CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER 66: BLACK SESAME FILLING

After some observation, Old Master Ding was very satisfied with the Jiang family, not just because they had a Little Lucky Star at home, or because their food was genuinely delicious.

It was because he was pleased with the family’s character, both the adults and the children.

The next morning, when Jiang Hu got up to prepare to deliver vegetables to the town, Old Master Ding went home with him.

Second Aunt got up early to make porridge. Previously, Jiang Hu would always refuse and let Second Aunt rest more, but today Jiang Hu didn’t stop her. Instead, he had porridge with Old Master Ding before leaving.

By the time Xiaoming woke up, her daddy had already returned.

It was rare to wake up in the morning and see daddy at home, Xiaoming was so excited she kept shouting, "Dad! Dad!"

"Xiaoming is awake. Come, let dad dress you, it’s time to get up and eat." Jiang Hu smiled as he picked up Xiaoming, got her dressed, and Iron Egg also woke up.

Jiang Hu got both his children ready. Second Aunt already came over with a bowl of porridge, and Jiang Hu held one on each leg to make it easier for Second Aunt to feed them.

"Second Aunt, today when I came back, many people in the village saw the ox cart and some even asked about it. I answered them as Uncle Ding said. If anyone asks you later, just say we’re helping others graze cattle."

Second Aunt nodded: "Got it. By the way, Tiger, I noticed Uncle Ding seems to really like our eggs. He doesn’t want money, so let’s send him a few eggs each month."

Jiang Hu hesitated for a moment before saying, "We only have three hens laying eggs in total. You and the kids have to eat too. Let’s wait until Xiaoming and Iron Egg are a bit older. They’ll also need to eat eggs."

Thinking about it, it seemed there wouldn’t be enough. If they give some to Uncle Ding, wouldn’t there be even fewer?

For the first time, Jiang Hu felt he should be thrifty.

Living together for so many years, Second Aunt knew what Jiang Hu meant from just a few words.

"How could we eat so many? Even if each hen lays twenty eggs a month, that’s sixty eggs a month. Giving ten to Uncle Ding, we still can’t finish the rest ourselves."

When Second Aunt did the math, it seemed like there were more eggs than they thought from just three hens.

Jiang Hu no longer hesitated: "Alright then. Uncle Ding doesn’t ask for anything, we can’t really give nothing. Now the chickens have started laying eggs; let’s focus on eating at home first. At the end of the month, I’ll see how many are left."

While eating the fragrant porridge, Xiaoming listened to her parents’ discussion but thought about the eggs in their own space.

She had been quite busy for the past six months, checking every chicken and duck egg. Even though they were all collected from the market, there had to be some fertilized ones, right?

Luckily, Xiaoming found over ten of them, and these specially cultivated meat chickens had eggs much larger than the ones at home.

As for other pigeon eggs, peacock eggs, and ostrich eggs, she couldn’t quite tell, so she’d just leave it to chance and put some in when the hens started sitting on their eggs.

Xiaoming continued eating while pondering, not delaying herself at all.

Before long, Liu Yang showed up, just as Jiang Hu had expected. He came to ask about the ox cart and mentioned running into Old Master Ding at the village entrance last night.

Jiang Hu didn’t hold back and continued the conversation, saying Old Master Ding had a bad temper and mentioned the agreement that the ox couldn’t work except for pulling vegetables to the town.

Of course, Jiang Hu unintentionally revealed that Old Master Ding’s eldest son was a steward for a wealthy family.

Liu Yang, who wasn’t initially concerned, immediately looked more serious.

If it was just an ordinary family, it wouldn’t matter. But if someone in the family worked for a wealthy household, that was a different story altogether.

After finding out everything, Liu Yang frowned slightly: "Brother Jiang, that old man has quite a temper. Are you sure there won’t be any problems with you helping take care of their oxen?"

Jiang Hu shook his head: "No problem, as long as we take good care of the ox. Besides, they agreed to let us use it for transporting vegetables, and that’s in writing."

Liu Yang: "But having an ox and not being able to use it for work during busy farming times means it’ll be more work."

It’s not just Liu Yang; for any farmer, an ox is meant for work. Why keep it if not for labor? To admire it?

Knowing that Jiang Hu had an ox but couldn’t use it for work, Liu Yang’s first reaction was: "Isn’t that silly, wasting time during the busy farming season?"

Jiang Hu just laughed: "This ox is a lifesaver for them. If it were used for labor, they’d sell it for money themselves. Why would they let me keep it?"

Before Liu Yang could ask more, Jiang Hu continued: "It’s thanks to Xiaoming. If it weren’t for her, they wouldn’t even let me use it for transporting vegetables. Anyway, going to town to deliver vegetables has become much more convenient for me."

Talking about selling vegetables, Liu Yang looked envious: "Brother Jiang, your family is really lucky. Before, you’d only deliver a few days each half month. But recently, delivering every day, you must make a good amount of money, right?"

Other villagers had thought about selling vegetables in town but didn’t have anything different from others.

But then again, everyone used the fertilizer water exchanged from Jiang Hu’s family for watering corn and sorghum, not sparing any for their gardens.

Jiang Hu was busy weaving a bamboo fence to enclose an area for wild chickens.

Hearing Liu Yang’s words, he just lightly smiled: "The price isn’t high. It’s just better than nothing. Besides, you often catch game in the mountains and make a lot from it, right?"

Liu Yang immediately regained his smile: "True, that’s true. Brother Jiang, let me tell you, a few days ago, I caught a big fat rabbit, over ten pounds, sold it for nearly three hundred copper coins!"

Jiang Hu was surprised: "Such a big rabbit, that’s rare."

The two chatted along, leaving the topic of the ox cart and vegetables. Liu Yang, though a big talker in the village, knew quite a lot about who sold game, who bought pork and ribs, etc.

It seemed like there was nothing in the village that escaped him.

Jiang Hu didn’t mind him being talkative, listening, occasionally expressing surprise, making Liu Yang talk even more enthusiastically.

Second Aunt took the older kids to pull weeds in the field since Jiang Hu had to finish the fence first. Worried about the wild chickens being cooped up too long, he stayed home watching the kids.

Next to Jiang Hu was a small bed where Xiaoming played with Iron Egg while listening to Liu Yang’s chatter. It was like a village news station, sparking a thought.

After observing her dad for half a year, Xiaoming realized he wasn’t one to mingle, often preferring solitude, a bit like a lone ranger, rarely interacting with outsiders.

But why was he so close to Liu Yang?

She hadn’t thought much of it before, but now suddenly understood. Could it be her dad valued Liu Yang’s gossiping ability?

She glanced at her dad, then at Liu Yang, who was babbling enthusiastically. Her dad even went to pour him a bowl of chrysanthemum tea to soothe his throat and let him keep talking.

It was confirmed, her dad was indeed as cunning as a fox!