As Lu Gu stuffed grass into the hutches, he felt a sense of joy seeing the plump, round baby rabbits. The largest litter had four rabbits, kept in pairs. As they ate the grass, their little mouths moved up and down, chewing intently, completely focused on their meal.
There were ten pairs of breeding rabbits at home, and the remaining five mother rabbits were also pregnant. They needed fresh grass every day. In other seasons, they didn’t need much water, and sometimes just eating grass was enough. But summer was different, it was too hot, so water had to be provided and changed frequently. Otherwise, if the water became dirty, there would be small insects or debris floating on the surface.
Shen Xuanqing had raised rabbits before and told Lu Gu that rabbits were delicate. They needed fresh water every day, or they would die.
Not just the rabbits, but even the chickens at home had their water bowls emptied daily since the weather turned hot.
The sun grew brighter and hotter, shining through the gaps in the wooden planks. After the rabbit hutches were built, a thatched roof was added to protect them from rain. Logs of uniform thickness were cut and slanted downward along the mud walls, supported by wooden beams and covered with thatch. It wouldn’t leak even in heavy rain.
For ventilation in the summer, the sides weren’t built with mud walls but instead used wooden planks with gaps in between. In case of wind or rain, bamboo mats or layers of straw could be tied over the gaps.
There were thirty-nine rabbits in total, including the young ones who were also learning to eat grass, so the bamboo basket was quickly emptied.
Further back in the fenced area, more than twenty hens clucked and pecked at the grass, scratching the ground. There were also seventeen fluffy chicks, scurrying around and chirping softly, full of youthful energy.
These were the spring chicks hatched by Wei Lanxiang’s hens. A few had died after hatching, but the remaining seventeen were growing strong. Some ducklings had also been hatched, but since Wei Lanxiang hadn’t raised many hens or ducks before, she had been a bit overwhelmed during the hatching process and hadn’t managed them as well. A few weaker ducklings had died, leaving fifteen that now swam in the river with their mother every day.
Hearing the calf moo, Lu Gu remembered he had already fed it grass earlier, so it must be thirsty.
He hurried over to the cattle pen and poured half a bucket of water from the nearby wooden barrel into the trough. The calf drank eagerly, its mouth almost submerged in the water.
The cattle pen was spacious, so the calf wasn’t too confined. As it drank, Lu Gu gently patted its head and said, “I’ll take you out to swim when it gets hot at noon.”
The weather was getting hotter, and the little water buffalo naturally loved the water.
Just as he was speaking, Shen Xuanqing arrived with a shovel and began cleaning out the cattle and sheep pens. If he didn’t, the flies would swarm, buzzing annoyingly.
The cow and sheep dung was piled up. Back at the old house, they hadn’t been able to burn medicinal leaves because Ji Qiuyue was pregnant. But now that the livestock had been moved here, they could burn them.
While Shen Xuanqing shoveled the dung, Lu Gu pulled a piece of firewood from the small clay stove where water was boiling. He brought over a bundle of medicinal leaves and lit them after Shen Xuanqing covered the dung pile with dry soil. The strong, pungent smoke drove away the flies, and the medicinal ash sprinkled over the dung helped cover the smell.
At home, they didn’t casually discard the ash from the stove after burning firewood. It was saved to cover the livestock’s waste in the summer, preventing flies and insects from gathering.
The new house had a large yard, and as long as the wind didn’t blow from the south, the smell of the livestock wouldn’t reach the front rooms.
With dozens of rabbits, chickens, ducks, a cow, and sheep, all of which were caught alive and not bought with any money. Everyone who visited the new house, whether villagers or relatives, showed some degree of envy.
Shen Xuanqing preferred not to show off in front of others to avoid gossip and trouble, but he couldn’t stop people from coming. He couldn’t just block them at the door.
Fortunately, after the initial excitement wore off, fewer people came.
The livestock in the new house were thriving, each one lively and healthy. Every day, they had to gather grass and shovel dung, requiring several baskets of grass. It was tiring, but it brought them joy.
After lunch, Lu Gu led the calf out the back door to the river.
The calf was very docile. It didn’t need to be pulled by the rope and walked leisurely beside him. It was smaller than Guaizi but looked well-behaved and steady.
However, sometimes it could also be playful. It often played with Guaizi, the two of them butting heads and testing their strength. Sometimes, when anyone from the family came to feed it, the calf would imitate Guaizi and nuzzle against them, showing affection.
The clear river water was churned muddy as the calf lounged in the water, thoroughly enjoying itself. Lu Gu took shelter under the shade of the trees by the riverbank, as the sun was scorching at this time.
Originally, Wei Lanxiang had offered to take the calf out, but Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing were going up the mountain the day after tomorrow. The calf had only been brought home a few days ago, and Lu Gu was still very fond of it, so he decided to take it out himself.
Guaizi lay on the ground with his front paws crossed, watching the calf in the river for a while. His ears perked up, twitching occasionally, before he grew bored and looked elsewhere.
The cicadas droned on, and Lu Gu sat on a rock, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan to stay cool. A small insect landed on his pants, and he flicked it away with the fan.
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