Editor: Atlas Studios
The second aunt looked at her second daughter staring at her with a predatory gaze and sighed helplessly. Maybe she had scared the girl earlier, as every time she stood up, the girl became anxious and wary.
Eventually, she simply let her daughter go outside to fetch some straw, while she continued weaving the grass mats.
Although this house had been tidied up, with new grass mats added to the roof and walls, other rooms were still leaking wind and rain.
As long as her mother did not go out, the daughter felt it was alright and obediently went to fetch several bundles of straw.
The daughter learned from her mother, and the pair worked for a while until the sky finally brightened, showing how early Jiang Hu had left in the morning.
"Hey, youngster is busy, where is your father?" Liu Yang came over carrying a hoe. Jiang Hu left so early that he didn’t know Jiang Hu had gone to town again.
"Uncle Liu, my dad went to town. He left early in the morning. Why are you looking for him?"
The youngster recognized Liu Yang; he had previously sent fish and sparrows to Liu Yang’s home. Liu Yang’s family had a four-year-old child who was a good friend of the youngster.
"Your dad went to sell fish again?" Liu Yang raised his eyebrows, feeling slightly displeased. Jiang Hu told them that fish wasn’t worth much in town, yet he ran off before dawn to sell fish, which wasn’t very brotherly.
Fortunately, the youngster shook his head directly: "No, my dad said yesterday was just good luck, and he won’t go to sell fish again. Selling fish doesn’t make money and wastes time."
Liu Yang opened his mouth wide in surprise: "Then why did he go to town?"
But in the next second, he reacted in time: "Wild chickens! Did your dad catch wild chickens?"
His eyes went round!
When Jiang Hu returned at noon yesterday, everyone heard him say he was going to look for wild chickens and rabbits on the mountain. They saw him go up the mountain in the afternoon but had not seen him return by nightfall.
It seems Jiang Hu had a successful trip yesterday?
The youngster saw Liu Yang so surprised and was very proud, lifting his small face: "Yes, not just wild chickens, but wild rabbits too. Dad took them to town."
Liu Yang was more than just surprised; he was very envious and even a bit jealous!
This luck was just too good!
Not to mention his wife safely gave birth to twins, and life was getting better with a barrel of fish in the yard, and now freshly caught wild chickens and rabbits!
Thinking about himself, although he did not know Jiang Hu before, half a year ago, their families met while fleeing. His wife was pregnant at the time.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same luck as Jiang Hu; within less than two weeks of fleeing, the child was lost, and it wasn’t just him—many others experienced the same.
But Jiang Hu’s second wife was different; although her pregnancy was difficult with severe reactions, she remained stable!
And such a pregnant woman, Liu Yang only saw at Jiang Hu’s house throughout his escape. How could he not be envious?
At this moment, thankfully, the second wife’s voice came from inside: "Is it Brother Liu?"
Liu Yang was startled but quickly regained his composure: "Ah, yes, it’s me. I came to find Jiang Hu. If he’s not here, I’ll head back first."
Though he needed to avoid suspicion.
But as he turned around, he was called back by the second wife: "Wait a moment, Brother Liu. Tiger left early in the morning and didn’t get a chance to tell you all that there’s a patch of wasteland next to the yard. He said if you want to catch fish or wild chickens, you can dig worms there."
Liu Yang immediately stopped his actions and turned back with surprise and delight: "Really? Sister-in-law, you’re not tricking me, right?"
Last time, the youngster alongside a few children caught worms, making fishing very effective. He originally came for this reason today.
This time, not waiting for the second wife to say more, the youngster became excited: "It’s true, it’s true, Uncle Liu, my dad said we should let the villagers catch wild chickens and ducks together!"
"It’s right here. My dad dumped the water used for washing Little Rice and Iron Egg’s diapers this morning here, surely there are lots of worms. My dad caught the wild chickens using these worms!"
The youngster spoke as he led Liu Yang to the patch of wasteland outside the yard.
Liu Yang was somewhat surprised and skeptical: "Really?"
The youngster patted his small chest: "Of course it’s true. My dad said Little Rice and Iron Egg are lucky stars from heaven, sent to bless our Fuan Village, making it better and better!"
Liu Yang looked at the patch of wasteland in front of him. The wild grass had water droplets on them and smelled a bit foul, after all, diapers had been here, with urine and feces, which was normal.
Looking again at Jiang’s vegetable garden, it clearly grew better than others’ gardens.
Although it seemed incredible, hearing the youngster say that Fuan Village would become better, Liu Yang couldn’t help but be happy.
"Then thank you, youngster. I’ll call your aunt to come and see if there are any worms."
After all, just outside Jiang Hu’s yard, with only children and a postpartum woman at home, it wasn’t appropriate for a grown man to be beside someone’s yard.
Thinking of wild chickens and wild rabbits, thinking they could be sold for money, Liu Yang hurried home, soon returning with his wife.
Liu Yang’s wife, named Wang Xiang, was about the same age as the second wife. She brought her son along, letting him play outside with the youngster while she entered the house to see the second wife and the children.
Seeing the wild rabbit, she was pleasantly surprised, and further, hearing the second wife say that once the rabbits reproduce, they’ll be raised, she was even more envious.
Seeing Wang Xiang’s envious expression, the second wife remembered what Tiger told her last night, and after some thought, she smiled at Wang Xiang.
"Tiger said yesterday they used wild grass as bait, that’s why they caught the rabbit. Just now the youngster was pulling grass. You can take some of the wild grass when you dig up worms to see if you can catch a rabbit."
"Really?" Wang Xiang was very surprised: "Rabbits can be caught with wild grass?"
The second wife pinched two blades of wild grass and tossed them into the bamboo basket: "Of course, see how happily it eats them, indicates the wild grass is delicious."
The wild rabbit, seeing the wild grass, stopped shedding hair, ate large mouthfuls, and finished eating quickly.
Wang Xiang saw this and nodded repeatedly: "Right, right, you didn’t bring it up, else I’d forget. Second aunt, you rest first, I’ll go outside and see."
With that, she hurried outside to dig for worms, even if they couldn’t catch wild chickens, catching more fish would at least fill their bellies.
If lucky enough, catching one of those big fish like Jiang Hu did could even sell for money!
Passing the vegetable garden, she happened to hear the youngster talking to her son, Liu Hai, that Jiang Hu bought salt yesterday and brought back five copper coins, making her even more envious.
As long as she dug more worms, caught more fish or wild chickens, surely, she could sell them for copper coins!
And now their family came, soon more villagers would definitely come, and by then, resources would be scarce, and they wouldn’t catch as many worms.
Thinking about these things, Wang Xiang couldn’t care less about the smell in the wasteland, she began to busy herself, and even called her son over, telling him to find bugs in the dug-up soil—whether ants or earthworms—as long as they were bugs, grab them all!