Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Raising chickens.
Cai Gaohuan tied the feet of the two pairs of hens and put them in a sack with a slit cut in the corner for ventilation. They were now placed on a wheelbarrow, with their sharp beaks sticking out from the slit, clucking.
"The chicken coop is ready. I'll let you out when we get home." Ji Feng said happily.
For example, the Feng family’s chicken coop is built in the backyard, a low, enclosed hut. After the chickens are raised, the coop is opened early in the morning and they are let out to the back mountain to dig grass and catch insects. When it gets dark, they know to go back to the chicken coop by themselves. This way, the chicken meat is firm.
However, their family did not have a hilltop to raise the animals, so they planned to keep them in a pen behind the house.
The chicken coop belonged to the three sisters. Some time ago, they went to Niupi Mountain, carried down mud, piled up straw, built three four-foot-high low walls, covered them with straw, and asked Uncle Chen to make a sliding wooden door outside.
As soon as she entered the house, Ji Feng untied the hemp rope and took her into the chicken coop.
Such an enclosed chicken coop is not only rainproof, but most importantly, it can prevent weasels from stealing chickens at night.
"We also raise chickens at home." Ji Zhu was delighted to see that two pairs of hens were brought back. She took a bamboo bowl and scooped some clean water to feed them.
Ji Feng grabbed another handful of weeds. These were the ones she had picked out from the rice pounding day after day. She couldn't bear to throw them away, so she had been saving them. Now she pulled the wooden boards of the chicken coop apart a little and sprinkled them in from the bottom, along with the bowl of water.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck, chickens, eat, eat weeds." Ji Zhu was very happy. She squatted in front of the chicken coop with her upper body almost lying on the ground. She could never get enough of watching.
Ji Xu was weaving a bamboo fence in the main room. The clump of bamboo that Jin had cut down last year had grown back. A few days ago, he carried some soil to build a chicken coop, and he also cut some bamboo.
The chicken coop was too small and low, and she definitely couldn't keep the chickens inside all day. She planned to drive wooden stakes around the chicken coop and put up a circle of bamboo fences so that the chickens could come out and walk around without running outside and ruining her own or other people's vegetable gardens.
"Sister, look, I've collected a lot of dried bean dregs.
You don’t have to worry about feeding the chickens in the morning and evening.”
Bean dregs are what's left over from the pulp-squeezing step of making tofu. Although they can be fried and cooked at home, they can't withstand being eaten every day. You definitely won't want to throw them away, but even using them as fertilizer is too extravagant, so you came up with the idea of raising poultry.
Raising ducks requires water to keep them shiny and plump, and ducks easily make the ground muddy; raising geese is cleaner, but they make a lot of noise. Ji Xu would wake up in the middle of the night, and when he came back in the afternoon, he would take some time to catch up on some sleep. The noise was too loud and he couldn't sleep.
Finally, they decided to raise chickens.
Raw bean dregs cannot be used directly as chicken feed. They are steamed in a steamer, dried and stored, and then mixed with some chaff and barnyard grass when feeding.
Ji Feng brought in a bamboo winnowing basket, knelt beside her, and put the dried bean dregs into the sack, which was already half full.
Since the key to making tofu is gypsum water, it is not a big deal to leave the bean dregs outside to dry. Nowadays, when people make soy milk and soy milk drinks, they will squeeze out a lot of bean dregs, and some of them will be left outside to dry because they cannot be eaten. Ji Xu has seen quite a few of these in the county.
Because the bamboo fence was not yet completed, the dinner was simple. We used the leftovers from breakfast, a head of rapeseed, and a piece of bacon to make bacon and vegetable rice.
Ji Xu ate for a while, and then went back to weaving bamboo fences.
Behind the house, using the north wall of the west room, they built three high bamboo fences and clipped the chicken's wings with scissors.
"Now I can't fly away. I've become a walking chicken."
Ji Xu put his hands on the bamboo fence and looked at the pair of hens that were released from the chicken coop and were pecking at the tofu dregs. He felt very satisfied.
The trough for chicken feed at the foot of the wall was made of several bamboo trays that had been discarded in the past, and some stones were piled around it to secure it.
Ji Feng also smiled and said, "Sister, teach me how to feed the chickens in the future. I will make sure they lay eggs every day."
In the past, before the family split up, my grandparents favored my uncle. In addition, my mother gave birth to Xiaozhu that year, and three daughters in a row, so my grandparents disliked them even more.
