Chapter 712 - 367: Never-ending (Part 2)

Chapter 712: Chapter 367: Never-ending (Part 2)

"Juhua, I’m thinking of raising more pigs next year. We have two sows anyway, so we can just raise all their piglets ourselves. We can gradually increase the number, build another pigsty outside, and have Uncle Liu watch over it."

Juhua’s hand paused for a moment before she resumed drying his hair. "Have you thought about what to feed them?" she asked. "If we raise too many pigs, acorns won’t be enough. Besides, people nowadays wash and grind acorns into flour to sell or eat themselves. Times have been tough these past two years. Using acorns to feed pigs will just get you cursed at, and it’s not even worth it—you’d make money faster just selling the acorn flour."

Huai Zi said, "I know. This year, I’ve been using a mix of corn dregs with green fodder, duckweed, Shanyu vines, Shanyu pulp, and Huangdou stalks to feed the pigs. Basically, whatever’s in season, I mix it in. See? They’re fattening up nicely. I’ll only use acorns mixed with carrots come winter. And if we raise more pigs, we’ll have more fertilizer, too."

Juhua nodded. "Mmm, that’ll work. I’m already planning to buy some more wasteland, and then we can plant whatever we want. We should also expand the fishpond—dig it out to about three mu in size—and grow more wood-ear mushrooms. Even though the yield is low, it’s better than foraging for wild ones on the mountain."

Huai Zi nodded happily. "I was thinking the same thing. You don’t need to spend your money to buy the land—keep your money for yourself. I’ll take several taels of Silver from this year’s income to buy the wasteland. In the future, between farming, raising pigs, growing mushrooms, and raising fish, we can hire a few people to help and get everything running smoothly. The income from our own harvest, plus the rent from the tenants, will add up to a good amount each year. Then we can slowly acquire more properties."

All told, the family’s income was now seventy to eighty taels of Silver a year. The biggest portion, of course, came from selling pigs. In addition, the chickens, ducks, eggs, wood-ear mushrooms, fish, lotus root, acorn flour, Shanyu noodles, Huangdou, cabbage, and so on also brought in small bits of silver, which added up. They sold very little of their grain, mainly because of a lingering sense of insecurity; they stored it all away instead.

"Money doesn’t sprout if you just leave it lying around," Juhua said. "It’s better to buy some fields. You buy yours, and I have my own plans."

Hearing this, Huai Zi turned back and said with an amused laugh, "What do you mean, ’you buy yours’? Isn’t what’s mine also yours? It’s fine if you want to buy fields for yourself. We can find people to farm them. There are plenty of landless people these days. It’s not like before when most people had at least a mu or two of land and wouldn’t starve."

Juhua nodded. ’I’m going to build my own private assets.’

The couple planned everything out carefully. Looking at their son and daughter, their hearts filled with motivation.

However, Juhua and Huai Zi had clearly underestimated the impact of Zhang Yang becoming a Scholar and the Zhang family’s rising fortune. They hadn’t even had a few days of peace, and the late rice harvest wasn’t even finished, when a clan elder, their Great-grandfather—who was Zhang Dashuan’s uncle, albeit a distant one—came to their door. He put on the airs of an elder, acting as if he were there to handle matters fairly, and asked Zhang Dashuan why he had driven out Grandpa Wu. Such disrespect toward an elder, he declared, was not behavior befitting a Scholar’s family.

The household was busy, and now they had these relatives showing up to cause trouble. He was furious. Without bothering to call for Zhang Dashuan or his son, she started arguing with that Great-grandfather, nearly grabbing a large broom to chase them out.

Juhua heard a few words from her room. Seeing that He was about to explode with anger, she quickly had Pu Pao call He into the room. She told her not to be so reckless and that it was better to call Huai Zi back to deal with them. She then explained carefully that if Yangzi weren’t a Scholar with no plans to become an official, it wouldn’t matter how big of a scene they made. But Yangzi was a learned man who intended to enter the bureaucracy through the imperial examinations, so his reputation and integrity were exceptionally important. It would be bad if someone used this against them—the tongues of scholars are the most venomous.

After she finished speaking, she saw He’s half-comprehending look, sighed, and said, "Mother, scholars value their reputation far more than us common folk do. If someone is known to be unfilial, even if they become an official, they will certainly lose their position if an opponent brings it up. In our case, although these relatives are distant, they are still considered clan elders. If you chase them out with a broom, it might come back to hurt Yangzi someday."

He was stunned. ’Chasing them away would bring misfortune to Yangzi? But *they* were the ones being completely unreasonable, weren’t they?’

In any case, she no longer dared to chase them away, so she had Pu Pao go to the fields to call Zhang Dashuan and his son back.

A short while later, Zhang Huai returned alone; Zhang Dashuan was not with him. His pant legs were rolled up high. He vigorously slapped the dust from his clothes in the courtyard, then went to the well to draw water, rinse his feet and legs, and wash his face before finally entering the house.

Great-grandfather was seated at the head of the square table, with Grandpa Wu and Seventh Grandfather on either side. Seeing Zhang Huai, Great-grandfather asked majestically, "Huai Zi, where is your father?"

Zhang Huai stood with his hands at his sides and replied calmly, "My father is busy in the fields. He sent me back to ask what instructions Great-grandfather has. Please forgive us juniors, Great-grandfather, but the frost is setting in, and we dare not delay. If the grain isn’t brought into the granary, what will our large family eat? Yangzi’s studies also cost money. Our family has grown, making things even more difficult. We can’t compare to the good fortune of you grandfathers, who have the leisure to be out and about at a time like this."

Great-grandfather was left fuming at his words. ’His family hadn’t planted any late rice, so there was none to harvest!’ For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Then, catching Grandpa Wu winking at him, he cleared his throat and said with an air of authority, "How much time could a quick discussion take? Go and get him. I have something to ask him."

Huai Zi said, "If Great-grandfather has something to say, you can just ask me. All this running back and forth... by the time I go to the fields to call him back, you could have said your piece several times over. Even if I’m not much good, I did at least study for two years. I help my father manage the family’s affairs now and offer advice on things. Asking me is the same as asking him."

Grandpa Wu saw that he was nothing like the furious young man from that other day and was momentarily at a loss. He looked toward the old man at the head of the table, his eyes asking what to do next.

Great-grandfather had originally planned to wait until lunch, figuring Zhang Dashuan would surely be back by then. But on second thought, he figured it was better to just talk to Huai Zi. Although Zhang Dashuan was the father, both his sons were accomplished—one was away studying, and the other was managing the household. Even if Dashuan did return, it would probably still be this Huai Zi who answered them.

So, he gathered his thoughts and asked sternly, "I heard you drove your Grandpa Wu and Seventh Grandfather out the other day. Is that true? Since you are a literate man, you should understand the importance of respecting your elders. Not to mention that an elder’s guidance is for your own good, but even if he says something wrong, you should still listen. Is driving people out something a junior like you should be doing? Aren’t you afraid of ruining Yangzi’s reputation?"

Zhang Huai asked with a deadpan expression, "Since my own grandfather passed away, have any of you grandfathers ever come to our home to guide us?"

The men froze. Grandpa Wu hastily said, "Well, we’re here now, aren’t we!"

Huai Zi looked at them mockingly. "Even when my grandfather was alive, we barely saw you. Why show up now to put on the airs of an elder? And to point fingers and meddle in my family’s affairs?"

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)