Chapter 32 Zhizhi, stay away from Xu Minghui
The pig-raising matter was put on hold for the time being, but the old man was serious about raising chickens.
After dinner, he went out for a stroll with his hands behind his back, with the purpose of finding out where he could buy chicks at a low price.
He wandered around like this for five or six days, and finally he actually bought eight chicks from a villager's home.
It was the first time for everyone in the family, young and old, to see the little chicks covered with yellow fluff. They were half happy and half at a loss, staring at the chicks' tender yellow mouths and couldn't find where to start.
Second Aunt Xu pulled Xu Mingyang, who kept peeking out, back cautiously, whispering, "I bought it, but what can this thing eat to grow?"
Can a chicken this big find food on its own?
Can it really grow if placed in the area enclosed by the fence?
The old man inquired about the details and pointed to the half-sack of rice bran he had brought back and said, "They say that if you chop up the harvested pig grass and mix it with the rice bran, you can feed it. As long as they don't get cold, they will grow big."
That's true, from now on there will be an additional job of collecting grass for pigs.
Sang Zhixia retracted her gaze and said nothing. Xu Mingyang, who had been pulled by Aunt Xu several times, raised his hand happily: "I'll go!"
"Grandfather, I'm going!"
Isn’t it just picking a bunch of unfamiliar wild vegetables and taking them home?
He can definitely do such a small thing!
Not to be outdone, Xu Mingxu shouted with his tongue sticking out: "I can do it too!"
He is so good at pulling grass!
Xu Yanran timidly poked her head out from behind Aunt Xu San and said softly, "Grandfather, I can take my brothers to cut grass."
They can't do other work, but they are very willing to raise these little chicks.
The chicks are so cute!
Aunt Xu originally wanted to say no, but when she saw her daughter's expectant eyes, she softened her heart.
Children of Yanran's age in the village not only have to collect grass for pigs and wash clothes, but most of them also have a younger brother on their backs.
It's a good thing that Yanran is willing to do what she can.
Seeing that she remained silent, Second Aunt Xu suppressed her grumbling and said with a smile, "That's all well and good."
Every family has someone coming out, so no one should be idle, from the oldest to the youngest.
The little kids who were suddenly given the task of raising chicks were extremely enthusiastic and rushed out in a swarm to reap the rewards of today's battle.
Before leaving, Sang Zhixia bent down and placed a small basket in each of their hands, and also confiscated the hatchet that Xu Mingyang wanted to take away.
"You can pick grass to feed the chickens, but you are still young and cannot touch the knife."
She took out three small wooden hoes and said, "How about taking these?"
Xu Mingyang considered himself a little man, and was a little unhappy when his hatchet was taken away. However, when he saw the wooden hoe of the perfect size in his hand, he immediately exclaimed in surprise.
"Sister-in-law, is this for me? Will it be mine from now on?"
"Of course it's yours."
Xu Yanran stared at the polished handle in her hand and said softly, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
Xu Mingxu was more direct. He grabbed the smallest wooden hoe in one hand and hung it on her leg.
"The little hoe that sister-in-law turned into! Sister-in-law is so amazing!"
Sang Zhixia rubbed his little head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and said with a smile, "I don't have the ability to conjure up such good things out of thin air. Your eldest brother made this for you overnight. It's just right for each of you. Take it and go out and play."
The chicks, which are not much bigger than a baby's fist, can't eat much. A few children can just pull some back when they are playing. This wooden hoe, which is very ornamental and has no lethality, is just right.
The three little ones walked away proudly, feeling as if they had found a treasure. Aunt Xu, who had witnessed the whole process, was surprised and asked, "Xia Xia, are you saying that those small hoes were made by Xu Yu?"
"yes."
Sang Zhixia smiled and said, "Xu Yu guessed that after Grandfather bought the chicks, these little ones would have a lot of time to spare, so he made a few little gadgets like this when he had some free time in the evening."
However, it must be said that Xu Yu had some potential to be a carpenter. The small hoe that was less than the length of an adult's arm was made so sturdy and delicately, which was really unexpected.
Aunt Xu didn't expect that Xu Yu also made a portion for Xu Yanran. After a long silence, she said softly, "You are so thoughtful."