At that time, the eldest aunt Jin was pregnant with Ji Hu's child, and everyone said that she was pregnant with a boy.
The eldest mother assigned all the dirty and tiring work in the house, such as washing, cutting grass for pigs, cooking, and raising chickens and ducks, to the mother and daughter in her family.
The sisters Ji Yuan and Ji Zhi had much more free time because they were protected by the Jin family.
My father-in-law puts filial piety first and never says much.
My mother, on the other hand, often quarreled with my eldest mother at that time, and her reputation for being unfilial became even worse.
Ji Feng fed the hen until it was plump and plump, but when her grandfather divided the family property before his death, he didn't give them a single hen feather and gave all to the eldest wife.
She was so angry at that time that if her grandfather had not frowned and stopped her, she would have run to the grave and cursed.
Now, they have chickens at home, and all the chickens, fat and lean, are theirs. Of course, she has to do her best to feed them well so that she and her sisters can eat chicken biscuits every day.
Jizhu also said, "Xiaozhu wants to be fed too!"
"Then tomorrow, Xiaozhu, watch me do it once. Once you've learned it, I'll let you feed it. Tell me, will this chicken lay eggs tomorrow?"
Ji Feng said with anticipation, one of her two sisters was standing on tiptoe; the other was too short and had to cling to the gap in the bamboo fence.
While watching the chickens eat, he talked.
"Yes, the eggs can still be sold for money. Sister Sui'er said that in the market one egg can be sold for one dollar."
"That won't work. If you want to sell it, you should do it in the county. You can get a higher price there." Ji Feng said.
It was not until Ji Xu called them to wash up that they reluctantly left the chicken coop.
The next morning, the sky was just getting light.
Xu and Feng pushed a wheelbarrow, put a bucket of tofu pudding, a hundred blocks of tofu, a piece of cloth cover that they had just started sewing yesterday, and needle and thread, and headed towards Lingshui County.
Ji Xu planned to buy a wooden table and reed mat in the county market and set them up at the door of the shop so that he could sit down and rest when he was not busy selling tofu. He could also find time to sew the cloth sign for the "tofu shop" and hang it on the door, making it conspicuous from a distance.
Hearing the squeaking of wheels behind him, he turned around and saw that it was General Feng who was driving an ox cart, carrying his mother Xu Ai and his daughter Feng Fuzhen.
"Mother Xu, good morning. Where are you going to the county?"
Ji Xu greeted Xu Mu.
Feng Fuzhen in the car snorted coldly and turned her head away. Ji Feng also turned her head away, with a stern face and no words.
Old Lady Xu said with a smile, "I went to the county to buy some cloth. I heard you were selling tofu there. You're really making a living pushing a cart like that. I guess we'll have to find someone else to tend the pigs."
Ji Xu said a few polite words, and the ox cart passed them and went ahead, so she pushed the cart again.
Ji Feng said, "Look at Feng Fuzhen. Why is my sister so polite to her family?"
Ji Xu said, "Feng Fuzhen has a childish nature, while Xu's mother is kind-hearted. It wouldn't be a big deal if they just greeted each other."
Around noon, they entered the county gate, but had not yet entered the market. They were still pushing their carts on the gravel road when they saw two patrolling market officials coming straight towards them and shouting,
"Tofu seller! Stop!"
"Finally we caught you. Who allowed you to bring such a large cart here to sell?
How bold! Do you think we are blind? Let’s go to the county court.”
Then he wanted to confiscate her wheelbarrow and all her belongings. Ji Feng shouted:
"What are you doing? We're doing business and heading to the city!"
"What do you mean by legitimate business? I've heard that there's someone selling tofu in West City. Isn't that what's being carried in your cart tofu?"
Ji Xu also said, "You two officials, are you mistaken? I have the lease certificate here, and it has also been registered with the county court. Please take a look."
While handing over the lease agreement obtained yesterday, he said:
"This small shop is rented from the owner of Fuxiang Restaurant. Thanks to Manager Xu's care, the restaurant has ordered tofu from me and is about to have it delivered. We can't delay."
The two officials checked and found that the official seal on top was not fake. They heard that he had dealings with the wealthy Qiao family. The Qiao family was the uncle of the county magistrate, and the county magistrate was the second in command in the county. It was said that he was about to be promoted.
