A new trend has emerged in Zhangjia Village. The young men are busy making money before the Lunar New Year. Ever since Zhang Guoqing took them up the mountain, they've developed a passion for hunting.
Everyone knew that Zhang Guoqing had to take the lead in this matter. So the new courtyard became a gathering place for the young men in the village. Everyone came here for business and no matter what, and people came and went every day.
There was a commotion in the village, and the old captain began to gaze around Daqing Mountain. Living by the mountain, living by the water, Zhangjia Village, with only the older generation who inherited some hunting skills, had few younger generations who could catch rabbits. He never forgot that the mountains had nurtured his family for generations. He didn't know what the future held, but he worried that the skills passed down by their ancestors would be carried into the earth by the older generation. In the future, Zhangjia Village would be free of hunters, and would become a truly agricultural village.
The old captain wandered around for a few days before finally conferring with the Zhangjia Village chief, several elders, and several hunters including Zhang's father in the ancestral hall. After a thorough discussion, they reached a decision. In the short term, several veteran hunters and Zhang Guoqing would lead the team to teach their skills, while the village's newly established clinic would provide treatment. All males under 30 and over 15 years old in Zhangjia Village could volunteer to participate.
Once the news spread within Zhangjia Village, it caused a stir. Concerned about the safety of the group, the old leader, seeing so many applicants, divided the group into several groups, with a dozen veteran hunters, including Zhang Guoqing and his son, taking turns leading the team. The young men of Zhangjia Village were busy studying and secretly earning money.
Zhang Guoqing deeply admired the old captain's decision and gave his full support, leading several more expeditions. Hearing his brothers, uncles, and nephews cheerfully discussing next year's housebuilding, and seeing the village women happily shopping for New Year's goods, he felt genuinely happy. If only the men in the village could learn some hunting skills, they could weather the coming crisis.
Zhou Jiao watched him gradually lose weight from climbing the mountain every day, and she was extremely anxious. Finally, she saw him stop and happily pulled him to the kang, "Go to sleep. Do you want to go up the mountain again?"
"Haha... no need. Dad and the others will be leading the team from now on. I can finally get some sleep. How have you been doing at home these days?" Zhang Guoqing said after a quick wash, not even bothering to shower. He was too busy to care for his family, and every time he came back and left in a hurry, the only thing he noticed was that there were more women and children at home.
Zhou Jiao subconsciously wanted to frown, but seeing his tired face, she smiled and said, "I'm fine at home. Mother and sister-in-law are at our house every day. Many aunties in the village come to chat with mother, and my sister-in-law and I do needlework with some young wives and chat about village gossip."
Zhang Guoqing laughed heartily. He knew without hesitation that Jiaojiao hated to hear such gossip, especially the dirty talk from the young wives in the village. He blushed when he heard it. Seeing that she was hiding it from him, he changed the subject. "Jiaojiao, we've approved the foundation all the way from Beishanjiao to the village entrance. The old captain told me so himself. Now you don't have to worry about Beishanjiao being too high-profile."
"Why are there so many people building houses? Are there enough stones?" Zhou Jiao frowned. This kind of fuss had its pros and cons. She was worried about mudslides and debris flows caused by large-scale excavation.
"The harvests have been good these past few trips up the mountain. If the old farmers have money, what else would they build if not a yard? Besides those in the village who have better conditions and want to build houses, the dozen or so families near Daqing Mountain have all moved here. There's a small valley behind their homes with a lot of fertile land. The old team leader reported to the township to blast a passage, and it's already been approved. There's more than enough stone there for everyone to build houses, so don't worry about them coming from the north to quarry."
Zhang Guoqing knew she was worried about the indiscriminate excavation of the mountain behind her, and she was very concerned about her own safety. However, she was overthinking the mudslide. The local elders had their own way of thinking about environmental protection. He saw that the old captain knew how to plan ahead, and his decision to develop fertile land was a wise one. The entire village now had over fifty acres of fertile land, and there was even more land along the roadsides, which significantly increased overall income. Seeing him so proud and boastful, one had to admit that he was a very shrewd person, having calculated that with him in Zhangjia Village, the township would approve.
Zhou Jiao laughed heartily. She also admired the old man. If he wanted to use her, then so be it. The old man was acting out of public interest, so she was happy to help.
"I'm going to take a nap first. I'm so sleepy." Zhang Guoqing took off his clothes, hugged his son and said, "Sleep!" and fell asleep immediately.
Zhou Jiao saw that he was snoring and knew that he must be exhausted. She left the room, then locked the door and lowered the curtains, not daring to stay in the living room. She went to the kitchen with her sewing basket.
Her hands knitted fur trousers quickly, her mind racing with time. If she was right, someone would be coming over to chat soon. A few days ago, Zhang's mother had been happily chatting with people, but these past two days, something had changed. Since yesterday, she'd learned to hide away at the second son's house. These past two days, she'd been busy making do. Ever since Zhang's eldest brother went to work, they'd been dropping by one after another, whether they were there for good or ill, and now that she was home with the children, they had to deal with it.
Zhang's mother heard that Zhang Guoqing had returned home, so she brought her two daughters-in-law with her. While Zhang Guoqing had been away in the mountains, she and her husband had been living here. They were splitting up, but her family was just as good as ever. Whichever house Zhang and her father lived in was the one their two sons went to after work in the evening.
"Where have you and your mother-in-law gone? Come in quickly." An old lady in the kitchen pulled Zhang's mother and said.
Zhang's mother was at a loss for words; she hadn't expected so many people in the kitchen. "Just came from the second son's house. What are you guys talking about so happily? What did you buy at the market these past two days?"
All of a sudden, people said they bought everything.
Zhou Jiao smiled at her two sisters-in-law, knitting with her head down. With her mother-in-law around, she didn't have to respond to these people. She was now used to the loud voices of the women in the village, and she didn't feel dizzy at first.
Zhang Guoqing was awakened by the sound of people saying goodbye outside. He was stunned to find that he was already home. He turned around to look at the child beside him and found that he was awake and looking at him with his eyes open.
"Son, are you hungry?" Zhang Guoqing glanced at his watch and saw that Ping'an had just woken up. He reached out and touched his diaper, finding it was still wet. After holding him and helping him urinate, he carried him to the main room and saw Zhou Jiao walk in quickly.
Zhou Jiao's eyes lit up when she saw them. She put down the basket and took the child with a smile, "Brother, don't you want to continue sleeping? You stay with mom, I'll take our son in to feed him. We'll eat when dad comes back."
"I'm not going to sleep anymore. I won't be able to sleep at night if I try. Are they gone? Then I'll go find mom." Zhang Guoqing was a little scared of these old women, and he was relieved to see them really left.
Seeing him coming in, Zhang's mother immediately stood up and pulled him toward the main room. The kitchen was filled with smoke from the old women smoking pipes. She knew that her three sons, despite their usual smiles, were deeply disgusted by women smoking. Their only requirement for a partner was that they didn't smoke. She didn't even dare to tell anyone about this requirement, as every young woman in the family had a pipe hanging from her waist. She had also loved smoking pipes as a girl.
Later, the world became chaotic and she was worried every day about finding food. In order to raise her children, she was reluctant to spend more money, and gradually she stopped smoking her long pipe.
Volume 3: County Courtyard
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
