Chapter 44: 44 Xiao Family’s Situation
Translator: 549690339
You should be content with what you have since the town is so far away. I only hunted two rabbits, and I promised sister-in-law Hua from next door that I would get her a fat wild rabbit. The other one has been caught by you; if you don’t want to buy it, I’ll buy it.”
“Hehe… No, I look forward to feasting on rabbit meat with wine, so I’ll buy it!”
Uncle Liu felt embarrassed, “Alright, Dashan, just weigh it as usual for me.”
“Alright, wait a moment.” Xiao Yishan walked into the kitchen and took out the burning firewood from the stove, extinguishing it with ashes. Then, he gathered the glowing embers with an iron clamp and piled them up, allowing the residual heat to continue cooking the rice in the pot without burning it while he was busy outside in the yard.
Aunt Zhang, who was outside, asked with curiosity, “Yo, Dashan, are you still cooking lunch at home?”
Aunt Wang also said, “Please don’t listen to me, but in these tough times, most people don’t eat lunch. I think your family shouldn’t cook lunch too often. Save some money, and after accumulating a little by little, you can buy some fields to cultivate in the future…”
Another villager, Wang Adou, said, “Don’t you know? The Xiao Family’s fourth son’s medical expenses are quite substantial. How can the Xiao Family afford to buy fields? They barely saved up sixteen taels of silver over many years, and all of it was spent on buying a mute wife. They have no extra money left.”
“Didn’t the Xiao Family save up eight taels of silver in the first month?” Someone who didn’t understand asked.
“Hey! You can’t calculate it like that.” Uncle Liu was clear about this, “After the Xiao Family bought a wife in the first month, they were completely broke.
Dashan is quite a fighter though, going into the mountains for a whole month and spending half a month in the deep mountains. He managed to hunt a deer and some other game with beautiful fur, which he sold for eight taels of silver. That was pure luck. For a hunter’s family, it’s normal to not catch any prey for several days in a row. Dashan might be good, but don’t forget that there are three sons in the Xiao Family. Look at their sizes; they consume more food than an ordinary family, and now with a wife, their food expenses have increased. On normal days, Dashan works hard at hunting, and with his skills, he can barely cover the medical expenses of the Xiao Family’s fourth son. But in winter, things get tough, as cold weather often prevents hunting for long periods. If you average this out over a year, it’s just enough to make ends meet.”
“We know about Dashan’s situation.” Wang Adou nodded, “It’s not easy, indeed.
On days when they can’t hunt, the fourth son’s medicine must be stopped. Chuan’s health isn’t good; even when he frequently carries low-value goods from village to village, he can barely earn anything. Besides, Chuan often faints, and I’m afraid his medical expenses are also considerable. I don’t know when the Xiao Family will ever be able to afford buying fields…”
Xiao Yishan took a balance rod out of the low storage room next to the main house, “The third brother has also been working hard to make money. Without his help, we wouldn’t have been able to save any silver.” The third brother did his best, and the credit for keeping the family going shouldn’t be entirely on him.
“Chuan faints so often, and a lot has been spent on his doctor’s visits. Your family originally couldn’t save much money, and now you have an extra wife and maybe even children… This burden will become even heavier.” Someone sighed with regret..