Regardless of the disputes among the adults, since she married into the Xu family, she has suffered a lot of grievances because the third wife has only one daughter. As a result, Xu Yanran has developed a weak and timid character.
But while Xu Yu and Sang Zhixia were good to Xu Mingxu, they were also fair and just to Xu Mingyang, and never showed favoritism to Xu Yanran in the slightest.
It is easy to say that we should not be partial, but how many people in the family can really do this simple thing?
Sang Zhixia pretended not to understand the hidden meaning behind her words and said with a smile, "Xu Yu is the eldest brother. He just made it as he thought of it. How could it be worth Third Aunt to specifically say something?"
"By the way, I wonder how the charcoal that Grandpa and the others are burning in the backyard is doing. Aunt San, would you like to come with me to take a look?"
Aunt Xu forced a smile and said, "Okay, let's go over and take a look."
In the backyard, the old man was instructing everyone to conduct the second charcoal burning experiment.
But this experiment was a bit disappointing.
The old lady stood by holding a shovel, not daring to say a word, as if she had messed up something. Xu Wenxiu, carrying Xu Jinxi on her back, also looked at a loss.
Xu Minghui used a long wooden stick to dig a small hole in the sand that had formed a small hill, but what he took out were a few pieces of charcoal with white embers.
He stretched out his hand and pinched the charcoal, which broke into powder and became crispy inside.
If the pastry is this crispy, it must be said that the workmanship is solid, but the one that turned into crumbs turned out to be a piece of charcoal that should have been hard.
Xu Minghui smiled wryly, his face stained so darkly that his original features were unrecognizable. "Grandfather, this one won't work. It's over-burned."
Burning charcoal is not difficult to say, but it requires precise temperature control.
If the fire is not burned through, the wood will be defective. If you light a charcoal fire, the room will be filled with thick smoke and it will be impossible to sell.
It will be troublesome if it is over-burned.
Charcoal with embers is too soft and not very durable. The heat will dissipate once the flame dies down, so no one is willing to buy it.
The pile in front of me is the waste that has been burned too much.
A trace of anger appeared on the old man's long face. Looking at the old lady with evasive eyes, he said solemnly, "Before Minghui and I went to chop wood, I told you to watch the fire here and make sure it didn't burn too much at once. How could you sleep lying in the inner room?"
The old lady moved her lips as if she wanted to explain.
Xu Wenxiu hurriedly came to her mother-in-law's rescue, sweat dripping down her face: "Don't be angry, old man. It was my negligence. I..."
"What's it to you?"
The old man said unhappily, "You just came back with Jinxi carrying water, and you walked in right after Minghui and I. How do you know how bad the fire is here?"
Xu Wenxiu didn't dare to say anything more, and Sang Zhixia and Aunt Xu, who were following closely behind, also stopped suddenly.
The old lady was so embarrassed by being scolded in front of everyone that her face turned pale and she gritted her teeth and said, "I felt a little unwell so I went to rest for a while. I didn't expect that I would get a fever because of carelessness."
"Trance?"
The old man was so angry that he sneered, "The firewood burning here was chopped by Yu'er at midnight, and the one standing guard here with his face blackened by smoke is Minghui. You ruined the hard work of two children with just one word of confusion. Don't be confused again in the future!"
The old man doesn't get angry easily, but today he really can't tolerate it anymore.
After the last reminder, the old lady seemed to be more agile, but her nature was hard to change, and she would not move if she could stay still.
Today, Xu Minghui said he wanted to go into the mountains, and even Aunt Xu followed him to carry firewood. He could only temporarily leave the task of watching the fire to the old lady.
But it was just such a small thing and everything went wrong.
The old lady's face turned purple but she didn't refute.
The old man said with a gloomy face: "Since it is useless, today's work has been in vain. Let's talk about it tomorrow."
He walked away without even glancing at the old lady.
The old lady couldn't stand it any longer and threw the shovel away, then returned to the main house with a dark face.
The few people who were forced to stay and watch their elders arguing looked at each other and tacitly chose to pretend that they saw nothing.
