Chapter 203
"Woof!"
The cuju ball rolled noisily on the ground as Guaizi excitedly nudged it back with his nose. Xiaohuang and Huang'er intercepted it, snapping at the ball, while Zhao'er let out a delighted shriek that made Wei Lanxiang exclaim, "Oh dear, oh dear, stop shouting or you'll ruin your voice!"
Zhao'er snatched the cuju ball from the competing mouths of Xiaohuang and Huang'er and placed it back on the ground, then tried to kick it as Shen Yaoqing had taught him.
How much strength could a toddler have? Guaizi, who had dashed forward eagerly, caught up to the cuju ball in just two steps and batted it back with his front paws, making Zhao'er giggle. Whether child or dogs, everyone in the yard was excited and happy.
Lu Gu held Lingjun in his arms and watched from the sidelines. Unexpectedly, their little shuang'er wasn't the overly reserved type, he strained forward impatiently, pointing at the rolling cuju ball with one hand and babbling excitedly.
"Alright, alright, you can kick it too." Lu Gu had no choice but to bend down, holding Lingjun securely, and let the child's tiny feet tap the ball. Seeing the cuju ball roll away, Lingjun immediately burst into laughter, making incoherent sounds as if trying to speak.
Guaizi, Xiaohuang, and Huang'er fought over the cuju ball with their teeth, none willing to yield, growling low in their throats as if ready to brawl.
Children who could walk and run were always full of energy. Even after playing for a while, Zhao'er showed no signs of fatigue. He walked up to the three dogs and tried to grab the cuju ball.
"Let go!" Wei Lanxiang scolded the dogs as Zhao'er reached for the ball.
Guaizi and the others immediately released it and stopped growling, standing still while licking their muzzles. But when Zhao'er kicked the ball again, they eagerly chased after it, playing like children themselves.
Lingjun wanted to kick the ball again, so Lu Gu had no choice but to carry him as they chased after it.
Wei Lanxiang sat under the eaves, mending clothes. She had torn her sleeve yesterday while carrying firewood. Watching her two grandsons having fun, a smile also appeared on her face.
After playing with the cuju ball for a long while, Lu Gu straightened up with Lingjun in his arms and said, "Alright, alright, Amu is tired. We'll play again later."
The sun was growing stronger, and sweat beaded on Zhao'er's flushed cheeks. Wei Lanxiang, having already finished mending her sleeve, walked over to wipe his face with a handkerchief. She then felt the back of his neck and said to Lu Gu, "His back is drenched."
"Enough for today. Drink some water and rest, you're all getting too wild." Wei Lanxiang picked up the cuju ball, and when Zhao'er protested, she coaxed, "Go drink some water, and Grandma will break you a piece of steamed bun."
With the cuju ball put away and out of sight, both child and dogs had nothing left to play with. Even little Lingjun stopped fussing, allowing Lu Gu to finally sit down and rest.
Seeing that it was almost noon, Lu Gu finished the water in his bowl, set it down, and said, "Mother, I'll go back to make lunch. Can you watch Lingjun for a while?"
"Alright, go ahead." Wei Lanxiang handed half a steamed bun to Zhao'er before taking Lingjun, and Lu Gu headed back to the old house.
As he walked out of the courtyard gate, Guaizi and Xiaohuang followed. He didn't stop them, the old house was empty and locked, so having the dogs accompany him was some company.
After transplanting the rice seedlings, Shen Yaoqing went to the fields every day, either checking the paddies or pulling weeds from the wheat fields. The good weather meant weeds grew vigorously, and if left unchecked, they would choke the crops and reduce the harvest.
Shen Yan and Ji Qiuyue took the cattle, ducks, and geese to the riverbank. They also carried fish traps and a shovel to dig for earthworms and catch loaches to chop up for the chickens.
The chicks and ducklings hatched at home were now a little over twenty days old. Being so fragile, not all of them survived - out of seventy-six chicks, sixty-five lived, and out of eighty ducklings, sixty-two made it. Fortunately, their house was large, with spacious chicken and duck coops, and they diligently cleaned up manure to prevent dampness and stuffiness, so the losses weren't too severe.
When they first hatched, Wei Lanxiang would inspect the coops daily, often carrying out one or two dead chicks or ducklings. Such young poultry had barely any meat, and local custom dictated they be buried under trees, not even the dogs were allowed to eat them, let alone people.
Those that survived grew stronger each day, and since no more died, it was a relief.
They still had twenty adult chickens and ducks each. Even so, when Shen Xuanqing returned last time, he asked Shen Yaoqing to buy more spring chicks, aiming to raise over a hundred. They would likely go to Liangzhang Bridge for the market in the next few days.
Lu Gu unlocked the door and entered the yard, pulling up a spring vegetable from the small garden. When Guaizi sniffed at the other vegetables and even opened his mouth as if to bite, Lu Gu immediately smacked him on the head. The dog lowered his head, tucked his tail, and flattened his ears, looking thoroughly chastened. Lu Gu pinched his ear and scolded, "Even Xiaohuang behaves better than you. Every time you take a bite, you just leave it, such a waste of food. If Mother finds out, she’ll beat you."
Despite his words, when Guaizi rubbed against his leg with a furry head, Lu Gu relented and gave him a fresh spring vegetable leaf.
Xiaohuang wagged his tail and looked up expectantly, so he got a big leaf too.
After washing the vegetables, Lu Gu chopped them on the cutting board with rhythmic thuds. Remembering it had been a while since they’d had steamed egg custard, he took a few eggs from the basket. This year was different, with more hens and ducks, half laid eggs for sale while the other half hatched fertilized eggs, balancing both purposes.
Lingjun could now eat a few bites of egg custard, though Wei Lanxiang said young children shouldn’t have too much oil - like sesame oil, which should only be used sparingly.
A drop of sesame oil from the mill carried a rich, fragrant aroma. In rural families, where some couldn’t even afford cooking oil, let alone sesame oil, they used it sparingly.
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