They exchanged a glance, both feeling regretful, and returned the rented book, saying politely:
"I'm sorry, I thought you were the itinerant tofu vendor. Since you've rented a shop, you're really doing business. Go ahead. It's time to open the shop now."
Xu and Feng were heading towards the market without any hindrance. When they were far away, a market official complained:
"Tell me, how could that vagrant come so late and so brazenly? I should have asked him about it first before I spoke to him. I told you to be less aggressive."
Just as the two of them were on duty for a while, they ran into a tough guy. The other clerk also said angrily:
"It's all the fault of that little girl on the oxcart. She said there was a tofu vendor coming up from behind with a wheelbarrow. When I heard that, I dragged you along to arrest her, thinking I could get more money by being tough. Who knew she was related to the Qiao family?"
"Miss Xu, why don't you leave the wheelbarrow with us?"
As we passed the west city gate, the renters waiting for work were chattering among themselves.
"You rented a shop? Great, then you don't have to hide from place to place. The rent must be quite a lot, right?" The renter said enviously when he heard this.
"Thank you all for watching over the car for a while. Come, the tofu shop is open today, and I'll treat you to some tofu pudding."
Ji Xu was busy filling the bamboo tubes that the rented people carried with them with a bowl of tofu pudding.
"Business is booming!" the landlord congratulated.
"Sister Feng, take this bowl to Luo's family."
Luo Shuang's mother's home was close to this place. Ji Feng went through the alley and came out soon with an empty bowl in hand. She said to Ji Xu:
"Her beans are so delicious. Let me thank my sister."
After finishing the arrangements here, Fang pushed the cart and headed towards the city.
Outside the tightly closed West Market Gate, many merchants were waiting. Looking up, they could see the towering City Pavilion in the city. An official climbed up the tower, beat a drum to order the market to open, and shouted:
"Opening the market—opening the market—"
The West Market Gate slowly opened, and merchants poured in and rushed to their respective shops.
"The door is open!"
Ji Feng pointed and said, walking in it, not to mention how free and unrestrained it is, and you can even smile at the city gatekeeper. You feel confident and are not afraid of being stopped.
They first delivered fifty pieces of tofu to the restaurant owned by Manager Xu, and then passed through the tunnel and went to the tofu shop.
The wheelbarrow was parked inside the shop, and the wooden table was moved to the door. The tofu pudding, a plate of tofu covered with linen, was placed on the table.
Ji Xu shouted:
"Tofu——"
"Mutton Hu Pancake——"
"Jiaoyatang, sweet Jiaoyatang!"
There were other hawking sounds everywhere. Ji Xu's tofu was already famous, and soon people came to buy it.
"Give me a bowl of tofu pudding."
"My lady is here today. I was wondering why you couldn't get any tofu outside. Give me two pieces."
In the distance, Feng Fuzhen came out of the cloth shop, holding a piece of fine cloth, looking unhappy.
She had just begged her grandmother to give her a piece of chicken-crowing cloth to make clothes, and she wanted the bright blue color of the Ji sisters.
The price of grain has now dropped to the market level and remains stable at fifty coins per dou. However, this price is still a loss for her family, who has been selling grain for two years.
Her eldest mother was not as generous as before. Just now in the store, she scolded her for not knowing how to be frugal and only wanted to buy this cheaper fine cloth.
Therefore, Feng Fuzhen felt uncomfortable.
Seeing the row of food stalls, one of them was particularly busy, with people crowded outside. She said to Aunt Xu:
"Auntie, I want to buy some food. It won't cost much."
Xu thought for a moment, took out ten coins and gave them to her, saying:
"Bring some for Xingba too."
Feng Fuzhen took the money and went to the bustling place. Just as she was about to squeeze in, she heard a familiar voice.
"Two pieces of tofu, take them."
Looking carefully at the gap, the green figures busying around inside were none other than the Ji sisters.
Aren't they retail investors anymore? Haven't they been arrested?
I couldn't help but grit my teeth, clench my money, and decide not to join in the fun. I went next door to buy a piece of glutinous rice cake.
"Why are we buying it just for you?" asked Aunt Xu.
"There's not enough money." Feng Fuzhen said uncomfortably.
"Forget it, let's go back and eat on the way before coming back in."
Aunt Xu held the purse tightly in her hand and went out of the city.
It was inconvenient for the ox cart to come in, so Feng Da waited for them at the East Market Gate.
