Chapter 139
The voices outside soon faded, and Lu Gu emptied the grass from his bamboo basket onto the ground just as Wei Lanxiang walked in.
"Mother." He set the empty basket aside, dusted off his hands, and took a few sips of water. The overcast sky meant he and Shen Yan would have to hurry to gather more grass after this short break.
With so many animals at home now, they went through dozens of catties of grass daily. The cows, sheep, and rabbits were the biggest consumers, while the ducks fared better, let them loose by the river, they would forage for their own food.
Though they scattered grass and vegetable seeds in the chicken coop, the birds pecked at them so fiercely they sometimes uprooted everything. So fresh grass still had to be gathered, mixed with chaff and bran for feeding.
To keep the chickens and ducks healthy, Lu Gu spent his free time collecting river snails or digging earthworms from damp soil. Chopped up and tossed into the coop, these treats sent both grown hens and chicks scrambling.
"Good. That old shrew Zhou Yunzhi is so afraid I’ll mooch even a grain of rice off her that she won’t dare visit for a while." Wei Lanxiang set down her basket and added, "If she does show up, I’ll bring up hongqiao again, force her to leave. The stingy wretch, eating and drinking here without shame. Hope she rots for it."
"As if anyone wants their paltry scraps. It’s not like I’ve never tasted hongqiao before." Though still irritated, venting made her feel better. Then, seeing the thriving vegetable plots and animal pens in the backyard, her expression brightened. With their own prosperity, why bother about others?
Since Zhou Yunzhi was an elder, Lu Gu could only nod along, not daring to comment.
"This won’t be enough. I’ll go with you two to gather more." Wei Lanxiang closed the front gate, and the three headed out through the back.
By the river, the calf flicked its tail as it grazed, with Da Hui following lazily behind. Bored, the dog even stretched and yawned. From a distance, Lu Gu spotted Guaizi relieving himself against a tree before dashing over at the sight of them.
Da Bai and Da Hei stayed behind to guard the house, with so many rabbits, precautions were necessary. Besides, the five-acre yard gave them plenty of space to run.
The rabbits ate tender grass, wild vegetables, and young shrub branches. The Qingxi River’s banks were vast; once they cleared one area, they moved to another. Weeds grew fast, reaching knee-height within days.
Lu Gu alternated between cutting grass and digging up wild greens, his hands stained black-green with plant juices and dirt. But he paid no mind, too focused on spotting the rabbits’ favorite greens or the calf’s preferred shoots.
Grass-cutting was tedious labor. Most children played while doing it, but with rain looming, Lu Gu worked swiftly. Still, when he spotted a small cluster of wildflowers, he carefully set them aside, Shen Yan loved these. He also gathered some twigs, thinking that if it rained later, he could braid them into a floral garland for her.
Before the basket was full, raindrops began to fall.
"Mother, Yan Yan, let’s go back." Lu Gu called out as the drizzle thickened.
"Alright, you two take the calf first." Wei Lanxiang, closest to the river, grabbed a bamboo pole to herd the ducks ashore.
Lu Gu and Shen Yan hurried home with the calf. The clever calf needed no tugging, it bolted ahead, its hindquarters swaying comically as it squeezed through the back gate before them.
The sight left them torn between laughter and exasperation. Lu Gu’s eyes crinkled with suppressed mirth, while Shen Yan burst out laughing. "This ungrateful thing! We feed it well every day, and it just ditches us, wagging its rump like that!"
Inside, they found the calf had nudged open its pen and now stood dry and innocent-eyed, lowing at them.
Da Hui and Guaizi, loyal as ever, had followed them in. Da Hui lingered by the gate, watching for Wei Lanxiang.
The rain stayed light, and Wei Lanxiang soon returned with the ducks. Hearing Shen Yan’s story, she chuckled too.
The rabbit hutch, sheltered under a thatched roof, stayed dry. Lu Gu carried a basket of grass over to feed them while Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yan piled their haul on the ground to mix with dry fodder and bran later.
The spacious property had separate sheds for firewood and hay, the latter needing to be fully stocked before late autumn for winter feed.
The rain grew heavier, forming a steady curtain.
Shen Yaoqing, working in the fields, dashed back first, taking shelter in the new house near the village entrance. Soon after, Shen Xuanqing arrived, bow slung over his shoulder and a pheasant dangling from his hand, pierced through by an arrow.
