Shen Xuanqing swallowed a mouthful of rice before replying, “Mother, this is our first year raising so much livestock. Stocking up on more hay definitely won’t hurt. We also need rice and wheat straw for firewood. If we run out of feed in winter, we’d have to dig up grass roots or strip tree bark. Who wants to suffer in the cold like that? Besides, as the saying goes, ‘better safe than sorry.’ If the rabbits starve and lose weight or die, what will we sell next year?”
“Right, Mother,” Shen Yaoqing chimed in. “Two cartloads for three copper coins, one rabbit can buy twenty cartloads.” He’d heard Shen Xuanqing’s reasoning earlier and agreed it made sense. Their family wouldn’t lose out.
With both sons saying so, Wei Lanxiang wavered. Shen Yaoqing coaxed her further until she inwardly conceded that she had no say in the matter anyway and dropped the issue, though she still thought hiring someone to cut grass was ridiculous.
Ji Qiuyue, noticing her displeasure, smiled and said, “Mother, this is a good thing. Once you’re done gathering fresh grass, you’ll have time to help hold Zhao’er. I can hardly manage him alone, when he cries or fusses, he needs to be carried and soothed. If not for our big family, I wouldn’t even have time to eat.”
This struck a chord with Wei Lanxiang, who brightened immediately. Her grandson was her pride and joy, she loved showing him off and doting on him. Her spirits lifted, and she quickly came around. Whether money was spent or not, anyway it wasn’t her money. Let Shen Xuanqing handle it himself, what was the point of an old woman meddling?
“Alright, then. Let’s do it.” She agreed readily, her earlier displeasure gone.
Lu Gu had always known he wasn’t quick-witted or eloquent. Watching Ji Qiuyue skillfully cheer Wei Lanxiang up in just a few words, he gazed at her with admiration, thinking to himself, Eldest Sister-in-law is amazing.
Beside him, Shen Xuanqing chewed his rice, then suddenly noticed Lu Gu’s bright-eyed look, directed at someone else. His chewing halted, and he felt inexplicably irked. But with the whole family present, he couldn’t ask about it. Instead, he pretended to casually pick up food for Lu Gu, urging him to eat while it was hot.
Lu Gu’s attention returned. Since Shen Xuanqing had occasionally served him food before, he didn’t suspect anything.
____
After autumn arrived, wild animals in the mountains began fattening up for winter. Two days later, once Lu Gu’s thumb had healed somewhat, he and Shen Xuanqing headed up the mountain.
This time, Lu Gu only brought two sets of thick clothes. The rice and flour left from their last trip were still there, so bringing some dry rations would suffice. Wei Lanxiang had also packed them peanuts and roasted beans as snacks.
As for He Zhi and Chen Dongdong’s pay for grass-cutting, Shen Xuanqing counted out three hundred copper coins, enough for two hundred cartloads, and left the money with Shen Yaoqing. He had found an unused wooden board, and for every cartload He Zhi brought back, he or Shen Yaoqing would notch it with a sickle tip. Ten notches meant fifteen copper coins in payment.
Hiring He Zhi and his fulang proved to be the right decision. With Lu Gu unable to do much work due to his injury, he busied himself sweeping the new house or chopping grass for the chickens. Sometimes, he’d see He Zhi and Chen Dongdong arriving with a cart piled high with grass, neither slacking nor cutting corners.
They were meticulous, removing twigs, thorns, and anything that could scratch hands or harm the livestock’s mouths. After unloading, they’d spread the grass to dry with rakes and avoided cutting anything the cattle and sheep couldn’t eat.
Even Wei Lanxiang, after inspecting their work, felt reassured.
Cartload after cartload, He Zhi worked diligently, as did Chen Dongdong. Cutting grass was something he could help with, moreover it was fifteen copper coins for ten cartloads! When they worked quickly, sometimes He Zhi’s parents would pitch in too. On their busiest day, they managed five cartloads.
He Zhi rolled up his sleeves and swung his sickle, focusing solely on cutting. Chen Dongdong did the same. He Zhi’s parents, though frail, could still help by shaking out thorns and loading the grass.
Day laborers were common in the villages, but work wasn’t always steady. Though grass-cutting paid modestly, Shen Xuanqing had hinted that with more livestock in the future, the family would need hired help regularly. Seeing it as a long-term opportunity, He Zhi was determined to do well. Even during farming seasons when he took other jobs, Dongdong and his parents could still cut grass for extra income.
News of earning money from grass-cutting spread quickly. Several blunt-spoken villagers remarked enviously to He Zhi that they wished they’d gotten the job. Though he knew Shen Xuanqing wouldn’t go back on his word, He Zhi was determined to keep this work.
With family matters no longer weighing on him, Lu Gu had little to do. These days, he ate well at home, with an egg every day, so his wound healed faster than past injuries. Still, it remained wrapped in medicinal cloth.
Sometimes, he even felt a little embarrassed. The injury wasn’t serious, just a deep cut. The bleeding had stopped quickly after applying thistle that day. Yet Shen Xuanqing insisted he should rest and recover, and somehow, the whole family went along with it.
Or rather, even Wei Lanxiang couldn’t stop him. Shen Xuanqing was the family’s main breadwinner, his decisions were usually final.
After settling in on the mountain, they rested awhile. Now, Shen Xuanqing was outside sweeping the yard while Lu Gu dusted the bed and tables with a feather duster.
Though they always closed the doors and windows when leaving, dust still crept in, coating everything in a thin layer.
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