CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 167: THOUGHTFUL XIAOMI AND XIAOXUE

The little turtles were quickly settled, with water added to the wooden basin, and then using hands to mix mud, pushing the silt to one side.

In this way, a small slope was formed inside the wooden basin, with a flat area on top, making one side land, one side water, and silt soaking under the water.

Once the exposed silt dried a bit, Xiaomi placed the little turtles on top to see if they would voluntarily go into the water.

To be safe, Xiaomi also found a basket, inverted it to cover the wooden basin, and stuffed the larger gaps with straw to prevent the turtles from escaping.

"Time to eat, Xiaomi, why are you all covered in mud?" Jiang Yu couldn’t help but sigh when he saw his sister covered in mud.

In a flash, it seemed like they were back to the days when he used to catch eels with his sister.

Xiaomi chuckled foolishly, "Brother, when these turtles grow up and are sold, we can buy lots and lots of books!"

Although Xiaomi said it casually, Jiang Yu was stunned, deeply moved, and his voice even choked up.

Xiaomi was so young, she should have been at an age without worries, yet she was already concerned about him going to school.

"Xiaomi, don’t worry, your brother will study hard. I’ll buy you whatever you want in the future!"

Xiaomi was puzzled, not understanding what was going on with her brother, but she was happy with his goodwill.

"Then thank you, brother."

Jiang Yu reached out and held Xiaomi’s hand, "Come on, let’s wash our hands and eat."

Off to the side, Xiaoxue and Tiedan were completely forgotten.

Oh right, there was also Liu Ze, the little teacher.

Liu Ze was also a bit sentimental, "I thought Xiaomi was raising turtles just because they were delicious. I didn’t expect it was for Brother Jiang’s education."

Xiaoxue nodded vigorously, "Xiaomi is really sensible."

Even she hadn’t thought of this.

Their parents never mentioned how much Jiang’s education cost, but from Uncle Liu, they occasionally heard it was very expensive anyway.

Payments for the teacher were expensive, books and pens were expensive, but the most expensive were paper and ink since these were consumables and used up a lot.

Currently, the family hadn’t bought pen and paper yet because Brother just started school, and the teacher said writing lessons would start next year.

Since their parents never discussed it, they didn’t know exactly how much was needed, but seeing so many villagers unwilling to send their kids to school meant it must be a lot.

No wonder their parents and Uncle Liu’s family were always working to earn money.

Yet none of them realized this; only Xiaomi had always been mindful of Brother’s schooling.

For a moment, Xiaoxue even felt shame, knowing that she, being the older sister, should be the one mindful of such things, not their younger sister reminding them.

A sudden pat on the head: "Xiaoxue is also incredible, taking good care of the house and the younger siblings."

It was Liu Ze.

The gentle, reassuring smile instantly shattered Xiaoxue’s embarrassment, releasing her from any stifled feelings.

"Yeah. I’ll do even better!"

With that, she pulled Tiedan, who was eagerly watching the small turtles hidden by the basket, and smiled at Liu Ze, "Let’s quickly go eat too, or they’ll have to wait for us."

No sooner had she finished when their second aunt appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"Why is everyone standing around? Come eat quickly, or the chicken soup will get cold and won’t taste as good."

Everyone was exhausted these days, so their second aunt specially slaughtered a big rooster in the afternoon, weighing four or five pounds, fully stewed for them to eat!

"Coming." Xiaoxue replied with happiness even in her voice, dragging Tiedan over while also waving back, "Brother Liu, hurry up too."

Tonight’s chicken soup was delicious, with the chicken meat being tender, stewed with dried mushrooms and dried bamboo shoots, plus two veggie dishes made enough.

Before eating, their second aunt used clean chopsticks to serve a big piece of chicken thigh meat to Liu Ze.

"Little Ze, these mushrooms and bamboo shoots are from the mountain, not ones we grew, so you shouldn’t eat them. Have more chicken instead."

Liu Ze knew his condition, so he didn’t act willfully. Though tempted, he restrained himself and obediently nodded, "Okay, thank you, auntie."

With many children at home and only two chicken thighs, their second aunt sensibly chopped the thighs into several pieces, giving each child a piece so no one would fight over them.

The chicken thigh meat was tender, and their second aunt gave each of the children a piece, letting them eat by themselves.

"Go ahead and eat, don’t just stare."

With second aunt’s words, everyone eagerly began their meal, even Xiaomi wasn’t an exception.

The aroma was so good, tender and fragrant!

This was a black chicken, with the skin, meat, and bones all black, making the broth black too.

One sip down, it was deliciously fresh, fragrant, and tender, so good you’d think you could swallow your tongue with it.

Such tasty chicken, even Xiaomi found it hard to resist!

"So delicious." Xiaomi finally felt better after eating two pieces of chicken meat.

"Eat more if you like it, but don’t eat until you’re too full, or you’ll get a stomachache," their second aunt reminded.

Actually, Xiaomi was okay, but the one their second aunt worried about most was Tiedan. Xiaomi would stop eating once full, but Tiedan would keep going even after he was full.

He had already suffered stomachaches from over-eating several times, so whenever there was tasty food, their second aunt would voluntarily control Tiedan’s portions.

Xiaomi nodded constantly, serving herself two more pieces of bamboo shoots and a piece of mushroom.

The mushrooms were sun-dried and Xiaomi couldn’t identify them specifically, but they were edible, feeling slippery with a bit of crunch when bitten.

The bamboo shoots were the same. There’s a slope nearby with plenty of bamboo. Each spring when bamboo shoots emerged, everyone went digging, boiling, and sun-drying them, keeping them from moisture and insects, so they could last for a year or two.

"Mom, can we grow our own bamboo shoots, so Brother Ze can eat them too?"

This question was from Xiaoxue.

It was the first time Xiaoxue expressed a desire to grow something, so everyone was taken aback, Xiaomi included—except for Tiedan.

The first to react was Liu Ze, who waved his hands hurriedly, "Don’t go through all that trouble; I don’t need to eat them. There are plenty of other tasty things."

But Xiaoxue shook her head, "It’s not just that. Besides, Brother Ze could eat them; bamboo shoots could also be sold. I saw them when we went to the town."

Jiang Hu thought for a while, "Growing bamboo isn’t impossible. It’s not troublesome anyway. How about I dig some out after the rain and plant them behind the house?"

"Let’s plant a few behind our thatched house, water them occasionally, and add some fertilizer. Maybe it will work out."

Bamboo grows quickly, and if managed well, it could spread a lot in a year.

Bamboo shoots in town were quite expensive; mostly, it was town folk buying them. Their family never sold any because with fewer people at home, there wasn’t much time to dig bamboo shoots, so supplies were limited and generally kept for themselves.

Xiaoxue’s eyes lit up instantly, "Dad, I’ll help you dig!"

Xiaomi praised, "Second sister is amazing. This way our family can earn more money."

Xiaoxue bowed her head, a little blushing, yet deep down, she was still quite happy.