Chapter 31

After dinner, Zhuang Zhuang wouldn’t let his mother wash the dishes. He brought the bowls and chopsticks back to the kitchen all by himself. Xiaoguo was truly enjoying this moment. Although she had never been a mother, she had seen many online videos about educating children. It was said that children should not be spoiled. They should be allowed to participate in the household chores and pick up some basic life skills. Moreover Zhuang Zhuang was a boy and shouldn’t be coddled.

Xiaoguo went out to check on the potato starch. It seemed that the water looked much clearer now. She just had to wait a little longer before she could pour out the water.

At this moment, Zhuang Zhuang was done with the dishes. He came out and stood beside Xiaoguo, checking in on the potato starch with her. The water was indeed clearer now. Before they went in for their meal, the potato starch was still looking cloudy. Right then, Zhuang Zhuang noticed some white sediment at the bottom of the basin. He pointed it out to Xiaoguo and asked, “Mother, is this potato starch?”

Xiaoguo nodded. “That’s the starch. But it has not completely settled to the bottom yet. It will take a while more. Once the water is crystal clear, the starch should be done.”

The weather was bright and sunny. Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang basked in the sun. Xiaoguo was resting on a stool, enjoying the nice weather. Having seen enough of the starch, Zhuang Zhuang imitated his mother and sat on a stool which he had brought out. He placed his arms behind his head, and crossed his leg—with his eyes closed. Xiaoguo couldn’t help but laugh at the scene. This kid…

At this moment, Zhuang Zhuang thought of something. “Mom, can I bring out Big Black and Little White?”

“Sure.”

Xiaoguo had almost forgotten. It would be good for the calves to get some sunlight. Once the shed is up, it will be much better.

Zhuang Zhuang ran with loud, pounding steps into the house and let the calves out. The cows seemed to have been kept indoors for too long. As soon as the door opened, they scrambled out of the room in a flash. Xiaoguo got up and bolted the main door. She then scattered a bundle of grass for the calves to graze on.

Xiaoguo suddenly recalled that she hadn’t shoveled the manure in the room. She picked up the hoe and went into the house. Fortunately, the two calves were still young and didn’t have too much excrement. As Xiaoguo cleared the manure, she noticed that the droppings were neither wet nor hard. The cows were growing well and strong.

Zhuang Zhuang watched his mother shovel the manure into the vegetable field and asked curiously, “Mother, why don’t you throw that away?”

Xiaoguo put down the shovel to wash her hands. “Because Mother can use it to help grow the vegetables. Using this to fertilize the soil, the vegetables will be well-nourished and strong.”

After washing her hands, Xiaoguo sat down beside Zhuang Zhuang and said, “Feces are food residue that humans or animals digest through their bodies. After being digested through their bodies, it will produce a nutrient that is very good for plants and also the soil. Therefore, humans use feces as fertilizers to keep the land fertile. Vegetables that grow on fertile soil will also be strong.”

Zhuang Zhuang was amazed. Even the most useless feces had its uses.

Xiaoguo looked into Zhuang Zhuang’s sparkling eyes and thought about bringing him a few books if she were to visit the market again. Suddenly, she thought of something else. “Can you read, Zhuang Zhuang?”

Xiaoguo felt that she had asked a very stupid question. How could he know how to read? Moreover, the previous owner of this body had never gone to school, let alone read to Zhuang Zhuang.

As expected, Zhuang Zhuang shook his head in confusion. “Brother Xiaohu and Sister Xiaohua don’t know how to read either.”

During this time, basic necessities were already a problem for the people. Studying and attending school would require quite a large sum of money. How could ordinary folks afford to send their children to school? They would rather have their children work in the fields and help with planting more crops. When the children were older, they could get married. Studying was purely a waste of time and energy in their eyes.

Those who could afford to go to school were the children from rich and powerful families. It was difficult for ordinary folks to enter school. The schools would not admit just any commoners. Only those who had money and status would be accepted by the schools. Therefore, under such a policy, most people would give up on sending their children to school. Most would keep the children at home and have them help with farming.

But Xiaoguo didn’t feel the same way. She wouldn’t want Zhuang Zhuang to lead his life in chaos and mediocrity. Once he is old enough, she would get him into a school no matter what. So now, she had to spend her time making more money and save up for the sake of Zhuang Zhuang’s future.