CHAPTER 89: CHAPTER 89: THE CHILD WAS NEARLY LOST

Early the next morning, Jiang Hu delivered vegetables to the town again and specially caught a wild chicken to give to Old Man Ding as an apology.

Knowing that he was transporting a pregnant woman, Old Man Ding didn’t say much and accepted the wild chicken.

On the way back, he stopped by the pharmacy to pick up Liu Yang and Wang Xiang, as he was heading home anyway, saving Liu Yang the trouble of finding a vehicle.

However, Liu Yang proactively asked if Jiang Hu’s employer would be upset with him, and Jiang Hu told him the truth.

Upon hearing that Jiang Hu had sent a wild chicken to Old Man Ding because of the matter, Liu Yang expressed his gratitude profusely.

Jiang Hu didn’t say much, only reminding him that pregnancy was not easy and to take good care of his wife.

Liu Yang readily agreed, his good attitude making it look as if Jiang Hu was an elder of Liu Yang’s family.

After dropping Liu Yang and Wang Xiang off at their doorstep, Jiang Hu hurried home with the ox cart, naturally attracting questions along the way. He simply explained that Liu Yang’s wife was pregnant, so he gave them a ride with the ox cart.

As for others who might want a ride with the ox cart, Jiang Hu naturally refused, reminding them that the ox wasn’t his own.

Jiang Hu didn’t buy anything today; the market had no puppies or kittens either, so he went to find Shopkeeper Liu to help him find one.

When Shopkeeper Liu heard that Jiang Hu’s rabbits had been taken by weasels, he was indignant.

If Jiang Hu hadn’t been in a rush to get home, Shopkeeper Liu would have eagerly found a puppy for him that very day!

"I didn’t expect Shopkeeper Liu to be even more anxious than us. Upon hearing that two bunnies were lost, he slammed the table."

Jiang Hu shouldered the manure water, preparing to irrigate the wheat and rapeseed one more time before the New Year.

Erniang followed with a child in her arms, smiling: "After all, our wild chickens and rabbits are sold to them; with two fewer, they also have two fewer."

When buying chicks, there were mistakes in picking roosters and hens, and when the wild rabbits grew, they didn’t need as many male rabbits, same with wild chickens.

So now, several roosters, male rabbits, and male wild chickens have been sold to restaurants; they’ve also eaten at home twice themselves, and the taste is indeed better than those caught in the mountains. No wonder Shopkeeper Liu was so excited.

Jiang Hu nodded: "Hmm, today Shopkeeper Liu even asked me if we could sell more wild rabbits and chickens to the restaurant during the New Year."

Erniang thought for a moment, then shook her head: "Probably not for the New Year."

There aren’t many males left; they’re all kept for breeding and laying eggs.

When they reached the wheat field, Jiang Hu steadied the manure bucket and took out the millet that Erniang was carrying.

This place is a bit far, and it wouldn’t do to have Xiaomi walk here by herself. Jiang Hu couldn’t hold the children while carrying manure, so Erniang held one and carried one on her back.

"I also told Shopkeeper Liu the same, but I also mentioned that many people in the village are raising rabbits and wild chickens this year. Occasionally, people come to our fields to pull wild grass and dig worms, so I think they should be able to send some to the restaurant."

Since Jiang Hu mentioned Tongfu Restaurant to the villagers, almost everyone in Fu’an Village sells their items to the restaurant first. Only if they don’t want it do they take it to the market.

As for people pulling wild grass and digging worms in their fields, Jiang Hu doesn’t mind as long as they don’t damage the crops.

Everyone understands the etiquette, and nobody goes directly into the fields to pluck wild grass without letting Jiang Hu or Erniang know. They get permission before they go.

If at any point the Jiang family needs the wild grass, and there isn’t enough to spare, they’ve never complained upon being refused.

The two chatted while laying down the straw mats under the shed, just like every previous time, providing a place for Tedan and Xiaomi to rest after playing.

Initially, because the children were still young, Jiang Hu and Erniang always took them along no matter where they went or what they did.

Now the little ones have grown; Xiaomi can run around on her own and even keeps Tedan in check. However, Jiang Hu and Erniang still don’t feel comfortable leaving them at home, not even with Dawa and Erni as backup.

So, even now, unless Erniang stays home, whenever the couple heads to the fields together, they bring all the children along, so much that even the villagers think nothing of it anymore.

Busy for less than an hour, Liu Yang came carrying manure to help. Jiang Hu told him to tend to his own work, but he didn’t listen. He insisted on helping Jiang Hu finish watering the wheat before attending to his own tasks.

At times like this, Xiaomi couldn’t help but sigh at how good Liu Yang was at ingratiating himself. With such behavior, she couldn’t even hold a grudge against Liu Hai’s habit of drinking water on the sly.

Jiang Hu couldn’t oppose him and let him help out for the afternoon.

With an extra pair of hands, the work definitely went faster. By the end of the afternoon, over two acres of wheat fields were done. Liu Yang even promised to come back the next day to help finish irrigating the rapeseed before attending to his matters.

Not only that, but in the evening, when the couple returned from the fields with some cabbage and radish, Liu Yang even brought an adult wild rabbit.

"Brother Jiang, Sister-in-law, if it hadn’t been for you yesterday, my wife would’ve been in trouble. We don’t have much back home, but please take this rabbit and have it for meat during the New Year."

Familiar with the Jiang family, Liu Yang spoke as he swiftly carried the rabbit towards the hutch, unlocked the latch, and tossed the rabbit inside. Jiang Hu, though quick, couldn’t keep up.

"Why are you doing this? You’ve already helped me work all day, and now you’re giving us a rabbit!" Jiang Hu said, preparing to retrieve the rabbit.

But before he could stretch out his hand, Liu Yang stopped him: "Brother Jiang, you might not know, but my wife’s condition was dangerous yesterday."

As he spoke, Liu Yang’s face turned pale, holding the oil lamp, making his expression even grimmer in the light.

Jiang Hu was stunned: "What happened? Wasn’t everything fine yesterday morning?"

The shock made him pause, and he didn’t get a chance to retrieve the rabbit.

Liu Yang straightforwardly pulled Jiang Hu to the courtyard, just as Erniang arrived. Liu Yang sighed softly, not hiding the truth.

"In the morning, everything seemed fine, but soon after, there was some bleeding. The doctor said it was a sign of the fetus being disturbed and that she needs to be well taken care of."

Erniang gasped: "How did it get so serious?"

Liu Yang forced a smile: "It was my fault. The day before, Wang Xiang was with me working in the paddy field all day. If not for getting her to the doctor in time yesterday, we probably couldn’t have saved the baby, and she would’ve been at risk too."

Jiang Hu was taken aback: "That’s way too dangerous."

No wonder Liu Yang was so careful, both when leaving the clinic in the morning and upon returning home, always carrying his wife gingerly. Jiang Hu had thought Liu Yang was just being considerate, not realizing there was more to it.

Liu Yang took a deep breath, earnestly looking at the couple before him: "So Brother Jiang, Sister-in-law, please don’t be polite. Keep the rabbit; it’ll make me feel better. Besides, you even went so far as to offer a wild chicken to the boss as an apology."

With that, Liu Yang didn’t linger: "Alright, it’s getting late. I’ll head back now."