While the two masters were being affectionate, Yuan Zhuangtou took Zhang Liang to settle the new livestock.
During the two months that the master had been away, Zhang Liang had already castrated more than twenty piglets, and the two sows were pregnant again.
The pigs were thriving, and the chickens on the other side were no less so, hatching in piles one after another, filling the nest so much that there was not enough room for them.
So they built a few more pens to provide separate nests for the chickens.
There happened to be an empty little house, so I let a few sheep move in first.
They had a lot of wood and mud bricks left over from building their house, so they used them to build a new cowshed next to the chicken coop. Until it was finished, they had to let the cows and a few mules stay in the muleshed temporarily.
There wasn't enough time the night before, so Yuan Zhuangtou temporarily kept the birds in the woodshed overnight. He fed them some warm water and straw, and this morning they seemed much more alert, pacing back and forth in the woodshed, their calls sounding powerful.
Zhang Liang was overjoyed. "Our husband is really amazing. I wonder where he managed to buy so many cattle, sheep, and a new mule after being away for so long."
"Next year's spring plowing will have three mules and two oxen pulling the plow. That's great!"
Dajiang and Dahe also came over, holding a bundle of grass to feed the mule and touching its strong neck. This was a strong mule and must be very expensive.
Jiang Yue: One mule is worth ten of you. Isn’t it true that animals are more valuable than humans?
Jiangshan and his brothers looked at the two half-grown calves with envy. They should be about half a year old and did not look small, but they were not strong enough. They needed to be raised for more than half a year before they could be put to the ground.
Fan Jin squatted in front of the sheep pen, licking his lips, looking greedy. Fan Mo and his sister stood behind him and patted his head at the same time.
Mrs. Zhang looked at Fan Jin as if he were her own son and said with a smile, "Today there's mutton soup in the yard, but you can't eat the sheep in this pen."
Although there are fewer people coming to cause trouble now, these brothers and sisters still live in this house to guard it. The family has more and more livestock, and they have to guard it.
The lady did not tell everyone the identities of these people, but everyone knew that these brothers and sisters were different from them. They were not servants who sold themselves, nor were they hired laborers.
The young man was greedy, so his wife would give him eggs, chicken, and fish from time to time. He was simple-minded and loved to play, so his wife didn't scold him even when he entered the yard.
At first, everyone was afraid to approach these three people because they were cold and taciturn. But as time went by, they got along well with them.
At noon, the rich smell of mutton soup attracted everyone into the yard.
Jiang Yue gave Aunt Yuan some spices, and then instructed her that since it was hot, meat would be difficult to store, and the two sheep were not big, so she stewed a pot of mutton bone soup and a pot of mutton offal soup, and then divided the meat among everyone.
They were doing strenuous work during the summer heat, so they couldn't endure it without nourishing themselves. With so many people, they couldn't eat much, so even if it was hot, it wouldn't be much.
Most people eat mutton in autumn and winter. It makes them sweat, warms their body and nourishes their stomach, and is very nourishing.
However, some places pay attention to eating lamb during the dog days of summer, which is called "Fu Lamb". It uses heat to eliminate heat and dampness.
But Jiang Yue and the others were feeling very hot right now, so they only had to drink two bowls of soup.
It was the end of the month, and after lunch, they shared the mutton and received their monthly wages. Then the workers drove their mule carts back to the city to rest for two days.
Jiangshan was reluctant to eat the meat, so he took a bite of the white radish first. It was soaked in the broth and tasted very delicious.
The others thought the same thing, chewing the food dozens of times until it was thoroughly tender before swallowing it. They thought they would take the meat and soup home and share what the host had given them, so that their children would be happy too.
At the end of each month, when they returned home, the children were overjoyed. Their food reserves were growing, and now they could take home sweet potatoes and potatoes, steaming or roasting some for the children to eat as snacks. How could they not be happy?
This was their fourth month working for Jiang Yue, and both families received half a month's wages and half a month's coarse grains respectively.
This month it was Jiang Er's turn to work with his father and elder brother. He was holding round potatoes in his hands, and a simple smile appeared on his sun-tanned face.
His youngest son is over six months old, so he can boil the potatoes and mash them with the soup before feeding them to him. His wife said that his son loves to eat this.
After seeing off the two families, Jiang Yue asked Mrs. Zhang, "How many chickens and eggs are there in the chicken coop?"
Mrs. Zhang was also an honest person. She lowered her head and replied, "Madam, there are now 32 grown roosters and 88 hens in the chicken coop. There are 60 half-grown roosters and 95 hens. There are a total of 165 chicks..."
"...There are over 1,200 eggs, including over 300 hatching eggs. We can collect at least 70 to 80 eggs every day."
Mrs. Zhang looks after the chickens and eggs every day. She knows everything and can answer any question about the quantity.
There were more and more chickens, and it was impossible to pick up all the eggs. Sometimes they were even crushed by the chickens. The remaining more than a thousand eggs were the result of Jiang Yue collecting half of them into the space.
Now that Jiang Nian is back, Fan Bai can be sent out.
Jiang Yue calculated in his mind and felt that the idea was feasible, so he called Fan Bai and Fan Mo and arranged for them to return to the city.
As for Fan Jin, he is so elusive that it makes no difference whether he is there or not.
"You will return to the city every three days to open a shop, coinciding with the market. Each time you return, bring ten chickens and three hundred eggs. Customers can buy them with money, or exchange them for grain, cloth, cotton, or charcoal..."
Jiang Yue thought for a moment and added, "Or you could exchange them for some livestock that we don't have on our farm, such as ducks, geese, donkeys, etc. We don't want the rest."
"When you've sold everything, go back to the farm and don't stay in the city. This will save you from having to cook for yourself."
"yes."
Mrs. Zhang was very worried, afraid that so many eggs would be broken on the road. She not only covered the eggs with a thick layer of straw, but also found some old clothes to pad them. She repeatedly emphasized to the two of them not to drive too fast...
In the past, it only took an hour and a half to get into the city, but this time it took them more than two hours before they saw the city gate.
Fortunately, they left home early, and when they arrived at the store, the market had just started.
The Jiang family hadn't opened their shop for a few months, but a dozen small shops had already appeared on the street. They didn't have many things in them, most of them were groceries, selling wooden furniture, clay pots, etc. There were still few food items, after all, they were short of food.
The Jiang family's shops hadn't been open for days, much to the surprise of the neighbors. Shopkeeper Fan would come back every month to clean the shops, presumably out of concern for the buildings becoming rundown. But the fact that they were occupying such prime shops and not opening them was truly enviable.
It was the end of August again. Seeing the two Manager Fans coming back together, with their car covered with a tall cloth, someone who looked familiar asked with a smile.
"Shopkeeper Fan, are you and your sister back together to clean the house? When will you open the dried fish shop again? The Reunion Festival is coming soon, and the children are craving meat."
Fan Bai changed the signboard of the shop, with a few crooked big words on it: "Jiang's Local Specialty Shop".
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