CHAPTER 463: CHAPTER 463: SKILLS ARE NOT PRACTICED IN VAIN

Especially those sharp teeth gleaming in the cold light; getting bitten would certainly be quite unbearable.

"Big Black, Big Yellow, come here." Old Hua’s voice rang out just in time, causing the two large dogs lunging towards them to suddenly halt. Their curious eyes carried a hint of vigilance, surprisingly human-like, as they glanced at them and ran over to Old Hua, happily acting coy, though their sharp gaze still drifted to them now and then.

"Big Black, Big Yellow, they are esteemed guests of the family, you must not be disrespectful, understand?" Old Hua spoke sternly to the dogs.

A few grunts were heard, and the big dogs nodded in a human-like manner. When looking at Hu Hu, their gaze was clearly much gentler. One even walked up to them to sniff before barking as if remembering their scent.

Once the initial shock wore off, seeing such well-behaved dogs, even the county official couldn’t help but cast his gaze upon these large dogs, marveling at their human-like behavior.

"These dogs are so well-raised!" The county official exclaimed in awe, observing the shiny, well-fed dogs.

The county official wasn’t too familiar with other places, but he imagined the situation couldn’t be much better. Even with his efforts, Shanggu Town was only slightly improved; not to mention dogs, even small poultry were scarce to find, and any existing have long been eaten down to the bone.

The county official once again witnessed the uniqueness of Hua Village.

"Country folks just raise them casually, sorry to make a joke of it in front of you," Old Hua chuckled, patting the necks of the big dogs. "Go, back to the yard," he said, and Big Black and the others darted back into the yard.

The sensible demeanor made Hu Hu envious. These big dogs were so mighty he even considered getting one himself.

"Sorry for the rudeness, hope we didn’t scare you. Later, I’ll be sure to teach them well," Old Hua suddenly seemed to snap to attention, quickly apologizing sincerely.

"No, they meant no harm." Initially startled, but these dogs clearly had no intention to bite; at most, they were observing and issuing a warning.

Still, they are truly good dogs, very protective of the family, diligent and conscientious.

"Thank you for not blaming them," Old Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

All’s well, otherwise it would’ve been quite troublesome.

Within a few exchanges, other family members also heard the commotion at the door and began heading towards the yard.

Young Four, who was lively and jumpy moments ago, was now standing properly by the door, curiously observing the people outside.

Particularly seeing two of them, Young Four squinted slightly, evidently recognizing them as town guards, his gaze silently querying his father by the door. Yet, his father hadn’t noticed him, too caught up with grandpa restraining Big Black and the others.

Young Four: "..."

Got used to it, he really lacks presence.

"Old man, why aren’t they coming in? I’m about to start cooking..." Mrs. Hua, busy in the kitchen with her daughter-in-law, had been listening for the commotion outside, yet even with the door open, no one came in.

With a ladle in her hand, she couldn’t hold back anymore and walked to the door, discovering not only her husband outside but also several strangers, one of whom was very handsome, making Mrs. Hua’s eyes brighten several degrees.

She quickly stood by her husband, her face full of smiles, looking at the handsome young men and asked, "Child’s father, who is this young man..." with curiosity unabashed in her eyes.

Old Hua quickly tugged his wife, hurriedly saying, "Sir, don’t mind her, this is my old wife, country folk without much knowledge, don’t understand etiquette, sorry for the offense."

The county official shook his head, "Hua Village Chief is too polite; Mrs. Hua is showing her true nature, and moreover, Mr. Liu is not any official now, just a simple guest."

Liu Yongping spoke sincerely, giving a feeling of true honesty, though Mrs. Hua was startled by her husband’s terms of address, hearing his words made her eyes brighten. This official seems really approachable, most importantly, handsome, which made him seem less intimidating now, though she still dared not speak freely.

If Mrs. Hua dared not speak, naturally the other members of the family wouldn’t dare speak either.

"Sir, please," Old Hua said with utmost formality, bowing slightly.

"Very kind, please call me Liu Zihu."

Old Hua shook his head, "No way, no way."

"There’s no need to hesitate, I am no official here, Hua Elder may call freely, it feels more comfortable, and Mr. Liu also doesn’t wish for others to know his identity."

Old Hua raised his eyes to carefully appraise the county official before him, seeing no reluctance on his face especially when calling him Hua Elder with such ease.

Seeing as he didn’t wish people to know his identity, Old Hua didn’t insist further, though he dared not address him as Zihu, instead calling him "Mr. Liu, please."

Despite being in her sister-in-law’s room, Hua Jin was fully aware of what was happening outside.

...That was indeed the handsome county official.

This official acted swiftly; just yesterday he expressed interest in Hua Village to her father, and today he was already here, a person who clearly doesn’t beat about the bush.

Hua Jin, holding a little one in her arms, played with it, without missing a beat in observing this county official.

This official’s demeanor didn’t show it, but Hua Jin could roughly guess the look in his eyes.

Of course, her father made quite an impression this time, so it’s normal for the county official to be curious, even considering some benefits, such as eggs and poultry.

"Jin’er, Jin’er, Jin’er..." The eldest sister-in-law waved her hand in front of her as she called twice.

"Ah..." Hua Jin instinctively dodged before realizing and smiling at her sister-in-law.

"What’s up, what were you thinking?" The eldest sister-in-law glanced and then took the second child from Hua Jin’s arms, passing the first child to feed.

"I guess it must be the voices outside drawing my attention." Yun Niang, who was also in the eldest sister-in-law’s room, had a warm smile unconsciously lifting the corners of her mouth, seeing her son curiously looking around the bed and then glanced outside.

"As if second sister-in-law isn’t curious," Hua Jin rolled her eyes at the second sister-in-law, but she wasn’t distracted.

Face adversity with courage; there’s nothing to fear with those few low-ranking officers of the county official, Hua Jin didn’t really pay them much attention.

Besides, Hua Village has always been honest farmers, not plagued by any heinous deeds.

Moreover, the county official likely has his considerations.

After several calamities, while Shanggu Town has quite a number of survivors, even more have perished; a village with over a hundred survivors is considered large, the number surviving in town is even fewer.

Hua Village is different, even before taking in Li Village and others, it was already a large village, with a large population, honestly, not much to fear.

These days, it’s all about having many children and grandchildren, parents staying together without splitting up, nearly all families were living as one big household, like their family, considered few in number, typically a family would have ten to twenty members.

Nowadays, the number has increased to over three thousand individuals, with over a thousand able-bodied young adults, excluding the younger boys; even the women are no less capable than the adults.

After all, these years, not just the men but the women also haven’t been idle, their skills not practiced in vain.