It’s not scary to have a gossipy heart, what’s scary is wanting to gossip about everything.
Xu Wenxiu and Aunt Xu turned around to leave, and Sang Zhixia chased them out and took the bucket from Xu Wenxiu's hand.
"Mother-in-law, it's inconvenient for you to carry Jinxi on your back. Let me go."
Xu Jinxi waved her hands enthusiastically towards Sang Zhixia, and Sang Zhixia hooked her palm.
"The rice is already simmering on the stove. I'll come back and cook the rest later. Mother-in-law, just help me keep an eye on the fire."
Xu Wenxiu hesitated for a moment before handing her the shoulder pole. As she walked towards the east room, she reminded her worriedly, "Both buckets are full and very heavy. Just carry half a bucket at a time, okay?"
Sang Zhixia smiled and nodded, and picked up the load as soon as she entered the house.
"Sister-in-law, wait a minute."
"how?"
Xu Minghui hurriedly washed the black dust off his hands and face, walked over and said, "Give me the burden, I'll carry it."
He took the bucket and the shoulder pole without hesitation, and when he was about to leave, he suddenly said, "Sister-in-law, don't move."
The words on Sang Zhixia's lips were stuck for some reason, and she saw Xu Minghui walk up to her and extend his hand.
He was the same age as Sang Zhixia, but the sixteen-year-old boy was much taller than Sang Zhixia. When he raised his arm, it just slid through the ends of her hair.
Sang Zhixia subconsciously frowned and stepped back. Just as she lowered the corners of her mouth, she saw the dead leaf pinched by Xu Minghui's fingertips.
"Something fell into your hair, I helped you remove it."
Sang Zhixia instinctively touched the top of her head, and when she looked up again, she was met with Xu Minghui's gentle smile.
"Okay, no more this time."
"Sister-in-law, go and have a rest. I'll go fetch some water."
He had just taken a few steps carrying the bucket and shoulder pole when he ran into Xu Yu at the door.
Xu Yu looked at his right hand with an ambiguous expression and sneered, "Didn't Second Aunt say you couldn't carry it?"
Xu Minghui smiled calmly and replied, "I'm not as strong as my elder brother. I couldn't carry it before, but I'll be fine after practicing a few more times."
"Brother, you came back earlier today than usual?"
His father and third uncle were still nowhere to be seen, but Xu Yu was holding a small cloth bag in his hand, and he couldn't guess what it was.
Xu Yu put the tip of his tongue against the roof of his mouth and smiled faintly, saying playfully, "I have to come early. I'm worried that your sister-in-law has some work to do at home, so I hurried back."
Xu Minghui laughed a few times without commenting, then walked away awkwardly holding the carrying pole.
Sang Zhixia looked at Xu Yu, who was standing motionless at the door, in surprise: "Why don't you come in?"
What's there to see at the door?
Xu Yu looked at her deeply, exhaled with an unclear expression, grabbed her wrist and said, "Come with me."
"Hey, I have rice cooking in the pot, why are you..."
With a bang, the small wooden door was pushed shut by Xu Yu with one hand. Without any warning, Sang Zhixia was pinched by his shoulders and pressed against the door panel, changing direction.
When their eyes met, Xu Yu seemed to be angry.
She didn't understand what was so irritating about this man, and she pursed her lips impatiently and wanted to push him away, but as soon as she opened her mouth, her tongue was immediately coated with a lingering sweetness.
She looked at Xu Yu's handsome face with annoyance and laughed out of anger.
"Xu Yu, are you sick?"
How could someone show up for a fight and then just throw candy into someone's mouth?
Xu Yu caressed the sweetness remaining on his fingertips, and pressed the back of her head with his left hand to force her to move half a step forward.
Their foreheads touch, their eyebrows and eyes meet.
At that moment, Sang Zhixia was in a trance and found herself directly in Xu Yu's eyes.
It was a deep entanglement that she couldn't understand.
Sang Zhixia felt inexplicably awkward and pushed him away with a twisted face: "Xu Yu, let me go, you..."
"Stay away from Xu Minghui."
Xu Yu forced her to look at him and said word by word, "Zhizhi, stay away from Xu Minghui."
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