Chapter 22 - Raising Chickens and Laying Eggs

On the other hand, Yu Wan had hunted five plump pheasants and a bunch of plump hares. The basket on her back was almost full, and there was no more space for winter bamboo shoots. She only dug a few and carried them in her arms before she went down the mountain contentedly.

Little Bruiser thought that his sister had gone to dig bamboo shoots and fish. He was counting how many fish he could eat tonight when he saw his sister return with a few pheasants and rabbits.

Little Bruiser had never seen such a huge chicken and rabbit before, and his eyes were wide open. “Sis! Is this a chicken? Why is it so big? Even rabbits are big! Even bigger than the village headman’s!”

Rabbits were rare and not something that just anyone could afford. Back then, when the village headman bought a rabbit in town, it had made everyone envious.

“Sis! Where did you get that rabbit?” Little Bruiser squatted down to grab the rabbit’s ear.

Yu Wan quickly grabbed his little hand. “Be careful of its bite.”

“Do rabbits bite people?” Little Bruiser asked in confusion.

“Of course.” Even domestic rabbits would occasionally bite, let alone these two wild rabbits. However, it was strange. They looked like wild rabbits, but they were much more docile than she had imagined. If she had not found them in such a deserted place, she would have thought that someone had caught them and raised them.

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Yu Wan locked the hag in the temporary small outdoor chicken house. Although it was called a small chicken house, it was actually a small circle made of bamboo strips that were two feet tall and less than a meter in diameter.

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Little Bruiser obediently squatted outside the chicken house and looked at the fat rabbit without blinking.

Yu Wan smiled at him and asked, “Do you want to eat rabbits tonight?”

“Huh?” Little Bruiser turned around and looked at his sister in horror. Why would he want to eat such a cute rabbit?

“No, no,” Yu Wan quickly said.

Little Bruiser heaved a sigh of relief. Yu Wan said, “Then we’ll sell it.”

Little Bruiser :”…”

Yu Wan put the wild chickens into the chicken coop.

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When Madam Jiang arrived at the backyard, Yu Wan was carrying the chicken coop under the roof of the backyard. It was freezing cold and it was unknown when it would snow. It was better to be prepared.

Yu Wan put down the chicken coop. When she turned around, she saw her mother leaning against the door frame at the back door of the central room, smiling at her.

Even though she was dressed in coarse linen clothes, Madam Jiang was still as beautiful as a forest fairy. It was truly impossible to not be stunned by such peerless beauty after seeing it a few times.

But what Yu Wan was more concerned about was Madam Jiang’s meaningful gaze. Could it be that her performance in the past few days was too capable, causing Madam Jiang to suspect her?

“Mom…”

Yu Wan was about to find an excuse for herself when Madam Jiang spoke as if it was only right and proper. “I knew it. Your brain was damaged in the past.”

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Yu Wan : “…”

After cleaning the backyard, Yu Wan talked to Madam Jiang about her uncle. “Mother, how much money does Uncle need to treat his leg in the Capital?”

Madam Jiang held her chin and thought for a while. “At least… a hundred taels.”

Yu Wan clicked her tongue. “So much?”

“Yeah.” Madam Jiang calmly nodded her head. “Your uncle has already missed the best time to treat him. Ordinary doctors can’t treat his illness, and the consultation fees for famous doctors aren’t cheap either… Why else would people say that commoners can’t get sick?”

When the word “commoner” came out of a peasant woman’s mouth, it was like an outsider telling a story about another group of people.

Yu Wan glanced at Madam Jiang.

Madam Jiang also looked at her and smiled. “But I believe Ah Wan will definitely earn that much money.”

That much money… This is what a peasant woman would say.

Yu Wan said, “I plan to sell half of the pigs at home. I’ll sell all these pheasants and wild hares. The money I earn will be used to buy some goods for the family for the year. Mom, you should see if there’s anything you and Little Bruiser need.”

She still had the remaining fourteen taels left from the previous salt sale. She did not need to use that money anymore and kept it for her uncle’s medical fees and travel expenses.

Madam Jiang smiled, “Okay.”

“Sis! Sis! Come and see!” Little Bruiser, who had been squatting beside the chicken coop, waved at Yu Wan. “The pheasant laid eggs!”

Ordinary chickens would not lay eggs during winter. If she had not seen it with her own eyes, Yu Wan would not have believed it.

Yu Wan picked up the piping hot wild egg and said in satisfaction, “Then I won’t sell this one. I’ll keep it to lay eggs. I will make eggs for you every day.”

That night, the hen that laid the egg received special treatment from Yu Wan—it was valiantly moved to a large and comfortable “luxurious” chicken coop. Not only did it enter the house, there was dried grass and placed feed.

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The next day, when Yu Wan went to tidy up the chicken coop in the backyard, she found that the other four plump pheasants inside had also laid eggs.

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The dumbfounded Yu Wan : “…”

The pheasants… the pheasants were not for sale. Luckily there were the rabbits and pigs.

Tomorrow was the day for marketing. Before that, she could go into the mountains again.

She planned to call Yu Feng and Yu Song, but the moment she went out, she bumped into them. The two of them were carrying wooden buckets with fishing nets in them. Obviously, they had the same idea as her.

“Big Brother, Second Brother.” She smiled and greeted them.

Yu Song’s face darkened.

Yu Feng replied with his usual expression, “The weather isn’t too good. It might be snowing soon. When the lake freezes, we won’t be able to fish anymore. Yu Song and I will fish more today.”

Yu Wan looked at the dark sky and agreed, “Then I’ll dig more bamboo shoots too.” After a pause, she thought of something and said, “I’m afraid I’ll only be back at night. I’ll go make some rations.”

“We brought it!” The brothers said in unison!

Yu Wan turned around in a daze and looked at the two people who were reacting violently. “Oh.”

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Perhaps realizing that he had overreacted, Yu Feng cleared his throat in embarrassment and said, “Let’s… eat at my house today. My mother said she’s cooking.”

“Okay.” Yu Wan smiled and did not refuse.

She had not eaten the pork trotters she bought yesterday and had been smoking them on the stove. Before she left, she sent the pork trotters, five eggs, and two fat pheasants to the old mansion.

Uncle Yu’s family used to raise chickens too. Later on, they sold the last old hen to make money for Uncle Yu’s medicine.

“Give it to me, give it to me.”

Aunt Yu was sitting in the backyard peeling a dried corn stick. Uncle Yu walked over with his walking stick, grabbed a handful of corn, and walked towards the chicken house.

Aunt Yu was unhappy. “What are you doing? There are vegetables and leaves, and you’re using these to feed the chickens! We’re not even full!”

Uncle Yu chuckled. “Didn’t you hear Ah Wan say? It’s a chicken that can lay eggs.”

Was it just the chicken? It should have something to do with the person sending the chicken, isn’t it? Aunt Yu rolled her eyes and carried the dustpan to the kitchen. I can’t be bothered with this person!

After feeding the pheasant, Uncle Yu limped after her. He took the kitchen knife from her and said to her, “Let me do it.”

Aunt Yu looked at him as if she had seen a ghost!

Uncle Yu ignored her surprise, put down his walking stick, and happily went to cut the vegetables.

Aunt Yu looked at his busy and cheerful figure and was momentarily stunned.

“Isn’t she just a girl? Is she worth you being so happy about?” Aunt Yu choked as she turned around and wiped her reddened eyes.

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