CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50: JIANG HU’S INSIGHTS

There was certainly no difficulty; Jiang Hu carefully recounted the discussion and its results that took place at the village chief’s house.

Upon hearing this, Ernang felt particularly distressed, "Every household has to come and pick; isn’t that too many people?"

The manure at home was already scarce, and they dared not use much for their own crops. Sometimes, when it rained, they’d deliberately collect some water from the eaves.

Jiang Hu comforted, "No worries. As we said, we won’t need to go to the riverside to wash diapers anymore, and when Xiaomi and Tiedan grow up, it will be more convenient. At most, we just add more eaves water."

Ernang thought about it and agreed, then mused, "How about we buy two piglets, Brother Tiger?"

Jiang Hu was hesitant, "It’s already May. If we buy them now, by the New Year, they might not be ready to slaughter. Plus, we don’t even know where to get them, and once autumn comes, the wild grass will be gone. What will we feed them?"

There’s still wild grass in the fields that could feed pigs, but come autumn, it will wither.

And this year, the village hasn’t planted sweet potatoes. So, come fall and winter, what would they eat?

Ernang said, "Even if we plant sweet potatoes now, though it’s a bit late, it’s still possible. The sweet potatoes might be small, but there will definitely be sweet potato vines."

"As for piglets, Brother Tiger, why not ask Shopkeeper Liu?"

"Shopkeeper Liu?" Jiang Hu was taken aback; he had never thought about this.

Ernang nodded, "I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. Don’t you often deliver vegetables to the Tongfu Restaurant? Shopkeeper Liu even helps us hide the prices, which shows he’s a really good person."

"See our chickens and rabbits; they are particularly healthy, especially the chickens, more energetic than those we had before, and they grow faster. The rabbits, too—it must be because of the bugs and wild grass in the fields."

"Since that’s the case, using the wild grass in our fields to raise pigs might make them grow better and faster too. And raising pigs means we won’t lack manure. Later on, we could even sell a pig directly to Shopkeeper Liu. What do you think?"

In Ernang’s mind, a home without chickens, ducks, geese, or pigs didn’t feel like a home.

She had been pondering these things for a while but never mentioned them. This was a good opportunity to bring them up all at once.

In daily life, Jiang Hu generally handled all sorts of tasks. Ernang focused more on housework, cooking, and child care, following Jiang Hu’s arrangements.

This was the first time Jiang Hu heard Ernang express her own thoughts.

However, Jiang Hu didn’t immediately refute her. Instead, he seriously considered it and had to admit that some household matters required a woman’s attention to detail.

After a moment, Jiang Hu nodded, "You’re right, Ernang. Raising pigs alongside farming ensures we have enough manure."

"Let’s do this. Planting sweet potatoes early is better than late; I’ll head to town tomorrow. Shopkeeper Liu’s restaurant buys pork daily. They surely know many pig breeders and sellers, and could inquire for us."

"Also, let’s bring the big rabbit from home; we’ve been feeding it with wild grass and greens from the garden for a few months. It might taste better than wild rabbits outside. This way, Shopkeeper Liu would be more willing to help us."

After all, from now until the New Year, we have seven or eight months. Feeding pigs with our field’s wild grass and sweet potato vines watered with our manure will make it taste as good as vegetables!

Then we can sell the grown pig to Shopkeeper Liu. Business is good during the New Year, and it could be turned into bacon. The restaurant wouldn’t mind taking it, and if the pork tastes excellent, the price could be higher too!

The more he thought, the more sense it made. If not for the lack of time, he would’ve wanted to head to town immediately.

But, after calming down a bit, Jiang Hu changed the topic.

"Ernang, let’s save more money. In two years, we can send Dawu to town for school, alright?"

Just at the village chief’s house, only because he said he knew some characters and had studied with an old teacher for a while, those who had initial dissatisfaction quickly changed.

Even if they didn’t speak, Jiang Hu noticed the subtle changes in their expressions and the shift in their attitudes towards him.

Almost instantly, a bit of arrogance turned into caution.

This was a profound impact on Jiang Hu; he just realized that a literate person, even if it’s just basic literacy, was regarded differently by the common folk.

Just like when Shopkeeper Liu was quite surprised upon knowing he could read documents and write his own name.

It was just that Shopkeeper Liu hid it well, and the feeling was less profound.

So now, Jiang Hu thought about waiting for two more years until Dawu turns seven, by which time the family might have some savings, and he could attend school.

But Ernang didn’t feel as strongly as Jiang Hu; she was even hesitant, "School could cost a lot, right? The pen, ink, paper, and inkstones are all expensive, let alone the books."

Ernang certainly understood the benefits of education, but she also knew it wasn’t easy to support a scholar.

Back at home, the whole family worked together, and only the eldest brother’s son could study. The rest could only watch, hoping the nephew would succeed and support the family.

Now, with just the two of them, supporting a child for school seemed difficult. A year’s tuition alone could cost several taels of silver!

Jiang Hu knew school wouldn’t be easy, but that only strengthened his resolve.

"No rush; we have two years. These two years, we’ll work hard to earn money. We can definitely do it."

Seeing Jiang Hu’s determination, Ernang just opened her mouth but didn’t stop him. As a mother, she naturally wanted the best for her child.

But it would be hard on her husband; sending the child to school was a burden mainly on him.

The couple’s conversation went unnoticed by the children deeply asleep in the room. Only Xiaomi, upon waking up, noticed her parents seemed to work harder.

Yet, she thought maybe it was because they had so many children at home, and her parents were worried they’d go hungry. So, they continued to cultivate the land, striving for more grain come the harvest.

As for Dawu, the subject of their conversation, he didn’t feel a thing. He was either busy tending to his younger siblings or helping his parents with chores, with hardly any time even when Liu Hai came to find him to play.

But those were matters for another time. That afternoon, Jiang Hu decided to treat himself to some rest.

However, his idea of resting wasn’t staying idle at home.

In the vegetable garden, he worked for a while, digging up a bamboo can of earthworms and pulling some sparse wild grass, before heading up the mountain.

If lucky, catching another rabbit would mean he could deliver it to Shopkeeper Liu tomorrow and let him see the difference between the two rabbits!