Since the decision had already been made to send some chickens to both families to raise, Si Cheng also mentioned it to both families the next day.
The Wu family was naturally very grateful, and this method of raising chickens without using grains, where food could be found anywhere, was perfect for them. The patriarch of the Wu family said that a day would be enough to build a simple chicken coop, and several younger members of the family had already started working on it.
The Si family in Xin San Village remained unchanged, with the same two thatched houses standing there without much improvement. It seems that they had devoted all their energy to the village wall and the land allocated to them.
Si Cheng specifically chose to come over during his lunch break, just as the family had finished eating.
"If you have time, you should build the house. Even if you only do a little bit each day, it can be finished quickly." Si Cheng stood outside the house and handed all the things he had brought over to Si Zhengwei.
This time, the bag was full of salted duck eggs. It seems my mother-in-law is very averse to these eggs and would love to give them all away.
"These are pickled salted eggs. They can be boiled in water and eaten with rice, which is quite convenient."
"That's too kind. I still have all the things you brought last time." Si Zhengwei took the bag, somewhat at a loss. His family was already living much better than others because of Si Cheng. "I heard you're the village chief of Pinghe Village now?"
"Yes, the people in Meng Village think highly of you. They came here this time to ask if you'd like to build a chicken coop to raise some chickens?"
Huang Yun had been holed up in his thatched hut ever since he came from Sicheng. Now, when he heard that they were asked to raise chickens, he couldn't sit still anymore. "These days, people can't even afford to feed themselves, how can they raise chickens?"
"Shut up!" Si Zhengwei hadn't spoken to Huang Yun for a long time. Ever since he learned from his two sons about the differential treatment she gave him at home, he had been furious.
Huang Yun already felt somewhat guilty towards the father and son, and after being yelled at like that, no matter how unwilling he was, he dared not say another word.
Si Cheng ignored her and said directly to Si Zhengwei, "If you want to raise chickens, build the chicken coop and I'll bring you some hens. These hens are easy to raise. When you go to the fields, you can dig up some earthworms. You can feed them with earthworms and some wild grass, and they lay eggs very frequently."
"Let's raise it. We'll build the chicken coop in a bit and get it ready by tomorrow afternoon." Si Zhengwei looked at the eggs in his hand, then at his two sons not far away, and decided to accept his eldest son's offer.
“You can go to the road and dig up some cement blocks. Later, you can come back to the village with me to carry back some limestone. This way, the structure will be more sturdy. If we just use thatch and branches, the chickens will run away.” Si Cheng didn’t want them to end up with nothing, so he thought it better to do the preparatory work from the beginning.
"Ah Ming, Ah Liang, go carry the load on your backs, then go to your Uncle Shi's house to borrow a carrying pole. Later, go with your eldest brother to Pinghe Village to fetch some limestone." Since they were going to build it, they should start as soon as possible. Si Zhengwei didn't hesitate and instructed his two sons to get to work. Only by making a living themselves could they avoid holding Si Cheng back.
When Si Cheng arrived, the village chief of Xin San Village also heard the news. Knowing that he had only come to see Si Zhengwei, he did not go over to greet him.
"Uncle, are you resting at home? I'd like to borrow a carrying pole." Si Ming called out from outside the house. Although the village chief's family had a relatively large number of people, they only had a few simple thatched houses. Right now, everyone's mind was focused on the land.
“It’s right over there, just pick it up and go.” Village Chief Shi pointed to a corner of the house and told Si Ming, “Your older brother came to deliver things to you again today, right? Your family is really lucky. With Village Chief Si as your older brother, you’ll definitely have a good life in the future.”
Now everyone in the three new villages knows about the relationship between Village Chief Si of Pinghe Village and the Si family in their village. They have also subtly inquired about the complicated relationship. Even so, blood ties are still there, and Village Chief Si can't possibly ignore Si Zhengwei. With Si Zhengwei around, the two Si brothers will benefit from it to some extent.
Si Ming had heard these words many times these days, so he didn't explain much. He picked up the load beside him, politely said goodbye to Village Chief Shi, and left.
"So you men like changing wives. If Accountant Si hadn't found a stepmother for Village Chief Si back then, you wouldn't know how comfortable your lives would be now." Village Chief Shi's wife usually looked down on Huang Yun the most. She was picky about everything she did, always wanting to do the easy things and avoiding the hard ones. She often saw the Si father and his two sons busy at home after finishing their work in the fields.
"Alright, instead of wasting time gossiping, you should go and cultivate more wasteland. This time, the city is offering supplies for exchange, but no one from our village went. We simply can't find any grain to exchange; we're just too poor." Village Chief Shi's eyes were practically red with envy as he watched several nearby villages carrying large bags and small packages out and back. Their Xin San Village desperately needed both grain and these supplies.
"Didn't I tell you to ask if we could borrow some money first? What did they say?"
"Don't even think about it. The army already allocated us so much food when we came here, and they didn't make us return it. These warehouses we found were all borrowed from the locals. Besides, with more and more refugees coming in, they'll definitely prioritize those first." Village Chief Shi also wanted to borrow some, since everyone has land now and can repay it sooner or later. And if they don't get this batch of supplies, they might not get any in the future.
"If only we had a relative here too."
"What are you thinking about? Didn't you see that the Si family didn't go out this time either?"
Aunt Shi disagreed with his statement, "They didn't go out, but didn't you see that the three Si family members were wearing new clothes? Village Chief Si must have sent them some over, so there was no need for them to go out. But I think Huang Yun didn't miss a single piece. It seems she wasn't a very good person before, otherwise Village Chief Si wouldn't have treated her so differently."
As he spoke, he became somewhat gloating. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, Village Chief Shi stood up and dusted himself off.
"Hurry up and tidy up the house, you still need to go to the fields later. I'm going to take a walk around the village."
After saying that, he walked straight out the door. His wife pursed her lips behind him and said, "Why care so much about the village? They're not even paying you a salary now. It would be more comfortable to just be an ordinary villager."
Village Chief Shi didn't hear what she said. Instead, he was thinking about what Si Liang had come to borrow the carrying pole for.
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