Chapter Bonanza (3/10)

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Soon after, news arrived from Dongjia Village, announcing that Hongguo’er was pregnant.

Dager finally got lucky once and was going to be a father.

Though he himself remained completely unaware, it didn’t stop the family from being overjoyed upon hearing the news.

Huo Feng said to Huo Ling, “By custom, the Dong family should get one puppy. I discussed it with your sister-in-law—we’ll pay extra to bring back another one. Yingzi has always wanted her own little dog.”

“That’s a good idea. Though nothing bad has ever happened in our village, you never know what might come. Didn’t Dongjia Village get robbed?”

Huo Feng nodded. “I did hear about Dongjia Village, which is why I thought of this. Yingzi is a girl. When she gets older, there will be times she stays home alone. Having a dog to guard the house would be reassuring. Besides, since it’s Dager’s child, it should get along well with the other dogs we have.”

Even knowing that puppies born to Dager and Hongguo would fetch a high price, they were prepared to bite the bullet and pay the silver.

Otherwise, if thieves really broke in and stole their grain, livestock, or worse, harmed someone, the losses would be far greater.

A pregnant bitch takes two months to give birth. By the time she delivers, autumn would have arrived—perfectly mild weather for postpartum confinement.

“When we go to Dongjia Village, we’ll tell Brother Dong’s family to set aside two puppies for us.”

The only worry was that, from what they’d heard last time, many in Dongjia Village were also waiting for puppies. Who knew how many Hongguo’er would have? If the litter was small, there might not be enough to go around.

Whenever Huo Ling and Yan Qi thought of this, they both felt a deep satisfaction, as if they were about to hold their precious grandchildren.

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In the fields, the wheat ears were swelling, like undulating green waves.

In another month, summer would end, and it would be time for the autumn wheat harvest.

Beyond the wheat fields, sorghum and corn plots also demanded tending—watering, fertilizing, weeding—nothing could be neglected.

By the height of the farming season, Huo Feng had grown noticeably darker and leaner than in winter. He joked that all his winter fat had melted away, to be replenished only after the autumn harvest brought in the new grain.

Ye Suping was equally capable—or rather, she had to be. With only two able workers in the household to tend five acres of land, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and push through, no matter how exhausting it became.

That’s how life is when you depend on the land for sustenance. From the moment they opened their eyes, they headed to the fields. Summer days stretched long; by the time the hour of Yin passed under Bailong Mountain, the sky was already turning faintly light. Starting work early meant avoiding the worst of the heat.

Usually, they worked until noon, returning home just before the sun climbed high to grab a quick bite and nap. They’d head back out for the afternoon, laboring until dusk fell before heading home.

This was the path Huo Ling never wanted to walk, yet it was the life Huo Feng had chosen.

They lingered an extra day at the mountain’s base to visit Hongguo’er in Dongjia Village, helping out in the fields.

Straw scarecrows clad in old clothes stood in the fields. Birds flitted overhead, and occasionally, eagles circled the high sky.

Among the weeds they pulled, some were suitable for feeding chickens and ducks—purslane and dandelions, for instance. Though past their prime for human consumption, the livestock didn’t mind.

They also kept a pig at home, requiring a constant supply of fodder.

To fatten the pig for extra meat during the New Year, it must be well-fed daily.

For this, Huo Ying went out every day to dig for earthworms and catch snails to feed the chickens and ducks. Eating these made the birds lay more eggs with harder shells, less likely to be soft-boiled.

Listening to his little niece explain chicken and duck raising with such authority, Huo Ling took the small bowl from Yan Qi’s hands and scooped a handful of wild cherries he’d brought down from the mountain for her.

The wild fruits the little girl had been longing for since early morning now covered the hillsides. With hairy cherries are the earliest to ripen. But don’t be fooled by their red color—out of ten, you’d be lucky to find five or six that were sweet.

In the countryside, fruit was a rare treat. Even the sour ones were eagerly sampled, grimacing through each bite. Stumbling upon a sweet one brought joy that lasted half the day.

“This tree we found isn’t very sweet—most are sour. Let’s wait for Uncle and Auntie to find another one.”

Seeing how much Huo Ying enjoyed them, Huo Ling simply gave her the entire bowl.

