Their backyard was spacious, with plenty of unused land. With so many poultry and livestock, the smell in summer could get overwhelming. Qingyao leaves would definitely be needed daily. Though they were cheap and could be gathered from the mountains, growing them at home would be even better.
Lu Gu felt refreshed riding the mule cart outside. Hearing this plan, he naturally agreed. With homegrown vegetables, meat, and now even medicinal herbs, their self-sufficiency was improving.
They traveled leisurely to Wangli Village. Along the way, they even met Old Man Lu and his wife. Shen Xuanqing let them ride on the cart, they were from the same village, so giving them a lift was no trouble. The couple got off at the entrance of Wangli Village, as the couple still had a stretch to walk to her natal home.
Once they reached the village entrance, Shen Xuanqing led the mule toward Li Zhuzi’s house. Lu Gu stopped sitting and walked alongside him.
Li Zhuzi’s pigpen was in the backyard. After tethering the mule outside the gate, Shen Xuanqing went in. The sow had given birth to six piglets, and he had already reserved the four largest ones.
Li Zhuzi entered the pen to catch the scurrying piglets, handing each one to Shen Xuanqing, who stood outside. Having raised pigs for years, Li Zhuzi was skilled at catching them.
Lu Gu watched the squirming, loudly squealing piglets with delight.
“These four, each over twenty catties.” Li Zhuzi closed the pen door and walked out, his shoes and legs inevitably stained with mud and pig manure, though he paid it no mind. Speaking of his piglets, his face showed pride. His reputation for selling healthy piglets was well-known in the surrounding villages.
“They really are good.” Shen Xuanqing hefted the wriggling piglet in his hands. It was indeed over twenty catties, and nodded in agreement. Then he asked, “Have they been castrated?”
“Already castrated, no need to worry. Our family does honest business. My father took care of them before he left home. As you asked, we left the female one intact. If you need breeding later, just call, and I’ll bring the boar over.” Li Zhuzi grinned.
“Old Man Li’s skills are top-notch.” Shen Xuanqing praised.
The Old Man Li he referred to was Li Zhuzi’s father, a well-known pig castrator who traveled from village to village. In his old age, he stayed home and raised pigs.
When Shen Xuanqing had first come to inspect the piglets, he had made it clear to Li Zhuzi - only the female piglet was to be left unaltered, the others were to be castrated. Neutered pigs grew larger, and their meat was less gamey when slaughtered.
Since Li Zhuzi’s father was the castrator, buying piglets from their family included free neutering. Country folk had to save where they could, so their piglet business had always thrived, easily covering the castration costs.
Some buyers wanted female pigs for breeding. If those were accidentally neutered, they’d raise hell. Having learned from past mistakes, Li Zhuzi now always confirmed buyers’ intentions. Even if he missed out on piglet sales later, breeding fees for the boar would still earn him money. And when the sow eventually farrowed, who else would they call to castrate the piglets but his father, the most famous castrator in the area? One way or another, his family would profit.
Hearing his father praised, Li Zhuzi scratched his head, his smile fading slightly. His father’s reputation was so great that his own skills were often overlooked. Feeling somewhat unappreciated, he pointed at one piglet and said, “This one was done by me. What do you think?”
Realizing his misstep, Shen Xuanqing kept a straight face and examined the piglet as requested before smiling. “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d have thought Old Man Li did all of them. Your skills are close to perfection now, no less than your father’s.”
Uneducated and illiterate, Li Zhuzi brightened immediately at these words. If Shen Xuanqing couldn’t tell the difference, that meant his skills were now on par with his father’s. Pleased, his sun-darkened face broke into a grin. “No wonder people say you're well-educated, it really shows. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'fire and green,' but I've heard those words before. Hearing you explain it makes me feel much better.”
[Shen Xuanqing's praised Li Zhuzi's pig-castrating skills as having reached perfection or mastery (炉火纯青, lúhuǒ chúnqīng). Li Zhuzi's uneducated and misheard/misinterpreted the idiom as fire and green (火青, huǒ qīng), finding it baffling but flattering]
Shen Xuanqing chuckled without further explanation, yet Li Zhuzi's straightforward nature made him a good person despite his rough edges.
Lu Gu observed from the side, noting that the piglets had already undergone castration and now just needed to be raised. As for Shen Xuanqing’s conversation with Li Zhuzi, he had worried when he saw Li Zhuzi’s expression darken, but no conflict arose. He thought to himself, their Erqing was truly impressive, always so good at giving compliments.
Since the cart’s sideboards were low, Shen Xuanqing and Li Zhuzi tied the piglets’ legs and laid them down to prevent them from jumping out during the trip. Then they set off slowly back home.
The plump piglets delighted Lu Gu. Sitting on the cart, he couldn’t resist touching the nearest one's belly. The moment he did, the piglet let out a series of frantic squeals.
Hearing the noise, Shen Xuanqing turned around, his starry eyes twinkling with amusement. “I forgot the piglets were back there, I thought it was you.”
Lu Gu froze, then noticed the fleeting mischievous grin. Was he calling me a pig?
Rarely angered, Lu Gu raised his hand to swat at him, but Shen Xuanqing dodged, and the distance between them made the attempt futile.
As Shen Xuanqing laughed ahead, Lu Gu, unaccustomed to such teasing, felt utterly wronged. Not knowing how else to retaliate, he secretly shifted forward on the cart. Once close enough, he mimicked Wei Lanxiang and smacked Shen Xuanqing’s arm.
“Ow!” Shen Xuanqing had noticed him moving but pretended to be hurt, only to fail at suppressing his laughter.
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