Feng Fuzhen said sadly, "Grandmother, Miss Xu's family won't surpass ours, right?"
Mrs. Xu paused and said, "Her family has no land or mountains, so she can never surpass ours."
"But she has opened a tofu shop."
Feng Fuzhen pointed back and said that her family was the only wealthy family in Benguli and they could not be overshadowed by Xu's daughter.
Old Lady Xu looked in the direction of the crowd. There were so many people there. I heard that the rent for a small shop was at least 2,000 coins. After half a day, she said:
"Her family's conditions are nothing compared to ours. We have a house passed down from our ancestors, a well, forests and fields, and we travel by ox cart. How can her tofu-selling family wealth compare to ours?
Besides, merchants are the lowest class among the four classes of people, and are marginalized everywhere. When your uncle passes the imperial examination and becomes an official, not to mention the daughter of a clerk, even the wealthy families in Shengchang will be unable to catch up with us even if they flatter us."
That day, Liao from the Cui family came out from behind the house after feeding the chickens and complained:
"This man is such a worry! He bought two chickens for no reason. We haven't pounded rice in ages, so where would we get food to feed them? I told him he was in love with a girl, but luckily he didn't marry her. Otherwise, he might have caused a lot of trouble."
"Are you dreaming, mother? The other girl has opened a tofu shop in the county and she looks down on you, brother."
Cui Si, who had just returned from playing at Feng's house, slammed the door and came in, saying this after hearing this.
Liao was overwhelmed by these words and said, "I don't know what to feel. I can't believe it."
"Can you really afford to open a tofu shop in this county?"
Cui Si said gloomily:
"How could it be fake? Feng Fuzhen went to the county town and saw it with her own eyes. I saw she even raised chickens behind her house."
Liao felt more and more that the Ji Xu family was living a better life. In the past, they didn't even have enough food to eat, but now they could even raise chickens.
Even her family could not afford to feed chickens and ducks because of the high grain prices last year, so they sold them one after another, leaving only one hen that was broody, plus the two bought by the eldest son on New Year's Day, there were only three in total, and they still could not afford to feed them, so they were too thin to gain weight.
"Hey! You sick chicken with a rotten beak! I let you peck at it! And you're running away! I'll beat you to death!"
In the vegetable garden, Jin was burning with fire and banging her shoulder pole, chasing the chicken that was pecking at the vegetables away, making it flap its wings and flee in panic.
She picked the cabbage that was full of holes and cursed:
"They're short-lived! You raise chickens but don't feed them. They just eat other people's food. If you can't afford to feed them, don't raise them! Look at all the delicious food I have!"
"Mrs. Jin, calm down. I don't know whose chicken it was, but it came over and destroyed my vegetable garden last time. I even chased it away once."
The woman in the vegetable garden next door was watering the plants and giving them advice.
Jin pointed towards the new tile-roofed house on the ridge.
"Whose else could it be? My second niece's family has four of them!
They must have been let out because they couldn't afford to feed them. Now wait and see if I don't beat them to death with a big stick."
"Stop talking nonsense!"
It was the end of her duty day, and Ji Feng was drawing water from the well, not far from the vegetable garden.
He had been trying to talk to Jin silently, but when he heard that dirty water was being thrown at him, he immediately started to shout.
"How could my chickens be this tender? They're all four hens, kept in a pen behind the house. They're fattened up every morning and evening, and their wings are clipped. How could they possibly get out and eat your food? If you don't believe me, come to my house now and see if there are chickens in the chicken coop!"
Jin was caught off guard by the presence of someone near the well and was startled. But when she heard what was said, she fell silent.
How could she not know what the second wife's chickens looked like? She had secretly peeked at them several times behind her house. There were four of them, and they were fed with bean dregs and chaff. Ji Erfeng's little hoof could pick out eggs from the chicken coop every day, even those with green shells, and she could pick up several at a time.
Even her family only has two left now. Because they were not well fed, there were no eggs to pick, and her teeth were broken from biting them.
He said this on purpose because he had chased away other people's chickens.
"Little girl, if it's not true, then it's not true. Don't be so angry." It was the woman next to her who said this.
Ji Feng's face darkened, he fetched some water and headed home, humming:
"Don't blame me for being angry when I wrongly accuse someone. It's a good thing I didn't spit on you."
"Look at this Feng girl. She's covered with thorns but she's not afraid of pricking herself," said the woman.
From a distance, Jin spat.
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