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That's the end of the matter. For ordinary people, nothing is more important than food. There are over fifty people in Liujiatun, and they are all able-bodied men. It's not just a matter of a little food. We can't just provide food without ensuring they are full.
Zhang Hongmei didn't eat the meat. Instead, she took two steamed buns and handed them to Liu Ershuan, who was selling eggs. "Uncle, here you go. Thank you for carrying my egg basket."
"Why are you being so polite? I was just watching the show." Liu Ershuan accepted the cornbread without any ceremony. This person was from Liujiatun, so it had nothing to do with him. But this little girl was nice; she even gave him two cornbreads to eat.
Cornbread, stewed meat and sauerkraut in a big pot. The village women all helped make it; none of Zhang Hongqi's women came out, but who cares? Your unhappiness is our happiness.
After everyone had eaten their fill, the people of Liujiatun returned home in a large group. Since these people had come to Liujiatun, Zhang Hongmei didn't need to return the sheep she had bought.
Zhang Hongmei and Li Cuihua rode in the oxcart with the old lady. Along the way, Li Cuihua was constantly scolded: "You actually lost a fight? How could you be such a good-for-nothing? You can't even beat that kind of trash." The old lady's words were really sharp and mean.
"My mistress, I just didn't have the heart to kill her. It's not that I couldn't beat her."
"You've already fought, what's there to be embarrassed about? You're not even as good as Hongmei. Look at her, she dares to openly pull that woman, making it easier for you to take action."
“Mistress, this is really not something to be proud of.” Liu Maocai was afraid that the old lady’s words would lead Zhang Hongmei astray.
"What do you know? Don't interrupt us."
“Hongmei, you’re still young. Remember this: when you get into a conflict with someone, don’t hold back, but don’t resort to violence easily. It’s better for a woman to be gentle. Look at your third aunt, she’s all show and no substance. She’s just a coward. If it were me, would I let her act so arrogantly in front of me? I’d beat her to a pulp.”
"Don't talk about me anymore, mistress. There won't be a next time. Absolutely not."
"Hmph, you still need your old woman to stand up for you. Even if you're wrong, you still think you're right. You're so spineless."
"Mistress. There really won't be a next time."
Whose sheep is this?
"Grandma, this is mine. I don't want to raise pigs, so I'll raise sheep instead. I'll cut more grass for them to eat, and they'll grow up. If no one buys them, we can eat them ourselves."
"This girl is so carefree. If you're eating alone, remember to bring me a bowl of meat!"
"Of course, I'll also send you goat milk, it's very nutritious. I also saw a recipe for making yogurt in a book, I'll try it when I get back, and if it works, I'll send it to Grandma every day. Eating this stuff helps regulate her digestive system and is good for the elderly."
"Then I'll wait."
"Well, but yogurt needs to ferment for a while, so I'm not sure."
"Okay, I can wait."
Listening to the three women chatting, I felt like we'd be home in no time. This is usually the time when everyone's cooking, but we all ate something nice outside today, so we weren't hungry. We've saved the family some food today!
They first took the old lady home. Zhang Hongmei didn't need to be escorted; she led the old sheep, with the little sheep following behind, and easily made her way home carrying a basket of eggs.
But there was no livestock pen at home, so how was he going to raise the sheep? Just as he was worrying about this while leading the sheep in the yard, Liu Maocai came over.
“The ground is frozen, so there’s no way to build a sheepfold. We should just put stakes in place to tie the sheep up. Lambs can’t be kept outside; if they get diarrhea from the dampness, they won’t survive.”
"Okay, Uncle, where can we get a guillotine? We'll need it later."
“I’ll buy it in the village. It’ll be a private one, though. I’ll bring it back for you when I go to the meeting.”
Liu Maocai helped settle the sheep, and Li Cuihua also returned the thirty eggs. The couple went back together.
Looking at the large sheep in the snow, Zhang Hongmei thought that raising them here wouldn't work. If that didn't work, she would put them in the woodshed. She would be diligent and clean it every day. When the weather warmed up, she would build a sheep pen in the yard and it would be clean.
I led the sheep into the woodshed, took out a bundle of straw from my spatial storage, and threw it to it. Seeing that it ate happily, I felt relieved. Isn't the purpose of raising sheep to consume the straw in my spatial storage? It would be troublesome if it didn't eat it.
Back in the house, I entered the space. I hadn't eaten anything in Zhanggezhuang. I couldn't eat meat, and I gave the cornbread to the egg seller. I'm still hungry.
I made myself some fried rice with eggs and a bowl of seaweed soup. I'm quite full afterward.
Lying in bed thinking about what happened today, I realized that you really can't be too isolated in life these days. It would be hard to survive if you were isolated by the villagers. The people of Zhanggezhuang aren't united, perhaps because Zhang Hongqi isn't popular.
However, no matter how much commotion there was in Liujiatun, they were all of one mind when they went out, which was for the best. If that day really came, they would be much safer taking out their grain, at least with the village elders protecting them.
Judging from this, the old lady's influence wasn't just due to her age and prestige, but for other reasons as well. He was determined to cling to the old lady's coattails so that he could have a peaceful life in the future.
Zhang Hongmei was very glad she made that decision. That old lady was truly capable.
I drifted off to sleep, and when I woke up and left the space, I went to the woodshed to see how the sheep family was adjusting.
The straw was all gone, but a pile of bean stalks remained. Seeing the old sheep still eating happily, I was completely relieved. It's just that there were too few sheep, and the consumption was too slow. But I didn't dare to go too far, and attracting too much attention was even worse. I'll leave it at that for now.
Several bundles of straw were then brought out from the space and spread on the ground, as the lambs were still small and might get damp and cold.
"Hongmei, open the door. It's me, Erya."
"Er Ya, you're back from school? How are you? Are you adjusting well?"
"It's alright, but I feel like what the teacher said wasn't as clear as what you said. There are still some parts that I'm unsure about. Could you explain it to me again?"
"Okay, I'll cook after I'm done explaining it to you. Did you bring the book?"
“I brought it over. I heard you bought sheep. I’ll help you cut grass later.”
We'll talk about it later.
Why did you suddenly decide to raise sheep?
"I envy people who raise pigs, but I also think pigs are too dirty. Sheep are much cleaner."
"Nonsense. What's so dirty about pigs? Let's raise sheep if we want. Neither my mom nor you suffered any loss today, right? I asked my mom and she said no."
"My third aunt only fought with people to stand up for me."
"Don't overthink it. My mom has a short temper. I wouldn't be surprised if she got into a fight. As long as you two don't get hurt, that's fine."
"The old lady has passed away. Everyone had a hearty meal of meat."
"Tell me if anything happens in the future," Zhang Hongmei patiently told Liu Erya.
"You explained it clearly. I'm going home now. You should lock the door and go to bed early too. I still need to memorize this text when I get back."
"Go ahead, come find me if you need anything."
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