Now the Chen family believed it; they really could catch wild animals!
Quite a lot! They filled all the baskets to the brim, and were still carrying them in their hands!
Zhou Qionghua was truly stunned; it was unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable! If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it!
On the way back, the villagers were incredibly envious; what incredible luck the Chen family had struck!
I've never seen the Chen family catch any wild animals before, let alone rabbits, not even chicken feathers!
Wow! Look at that setup, it's packed full!
The villagers all rushed out to see what was going on. And indeed, even the village hunters weren't that capable of catching so many wild animals at once!
In no time, the news of the Chen family catching wild animals spread far and wide, becoming news itself. It also gave others hope; how would they know if it would work if they didn't try!
Back at the Chen family home, Zhou Qionghua's husband, Chen Datong, was so shocked that he fell to the ground and couldn't recover for a long time. He simply couldn't believe that they could catch wild animals, and so many at once!
My God! What incredible luck!
The Chen family was lucky; otherwise, they wouldn't have had a chance!
Su Nanxi did this out of gratitude to the Chen family. Their sudden visit must have been a disturbance, requiring them to spend time entertaining them and even pay for the meat. Although it wasn't much meat, it represented money the Chen family had painstakingly saved!
She didn't have any other way to thank them, and since the children had invited her to go hunting for wild animals, she figured she might as well do it! It couldn't be better, since they were caught on the mountain anyway!
Neither Old Lady Mo nor Mo Yunmei reacted much; they were used to it.
Grandma Mo said to Zhou Qionghua, "We can't eat all these wild animals at once. Keeping them around will attract thieves. It's safer to keep some for ourselves and sell the rest at the market for money!"
Zhou Qionghua was so excited that she was completely disoriented for a long time. After listening to her older sister's words, she calmed down and thought about it. She felt that it made sense, so she went to discuss it with her husband.
Before long, the couple made arrangements. Chen Datong took his two sons, carrying the packed wild animals to the market, leaving one or two animals to raise for the time being.
The Chen family's capture of wild animals caused a sensation throughout the village. Many people came to check, some to confirm the catch, others to ask about the techniques. It was quite a lively scene!
"Did the Chen family really catch any wild animals? How many? What kinds were they?"
"Didn't you see? There are several kinds, and there looks like a lot of them. It'll last for several months. If you were to exchange them for money, you could make quite a bit!"
"What incredible luck did the Chen family have? Why didn't our family have such a thing? Could it be that the Chen family is particularly devout in burning incense and visiting graves, and their ancestors are especially blessing them? Sigh! Otherwise, how can this be explained? We are all poor families, and we've lived here for decades. We've never heard of anyone being so capable as to catch so many wild animals all at once, let alone seen one!"
"Yes, yes! In previous years, when the weather was good, we could barely make ends meet. But now, with a severe drought looming, what are we going to do? We can't even count on meat; we'll be lucky to have any vegetables at all!"
"Oh! It's been so long since it rained. The river level has dropped rapidly, and the fields are so dry they're cracking. This year's harvest is definitely going to be very little! I heard that other places have loaded trucks and pumped water up for irrigation. I wonder when it will be our turn!"
"That's called a waterwheel. I heard the county magistrate has started promoting it, but the higher-ups don't have the money, so we common folk need to pool our money to order them. The carpenter has already given us a discount, but he still can't keep up with the demand, so we'll have to wait!"
Su Nanxi heard the keyword "severe drought" amidst the commotion. Recalling what she had seen on the mountain, she had a vague guess that a drought was indeed coming.
The magistrate was actually powerless to help, because the county government was also very poor, and they could hardly afford to eat meat. Asking him to contribute money was out of the question, so the only thing left to do was for the common people to help each other.
Gao Yuchen was indeed helpless. This place was a poor and remote area. Although there were many mountains and forests, the economy here had always been relatively backward. It was not easy to develop it!
He also wanted to be a good county magistrate! He also wanted to make a name for himself and impress everyone!
But ideals are often lofty, while reality is harsh!
He's been here for over a year, working himself to the bone, busy with all sorts of things, but it seems like nothing has changed here at all. He's even considering giving up!
Finally, unable to contain his anger, he gritted his teeth and persevered, vowing to make something of himself to show those people what was what.
No money, huh? He tries to find ways to make money, but unfortunately he's not good at business and has no business acumen, so he can't make any money no matter what he does. What a miserable situation!
If he can't make money himself, he'll accept it! But surely he can support those around him to make money? So, he acted wisely, supporting and even encouraging those around him to get rich!
Believe it or not, it actually had some effect. With the support of the county magistrate, the economy gradually showed signs of improvement, and quite a few franchise stores opened!
But Gao Yuchen felt it wasn't enough and wanted to find more business opportunities; he desperately needed money!
Before the waterwheel appeared, he was so worried that he would pull out handfuls of hair. After the waterwheel appeared, he was happy for a moment, but then he started to worry again because he had no money!
In many places, there are still no waterwheels, and people can't raise enough money. Even the county magistrate has no money and can't help!
Judging from these points, the county magistrate is quite capable.
But Su Nanxi didn't know any of this, but that didn't stop her from guessing that the magistrate was really poor!
Natural disasters are unstoppable and beyond our control; we can only try to get through them safely.
Su Nanxi couldn't help but think a lot, and she longed to go back even more, feeling anxious.
Grandma Mo also heard what the villagers were saying. Seeing that Su Nanxi was a little anxious, she knew that Su Nanxi wanted to go back. After thinking for a while, she pulled Su Nanxi aside and whispered something to her.
“Mute Mother, I understand how you feel. Don’t be too anxious! We’ll be back by tomorrow at the latest, so one more day won’t make a difference! Once we get back and send the people away, we can focus all our efforts on our work. If we work together, there’s nothing we can’t do!”
Su Nanxi felt comforted and thought it made sense. One day wouldn't be enough to kill someone from drought. She might as well use this time to think about what to do next and make preparations in advance.
The three members of the Chen family returned in the afternoon, two shades darker from the sun and soaking wet, but they were all very energetic with bright eyes, because they had exchanged their money.
Chen Datong wanted to give two-thirds of the money to Old Lady Mo, but she dodged it and said angrily, "What's going on? I didn't catch her, how can you expect me to take your money? Are you trying to shorten my lifespan? I don't want it, it's not my money! And don't give it to the mute girl either, that's disrespectful to her!"
Chen Datong was dumbfounded. How was giving money disrespectful? Who doesn't want money? What kind of logic is this?
No matter what, Grandma Mo refused to accept it, and she didn't care. "If you don't put it away properly, I'm going to pack my things and go home!"
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