Neither he nor Yan Qi could handle sourness well. Occasionally, biting into one felt like their teeth were going to fall out, their mouths watering profusely.

Huo Feng and Ye Suping were the same.

When it came to wild fruits, they’d have to wait another month or two. By then, not only would the family’s fruit trees be ready for picking, but the mountains would also be full of edible delights—blueberries, lantern berries, wild grapes, berries… whatever they fancied.

Among these, lantern berries were mostly sweet, while the others, like the hairy cherries, were hit or miss.

Huo Ying, elated, carried the wild cherries to share with Donghua from the Qi family.

Huo Ling called Dager to deliver them, so the adults wouldn’t have to follow and wouldn’t worry about the children getting lost. Hearing them walk far away, Huo Ling went inside, climbed onto the kang to rest, and said to Yan Qi, ” Earlier, I discussed with my eldest brother that if someone in the village sold land, we should buy two or three more mu. At least that would provide enough grain to feed our family year-round. But now, looking at it, how could we possibly manage that?”

But it was still too early to talk about this now. If a chance to buy land truly arose, they would definitely purchase it. As for how to cultivate it and what to plant, they would figure it out when the time came.

Afternoon.

Huo Ling went alone to Shuangjia village to buy wood lacquer from Old Man Mu. Yan Qi informed him before heading to the Lin household with a portion of wild cherries and two pounds of thoroughly cleaned river snails to find Xiao Mingming.

Time and again, Lin Changsui was never home—either out in the fields or in town—a testament to the toil of supporting a family.

Xiao Mingming, however, showed no signs of exhaustion. Like Yan Qi, since arriving in Xiashan Village, he had only gained weight, his face noticeably rounder than when he first came.

They washed only a small handful of wild cherries, saving the rest for Lin Changshui’s return.

Yan Qi mentioned he’d eaten plenty on the mountain, and Xiao Mingming understood without asking that he was saving them for Lin Changshui.

Recently, Mother Lin had a weak stomach and dared not eat raw fruits.

“How is your mother-in-law feeling? Has she seen a doctor?”

Yan Qi bit into a sour cherry mid-sentence, the tartness making him swallow repeatedly.

Xiao Mingming chuckled, then bit into one himself. Fortunately, they both found sweeter ones next.

Mentioning his mother-in-law inevitably brought a touch of worry to his brow.

“Changshui says it’s an old ailment. Not just a weak stomach, but also lung heat symptoms—she’s always coughing. To be honest, it’s not a serious illness, just a nuisance. The problem is, the moment you suggest getting medicine, she gets upset, saying it’s a waste of money.”

In contrast, when she had Lin Changshui take Xiao Mingming to see Bearded Ma for treatment back then, she hadn’t batted an eye or felt the slightest pang of regret over the expense.

This showed how the older generation often was: doting on the younger generation was one thing, but being frugal with their own money was quite another.

“Not taking medicine won’t do. Even if she doesn’t like it, find out if there are any folk remedies or herbal teas. Drinking some brewed in water is better than just toughing it out.”

But as an outsider, he had no say in the matter. Xiao Mingming couldn’t persuade her either. Worried as he was, he really couldn’t do much about Lin’s mother.

After sitting for a while, Xiao Mingming pulled out several handkerchiefs from under his pillow and asked Yan Qi to take a look at his embroidery work.

“You often go to the market. Do you see anyone selling handkerchiefs or sachets? I’ve been thinking of helping bring in some extra income for the family. Unfortunately, I don’t have any proper skills—only my embroidery is passable.”

Yan Qi flipped through them, thought for a moment, and said, “There are definitely sellers, but I haven’t asked about prices. Next time I go, I’ll inquire for you.”

Xiao Mingming thanked him and carefully repacked the handkerchief.

“Honestly, I doubt my embroidery would fetch much. The town has everything—with so many sellers, prices probably won’t be high.”

“Don’t say that. You’ll sell them, whether for a little or a lot.”

Yan Qi offered some reassurance. When he arrived, his basket held wild cherries and river snails; when he left, it held an extra bowl of salted bellflower root pickles that Xiao Mingming had learned to make from Mother Lin.