NOVPUBChapter 129: Chapter 129: Blessing
Chapter 129 -129: Blessing
Liu Baoguo had gone to the village committee, indeed busy with important matters and didn’t bother with formalities with Bai Xiao and the others.
Bai Xiao and Bai Yue were walking back home, not yet home, when they heard the villagers blocking the way at a distance, watching the commotion. They didn’t know whose family it was, but in the village, a family issue inevitably gathered a crowd.
As they passed by Aunt Wu, she immediately came over all mysterious, “Xiao, Yue’er, aren’t you going to have a look? Your grandma is chasing your aunt around the yard, hitting her, claiming she spat in her bowl. How disgusting is that?”
Bai Xiao and Bai Yue exchanged looks. Bai Xiao, of course, knew that if Li Chunhua really got into it, she had her ways of handling things, and Hao Fang was no pushover either. There would be more drama in Bai Jianguo’s house in the future.
The two didn’t join the onlookers; their pigsty was still a mess.
Once they reached home, they discovered in the pigsty that Li Haiping and Li Hai’an, two brothers, were busy cleaning it spotlessly. The brothers were sweating, and at the corner, there were two baskets full of pigweed freshly cut by them in the early morning. The beads of sweat on their faces suggested they heard the sisters were going to check the piglets, and had taken it upon themselves, two considerate kids, knowing their mom struggled to support them by herself, and this was their way of easing her burden.
Bai Xiao looked at the children, young but with hands already calloused; she felt pity as they bore too much for their age. She would have preferred them to attend school, but they steadfastly refused, claiming it wasn’t for them. They had attended primary school but feel out of place with books now after so many years, and they rather work comfortably at home than feel uneasy at school.
Bai Xiao couldn’t force them, so she let it be, unsure if it was truly because the kids weren’t meant for school, or because they were sensible, realizing their mother alone supporting four people was hard enough. If they went to school, she’d work herself to death.
The sisters had barely caught their breath when Li Chunmei and Aunt Wan, a chicken farmer, whose chicks were the best, arrived. Aunt Wan carried a basket; upon opening, it revealed a crowd of fluffy chicks, nudging and hopping like scared little creatures, a delightful sight.
“Bai Yue, pick some chicks. Keep more hens and a couple of roosters. When it’s time, you can sell them or have meat for the New Year.” Everyone in the village kept a few.
Bai Yue hurriedly asked Li Chunmei and Aunt Wan to sit, while Bai Xiao had already gone to prepare syrup water, serving them each a bowl. It was the least they could do, since they were guests bringing gifts.
Fortunately, Aunt Wan, friendly as ever, picked out twenty-five hens and ten roosters for them—a large number for a village, but don’t think all will survive to adulthood. The potential death rate was anticipated; chick mortality was high, and in the end, only a few might survive. This was village wisdom, people there relied on traditional methods rather than farming techniques.
“Initially, put them in a wooden box or basket; these chicks need warmth, or they’ll freeze. If possible, put a light bulb inside to keep them warm. After a few days when they’re bigger, they can adapt and be moved to the coop. If you place them now, just beware of rats at night.” Aunt Wan shared her advice.
Bai Yue listened intently, nodding continuously.
Li Chunmei couldn’t stay long, as an elderly villager had passed away, and they needed to help out. If it weren’t for Bai Yue’s chicks, Li Chunmei wouldn’t have run over.
Watching the dozens of chicks huddling together, shivering, Li Haiping and Li Hai’an saw hope. Their family could never afford to raise chickens due to lack of grain, besides any chickens would be taken by their grandma. It was their first time seeing such young chicks, and the two boys were mesmerized.
Haishun went to school; otherwise, there would be three people here, unable to move their eyes.
Bai Yue sent Haiping to the village store to buy a twenty-watt bulb, which they could connect to keep the chicks warm. Without it, the temperature would drop before midnight and the chicks were visibly shivering severely.
All this was money.
When Haiping brought back the bulb, a few people were worried—none of them knew how to connect the wires.
Just as they were worrying, Wang Yan came over, pushing a handcart, which carried five cheerful piglets in a crate to be delivered.
Seeing them troubled by the bulb, he grinned, set down the handcart, wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, and came over! He took the bulb from Bai Yue’s hand, “Find some electrical tape, and turn off the breaker!” He began working right then.
Bai Yue hurriedly turned off the breaker and handed the electrical tape to Wang Yan. Watching their silhouettes together, Bai Xiao’s mouth curled into a smile; it seemed that Wang Yan was starting to take an interest in Bai Yue.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so proactive.
Even though they were from the same village, it was rare to see anyone else be so helpful. But that Old Wang didn’t seem too easy to deal with—it was uncertain how he might look down on Bai Yue, especially since she was a divorced woman with three sons, hardly the catch of the town! Nobody wanted to help raise three sons that were not their own.
Soon, Wang Yan had fixed the bulb and turned on the breaker. Sure enough, the bright light immediately gathered the chicks together, huddled close. It looked much better.
Wang Yan had already gone with Haiping and Hai’an to carry the crate to the pigsty. Looking at this pigsty! Compared to his own, it was definitely far inferior, conditions were much worse. He couldn’t help but worry about Bai Yue; pig farming wasn’t easy, and losses could be total, especially for someone completely inexperienced like Bai Yue.
The problem is that young pigs are the most difficult to care for; one false step, and you might lose the whole litter. Wang Yan couldn’t help but worry.
Watching the lively piglets curiously sniffing and looking around in the pen, Haiping and Hai’an happily stood in front of the gate. Their family had pigs now.
Bai Yue invited Wang Yan to wash his hands and then offered him a bowl of sugar water. Giving him a hundred yuan, Wang Yan had no reason to stay longer! He only told Bai Yue to reach out to him if she encountered any problems, especially during this critical period for the piglets, then he left.
Bai Yue crouched in front of the chick basket, idly stirring the chicks with her hand. It looked like she was just playing, but unknown to everyone, Bai Xiao was using her special ability, empowering each chick. This way, the chicks’ resistance was definitely top-notch, as practice demonstrates truth.
Indeed, afterwards, not a single chick at Bai Yue’s house died. They became a living advertisement for Aunt Wang, a testament to the quality of her chicks.
