Journey to the West: The Immortal Clan Begins by Feeding Monkeys at Five Elements Mountain

Chapter 16 Hatched Two Broods of Chickens

Jiang Yi stood aside, listening to the chatter of the crowd, and his brows furrowed even more.

Tiger, bear, and that bison... the more I listened, the more familiar they sounded.

He didn't say anything, but a slight ripple was stirring in his heart.

It was hard to say for a moment whether I should be glad I didn't go up the mountain, or sigh for my neighbors who suffered losses.

My heart sank a little, and I couldn't help but feel a bit more apprehensive about that vast, desolate forest.

I lent a hand at that house and helped with some things until the sun was setting before turning around and going home.

As soon as I turned into the courtyard, I saw Liu Xiulian bending over, feeding the chickens.

One foot was on the stone steps, and in his hand he was holding a wooden basin filled with finely chopped vegetable leaves mixed with the dregs of medicine boiled the night before. The basin was dark and murky.

It doesn't smell very appetizing, but the chickens in the coop are fighting over it.

When she saw him return, Xiulian smiled, her eyes and brows brightening with a smile:
"I'm thinking of hatching two more broods of chicks before early spring ends."

Lately, I've been practicing standing meditation at home frequently and taking plenty of medicinal baths. I'm getting a lot of nourishment, and it's being used up quickly.

The old hen was short of eggs, and there weren't enough to go around.

Moreover, according to her husband, this kind of situation is likely to continue for a long time.

Naturally, we should plan ahead and prepare more chicks so that we won't be short of chickens one day.

Jiang Yi listened, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.

Raising chickens may sound ordinary, but there are actually quite a few things to consider.

These days, there's no cheap feed available.

Ordinary families are all struggling to make ends meet. Not to mention farmers, even wealthy families are reluctant to feed their chickens the best grains.

The chickens are affordable because of the scraps we save on a daily basis.

Vegetable stalks, melon rinds and fruit pits, or rice bran and chaff from milling rice and flour.

A load of chaff, carried to the market, can be exchanged for a few melons and dates.

Our family has now added three acres of orchards and five acres of medicinal herb garden.

Putting aside everything else, the rotten leaves, fallen fruit, medicinal vines and dregs are enough to feed a flock of chickens.

Thinking about it this way, it really is time to expand the chicken coop and raise more chicks.

Thinking about all this, Jiang Yi stepped over the threshold and into the courtyard, when he heard a series of humming and hawing sounds coming from ahead.

The two boys were rolling around in a heap, exchanging punches and kicks.

The younger one was red-faced and swollen-necked, looking like he was about to "make a name for himself."

The older one had a smile on his face, clearly just playing along, applying just the right amount of force for his younger brother to play with.

Ultimately, he had practiced stance training, so he had a good grasp of the situation and knew how to use his hands properly.

It wasn't until she caught a glimpse of her father stepping across the threshold that the alertness hidden deep within her bones quietly surfaced.

With a slight loosening of his grip, he subtly created an opening.

Jiang Liang wasn't about to let him go. With a cheer like a chicken pecking at rice, he pounced on his brother and finally turned him upside down.

After successfully getting what she wanted, her little face beamed with joy, as if she had just gotten candy, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

Jiang Yi stood in the courtyard, watching their contest come to an end, before gently calling out:

"come over."

The two boys rushed over in response, their faces still beaming with joy, their feet seemingly still carrying the afterglow of their excitement.

Jiang Yi looked down at them, his eyes gentle, but his tone serious:

"You can go to the front of the mountain or the back of the mountain. But you're not allowed to wander around outside the village without my permission."

Although the two children were usually mischievous, they were not ignorant of right and wrong.

Seeing her father's unusually serious expression, she immediately stopped smiling, nodded obediently, and agreed without saying a word.

The next morning, before dawn, Jiang Yi went with his neighbors to the house to offer condolences.

White banners hung low, and white silk fluttered in the wind.

The cries in the courtyard were intermittent, mixed with the cold wind blowing down from the mountain, making one feel a tightness in their chest.

As usual, I picked up a basket of eggs and went to check on the two that were still lying down.