With autumn beans ripening, pests had been ravaging the crops. Their three acres of peanuts had suffered, yesterday’s inspection revealed dug-up seeds. Farmers loathed such ruin, losing mature plants was bad enough, but seeds were their livelihood.
Today, while patrolling the dry fields to scare off intruders, he’d bagged this pheasant, a welcome addition to dinner.
"Found a hen’s nest too." Shen Xuanqing set down the colorful male bird and pulled two wild eggs from his pocket to show Lu Gu.
Their own chickens and ducks laid plentifully, even in summer’s heat, they collected at least twenty eggs daily. Lu Gu ate one each morning, while the others enjoyed them every few days.
But wild eggs were a rare find.
Lu Gu smiled. "I’ll grab a few more eggs later, fry them up with these two."
Two alone wouldn’t suffice for the whole family. Shen Xuanqing, who loved scrambled eggs, nodded and carefully set the wild eggs aside.
Guaizi sniffed at them briefly before losing interest, plopping down to rest his furry head on Lu Gu’s foot.
With Ji Qiuyue tending the baby alone at home, Wei Lanxiang threw on a rain hat and hurried back.
The still-hungry calf bawled from the backyard. Shen Yaoqing donned a straw raincoat to haul armfuls of grass to the livestock.
After resting and drinking warm water, Lu Gu freed his foot from under Guaizi’s head and brought out a chopping board to mince greens. Shen Yan scooped bran into the chicken feed basin for mixing.
Seeing them busy, Shen Xuanqing stayed to help, handing Lu Gu grass and plucking the arrow from the pheasant.
Shen Yan grinned. "Second Brother, since you’re helping, I’ll go braid my flowers."
Lu Gu hadn’t forgotten the wildflowers in their dash home.
With family around, intimacy was scarce, and daily chores left little time. Shen Xuanqing secretly relished these moments alone with his fulang, though his nod remained stoic, only he knew the warmth in his heart.
"The beans and peanuts will be ready for harvest in just a few days. Once we've brought in the thirteen-acre crop, I'll head out to hunt." He examined the arrowhead before setting it aside. "This year’s been busy, with something every fortnight. Haven’t gone up the mountain much. Later, I’ll catch more foxes to make up for this year’s spending."
That said, their bumper harvest ensured no food shortages. Small earnings covered daily needs, and the untouched eighty taels of silver provided security, why else would he stay home so contentedly?
Lu Gu had savings too, modest compared to Shen Xuanqing’s, but substantial for a country fulang.
His chopping paused. Hesitantly, he asked, "Fox hunting means camping for days. Last time you said five or six fox furs weren’t enough, so you stayed weeks. If you go alone this time, who’ll cook for you?"
Shen Xuanqing hadn’t considered that. Dry rations would suffice, but...
Lu Gu’s quiet voice held resolve. "Hunting is hard work. I’ll go too. You’ll have hot meals."
"The mountains are dangerous, with predators everywhere." The memory of the boar incident made Shen Xuanqing recoil.
Lu Gu fell silent, head bowing to hide his disappointment. He knew his frailty, but the thought of Shen Xuanqing surviving on bland fare pained him. Yet he couldn’t argue, Shen Xuanqing’s concern was valid.
Their year together had been free of strife. Seeing Lu Gu’s dejection, Shen Xuanqing panicked, flustered.
In a rush, he conceded: "Alright. You’ll come."
Just don’t shut me out.
The unspoken plea lodged in his throat.
Lu Gu, unprepared for his compromise, looked up, there was still lingering hurt in his eyes.
Since joining the Shen family, he’d learned Shen Xuanqing’s stubbornness firsthand. Wei Lanxiang had warned him too. He’d assumed the matter settled.
"Really?" he whispered.
Shen Xuanqing nodded firmly. "Really. We’ll go together."
Lu Gu’s smile returned, easing Shen Xuanqing’s tension.
The brief rift mended, hardly a quarrel, just a minor hiccup.
Shen Yan, weaving her flowers, noted their reconciliation without comment. Some things were better left unspoken to spare dignity.
The rhythmic thunk of Lu Gu’s cleaver resumed. "This blade’s dull. Needs sharpening later."
Shen Xuanqing passed him another bunch of grass. "I’ll do it."
The whetstone was at the old house, plenty of time after returning.
As rain poured, Shen Xuanqing braved the downpour to distribute feed, then dashed back drenched. Wei Lanxiang arrived with two oil-paper umbrellas so they could return home dry.
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