CHAPTER 104: CHAPTER 104: JIANG XIAOMIAO THE HOARDER

Unexpectedly, this Spiritual Spring water really can attract so many yellow eels, but Jiang Xiaomiao wasn’t greedy. She caught two, then she and her brother moved to another spot.

This afternoon, the two of them went to several paddy fields and caught over twenty yellow eels of various sizes. It was quite a harvest, considering yellow eels rarely come out during the day.

It seemed like the eels were coming to Jiang Xiaomiao of their own will.

To this, Xiaomiao puckered her lips; let others think what they want, as long as the Spiritual Spring water remains secret.

Returning home in the evening, there was indeed snake soup, yet the second aunt warned them that snakes are dangerous, and they should stay far away in the future.

Xiaomiao nodded earnestly and very seriously declared that she would run away upon seeing a snake, and would definitely not catch them anymore, which satisfied the second aunt.

Drinking snake soup and eating the snake meat tasted similar to yellow eel.

It’s March, and the days are getting longer. Some of the vegetables planted in early spring, like cabbage, are ready to eat.

Before it got dark, the two picked some bigger cabbages from the field, cleaned them up, and prepared to deliver them to the restaurant early tomorrow.

Apart from their family, other villagers are also selling vegetables. Even if they aren’t selling to Tongfu Restaurant, there are plenty of people in town, and other restaurants too.

The Jiang family, because they raise pigs and cows, now has plenty of manure, unlike before when most of it was just rainwater runoff.

Everyone collected manure, mixed a little more from their own, and used it to fertilize the vegetables and grains, which worked well.

After returning from the fields, the eldest brother went to heat water for washing, while Xiaomiao followed her mother to check on the chickens and rabbits, and upon returning saw her father sorting small dried fish.

Xiaomiao hurried over: "Dad, are we bringing the kittens back tomorrow?"

Little Black followed closely behind Xiaomiao, and upon seeing the dried fish, opened its mouth and bit a piece.

Jiang Hu didn’t stop it, letting it eat a piece: "Yes, the female cat is a tabby, and the male cat is black—no idea what the kittens will look like."

Xiaomiao’s eyes brightened: "They must be really cute kittens."

Whether tabby or black, both are adorable.

Jiang Hu nodded with a smile: "Yes, they’re all cute kittens just like Xiaomiao."

The second aunt was beside him rubbing sorghum ears. The dozen sorghum plants they grew have matured and been harvested, dried during the day in a winnowing tray, and now she was rubbing them by hand to extract the seeds.

"Hu, this sorghum’s dry. I’ll scatter the seeds tomorrow. Everyone else’s sorghum has grown knee-high, and we haven’t started yet."

Sorghum seeds are tiny—not like corn where you can plant directly; you have to first nurture seedlings and transplant them after they grow a bit.

Jiang Hu nodded: "Alright, I’ll finish spreading the manure when I return. Don’t wear yourself out."

The second aunt laughed: "Wear out? It’s just these few seeds—at most two buckets of manure; I’m not incapable of handling that."

She used to do the same amount of work as the men, and would get scolded for slacking. It’s not like now, where unless it’s a busy farming season, she’s rarely in the fields.

Jiang Hu shook his head: "Hauling it up the mountain is tiring, plus I’ll be back after fetching the kittens tomorrow, so I’ll do it."

Seeing the two showcasing their affection again, Xiaomiao simply took Little Black and left—really, always picking on the single ones.

But speaking of work, Xiaomiao didn’t worry much.

Remember last year when she was born, everyone—parents, brothers, and sisters—was skin and bones, with sallow complexions. Hair as dry as straw, even when her mom gave birth, they had to eat some bugs to gain nutrients.

Back then, Xiaomiao worried most that someone in the family might starve, let alone everyone having to clear land and plant crops without enough food; it must have been exhausting.

Fatigue was secondary, the real fear was being exhausted and starving at the same time, leading to a sudden death.

But that’s all in the past now.

Now, everyone at home is healthy, with dark hair and rosy complexions.

Even if her parents work all day, coming home exhausted with bent backs, after a night’s rest, they’re refreshed, full of energy, and even more vigorous in their work.

So even though the family has a lot of farmland and work isn’t easy, Xiaomiao isn’t worried anymore.

"Little Black, let’s go inside. It’s time for us to sleep." Xiaomiao led Little Black back to the doghouse, patted its head, and went back inside.

After making a round, her mom had already been persuaded by her dad; tomorrow, it’s just a matter of scattering the sorghum seeds, the manure-hauling can wait until he gets back.

Xiaomiao wasn’t surprised at all; besides, her dad’s becoming healthier and stronger; his work efficiency was improving vastly. During corn planting previously, he hauled manure for a whole day and felt fine; sleep rejuvenated him fully, so a few buckets of manure should be no problem.

After washing up, Xiaomiao felt a bit tired, so she went straight to bed, falling asleep and vaguely heard some noises.

At first puzzled, she quickly dove into her space; oh dear, what a mistake—how did she forget about this? Today’s snake meat should count as substantial nourishment, right?

Her parents are only in their twenties, full of youthful vigor; it’s hard for them to hold back.

Upon entering the space, her flushed face cooled a bit, she patted her cheeks and murmured, "Hmm, I should consider moving in with second sister to sleep earlier."

Originally, her parents said after they turned one they could sleep with their big brother and second sister, but given the chill at night risking kicking off blankets, they planned to wait until it got warmer.

But now it seemed waiting wasn’t an option; Iron Egg could just sleep soundly, likely not understanding if he heard anything—she, however, couldn’t.

Xiaomiao muttered to herself, noticing the incense in the main room had burnt out, she went inside to light another stick.

Unable to go out for a while, Xiaomiao checked outside her space; the vegetables and grains were thriving without her assistance in the space.

However, the chickens and rabbits needed daily feeding.

Imitating her dad, Xiaomiao fenced off several plots of land, scattering various vegetable seeds for raising chickens and rabbits—once they’re eaten, she’d till the soil, rest it, and switch to another area for raising again.

But chicks required additional feed; everything was available in the space. When young, they were fed millet, grown up they got wheat grains or corn, with vast fields of crops of all kinds planted around.

Xiaomiao decided to first use the supplies originally in the space for feeding chickens and rabbits; any seeds she would sow more in the empty plots.

Having food at hand means peace of mind. Regardless if it can be taken out, Xiaomiao enjoyed having the space stocked full.

After all, anything kept in the space never spoils, besides there’s a large warehouse in the yard, never lacking room.