One arm was slinged across his chest, unable to move or even flick a finger;
One leg was wrapped tightly, his face was pale, and his eyes still held the lingering fear.

Jiang Yi didn't say much. After exchanging a few pleasantries, leaving his things, and completing the formalities, he turned and went home.

As I walked along the road, the sunlight grew stronger, illuminating the wild grass with touches of new green. The shadow in my heart was soothed by this warmth, fading somewhat.

No matter how tough life gets, we have to keep going.

At home, Xiulian had already tidied up most of the odds and ends she would need.

The eggs were also laid out in the sun, held in the palm of my hand, and carefully examined against the light.

Only eggs with a black dot showing inside are considered fertile and can hatch into chicks.

The few remaining hens in the cage are all quite peaceful; they don't fight or peck at the nest, which makes them easy to care for.

Jiang Yi stood by the chicken coop, his eyes darting around, and picked out the two fattest ones.

One in each hand, their fur was smooth and shiny, they felt heavy in my arms, their claws gripped firmly, and their eyes were still darting around, full of life.

Judging from the appearance, it seems that the dregs of the medicine really did have some effect.

On one side of the kitchen, in a corner, there was a sheltered spot that was dry and warm.

They built two huts and laid a thick layer of dry, soft grass underneath.

I pressed it down a bit more with my hands, gathering it into a round little nest that was soft and didn't fall apart, able to hold in the heat.

The eggs had already been counted, fifteen per nest.

The older generation has a tradition of "holding an odd number of objects, not an even number," for the sake of good luck.

The hen seemed to understand; as soon as she landed in the nest, she sank down and slowly covered the nest of eggs with her wings, making sure they were completely sealed together.

He immediately twisted his neck, found the most comfortable position, and sat down steadily.

Its feathers were fluffy, and it seemed calm and composed, with only occasional muffled murmurs coming from its nest.

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Ever since that strange incident, the able-bodied men in the village have become much more obedient.

They only dared to wander around at the foot of the mountain, and when they saw the depths of the forest in the distance, they consciously went around it.

The village became lively at both ends, with roosters crowing, dogs barking, children crying and laughing, and shouts from all directions, adding a touch of life to the place.

With less income from the mountains, every household is struggling financially, having to carefully manage every penny of their daily necessities.

The Jiang family, however, has recently had two troublesome children.

Those fluffy little chicks, all yellowish-brown, looked like a handful of beans scattered around, running wildly all over the yard.

Fluttering its little wings, it pecked at grass roots and trampled on vegetable seedlings, shouting at the little girl inside the house to see who could argue the loudest.

Jiang Xi was only four months old, but she was very strong and her body was nearly two feet tall.

She rolls over and swings her fists, looking quite the part; her crying and fussing can make the whole bed creak three times.

The ten acres of land outside the house have already sprouted ears of spring wheat, which looks like a patchwork of green and gold from afar.

A gentle breeze stirs up ripples, a sign of a prosperous year ahead.

After catching his breath that day, Jiang Yi leisurely strolled around the village.

They joined in the fun at the front, and then inquired about grain prices at the back.

As we walk along, we weigh the options, deciding what to plant next.

Life depends on careful planning; if the abacus beads don't work, your savings will eventually run out.

Having just finished checking out the soybean market at the tofu shop, and barely stepped out the door, he unexpectedly bumped into Aunt Niu.

This old woman always slips away quickly and has a frighteningly loud voice.

He was accompanied by two other people, and they rushed over here in a great hurry.

The two men were dressed plainly, with expressionless faces, like wooden blocks of wood.

Jiang Yi raised his eyelids and immediately recognized him.

It was the same two servants from Liu Family Village who came to the village to retrieve the pitchfork a few days ago.

The two of them listened to Aunt Niu's instructions and walked around the village entrance with their heads down, making arrangements to buy things.

Jiang Yi had sharp eyes and quickly got a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

Red dates, astragalus, eggs, old ginger, and a few pieces of soft cloth, mostly for making swaddling clothes.

These are all items used by women during postpartum confinement and when raising babies.

Jiang Yi's heart stirred slightly.

It seems that good things are about to happen in Liu Family Village, with a new addition to the family.

(End of this chapter)