot of things to do at home. We have to plant some food for this year first."
Old Mrs. Wan was a decisive person. She did what she said. After dinner, she asked Old Man Wan to drive the ox cart to take all the people who should be taken back.
Only Wan Laosan and his wife and Wan Laosi were left in the shop. The two brothers Wan Quan and Wan Xi were also temporarily kept as waiters. There were not enough waiters in the shop, so these two young men could be used. Mrs. Wan gave them a salary of 20 cents a day.
The two brothers looked very happy. They worked very hard outside and only earned thirty copper coins a day, not to mention children like them who got less than half of that. Now, not only were they paid such high wages, but they were also working for their own family. At least they would not be bullied.
After arranging things in the shop, the ox cart carried the eldest brother Wan, Shen, old lady Wan, the second brother Wan and his family and a few children back to Shizi Village.
Wan Lao San pulled Wan Lao Da aside and whispered a few words to him before sending them away.
When they arrived at the butcher's shop, Grandma Wan bought ten kilograms of meat. She had been busy with spring plowing these days and had to prepare good meals for her family. Now that she had money in her hands, she was not stingy with the family's meals and bought all kinds of meat and eggs for the family.
The ox cart was filled with things except for the space for people to sit.
Little Fubao was wrapped in a small quilt and held in the arms of Wan Ersao. The little girl was so well behaved. She had never been sick since she came to the Wan family. She could eat, drink and sleep every day and was in very strong body.
Little Fubao was wrapped in the quilt with only her eyes showing. She felt a little uncomfortable. She was growing up day by day and was much more active than before. The quilt could not cover her anymore. Her little hands were bound by Mrs. Wan Er, which made her feel very uncomfortable.
"Mom, Fubao doesn't want to be covered. Fubao wants to come out. Fubao is not cold."
After hearing this, Old Lady Wan looked at Little Fubao, whose eyes were only visible, and said to Second Sister Wan, "Second Wife, you don't have to wrap her up so tightly. It's the beginning of spring now. Although the wind is still strong, it's not that harmful. It's better for a child to be strong. Dress her warmly. Her hands and face will be strong after being frozen outside."
Mrs. Wan Er then spread out the quilt. Without anything restraining him, little Fubao immediately turned into a curious baby, lying in Mrs. Wan Er's arms, his little head constantly looking around.
The border is covered with endless loess and criss-crossing gullies. The unique topography creates a sharp contrast between the scenery here and the beautiful mountains and waters inside the border. This place is more majestic and vast. If you have to say that this place is more like a thick and strong man, then the interior of the border is more like a beautiful woman.
Wan Laoer was driving a ox cart, looking at the endless yellow land with a hint of sadness on his face. He and Wan Laoda were sitting side by side on the front handlebars.
"Brother, this land is so barren that I don't think anything you plant will yield much. I heard that the locals mostly plant oats, buckwheat, millet, sesame, and potatoes. These crops are drought-resistant and have relatively high yields. I think we should plant more of these crops so that our family won't go hungry this year."
"Okay, we'll plant whatever you say. You have the final say on our farmland. But I don't see many people growing potatoes here. They produce a lot of fruit and can be used as dry food. I just don't see anyone selling seeds at the border. If we can get some seeds, we can grow half of our crops as potatoes and still get a lot."
The two brothers discussed it, and the carriage moved slowly forward, finally arriving at the village before noon.
The last time Wan Laoer drove the ox cart back, it was night and no one in the village noticed that the Wan family had bought a cow. Now it was broad daylight, and although most people in the village went to work in the fields, he still met many acquaintances in the village on the way.
"Oh, did your family buy a cow? It's really rare! This is the first cow in Shizi Village in all these years!"
A man was carrying a hoe and walking home from the field. He happened to meet the Wan family's ox cart on the way. He stopped enviously and chatted with Wan Laoer, and even touched the ox twice.
"Yes, I just happened to see a suitable one, so I bought it." Wan Laoer replied with a smile. The ox cart did not stop, but continued to drive towards the village.
Soon more people discovered the ox cart driven by Wan Laoer.
This incident immediately caused a sensation in the village. Wan Laoer could hardly move from the village entrance to his home. This time was different from the previous times when he just watched the fun.
In the past, some people who came to the Wan family drove horse-drawn carriages and some drove mule-drawn carts, but everyone in the village understood that those had nothing to do with them.
This time it’s different. There are cows in the village, so every family has the opportunity to borrow them. This is related to everyone’s vital interests.
When Wan Laoer saw that the ox cart could no longer move, he simply stopped and let everyone watch.
The village chief Jinniu also hurried over from home, and the crowd made way for him as he arrived.
"Auntie, did your family buy a cow?"
Taurus also looked at the sturdy big buffalo with envy. It was obvious that the buffalo was well taken care of by its owner.
He walked around the big buffalo, looking at it carefully from head to tail, and felt even more delighted. This was really a good bull.
Old Lady Wan sat on the ox cart and said with a smile, "Village Chief, this is a coincidence. I had no intention of buying an ox, but I happened to meet an old man selling a cow. He must have run into trouble, and I happened to have some spare money, so I bought it. My family bought a lot of wasteland this year, and others are about to plant seeds, but my land has not yet been opened. I am very anxious. Now that I have an ox, I can speed up the progress. I hope I won't miss the spring ploughing."
Seeing so many people here, Old Mrs. Wan took the opportunity to tell everyone about her family's situation. She was also telling everyone in a disguised way that the cow could not be loaned out because her land had not been cultivated yet. By the time her land was planted, everyone else in the village's land would have been planted and they would not need the cow anymore.
Jinniu also understood what Old Lady Wan meant, but as the head of the village, the issues he looked at were definitely different from those of ordinary villagers. The villagers were concerned about whether they could borrow a cow to plow the land, while the village chief was thinking that their Shizi Village could be proud of themselves as they finally had a cow.
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