Free Web NovelChapter 462: Chapter 242: A Close Neighbor Is Better Than a Distant Relative (Part 2)
Zheng Changhe didn’t refuse. He smiled and asked, "Should we send Third Brother’s portion over tonight?"
Zhang Dashuan laughed. "Send it. And the Liu Family’s portion, too. We should send some over—give Fatty Liu something to go with his drinks. When I was building my house, he sent over a lot of fish. Between that and what your family sent, I didn’t have to buy any fish for the feast. Saved me quite a bit."
Zheng Changhe nodded. "Fatty Liu is a good man." After a pause, he added, "His sons are all promising, and that little daughter of his is delightful, too."
Zhang Dashuan laughed heartily. "It just gets me—how is that guy so fertile? Four sons, and then he tops it off with a daughter in his old age. And every one of them is a good kid! If anyone else had that many sons, there’d always be one or two who are good-for-nothing. After all, even the ten fingers on your hands aren’t all the same length—that’s just how it is. But that old fellow, he’s just blessed with good fortune."
Seeing his envious expression, Zheng Changhe couldn’t help but laugh. "You’re jealous of his many children and good fortune now, but have you forgotten the hardships he endured back then? So many kids, popping up one after another like harvested chives, and every single one of them needed feeding. He was worried sick. Why do you think their Sanshun is so good at catching fish? It’s because they had nothing to eat, so he had to start scrounging around in the fields and rivers at a young age. Fatty Liu had no choice; he couldn’t watch over them all, so he just had to let the boy tumble around in the water at such a tender age. But think about my Qingmu and your Huai Zi. The old folks would never let them get in the water, terrified something might happen. Weren’t our families just as poor? But when you’ve only got one, you’re naturally going to treat him as more precious."
Zhang Dashuan nodded and said with feeling, "Fatty Liu really did suffer a lot. Luckily, the heavens watch over the children of the poor. We raise them like piglets, and somehow they all grow up, sturdy and healthy, without any sickness or disaster."
Zheng Changhe sighed. "Missing a meal or two is fine, but getting sick can be life-threatening. No family can withstand a setback like that." He was clearly thinking of the time he broke his leg. The memory still sent a chill down his spine. ’If I hadn’t been able to get back on my feet, she and the two kids would have suffered terribly.’
After chatting and laughing for a while, they heard someone from the kitchen calling them to eat. The two men tidied themselves up a bit and went into the house together.
Juhua had no idea that her parents had already been discussing her marriage. She was still busy touring the Zhang family’s new home.
After looking around, they heard the call for dinner. Everyone came out, beaming, to help carry the dishes and set the table, all eager to get an early taste of the venison.
Perhaps it was just psychological—rare things are always prized, after all—but Juhua found Aunt Zhang’s braised venison absolutely delicious. She looked at the steaming venison stewing in the clay pot, its aroma mingling with green garlic and radishes, and her appetite flared. She ate a lot of the meat, not caring whether she would be able to digest it all later that night.
He was delighted, constantly putting more food on Juhua’s plate. Yang Family was even happier—’The more she eats, the better! If she eats a lot, she’ll get as plump and round as Liu Xiaomei.’
Juhua didn’t know that both women were on a mission to fatten her up. She just focused on eating her fill, which made Zhang Huai smile happily. He thought that tonight’s meal was indeed fragrant and delicious.
While drinking, Zhang Dashuan smiled at Zhang Huai and said, "Huai Zi, take this meat to your uncles tomorrow morning—I’ve already packed it all up. This meat is best eaten fresh; it won’t be as good if it sits too long."
Zhang Huai quickly nodded in agreement.
He smiled. "Let’s send the portions for Third Brother and the Liu Family over tonight. It’ll save us the trouble tomorrow."
Zhang Dashuan took a sip of his wine and nodded. "I’ll go deliver it in a bit."
By the time dinner was over, the moon was high in the sky. Its cold, clear light cast a stark white glow on the silver-frosted grass. Qingmu carried the venison as the family, full and warm from the meal, left the Zhang family’s home. The chill of the late autumn air hit them, and they couldn’t help but shiver.
Yang Family quickly asked Juhua, "Are you cold?"
Juhua laughed. "I’m okay. A belly full of meat ought to count for something!"
Hearing this, Zheng Changhe chuckled and said to Juhua, "We’ll cook some tomorrow, too. Your Uncle Zhang gave us a lot of venison, and it’s best to eat it while it’s fresh."
Yang Family nodded. "It’s a rare treat. Since Uncle Zhang gave it to us, and you like it, we should cook more to satisfy your craving."
Juhua said, "I’m afraid we won’t be able to finish it all. We should salt a piece to eat during the rice harvest."
At the mention of the rice harvest, Zheng Changhe became cheerful. He quickly told Qingmu to get out all the sickles and sharpen them. The rice thresher needed to be carefully inspected, and the rice baskets checked as well—to see if there were any holes that needed mending. He continued chattering about it all the way into their courtyard.
And so, the family sat under the lamp chatting for a while longer, letting their food digest while they discussed the upcoming harvest. Juhua and Yang Family worked on their needlework, while Qingmu and Zheng Changhe carefully inspected and mended the rice baskets to prevent any mishaps that might leave them in a bind during the busy season.
Not two days later, the late rice harvest began. Usually at this time of year, everyone would be at home starting their annual rest, but this year they had many more busy days ahead.
When the last of the late rice was in the granary, the whole family, though exhausted to the bone, couldn’t stop grinning. This was an extra harvest from the fields this year. Having this much rice stored away brought an unparalleled sense of security and peace of mind, making all their previous toil feel worthwhile.
Juhua looked at her father’s beaming face, unsure how to begin.
She knew that while selling the blueprints for the rice thresher for two thousand Silver had filled Zheng Changhe with awe, he hadn’t truly felt or experienced it. This extra season of late rice, however—this harvest brought him pure ecstasy. He genuinely felt it was the fruit of his own labor, and the excitement was incomparable to receiving the two thousand Silver. It was so much more real and tangible.
But while Juhua also enjoyed the process of life, she was someone who focused on the results.
’If the family didn’t have enough grain to eat, then I could accept working ourselves to the bone to grow an extra season of late rice instead of buying more. But now we clearly have more grain than we can eat. If we have to haul the surplus to town to sell, then it just doesn’t seem cost-effective. Compared to raising pigs, growing vegetables, or even farming fish for money, I think growing rice is just too exhausting, or rather, too time-sensitive. This can’t be sustainable in the long run. Either we hire long-term laborers and become big landowners ourselves, or we plant a few fewer acres—just enough to ensure the family has enough to eat with a surplus. We have to rely on other methods to earn Silver.’ (To be continued. If you like this work, please consider supporting it with recommendation votes and monthly passes on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
